It’s not surprising that we had snow this week and temperature dropped (and stayed) below freezing. After all, it is mid-November in Minnesota.

But that doesn’t mean I’m glad to see it.

Like a few other people I’ve spoken to, I was hoping the warmer weather would last a bit longer.

Ever since my wife Rita and I took up metal detecting as a hobby, the weather has played a big part in how we plan our days.

During the spring and summer, most of the obstacles to metal detecting are heavy rain, intense heat, land overgrown with high weeds - and mosquitoes.

We’ve had a few run-ins with mosquitoes, especially in places close to water or heavily-wooded and shaded areas. We decided to avoid those until the first frost and moved onto other spots that had more sun exposure.

The rain slowed us down a few times, mainly because if the electronics in the detectors get wet, it’s time for a new detector. Our remedy was to attach a clear plastic bag over the control box, keeping it dry in the rain. That works fine because we can still see the digital screen through the plastic. But it doesn’t prevent us from getting covered with mud every time we dig for a target.

This summer wasn’t as bad as the drought we had last year. Once the ground is exposed to extreme heat without rain, the grass turns brown and the dirt becomes too hard and dry to dig. It’s not impossible to dig, but we don’t want to destroy the grass, which won’t grow back if the roots are damaged and there isn’t any moisture. Not all detectorists follow that logic, and I’ve seen a few spots where someone had dug a hole in the summer and left behind a brown patch that will take a long time to recover.

But there was one benefit from last year’s drought. The Mississippi River and Sauk River receded so much, we could access areas that were typically under water in normal years.

I found an Indian Head Cent on the bank of the Mississippi in Monticello. That same day, Rita pulled a .38-caliber pistol from the mud in a spot that was usually three feet below the water.

I doubt someone just dropped it there. It was probably tossed from the river bank a few years ago by someone who thought the river would never dry up in that spot. We gave it to the police, but haven’t heard back from them about whether it was evidence from a crime.

This year the rivers didn’t recede as much, so we spent lots of time detecting in parks, on grass curb strips along sidewalks, and on a few lake beaches. Like I mentioned, we waited for the first frost to hit some spots where the mosquitoes kept us away in the summer. We also ventured into the woods in different parks once the greenery disappeared.

We were hoping for the fall to last a bit longer so we could keep detecting in the woods. But the sudden change of weather may have put a stop to that.

I have detected during snow flurries before, and even after a snowfall of a few inches. Rita doesn’t like the cold, but I can stand the cold. As long as the ground is soft enough, I can manage to locate and dig a target.

Ever since we started detecting, we’ve kept a log book of  all our finds. We list everything worth noting, including the location and the date. Last year, we had below freezing nights, but it would warm up the following day. So I was still detecting (and finding stuff) on December 15.

But it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to do that this year. I was detecting last Friday (Nov. 11), and the ground was just beginning to show signs of freezing. Then we had three days of rain, followed by temperatures below freezing day and night. I tested the ground two days later, and it was more like concrete than dirt.

I checked the weather for the next 10 days. It looks like the cold is here to stay, so it’s probably time to pack up the detectors and my gear until spring.

Now I have to find a winter hobby.