Sunshine

My husband chose our route home today just so I could see these little beauties. It's a lady slipper, and with all that has been going on lately (I'll go into details soon) they were just the spot of sunshine I needed...

Everywhere

While spring is not my favorite season on Mackinac Island, it is a wonderful time of year. In addition to the parade of tulips and the lilacs opening, the woods are full of trillium.

Mackinac Island wildflowers: one of my favorite things about spring...

Full

Our weekend in Kalkaska was a full one. Brimming with:

friends,

swings,

fish,

blacksmithing,
(which was quite nice since I hadn't picked up a hammer in about 10 years)

and caterpillars.
Thousands of caterpillars.

How about you?

Keeping Cozy

I've made a bunch of these tea cozies lately. I wanted to get them made and delivered to The Jaunting Cart before the lilacs opened. Let me tell you, I just made my deadline because the lilac trees on my street started to open yesterday. The only down side to Mackinac lilacs in mid-May is that they may all be gone before the Lilac Festival.

This year the festival is June 11-20. If you are on the island during Lilac Festival you may want to pick up one of this year's festival posters. I'm thinking I need one for myself...

photo courtesy of The Tourism Bureau

Green Home on Mackinac?

A team from Lansing Community College won the BuildUp Michigan design challenge and plans to start building their winning design on Mackinac Island this fall. According to Jeromy Clements, a member of the winning team, it will be "a 3,075-square foot, Victorian-style house, lathered in solar panels."

I love the idea that it is supposed to be a "net-zero" home; one which creates as much energy as it consumes. However, one island development has banned hanging laundry outside to to dry; how would they feel about a home covered in solar panels (in a historic district)? So now I'm curious; has the design has been approved by our local planning commission or the development's association? Does the City Council knows anything about it? And, of course, where will it be built? I'm not against the idea, I just want more information...

Mackinac's Bounty:

Wild Leeks and Morel Mushrooms

On a walk this past weekend my husband was lucky enough to find wild leeks (he calls them ramps) and morel mushrooms. Thank you Mother Nature!

My husband was careful to just pick a few leeks from the outside edge of each bunch so they'll regrow next year. The leeks, which he pickled, have a surprisingly sweet flavor. As for the morels, he carried them in a mesh bag so their spores could spread and hopefully create a few new patches of shroomy goodness. They are drying and will be saved for a few special dishes; I'm hoping for prime rib with a morel sauce...

Spring

Despite this weekend's snow, (yes, it did snow on Mackinac this weekend!) the island is starting to look pretty springy. I never realized just how difficult it is to photograph snow until I actually tried it. The above photo was the best I could manage of the big flakes we saw here on Saturday morning. Luckily, the ground was warm enough that, apart from a bit of slush on the porch, none of it stuck.

Thanks to the rain we got at the end of last week, the island is really starting to green up. I know most other people are already inching their way into summer, but for those of us in Northern Michigan, spring is still here in all its glory.

Phew!

I've been crazy busy lately - feverishly making mittens and pins to fulfill an order for Mittens. Two shops on the island, Some Wear on Mackinac (located next to the Gate House) and The Jaunting Cart (located on Market Street right across from the Biddle House) are carrying mittens and pins this summer. It's so exciting! In the week the shops have been open only two pairs have sold, but that's O.K. - it's a start. Now I've got dresses and blankets to finish up for Little Luxuries. So if you happen to be looking for me this weekend, you'll find me in my sewing room.

Making Me Smile

My husband has introduced me to the music of this guy. And while some of his music is way too geeky for me (yes, it is possible,) I do really like this song. Listen to it - ignore the video and just let that guitar soak in...

There's nothing like a song about a giant squid to put me in a good mood...

Surprise!

Yeah, it's official, I'm 40.

And, let me tell you, so far it's been great.

It started out with a package I received the night before my birthday. It was a birthday shirt - for ME - made by my good friend Maggie.

Then, the weekend after my birthday, my husband planned and skillfully executed a surprise party. I don't have many pictures (guess I should have known something was up when he was annoyed with me for leaving my good camera at home), but it was wonderful! Tons of my friends were there, the adults and the kids all had a good time, and I got a much needed night out with the girls (while the husbands stayed behind with the kids.)

Four of us have all turned 40 this year; I'm glad we got to celebrate together.

Thanks honey. Grandma Mary is so right, you are a keeper. Now, you've risen the bar so high, I can't wait to see what you do when I turn 50!