Secret of the fuzzies, friends and Finn Fest–and bears.

The woods at 9 p.m. in mid -June

It looks like it’s snowing here in Upper Michigan as the summer Solstice approaches.  In between the green leaves a cascade of white fuzzies fill the sky.  The fuzzies pile up on decks, front porches, in between newly planted tomato plants.  It’s the Time of the White Fuzzies.  It happens every year, no matter what.

Of course, this year the white fuzzies came late, due to our Long Winter and delayed spring.  They’re about three weeks late.  From what trees do they come?  We don’t know.  Downstate, where my parents live, the white fuzzies come from cottonwood trees.  The fuzzies fill up their garage.  But ours come from…well, we don’t know.  We don’t have cottonwoods. Perhaps poplar or maple buds?  It’s one of those mysteries that someone, someday, will share with us.  Then we’ll know the secret of the fuzzies.

Escape

Spring buds on the maple trees

This week’s photo challenge at WordPress is:  Escape.

Just wanted to let you know.  We’ve finally busted out of winter here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula after almost seven months.

We’ve successfully escaped.

We can only hope someone hid the keys of that winter jailor…

Breaking up is *not so* very hard to do

Ice breaking up on the Keweenaw Bay

Yesterday morning in town–in between errands a’plenty–I noticed that the last of the ice on the bay was breaking up into jagged concentric circles and other patterned ice floes.

It was warm, about 60 degrees (16 C) in the early morning so I paused to take some pictures to show you.

Hope you enjoy the last glimpse of winter of our Keweenaw Bay.  We hope it’s our last glimpse!

It breaks into thousands of floating icebergs

Melt

Rushing stream with tiny waterfalls

The Long Winter seems to be exiting just in time for May.  We can only hope.  Last weekend the temperatures soared to about 70 degrees (21 C) and our snow began to melt, melt, melt.

Three

We humans scurried outside, sun and warmth-deprived creatures, and we luxuriated.

I found an old cushion and sat with my back against maples and poplars and spruce, trying to feel the sap rising up my back.

Sat and delighted in Spring.

April madness

Chickadee on six foot snow bank

The long winter continues.

Another eight inches of snow yesterday morning, give or take three inches.  (It could have been eleven inches.  We’ve ceased measuring in late April.)

I am really OK with it.  No need to offer condolences.  We escaped to Florida earlier in the month, thereby easing Endless Winter Restlessness Syndrome.

I’m not sure the other locals are faring as well.  One senses a certain madness in the flitting eyes of grocery shoppers.  Alcohol sales are up.  People tend not to make sense anymore.  Just sayin’.  The livin’ is not easy up here in Cabin Fever land.

Fun, Fun, Fun

I love this photo.

OK, dear readers.  Karma, over at her blog, has posted a new photo challenge.  It’s called “Colors of Your World.”   She requests that we find a color we love, to which we’re drawn.  We’re urged to share our photos celebrating this color.

Colorful buds in frozen rain.

One of the names the Ojibway called me was “Rainbow Woman”.

It’s indicative, dear reader, that I could never–ever–pick a favorite color.  Unless it was ALL colors.

My favorite color is–ROYGBIV.  You know what this is, right?  Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.  The whole spectrum.  Add white and black.  Tan and brown.  Whatever other color that exists.  They’re all my favorite.

Tiptoeing away…

January, 2012. Our Little House in the Big Woods.

You’ve been expecting this, haven’t you?

You’ve been wondering when Kathy is taking another blogging break?

You clever reader.

You know how it goes.  She writes like crazy for months, and then she accelerates and writes every day for a while, and then she announces a blogging break.  Her last 11-day break occurred in December, so it’s been a long time…

She’s gently closing her blogging door and tiptoeing away.  She’ll leave on a night light in case you want to read past stories–or look at past pictures–while she’s mostly off-line for a while.  She won’t even be reading your blogs during her break.  :(

Thank you for your support during The Long Winter by the Shores of Silver Lake  Lake Superior.  (You Laura Ingalls Wilder fans caught the attempt at humor, right?)  I have so appreciated your readership and comments during these long cold northern winter days and nights.  You’ve helped make this heart feel even warmer than sitting by the wood stove with your support and connection.

May you be blessed as the seasons change.  From our Little House in the Big Woods to your neck of the woods…  Love, Kathy

P.S.  Almost forgot to tell you!  Even though haven’t been taking as many pictures as usual during the last year or so, I found enough photos to share a favorite from each month, starting back in January, 2012.  Will leave you with more than a baker’s dozen of memories:

February, 2012. A quiet moment in Nicaragua. (Our nephew married there–an amazing trip to San Juan del Sur.)

We crazy kids drive off during a Winter Storm Warning

So what did we do yesterday while the weather service issued a Winter Storm Warning?

What did we do, you ask?

We drove 80 miles to Marquette for an overnight getaway!  And guess what?  Hardly a snowflake!  Roads almost completely dry.  Sun almost shining through the veil of clouds.

Not the motel where we’re staying. But I liked this sign!

Give a wave as you fly to Tokyo or Hong Kong, will you?

Good morning, friends and family.  Coming to you live from a very chilly morning here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  It’s four degrees (-16 C) and I just donned socks and a hooded sweatshirt over these jammies in order to type with more comfort.

Oh, do excuse me.  Must also stoke the wood stove with more logs.

Mission accomplished.

Inside our wood stove

Photos of wild animals in our woods

Bobcat approaches

Here in the woods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula we share the trees, the lakes, the snow, the paths, the rivers, the flora, the passing seasons with the wild ones, the wild creatures who roam the forests.

Sometimes days and weeks can go by without a glimpse of wild animals.  You know they’re out there, you know they’re all around, but you perhaps only see deer munching by the roadside, squirrels or chipmunks scampering up the poplar, a lone eagle or hawk soaring overhead.