The Colors of Ordinary Days!

Stones and leaves. Shells from the sea. What could be more beautiful? More peaceful or harmonious? The charms of ordinary days are many & multi-layered. Vast and varied shades of gold greet us at dawn while rose-hued skies bid us goodnight at evening time. From morning sun to midnight moons, we are blessed with the splendor, drama and stories of color. Like radiant jewels these ordinary charms grace each day to light and brighten our way, inspire our creative spirits, and teach us to cherish the beauty of our earth.

Have a Peaceful Day Everyone!

Outside my creative room window, golden finches come and go. White hydrangeas, puffed and pure gently follow each breath of wind. And I, captured by their beauty, am held spellbound. 

Have a peaceful day, everyone! And thank  you all for your kind observations, thoughts, and friendship. They mean the world to me!

Childhood Summer On Hagerman Lake!

During my teenage years, my parents decided to build a cottage on Hagerman Lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. At first I thought it would all be too far away from civilization to be fun for me, but soon I found myself in love with the lake, the islands, and the loons. It was a beautiful joyful time for all of us on this lake. I still hear the waves lapping against the shore, smell the rocky scent of the water, and long for the lullaby of the loons.

(That's me rowing the boat; my sister, niece, and nephew with me. Dad on the shore holding my little brother, teaching him to swim.)

Look Who Came to Call!

Yesterday, I was rinsing dishes in the sink when I felt eyes upon me (you know how you have that uncanny feeling of being watched). Quickly looking up, I caught this large Mama Squirrel (not to be confused with the tiny red squirrel who still lives in the garage and entertains us daily with his antics) watching me from outdoors.

She hung around long enough for me to get my camera and take a picture but not much longer than that. I had to take the photo through the window glass so it's not as clear as I'd like but there she is! Cute, smart, and hungry!

Return of the Wrens! Elson Reader Artwork!

I just love the illustrations from this vintage Elson Reader. Nowhere else have I discovered such wonderful artwork. Whoever, created these pictures surely loved animals and birds...as do I!

By the way, my wrens have returned and right on time. Last year it was April 26 and this year April 25. They will sing for me all summer long and I will be the happiest bird lover around!

All Creatures Great and Small!

And I love them all too! How about you?

The Return of the Robins!

Here's what's happening in my back yard! Lots of robins have returned in the last months and it's so heartening to see them back once again, starting their families, and keeping our yard alive! What pleasure it is to see them again!

Finally! Photos of Our Mystery Squirrel!

Here's the little squirrel I've been talking about since last fall! Jim was able to capture a few shots of him as he was zipping through the trees this morning! In the photos, he looks pretty much like the other local squirrels but he is much much smaller, about one-third the size. And his actions are quite different as he runs faster and flies farther than any of the other squirrels. 

He appeared last fall and lasted through the below zero weather we had in January and February by finding an old blanket in our garage and cuddling up for the long haul! I still can't figure out how such a little guy could just show up one day and not have another relative who looked just like him. 

I'd tried several times to get pictures but couldn't. But finally here's a good look at Mr. Mystery Squirrel!

The Wind!

I just love these vintage poems. This one from the 1932 book of Poems for the Very Young Child. A recent thrifty find at an Indiana antique mall, the book of poems was compiled by Dolores Knippel and illustrated by Mary Ellsworth. Published by Whitman Publishing Co in Racine, Wisconsin.

More Snow! But Mr. Squirrel Is Safe!

Still more snow arrived this weekend and we're beginning to wonder when it will all stop! 

But the good news is: my little squirrel has made it through the below zero weather and has showed back up again! I didn't want to write about it earlier as I was sadly thinking he didn't make it through some days as cold as 15 below! But now I can happily say he is okay. 

Yesterday, Jim discovered little Mr. Squirrel has made a soft bed in the rafters of our garage. Seems that old brown blanket we've always loved so well through the years has been recruited by Mr. Squirrel to get him through the coldest part of winter.  What a relief! Now I'll have to find something else to worry about; at least that's what Jim says!

Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Logan's Seascape!

Grandson Logan, who just turned three in September, finger-painted this beautiful seascape when he was only 17 months old! Can you hear the waves lapping against the shore? Wondrous!

I Know Where You Live, Mr. Squirrel!

And now I know where Mr. Squirrel lives! The board under the roof of the garage did not get replaced last summer and a hole developed. Then winter came...oh well! But what a great home for a teeny tiny squirrel to get through the winter. He pops his head out and up every so often to get a "drink" of snow from the roof. Quite a sight! And we see him now and then running lickety split through the nearby trees. Who knew that we would be the ones providing a home for Mr. Squirrel! It'll be interesting to see what happens when spring arrives!

Ojibwa Burial Grounds in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan

A few weeks ago I received a postcard from my dear friend Jeanne whom I've known since Kindergarten. We shared the same homerooms throughout our years in grade and high school in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, attended the same church and were active Thespians throughout high school. We attended each others birthday parties when we were kids and corresponded through the years as adults.

The post card I received said to watch for a surprise in the mail and have a camera on hand to take photos. So that is what I did. And what a wonderful & exciting surprise it was to discover a beautiful original oil painting of the Pentoga Park Ojibwa Burial Grounds (located a few miles from where we grew up) by my friend Jeanne. Her note said, "There is only one place this could go...It isn't the exact shot as the picture in your book A Tree Grows in Trout Creek but it's the same spot."

I was deeply touched and thrilled to be the recipient of this memorable oil painting by Jeanne. It's lovely to see every day this wonderful tribute to the area in which we came of age. But more important, it is the friendship of the many years our lives have been entwined that I cherish.

Go to: www.wildwoodpress.org for more information on my books which include cultural information on the Ojibwa/Chippewa Indians: The Wishing Years and A Tree Grows in Trout Creek, both collections of stories of growing up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.

I See You, Mr. Squirrel!

Since my last post about Mr. Squirrel, I have been catching sight of him almost daily. He's been so fast though that I've continued to have a hard time identifying him.

However, this past week, I discovered that every day at 4 p.m. he takes a stand at the tippy-top point on our garage roof. There he suns himself for a second before darting away. Now that I know he'll be there at 4 p.m. I don't let the dogs out at that time.

But I do watch and I'm just about positive now that he is a tiny red squirrel, about a quarter the size of the normal squirrels in our neighborhood. Now, if only I could get a picture of him! So, the question remains: where did he come from? There are no others like him around. What do you think?’

A Local Cider Mill!

Yesterday was an autumn day so gorgeous that it should almost have been required to take a drive in the country! And that is exactly what we did. A leisurely ride in the country, going nowhere, going anywhere, going somewhere special. Who knew where we might end up? I wasn't sure; I didn't care. The sky cast a bright blue radiance overhead; the fields golden, stretched out as far as the eye could see; the trees costumed in burnt orange, crimson and scarlet glowed like jewels in the sun-filled air! Enough beauty to make your heart burst!

I don't know how my husband Jim found this wonderful cider mill out in the vastly uninhabited farmlands but he did. He does have a knack for such things, still what a surprise it was to travel down several connecting back roads to suddenly find this wonderful farm, orchard and mill. Pumpkin heaven! The smells of apples, cider and donuts filled the air along with the sweet strains of fiddlers' Appalachian tunes. A day to be cherished and remembered long into the future.

Fruit Flavor Farms

Here are two sunny autumn photos of our favorite orchard, Flavor Fruit Farms in Somerset, Michigan, which we enjoy visiting each season.

Nature's Entertainment

I can never get enough of nature’s entertainment. Just looking out my patio door brings joy to my soul! We have a tiny squirrel among all the other larger squirrels that has recently come to lodge somewhere nearby. This little creature speeds along the branches, flying from one tree to the next faster than any other I’ve ever seen. He appears—as he’s whizzing by—to look exactly like our larger brown squirrels—only smaller, a lot smaller—but he never stops long enough for me to be sure he doesn’t belong to some other squirrel group.

I did, however, note as I saw him scampering along the garage roof that he does not have a chipmunk stripe on his side. I’ve looked at photos online and am pretty sure he’s not a chipmunk, gopher, tree mouse or prairie dog. He might be a chickaree a.k.a. a red squirrel. But where did he come from? He’s one of a kind, that’s for sure and more fun than a barrel of monkeys (though I must admit, I’ve never actually seen a barrel of monkeys).