Before it flies away
I intended to write a nice calm environmentally friendly post about a lovely Sunday morning sashay around the woods with a camera. About this very special time of year when the temperatures hover below freezing and the snow has condensed as hard as granite beneath the feet.
One can walk upon snow, feeling perhaps a little like Jesus walking about the water. What usually remains impossible to traverse without snowshoes becomes newfound freedom on certain mornings in March when we can scamper hither and yon like our four-footed squirrel neighbors.
Our remaining snow
You can ascertain the amount of snow that remains on the ground by viewing these pictures. In the following photo you will note that bare ground reveals itself in certain places, a sure harbinger of spring.
Ground and snow and shadows
I could share tale after tale of March escapades atop snow. How we fashioned pieces of cardboard for our children one fine spring day and they slid merrily down the ravine hill behind our house. How I walked all the way to the bay with nary a foot breaking through the steadfast snow crust.
But, truly, dear reader, I have more pressing news.
You will never believe what happened last night after I uploaded these photos here in the blog. (Keep looking at the photos, if you want to see more woods-walk-atop-snow photography, but prepare to hear the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in ages.)
Boots atop snow
Last night I could not sleep.
You know the drill.
You toss, you turn, you get up, you lie back down, you sigh, you frown, you get back up.
Then you repeat, ad nauseam.
The melt around trees
I wandered into the kitchen for the second or third time and reached for my handy glass of water in the dark.
Suddenly–out the kitchen window–flew an Unidentified Flying Object.
My mouth dropped open. (This is not an April Fool’s joke, for those of you suddenly remembering the date, although maybe the Universe was playing an April Fool’s joke on yours truly…)
The scene of the UFO sighting
Out the window, maybe a football field away, in between all the bare maple and poplar trees, flew a round glowing white orb.
I can’t tell you the size, as it was difficult to ascertain. Larger than a basketball, surely. Smaller than a car, most probably.
It navigated purposefully and swiftly through the night.
Stumped
I so regretted not having my glasses on–to better examine this strange-looking object. I ran between windows to follow its progress, but figured there wouldn’t be time to find the spectacles.
It was like nothing I had ever seen.
Eventually, thinking the thing might return and circle, I rushed for the glasses. But, alas, the UFO never returned.
The object passed overhead
Instead, I rousted Barry. Or attempted to roust him.
“Barry! Wake up!” I said urgently, “I just saw a UFO!”
He turned over.
“Oh, yes,” he replied, “I saw one yesterday, too.”
I pause. WHAT? What is he talking about?
Eerie?
“Yeah,” he continued, “in the afternoon, going to dinner.”
WHAT is he talking about?
“I told you all about it,” he said.
WHAT? Suddenly it’s beginning to occur to me that my husband is talking in his sleep.
Which he has been known to do.
Green glowing orb-like pine tree needles
“Yeah,” he went on, “It was a family. They just wanted to talk.”
OK. Yep. He was talking in his sleep.
Your blogger was now convinced she had entered the Twilight Zone and might not escape.
First the UFO. Then the sleep-talking husband. You can imagine how easily sleep came after this incident. I was still awake at 2 a.m.
Squirrel neighbor preparing to catapult into bird feeder
The first thing I did this morning was to tell said husband about the midnight happenings. He laughed uncontrollably. He laughed so hard I was afraid he wouldn’t get to work.
“Sure,” he said in that special tone reserved for suspect individuals, “Sure, Kathy, you saw a UFO.”
As someone who had entertained a family from a UFO yesterday I thought he shouldn’t be making fun of me!
Reddish glow of old Studebaker half buried in snow
I spent a half hour looking up UFO photos on Google. Looking for reports of unidentified flying objects in the Upper Peninsula. One looked strangely like “my” glowing orb, but most of them did not.
My daughter suggested that it might have been a drone. Does that qualify as a UFO? It certainly may have been…
Has anyone else ever spotted a midnight flying object? And did anyone else in the Upper Peninsula see one last night?
Let’s “leaf” it here…
Lake Superior Spirit 
Very strange, yes. Not a comet or falling star, you think? I would suggest you be cautious with whom you share your tale – although it’s rather late for me to say that, isn’t it?
If there were aliens aboard, I hope they took a good look, realized landing here would be foolish because it’s in a real mess here, and went looking for brighter horizons.
Carol, I thought most of the day whether I would share this tale with the general public. What’s the worst that could happen? They think I was “weird”? Too late…that happened years ago. It’s funny. I judged another person as weird for seeing a UFO around here many years ago. I finally decided it was too great a story to keep to ourselves. It may have totally been a drone. It didn’t look like a comet or falling star because it was a round ball-shaped object that moved parallel to the ground in a purposeful manner. It never occurred to me that there were aliens involved though. It all felt rather impersonal and matter-of-fact.
A UFO would surely have a crew, don’t you think? I’m not dissing this experience because I do believe it’s possible.
Carol, my mind is wide open about this. There could have been a crew. It could have been a completely spiritual orb. It could have been a drone. There could be a scientific explanation; there could be a spiritual explanation. It didn’t feel personal to me. It felt like the Universe was giving me this impersonal glimpse into something wider than my ordinary understanding. I feel grateful that my world was expanded for a few seconds.
After paroxysms of laughter over the sleep-talking Barry’s dialogue, I’m able to respond in a somewhat reasonable manner. Okay, I’m probably weird, but I see orbs all the time. At night, they sometimes hang out in the laundry room here. Not as big as what you saw, but not little tiny guys either. My mom and I saw them all the time in California, and also in photographs. I know. We sound awfully wacky. So be it. Some say orbs are spirits of those who’ve passed on. Some say they don’t exist. Bull dinky.
I, too, wrestled with insomnia last night, and gazed out the window several times. No orbs or UFOs for moi; just a couple stars and a cool owl hooting. Your pictures are wonderful, and so are you. Love this blog! Love the stretching of the mind that accepts the very real possibilities of UFOs; of the explainable. After all, there is so much out there other than us.
Susan, I know you would have found Barry’s sleep-talking hysterical! Thank you for your laughter. Do you see orbs all the time? I sometimes see them in photos, but have never seen an orb “up close and personal” like last night. I love that you’re wacky. (And now I’ve joined the party. Tee hee! As if I ever wasn’t…)
It comforts me to know you were awake last night, too. And that you like the blog. You are my BFF. There is so much out there other than our limited understanding…
I’m comforted, too, my BFF, knowing you were up, too. And that you experienced something so magical, whether orb, UFO, drone, or something else. Love you bunches!
Love you bunches, too!
Dear Kathy, it was Heikki Lunta leaving for this winter!
There you have it, John. A perfectly reasonable explanation! (Just got off the phone with our Christopher. He was entertaining lots of reasonable explanations, too.)
The mind (mine) searches for a rational explanation. I immediately think “drone” but the behavior you describe and the light don’t point to that. Also, what would someone be doing flying a drone in your back woods in the UP in the middle of a cold winter night? I believe sometimes there are phenomena that cannot be explained. This experience is now imprinted on your mind, and you will never forget it. It points to the fact that mystery exists and anything is possible. PS I love the Studebaker.
Barb, believe me–my mind searched for rational explanations too. I am totally willing to entertain anything rational! In fact, I really don’t expect to ever “figure this out”. It IS imprinted on my mind and I will never, ever, forget it. (Except if dementia hits…)
Wow. Definitely a UFO. It was flying, an object and you couldn’t identify it!😁 Amazing how when we actually see something unexpected, or explained that we can identify with those who are thought crazy! I have also heard about sightings in the UP. Never saw one myself. Bob’s dad and other relatives saw something extraordinary back in the 60’s. Has been a story in the family for many years. His dad was not kooky. That’s an amazing story and I snorted at Barry’s sleeping response!
Real life is stranger than fiction!
Ruth, that is for sure. Real life IS stranger than fiction. I thought that in the middle of the night! How interesting about Bob’s family story. So fascinating. I am also glad you laughed about Barry’s crazy response! I am still snickering about that. (And so is he.)
Well, the bottom line is that you think it was a UFO, and you will always think you saw one, so who is can sway you or prove the point. Actually, no one, so this does provide food for thought and something that will remain in your mind. I find it interesting. On another note, I really like the photos.
Hi Yvonne! I am actually wide open as to what it was. It could be anything in my mind. It was an unidentified flying object. Maybe a drone. Maybe something 100% logical. Maybe something not. Thank you for enjoying the photos!
I have a story – I think maybe twice. Once it was this impossible streaking zig-zag straight up in the sky near Joplin MO. Another time, at dawn, I ran panicked into the house in Arkansas and jumped into the bathtub for “protection”. The old man was shaving and looked at me strangely. I’m not really sure all that was going on that night – only that it did terrify me. Though nothing more occurred . . . I believe you !!
Interesting stories we can have to share… It never occurred to me before now that people might not believe our stories. I have seen so many things over the years that other people have not. I never questioned what I saw. But there does seem to be a cultural consensus that we all must see the same things to make them “real”. Thank you for sharing, Deb.
Wow, Kathy, what a wonderful mysterious story! I wonder whether you’ll ever know what it was?! How fortuitous that you were awake in the middle of the night and thus able to see it. Perhaps it will come past again? But now don’t stay up looking for it. 😉 Dear friend from afar, may you always be happy and safe, and may you sleep well tonight. Hugs!
Hi, Reggie–I am glad you liked this. It was really a fun thing to see, although I am pretty sure it may always remain one of those mysteries. I did find myself looking out the window several times last night. To no avail. Many blessings to you!
Cool beans…keep a watch out from now on.
ThumbWind, you can bet on it! I kept my eyes peeled out the window every time I passed it last night. 🙂 However nothing out of the normal passing by…
You’re ok. Me too. You know what you saw, it doesn’t take the belief or non-belief of others to make it so. I saw an object one very early, still dark morning. It flew from the west to the east, fairly slowly, kidney shaped, bright light…It was not a plane..no blinking lights..not a satellite, too low…very strange. It was there, I saw it..and so did you that morning.. This was in north central lower Michigan..there are lots of things we don’t know about that are going on in this world we live in…but someone knows.
Mary Anne, thank you. I am glad to hear that I am not the only one who has seen something strange like this. There is no doubt in my mind what I saw. Only doubt about what it might be–and that may never be known. There are many mysteries out in the world. It is good when we can glimpse one.
I would be interested to know if you see a sighting again…hope you post it if you do. Don’t be afraid to say what you saw. I’m with you all the way.
I will be sure to tell. So far–everything has seemed very quiet and ordinary in the woods since this night.
“Have I gone mad? I’m afraid so. You’re entirely bonkers. But I will tell you a secret. All the best people are.” Alice in Wonderland
Oh how I love Alice in Wonderland! Down the rabbit hole we go… no, wait a minute, we’re already there!
What a story! No matter to me if you did or did not see a UFO, I believe that you believe you did, so that’s good enough for me. Life can be weird, so why not roll with it? 😊
Ally, I have no idea what I saw except that it was unidentified and flying and made a good story to telll for the rest of my life.
So very awesome. I say to be privileged that you’ve been chosen to reveal this to all.
Lucky person.
Yes, it felt like such a special gift to see this. Thank you for dropping by my blog!
My first thought – damn! where was your camera at that moment? Though the mind’s eye is a perfectly good camera. It’s just harder to share.
Patty, the camera was tucked away by the desk and the phone camera was off. However there wouldn’t have been time to grab it. It had flown through in maybe less than ten seconds.
I enjoyed this post. Very entertaining, and I love a good mystery like this one (because I’m not a fan of murder mysteries). I don’t know about the drone. They don’t look like the object you described, and in the middle of the night? I’m very curious. Too bad you couldn’t post the one from the internet that looked similar, but infringement could be a problem.
I have never seen a UFO. A family friend once shared a sighting, where an orange orb bounced along power lines across the street from her in the middle of the night. And that was in the city of Chicago!
Next time you see one, forget the glasses, grab your camera. Ha. BTW, I love these photos you shared.
Since you both have something that was a glowing orb, I believe I have the connection to what it was. I’m not sure where I heard the story, and I’ll update you once I have looked it up, but scientists have found this new culmination of lightning that manifests itself in the form of a glowing orb, like you described. It’s mostly been seen in urban areas, like that Chicago story, and it would explain why it was next to the power lines.
Though why it would be in the middle of a forest is beyond me, and by the look of these photographs, you didn’t have anything close to a thunderstorm. But lightning is still a strange unknown force of nature, as scientists have not figured the key spark that creates lighting.
The only true statement that I can say about it is this: Nature be like that some times.
Hi appropriatepictures. It was not a night with lightening or rain or snow. The skies were filled with stars, almost more than usual. I thought maybe swamp gas, but the orb was flying so purposefully. Not ruling out that it could be a very natural act of nature, At first I thought it might be reflected car lights from the road, but it wasn’t. Thanks for reading and sharing about the lightening connection.
Lori, I am glad you enjoyed this post. I really don’t think it was a drone either, although couldn’t see any innards in the orb due to the lack of glasses. It also didn’t look like swamp gas because it was moving so purposefully. How interesting that your friend saw something like that in the city! P.S. it was there only for less than ten seconds and the camera was too far away. 😢
Happy Friday, Kathy. I was teasing about the camera, but even so, if anyone could get a shot, you could. Your photos are the best.
BTW, I posted a quote this week that I think few people might understand, and you’re one of those few.
https://loreezlane.wordpress.com/2019/04/03/individuate/
Your quote was very enticing! Thank you always for prompting me when you share something like that. P.S. I thought maybe you were teasing!
I just love your sense of humor, Kathy!
You make me soooo happy when you say something like that! Remind me to fill you in sometime…
P.S. Sherry, I looked on your page–and Nancy’s–to see if either one of you had seen anything…
hi,this is my first time seeing your blog and it is such an inspiration to me..it is truly , not just what happened to you but the way you described it , this extract should be in my school library if you ask me..you are a talented author .. tell me if you write a book cos i would definnately want to read it!!
Mishaal, thank you SO much for your kind words! I love writing and sharing stories…and it sounds like you’re a person who does the same. Thanks for stopping by!
A drone also was my first thought … but why and for what purpose in the late evening or wee hours of the night? Hmmm …. that would have left me wide awake, mind racing, too!
A person can’t quite quit thinking about this immediately afterwards. If it ever happens to you, you’ll probably have a sleepless night!
A drone would freak me out more than a UFO, because that would mean there was someone out there with the drone. Plus who would be out in your woods in the middle of the night with a drone? I’m going with UFO. Because at this point it is unidentified, and it was flying. Great story, and wonderful photos!
I so agree with you, Dawn, although am open to the possibility it was a drone. It just didn’t LOOK like a drone. And why would one be flying in the woods in the middle of the night? I supposed it will never be known. Was hoping that someone else might report spotting the same phenomenon, but so far nothing…
Sounds to me like a case of magic afoot in the forest. I’ve missed reading your posts.
Magic afoot in the forest! I love that you said that, Lunar Euphoria. (And the other sentence, too.)
Yes, I did see a UFO in Michigan years ago, as a young teenager in the early 1950s, before they had become a big thing. It was not an airplane or a meteor or a searchlight. The sky was cloudless and the stars were beginning to come out. The object was a single, large globule of light, off at a distance, across a small lake and above its opposite shore. The bright object traveled horizontally, about 30 degrees above the horizon, for some distance, and then it became stationary (“hovered”) for a few seconds. Then it disappeared. My friend and I both saw it. We were flabbergasted!
Thank you for sharing this, Joanne. I think the fact that we might see one–and then never see one again–supports that it really was something that showed up and then disappeared. The fact that your friend saw it too collaborated it. Amazing things happen all around us, don’t they?
Did you report it? You are a keen observer and I trust your eyes.
Yes I once 25 years ago saw a “UFO”. It was a triangular shaped object very high in the sky. Kait and I had been tobogganing and dusk was coming on. We were lying in the snow staring up. The object widens as we gazed. It moveved slowly across the sky…as it widened we could see through it.
The next day I wrote to Terry Dickenson (astronomer and author in Canada). Turns out it was fuel ejection from a Florida rocket launch! The light of the setting sun was making it visible.
Even though it wasn’t a real UFO I learned it’s very rare to see such phenomena.
Let us know what you learn.
I did not report it–never thought about that. Did not even know who to report it to. How interesting that you were able to get an identification on your unidentified flying object. Very neat. You might have spent the rest of your life wondering. But thank you for your kind comment about being a keen observer. I think it’s so much of the time. Could have been keener if the glasses were on, though.
I have seen many! After you see your first UFO, welcome the community of believers…they will continue to appear, most likely. What an awesome experience. They are way more active at night, or maybe we just can’t see them as well during the day. Please keep us informed if you have anymore experiences. Very cool!