Freezin'

     Ya ... it's really cold up here!

   Thankfully, we didn't get as much snow as predicted, but the temps have been going way down ... way below zero at night.

    So ... wouldn't you know ... my furnace quit!  The first guy that came out couldn't find the problem ... he & another guy came out in the afternoon.  They said it probably needed a part ... that might have to be ordered!

    OH WELL.  I could keep the upstairs liveable ... but didn't know if I could keep the basement water pipes from freezing.  I've developed good cold-weather coping skills ... but this would be a real challenge!

    By some miracle ... they did come back much later with the part!  And, much to the surprise of all ... the furnace did start ... and is still running.

     SNOW'S FINALLY HERE!      

     I guess instinct (God's guidance) prompted me to call my garage last week & make arrangements to get my snow tires put on yesterday morning. I made a quick trip to the IGA while I wax in town.


     The snow, as predicted, started  later on Tuesday .... then predicted more snow on Wednesday ... then, Thursday will be really bad.  Today, Wednesday, all the U.P. schools around here are closed.  I hope I can get out to keep my weekly appointment at the Chiropractor.


     Yesterday, I did fulfill my ambitious plans to take my saw in the car, so that on my return from Crystal Falls, I put it in 4-wheel drive & ran up the hill to cut my Christmas tree. I had chosen & marked one some time ago.


     I have everything pretty much so put away or covered up .... tho I should burn trash while I can still get to the burn barrel (I even put a cover on that). I filled a feeder with dry cat food for up in the Gunta shed. I had my snow blower tuned up last spring ... I should give it a test start. & make sure I have enough gas for it. I put shovels, brooms, & ice choppers by each door. I bought a bag of ice melt.

     As usual for up here ... we have to plan for all emergencies ... even like getting stuck in the snow.  I put a snow shovel, ice-melt, & a blanket into the car.  It's a good idea to have snacks & a flashlite, too.


     This past week, they got socked with snow "Up North" on the Keweenau & all along Lake Superior ... They had to figure out where to put the two feet of snow, then the crews were out full force today, all day with all the equipment they have ... with an eye on the storm warnings coming up the next few days. No wonder the "Snow Birds" retreat every winter!


HERE'S PIX FROM PAST YEARS' SNOWS... I'll take more pix of the new snow ... later.

L o i S

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Now, It's December

Not quite winter yet.



We've had snow, but only at little at a time; it keeps melting away. Went to the IGA ... admired this in the parking lot.

In a neighbor's yard ...

At home , Mimi is watching a little red squirrel on the plant stand ...

Last year, there was so much snow that I took the lazy man's way, & cut a tree in my ditch so that I only had to take a few steps in snow.


This year ... I didn't cut my tree yet ... but I did mark the one I want, so that I can go right to it. But, here are some of the other candidates, too.

L o i S

THANKSGIVING ... a day for reflection & giving thanks.






I was looking in my (computer) archives for these pictures, used in a past blog. THEN, it dawned upon me that the originals were "real" photos, taken before I had a digital camera.


When we lived near Green Bay, WI ... we had a constant stream of people that visited or lived with us. Holiday dinners, we generally had a full table.


IN THE FIRST PHOTO ... Maggie was clowning around & put on my furry winter hat, which was way too big for her. Her dad, Johnnie, is wearing a paper Pilgrim hat that the little neighbor girls had made in school.


IN THE SECOND PHOTO ... I hate it when people think it's funny to make a silly face for the camera. Oh well, this is how we will see them for eternity!!!
 
 
 

 

September in the neighborhood

MY NEIGBORS ....



Some have cranes on their lawn.




Some have turkeys on their lawn.




Trees are beginning to turn colors.





The Lutheran church ... flowers are still pretty, even tho we've had a few light frosts already.

CLICK TO ENLARGE

L o i S

SUPER-BUSY!

After a long silence .... here's a quick update:

• I went to Texas








• I came home








• Mom visited me








• I went to the family reunion in Wisconsin








• I went to Texas








• I visited Mom








• I had car trouble





• I came home to Michigan








• I went to my 50 year class reunion in Marion, WI\\\\\








• I'm doing winterization/home improvement








• I'm bummed out

BUSY SUMMER

It's been a busy summer ..... we had a family reunion! This was in Wisconsin, where most of my family is. It was to have been the first time in over 10 years that all of us seven kids gathered ... but, my sister from Texas could not get away from work. That meant that I had to drive down there to bring our Mom up.

June is cool!

COOL ... really cool ... like the coldest June so far ... on record! The local kids were supposed to begin swim lessons last week; they were posponed!

I went over to Escanaba in May ... where we lived in the 1950's. Our big barn has been torn down, & the towering elm tree is gone ... but, it looks pretty much the same.

(COOL ...Except for in my old refrigerator ... which died) Here's my "new" one.

I went up to Houghton/Hancock recently for an OPEN MRI for my back.
On the way, near Baraga ... here is a statue of Father Baraga ... high on a bluff overlooking the Keweenau Bay.

Lois

Merry Christmas/April Fools Day

Merry Christmas ... April Fools!

Earlier this past week ... people were calling into TELEPHONE TIME ... with the greeting "Merry Christmas"
. Further north, they had nearly two feet of snow; one lady
called in to say that a lot of her neighbors had signs on their lawns: "FREE SNOW".



Here's how it looked before the big snow

Here's some pix on AFTER

Now .. after some torrential rain ... most of the snow is gone again ... & here's what I found



LOOKS LIKE IT'S TIME TO TROT OUT MY POEM ON SPRING ... ENTITLED

" THE SMILE OF SPRING"

The Sun in Spring is a smile

That warms the heart & soul.

It's a PROMISE: in a short while,

We'll not fear Winter's threats!

GREEN grass & buds feed nature's pets.

GREEN tips of tulips, daffodils, and more.

GREEN thumb: twitches and frets.

GREEN: the Victor's colors; Winter is defeated!

GOLDEN Sunshine wraps us like a warm shawl.

Winter's breath still can chill!

GOLDEN Sunshine washes the air-cleanses all.

Breathe deeply of the new freshness.

April Showers bring us flowers in May.

Winter is lovely, but, spring is a joy!

The Nature that was asleep tumbles out to play.

Welcome - SPRING - God's Promise come true!

Is It Really Spring?

ALMOST SPRING ... most of the snow is gone, but, it's still chilly.




.. WELL ... maybe I'm over my "pout" ... none of the four new blog spots are as easy & satisfactory as my deceased AOL journal ... damn them. Losing four years of illustrated diary entries is a great loss. It is also a loss that AOL also discontinued the free webpages; I lost all my links there. Of the four new spots ... BLOGspot is somewhat the choice.

L o i S

SO READY FOR SPRING

I'M READY ... for spring ...

I liken the winter at this stage to an old
person ... getting more feeble ... the snow banks shrinking &
looking not so firm ... not so white & pretty. Winter,
at its prime, is vigorous, pretty, & impressive.

I had forgotten that our road(s) really are black in color ... my road
is about half black ... the latest snowfall morhped into a lot of ice
cover, tho. And, with the temps last nite going below zero again
... we are looking forward to the promised 40 degree temps this
week-end.

There is snowcover, but, remembering that the picnic table was
practically concealed with snow, I can see we're making progress.

Isn't this such a cute deer ... last year's fawn ... I call them my "Fuzzies".

Recently, I drove some friends to Green Bay, Wisconsin for a visit to a
clinic. While waiting, I drove around town a bit ... happened to
go past Packerland Packing Meats ... I had hauled for them a while when
I was a trucker. The place still looks the same.



Hopefully, some good news for the papermill at
Niagara (on the border of Wisconsin/Michigan) that was subject to one
of those old business schemes of "buy up a competitor- so that you can
shut them down-then you can declare a tax break loss" . So sad
for the village of Niagara. A local businessman offered to buy
the mill so that the employees/community could continue to run
it. NO DEAL. The machinery was stripped & shipped
overseas to make sure that the aggressor company would never have to
worry about competition for it's specialty papers.

A RECENT NEWSPAPER ARTICLE IN THE IRON RIVER DAILY NEWS HAS MORE DETAILS ON THE IDEA FOR THE MILL TO NOW PRODUCE A NEW KIND OF BIO-FUEL THAT WILL UTILIZE THE AREA'S WOOD PRODUCTION INDUSTRY. (The logging industry is about all that is left up here & even that has
been torpedoed by the slowing economy.)

Click here:
IronMountainDailyNews.com news, sports, business, jobs - The Daily News

( I THEN DID A NEWSPAPER SEARCH ON "Niagara mill")

"IRON MOUNTAIN - Wisconsin State Representative Jeff Mursau told The Daily News that a Wisconsin company has expressed interest in purchasing at least part of the NewPage Niagara mill to construct a biomass ethanol plant."

"NIAGARA, Wis. - New North Inc. has commissioned a study to determine the feasibility of producing cellulosic ethanol at NewPage's Niagara paper mill facility, New North Executive Director Jerry Murphy announced on Tuesday."

On TELEPHONE TIME ... someone called in to say that the maple sap
season is imminent. With the week-end temps in the 40's .... I
should be ready to rock & roll on this project ... but, I've had so
many crucial projects occurring that I haven't given this much thought.

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NEIGHBORS & FRIENDS

My grandson, Bill, just had a birthday ... here he is with my daughter, Maggie.



Her dress is an heirloom christening dress. His suit is a
corduroy suit that I had made for my older son when he was little.


As you can see from this ... we have to stay alert when driving ... especially on my road .... STOP FOR THE TURKEY CROSSING!



They were just going to visit these neighbors.











These neighbors have their own visitors.


L o i S



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http://360.yahoo.com/loisontheweb