LOL

This little green bike cart caught my eye as we were heading to the boat to leave for Christmas Break. I have no idea who it belongs to, but it made me laugh out loud. It's totally something I would do.

You may also notice the complete lack of snow in this picture. Yes, it is almost the end of December and Mackinac Island doesn't have a lick of snow. Sigh...

She's Back

My students were thrilled when Camilla the Christmas Chicken returned this year. She loves spending time at school - especially when my students read to her.

Home

This week my son came home from college for his winter break. Even though she'll never admit it, I think his sister is happy to have him home. At least today...

Bazaar Donations

The Mackinac Island Christmas Bazaar is an annual fundraiser held the first weekend in December. All the money raised at the Bazaar is used to support local organizations such as the Mackinac Island Community Foundation. Since the Community Foundation is a huge supports of the school, the kids and I do our best to support them. 

This year the second - sixth graders folded trees out of tattered books destined for the compost pile. After folding, painting, and decorating, the trees were ready to be put up for sale. Their little forest may have only raised $100 for our community, but the lesson in donating your time to support causes you believe in was priceless.

Hooray

 Let the 2023 Christmas cookie baking begin!

(All of those cookie molds were thrifted for $3.00 or less.)

Only on Mackinac

My friend, Travis, took this picture this afternoon. It's how he got his Christmas tree home from Island's tree lot...

Yes, you can buy a Christmas Tree on Mackinac Island. 4-H brings them over and sells them to fund their programming.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving from Mackinac! Just look at that plate. My husband, Allen, planned and cooked everything you see on that plate; all from scratch.  (I am so thankful for his skill and willingness to cook.) All I had to do was make the hors d'oeuvres and the pies for deserts.

When I asked the kids what hors d'oeuvres they might like, I got one answer: bologna pies!

They scream 1950's Tupperware Party, but they've been a family staple since my grandmother's day. Both my kids love them so I had to honor their request. I've searched online for a recipe to share, but I can't find one. These literally are just bologna and a cream cheese spread made with onion and garlic juice. 

Hand-Me-Downs

You have no idea how much joy this picture brings me. This is one of my second grade students and the shirt she's wearing originally belonged to a girl named BD. (BD is currently in her last year of nursing school.) BD grew out of it and handed that shirt down to my daughter K, when K was about five. (K is currently a senior in high school.) K wore it until it no longer fit and then we handed the shirt down to AK. AK wore it and then passed it on to two sisters - both with the initials LP. They enjoyed the shirt until they handed it down to its current owner - my second grade student pictured above. 

Six girls have played and learned in that same shirt; and when it no longer fits its current owner, I'm sure it will move on to another little Island girl. I love that the Mackinac Island community works that way. 

Student photo used with permission.

At Peace

When you live on Mackinac Island, you have to make peace with the rain. We spend a lot of time outside, so in the fall and spring that often includes rainy days. Don't worry - we all have gear to get through these unpleasant days. In fact, unless it is below freezing, my raingear is always with me; you never know when you're going to need it. And I'd rather carry it with me than bike home, in the rain, without it.

So this morning, rather than being frustrated about having to take K to the mainland for a doctor's appointment in a torrential downpour, I tried to focus on gratitude. What was I thankful for? The Cat was running! That meant our ferry trip across would only take 20 minutes instead of the 45 minute trip I was mentally prepared for. What a lovely surprise on an otherwise dreary morning.

For my walk home (still raining) I chose the less traveled path through the woods. Mackinac did not disappoint. Even on a gray rainy afternoon, Mackinac Island is gorgeous. It's hard not to be grateful to be alive when you get to walk home through this.

 

Happy Halloween

We woke up to snow this morning, but we're taking it in stride. Nothing gets in the way of Halloween on Mackinac Island; nothing...

Future Wildcat in the House!

Somebody in my house got good news in the mail the other day - an acceptance letter to their top choice college - Northern Michigan University! So, of course, we had to visit campus. (Plus it was a good excuse to visit my other Wildcat.) K was able to meet with an academic advisor to begin planning their program and we had a lovely weekend filled with time on campus, family time and fun.

We hiked up to the top of Sugarloaf and even managed to take in a live version of The Rocky Horror Show while we were in Marquette. (S was not enthusiastic about getting his picture taken with Wildcat Willie up on Sugarloaf, but in the end, he gave in to make mom happy.)

Rocky Horror was very well done! As small-town-theater-people we were quite impressed; the singing, acting, music, sets and costumes were wonderful. I wouldn't be surprised if we try to catch the show again next year.

Unfazed

I accidentally sewed over this pin today, but luckily he doesn't seem too upset about the whole thing. In fact, he almost looks happy.

I didn't use to see faces everywhere, but since I've joined this Facebook group, I notice them all over the place (like here and here.) 

Senior Pictures

My youngest and I spent a couple hours after school yesterday getting senior pictures taken. The photographer was wonderful and took K's requests seriously. More masculine poses? No problem. No feminine backgrounds? No problem. 

The pouring rain may have dampened the spirits of some kids, but K rolled with the punches. A beautiful blue sky would have paired nicely with the Grand porch, but I think K's smile will look great against any backdrop.

If you are looking to get portraits taken on Mackinac Island, I highly recommend Sara Wright! She does amazing work.

Insert Eye Roll Here

I was out shopping the other day and this caught my eye. It caught my attention partially because they were putting out Christmas ornaments before Halloween (sigh), and partially because someone felt the need to rearrange them. For the record, I would have also let out an audible eye roll if someone had spelled out B-I-D-E-N. 

To me, this kind of behavior is rude. Some poor employee had to hang those all up, in order and in one swoop this person came in and undid all that work. In addition, the letters are now out of order - making it harder for a customer to find the letter they're looking for. To me, this is no different than a five year-old coming in and spelling out the word P-O-O-P. At least with the five year-old I could compliment their use and spelling of the OO vowel team; but I've got no words for this person, other than maybe G-R-O-W-U-P.

Adventures at Pond Hill

Pond Hill Farm, in Harbor Springs, Michigan, is another wonderful place to spend an autumn afternoon. It's busy in the fall; full of families enjoying Fall Fest. My husband is not one for crowds, but he wanted to spend some time together outside and Fall Fest fit the bill perfectly.

Most of the activities were geared for younger kids, but that didn't stop K. She got right in there and tried her hand at Pumpkin Bowling. There were also lots of adult activities (wine tasting, music, craft beer, and hard cider, but we skipped those since we were with a teenager.)

It misted a bit, on and off, but the clouds parted and gave us a tiny bit of sun in time for a quick family photo.

Allen's favorite part of the had had to be perusing the different kinds of squash they had for sale at their shop. He chose three new varieties to bring home to try: delicata, buttercup, and carnival. So far he's made roasted stuffed delicata (without the nuts) and it was delicious!

Strolling

One of our favorite places to wander is the Oden State Fish Hatchery, near Petoskey, Michigan. It's usually a fairly quiet place, but on rainy fall days it's often deserted. It used to be the perfect place to stop and give the kids a chance to stretch their legs and feed the fish.

Now that they're older it's still a perfect place to soak up some of Northern Michigan's fall colors. I say "they're," but with one away at college, only one of the kids was with us. Next fall it will just be my husband and me. Which is how it should be, but it tugs a little at my heart strings to think about having an empty nest...

Even in the rain, Northern Michigan in the fall is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. 

We spent an hour wandering together quietly enjoying the smell of wet leaves, the sound of the rain and the beauty of autumn.

Well $hit

Lovely. I've felt poor all day and now I know why. Guess I'm not going to school this week; time to get started on some sub plans...

The Jury is Still Out

My daughter and I were at BC Pizza in St. Ignace recently, and we had the opportunity to try their dill pickle pizza. I would have never, ever ordered a whole one to try, but since we were enjoying the buffet lunch, I decided to give it a try. And while it definitely wasn't a new favorite, it wasn't awful either. 

Perfect

There's just something about fall on Mackinac Island. It could be our warm fall days, or the smell of autumn in the air, but it could also just be the the view.

Fall days on Mackinac don't come any better than today...

Love

I love you, too, Moose Tracks.

We are  perfect for one another;

you have a creamy vanilla base

filled with chunky chocolaty bits,

and I'm hungry.

Banner Year

After three years of virtually no blueberries, Mother Nature made up for it this summer. We discovered a new picking spot that was just loaded with berries. There were so, so, so many berries! Three of us picked for about two and a half hours and brought home 28 pounds (12.7 kg) of blueberries. (That was the weight after cleaning.) I'm not going to have time this week to make jam, so they all got frozen. We debated going back again to pick more, but our freezer is packed full!

Allen is hoping I can make blueberry cream cheese galette for him, but if you've got any other blueberry recipes you love, send them my way!

New Friends

My youngest has managed to "tame" some of our new chickens.  Every day she spends thirty minutes or so with "The Girls" out in the chicken run. They quickly learned if they jumped up on her lap, they would be rewarded with treats. Now when she heads out there, they all come running to see what goodies she might have for them. It's adorable. We're looking for names for the two black and white ones on her lap. Extra points for Princess names (though Princess Leia, Princess Pink, Princess Buttercup and Princess Poopy-pants have been used already.)

Spoiled

I have spent my entire life living within walking distance of one of Michigan's Great Lakes. During my 53 years I have visited countries / territories, and as amazing as they all were, I can't imagine not living near Michigan's coastline. Iceland is the only place I've been that has even slightly tempted me. Michigan has spoiled me. If you've never visited Michigan, specifically a coastal area, you are missing out on one of the most beautiful places in the world.

MackinaW?

I was in Petoskey shopping the other day, and I noticed this sign.  Was the sign shop out of lower case Ws? Did the sign maker really want folks to focus in on the correct spelling of Mackinaw City? Or, is it just a typo? The world may never know...

Poetic Visions, 2023

Earlier this month the Mackinac Arts Council held the annual Poetic Vision of Mackinac art show. Adults and Mackinac Island students enter art and poetry to be shown and judged. This year I took my students on an imaginary "Haiku Hike" around Mackinac, then they wrote poems about things they might have seen. Next, each student carved a block print to go along with their poem. One of my students (pictured above with parental permission) won the Best in Show Award in the sixth through eighth grade category. She worked so hard on her block print, and she wrote four Haiku; one print and one poem for each season. She is such a great kid - the kind who puts her all into everything she does. The best in Show award is awarded for the best set of art and poetry. For the students, awards are also given for Best Poetry and Best Art. 

My daughter won the Best Poetry Award  in the High School category) for her poem On Mackinac Island.

My son entered a photograph and poem set, 

as well as a stand-alone poem. He didn't wain an award, but after winning Best in Show (High School) last year, it was a tough act to follow. 

I just love going to the show and seeing the kids' faces when they win. In September, when the art exhibit comes down, the beautifully framed artwork is sent home to parents. Thank you Mackinac Arts Council!

Noticed

As I was out walking this afternoon I noticed this tree next to the road. I've walked past this tree hundreds of times, but I'd never noticed the sawdust at the base of the tree. Of course, I had to investigate.

As I watched, ant after ant walked up to the edge of the hole, dropped a piece of sawdust, turned around, and disappeared back into the hole. A quick Google search told me they were carpenter ants; interesting to see in the wild but not so much to find in your home.

Watching them reminded me of the time we had ants in my childhood home. My dad had put out ant traps, he'd sprayed, he'd put out ant bait, but they just wouldn't go away. I remember him walking around the house with a stethoscope listening to the walls and the doors. I thought he was really weird until he had me listen to one of the front hall closet doors. As I put the stethoscope ear pieces into my ears I heard what sounded like whispering.

My dad removed the door from the track and took it outside. For a few days he sprayed some kind of bug killer into the hole in the bottom of the door. Then, he'd wait and listen again to see if there were still live ants inside. He did this three or four times until he finally got a small saw to cut around the edges of the door. When he pealed the top off it was as if the door was a sandwich and the front and back pieces were the slices of bread. It was a gigantic ant sandwich - they were nesting inside the door. Inside of that hollow-core door were thousands of ants - my childhood self was completely disgusted. 

Needless to say, we got new closet doors after that. They were still hollow-core doors, but my dad cut pieces of wood to fill the openings at the bottom. We never had carpenter ants again.

Excitement!

There were multiple water spouts spotted near Mackinac Island today! I was home cleaning out the chicken coop so I had no idea until my husband called me to make sure I knew.

I wasn't near the water, but many people managed to get pictures. 

Scary. 

I'm glad I wasn't in line waiting for a ferry.

Photos by: Brenda Horton, Jim Bondi, Nichole Wise, Jenna Natake, Julie Mitchell and Jimbo Brown.