Old Man Winter

We came home this weekend to a smidgen of snow. Not much really, perhaps an inch or so on the grass. So, of course, the kids didn't want to come inside when we got off the taxi. This was the first snow of the season! Well, it was the first snow of the season that didn't melt away as soon as it hit the ground, and it was calling to them.

About twenty five minutes later a very proud little boy poked his head in the front door and asked, "Mama, do you have any buttons I can use?" 

"Of course, what do you want them for?" I asked. 

"My snowman needs eyes. Leaves aren't working! Every time I put them on him his head explodes," he answered.

"I'll be out in a minute," I said as I went up to my sewing room to dig out some appropriate buttons.  While I was looking for just the right set of eyes he came in again and yelled up the stairs, "When you come out will you please bring your camera? I want a picture of my snowman."

Like mother, like son - I already had it around my neck...

A Glimpse

Here it is - the photo I promised of the new trees. The gentlemen planting them told me they are a hybrid maple called "Autumn Blaze" and they'll be a beautiful red color next fall. They may be small now, but in 50 years they'll be just as majestic as their predecessors. (Some of which still remain - just look down the street.)

The tree guys also told me each tree is between eight and ten years old, and if I wanted a few for my front yard it would set me back between $350 and $400 each. But they're so worth it, don't you think? I think the street would look pretty naked without them...

How To Fix a Holy Shirt

 

Take that holy shirt.

You know, the shirt she ripped a hole in the very first time she wore it.

Add some cute fabric.

 

Finish with some creative placement and a little  raw-edge applique and voila! no more holes.

Of course, big brother needed a shirt too...

Note to Self

It's no longer a good idea to hide things up high where I think my daughter can't get at them, because she can. And even if she can't, she's going to try.

And, despite the fact that we've read Officer Buckle and Gloria numerous times, she completely ignored all of Officer Buckle's safety tips and stacked up those chairs to get at an item I had stashed on top of the china cabinet. (Thank goodness she didn't use a swivel chair! If that makes no sense to you, go get O.B. & G. from the library.) Guess I need a new - more out of sight - hiding place. Any suggestions?

New Doo

Apparently bangs really get in the way in kindergarten. My son went to school the other day looking like this:

but came home looking like this:

Thankfully, school pictures were taken a few weeks ago! He left the hair in his desk, so I made sure to nab it the next morning and put it into an envelope with an explanation. I slid it into his baby book, so hopefully he'll get a laugh out of it in about 20 years. I tried to even out the cut, but my cutting skills aren't up to par. He looked even worse after I'd worked on him, so we headed down to 7th Heaven, where Mike saved the day with the clippers.

So now he looks like this:

I'm still not use to it, but it's growing on both of us...

Double Arches Over Mackinac

No, McDonald's isn't opening a restaurant on the island, but we did get treated to a breathtaking double rainbow yesterday. Thank goodness I had my camera with me because I think I will enter this next shot in the Seasons of Mackinac calendar contest. This was the first time I have ever seen an entire rainbow. I just can't describe how amazing this one was; stretching all the way from the bridge to the Grand Hotel. It was probably the most impressive rainbow I've ever seen. (Even better than this one.)

It may not be Oz, but to me, Mackinac Island is just as magical. I am so lucky I get to call it home.

Now my brain has gone off on a tangent... I can't stop thinking about which island residents I would cast in each part if I were casting a new version of The Wizard of Oz. This is going to have me giggling all night long...

Changes

It's fall on Mackinac Island, and that means beautiful fall colors and the end of the tourist season. It also means vehicle permits can be issued for jobs that just can't be done with horse power. (Remember, motorized vehicles are illegal here.) Our City Council is quite careful - if a job can be done with horses they won't allow trucks to be used. However, some jobs just can't be done with horses; jobs like this and this:

The maple trees along Cadotte (the street that leads from town, past the school, and up to the Grand Hotel) are / were past their prime. Every year now it seems at least one looses a big branch during the island's strong fall and winter storms. So, sadly, it was time for many of them to come down. I knew it was only a matter of time, but I was surprised to see so many X's while we walked to town on Saturday.

I seem to remember my botanist friend telling me that these were Norway Maples and that they had a life span of only about 60 years. I could be remembering wrong, but I never really considered that trees had a "life span." I thought they just kept growing.

As of this morning, they were all done cutting...

and all the stumps had been ground out.

Now, all that's left to do is plant new trees.

I saw all of the new little trees, ready to plant, as I took my son to the Medical Center today (two ear infections - he'll be fine) but, of course, did I have my camera with me? No, it was sitting on the dining room table.

I'm still annoyed with myself...