Our Neck Of the Woods

4.11.09

Yesterday Abbey and I drove to NMU for a campus visit/tour.  What a beautiful setting on the shore of Lake Superior.  The guide told a story about a student last year who went deer hunting and gutted his buck in the residence shower.  That would be a sight I wouldn't want to discover at 6am!

On the way home from NMU, it was sunny and relatively warm, 40F.  Abbey curled up in the seat and read to me as I drove and while we wound our way through the forest the shadows from the trees stuttered across her book and I think my heart stuttered a little too.  Moments like that will carry me into the end of my life; her soft, sombre voice, sweet smile and the sun creating a halo of light around her.  Driving through the woods toward our beautiful home, the promise of a warm dinner and a peaceful, quiet evening---I know how lucky I am.

The past two days have been great for wildlife viewing.  Jeff and Abbey saw three wild turkeys and later Jeff saw a wolf run across the road into the woods!  First thing this morning Jeff heard a pileated woodpecker near the house.  Mister Woodpecker was in a huge old birch tree and his pecking sounded like tribal drumbeats echoing through the silence.  It was incredible.  Then---then....I saw a snowy owl fly over,  Actually, I heard the whoosh of his wings way above my head and looked up just time to hear him call.  I was in heaven standing out there in the chilly sunlight!

4.8.09

The girls paged through our old yearbooks yesterday and had a belly full of laughs seeing Jeff as a high school jock full of you-know-what and vinegar, and me as a shy tomboy.  Needless to say--we are far and away from those long ago days.  Something funny came out of that journey down memory lane though.  I found some old school papers that reminded me how much I wanted to love in some secluded place and be a writer.  It pleases me that after twenty-some odd years I am living in the woods and writing.  My teenage self had grandiose dreams of writing best-selling novels, but my adult self is content to have this journal, and this life.

My friend Tom says that the birds he feeds off his deck in Munising have no interest in the commercial suet cakes he has there.  We buy them from the same store--same brand---and the birds here have devoured pounds and pounds of them all winter.  How curious that the same kinds of birds, twelve miles away, turn their beaks up at his suet.

Last night we had stuffed cabbage soup for dinner.  I bought a neat giant-size muffin pan at a yard sale awhile back and Emily used it to make giant corn muffins last night to accompany the soup.  We always eat well and it seems that living out here in the woods sharpens all our appetites.

We are looking for a canoe or two for our guests to use on the lake this summer, so if you know anyone selling a decent canoe---drop us an email!

4.6.09

Fifty yards off the road, thirty feet in the air---we saw this:

 and made an assumption that it was an eagle's nest.  After a fifty yard hike through three feet of snow, lungs burning and breathing like old horses, we discover it's...well, we still don't know what it is.  Stay tuned as we try to solve this mystery.

On other fronts: Emily got an apprenticeship with Open Wings pottery studio and gallery in downtown Munising...her dream.  The folks at Open Wings are wonderful; invested in living and growing in our beautiful community.  So, if you're in the neighborhood stop in and say hi to Tom, Jill and Emily, and soak in some of the warm, peaceful vibes in their gallery.

I bought fifty pounds of whole corn for my birds while I was in town today.  I couldn't wait to get home, pop open the bag and spread it around.  You can imagine my chagrine when I went back out and discovered that the birds have no interest in the corn.  Yes, I bought fifty pounds of it.  Guess we'll see if they take to it later.  My friend down the road, Sandy, has wild turkey eating from her feeder, darn it.  I am fervently hoping they'll discover that Kemosabe is turkey-friendly too and I know for a fact that they like whole corn!

Jeff is down sick with the same virus I had last week.  He is a big, giant, hairy man-baby and I am taking good care of him---hot, homemade soup, Tylenol and the TV remote.  While I was sick I re-discovered that daytime TV is full of drama, violence and unrest.  I much prefer the wind in the pines and my birds to pass the time.  TV is too stressful--I'll take my fly rod and the warm summer sun beating on my shoulders  :o)

Speaking of fishing---it kinda hit me this week---we're surrounded by so many lakes, rivers and streams that it'll be a few years before I can say I've cast into all of them!  That is mind-boggling for me....I can't wait.  Nothing beats fly fishing with no other company than dragon and damsel flies.

Well, back to taking care of my sick man....I've got soup on the stove!

4.4.09 Temp 33F

Finally we see the pileated woodpecker!  

The drawing is courtesy of Audubon since I wasn't lucky enough to have a camera yesterday.  Jeff and I were walking a couple of the dogs and a giant bird swooped across the road ahead of us---I almost hopped out of my boots I was so excited!  Jeff, in his usual droll manner, stated "there's the big fella" and acted as if he sees them every day.  It takes alot to rile up the big guy--

The Yockey's from downstate, near Petoskey, drove up to this neck of the woods and stopped to say hello.  They had considered buying the camp when it was for sale and Deanna reads the journal now--so they dropped in to introduce themselves.  Such a nice surprise!

Our driveway (also known as The Slippery Rink of Death) is down to bare ground in places--a sure sign of impending spring, right?  At least I hope so.  I am officially ready for spring, the Easter Bunny, tulips, colored eggs and budding trees.  The UP--I'm sure---will not release winter for a few more weeks :o)  Ah well...it is what it is and it ain't no more.

The Torres family is here from IL and they are a breath of fresh air; a nice family here for a weekend getaway in the woods.

4.2.09  Temp 25F

  This cute little fella is a dark-eyed junco; a whole flock of them showed up yesterday for lunch.  What a nice surprise!  I heard their familiar little peep, looked out the window and there they were!  The funny thing is that back in Ohio the junco shows up at the beginning of winter and disappears at the end, we always called them snowbirds.  So it makes perfect sense---having survived our first winter up here---that juncos winter over in a "milder" winter climate.  There are so many birds now...way more than we saw all winter.  The little brown creeper has a friend now--I saw a second one at breakfast this morning and I heard a pileated woodpecker drilling today.  A heron flew over yesterday, croaking as he flew, and Emily ducked...she had no idea what was flapping over the rooftops with a call like a frog.

Jeff and I went for a walk this morning and it was so sunny and warm that it felt like spring all over again.  I have a feeling it will be a long process here.  In spite of the temperature, there is still SO much snow out there, feet and feet of it.  I felt good enough for the first time in days to walk and the frest air felt so good...now if I could just quit coughing.

We've had some fine eating this week; vegetable soup made with smoked pork tenderloin and delicious biscuits that Abbey made.  Tomorrow is chicken and rice soup I think.  Guess it depends....sometimes I start out making one thing and in the end, it's something else.  My friend Mary, back in Ohio, has always made the best-ever chicken rice soup...and I always make it from her recipe; some things cannot be improved upon. 

The office is finally switched around and reconfigured for the future gift shop----one step closer!  Jeff (being his usual one man work crew) moved everything around.  Next will be gathering together some regional things to sell!

Time to get busy!  Have a wonderful day!

3.30.09 Temp 15F Total snow overnight 5"

It is a beautiful morning--clear and sunny.  I took a little walk after feeding the birds to see what's what around the camp and promptly slipped and fell.  That kinda took the wind out of my sails and I limped home--but I got a nice pic:

As you can see--winter has yet to release the UP. 

My friend Nancy in Iowa sent me pics of spring popping up 'round her place including a pic of her chickens.  Now anyone who knows me knows I love me some chickens.  For years I've longed for a chicken flock to call my own and I have visions of me in an apron scattering feed and gathering fresh eggs.  Finally...finally I live in a place where I could have some chickens---if only I could convince Jeff.  My darling big, hairy Yooper thinks a flock of chickens will draw every predator in a hundred mile radius to our yard.  Perhaps he's right, but I think it might be worth it for this:

  She's a Silkie chicken and I love her.  I've been doing my homework:  Silkies are great broody (mother) hens and good pets.  Who could resist a face like that?  And she looks as if she's wearing giant slippers on her feet!  That is my kind of chicken....

3.29.09 Temp 25F and snowing--3-4 inches so far!

Just when I thought spring might be creeping in----here it comes....snow...wind...cold.  Ah well---as I always say--if you don't like extreme winter, don't move to the UP.

Here's a pic of Mocha; our latest addition to the pack:

Mocha's an old chocolate lab with the personality of an angel.  She's a sweetie to have around.

We have found an awesome biscuit recipe--more by chance than anything else--and it doesn't involve yeast or rise-time...even better.  So while Jeff is downstate, we're biscuiting out up here and enjoying the fluffy little delights with homemade strawberry jam.  Good eatin'.

I've finally figure out why some of the hairy woodpeckers appear so much larger than the other---there are many sub-species, and some od those sub-species are just larger.  Who knew?  I did some investigating on the Cornell Ornithology website for answers, and to have a look at what other species will start flitting through camp when the weather breaks. 

3.28.09 Temp 30F no snow overnight

It's a busy weekend for us here at camp.  Jeff is out of town this week, and believe it or not, it's not snowing by the foot.  Seems like every time he leaves, I get a giant snowstorm and end up running around like an idiot trying to keep up with all the chores and run the tractor and take care of whatever out guests need. 

Chris Bell from Premier Recreational Products (click HERE to see their 2010 models) is up for the weekend to tape his first-ever commercial for their new snowmobile.  We are so excited for Chris and his family--he was one of our first guests after we bought the camp and we're thrilled over his success.  He's a great guy with a fantastic enthusiam for snowmobiling.

The girls and I made dough last night and rolled out a ton of cinnamon buns this morning.  Abbey made some awesome cream cheese frosting for them:

We walked around and filled all the bird feeders this morning and now there're birds everywhere.  One of our guests saw a moose on Trail 7 not far from here---that could have been a disasterous encounter, but the moose strolled away.

Today we are going to rearrange the office---really we are.  I keep saying we're doing it, but it never really happens, but I think it might actually happen this morning.  We cannot work outside much---the ground is so icy right now it's a hazard to walk!  We have a puddle in our front walk that may soon have to be designated a lake---it's that deep.

3.26.09

Finally home--and so glad to be here!  It was quite a shock to leave behind the budding trees and flowers for the north woods and three feet of snow!  Spring is peeking around the edges of winter here at camp though.  The birds are singing joyfully and the flocks of siskin/goldfinch are growing.  There are two pairs of mourning doves now; I hear them calling softly to each other throughout the day.  Jeff spotted the eagle pair near camp again----what a treat it would be if they have a nest nearby!

I made chicken and dumpling soup last night--I was dying for something hot and homemade after travelling all week.  It turned out to be awesome soup if I do say so myself.  Tonight I'm making ham and bean soup....and I just might throw some big fluffy dumplings on top of it just like my mom used to make. 

Abbey started school this morning---her first day at Munising High School and she was so nervous!  Poor kiddo....I remember how it was to be the new kid once upon a time.  Heck, I'm the "new kid" here...I can sympathize.   

We have guests this morning, so I am off to make some zucchini bread and catch up on all the camp duties.  To everyone who wrote to find out if I was ok this week----thank you!  It makes me happy that you care :o)

3.14.09

Well, snowmobiling is apparently about to wind down here...at least temporarily.  The temps will be over 40 for the next 3 days, and I guess we will see what next week holds.  Last year on April 1st there was a two day storm that left 4 feet of snow....it could happen, and probably will.

Jeff and I are fishermen---so the warm up is bittersweet for us; we'll miss the snowmobilers---we've made some GREAT friends this season---but it will be nice to get down to the business of fly lines and flies and nets and waders again.  The lake out back is calling my name something fierce now and I can't wait to get back there and get the path cleared.

I'm also dying to work outside without five layers of clothing---see below.  And if the yard ever appears again---I can't wait to see what's down there under all that snow.

The grosbeak just flew by the office window---I almost  broke my neck stumbling out of the chair to follow his flight.  He didn't stop at the moose antler---looks like he went to the feeders around back and I won't try to follow him...too icy;  I practically need cleats out there right now.

3.13.09

So I hear from family that downstate has a heavy dose of spring....seventy degree days, green grass and tulips popping up.  At first I couldn't wrap my brain around that idea.  How can it be spring?  We have five, seven, eight feet of snow!  Last weekend I stood on piles so high that I could touch the roof of the polebarn!  Then someone gently reminded me ( Jeff: "Sherry, good grief it's mid-March, not December!") and my snow-blind consciousness shook itself out and took a fresh look.  By gosh, it IS spring!  Let me count the ways:

1) I stopped wearing gloves constantly. They're not even stuffed in all my winter coats anymore....just most of them. 

2) Some days I just put on half of my long underwear  Most of the winter I wore layers of warmies and looked like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man.  I guess I didn't realize I had been doing a prolonged, painfully slow strip (I still need a full minute to peel it all off at night though).

3) Speaking of nighttime--instead of long underwear, fleece pajamas, two pairs of socks and a hooded sweatshirt, I wear fleece jammies and one pair of socks.  I have 4 blankets now, not 6.  Jeff----with the heartiness  of a true Yooper---wear shorts and a t-shirt to bed (yeah, I know.....it borders on bizarre).

4) The sun has been out three of the past fourteen days.  Yes, I count.

5) We saw a two-inch patch of dirt yesterday where the ice crust on the driveway had cracked.  Hey, this is progress!  Up to now, there was so much new snow every day that we had trouble remembering just where the driveway actually was!

I guess that's enough for now...I could come up with a few more, but I'll save them for when our temps move out of the single digits.

Bird update---and this is BIG: I finally got to see the evening grosbeak and got a picture of him at the  moose antler feeder!!  He was SO beautiful--like a sunset!  What a fantastic bird---black fading to yellow and white---he was awesome!

The second bird sighting yesterday:  TWO BALD EAGLES!  They were soaring over a lake not more than five miles from our camp!  Wow.....if they set up housekeeping around here I'll have to find an eagle-chow vendor  :o)                      

3.12.09

I discovered that part of the journal has done a disappearing act----it must have gotten too large for the page.  So I have started a new journal page, and I'm going to try to restore the old one.  It doesn't mean a thing to anyone except me, but darn it, I want it back.  So, the plan for now is that Journal 3 will be the current one, and Journals 1 and 2 will be the stuff from when I first started writing.

The journal just crossed the 5,000 mark the other day...  I started keeping track of the number of readers back in early Feb, and Jeff pointed out to me that it had been read more than five thousand times.  There are about three hundred people who read the journal regularly---give or take.  So, hi everyone!  Thanks for keeping us company in the north woods!

Ok---time to figure out how to get the journal history back!  This journal will go back to the beginning of March....3.10.09  Temp 32F and 2" new snow

3.10.09

Jeff and I have had a couple days off this week----that's a nice change of pace for us!  I'd like to say we did something productive, but that would be a lie---I spent a day in my jammies cleaning/rearranging our kitchen cupboards and Jeff went fishing, we visited neighbors and walked dogs and napped a bit, we started a new exercise routine; Yogilates. 

For the uninitiated---Yogilates is a combination of yoga and pilates that had Jeff and I on the floor breathing like old horses and stretching things we haven't stretched in...well, awhile.  Jeff---God love 'im---is always up for a fitness challenge; the man will say yes to anything that burns calories (except ballroom dancing), so we spent an hour this morning grunting and twisting on the floor with three puzzled dogs staring at us like we'd taken leave of our senses.  When we were attempting "Downward Dog" position with our heads on the floor and our butts in the air---I'd guess anyone might wonder if we were a couple sandwiches short of a picnic; two sweating, creaky pajama'd people cursing at the tv, swiping dogs out of the way and laughing at each other from upside-down. 

Here's an interesting picture:

A 7'11" timber wolf shot and killed in 1935 by a deer hunter.  The wolf stood 39" high at the shoulder and weighed 185 pounds AFTER being gutted.  What a magnificent beast that must have been!  We had seen a clipping in the Melstrand store when we first came up here, and now The Great Lakes Pilot magazine has brought the story back to light this month.

Well, it's bedtime and with any luck, the morning will bring the much-ballyhooed blizzard we're hoping will bring snow back for a few more weeks (my apologies to all the locals who just want spring). 

3.8.09 Temp 23F and no new snow overnight

It's been a good week here at camp--as always, lots of nice people: the Vallone group, the Vsetula family with their adorable giant cocker; Cagney, Derek Powell's group and the Quint group.  Nice and friendly folks, as always.

I made cinnamon rolls that literally fell flat this week---a case of bad yeast I think.  So the first thing I did was to buy some fresh in Marquette yesterday.  I hate baking failures!  We have a new dessert at camp "If Elvis Were A Yooper" Brownies---they're a banana blonde-brownie with a secret ingredient and chocolate-peanut butter frosting....mmm-mmmm!

On the bird front: the evening grosbeak has been busy here--flitting from feeder to feeder, we have a pair of mourning doves that have decided to make Kemosabe their home base, and the woodpeckers are still frequent visitors---including a huge hairy woodpecker.

Jeff and I are taking the morning off, then we're going to reorganize the office to make room for a small gift shop that will have handmade items from local artists---no cheap plastic Chinese souvenirs.  Jeff fired up the smoker to do a chicken and a pork tenderloin today---smoked tenderloin makes awesome chili!

I am missing our families today!  We're usually so busy that I don't have much time to think about it---but on "slow" days....I start missing everyone.

Here's a pic from a couple days ago of me on the snow from the pole barn roof---it's pretty deep:

And one of Jeff (who's 6'5") next to one of the snowbanks along the drive:

3.4.09  Temp 22F and no snow overnight

We are at the point that we have snow piles above some of the windows here and the edges of the drive are 6 feet deep in snow.  Many of the locals are starting to complain about the cold and snow---but we're still going full blast.  Bring on the late season snow!  My attitude is that I'd better like the cold/snow/deep freeze if I was willing to move 450 miles to live in it.

This pic is from Miner's Castle last summer.  I was browsing through some pics from last year, and this one is a favorite!  It is lit so beautifully that it almost doesn't look real, does it?

The Estrada group left today---and they were kind enough to leave us part of a stick of home-made venison sausage.  That was some AWESOME stuff Mark---some of the best I've had. 

Speaking of venison....our neighbor Rich stopped by to say hi and drop off some veniso snack sticks he made!  Yummy!  I am a girl who's head can be turned by a good piece of venison---so this was a GREAT week for me!  Thanks again Rich!

3.2.09  Temp 10F and no snow overnight

Jeff is home!!!  Yea!!  I missed him!! To all the folks who read this journal and were at Outdoorama this week---who stopped by to say hello to Jeff---thank you!!

 We have gotten 5.5 FEET of new snow in the past 13 days...holy cow that's alot.   The snow in the open areas is DEEP---7 or 8 feet at this point...if not deeper.

Lots of good folks stayed here at camp this week---I was so busy I barely got to talk to anyone!  Charlene and Terry in cabin 3...great folks!  Funny and friendly and I wish I had more time to chat with them.  The Lux group in cabin 4---great guys!  The Rodriguiz family in cabin 5 and 6-----a NICE family with a good sense of humor.  The guys in cabin 1 and 2....awesome gentlemen from the pharmacy trade....and they had Kemosabe Cabins embroidered on the "team" shirts.  I'll post THAT pic tomorrow.

2.28.09  Temp 20F and no snow today.

Looks like we have another lake effect snow storm on the way tonight.  It's hard for me to imagine that tulips are going to be popping up soon in the Lower!  It feels like mid-winter here  :o)  I guess it is....

I have a pic of the pine siskins on the moose antler today:

Another busy day at the feeders.  The little guys will need lots of food again tomorrow if we get that next storm too. 

I spent most of the day tending to ribs on the smoker down by the barn.  At one point the snow came sliding off one of the cabin roofs and it sounded like an avalanche!  There is ALOT of snow up there right now.

The dogs were feeling feisty today in the sunshine; they spent almost an hour outside romping through the snow and chasing each other.  It was cold today, but not humid, so it felt good.  Fern, our coonhound, ran several laps around the yard with the littler dogs nipping at her heels, trying to keep their heads above the snow.  Eventually they all went back inside to collapse on the rug and have their afternoon siesta in the warm sun coming through the window.

Here's a pic of our lake from last summer---I used it as the front of our new postcards and flyers, and it's so pretty I just wanted to share it:

2.27.09

Blizzard again---another 10" to 12" overnight.  Jeff's mom was asking how deep the snow is now, so I found a picture from Nov, and took a 2nd one today in the same spot.  Marilyn, here ya' go----snow is 7 feet deep in places, and we've gotten 5 feet in the last 10 days!

As you can see----the snow has taken over the camp!  Our trucks are nestled in between 8 foot high mounds. 

Mike and Tom Bush of the John Bush Memorial Ride, invited Jeff and I to dinner a few nights ago and we shared a mighty good meal that I didn't have to cook.  What a treat!  Before we left that evening, Mike gave me a giant bowl of leftovers.  I've been so busy---and tired---that I haven't felt like cooking.  Mike and Tom Bush----THANK YOU......your leftovers have fed me for the past two days and I'm grateful!!!  Without your generosity, I'd probably be eating peanut butter toast.  Your group was a wonderful addition to our camp for a few days, and we're excited to have you booked for next year.

For those who have followed the duct tape story----I have discovered that duct tape is useless in the cold and snow.  My boot lasted 2 days and then the tape fell off while I was running the tractor today.  I think I may have to concede de-feet, and get a new pair of boots.

One bird moment:  Today while I was shoveling and such--a blue jay--all fluffed up and fat--flew from tree to tree all over the camp and watched me.  When I went in a cabin, he flew down to the porch rail and watched me.  I decided he must be hungry, so I went back to the office and put a giant pile of cracked corn and sunflower seed in the moose antler.  As soon as I walked back in the door, he landed on the antler and had himself a fine meal. 

2.24.09  Temp 31F and no new snow overnight.

Sorry it's been so long!  I've been so so busy!  We've had a huge group of snowmobilers for the John Bush Memorial Ride here this week, and we've just had so much snow---4 feet in 6 days!  Also, Jeff is doing the big sports show---Outdoorama, this week and we had a lot of things to get set for his trip!

So, I'm running the camp this week!  All by my lonesome....it's always an adventure; this time should be no exception.  First example: Right after Jeff pulled out, Mike Bush came and told me the roof was leaking in 2 spots.  Guess who climbed on the roof with a snow shovel and a bag of rock salt?  Guess who now looks like a wet, sweaty ragamuffin?  And guess who is going to run the tractor now that it's pouring snow and close to 3 inches on the ground in 2 hours?

I'd like to mention that I crossed a threshold yesterday:  something that most women would never think of doing.....I duct taped my left boot:

The upper has separated from the sole and I didn't pay very much for the boots to begin with--so I decided to go with the tape.  I know some of you are shaking your heads....but what the heck.  I remember my great-gramma saying "make do or do without".  In the UP, out here in the forest, is the best place to practice a little old-time conservation, eh?  Besides, snow will be about done in 8 more weeks.

My feeders are overflowing with bluejays and large mixed flocks of goldfinches and pine siskins.  Here's a pic of the siskin/goldfinches:

When I was on the roof this morning, the chickadees were all flitting around me---probably wondering why I was in their territory instead of laying out their lunch!  As soon as I got off the roof I fed them though.

I am sorely missing green things lately.  My circadian rythym is telling me that spring should be around the corner....at least in Ohio!  I will miss all the flower gardens I had there!  I used to think that any bare spot in the yard was the beginning of a new garden--poor Jeff spent countless hours clearing sod and digging holes and mulching with me.  I had two iris gardens, several lilly gardens, a birdbath garden, a wishing well garden, a vegetable garden, a hosta garden, a rock garden and a couple gardens containing everything else.  I have an insane love of flora and fauna and could never pass up an orphan half-priced plant at the home improvement store.

Time to snowblow!  3 inches has turned to 4 inches of snow now----