I love it up here. This area is so unique. It's completely different from any of the surrounding areas. Even from areas as close as 15-20 miles in any direction. For starters...
This past week we had no snow on the ground as of Sunday. Come Tuesday afternoon we had 21" of snow and I was walking home in snow that came to my ankles. When I came to snow drifts it was even deeper. Now most of the snow is gone but there's still a solid blanket covering the grass almost completely.
Also, yesterday we were outside putting on the roof on our new shed and we turned to find a deer standing in the middle of our back yard considering us. He/she loped away without a concern in the world and stopped when it got to a neighbors yard across the street.
ALSO, on the way home from school/work I heard a loon calling. I turned to look at the lake across the road from the school playground and saw there, circling in the water not far from shore, a loon. It was calling repeatedly to...

We have just had the most unfortunate weeks I have ever had. We have a 34 ft travel trailer (or rather had) parked year-round at a campground in Southern Wisconsin. After our move to Upper Michigan we just don't have the time to make that drive just for a weekend. Before it was only about 90 minutes. Now it's nearly 4 1/2 hrs to get there. So we managed to sell it to Bob's nephew.
Thus begins our 'adventure'...
Bob's nephew couldn't come to get the trailer until late June. We had to either move the trailer or pay for the next years lot rent by May 1st. So it was urgent that we get it moved. In order to move it we had to disassemble the deck in front and the shed out back and bring them to our place since his nephew had only purchased the trailer. Our plan was to borrow Bob's son-in-law's truck and his brother's flatbed trailer. The week of April 10th - 19th was Spring Break for us so we could take the whole week to move everything. We could not move the deck and shed in...

We're engaged. My SO and I. The hope is to tie the knot this coming year. It'll only be a small occaision with immediate family around. I'm kindof hoping for an outdoor marriage ceremony but in our LARGE porch would be suitable if rain interrupts. I have a simple dress already. Almost hippy style - if you can recall what the girl wore in Forest Gump when he married her - that's similar. I'm not sure what else to do/have. I'm thinking of having almost a 'potluck' picnic. This won't be anything formal as it's my second marriage and my SO's fourth. It's just a simple ceremony to finalize things.

I've been working at my new job for a few weeks already but I'm finally getting down to the job I was actually hired for. Cleaning condos. I like it. I can work at my own pace, as long or as short a time as I want as long as the condos that I've been assigned get cleaned before the next checkin. I get paid for each condo not by the hour so I can stop and take a break whenever I want. I enjoy it. I cleaned 5 today, all with multiple bedrooms, whirlpools and saunas. It was nice.
If anyone leaves any food/soda/etc. I get to keep it. Personal items I take to lost and found. I got a bag of fresh limes today, and some cans of soda. Kinda cool to find a free unopened soda on the counter when I'm there to work.
I get to turn on the TV or radio while I work and no one bothers me the whole time. When I'm done I turn in my papers and leave. Free to go when I need to. Best job around I think.

I knew we got a lot of snow up here in the U.P. of Michigan. But come to find out, our new town is smack dab, in the middle of the snow belt portion. If there's any snow falling anywhere above the 45th parallel, we get some of it. It has snowed here almost every other day for the past 6 weeks. The estimated snowfall so far this year is 30+ inches. Wow! The snowbank on our street is up to my shoulder (I'm 5'5") and still growing. The snow at work (where they're making snow as well) is up to my thigh (not the snowbank, the actual snow on the ground). It's amazing. I have seen a lot of snow living just north of Latitude 45 but never this much and certainly not this early. The best part of it all is that it's not much colder - it's actually almost warmer because Lake Superior has a mediating effect on the air temperature, even though it adds a lot of moisture. This way, the warmer temperatures, Plus the large amount of snow is GREAT for my daughter to play in. She can stay outside longer...