First Snowfall

It started early this morning . . .

 

. . . and it's still coming down.  

The snow has been intermittent most of the day but is supposed to pick up in intensity through the night and continue throughout the weekend.  To say Michiganders are less than excited about the onset of winter is a gross understatement.  As a matter of fact, one of Harry's nieces refuses to even acknowledge winter is here :)  And I can appreciate their feelings.  Last winter was pretty brutal and in the interest of full disclosure~~I was not here to experience it.  But having confessed to that, there is something serene and very pretty about the first snowfall of the season.  As I drove around this morning going about my usual routine, I stopped along the way and shot a few pictures.

Gretchen and Laci appeared unfazed by the snow.  This being their first real experience with the white stuff, I wasn't sure how they would react to it.  Other than being a bit more frisky than usual, they seemed to take the snow in stride.

Once the snow began to fall, I made sure all my bird feeders were full.  Most of the little song birds and the woodpeckers don't migrate; and once the snow falls heavy and blankets everything, it's hard for them to find food.

So yes, it is the beginning of another long winter, but I'm trying to stay upbeat and appreciate the serenity of this moment~~ the first snowfall.

And It's November

It sure came fast, didn't it?  Seems like summer was just beginning and all of a sudden--wham, here we are into the first week of November.

November is always a pensive month for me.  I tend to get very quiet and introspective.  Especially here in Michigan.  The days get shorter and colder.  We see less and less of the sun.  We've had our first frost.  The bounty of produce is just about gone.  Wiley Farms is getting ready to close for the season.  And when November hits, it's unmistakable that winter is right around the corner.  November also means our imminent departure from Michigan and that brings on a flood of conflicting feelings that I continue to wrestle with.

But there is also a mystical, profound beauty about November that is worth embracing.  To me it is the beginning of the period of time that the earth rests.

There are many good and beautiful things about November.  It means the holidays are right around the corner.  Warm, comforting dishes like soups, braises and stews grace my dinner table.  The Downy Woodpeckers begin to visit my feeders.  I snuggle in under a blanket, puppies at my feet, on my warm, four-season porch and delve into the wonderful books I bought/downloaded over the summer.  

November also brings about some of the most beautiful sunsets and moon rises I've ever seen.

Yes, November can be cold and dreary.  I won't argue that point.  But it also signifies the beginning of another season--winter.  And that is one of the things I love most about Michigan~~the seasons and everything that goes along with them.  Granted, we won't be here for the coldest part of winter, but I'm grateful that I will experience this beautiful, reflective time of year.  

Seasons' Bounty

Think I'm ready for winter? :)

As you can see, I was pretty busy this season, trying to preserve the best of the summer produce.  And I think I was quite successful.  All the fruit and vegetables for these little jewels of yumminess came from Wiley Farms--a small family farm about three miles from my house.

Seeing that this is only the second year I've done any canning in my life, I think my pantry looks pretty good for the winter ahead.  And I had so much fun doing this.  I canned 30 quarts of fresh tomatoes, 22 quarts of several different types of tomato sauces, and over 50 jars of assorted jams, preserves and conserves.  Some of them are pretty unique such as basil/peach jam; nectarine/saffron jam; tomato and caramelized onion conserve; blueberry mojito jam; savory peach chutney; spicy dill relish and the list goes on.  I have given away many jars already and will gift more for Christmas presents.  My family and friends seem to appreciate getting them and I love making them and giving them away.  And of course my husband loves sampling each new jar that I open.  I've had a few people suggest that I make this a small business and sell them.  But that would make it too much like work and take all the fun out of it.  I think I'll just keep making them and giving them away.  Any takers? :)

Dark Clouds and Sunshine

I have not posted anything on this blog since we arrived back in Michigan in May.  I've thought about it many times, but I simply never took the time to sit down and write.  I guess I was too busy doing other things.  Mostly enjoying the Michigan spring, summer and fall; being with family; traveling; visiting with my kids and grandkids; hanging out on the lake; canning and preserving; welcoming a new grand baby, etc.  But here we are again, late Fall, gearing up for our departure from our beautiful, adopted state of Michigan to return to Texas for the winter and I've written nothing about what I've done, what I've seen, how I feel, where I'm at, etc.  My excuses are pretty lame so I won't even try to defend them.  And since I write this blog mostly for me anyway, it really doesn't matter what my excuses are.

I love everything about my life here in Michigan~~the climate; small town charm; bountiful produce; Wiley Farms; my lake; Harry's wonderful Family who have welcomed me as one of their own.  But the one thing missing is my friends.  I miss my friends in Texas.   My circle is not very big.  But there are a handful of people that have been close friends for a long time; some of them over 20 years.  Gabriella and I became friends when we were both single moms with 5-year olds; now we are both grandmothers.  Shelly and I have been friends for over 17 years; Cheryl and Tommy and I became friends when she and Tommy came over to my home and he hung a ceiling fan for me.  That was 25 years ago and I was newly divorced with two 4-year olds and just starting over.  That's a lot of life to share.  Besides my wonderful family here~~Esther, Debbie, Julie, Sara and their families whom I love so much; I've made a couple of new friends~~Caroline and Janice~~that I like very much and look forward to getting to know better as the years go on.  But it takes nearly a lifetime to establish and nurture the kind of friendships I have in Texas.

As Harry and I begin to think about packing up and heading South for the winter, I have conflicting feelings.  I'm sad to leave behind everything I love about my life in Michigan.  Because when we leave, people's lives up here don't stop.  They go on~~ the kids get a little older, the family keeps getting together to celebrate birthdays and holidays, friends get together for dinner~~ and we miss all of that.  Sometimes I fear that they will forget us and then we have to reestablish relationships when we return in the spring.  For the most part that's probably irrational thinking, but on some days it's very real to me.  But the conflict comes into play because I am so looking forward to seeing my friends again and spending time with them.  I don't want to say I look forward to leaving Michigan, but I can say I am happy that I will see my friends very soon.

As you can see, there is conflict.  And I don't want to appear that I am complaining.  I'm not.  I recognize the fact that I am very lucky to have the wonderful people and relationships in my life in both Michigan and Texas and for that I am so grateful.  But this photograph of my lake reflects my mood and my feelings at this moment in time~~a mix of dark clouds and sunshine.

Time to Replant

Like most Northern gardens, mine took a huge hit this past winter!  It was so brutally cold for so long with so much snow that even plants that normally survive a cold winter died.  Now that spring is here, I took a long walk around the property to assess the damage.  It was not pretty.

I lost three rhododendrons

My dogwood didn't bloom

 My hydrangea got fried

 I lost four of my nine knockout roses

 and the ones I did not lose are going to need some MAJOR pruning!

 My azaleas didn't fare so well either.  I only lost one of four, but the three surviving ones look a bit peaked

 But all in all the landscaping looked pretty good.  My coral bells all did well, 

My peonies are getting ready to bloom

The evergreens all did well and are thriving!

The phlox is blooming away...pretty in pink!

 And I even spied a nest of baby robins in the alcove near my front entrance!

And I did all this surveillance under the ever watchful eye of Gretchen and Laci :-)

So my first act was to replace the dead rhododendrons.   I found these beautiful white ones at the local nursery and in the ground they went.  The blooms on them are just gorgeous.  I love white flowers. . . any kind of white flowers.

 While I was working I had this plump bumble bee visit me and these beautiful blooms.

Since I don't have a vegetable garden here in my Northern home,  I will get my gardening fix playing in the dirt in my landscape beds.  With a view like this every day, I think I can live with that :-)

Home!

Yay!  Harry and I are finally home in Michigan.  We arrived here the last weekend in April and settled in rather quickly . . . like within three days :)  It's a long drive from Texas - 21 hours drive time and 1360 miles.  But it's oh so worth it to be home!

The weather was still a bit chilly when we arrived.  Temperatures were in the mid 50's.  But when we left Texas, the temperatures were approaching the mid 80's-low 90's so to me, this weather is just fine!

The plants in my landscaping were just beginning to bud out after we arrived.  My poppies just popped out of the soil and will bloom shortly.  We did loose a few azalea bushes due to the extremely long, cold winter Michigan just experienced.  But I will visit one of the local nurseries very soon to replace the shrubs that didn't survive this winter.

Just before we left last fall, I planted some black tulip bulbs and they, too, are beginning to poke their lovely heads up out of the soil.  I'll be anxious to see what these beauties look like.

Same goes for the Forget-Me-Nots my brother-in-law gave me last fall.  These are such happy little plants.  They make me smile every time I look at them.  And they spread like wildfire too.  These will quickly fill in as ground cover where I planted them.

And as you can see, Gretchen and Laci have settled in nicely as well.  They love it here and seem to be as happy here as I am.

But on a much sadder note . . . we lost our beloved Tyson last fall.  When we returned to Texas in October, Tyson could barely walk.  He was miserable and our only choice was to relieve him of his misery and put him to sleep.  That was one of the most difficult things Harry and I ever had to do.  He was with us for nearly 14 years and I loved him so very much.  There is definitely an empty space here in Michigan without him. 

I simply cannot believe the birds I have this year!  It's incredible.  It's worth a separate post but just quickly I have had red breasted grosbeaks (male and female), Baltimore AND bullock Orioles (male and female), gold finches, blue birds, red wing blackbirds and hummingbirds visiting my feeders.  If you look closely at this blurry photo, you can see two male Red Breasted Grosbeaks and one female.  

And here are two male Red Breasted Grosbeaks and one male Baltimore Oriole.  They are so much fun to watch.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is:  I am so very happy to be home here in Michigan!  So please, stay tuned :)