Wandering

We've had some sun lately, so I went exploring down on the beach near the school. Don't worry, I didn't venture out onto the ice.

While it was quite cold walking along the shore, everywhere I looked I found beauty. Just one of the little bonuses of living on Mackinac.

Here We Go Again

Once again I'm taking part in Mackinac's spring musical, which this year is Mama Mia! I was thinking about trying out for ta speaking part, but after my mom fell and broke her shoulder (more on that soon) and the looming likely hood of a shoulder replacement in March or April, I didn't feel I should go out for a big part. Luckily, I am quite content to sing my heart out in the background.

Out and About

Today was a beautiful sunny day so Allen and I decided to take the dog for a walk. It's not our dog - she belongs to my mom, who is heading to Australia tomorrow. So the dog is ours for the next month.

I'm not sure who enjoyed spending some time outside more - Allen & I or Wrenn. 

Gas Prices

Lots of people wonder about where we get gasoline for our snowmobiles on Mackinac Island. We buy it, just like you do on the mainland;  except we buy it at the hardware store instead of the gas station. We also only have two choices: gasoline or diesel, the latter of which I have personally never purchased on the island. 

I filled up my tank the other day and got 4.5 gallons (about 17 liters) for $32.80. Yep - this winter, gas on Mackinac costs $7.30 per gallon. Gas is definitely cheaper on the mainland;  I was in Petoskey earlier this week and paid $3.09 per gallon to fill up the car. 

More Ponderings

Are there ever things in your life that bother you, but don't seem to bother anyone else? I mean something that reaches out and grabs your attention while other people barely even notice? This happened to me recently and it got me wondering if other people ever have similar experiences. 

My son loved playing with Lego, and me being the hoarder I am, I couldn't bear to part with the giant tub of Lego we have in the basement. (You know - grandchildren.) Not too long ago, we hauled the tub up from the basement for some visiting kids to play with, and I noticed something:

My son had taken all the little people apart! Almost none of the Minifigs (as they are officially called) were complete; their heads, hair, torsos, legs, and arms were scattered throughout the tub. And it drove me crazy. And not a little crazy - it really bothered me knowing all the Minifigs were incomplete. Like, I couldn't fathom putting the Legos away without making sure the people were all in one piece!

So while the visitors were building, I sorted. And I sorted and sorted some more! I made sure to find each and every little piece (and those hands are tiny.) This week I finally had a few extra hours so I started by making piles: heads, hands, torsos, legs, hats and hair; and then I did my best to reconstruct them. They're not all perfect - I'm sure I mixed up quite a few of the pieces, but that little itch gnawing at the back of my head was gone because the Minifigs were whole again!

It didn't bother my kids or my husband in the slightest; they weren't even mildly irritated by the sorry state of the poor little Minifigs - but it drove me bonkers! So I wonder if it bothering me so much that I needed to put them back together is, well, just a tiny bit odd. Or even, quite a bit odd. 

If it is, tell me - I won't be offended, I am asking after all.

Good Morning

I'm thinking it's going to be an inside-recess kind of day.

(77295 is the Mackinac Bridge Authority and 41411 is Arnold Transit - the ferry boat company.)

Late

My Christmas cactus is late this year. It's in the same spot it's always been, but for some reason it's just starting to get buds. I'll have to do some research; perhaps it's time to repot or prune.

Brrrrrrrrr

It has been frigid on Mackinac this week - we're talking close-to-zero-single-digit-temperatures. When the air is significantly colder than the water, it causes the lake to "steam." Technically, it isn't really steam, it's fog. It happens when when 20ish degree warmer water evaporates and then quickly condenses in the much colder air. The misty fog looks like steam coming off the lake. Either way, the lake is giving up energy and cooling. Local lore on Mackinac says the lake has to steam seven times before we can get an ice bridge. 

I think this was steam number three.

Happy Days

This may just look like a simple line of snowmobile helmets to you, but to me it means Mackinac Island got enough snow that we can ride snowmobiles. I don't really mind walking to and from work, but there's something wonderful about hopping on a snowmobile and riding down the hill. I'm going to keep my fingers crossed that it stays cold enough us to keep the snow!

(These were the snowmobile helmets lined up outside the third and fourth grade classroom at the Mackinac Island Public School this morning.)

Birthday

A very special somebody had a birthday this week. Nothing fancy, just a low-key evening with family and pie. A pistachio pie, made with this recipe. It wasn't the most amazing desert in the universe, but it was good. I really appreciated that the crust didn't get mushy, even after several days.

So if you see Allen out and about, be sure to wish him a very happy birthday!

Link: https://dancearoundthekitchen.com/pistachio-pie

Quiet

Truth be told, I am not a dog person. I am, most definitely, a cat person. (To me there's not much that beats snuggling with a purring cat, but I digress.) My mom has been on a skiing trip so we agreed to watch her dog while she has been traveling.  Wren is an adorable little black lab who loves long walks (and her ball.) 

She and I have been going out together every morning before I head to school, which means we usually walk in the dark. This past weekend however,  we headed out together a little later so we got to see the sights. We walked for about 30 minutes each morning, and apart from a few squirrels, we didn't see another living soul.

Nerdy Ponderings

If you've been here for a while, you are probably well aware that I am a complete and total nerd. While I was waiting for the boat the other day, I noticed the new decor in the waiting room.

Two very nice photographs of old Arnold Transit schedules are now hanging on the wall; one including a price. The 1972 schedule doesn't have a price, but the other schedule does - $1.50 for a round trip under the bridge. Then the current price flashed up on the screen - $44.00 for an adult. 

It got me wondering... How does that price increase compare to inflation?

To do that I had to make an assumption as to the year of that schedule. To give Arnold Transit the benefit of the doubt, I assumed it was pre 1972, so I guessed 1970 (a nice round number.) According to this inflation calculator, $1.50 in 1970 would be worth about $12.50 in 2024. So, if the price had gone up the same percentage as inflation, the ticket price should be about $12.50, but instead it costs $44.00. That means the price of a ferry ticket has increased about three and a half times the rate of inflation. Or, to put it another way the price of a ferry ticket has changed 2,833%. (You read that right - two thousand, eight hundred thirty-three precent.) I used the percent of change formula to calculate that, in case you're wondering.

My next question was - why? What could account for an almost 3,000% increase?

Gas prices? Wages? Well...

According to Google's AI, diesel fuel cost $0.36 per gallon in 1970. Today, that same gallon of diesel runs about $3.50 a gallon -  an 872% change in price.

Also according to Google's AI, the minimum wage in Michigan was $1.45 in 1970. It was $10.33 in January of 2024 - a 612% change in price.

Now I need more data!

Please don't get me wrong - I in no way am putting down Arnold Line or suggesting inappropriate pricing practices. I really do appreciate them and their employees! I'm just a nerd who got to thinking, and that can be a dangerous thing. 

Merry Christmas

This year my students sewed snowmen to give to their parents for Christmas. I promised them I wouldn't share this picture until today so I wouldn't ruin their surprise. Hopefully, the presents have all been unwrapped and it is now safe for me to share.

I hope you are impressed with their snowmen. Each of those kids hand-sewed every stitch of their project. My favorite part is the carrot button noses. I was so excited to find those on Amazon!

(Six of my eight fifth and sixth graders are in the picture above.)

Island Style Christmas Tree

My friend, Travis, picked up his Christmas tree the other day; and of course since he lives on Mackinac, he got his tree home on his snowmobile.

Supporting Our Community

Every year my co-teacher and I work with our students to create items to sell at Mackinac Island's annual Christmas Bazaar. 

This year they created the cutest little Christmas trees made from yarn wrapped around a cone,

complete with little felt "lights."

The third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders made quite a few trees, which brough in almost $300, but teaching them to donate their time to important causes was priceless. (All the money raised at the Christmas Bazaar goes to support the Mackinac Island Community Foundation, the Mackinac Island Medical Center, and the Island's churches.) 

2024 Christmas Cookies

December kind of snuck up on me this year, so I have been a cookie-making machine lately. This year's varieties include: zimtsterne, zitronenherzen, caramel springerle,  Nurnberger, spritzgeback, Scottish shortbread, ginger, stamped chocolate, Oreo truffles, peanut butter blossoms, and pretzel turtles. 

I just love making Christmas cookies. OK, who am I kidding? I enjoy making Christmas cookies, but I love eating Christmas cookies!

My kids, both home for the holidays, love eating them, too. Hopefully they will read my note so I'll have enough to pack into the cookie tins I give away.

This year I had a custom cookie mold made. The maker did an amazing job - I was a little worried about those tiny spots in the top of the bridge, but the springerle mold worked beautifully with both the springerle and chocolate dough.

All Tied Up

I was at my favorite thrift shop the other day and this display stopped me in my tracks. I'm guessing someone who loved bowties passed away and his loved ones donated them to the shop. Some lovely person spent quite a bit of time making all those ties. (I'm guessing they are homemade because I purchased some of the same fabric at Joann's.) Priced at $3.00 each they're going to make a bowtie-loving person very happy!

Letters to Santa

Getting kids to write can be challenging, so when I saw a Facebook post from our local Postmaster about her Santa mailbox, I started plotting. My fifth and sixth graders need to be able to write five-paragraph essays, so why not turn those into letters to Santa explaining why their names should be included on his Nice List. It worked perfectly; they were engaged and worked hard to clearly describe the three reasons each of their names should be on the list.

Once their essays were revised, edited, and printed, we addressed them and headed to the Mackinac Island Post Office to put them in the box. Thank you Molly for making this assignment more fun and include a field trip!

Camilla Returns

It's December in my classroom and that means Camilla the Christmas Chicken comes back for her yearly visit.  My students were so excited to come into the classroom to see what she brought them. (She brought a puzzle from this book, if you're curious.)

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

While my family does not share my enthusiasm for vintage ceramic Christmas trees, they make me happy. And since it's "that time of year," they are all over the house! Do you have a favorite holiday decoration?