I wonder...

what makes certain trees fall at certain times. I know there is rotting going on at times, there could have been damage done by wind, disease, bugs, or birds, but the beauty of fallen trees is different than those that are standing. I wonder why.... Just my thoughts today.

First Snow of the Season

Okay, this is not my favorite time of year, but here it is anyway. Snow in October. It is a surprise and people usually aren't ready for it quite yet. Around the end of November, you usually start to expect it a bit, but October, not so much. The earliest I've ever seen snow around here is October 10th, so this isn't totally unusual. The good news? It is supposed to be 57 degrees here tomorrow!! Just in time for my sweet girl's birthday. Hooray!

Out of Town...

I was out of town a few days this weekend, a short getaway for ladies. It was nice and quiet (most of the time!) and lots of fun. We went to a nearby city, Mackinaw City, for our getaway. One of the main attractions of the city is the Mackinac Bridge, which is pronounced the same way as the city (and the Island as well). Here are a few pictures. I took several close pictures, walked back to my car, turned around, and saw that a freighter had just gone under the bridge sometime within the last 3 minutes! So, I raced back and took the second picture as well. The freighter went from Lake Michigan to Lake Huron just that quickly.

The Mighty Bear

Of course, some might not think that it is mighty, but the Bear River does get strong in some areas with the water a loud torrent. Especially here near the bridge, it can look like rapids. The water is quite deep here in places, and the salmon swim here as they spawn. It is fun to watch them suddenly jump out of the water as they're trying to get further up the river. Hopefully one day I'll get a picture of them jumping, but they are hard to catch, as the fishermen around here can attest.

A Compass to Guide Us

This was a place we spent quite a bit of time this summer, the library. This is the entrance that is a really beautiful rotunda and has a gorgeous compass rose in the center. My daughter loves to read, almost as much as I do, and we were there at least once a week, sometimes more during the summer. I'm so proud of her. She was in the Summer Reading Program and came in first for reading 271 books! And she was gone for 2 weeks this summer! She worked really hard and learned a lot about new places and things in which she was interested. So, visit the library and you might meet us there!

We have something new!

I saw this sign being put up a few weeks ago when I was in town, but only saw "gourmet eatery". I thought it was a little strange that another gourmet eatery was coming to town, as we already have several that are awesome! (Roast & Toast, Julieanne Tomatoes, Feast, among others) So, imagine my surprise when I drove by again and found out what this gourmet eatery really was! I don't have any pets, but I imagine those of you with pets would love to bring them here for a nosh once in a while. I wonder though... do they have separate areas for dogs and cats? Or does everyone get along well? Might need some more investigation

Winter interest

It may not look like it now, but these are very good to have around in the winter. They create interest in the garden, they are a bright spot of color in a very white world (which can go on for several months here), and sometimes they are food for the birds. Right now, they are just beautiful berries that don't show up well against the red leaf backdrop. But their time is coming!!