Day 30--Living the UP Dream

One of the first things I noticed when we came to the UP for the first time were the forests of regenerating aspen trees.  Did you know that the Quaking Aspen tree is the largest living organism on the planet?  Aspens can grow by seeds, but many places they grow underground, sending up more and more shoots, until they become like the largest one discovered so far, which covers over a hundred acres, and weighs over 13 million pounds.

Anyway, logging is a big industry up here, and used to be an even bigger industry.  Most of the original forests were clear cut at one time, which bothers a lot of people.  Other people can see the plus side.  These regenerating aspen trees are paradise for lots of game species, such as the Ruffed Grouse, White-tailed Deer, and the Snowshoe Hare, among others.  Not to mention, I think aspen groves have a beautiful ethereal quality.

Anyway, the reason I brought all this up is that I think it is representative of something big we see happening up here in the UP which is going to become the basis of how we are going to make a living here.

This may be a generalization, but I think there are two types of people who love the UP the best. One type are the real Yoopers, people who have spent their whole lives here, struggled and worked so hard and fought the elements and tamed them for those people who came after.  The came-afters are the people like Bob and me and many others, who come to the UP for many diverse reasons, to escape, to start over, to live and love the beauty and wildness and the God-given gift that is the Upper Peninsula.  We bring with us, perhaps, a different attitude and maybe some different skills as well.

Currently, many parts of the UP are depressed, financially.  The two biggest businesses of the past, logging and mining, no longer employ thousands of people. Many people struggle to make ends meet and many young people are moving elsewhere to find better careers.

 It seems that many of the people who make it here, both old and young, have created their own jobs from scratch. Many of these are service related, normal everyday jobs, like road construction, real estate, running a restaurant.  What makes them unique, and therefore successful is something more than just hard work.  I believe to make it in a self-employment type situation, you have to have the soul of an artist.  A man who cleared some property for us made sure to not clear away the patch of wild blueberries he discovered in the middle of the clearing.  A man who built us an outhouse put in a frosted glass window for light, log siding and pretty green shingles. Both men, I'm sure, found satisfaction in taking their project one step further than need be, to create something beautiful in an already beautiful setting.

Eighteen of TWENTY-THREE blueberries I picked today--pretty amazing, huh?

Creating something beautiful in an already beautiful setting.  Being inspired by the UP to create something unique, something that will bring pleasure and fulfillment to oneself and to others. Using one's God-given talents, whatever they may be, to enhance the lives of others.

That's what Living the UP Dream means to me.

What I would like to do is to showcase these talented artists. Like the man who makes the best berry pancakes I have ever tasted, and whose wife is the most generous hostess I have ever encountered in a restaurant.  I would like to find artists who create what they create the best, and help them to be discovered by the rest of the UP and the rest of the world, perhaps.

To do this, I'm going to start small.  I am going to create what I create first, and then expand from there, find others to join me.  Together I think we can generate something here, perhaps RE-generate something here, to show the world the big heart and soul of the UP, so that others can live the dream as well.

I think it's a good idea.  I hope you do, too.

This Wood Duck is indifferent to my ideas 

Day 27--Good Vibrations and a Ghostly Goodbye

We are done. Wearedonewearedonewearedone.  We. Are. Done.

I thought we would never ever ever get the house cleared out.  It was the biggest job ever. But when we finally got done this afternoon, it was so nice to sit and admire the house's lovely bones.

And lovely they are:

plus lovely boy and lovely cat

Have I mentioned that I have always loved this house?  Of course, I know I have.  But it bears repeating.

I should tell you a secret of this house.  If you haven't already heard it from me, because it is not really a secret. I have lived with a ghost for the past 15 years.

I need to explain before I explain.  I don't think people hang around after they die.  They have better things to do, for the most part. COULD they hang around if they really really want to?  Maybe...I dunno.  What I do know is that people leave stuff behind when they leave.  Just like I left a couple of things in the house today.  But not just physical stuff.  Every house I have ever been to, especially the empty ones has their own particular vibe.  Have you ever felt it?  I often do.

There once was a girl called Agnes. She was born sometime around the the turn of the twentieth century in a little white house with a porch in Carroll.  She married young, and was widowed shortly after because of an influenza outbreak.  She went back home to live with her family, and was the only one still at home to take care of her father after he had a stroke.  After he died in the house, she tore it down and built a little brick bungalow, in 1929.

The house, and Agnes, flourished. The house became the locale of many small gatherings, card clubs, and the famous Flower and Cactus Garden Club (happy times)..  Eventually Agnes married again, a much older man named William, who took her on long trips all over the United States (probably looking for cacti). Before too many years went by, William also passed away after a short illness. Agnes went on with her life in the little brick bungalow. The only other story I know about her is that late in life when a neighborhood boy would come over to mow her lawn, she would meet him at the end of the hot thirsty job with two store-bought cookies on a china plate.  Of course she would have been disappointed if he did not choke down their crumbly dryness with a smile.

Anyway, shortly after I moved into my house, I saw Agnes.  Sitting in my living room one night, I watched a dark silhouette walk from one bedroom into the other.  No, I was not freaked out.  I'm not sure why.  After that night, there were many Agnes sightings, day and night.  Some were reruns of that original silhouette, others were unique experiences, like an woman smelling the roses outside who disappeared more quickly than an old woman could walk.  One very interesting and seemingly interactive one was a voice we caught on a recording of a woman's sing-songy voice calling, "JOR-dan..."

I hope you aren't freaked out.  Whatever you want to call these experiences, there was always just a happy vibe attached to them.  I like to think that Agnes, being so happy during the 50 years in the little brick bungalow, left something of her energy behind for all of us to experience.  Makes me wonder what I can do to leave behind a happy vibe wherever I go.

Today, before I left the house for the last time, I took pictures.  One is a little unusual, There is a beam of sunlight streaming in through the dining room window, and it makes a strange little 3 dimensional shape on the floor.  Maybe it's Agnes in angelic form, saying goodbye.  I'm okay with whatever you decide.

Day 24--On the Downhill Side

July 24: I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  I was beginning to think that our closets and our attic and our basement were like the never-ending bottomless pits of stuff.  But no, the end is somewhere in sight.

I am wondering how I feel about that.  I have loved this house.  LOVED THIS HOUSE.  If all goes the way I think it might, it might be sold very soon.

July 25:  In the flurry of activity of packing, it's hard to find time to post.  Today I was packing the weird little odds and ends that don't seem to fit in a box with anything else. And I found this:

Yes, Disney fans.  This is the little pig that built his house out of bricks.  The smart one.  Since my house is a pretty little brick house, built smartly by someone in 1929, I think it's appropriate that this little guy stays with the house.  I think I will try to put him somewhere for the new owners to find.

There are a couple of things that we bought for the house that obviously are staying...like new windows and a new roof. There are other little things I am leaving behind, like the little cupboard I bought for the microwave that matches the style and era of the kitchen cabinets. I like thinking about the new owners enjoying the little brick house as much as I have.  Seems like when I can think about it this way, I am not sad to move but instead happy to share my house with the new people.

Funny how some things make me sad to leave and other things make me know it's the right thing to do.  Neither Bob nor I are spring chickens, and I like to think that our life and work experiences make us an asset to any new community that we may call home.  Alas, I have not always felt that way here. I think there are people in education who are always looking for the next big thing that will revolutionize teaching so that all kids will be smarter, have more fun, or make the school look better in some way.  The truth is, the best teaching comes from knowledge and experience and just plain caring about the students enough to make sure they succeed.  Teachers did that a hundred years ago...at least the good ones did.  Even Socrates had some pretty radical ideas about how to expect kids to be independent learners and problem solvers.  I feel like with 32 years experience as a teacher, I was really getting to do some good, helping students become more open-minded learners, who could solve some problems outside of their usual small sphere of everyday activities.

Anyway...if you detect a little bitterness, I am feeling it.  I need, so much, to get back to the forests. Moving Is Really Hard, both physically and mentally, and I am a little worn down and crabby.  I said I didn't want hoopla, that I wanted to escape this town without it, but some people are doing some things that are to me like a little kick in the pants out the door.  Well, come Tuesday or so, I get to say it for real:

Goodbye Carroll!

I'll say it for real in a few days.

P.S.  Thank you to all my friends who have stopped by for hugs this week, or emailed best wishes to me.  (you know who you are!) I love you lots and will think of your kindnesses often as I continue this new adventure!

P.P.S.  God laughed at me today.  When the story of that is complete, I will tell it to you.

Sleep well

Day 22--Rumors and Intrigue

Siggghhhh....

This post will be different.  Maybe not even any pictures.

Reason #173 why I don't mind leaving this town and moving up north:  Gossip.

I have made it my habit, and by habit, I mean several YEARS worth of habit, to stay as far from the gossip mill as I can.

One definition that I found for the word gossip is "casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typcially involving details that are not confirmed as being true.

Folks, I am a fact checker.  I like to read stuff on the internet, especially political stuff.  BUT I don't believe everything I hear.  And if something is sensational and noteworthy, I like to know if it is true. Soooo, I check my facts.  I don't share things without checking a LOT first

I heard today that I was "forced" out of my job. Whatever that means.  Whatever....

I guess because I don't spread rumors, I am easily hurt when someone spreads a rumor about me. Which means not only did someone spread it, but someone MADE IT UP to start with.

To tell the truth, I didn't like the direction my job description was taking.  It was taking me farther and farther from my subject area of preference. Also, I feel that teaching, with all the requirements OUTSIDE of the classroom, was stifling my creativity somewhat.  However, no one forced me, or even seemed to want me to up and quit.  Maybe I'm wrong, and there were a few high fives when I announced my plans to move.  I'm okay with not knowing.

Another big factor in all this is that I am a VERY married Woman.  Bob and I are totally on the same team.  Equal partners and all that.  We talked an talked and TALKED; in fact we started talking YEARS ago about when would be a good time to make a move in our careers.  There were and are MANY factors that helped US decide that this is the right time.  Then WE made the decision. Together.  Working with middle school kids for 32 years, I have learned to watch what I say, because at heart I really want to be KIND.  It is easy to hurt people with words, and gossip is NOT kind.  I felt I was spending a lot of my time running away from unkind talk at work, so as to not get sucked into it.  I am not perfect, and can be tempted by the sensational.

I like the bluntness of the people I have met in the UP.  If they want to know something about you they will ask.  In fact, everyone asks, all the time, what the heck you are thinking, and what the hell you think you are doing. They are very direct and they aren't afraid to go to the source.  For instance, my husband and I were moving some stuff into our future place of business (more on that later, I promise), and a stranger walked up and said, "Okay, what's up?"

So we told her what was up.  No one's feelings got hurt, and everyone walked away a little better informed.

I wonder how many times during the last school year I walked into a room where the conversation suddenly stopped.  Just one of the many things that helped me make the decision to move on to something better.

Like I said, I am easily hurt by unkindness directed my way.  However, I know I will get over it, for sure, forever, in about 600 miles or so.

Day 19--Half-time

WHEW!!!  We have officially moved half our stuff to the UP--that is, half of our non-PURGED stuff (see Day 9).

Back to Iowa Monday to begin the third quarter of The Game of Life, MOVING EDITION!

Nick and I used to play that game all the time.  Remember the little pink and blue peg people in the cars?  I only wish he could have played the 60's version that I grew up with.  In that version, there were MANY different squares you could land on and acquire a new kid in the family.  This would result in more pink and blue pegs than your car would hold.  I remember the directions gleefully instructed us to just stick the kids in any old way and keep going!

My husband, by the way, is the master car and moving truck packer.  He fills every space in perfectly like a jigsaw puzzle, so that nothing gets jostled or broken in the move. So I guess if we had six kids or so, he would find a way to pack them all in carefully, not just any old way.

The next time we return to our up north new home, we will have everything with us, including two kitties:

Maxie, our big gentle Maine Coon Tabby-Calico girl

Peggy, our rambunctious, naughty three-legged Pretend-Panther boy

All that will be left to move after that will be our grand piano, which is receiving special (read EXPENSIVE) transport.

So after a bit more packing, purging, cleaning and selling, we will have officially moved.

SO (#2) Who will I miss?  I will miss a lot of my school buddies, adults and students alike.  I don't need to name you, do I?  I should think you'd know who you are.  

SOO (#3) What things will I miss?  My rain shower head.  If you call it a "head" because the water hits you there first, the shower here in the rental house should be called a shower CHEST.  My shower at camp...well it is random pathetic cold trickle SOMEWHERE. 

I will miss my purple and green garden shed, although, I am sure I will find other things to paint purple and green.  I already have an idea :)  And no, it's not my perfect outhouse at camp, which already has green shingles.  Our friend Darrell would have a conniption if I were to paint his beautiful log siding PURPLE! 

I will miss my favorite birding spots, especially Dunbar Slough and "my" eagles there.  There are plenty of birding spots in the UP that I haven't discovered yet, so I will be okay there.

I will miss our wild yard of flowers and waterfall and birds and berries and Mr. Black.  Mr. Black has already found a new owner next door, who will allow him to to remain the king of his neighborhood. (Thanks, Melissa!)

Mr. Black, the cat who claimed us

To make up for what I miss, I have new adventures crowding into my every day.  Like finding and picking and eating blueberries (at least 23 of them!!!) right in the middle of camp yesterday. New birds like Common Ravens, Evening Grosbeaks, and some weird and spooky white crows down the road a piece from here.  I have a new job coming up (MUCH more on that MUCH later, as things come together, I promise).  I have time to write and compose and create and explore.  Time to breathe in the fresh air, and listen to the birds sing.  

Evening Grosbeaks are so beautiful.  Unfortunately, this one was trying to hide.

Two of 23!

Thinking about it, there are many people I will miss, and hopefully, they will miss me a little, as well. If they do (subtle hint), all they have to do someday is point their car towards Lake Superior, and drive a bunch of hours.  

If you decide to do that someday, when you get halfway here or so (make sure you belt up and don't just ride any old way!), let us know you're coming and we will guide you into our wilderness the rest of the way.  The UP is worth the trip...you will see.

Happy trails,

Elizabeth

Ode to a Kittygirl

Today I lost a good friend.

Her name was Sabre, and her name was the only fierce thing about her.  She was the queen of  cats, the boss of the house, lover of every stranger.  She demanded petting by the reach of a paw.  She owned the rights to the water dish, and every cereal bowl.

She came to me twelve years ago when she was 2 1/2.  Her previous owner had trained her to never get on the furniture, so, obviously, she jumped on my couch before her previous owner drove out of sight. She made her first and only foray to the top of the refrigerator that same first night.  After that, she had the run of the house.

She was vocal, sounded bitchy, but was a gentle Kittygirl.  In fact, that was the name she came running to, not Sabre.

She reluctantly gave up her place on the other side of my bed when I married Bob.  She was adoptive mother and strict disciplinarian to our other two cats as they came along:  Maxie, and especially bad boy Peggy (three legs gave him his name).

She made me laugh, so many times.  She loved to hide and hit the other cats as they came along with a rapid-fire whacking from her claw-less yet deadly paw.  She would sit-stand on my lap and give me kitty hugs whenever I asked for one.  She would beg for a new fur mouse toy, and promptly hide it, so she could ask for another.

Today she left the house for the first and last time.  Her health was not good, and over the past months, she became a shade of her original personality.  Her greatest joy lately was resting on the couch, where a hand resting lightly on her would cause continuous soft purring to start.

I believe strongly in a responsibility to make our pets' lives happy always.  I knew that our big move coming up shortly would likely be more stress than her frail body could handle.  I didn't want her last memory to be the stress of 12 hours in the car, being taken from the only home she had known for so many happy years.  So we made the decision that her life would end today.  I don't feel good about it, even though I know it was the right time.

So, goodbye my dear friend and constant companion,
Mother of cats,
Friend of all strangers,
Lover of cereal bowls,
Constantly purring
Queen of the house.

I will miss you.
My Kittygirl.
So much.

I love you!

Your adoptive mom.

906 Reasons Why I Love da UP

906 is an important number in the UP.  I don't think I can think of that many reasons that I love the Upper Peninsula (yet), but I think I want to name a few and talk about a few more.

I don't know when it was that I first figured out that there IS more to Michigan than the lower mitten shape I used to pop into the map of the states that I loved to put together at my grandma's house as a kid.  Interesting how the upper and lower parts of Michigan aren't really connected at all, except by the Mackinac (say Mackinaw) Bridge, which stretches for nearly 5 miles over the Straits of Mackinac (again, make sure you say Makinaw).  I don't know why if it's spelled Mackinac, it's pronounced Mackinaw and if it's spelled Mackinaw, it's also pronounced Mackinaw (although I guess THAT makes sense).  Anyway, if you live north of the bridge you are a Yooper, (but only if you have earned the title by being born a Yooper, or proved yourself somehow to someone who is a real Yooper). I'm sure there are tests for it, which probably include hunting and fishing exams, driving a four-wheeler and snowmobile, knowing the ingredients in cudighi sausage, and how to make your own pasties (pass-tees, please). 

Bond Falls is one of 84 waterfalls in Upper Michigan

(By the way, if you live  under--south of the Mackinac bridge, the Yoopers call you a TROLL.)

About 906.  It's an area code.  In fact, if you live anywhere in the UP, it's your area code.  Even though the UP contains something over 25 percent of the land mass of Michigan, only 3 percent of its people live there.  So only one area code is needed. If you like crowds, you gotta work hard to find one in the UP.  That's just the way I like it, myself.  

Especially since when you do meet up with someone, they are friendly as all get out.  Not the small-talking-how's-the-weather type friendly, but more like they want to know your life story, and are more than tickled to tell you theirs.  When you check out at the grocery store, be prepared to hear a cheerful anecdote about the checker's kid in dance class, or the bear that looked in somebody's kitchen window yesterday.  If you stop at a restaurant or a bar, get ready for the third-degree--just be ready. They will coax you, ever so gently over a beer or a cup of coffee, to spill your guts about your past, your political views and whatever it is you are up to visiting the UP.  

I believe in angels.  I've not had much personal experience with the wing-wearing, trumpet-blowing, invisible guardian types, But I have talked to a few who look a lot like regular human beings. On the morning of June 30, we decided to go out for breakfast, instead of our usual camp breakfast, so we could talk to our son about our thoughts on moving to the UP.  We hadn't quite made up our minds, but we were CLOSE.  Anyway, our waitress, Kelly, without knowing about our own conversation began telling us about when she and her husband had taken a chance and moved, opened a restaurant, because of the kindness of strangers found a place to live, became a local success, and have never doubted their decision once.  She was so very HAPPY about the leap of faith they had made, that I looked at my husband with tears in my eyes, wondering if it was a sign.  Of course it was a sign.  By July 1, we had made our decision.  

Since that time, because of the kindness of strangers, we have found a place to live, as well as a place to do business.  When we advertised for a house to rent, several people offered us a place for free.

"It's just sittin' there, might as well have someone living in it."  Wow. 

You might think from all this that people are busybodies in the UP.  I don't get that vibe at all.  I call it the state of doing-whatever-the-hell-you-please.  People might have an old car in their yard.  No big deal, 'cause the next guy probably has two, out behind the woodpile and sauna.  I have worried sometimes about wearing my "camp clothes" to restaurants, then looked around and noticed that dressed up, even in "fancy" places usually means camo and a baseball cap.  REALLY dressed up means a nice pair of jeans with no mud from four-wheeling.  

Anyway, I think that's a start on my 906 reasons.  If you don't believe how nice it is, get in your car, point it towards Lake Superior and drive a bunch of hours.  You wouldn't regret it.  

I don't. 

Day Eleven--906 Reasons Why I Can't Sleep

I haven't slept.  Not well, anyway, since I got back to Iowa.  Both everything and nothing wake me up.  I used to like the white noise of the AC unit by my bed.  Now that is just. NOISE. I get hot and throw the covers off, then get cold.  I read my Kindle/iPhone. I think about stuff.  This morning, I gave up trying and I am up before everyone, cat on my lap, thinking about sleeping and why I am not.

I don't think I sleep any better in the UP, but there are some big differences.  The things that keep me awake there are great things. First, it stays light in the summer until way late. That's because we are north a ways, but also right on the edge of a time zone.  So when I am trying to go to bed at 10:30, it's only 9:30 a few miles away.  Plus, as soon as the stars and moon come out, it is so bright that...well, I don't need a flashlight to get to the outhouse.... Next, it is DAMNED COLD at night in the UP.  I LOVE that!!!  But if you lose control of your cozy blankets and sleeping bag somehow at night, you are gonna wake up shivering.  Mostly that's my fault.  I am a weird one when it comes to sleeping bags.  I cannot sleep IN one.  Anything that tries to restrict my movement in any way while sleeping is just not for me.  So, the night a few weeks ago when there was a heavy frost (middle of June!), I was snuggled under a sheet, a quilt, an army blanket, and my unzipped sleeping bag.  Heavenly.

The other, and main, thing that keeps me awake, though, is NATURE.  The birds (I adore birds, which will be the subject of another post) that sing at  dusk or dawn are so interesting.  Black-billed Cuckoos, Wood Thrushes at night. Turkeys.  In the morning, it's Song and Chipping Sparrows, chickadees, goldfinches, ravens. ALL the time it is the White-Throated Sparrow.  See if you know this song "It's not easy being green..."  Got it?  Now, in the key of E flat, hundreds of times a day, "It's not easy being gre-gre-gre-gre-GREEN!"   There are also frogs.  I especially like the Green Frog, that, in my nature app, it says they sound like a plucked banjo string.  That would be a pleasant description.  When there are a lot of them, they sound like a bunch of grumbly old men talking in the distance. A little unnerving at night.

My favorite wake-me-up-at-night sounds, though, are the coyotes and wolves.  Sometimes, it's hard to tell the difference, but the yips of coyotes usually sound like kids laughing in the distance, and wolves, well, we all recognize that lonesome howl.  And NO, they don't scare me.  They find the White-tailed Deer and Snowshoe Hares to be much more available and tasty than a girl in her tent. Bob and I TRY to wake up to hear them at night, and then most of the time one of us will whisper, "Did you hear it?" to the other.  The fact that we are both awake enjoying the sounds of the night makes me very happy, and then I am able to snuggle back under my assorted blankets and unzipped sleeping bag with a smile on my face.  And sleep...or not.

I didn't explain the 906.  I will save it.

Sleep well!
Elizabeth

Day Nine--The PURGE

Stuff.  Stuff.  Why do people think they need so much stuff?  I have stuff in the attic that I have never unpacked in the fifteen years I've lived here.  Bob has stuff in the attic that he hasn't unpacked in the 7 years he has lived here.  What does that mean?  Do we need this stuff??? No way. Yet, it is so easy to buy more stuff.  I am determined to purge everything that is not going to enhance our lives up north.

What helps clarify my needs is that I have just spent a month in the bush, so to speak.  I love living simply out there.  In camp, two galvanized wash tubs are my clothes washer....a clothesline is my dryer.  Does it work?  Beautifully.  Even if it rains after I hang up clothes, they get a softening rainwater rinse before they dry the next time the sun comes out.  The last time I washed was after and before a rain, so I washed my clothes in the rainwater that had accumulated in my tubs, and they got an extra rinse when it rained again that afternoon.  The next day the sun came out and dried them quickly.  There is no smell like that of clothes washed in rain, rinsed in rain, dried on the line.  I've seen the artificial version of that scent sold for candles or soap, but God can do the same thing with a little sun and breeze.  Amazing.

YES, I know, I have the prettiest privy ever!
(thanks to Darrell G's good work!)

We are becoming more and more convinced that we want the cabin we build to be as much off the grid as we feel we can be, safely.  Which means wood, propane backup.  Maybe some solar, a generator standing by. Our next big project will be to have a well dug.

I think a lot of our Iowa friends probably think we are a little wacko, certainly with weird priorities, or doing things out of order.  "Where is the big luxury cabin???" "You mean you sleep in a tent?"  "Where is your RV?" "Aren't you afraid of (insert the name of a mammal, reptile, amphibian, insect, or arachnid)????"

No, I am not afraid. But, also, I am not stupid.  I'm not gonna eat circus peanuts in my tent, or not lock up at night anything that even resembles food.  I'm not even leaving my soap outside, since SOMEONE stole two bars of yucky lavender/old lady scented stuff one night.  Hope it was tasty, SQUIRREL!

(We also have a Snowshoe Hare who steals charcoal out our of firepit at night.  He is EVIL looking in the trailcam pics!)

I will continue to leave my tent flap up on clear nights, and watch the Big Dipper turn in the sky and the moon cast shadows on the ground, and listen to deer run through camp, and wolves howling both close and far away.  (and hear the Black-billed cuckoo, the lawnmower sounds of the Ruffed Grouse, and the ethereal sounds of Wood Thrush, etc, etc, you get the idea).

Something that y'all should know.  There is something very right about everything there in that blessed place.  I sat the other day on my luxury camp stool, my hands in the cool rain water that had collected in my luxury wash tub, rinsing my freshly clean laundry, while looking off into the little secret meadow behind my luxury privy, watching the bees and bugs and butterflies pollinating the Buttercups and Orange Hawkweed and Yarrow and Birdsfoot Trefoil, and thought, could I be more blessed?  I think not.  God is good.

I know the pines are whispering for me to come back soon.  Time to continue the purge  :)

Sleep well,
Elizabeth

Day Eight--So Much to Do!

 I feel badly about not writing for several days.  So Much Has Happened.  Mostly, my life has changed in one very major way. It seems that for many years, I could count on very little changing.  I guess some people would call it stability.  All of a sudden, I am building a new life from scratch, and it is impossible to know just what the end result will be.  It feels terrifying, and exhilarating at the same time.....aaarrrrggghhh......yayyyy......kinda like that.

Totally unrelated to this:  I feel sorry for those people in San Diego whose fireworks display all went up in 30 seconds. See it here:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndVhgq1yHdA
Because we saw awesome fireworks BY ACCIDENT in Baraga Bay. I don't know if I want to say "Thank God for flat tires!" even though that's the reason why we were in Baraga overnight on the 4th.  It was a good example of how good things can come out of bad circumstances.

                             Ever notice how much fireworks look like flowers?

Speaking of an aaarrrrggghhh.....yayyyy moment.  This morning, I went and talked to my school's president and my principal about resigning from my job.  Then I went and cleaned out my desk.  I found myself rushing and just doing it so I wouldn't have to think about never coming back to a classroom that has been my home every school day since...forever.  Man....

It's a good thing that THIS>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
is the world waiting for me.  Forests, streams, wolves howling (hopefully from afar) at night, butterflies, bees and birds, flowers, etc. Or this might be a tough day.

I am going to try to remember in the next week or so how much I love love love the UP, as I am sorting, packing, selling, cleaning stuff down here to get ready for the big move ahead.

I LOVE THE UP!

so......yayyyy.

Day Three--Paddling Away

One of the things I love about my husband (there are thousands of things, by the way) is that he listens to my ideas.  Really listens.  And then the wondrous thing that happens a lot is that he LIKES my ideas.

Today's plan, starting after breakfast (which is another thing I love about my husband--he likes to make breakfast in camp, which we eat in a leisurely fashion while discussing our upcoming day) was to try to locate a house to rent somewhere not too far away from our camp.  It's going to take some time to reach our ultimate goal of living in a cabin in our woods, so for now, we want to live close by and work towards our goals.

We ended up driving to Ontonagon (which I only realized a few weeks ago is not pronounced on-TAWN-uh-gone, but rather like you were going to tap someone on-tuh-Noggin.  Most people up here additionally swallow the "t" in the word, too, like Americans usually say it in the word Mitten), to see if a realtor we had heard good things about could help us find a rental property.

I have been finding that it's not in the best interest for a realtor to know ANYTHING about rentals, since they stand to make nothing out of a deal like that.  So today, I decided to sit in the car, and wait for the realtor to not have any good ideas for Bob.

When Bob was gone too long, I went to check and found that by the time I got there, the nice realtor lady, Bonnie, had convinced Bob that he needs to try out to be the local attorney for the town.  (There are no try-outs, actually.  You hang your shingle, and people come.  Or not).  She was trying to convince  Bob that a house with room for an office would be just the thing we needed.  And we did look at a house.  A very strange 70's retro remuddled house.  no no no.

This is when I had the big IDEA.  If Bob wants to be an attorney in on the noggin, mi, I will be the town piano teacher/general crafty/artsy tartsy lady, after we find business space to rent together.  Sooo...we looked and we looked for places for rent and I think, I hope, we found something.

More on this later when it is 100 percent for sure for sure.

I think the idea was a rowboat.  I hope we are on the right track, um, river?

Too much thunder to hear the pines whispering tonight.
Elizabeth

Day Two--We Bought a Zoo--Whaddawe Do?

Okay, okay, I promise, cross my heart, pinky swear I am NOT going to rhyme the titles of my posts like this...unless I think of a really good one.  I HATE cheap rhymes like this.

If you haven't seen the movie "We Bought a Zoo," you don't know what I'm talking about.  Because, no, WE didn't buy a zoo.  It's just that (and I recommend this movie as one that families should watch) in the movie, a dad makes a giant (animal-filled) leap of faith, moving his family and changing careers.  That's what we are doing--making the move from Iowa to Michigan's UP.  Today, we laid it out to our 15 year old son, who sorta had a clue what was going on, but not the big picture.  He's scared, but I did my homework, and I think that school here might be a change for the good for him.  We will see.

So, my lovely, in the manliest sense, husband and I have been talking non-stop about how we are going to make all this work out.  And, frankly, a lot of it is in God's hands right now.  But we are doing our part to look out for rowboats (do you know the old joke?), so as to be trying to ascertain if God thinks we are doing the right thing.

We tried to do a little networking today with the locals to see if we can find a house to rent so we can start moving.  We have already met some nice folks; characters all, eh? I can tell they are curious, and I am actually looking forward to telling my story as time goes on.  We got some rather weak leads on possible houses, so that's kinda scary, but maybe tomorrow, we will know more.

I've spent a lot of years feeling in control of my world, in many ways, especially in my job as a teacher.  I'm a little worried to not know EVERYTHING that is going to happen, but happen it will. It's always impossible, I have found, to see too far down the road.  I guess I just have to trust...

And listen to the whisper of the pines.  Goodnight.
Elizabeth

Day One--It Has Begun

We call this part of our property Aspen Meadow

July 1, 2015

This is the first day of the rest of my life.  Truly.  Today is the day we made the decision to "buy the zoo." 

We bought a zoo. 

Those have been the code words my husband Bob and I have used to describe the moment when we would decide to make the big move from the cornfields of Iowa to the great forests of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.  Today already contained the super scary moment of sending off an email to my employers to say I would not be coming back to teach in the fall.  

The other super scary moment is not knowing for sure yet what we are going to do to support ourselves. We have brainstormed ideas, and one of things we came up with is that both of us want to start writing. Hence this blog.  

So who are we, and what are we doing, you may be asking.  We are an attorney (Bob) and teacher (that would be me, Elizabeth), who a few years ago stumbled on to our dream.  While on vacation doing the Lake Superior Circle Tour we FELL IN LOVE with the great northern forests, the people, the laid-back lifestyle, and most of all, the mighty Gitchigumi. Timing-wise, things were almost perfect.  One kid in college, another in high school, we had talked about moving somewhere new in three years, when our nest became an empty one. Both Bob and I are somewhat creative (at least WE think so), and felt that our current jobs weren't giving us the freedom to explore that portion of our personalities. 

After our vacation, I was a woman obsessed.  I began searching for our own little piece of the UP. (Upper Peninsula)  What I figured we wanted was something close to Lake Superior, lots of trees, maybe near a lake, stream, or river, seclusion, homestead-able, surrounded by national park would be ideal.  

After several months of searching every UP realtor website I could find, I FOUND IT.

80 acres of trees, meadows, a stream, birds, mammals, and assorted blood-thirsty insects!

Surrounded by national forest.

Half a mile from a tiny town with TWO bars!!

And best yet, TWO BARS of phone service anywhere on the property!!!

Then we did the craziest thing of all.  We bought it...sight unseen. Well, we did have ten photos, which, looking at the property now, told us VERY LITTLE about what the actual property was like.  The good news is, we thought the photos looked good...the reality is so. much. better. 

I know we lucked out.  It could've ended badly.  But it didn't. 

Something that you should know about me is that I am a Godly woman. If that scares you, there are a lot of less-Godly blogs out there you might like better. Anyway, I see God's presence in my life everyday.  In fact, I would say that God finds a way to insinuate His Glorious Self into my life, sometimes without my notice, and sometimes as a BIG billboard type, hit me over the head with it, giant shout of a message. Seeing the property for the first time was a little nudge of a message, that this was a good place for our family. BUT. The first time I walked down the old logging trail that runs through the middle of everything and I found a hidden meadow, with a view into the sunset, and a background of whispering pines, God was telling me, IN the whisper of the pines, that I had found my new home. 

So, what comes next?  We vacationed on the property last summer, and pined for it (see what I did there?) all winter, back in Iowa.  This summer we came back, more organized for camping (glamping) out, and after a couple of weeks, started to come to the conclusion that we couldn't spend another winter away from the land we love. Add another couple weeks of soul-searching, brainstorming, praying, and discussion with my wonderful husband, best friend and partner for life, and we are where we are...out of our jobs, starting to formulate a plan for the rest of our lives here in the middle of Ottawa National Forest.

Am I scared?  Dude.  I feel like I'm in a state of shock. After 32 years in the same job, it's gonna be    

GREAT!!!!!!

Anyway, thanks for reading so far.  Much more excitement of all sorts to come, I would bet. 

Take care, and don't forget to hear the whisper in the pines,
Elizabeth