What really happened at the waterfalls…

Your blogger at the Canyon Falls

Good morning, readers, friends, family, stumblers-upon-this-blog!

I just posted the above photo on Facebook with an itty bitty explanation:  Magical hike to the Canyon Falls yesterday. Met up with friends we hadn’t seen in a long time. Other hikers met up with old-time friends. Even though it was a bit slippery and snow-covered, the melt is happening and river rushing!

Then decided to write my friend Susan a long email explaining what really happened. You know how you can’t really write what really happened on Facebook in twenty words.  In the middle of this crazy convoluted email to Susan another random thought arose.  “Jeez, Kathy, if you’re sharing this Susan, maybe one or two other people might be interested in reading it.  How about a blog?”

The fingers stopped typing mid-sentence while the head pondered.  Finally the fingers flipped over to WordPress and, OK, here’s the rest of the story.

“Keeps on keepin’ on”

 

Looking out the window, April 12, 2018

First things first.  I am not going to complain about our endless winter here in the North Woods.  (At least publicly.  Maybe we can gripe together privately, if we’re experiencing a frustrated moment or day or week or month.)

Why live in the North Woods if you don’t understand what that means, right?

It means Winter. Hangs. On. Forever.

Keeps on keepin’ on…

A mountain man lives in my mom’s basement.

Today’s photo prompt from Susannah Conway at April Love 2018 is:  Smile.

Since I’m visiting my mom downstate in Lower Michigan, I had to truly ponder.  What photo to take?  My mom didn’t look like a willing victim (err, subject).  No nieces, nephews, brothers or other stray smilers looked like they would stop by.

The perfect answer suddenly popped in this brain:  The mountain man who lives in my mom’s basement!

Is home where the heart is?

Keeley, Tianna, me and Mom

Where, my dear reader, is your home?  Is it the place where your heart says “yes”?  Is it your childhood home?  Is it the house where you now live?

I am a lucky sixty year old woman to call two places my home.

1. Our Little House in the Big Woods, in Aura, Michigan, in our dear Upper Peninsula.  We’ve made our little house our “home of the heart” for about 35 years.
2. My childhood home in Yale, Michigan, where my 85-year-old mama still resides.  As many of you know, I am visiting her downstate this week. How many people can still visit their childhood home at age sixty, I ask you sincerely?

Mom doing her puzzles on her iPad in the sun room

Yesterday, upon arriving at my childhood home, I was surprised to see my niece Keely!  (Who had just been surprised to learn that Aunt Kathy was on her way.)

We decided to drive to the Dorsey House for lunch.  Keeley surprised us by inviting her sister, Tianna, to join us.

What a day of surprises!

Today, I am fulfilling the photo challenge for the month of April. Today’s prompt is “Inspiring Quote.”

You do know what quote I’m choosing, don’t you?

Home is where the heart is.

(I suspect Home could be anywhere, then, if our hearts are wide open. What do you think?)

Love, Aunt Kathy who is going to make roasted cauliflower for her and Mom for dinner.  (We ate lunch TODAY at the Olive Garden in Port Huron.)

 

 

 

 

Sleeping beneath the Mackinac Bridge last night

Today’s photo prompt from April Love 2018 is Simplicity.

Alas, the last twenty-four hours have been anything but simple.

Twenty four hours ago Barry and I were eating Easter dinner (turkey, potatoes, gravy, stuffing) and chatting casually about this and that.

Suddenly–out of the Easter blue–I said, “Gosh, I really miss my mom.  She’s all alone this week, you know, with the brothers both down in Florida.”

And just as suddenly–out of the Easter blue–Barry replied, “Well, go down there and visit her if you want to.”

This is the wrong thing to say to an impulsive soul, if you don’t want her to hop in the car within 45 minutes and drive away.

Which I did.

I didn’t tell my mom, but phoned both kids with the news.  I am sure they raised their eyes heavenward at their mom’s spontaneity. (It’s been less than a month since my LAST spontaneous visit to lower Michigan back in March.)

All you bunnies out there…

Thanks to Robin over there in blog land at Breezes at Dawn I’ve decided to play a little game here in April.  She discovered a photo challenge for the month of April called April Love 2018 where you post a photo each day of the month (or whenever you feel like it) based on a certain theme.

For example, today’s theme is Morning View. 

As many of you know, ahem, I haven’t been very good or diligent or regular about taking photos lately.  This challenge might jump start the old camera fingers.  (If it doesn’t, then maybe this will be the only post you see during April!)

Here is my, ahem, photo of the day:

Still winter

The “ahem” notation is because–well, it isn’t my photo.  Husband got all enthusiastic this morning and said, “Let’s say Happy Easter to everyone on Facebook!  And tell them that it’s April 1st, Easter, snowing lightly and 15 degrees (-9 C).”

I muttered from a pre-coffee daze on the couch, “That’s OK, we really don’t have to do that…” but he chirped,  “C’mon, Kathy, I’ll help!  I’ll take the picture!”

So it’s his pre-dawn photo.  His caption.  His enthusiasm that got things going. (Although those are my snowshoes, if that counts.)

Tomorrow’s theme is Simplicity.  Either you’ll see something simple or you’ll see nothing at all–which will be very simple, indeed.    *grin*

Happy Easter, All you bunnies out there!  Stay warm!

P.S.  This also could be an April Fool’s joke.  (Just covering my bases, readers…)

Ice fishing, robins, winner, Easter

 

My husband ice fishing on Lake Superior

• Good Easter weekend to all of you!  Our celebration consists of roasting a turkey, the frozen bird a courtesy of Barry’s boss at Christmas.
• The snow keeps melting, but oh-so-slowly.  Spring teases us, promises us, then withdraws her favors.
• I saw the first robin on Thursday.  What a puff-ball, attempting to stay warm!
• I saw three robins this morning on dry land.  What will they eat when one to two feet of snow still cover the earth here in our neck of the woods, except in the melted places?
• A winter storm warning is forecast for tomorrow.  Five to nine inches of the heavy wet white snow.  Hide, robins, hide!