Almost

Mackinac's lilacs are about ready to burst. I just love how the island smells during lilac time... 

Mackinac Moment

There's something about freighters signaling as they pass through the Round Island Channel that always makes me smile.

New Friends

While working outside yesterday, Allen spotted these two barred owls out in the Annex. After school he took the kids and I out to see if they were still there.

I was so happy they were still hanging out in the same clump of cedars. It was amazing to just stand and watch the two of them fly silently from tree to tree.

K and I searched around the bottoms of the trees hoping to find a few pellets we could dissect, but we didn't have any luck. Allen thought he spotted a nest, so we're hopeful that we'll be able to visit them over the summer...

Monster Cupcakes

This year my daughter asked for a My Singing Monster birthday. So, we've been knee deep in monsters for a few days; happy friendly singing monsters, not scary mean ones. 

I made monster cupcakes for her to take to school. Frosting them with the grass tip was kind of a pain but the end result was worth it. (Thankfully I only needed 16 of them and not 30.) Just be aware if you make these, the kids tell me that the Wilton candy eyes taste awful; like get-up-run-to-the-trash-to-spit-them-out-immediately awful. They were cute and easy, but next time I'll probably make the eyes myself.

As I look at them, I can't help thinking about these guys.

Mackinac Moment: Off to the Park

Despite the fact that we woke up to snow this morning, we won't be having any more days like these. At least we hope not... 

On the Boat

I came home to boats a couple of weeks ago, but I hadn't gone across until just a few days ago. It's so nice to have boats...

There's still quite a bit if ice in the straits. Some days the boats have to go around the back side of the island, but they are usually able to make it through. Although, on Friday morning the first boat coming over from St. Ignace actually got bogged down in the ice and had to turn around and head back to the mainland.

They made it over eventually,  but it did throw off the schedules of a few folks. Thankfully, rumor has it that both Star Line and Shepler's are planning to start tomorrow - Shepler's from Mackinaw City! 

Growing...

We've been growing rock candy on the kitchen window sill for over a month now and some of the crystals are getting quite big. The kids can't wait to dig into them. Nothing like a snack of pure sugar!

Boats!

As I flew home on Monday morning (after an amazing weekend with some of the most wonderful women I know) I saw a glorious thing. Can you see it? It's pretty tiny, but it's there.

The Arnold Line boat managed to get through the ice in St. Ignace harbor and was making its way across the straits to the island. The best part is, as of yesterday, they are running a limited spring schedule. 

I'm Moving to Australia

Today didn't get much better. While I was teaching math this afternoon I noticed the sapphire from a ring my husband gave me was missing. So far, it has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week. 

Given that tomorrow is Friday the 13th, I may not get out of bed...

And I'm not really moving to Australia. The past few days have just reminded me of one of my favorite childhood books.

Oi Vey

Things have been a bit rough around here lately. In two weeks time we've had a dryer stop drying, a snowmobile stop running, and a refrigerator / freezer unable to chill below 52 degrees. Allen fixed the dryer and the snowmobile, but the fridge was a lost cause. 

Luckily, we had an old cast off in the basement.(And Allen says that I'm the hoarder.) Originally it spent its days at the Water Plant, until it no longer maintained a constant enough temperature, and then it moved into our basement. I'm not completely sure why it ended up in our basement, but it's been there at least five years. 

It's pretty darn hideous, but it's a good thing that we have this little fridge, because its the only thing we've got until the boats run again in mid-April. We probably could haul a new refrigerator across the ice, but it's risky given how slushy the ice has gotten with the week of warm temperatures we've had.

And then, to add insult to injury, last night the damn oven stopped working correctly. Really? Come on! It would heat up, but only the bottom element was working; which meant the bottom of our pizza was inedible charcoal, while the toppings were completely raw. Just what I needed. 

Thank goodness for Allen, since he managed to fix it after work today. Some days I just don't know what I would do without him. (Other than be lonely and have only outrageous repair bills to keep me company.) I also don't know what I would do without this little dear - she came right over and offered to wash off the nastiness off the side of the stove...

Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!

Such a wonderful surprise this morning. I think our principal was probably the most popular guy in town today... 

It's All About the Pokemon, Baby

I'm not quite sure why, but this year both of my children requested that I make them Pokemon Valentine cards to pass out at school. I've heard quite a bit about Pokemon lately, and it's really not my thing. My son is quickly learning about attacks and defenses and the names of countless little monsters; and I just have to smile because it's all Greek to me. I wonder if there's an Idiot's Guide to Pokemon? Hmmmm.

I'll be right back, I need to Google that... 

Yup. A lovely person created one here.

My two are into the video game rather than the card game, but at least it's a place for me to begin. Anyway...

I love that they both had very specific ideas about the graphic design of their cards. S was very clear about having a bubbly blue background, and K knew precisely what she wanted her card to say. Thank goodness I was able to make them both happy. 

If you happen to have a little Pokemon fan at home, feel free to download the full-sized images below. They are big enough to print out as a standard 4 x 6 inch print. They are large images, so don't worry that the entire image doesn't show up here, it will all be there when you download it.

Pokemon, Frillish and Purrloin are owned by the Pokemon Company, International. 

Today's the Day

Today marks the day of 2015's first ice crossing.  On Thursday, as my son and I flew across for a dentist appointment, we checked out the ice. I don't think we'll be crossing for a while yet...

Mackinac Moment: Breaking Ice

When I came out of school this afternoon I noticed a sure sign that winter is here to stay - the ice breaker helping a freighter through the Straits.

Done

As of the end of today, the boats are done for the season. Now we are hoping for calm, cold days so we can get a good ice bridge...

Wish List

This little item (details here) is now near the top of my wish list. It's a bummer that they don't seem to be available in the United States... yet. Given that it's "ski-steered" and "track-driven" it would be legal on Mackinac Island, though it does look a bit tippy to me.

I bet it gets great gas mileage. (A good thing when gas in your town runs over $6.00 a gallon.) Plus, it doesn't look like it goes too fast so it would be great for kids.  I emailed the company just to see how much they cost, but it's been several weeks and I have yet to hear back from them. I guess I'm going to have to live without one. Unless - anyone out there is heading to Zheijang, China, and would like to bring one home for me. If so, please ask if they come in turquoise.

Learning

Every time we hop on the snowmobile after school my daughter says, "Can I drive?" Of course, if we were driving home in a car I'd have to say, "No." But, since kids in Michigan can legally drive a snowmobile "under the direct supervision of an adult," K drives us home pretty much every day. 

When she turns 12, if she passes a snowmobile safety course, she can get a license and drive without an adult. (Kid's can take the class right on the island, or they can take it online here.) The only problem is that K's 75 pounds (about 35 kg) of body weight is not nearly enough to turn the 500 pound (about 225 kg) machine. She does a great job on the straight roads, but I need to help every time we have to turn at a corner. While K loves to drive, my son has absolutely no interest. He's much happier getting a ride in the sled. 

Now, I just have to get use to sitting in the back seat because I have a feeling I won't be driving again soon...

What a Difference a Day Makes

This was yesterday: gray, cold and windy. Not exactly a good day to spend even a little bit of time outside. 

Today, however, was sunny and beautiful. Sure it was still cold, but there's just something about sunshine that almost always puts me in a good mood. 

As you can see, things are getting icy up here. The boat has been going around the North end of the island and the word on the street is that the ferry will probably shut down this weekend, but only time will tell. Luckily, we're in good shape; both of our freezers are overflowing...

Brilliant

Snowmobile helmets are big. So big, that they won't fit in a standard school locker. Most of our high school kids keep them up on top of their lockers, but that's just too high for the elementary kids to reach.  So our custodian, with the help of a few zip ties, came up with this quick, brilliant and cost effective way store helmets at school.

Oh Christmas Cat

Our cat, Minnie, has decided the Christmas tree is a special climbing toy we put up just for her. Then again, she thinks just about everything in our house is a play thing just for her. She's so adorable yet so incredibly frustrating...