ALMOST WINTER

  Look here ...
it's almost Winter

This was our first snow ... quite late for us!


 The deer hunters are hoping for tracking snow for the start of gun deer hunting season on Monday.


They haven't called out that Finnlander :
"Heiki Lunta " yet to do his Snow Dance yet.

Winter Now!

by Lois Haglund

Shhoooooooohh…….






Like Quick-silver, the icy breeze slips


thru the trees and across the creek……


Now, stopping for a brief encounter


with a finger or a cheek…..






Now, flittering out in profuse ripples


to chill one’s deepest soul…..


Summer’s tattered shawl… blown away… as


Winter blusters in to assume his role….






Wait ! The word hangs frozen… suspended…..


Wait ! I’m not ready… not Now, Oh No !


Not Ready, to face the interminable days of siege


With a merciless foe outside my window !






Yes! It’s Time, for the quicksilver blade of a breeze


To now be an awesome, deadly blow….


I Know… and remember Why I fear and I dread,


I Must… I Can… I Know!

 

My Summer Activities

Recently, the Crystal Falls Court House celebrated it's 100 year birthday. HERE IS A COPY OF ITS HISTORY:

The Iron County Courthouse in Crystal Falls was built in 1890. It boasts granite steps, large oak doors, arched doorways, high ceilings,chandeliers, turrets, and unique ornamentation. Offices located within the building include the county clerk, county administrator, county treasurer, register of deeds, equalization department, and Michigan State University Extension.

Although the courthouse is the highlight of Crystal Falls today, it would not be there if Crystal Falls had lost its bid to become county seat.

According to Iron County Clerk Joan Luhtanen, the story of how Crystal Falls became the county seat is a colorful one.

When Iron County was carved from Marquette and Menominee counties in 1885, Iron River was designated as the temporary county seat. The permanent county seat would be chosen in the next election. The rivalry between Iron River and Crystal Falls was extreme.

Following a county board meeting in 1887, a group of Crystal Falls residents lured the Iron River commissioners to a high-stakes poker game. Frank Scadden, the Mastodon Township supervisor, and H.J. Hughitt, the county treasurer, used this time to steal the county record books from

Iron River and smuggle them to Crystal Falls. Iron River residents threatened to take the records back once the theft was discovered. However, Sheriff David Lockwood put a guard on the records. (IT IS RUMORED THAT THIS SHERIFF WAS AT THE POKER GAME.)

When the election to decide the county seat was finally held in 1888, citizens in both cities attempted to rig the vote. They registered lumberjacks from other parts of the Upper Peninsula, as well as dead relatives.

Crystal Falls ended up winning the election by a mere five votes.

A second election was held in 1889. Crystal Falls won again, this time by

almost 100 votes.

AT ALAN'S

AT ALAN'S

AT ALAN'S

Last weekend, I actually drove down to Wisconsin to Amy's wedding shower, then afterwards to Sue's & to Alan's.

Maggie & a friend drove up to visit for a week-end. I showed them the museum in Amasa nearby.











There are so many activities going on up here every weekend in the summer. The Humungus Fungus Fest is August 12-15, 2010.


Click here: Humungus Fungus Fest in Crystal Falls, MI






This next weekend is the professional rodeo in Iron River.






"We are pleased to announce that the 43rd Annual U.P. Rodeo will be held July 30th thru August 1, 2010. Plan now to attend the rodeo weekend which includes three PRCA rodeo performances, the Wild West Parade, Market Days, Art Round Up, Chuckwagon Breakfasts, the Miss U.P. Rodeo Queen Contest and the Friday night Rodeo Concert featuring the Kentucky Headhunters, Chasin' Steel and Jamey Johnson! "


Click here: U.P. Pro Rodeo - Welcome










This next weekend is also the "Black Bart Festival/all class reunion in Republic ... also a free Saturday night water ballet show near Spread Eagle. ..... How to chose?


Click here: "Black Bart Festival"

JULY

HEY ... IT'S SUMMER !!!!







It doesn't seem possible that we are thru June ... now into July We finally caught up on rain ... it had been so dry that there weren't any burning permits issued.

I really went somewhere & did something ... I went to Crystal Falls to attend the outdoor music presentation at the "Board-walk" along the Paint River at the foot of the hill.

 I enjoyed the musical "SOUTH PACIFIC" by the local theater group at the Crystal theater. The casting was so perfect, there were some outstanding singers ... costumes & dancing was great.

 Mimi & I saw the antique car show in Iron River at the fair grounds.

Wow! ... I am really out of shape ... had to go back to the car for my walking stick. Thank Heavens I now have a handicap sticker so I got a really close parking place. I had the wrong setting on my camera, so all those car pix were blurry.

May Apple Blossoms

APPLE TREES ARE IN BLOSSOM ...

TWO WEEKS EARLY!

Peek over the back stone fence ..

see an apple tree out thru the other trees.

AS I HAD TOLD MOM ... "THESE APPLE TREES ARE OLDER THAN WE ARE."

This house in Crystal Falls is part of a row of "COMPANY-HOUSES" FROM THE MINING DAYS ... Look closely ; you will see this house is of the same construction as mine ... made of vertical logs.

Crazy Spring

CRAZY SPRING WE'RE HAVING !







February was the dryest/warmest February in decades .... almost NO SNOW. Then, another day, we awoke to a blustery day with anywhere from an inch to 7 inches. March also set records as to being so warm & lack of snow.






We've had such early spring-like weather that most places are getting sold out of TOMATO seeds. I wasn't able to get the yellow tomato seeds, but, did get some ROMA's & some yellow pear tomatoes. Now, I have planted the seeds in little styrofoam cups.






This is the first winter that, in addition to my little deer herd, I acquired a large flock of wild turkeys. The wildlife group gave me some bags of corn. Crystal Falls has a "new" feed store to make it easier (& cheaper) to get corn. I hope to be tapering off ... I don't put corn out after the new grass is available ... don't want to attract the BEAR!

I did can up nearly 50 pints of MAPLE SYRUP. It wasn't a really ideal season this year because of the weather .... & I only tapped some of the trees .... because I didn't know how my body would take the job. I had just finished six weeks of therapy on my knee .... & my back has been really bad for several months.

These trees are on a steep hillside, with huge piles of ROCKS to climb over.

I pulled some of the taps .... then decided not to pull the rest when the snow/wind came. It did warm up, tho so I could pull all the taps.

    Now, I have all these jugs to rinse, dry, & cap for next year.

     I have been putting that off ... maybe I can wash these outside if I wait for another nice warm day ????

 Mimi is my helper....

Here's a picture of Mimi with my Mom, when we visited her in Texas last summer.

My Mom, back in Texas, gave us a scare. Her doctor sent her to the hospital there to monitor her dosage of meds ... then, would only release her to a nursing home. She's in her 90's. It is hard getting used to not being able to talk on the phone with her. I hate to rack up time on my sister's cell phone .... when she's visiting. For the past 10/15 years I had called her daily... then for many years before that, called her several times a week. I really miss that. I know that she's losing her memory; without the daily calls ... she's going to forget who I am. Her eyes have gone so bad that letters probably won't do any good , either.

VALENTINE

HERE’S A VALENTINE FOR YOU

Have A Nice Day

L o i S

Dawn of a New Year

IT'S REALLY COLD ... BELOW ZERO EVERY NIGHT ...



HAVE YOU MADE YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS YET?

I've really been going thru the corn now that the wild turkeys have invaded! Thank heavens I found out that the local wildlife group provides a feeder & some corn ... WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT THEIR FEEDER IS MADE FROM A 55 GALLON DRUM! They are going to bring a feeder to me ... it's supposed to be somewhat deer-proof.

The holidays were a busy time. I really did get all my Christmas cards made & sent out. Christmas Day, I drove to Green Bay for a family get-together.

The plans were to brind Maggie back up here ... then go back down for another family dinner. BUT ... THE ROADS WERE SO ABSOLUTELY NASTY ON THE WAY DOWN THAT IT DIDN'T TAKE MUCH FOR ME TO BE PERSUADED TO JUST STAY DOWN THERE FOR THE WHOLE WEEK-END.

The local IGA carries LUTEFISH at Christmas time ... I'll have to dig up my blog entry on LUTEFISH .... It's something that one either Loves or HATES.

 

 

  

L O I S