BIRD TELEVISION - THE OTHER CHANNEL WE LOVE TO WATCH....

 So, we have been looking into cable, internet, etc. and it is either not available out where we live or the cost is much more than we want to pay to sit on our butts and watch something that turns your brain to mush - except documentary's, history channel, shows like that.  Someone did tell us about a service available from the University of Northern Michigan - they send you the equipment and directions and you install it yourself - with a much lower monthly cost.  We are going to start checking into that. But, we are not in a giant hurry - it is still winter and we're really not missing television or the internet very much! We have phones - for an emergency - but that's about it.  And getting service is always 'iffy'.  We generally have to walk out onto the deck and move our head from side to side to even hear.  We deal with it to talk to our family every week.  But, if we need to make a call where we can have better service - we drive down to the end of our driveway and try there or drive further out onto the town road to get a clearer, stronger signal. 

The pictures that I am posting are from all seasons during the year - I just tried to pick out the best ones.  

The birds out here in the Northwoods are really something. In the winter, we see pretty much the same ones every day, but fall into winter showed us a variety of birds as they were gathering up to migrate - and winter into spring brought us a whole colorful show of birds returning to the area or passing through going further north.  

This mama Robin has a nest in our eaves, and we have left the nest untouched after her last clutch - it is in a protected area from rain and wind and close to our bird feeders- so hopefully she can return to lay more eggs and make more pretty Robins next spring. The only problem is that she doesn't understand that we are 'friends' as she dive bombs us when we walk in the area - her natural defense - we just cover our heads - they get close by have not hit us yet - just their natural protection of their little ones.  

This is a Flicker - the first one I have ever seen - it stopped and rested for a while by the pond.  It is called a Northern Flicker and is a member of the Woodpecker family.  

We have so many woodpeckers around.  We can hear them clearly rapping on so many dead trees in the woods.  The Piliated is the largest woodpecker and the loudest.  They have come to our feeder, but I was so excited seeing them and watching them, that I didn't go for my camera for a picture.  This is a male Hairy Woodpecker.  The look just like Downy Woodpeckers - they are just larger.  The females don't have a red spot on their head.  

Mr. BlueJay with his pretty little feathers fluffing out in the wind and showing so nicely in the bright sunshine.  He loves this basket - and is a daily visitor.  We put his favorites, peanuts and black sunflower seeds in the basket, and he is there grabbing foods many times per day.... It is hard to tell the difference between females and males.  Blue Jays are loud and aggressive towards smaller birds or really anyone that comes around them - so - this basket is theirs.  

These little Juncos...they are just always quietly around...they 'over-winter' in Michigan.  They are generally ground feeders, but will pick seeds out of flat feeders.  They roost in evergreens.  It is said that they have 30% more feathers in the winter than in the summer.  

We love our Mourning Doves.  They usually come to the feeders in a flock in the morning and in the afternoon.   They are basically ground feeders but will come up and into the feeders.  Love their gentle, soft sounds. 

Finches and a female Grossbeak.  There are Gold Finches and Purple Finches all together in the feeder.

This is a Nuthatch - they love suet and will hang however they need to get to the tasty treat.  They will hide seeds in crevices for a snack later.  

This is a Red Bellied Woodpecker.  They look a lot like a  Red headed Woodpecker - but they only have half a red head.  Despite their name they only have a tinge of red on their 'belly'. 

 

Birds will tolerate each other if they are on a large enough spot - for seed...

We put up Bird Houses and a Blue Bird decided to call this one its own.  

The Best Part of Winter - you can see their  beautiful colors so well against the white backdrop.  But some of the birds are prettier in the spring/summer - like the Gold Finches...

Although Female Cardinals are not bright red - their subtle colors are so soft and beautiful...

The Ruffed Grouse.  Such a great sighting.  They are usually in the underbrush - this one landed on our apple tree and gave me a few minutes to catch a picture.  When I first heard their 'drumming' - I thought someone - somewhere - was trying to start an engine. It starts out slow and works up to a much faster thumping sound and then stops.  It was our amazing Grouse doing what they do...drumming.  

We see Turkeys pretty much every day - males and females and their chicks.  The males make big thumping chest noises and puff up as large as they can to show dominance....

A beautiful Blue Indigo - so special because we don't get to see them that often.

And our sweet Chickadees - they are here year-round and at the feeders every day.

Gold Finches female and male - of course he's the bright one - moms need to be more subtle in color.

Our beautiful Orioles - they love oranges and grape jelly.

This is a beautiful Green Heron that landed near our pond - for a fish snack...

One of my favorites - a Rose Breasted Grossbeak - I love to see them every spring.  This is a male - the female of course has more subtle coloring...

We love to sit in our comfy chairs that can see right out to our feeders - we eat lunch right there, in hopes of spotting a new variety...and find comfort and joy in seeing our regulars.  They say that birds 'talk' to each other in the early evening - just making sure that everyone is okay and settled for the night.  So as the sun goes down and the birds aren't coming to the feeders - it's lovely to step outside and listen to them talking to each other and wishing each other a good night's rest.  

SQUIRREL TELEVISION - IT'S ALL WE'VE GOT AT THE MOMENT & WE'RE REALLY ENJOYING THE DAILY SHOWS....

We had never really seen Red Squirrels or Pine Squirrels as they are called before moving to UP Michigan. We've seen Grey Squirrels our whole life and an occasional Fox Squirrel - but that was about it - to this point. We still see Grey Squirrels occasionally, but Red Squirrels are our daily visitors.  They did visit us right inside our cabin in the beginning - but I think because we are feeding outside, and we have two dogs in the cabin - they are now preferring outside dining.  We also have Black Squirrels and Fox Squirrels. 

The Red Squirrels are smaller and so comedic.  Grey is grey.  The Fox Squirrels are larger, fluffier, slower moving and almost cartoonish.  The Black Squirrels appear stealth like.  One Black Squirrel visitor is without a tail - maybe not stealth enough - but the other does have a fluffy tail. 

These are a few of the year-round pictures that I have taken - because they are our year-round visitors.

I cut the big drying heads off of the Mammoth Sunflowers we grew and spread them out on the bench on our deck.   It's like a buffet for squirrels and birds.  

This is our Black Squirrel - with the tail - there is another one with no tail - we wonder what happened.

This fatty Fox Squirrel is tall enough to reach the bird feeder without much trouble.

This poor mama, on a hot day, needed to be away from the little ones and take a rest.  I put out water for them and fresh cut apples, table scrapes, mealworms and peanuts.  

They are smaller so they can fit in and on our bird feeders.  

Red Squirrels don't really run away when we step out of the cabin.  I can toss peanuts or food their way and they just kind temporality move aside.  

Red Squirrels are so cute, looks like he's wearing mittens.  

We can sit in front of the wood stove with a fire blazing, coffee or tea in hand and through our new full glass front door, just watch these funny squirrels all day long.  They prefer to be the only squirrel on the feeder - one at a time - but do not mind sharing seeds with the birds.  They chatter loudly if another squirrel comes around when they are on our big feeder, telling them to wait their turn, I guess.  

If we leave the door open for even a moment, to let the dog come in or while we are bringing in firewood - the little Red Squirrels will walk right up to the door as getting ready to go on in.  This cabin was basically vacant for years - hunters here and there.  So, the squirrels especially, found their way into the cabin and it became part of their daily routine.  We saw signs of them in the cabin after we moved the enormous amount of junk out and away - and then we would actually see them on our kitchen table - for a few mornings in a row. They were hoping that we were leaving I'm sure - like the hunters did.  But we were there and so were our two dogs - so they began staying upstairs and outside.  We are keeping the upstairs closed off for now - we will begin clearing it out in the spring and see if we're going to use it for more than storage.  

Meanwhile, until we get cable - this is our entertainment...and we really like it this way.  When I go to the library - usually once a week - I go onto their computers mostly to search for information about the large gardens that we are going to plant in the spring - but, I do peek around and catch the latest - not very important to me- news also.  We're not missing television, at all.  Amazing how you find things to do when you don't have the television on...listen to music, read, daydream, watch the birds, squirrels, deer just outside your window or door....talk to each other...it's a welcome change.  

HOW OUR FIRST WINTER IN THE UP IS GOING SO FAR....

 It has been snowing about every other day.  Sometimes only flurries and sometimes an inch or two of accumulation.   We've tried to keep up with the plowing of our driveway, shoveling and salting our deck and our paths to be able to get out to our animals.  The snow is really beautiful.  We love watching it fall during the day light hours, but when it snows at night, we turn on an outdoor light, just to watch it softly falling.  We can't help but go outside for a while to catch a few snowflakes on our gloves, admire their pattern and just listen to the sound/no sound that it makes when it falls from above. I love to shine my flashlight up into the air and follow one snowflake all of the way down.  When it lands, I think to myself, this was your whole life and purpose.  I hope it was a fun journey.     

My husband and I are very different in our approach to many things.   We feel that makes for a good balance in our relationship.  I am always thinking about 'what could happen' - and try to get everything ready 'just in case'. My husband kind of flies by the seat of his pants - what happens, happens, we'll deal with it when it happens. I told him that for my peace of mind, I feel that we need to be more prepared living out here alone, we're older and we don't have any services that close to us and our family lives hours away.  He teases me when I am picking up candles, batteries, matches, flashlights, etc. at the store.   They have come in handy a few times, and I try (?) not to remind him whose idea it was to pick these items up and keep a supply of them on hand.  I am learning each day to be as prepared as possible - and then let it go or you will possibly miss some of the beauty of living out here in the Northwoods in your anxiety of worrying about the 'what ifs'.  

Kind of like the birds that visit our feeders each day.  They don't seem to mind the difficulties of inclement weather.  They have to eat everyday no matter what time of year or whatever the weather might be that day.  

When the sun goes down, the birds have to think about finding a protected area to keep dry and out of the wind for the night.  At first light they need to think about a food source. I wonder if they are storing food somewhere for those days when it's much harder to find anything to eat.  I know squirrels do that, but I wonder if birds do that also.  Some birds land, grab a seed and fly away.  And then keep doing that over and over.  Other birds, land, grab a seed and eat it right there.  In my writer's mind, I picture that all wildlife has a protected cubby to go to each day/night.  Where they store their food, and are protected from the sun, wind, snow & rain.  And that they feel safe and warm there.  I like to think of them having fun just flying around, but I think their whole day is really about surviving.  And, in the spring, there is the added responsibility of taking care of their eggs and then feeding their new babies.  

 Like all of our bird and squirrel friends, Live for today, learn from yesterday and look forward to tomorrow. But, be prepared....just in case...  

THIS IS GOING TO BE THE BEST YEAR

About 4 years ago, 

we purchased a old log cabin in the UP of Michigan. It is on 40 acres of beautiful land and surrounded by 100's of acres of State land.  

About 3 years ago, we moved ourselves, all of our equipment - my husband was in construction for 50+ years, all of our animals - fiber sheep, llamas, peacocks and chickens (and our house pets), all of our household items and our endless collections in a multitude of trips from our hobby farm in WI to our retirement place in the UP.  We also purchased a container, filled it and had it moved up to the UP property also.  

When we first toured this property with a Realtor, we saw that there was a Keep Out sign nailed to the log cabin.  Ahhhh...an actual sign of our next project of love and our forever home. I'm sure that the Realtor was not at all thinking the same things that we were.  We overlooked the massive amount of stuff that was in each and every building and looked only at the land, the pond, the lines of the old log cabin, it's interesting history and the beautiful tall pines everywhere one could look. We together have purchased many homes and buildings in need of TLC - but this one required way more than some TLC - it required a couple of 'never say never' lunatics like us to purchase it  The idea of living out in the woods in the UP on this beautiful property in a historic log cabin with all of our animals and our belongings, It was our dream come true of how we wanted to live and spend our retirement.  

We made our final trip each of us driving a truck, one of us pulling a trailer and the other pulling our animal hauler, it will be three years ago, this past November.   I remember, after we pulled in,  just sitting in the truck, exhausted from all of the moving, loading, unloading and driving feeling so grateful that the snow had not started yet.  As we were sitting there just starring into the darkness, snowflakes began to slowly fall. We both took a deep breath and gave thanks for our many blessings.  We were here, no more trips...finally...our new home our forever home.

One year (plus) later after an incredible amount of work, the log cabin is now 'livable'.  It might not be for a lot of people...but to us, it will be a great work in progress for several years.  It is in the dry, we have a toilet, heat and we have replaced the windows and doors through which many little critters entered.  So, now we just get to see them outside, not on our kitchen table.  Even though it was cute to see a Pine Squirrel nibbling on an apple on our kitchen table - it is best for them to eat the apples on the ground outside.  So...

 It is winter...our third winter living in the UP and, it's really cold and snowy here in Michigan.  The Holidays are over and a brand-new year has started.  

Today is a perfect day to just sit at our little kitchen table (minus the little Pine Squirrel who used to live here...before us) and look out at the snow, from the inside our warm and comfy 100 yr. old log cabin.  We have a nice fire going in our woodstove and, our little old dog and cat are curled up on the blanket the I laid across my lap.  The blanket reaches the floor and that is where they are...for one of their many daily naps. I have a big, new chunky pad of paper and some sharpened pencils on the table in front of me and the goal is to work on the plans for our various gardens We're planning on clearing and planting a large, raised bed garden of herbs, about an acre of cut flower garden  and about two acres of a  vegetable garden, in the upcoming spring.  We will be in the planning stage until Mother Nature decides that we can begin all of our outdoor work.  Until then, a cup of hot cocoa in one hand and a homemade chocolate chip cookie in the other fits perfectly in this picture of planning. This, to me, is all pretty darn wonderful.    

As I said, this is our 3rd year living in our now cozier log cabin.  The first two years were pretty much spent renovating and 'making livable' our sweet old log cabin.  It had been used and abused as a 'camp' for many years since the original people had lived here in the early 1800's.  So many things had been dragged up to this camp for so many years - it took us months and many dumpsters to clear out all of the useless, heavy items that filled the log cabin and also the outbuildings.  We were now able to 'see' where we are headed and settle in more comfortably.  Absolutely, not even close to done, but complete enough to begin our next phase which is our gardens that we hope will sustain us and will also give us product to sell.  We have so many ideas.  While working on the log cabin renovation and removal of so much old, dirty stuff...we kept ourselves motivated (with chocolate, coffee and cookies) and also by talking constantly about all of our ideas for establishing enough income on our beautiful land to support us.    

 We have had more than the average amount of snow this year.  If we did not have to go out several times a day, no matter the weather, to feed and check on our animals, I probably would spend the day sitting in our warm cabin dreaming about warmer weather.  I use cold, blowing snow days to work on 'warm weather' projects.  I get up and throw more wood into our wood burner ensuring that I won't have to disturb my little dog, Tipo, for at least a little while.  He is my foot warmer; He sits on the bottom of the blanket that I put over my legs and feet.  We together will go over "How to" books that I found at the local library.  Most of the books from my last trip to the library are about the most successful ways to grow, maintain, harvest and dry herbs.  I would read aloud occasionally when I thought what I had just read was important enough to copy idea onto my pad of paper.  Tipo, my little dog, would express his approval or rejection of the idea by looking up at me from under the warm blanket that I put around him and my feet.   Our cat had left and settled in a basket closer to the wood burner. Today, with my pad of paper, some pencils and my trusty best pal, Tipo, I am going to start putting pencil to paper rather than ideas just rolling round and round in my always too active brain.  The first garden that I want to lay out is one of the three we have planned - the Herbal Garden.  We have a large area laid out (in our minds and on paper) to grow our wide variety of herbs.  We're going to use as many raised beds as possible for these delicate plants of delight. Some of the herbs will be for our personal use, medicinal and for our cooking/baking but the majority will be for us to sell at several Farmer's Markets and also list for sale on the local fb marketplace.  One of our many ideas to move us closer to self-sufficiency.    

Wanting to make full use of the herbs that we would plant; I research what herbal plants would do well in our Northern Growing Zone.  I wanted to learn as much as I could about cooking with fresh and dried herbs, how to infuse them in carrier oil and also how to use for medicinal purposes for my husband and I and for our animals as a natural preventative and a means of lessening the symptoms of ordinary illnesses. I want to attach cooking/baking ideas to each package of herbs - dry or fresh - that we would take to sell at the Farmer's Markets and on-line,   

After working on my plans for our herbal garden, I bundle myself up in many layers because we have a lot of furry animals waiting for us to come out to feed, water and give them some love and attention.  This morning, it was my turn to go out and take care of animal chores.  I swear, whenever it is raining, snowing or just awful weather, it usually turns out to be my day to feed and water. But, my sweet husband, on those days, is usually right behind me feeding, checking on the waterers and petting heads that come up for some love.  I do the same for him. All of our animals are always so happy to see us after the long night - warms my heart even if it's more about the food than us.  

After stepping out into the cold, I go over and start up my old 4-wheel drive truck, so that she can warm up while I scoop out feed to fill all of our animal's food containers. She sounds a bit sleepy this morning, but after a few tries starts right up. I'll keep her running because by the time I come back for more feed that is in bed of the truck, she will be nice and warm, At that point, I will be more than ready to jump back into my 'warmer than outside' vehicle to warm up a bit before continuing with the morning animal chores.  

After feeding our sweet animals and birds, I mention to my husband that since the truck is all warmed up that we drive down to the end of our road and pick up our mail. I put my truck in 4-wheel drive and tried to stay in the tracks that we had already made.  Gave her some gas and cheered her on...go baby go.  When I reached the end of our driveway and got out to reach into our big mailbox to get our mail, I noticed that the postman had also left a note saying that we had a package at the post office to be picked up.  I didn't think that we had anything other than our first delivery of seed coming at this time.  Seed for starting our cut flowers and also our initial herbs.  I wanted to go there as soon as possible.  My truck was all warmed up and running well, why not?   I am not the most patient person in the world when I want to do something...bad weather or not. The post man in his regular 2-wheel drive car could get out...so, I knew that we could also.   My husband basically said...whatever you want to do...you're going to do it anyway...so what does it really matter what I think or say.  True enough. You do get to know another person after 35 years of marriage.  Since this is my...maybe not such a great idea...idea - driving to town to pick up my precious seeds on this wintery day - my biggest motivator will be to prove that my truck and I can make it to town...because I have now committed...no going back.  I tried not to let the words that were repeating in my head - over and over ...I think I can...I think I can...accidently pop out of my mouth.  That would definitely not be the first time that would happen to me.  I will be careful because I do not want to get stuck or go off the road and hear about it forever.  After carefully maneuvering my sweet truck down our semi-plowed (two tracks) driveway which is gravel and dirt with potholes that fill with water, freeze and thaw to pick up our mail.  I was ready to pull out onto our road.  We are the only people living on this road, so it usually isn't plowed by the township until we make a call to remind them.  We have a skid loader and a plow on my husband's truck - but sometimes there is more snow than our equipment can safely handle.  To my delight, the township grader had come down our road and cleared it.  I gave my 'old girl' another pat on her worn-out dashboard, and we together were off and on our way to town.  We have had quite a bit of snow over the last few days and nights.  So, slow deep breath in and out, drop shoulders from their position currently up by my ears as I grip the steering wheel and I push down slowly on the accelerator pedal. At first my husband was saying, "this is crazy" but his tune changed to, "come on girl...you can do it".  I think he meant both of us...the truck and me.  There were no cars on the road that we take to town...I just had to stay in the middle of the semi plowed road and watch for any oncoming traffic if there was any.  And judge the height of any of the drifts of the road.  Can I make it through them...or not...should I try?  Since moving out here, it always amazes me how happy the smallest things can make me.  And I basically - just giggle about these little happy moments - like my truck actually moving straight and forward in the snow - made my day...and now a box with so many possibilities waiting for us at the post office - it's the best day!

As I pull into the Post Office, I feel so excited about picking up my precious box of colorful little bags of seed for the beautiful gardens that I have imagined a million times over.  With the word 'SEED" printed plainly on the box, the Postmistress asked if we had plans of planting a large garden. I told her that we were.  A large vegetable garden, a large cut flower garden and a large herb garden.  Word travels quickly in a small town - good free advertisement.  I said that we hoped to sell our bounty at several local Farmer's Markets and also on fb marketplace.    After telling them that I will have many more seeds coming, I say goodbye to the ladies at the Post Office and thanked them for their assistance and kind, neighborly words.  They always seem excited about our projects and also hearing about them.  We are probably the only 'newer' people in town.  Also, I am a writer after all...so, my conversations are always engaging and creatively enhanced...not really fibbing...just making fun stories out of the simplest of ideas or events. It's my enthusiasm and the rush of adrenaline that I got from driving here when many others would not even be out on the road today that really put this story over the top.  It will give them something to talk about after I leave with my box.   I am always very animated and I occasionally...well, all of the time...make every conversation into what I think is a fun experience.  

The library is within walking distance of the Post Office so, I put the box in my truck and thought I would take a look through the gardening and plant section and possibly pick up a few more books. I trudge through the snow on the semi cleared sidewalk.  After stomping the snow off of my boots I was greeted by the library folks.  They all knew me well - I am probably one of their best customers - my books are often late, and I pay the fines - so, I say 'that's my financial support of my Library'. I will be supporting it in other ways - they've asked me to give a class on 'how to get your book published' as I am going through that process right now.  After talking to the library folks, I set out into the room to find 'new books' about plants.  I was able to find 10 books that I had not read yet.  I checked them out and waved goodbye.  I walk back to my truck excited about my 'new reads' and of course my 'new seeds'.  With my husband in the truck, we kept it running...even when he ran into the local coffee shop for two big cups of coffee and two chocolate covered glazed donuts.  I back out, and we began our trip home. 

 I should stop calling my truck 'the old girl' - I'm in that category also - and wouldn't appreciate that name.  I'll think of some other name for her.  The ride home went very quickly.  It was one of those rides that you remember leaving and then all of a sudden you are at your destination.  Thoughts about my precious seeds flooded my thoughts apparently.  I did get us home safely.  We rarely meet many other cars on any of the roads we travel to town and if we do...we always do the small-town wave.  Today would be a one finger wave not a full hand wave, as I was hanging onto the steering wheel which would get jerked around by drifts of snow.   

Pulling into our yard, I couldn't wait to get into the cabin and open my much-anticipated box of seed.  I have so many pots of dirt waiting for these precious seeds placed everywhere around our cabin. By every window and under every skylight.  We also did venture into our upstairs area and found some amazing grow lights - apparently plants were grown up here that are now legal in MI - but were not when this operation was happening.   Until we can build a greenhouse, our log cabin will have to do to get all of these plants started.  I'm thinking that possibly the existing mobile home on the property could be renovated into a greenhouse - we'll see, it's already here and has water and electric.

This is the mobile home that I think would make an excellent greenhouse - put in more windows, some skylights and it would work out well.  It's already there, close to water, electric and has a furnace.  The ugly yellow siding is the side of the log cabin that we tore off and replaced with wood. I'm planning on this grassy area in front of the mobile home to be my herbal garden...close to everything that I need.   Lots of room here for our herb garden.  And then on the other side of the log cabin, we will plant our cut flower garden and then there still is a large area for our vegetable garden.  We have 40 acres so, lots of room for us, our animals and our three gardens.  

This coming spring, we will finish fencing, rototilling and planting this area for our cut flower garden - about an acre of land - near the cabin - some shade, some sun...it will be perfect....

But for now, we will shuffle through all of our seed packets, over and over.  Talk about the size and the type of raised bed frames we will make and about fixing and completing the fencing around the gardens. We do live in the woods...in the UP...there are lots of critters around.  We put up a trail cam, and we do have a visiting bear, possums, porcupines and several groups of deer that are even out there during the day munching on everything that they find.  When we see them, we are grateful that they allow us to live amongst them.  They eat a lot of the apples from our several trees.  I put out corn and vegetable peels on a feed table for all to enjoy.  And they eat the accidentally (sometimes on purpose) feed as we move buckets from the back of our truck to the feed containers for our sheep and llamas.  When our peacocks and chickens are out and about, they clean up the area...but, during cold, snowy days, all of our birds stay in their coops and in the rafters of the barn to stay out of the wind and cold.    

So, back into my morning position at the kitchen table with my husband joining me and our dog and cat at our feet.  We spend the rest of the day just looking at all of the lovely pictures on the seed packets, reading the directions and just basically dreaming about our herb garden.  

Tomorrow, we will begin planting our lovely new seeds in the waiting soil filled pots inside our log cabin.  And of course, begin the daily joy of checking on them constantly.  And then one day...the beginning of the dream will begin - fresh new little sprouts and the beginning of our herb garden at our place in the UP.  

Our sweet loves waiting for us to feed, water and visit each day...

THE SNOW HAS STARTED - AND IT'S STILL COMING DOWN...

Our first full winter at the log cabin.  We moved from a hobby farm in Wisconsin to a 40-acre parcel with an old log cabin on it from the 1800's that had been abused as a 'camp' for the last 'many' years.  There were also two other old wooden buildings that each had held some hope of renovation.  This 40-acre parcel was beautiful...there was a lovely pond within view of the cabin, and it was surrounded by 100's of acres of state land.  

Our plan is to renovate the log cabin while we live in it.  This is not our first rodeo...we've done this before as we have renovated and lived in about 10 older homes.  In addition to our many renovations, my husband was a full-time contractor with a lot of work, and I worked full time in Social Services and Nursing.  We were now both retired and ready for our next move and that challenges it brought.  We have had a summer home in the UP for many years...in town.  But now, we were out in the woods, relatively alone...our nearest neighbor was about a mile away.  We had been moving up here for months.  Many truck loads, trailer loads, a container full that we had moved up here, a flatbed that we hired to bring up our heavy equipment.  And, the last trip, with an animal trailer with our llama, sheep, peacocks and chickens.  We pulled in when the snow began to fall.  We just sat there in the truck grateful for it waiting for us to finally be here...all of our stuff...we were home.  We wished the animals a good rest and went into the cabin, started a fire in the woodstove and laid down on our bed (that was in the main space) and fell fast asleep, dogs cuddled all around.

We have loved it all so far...the owls hooting at night...and hooting back to them.  The various critters coming up and eating the apples off of the many apple trees around the log cabin.  The frogs, the birds, all of it...we loved it.  But now it was time for the real UP winter weather...our first of many.  

The first 'real snow'. But not to worry, the guys at the Feed Mill told us that it won't last - it will melt - and be a muddy mess - too early for this heavy of a snowstorm......We picked up a lot of feed for the animals just in case we couldn't get out....

Before the predicted storm, we also drove into town where our Victorian home is located- to check on the house, grab a few things and also pick up some supplies and groceries.  We have a pretty big pile of split firewood at the cabin - so we knew would be good for a few days. Batteries for the flashlights and gasoline for the skid loader. We were told that our electric might go out - our cabin is the only one on this line - so we are probably not the first place that the linemen come out to fix.  We do need to be ready - and we are.  I can cook and boil water on top of the woodstove - kind of like camping out in your home.  

 I put extra hay in the coop and in the boxes, extra food, some greens, plugged in the electric bucket of water and ran the long extension cord from the shop to the coop.  I did the same thing in the machine shed for the peacocks.  So, everyone will be protected from the wind and snow and have plenty to eat and drink.  The llamas and sheep almost lay out in the snow.  Their fleeces are so thick that they don't even notice. I fluffed up the hay in the lean to for the lambs and their mama's. We filled all of the bird feeders to the top and threw seed around on the workhorses and boards that were set up on our deck for the work that my husband is doing in the cabin.  

Noticed that one of the twin lambs was laying off by itself - not a good sign.  So, I picked her up and she was kind of skinny - so she is coming with me into the cabin to be bottle fed.  Sometimes twins are too much for a younger ewe.  That's why we keep a close watch on the moms and the lambs.  Those first few days are the most important.  The lambs need to be cleaned and dried and up on their feet so that they can nurse.  My husband searched the trailer for the lamb replacer, and we emptied a pop bottle and fortunately we had kept nipples from previous feedings.  

She readily took the warm bottle of 'milk' and then took a long nap wrapped up in a blanket in front of the wood burner. Lambs are so sweet.  They hit the mom's bag of milk really hard to start the milk flowing and do the same thing with the bottle.   Almost knocks it out of your hand.  They stand and nurse and their little tails wagging wildly. She made herself at home pretty quickly and even took over one of the dog beds.   

   

All of the rest of the twins were well taken care of by their mama's.  They are something else - it never ceases to amaze me what mama animals will do for their young. We now have six sets of twins with possibly a few more to come.  It's hard to tell if they are pregnant - they have such heavy fleeces in the winter.  We will shear them in the spring and get onto a better breeding schedule after this season when we are not preoccupied with packing/moving, etc.  

So, with everyone ready for the predicted snow, I wished them all well - told them we'd be out to check on them and headed for the cabin.  My husband had a big fire burning in the woodstove and a pot of water boiling for some nice herbal tea with a squirt of honey - Bless His Heart.  He had just bottle fed our little lamb, her tummy was full and she was ready for a nap. 

Well, we are doing just fine, our first winter, with our first big snow in the beautiful woods of the UP.  We'll really will be just fine...and, as always, we are so grateful for our health, our love, our families and our new adventures in the deep woods of the Upper Peninsula.  

IT IS DECEMBER AND IT'S STARTING TO SNOW IN THE UP MICHIGAN...

 And it's beautiful.  It's so quiet out here that you can actually hear the snow falling.  So, we stand outside just to listen, feel and smell the fresh, clean pine scented air. It refreshes our souls.   

We notice that none of the animals, ours or the local wildlife seem to care that it is snowing and accumulating. They go about their daily business no matter what, this is just life for them.  A good lesson for us - just do what you need to do to survive.  We do try to make it a little easier for our outdoor friends by putting out bird seed, black sunflower seed, corn and suet. They are still able to find food in the woods, but we love to bring them up to the cabin, so we can see them and feel kind of like we're taking care of them.    

Progress on the renovation.  Our bathroom is now usable - a toilet and a working shower - plywood floors, area rugs work just fine for the time being.  We cranked up the furnace and it's working well - only problem is that there is only one run and one large vent.  So, you can warm up by standing on the vent, otherwise the house is not all that warm.   The previous owners used the old wood cook stove for added heat and we are not. So, we went to Menards and purchased a wood stove.  We put down concrete board on the floor and then we tiled the two wall areas near the fireplace.  Running the stack was not hard because in the area where we placed the wood burner, is only one story and no 100 yr. old logs...So, that worked out really well.  We've been gathering wood since our first day here for just such an occasion.  But we did find out about a company near our house in town that sells big bags of split hard woods.  So, we took our truck and loaded it up.   It is a big bag, took up almost the whole bed of our truck.  They have it on a skid - so, we used our skid loader to unload it onto our deck.  Knowing that we were going to add a lot of weight to the deck, my husband went under the deck beforehand and reinforced the plywood we put down over the hole and also put in some supports - so that hopefully we can make it this winter - and begin building a new deck in the spring.  

We love our new wood stove.  We have had large outdoor burners that worked really well.  But there's nothing more entertaining and relaxing than watching a dancing fire.  And the heat is so comfortable, feels like you are wrapped in a blanket that just came out of the dryer.    

We have moved a bedframe, a box spring and a mattress to the cabin - it's in the main room.  Kind of nice to be able to watch the fire as we fall asleep.  We have also unpacked a table and two chairs to sit at and eat.  We found a really nice used appliance place and purchased an electric stove and a refrigerator.  So, we are really able to stay at the cabin now and go about our business pretty easily.  Not having a television or our computers set up yet is really kind of nice.  We stopped at the library in town and picked up a lot of books.  My selections were about plants for all of my spring plans.  And, my husband, picked up a variety of books about everything from rock and tree identification to making wine.  So, we usually snuggle up in front of the fire each night and read our books.  Sadie, our Goldendoodle lays on the floor on a blanket and our little Chihuahua tunnels down under our covers.  

It is so dark out here at night.  No light from anywhere - no other house lights, car lights, businesses or streetlights - just the moon.  So, at first light, we like to sit up and look outside at the activity of the wildlife.  Squirrels and birds at the feeder, and six deer eating the apples on the ground from the four large, old apple trees.  We soon learned that these 6 deer came every morning.  First five of them, appear to be mom and yearlings and this year's fawns and then a single female deer.  They would kind of chase each other around when the single one would get too close, but generally they all ate and played nicely.  We started throwing corn down for them also.  

Not that winter is our favorite season, but we love that you can see the wildlife so much easier with the white backdrop. We also removed the interior wood door that was our front door and replaced it with a full glass door so that we can now watch all of the activity at the bird feeders on the deck.  

It is a time to rest and reflect on all that we've accomplished in the last few months.  

We are also starting to plan our big gardens that we will plant in the spring.  We are hoping to plant at least an acre of cut flowers - to sell - and at least two acres of a variety of vegetables.  We already have 4 wonderful old apple trees (all different varieties).  We'd also like to plant, peach, pear and cherry trees.  So, lots of reading, sketching and dreaming this winter about our spring planting plans.