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...  

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. 

HOW IS IT ALL GOING SO FAR? (you might ask)

Since moving to the old log cabin in UP Michigan, one might wonder how things are going....

The Renovation is going just fine.  Very hard, dirty work making a several hundred year old log cabin into a livable situation. Recently it had been used as a 'camp' and it was quite a museum of beer cans, trophies from many 'sports', cigarette butts everywhere, , 'girlie' magazines, pot growing equipment, AA information on and on.  And, then the layer of the original life of this old cabin like sewing baskets, at least one hundred old coffee cans with all kinds of things in them, pots, pans, old coffee pots...just a lot.  Several layers of the lives lived in this old log cabin.  So, many dumpsters filled and hauled away and many trips to the dump.  Not many things of any worth.

While cleaning out the cabin and beginning renovation, there are so many other daily events.  These are just a few of the funny (except the snake) things that happened along the way...Such an Adventure! We are loving this journey.  

Caught a Possum in the Chicken Coop - let it go in the woods - about a mile away. He'll probably find his way back - but maybe not - I'm sure there are many more in the area. They are great for eating bugs and really great to have around - but maybe not in your chicken coop. They don't eat the chickens, but they will eat eggs - and we want those eggs for baking our sweet treats and our yummy breakfasts... 

I opened the drawer in a cabinet that is in the coop to get out some mealworms for the chickens,  There was a snake comfortably curled up in there.  I felt a squeaky scream come out of my soul and then my mouth but then I stood perfectly still and admired its colors and patterns.  Smart snake, a cozy home, food, warmth and company that does not mess with you.  It's all yours...I won't be bothering you again...a few days later...I just had to peek...still there.  Enjoy your home Mr./Ms. Snake. 

Everyone now knows where the food is stored so when we drop the back door of the trailer, they will climb right up the ramp and try to muscle their way in to get into the food container, If we had not put the tops back on the buckets tightly, they would nudge them off and stand and eat right there for who knows how long.  The can make themselves immobile if they really want to stay where they are.  We have to remember to close the trailer everyday/night or we will have larger animals than our sheep getting in there for food...we have bears in the area. 

The lambs crawl through the wider rungs of the gate and eat from the other side so they don't get squished by their big fluffy moms, aunts and uncles. Glad that they are getting some feed, but once they experience 'the outside' they make a daily habit of it - especially when there are several lambs.  They don't wander far, because they are still nursing, And then one day they will be too big and fluffy to fit through the rungs.

Something going on here - a hen buried her head in the new hay bale and then...bonk...an egg popped out the other end....

There are no chores or projects around our farm that we do not receive assistance from someone - they are all so nosey...

We can't leave the truck door open, while we bring groceries into the cabin or Mr. Nosey will jump in and look around within minutes of our arrival home - also mama will jump in and lay an egg on the warm floor mats.

We Can't leave any food out because the prior occupants will pay a visit and leave things for you - and nibble on your fruit or really anything - they really like my homemade sourdough bread.  It's the little Red Squirrels - we've seen them in the log cabin several times.  They really are so cute - they are like little cartoon characters.  One day, I walked into the log cabin and there was this cute little face on our makeshift kitchen table.... he looked at me like 'who are you and why are you in my house'.  We can hear them running around upstairs, we have not opened that door yet to the upper attic area. There is a skinny stairway going up to it and it does look like (from out outside view) that one can stand up...up there.  We will just let it be for the time being.  I'm sure it's going to be quite something.  Not sure what is up there, but we will have to attack that mess soon - before it attacks us....