Drenched

It poured today. And I mean poured.

I always feel bad for tourists who get caught out in the rain. Especially on days like today. Today wasn't a get-a-little-damp kind of day; it was a get-soaked-to-your-core-and-have-wring-out-your-undies kind of day. It makes me wonder what they were thinking. Why would you go to a place where you will spend 75% of your time outdoors and not plan for rain? I also wonder about the people who come here wearing Dollar Store flip-flops. Again - you're going to spend an entire day walking around, did you not think about what doing that in flip-flops was going to feel like? Then again, maybe I'm the weird one. Maybe because most people don't deal with the elements the way I do, the possibility of rain doesn't enter into their vacation planning. Either way, I was glad I was dry.

Family

I got to see my brother today!  (And his wife and her parents - which was a delight!) I never get to see my brother - I bet it's been at least eight years since we were in the same room together, which is way too long! It was wonderful to catch up. I wish we lived closer so we could do it more often. 

Ooooh, maybe now that my kids need to log their driving hours, we just might need to take a trip down to Columbus. One kid could drive down, the other could drive back and both could earn seven of their 50 required driving hours. I'm going to have to think about this one.

Shiny

In case you didn't know, this past winter Mackinac Island got a new, very fancy ambulance. Since no one in my family has needed to ride in it (thankfully,) I really never got a good look at it - that is until earlier this week. I just happened to be at the Mackinac Island Medical Center when they had it out for a bath.

My first thought was to refer to the ambulance as a "her." According to the UK's Imperial War Museum's website, ships are usually referred to using the feminine because of the idea of a mother figure or goddess guiding and protecting the crew and the ship. Given the job of an ambulance, using "her" seemed appropriate, but I don't want to imply that males can't / don't guide or protect, so I opted for the gender-neutral term "it" instead. No offence was intended if I used the wrong term.

Goodnight

Tonight is one of those perfect Mackinac nights; 

beautiful and cool. Goodnight.

Collecting

In case you've ever wondered, this is what a winter's worth of (mostly) pop cans looks like. The other day K and I returned eight of those bags. (They were worth worth $63.70.) Unfortunately, those bags were less than half the pile!

Benefits

I have chickens. (I joke that they are my emotional support chickens.) Despite the time and effort they require, they really do make me smile. Plus, you just can't beat quiche made with eggs that are less than 12 hours old. Even the teenagers in the house claim to be able to taste the difference between store-bought and farm-fresh eggs. 

In case you're curious, that's Princess Buttercup. She is the chicken on my shoulder in this photo from last summer. Now, she's all grown up...

Invasion

It is a damp and rainy day here in Northern Michigan - a perfect day to pop off the Island for an orthodontist appointment. On our way, my son and I noticed a seemingly unending line of UPS trucks.  (Click on the picture to make it bigger.)

There must be a distribution center down that way. We sat and watched for a few minutes and the trucks just kept coming.

Happy Independence Day

Everywhere you look there are flags on Mackinac.

It seems as if everyone is in the mood to celebrate.

Happy Independence Day!

 

In Action

My husband (and others) spend a lot of time working on the Mackinac Marine Rescue Boat.  A few days ago, as I was on the ferry coming back to the island, I heard my husband's voice on their radio. The Rescue Boat was out helping a kayaker in distress. It was neat to get to see my husband in action; usually I just get to hear about their runs after the fact.

Jackpot

My youngest child and I were in St. Ignace the other day to get their Covid-19 vaccination. We happened to have a few minutes to kill before catching the ferry home, so we popped into the local thrift shop for a quick peek. Nestled in with the rubber stamps I found these beautiful made-in-West-Germany cookie molds. Happy happy joy joy! 

The cookie molds are typically used to make traditional German springerle cookies, like the ones pictured above (from 2018.) To buy the molds new is quite expensive, so you can imagine my joy at finding the whole lot for $5.00!

Get Away

Lots of people ask me what people who live on Mackinac Island like to do to get away. For us, it usually means a quiet place where we can meet family, relax and my husband can fish. Something like this fits the bill perfectly.

And can you think of a more ideal place for morning yoga?

Or for cousins to get together to hang out?

For us, it's pretty much the perfect place to get away.

A Lilac a Day, Day Fifteen

Lots of the lilacs are starting to fade. It's probably a good thing they don't bloom all year - I don't think I would appreciate them nearly as much if they were here all the time. 

A Lilac a Day, Day Fourteen

This little lilac bush is just down the street from me. It's shaded so its blooms are sparse, but it more than makes up for it with how incredible it smells.

A Lilac a Day, Day Thirteen

Just a lovely little walkway to share with you this morning...

A Lilac a Day, Day Twelve

Nothing says June like a bright blue sky and lilac blossoms. It's a perfect picture for the first day of summer vacation...

That's a Wrap

These boys and I finished up their fifth grade year today, with ice cream, as is tradition. Words cannot express how delightful they are. I can't imagine having to spend a year teaching through a global pandemic with any other kids!

A Lilac a Day, Day Eleven

These bushes were planted to disguise the addition we put onto the school back in 2000. When we added the "Big Gym," it doubled the square footage of our building.

A Lilac a Day, Day Ten

This year the lilacs have put on a beautiful show! These were planted at a house in my neighborhood that was just built last year.

A Lilac a Day, Day Nine

Lilacs, the lake and the lighthouse - pictures don't get much more "Mackinac" than that. I snapped this one on my way to the Post Office yesterday after school. 

A Lilac a Day, Day Eight

I've often wondered why some trees, like this one, seem to be covered with blossoms, while other have virtually none. I initially assumed it was due to how much sun each tree received, but it can also be due to improper pruning. Lilacs bloom on the growth from the previous season, so they should be pruned within a week or two after the flowers have faded. They can  also be over fertilized (they don't like a lot of nitrogen). And, of course, they do need a minimum of  six hours of sun light each day.