A Lilac a Day, Day Five

There's just something about purple lilac flowers against a backdrop of green leaves that says, "Spring." Even when it's chilly or rainy outside, it's hard not to smile when you see those blossoms.

 

A Lilac a Day, Day Four

I think these pink lilacs are some of the prettiest on the Island. They also seem to be opening a little faster than the other varieties.

 

Graduation 2024

My daughter is now a proud alumna of the Mackinac Island Public School. Graduation was very special this year - not only because my youngest was graduating, but also because of a special guest.

Yep, Michigan's Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, took time out of her busy schedule to speak at our little school's graduation. Not only did she speak, but she met with the nine graduates before the ceremony. They were all so excited! And when there are only nine graduates, the commencement address gets quite personal.

Both the Governor and the Valedictorian (way to go Bela!) spoke about each of the graduates. Bela told his classmates the three words he would always associate with them. He told my daughter he would always remember her creativity, uniqueness, and resilience. (That was the moment I couldn't hold back the tears any longer, by the way.) 

After graduation there was a reception for the graduates at school. Each student had a table full of pictures.

Here they are: the nine members of Mackinac Island's Class of 2024.

Thank you Governor Whitmer, Mrs. Lipovsky, and all the senior parents for making graduation so memorable

A Lilac a Day, Day Three

I'm not sure if it's just me or if other people think this way, too - the white lilacs don't seem to be as fragrant to me as the other colors are. I wonder is that a common thing, or just the white varieties we happen to have here...

A Lilac a Day, Day Two

I'm not sure how many varieties of lilacs there are on the island, but the tiny yellow centers on these remind me of forget me nots. I just love how these change color as they open.

A Lilac a Day, Day One

I was convinced the lilacs were really early this year, but I was wrong. When I went back and checked my posts from last year, A Lilac a Day started on May 28, 2023. Over the weekend, they just started to pop...

Today

Today you graduate from high school.

You first walked in the school doors 15 years ago as a three year-old preschooler, and tonight you walk out a Mackinac Island Public School graduate.

Weren't you in preschool, like last week?

Your adult life is just beginning, and I see great things in your future. You got the intellect and the skills to do absolutely anything you desire, but remember - you have to make it happen. You've got to be proactive rather than reactive in order to craft your life into the life you want. 

I know, I know, you've got this. 

Your dad and I will be here cheering you on and offering support if you need it. You might need it, or you might not; either way we'll be here for you in whatever capacity you need.

Just remember, when you see me crying at graduation tonight (and I will cry), they are not tears of sadness. I will be crying tears of pride and joy as you walk across that stage. I am not even a little sad at the thought of you going off to Northern next year. I am thrilled at the thought of you moving out and moving on with your life - after all, it's how things are supposed to work. Will I miss you next year? Of course I will, but that feeling will be overshadowed by my feelings of pride over the battles you've fought and the struggles you've overcome to walk across that stage tonight. I love you!

 

Tomorrow

Tomorrow you will graduate from high school. 

I have to be honest,

there were days I was terrified

we wouldn't make it to today. 

But we did.

You made it.

You worked hard.

You preserved.

You didn't give up; 

and here you are -

just one more day until you

finish high school.

I am so proud of you and the person you've become. I know you can be successful; and you will be successful at anything and everything you decide is important to you. 

Three Days

Three days until I cry as you walk across the stage to get your diploma.  

I thought long and hard about whether or not to use this picture, but it really does sum up your first three months of life; you were so unhappy.  You cried. All. The. Time. Nothing would console you.  Until we got the diagnosis that you were suffering from acid reflux and you started taking Prilosec.  After that, you started to smile. 

Then we dealt with a hospitalization for a severe UTI, a hospitalization for a dangerous eye infection, and other trips to the hospital I'd rather forget (including the time you swallowed the quarter, and when you accidentally broke my nose.) As if that wasn't enough, you've also had to deal with sleep apnea, a hearing impairment, ADD, and your more recent ASD diagnosis.  As we lived through those days, it didn't feel all that overwhelming. But now, as I see it all on one page, I get teary as I realize just how much you went through growing up. 

It feels so unfair that you had to face all of that when so many other kids get to breeze through their childhoods. As I ponder your many battles, I keep coming back to Nietzsche's words, "What does not kill me makes me stronger." I believe we can choose to look at adversity as an opportunity to grow - to develop strength and build a strong character. It all seems like a lifetime ago and yesterday at the same time, but with every hardship, you came out stronger on the other side. Your graduation from high school is a big deal - you made it; you fought every battle and won.  

Are your battles over? Probably not. Will life always be easy? Definitely not, but I believe in you. With your strength I know you will be capable of facing just about anything life throws at you! 

Being your mom hasn't always been easy, but I wouldn't have my life any other way. I love you!

Four Days

Only four more days until you trade in the sun hats Mama made (and tortured you with) for a mortarboard.

Five Days

Five days until this kid graduates from high school.

It's hard to believe it's been 6,612 days since you came into the world. Your birth was so different from your brother's - so much calmer than your his quasi-emergency. Your C-section was scheduled, so I had time to prepare, I knew what to expect. We were so happy when you joined our little family; when you were born things felt complete. 

It's hard to believe your now legally an adult and in just five days you'll be a high school graduate. Where did the time go?

Absolutely Fabulous

I did not know the Secretary of State (Michigan's version of the DMV) had a mobile office.  They do, and it's absolutely fabulous! Normally to renew a driver's license or renew my license plates, which does have to be done in person occasionally, I have to take a day off of work and travel to the mainland. Not this year! This year, the Secretary of State came to me. I really appreciate the City of Mackinac Island can make this an annual event.

Totality 2024

Families don't get much nerdier than mine, so of course, we had to drive down into totality (again) for this year's eclipse. The moon arrived right on time and we were treated to about 4.5 minutes of wonder.

Totality was incredible, but I was surprised at how different it looked than in the 2017 eclipse. In 2017 the sun's corona visibly moved and appeared to have what looked like swaying tendrils. This time that wasn't nearly as pronounced, but we could actually see CMEs (coronal mass ejections); it was amazing!

Photo courtesy of Craig Turpin

We spent the rest of the day watching the moon and just enjoying the warmth of the sun.

Oh yes, and taking advantage of having access to a garage. (Something we rarely have.) Since I had access to a garage and a shop vac, I spent a good part of the afternoon cleaning out the car. That may not seem like an interesting thing to do, but since I live on a vehicle-free island, I rarely have the ability to leisurely clean out my car. So I made the most of the opportunity.

 

Happy Worm Day!

My family may be the only family that celebrates, but happy Worm Day anyway! What is Worm Day you ask? Why Worm day is the first warmish, wet day each spring when the earthworms come out en masse. It's a day we celebrate as one of the heralds of spring (along with other spring happenings such as the First Boat, the First Freighter, or the opening of Grand Hotel's tulips.)

Worm Day is a sure sign that spring is here. Often it doesn't hit until early May, but it has been so warm in Northern Michigan this year, I'm not surprised they came out early.

It's not the best picture, but all those little lines on the pavement are worms, and they are all wishing you a very happy Worm Day 2024!

A Final Tribute

You may remember I lost my dad in May of 2022. Today he was laid to rest. We celebrated his life two years ago, but since he donated his body to Michigan State University's Medical School, we had no remains to bury.  

Today we attended a lovely service at Michigan State to honor the people who willed their bodies to MSU in the same cohort as my father. It was very moving to hear medical students thank the families and explain how their knowledge of human anatomy was deepened by being able to work actual humans rather than models. It would have made my dad smile to know how much his gift enriched the education of those future doctors. 

Then we drove to the cemetery to see where he and his fellow donors were buried.  Despite the windy, rainy weather, I'm glad we went out to see the memorial before driving home. It was a long, hard day, but impactful; and so fitting for the kind of man my dad was...

Nerdom

 

I take my nerdiness very seriously. 

So, of course, when a Star Trek fan travels through Bloomington, Indiana, you must stop to visit Captain Janeway's future birthplace. Or, when you discover a traveling exhibit of Trek items just happens to be at a Seattle museum when you're in town visiting a friend, how can you not go? I mean, come on. 

If you haven't guessed, I am a huge Star Trek fan. I love it all: the Original Series, The Next Generation, Voyager, Deep Space Nine, Discovery, Picard, Strange New Worlds, Prodigy and Lower Decks - they're all outstanding. To be honest however, the Original Series will always be my favorite. Watching it reminds me of snuggling next to my dad and watching it with him when I was a kid. Such good times...

Homemade Pop Tarts

Mackinac Island's Watercolor Cafe is well known with the locals for their Poppies - or homemade pop tarts, so when a recipe for homemade pop tart dough popped up in my Pinterest feed the other day I thought I'd give them a try. I'm posting the recipe here because for some reason the link works on my phone but not on my laptop... 

This recipe is from Jennifer Pineda (In Jennie's Kitchen). She shares the dough recipe freely, but if you want her filling recipes you have to subscribe. Rather than do that, I just used different kinds of my own homemade jam. I made peach / mango, blueberry, and raspberry, and they were sooooo good. My taste testers (thank you Aimee and Travis) told me they liked how this dough was a little sweeter than regular pie crust and slightly cookie-like.

Homemade Pop Tart Dough 

1 1/3 cup flour, plus more for rolling
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup powdered sugar, plus more for rolling
1/8 tsp. baking powder
4 Tbs. cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
pinch of salt
1/4 cup + 2 Tbs cream (I used half & half)
1 egg

Additional cream (or half & half) and powdered sugar for glaze

Directions: 

1. Combine dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse to mix. 
2. Add the butter and pulse until it forms a sandy looking mix. There will still be some pebble sized pieces.
3. Pour in the cream. Pulse until you get a rough ball of dough.
4. Place dough on lightly floured surface and knead a few times until you have a smooth dough.
5. Roll to the thickness of a pie crust and cut out bottoms and tops for your pop tarts. (I used a mix of half flour and half powdered sugar to roll mine out.)
6. Beat the egg in a small bowl.  
7. Place a spoon full of jam in the center of a piece of dough and spread. Don't get too close to the edge.
8. Brush a thin ribbon of egg around the outside of the dough, close to the edge.
9. Place another piece of dough on top and use a fork to crimp the edges.
10. Use a fork to poke holes in the top piece of dough so steam can escape. (This will keep them flatter.)
11. Bake at 350 degrees for about eight minutes. (I baked mine on parchment.)
12. Cool on a wire rack and glaze if desired. (I made the glaze with half and half, powdered sugar and a dash of vanilla.)
13. Sprinkle with sugar or sprinkles if desired.

One batch of this recipe made eight, three-inch square pop tarts.

I Love Mackinac

Sometimes it's the little things about Mackinac Island that make me smile. Little things like the picture above. This young man, his siblings, and his parents were having dinner out at the Mustang the other day, and while they were waiting for their food, the kids popped over to another table to paint. I've never seen something like that on the mainland, but scenes like this are fairly common on Mackinac in the winter. It made my heart happy because not one person batted an eye - not the server, the other patrons, or the manager. 

It reminded me of the time my daughter and I went to breakfast at the Mustang years ago. She was about five and wanted to sit up at the "counter," A.K.A. the bar. I patiently explained, that people under 21 weren't allowed at the bar, but we could sit at any other table because we were the only ones in the restaurant at the time. The owner came over and told K that she could sit at "the counter" this one time because no one else was there and that was the only time it was allowed.  She was so incredibly happy.

 It was such a little thing, but it made her day.

Carhartt Army

This time of year, the first boat and the last boat often look like this - filled with workers. Many of them commute daily, so when the boats run all winter, as they did this year, it works out well for business who have construction projects.

Do you know what we call these hard-working folks?  The Carhartt Army. (Before hip-hop artists started wearing it and Carhartt became cool, the brand was well-know for its warmth and durability. It remains very popular with tradespeople who work outdoors.)

Today

I took this picture today on my walk to the bank. Scenes like this are common on Mackinac in the spring - snowmobiles parked when there was snow, that now need to be driven on dry pavement to get them home. It's a typical scene at the end of March or early April but not typically in early March. I'll tell you, this has been the weirdest winter. 

And yes, when this happens we have little choice other than to ride the snowmobile home, scraping pavement all the way. Although we'd squirt dish soap on the slides, since without snow there's nothing to lubricate them as the track moves. (Slides are pieces of plastic that prevent the track from rubbing on metal as it moves. If the slides get too hot, they'll melt. The skis also have protectors called "wear rods." They are positioned at the bottom of the ski so they wear instead of the ski material.)