What My Favorite Color Isn't

It's a common question:  "What's your favorite color?"  Usually people have an answer.  When someone asks me, I usually say it's green (sometimes I'll say it's purple).  The answer isn't that simple for me, though.

We bought a house today.  We call it our "interim" house.  It's where we will live until...well...until we live somewhere else.  :)

THE PLAN says that eventually we will have a cabin on our property.  We even have a wild idea of having a little place on Lake Superior someday, too.  At that point, we won't need an interim house anymore. 

Anyway, what this has to do with my favorite color is this:  the house we bought is a cute little Cape Cod style 1950's house in the no-longer-existing town of Paynesville.  Supposedly, the town is named after someone with the name of Payne, who settled in the area, but this is strange because most of the early settlers were Finns with names like  Hirvela and Juusola and Wierimaa. I would say most of the original houses from those times are gone, and there are a lot of houses like ours in the area.  I wonder if there was a fire.  

Anyway (2), our house is interesting.  There are some features that are original, like a cute little ogee archway from the front entryway into the living room, and cool retro metal cabinetry in the kitchen. Everything else is the result of MANY years of remodel(muddle)ing.  Some things are nice. Some things show the questionable taste or skill level of the remodel(muddl)er.  The overall impression is, it's a place where I can live and enjoy the quirkiness. 

Anyway (3), the predominant color that was used in the house throughout its 59 years is BLUE. Guess what my favorite color isn't.  There are about 15 different shades of it, from icy steel blue in the kitchen, country blue ceiling fan in the master bedroom, along with royal blue carpet, and dark grayish blue in the bathroom.  Jordan's room is a nice baby blue.  He doesn't love it.  Different pieces of trim in lots of shades of blue, from deep teal, to robin's egg. Sigghhhh.....

It's strange, because I am a BIG fan of color.  And I LOVE blue when it is Lake Superior Blue.

 But I don't love it on my walls. I also don't care for primary colors.  The colors I like best are muted, complex shades.  The kind that my husband doesn't see very well.  For instance, I picked out two colors for our shop in Ontonagon.  Sherwin Williams calls these colors COMPOSED and MYTHICAL.  They are shades of...can you believe it...green and purple.  

I know if I were someone from Nick's generation, I'd be looking at all the grays and beiges and neutral colors to use for decorating.  Zzzzzzzz.  Sorry, can't do it.  I want people to walk in the shop and say, "Wow!" and then just stand around and wonder if they like it or not.  I think they might.  The colors are complex and restful, but weird and exciting at the same time.  If they come in hoping to see blue, they might be a little disappointed.

Anyway (4), tomorrow, I am going to pick up paint and get started transforming places, like in the shop and maybe even getting a rid of a little Paynesville Blue. Expect to see green.  It's my favorite color.

Don't worry, there will be a lot of color here soon.  Just not a lot of BLUE.

 

 

Edit 8/27/9:52 PM:  I bought paint today for my kitchen.  The color is called Leapfrog.  Guess what color it is? Pictures to come!

 



Adventures in Yooperland

I know that there are people out there who like to think that everyone who belongs to the human race is essentially the same inside.  I don't mean physically, because for sure most of us have like spleens and pancreases and stuff, but they believe that essentially, every human person is THE SAME, regardless of race, creed, sexual or asexual orientation, gender or lack thereof, height, weight, hair color, body modifications, etc, etc, etc. 

But it just ain't true. Yoopers....well....they are unique in all the world.  God loves them, for sure.  But God had a quirky moment as some point....and Yoopers are the result. 

They have a great accent, for one thing. I am working on it, and will let you know when I've got it down.  Correct vowel placement is essential.  I think it came from all the Finlanders who settled around here. I know there are some people who go all googly-eyed when they listen to someone with a Scottish burr, or a refined British accent, but for me, it is Yooper-eze.  It makes me smile whenever I hear it.  In fact, I find myself encouraging it, like when the cable guy came to our house, and I talked to him a lot, because I liked the way he sounded....okay...I know...that's weird, eh?

It takes much more than an accent to be a Yooper, though.  It is an attitude, and a lifestyle. 
It is the woman puts her bird feeders on a pulley system to yank them up if a bear should start eating out of them. It is the man with a four-wheel drive pickup truck, three ATVs (including a side-by-side), four snowmobiles, a road grader, and a great big boat (say "boot") in his yard all at the same time. It is the guy who buys 60 pounds of circus peanuts, not because he likes those fakey orangey candies, but because he knows they are the best bear bait imaginable.  It is the woman who hates the road department (no one knows why) and when she finds a dead raccoon on the road, she imagines it's their fault.  Soooo, she constructs an altar, complete with white tablecloth, in her driveway, with the deceased raccoon proudly displayed in state and the word REDRUM spray painted in red on the front of this striking tableau. (I have pictures, and NO, you don't want to see them.)

It is all the people who take a direct interest in anything or anyone new or different coming in to town.  One is not allowed to have a secret from these people, because they will wheedle it out of you with the most direct of approaches:  "You didn't buy dat dere house next to da dope dealers, did ya?" (We didn't; don't worry.)

But it's also the man who drives 50 miles to help you fix a flat tire at 10:00 PM on a Sunday night.  Or the person who offers you free paint, so you can get your business up and running.  Or one of the many families who befriend you, and give lots of their time and tons of absolutely free advice that can smooth your transition from Iowa to the UP.  It's all the wonderful, welcoming, quirky (in the best possible sense) people we have met so far.

I think being a Yooper might just turn out to be contagious.  Because it's the family who, looking for an inexpensive transitional house, were thrilled to find that it included a hot tub, a garden with a six foot fence (essential), and the best of all, THIS as a bonus room. 


See the sign?  Pretty cool, right...err...eh?



 

Something I hope to learn from my Yooper friends is how to be that combination of fun, quirky and proud of it, unique-without-giving-a-damn-what-other-people-think, strong, and stoic through 150 days of winter (or more).  I look forward to it. 

What "stoic" looks like.  Fifty-five degrees and pouring rain are not a hummingbird's favorites. 

Bonus cute furry chipmunk picture.  Maybe don't notice what he's eating!? !
He's a Yooper and doesn't care what you think about it.



Building a Business

Busy, busy, busy....seems like we are always busy these days.  Buying a house, selling a house. Too hard to rent a house in the snowmobiling capital of the planet, so we are buying a fixer-upper with the intent of fixing it up a little and eventually renting it to SNOWMOBILERS.  Ironic, huh?  Never mind, real estate is ridiculously cheap here compared to Iowa.  Imagine how it would seem to someone from California!?! 

It's been interesting and strange and scary to sign up or apply for stuff and list myself as "Self-employed."  Wow...that has never happened to me before.  And I LIKE IT.

My creativity is SOARING!  Nick helped me design a logo for our business and it looks like THIS:

Notice the purple and green.  Big surprise, huh?  Nick's idea to put the UP map in the middle.  I think that's soooo cool.  Aspen leaves are my idea.  All in all, I think turned out nice.

Soooo, you are asking, what is the business that we are advertising?  I call it a "Creativity Outlet."

See, the UP wasn't always what it is today.  First it was a wilderness of virgin White Pine forests.  And COPPER. 

Actually, copper has been mined on the Keweenaw Peninsula for 7 THOUSAND years.  In fact, the earliest examples of metalworking in North America come from Keweenaw copper.  Is that amazing?

In about 1770, an Englishman named Alexander Henry tried to start mining copper here, but it was too far removed from civilization at the time, so therefore proved too difficult. 

The big copper rush started in the 1840's, and the last big mine shut down in the 1960's. Over 10 BILLION tons of copper was mined during those years.

There were once millions of acres of virgin White Pine in the UP.  It was the best kind of wood for loggers, because it was a great building material and it FLOATED well.  So, loggers clear cut mostly everything, and eventually, farmers took over the land.  After the Great Depression hit the UP hard, many people lost their land and it returned to forest.  National and State Forests were developed.   Over six million acres of Michigan land are State and National Forests

Anyway, the point of this history lesson is to show that the UP has changed.  Many people are bitter about it.  There are signs in people's yards promoting the return of mining to the area.  Many people bemoan the loss of the virgin forests. 

But while some people are complaining and bitter, many people, in fact most people I have met here, LOVE the UP.  And their love for it shows in many ways.  Many people take advantage of all the outdoor activities that the UP has to offer.  Many other people are inspired to live their lives CREATIVELY here.  For some that means homesteading, raising their own food, making items that enhance their lives, living off this beautiful land.  Others use native materials to create objects or are inspired by the beauty of this area to make works of art.  Big industry is gone, but LITTLE INDUSTRY is thriving.  I think it's the new heart of the UP.  And because there is a new heart, things are turning around.  Towns and areas that have struggled are starting to find themselves both in terms of happiness and financial stability as well. 

I am inspired, daily, by everything that's happening in the UP today.  And I would like to help.  Soooo I am starting a creativity outlet. 

What's a Creativity Outlet, you ask?

Whatever that is, and how it will play out, is still partially a mystery, even to me.  Oh....I have ideas. First, I have the shop in Ontonagon.  I am going to give lessons there.  I am going to write music there.  I am going to teach others there.  And I am going to invite many people with the same creative UP spirit to do likewise.  And we will just see where it goes from there.  Oh....I have ideas....stay tuned!

Little Red here doesn't care about my ideas, just whether or not I put seed in the BIRD feeder. 

Your Daily Dose of Hummingbirds

Something I LOVE LOVE LOVE about the UP.  Hummingbirds!   I don't know if this is true or not, but I imagine the reason we saw very few hummingbirds in Iowa might have something to do with all the pesticides they use on everything down there.  Up in the UP, we see tons of hummers!  I put a feeder out two days ago.  The first day I saw no action.  The second day, it seemed like one little girl hummer was at the feeder a lot.  Today there was a fight.  At least three were involved. Here are some highlights.  Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to record their fighting.  Maybe tomorrow! 

I think this is a young boy with just a little pattern on his throat.

 

Girl

Boy (I think)

Manly man waiting his turn patiently

Being sneaky to avoid an attack

A stand off

Check out the tongue!

So little

Biggest attitude ever

 

Jitters

I know I am psychotic.  Just a little.  I have a psychosomatic itchy spot just to the left of the first knuckle of my right hand.  If I am stressed, it itches.  I know that's weird. I've had it for years, and I haven't noticed it all summer.  But it's been itchy now for several days.

Not surprisingly, I noticed myself scratching it the other day while Bob was in the hospital.  It has continued on and off since then.  Bob is out of the hospital, so it was getting better, then this morning, it started up again.

Sitting in the principal/superintendent's office at Ewen-Trout Creek school this morning. Very nice man.  Alan.  Had great things to say about the school.  I am happy to say that Jordan will be a ETC Panther in a few weeks.

But.  Alan asked me a question.  And I thought we were getting along sooo well. 

"Would you like to be a sub?"

Itch, itch, itch. 

The answer, for right now, anyway is no, no, no (itch, itch, itch).

Also, we are looking for a house, since our current rental is unavailable after November 1.  After all the moving stuff we have just accomplished, moving some stuff down the road a piece is only a minorly itchy idea.  But it contributes to it. 

I know I am a little messed up when it comes to teaching right now.  Because, later in our conversation, Alan mentioned an exploratory program they will be starting 2nd semester, and MAYBE I would be interested in doing something with that.  I don't know what kind of look was on my face, but he must've seen a glimmer or something, because he said, "We will talk."

Later, Bob and I were driving down the road, which is one of the joys of living up here, since every drive is beautiful.  Saw deer and cranes today (and unfortunately, a few dead porcupines), and I started talking about how much FUN it would be to do a music composition exploratory thing with ETC School.  WHHHOOOOAAAAA.....!!!  Psychotic>>>>>Me. 

I have a real BIG love/hate feeling for teaching right now.  On the one hand, I am going to have a party, literally, when Jordan goes to school on Sept. 8 and I don't. 

On the other hand, I am going crazy, literally (itch, itch, itch) watching my teacher friends on Facebook talking about and posting ideas about going back to school. 

At least I know when the itch is going to stop.  Tuesday, September 8, 10:01 AM. 

Until then, I'll wear a bandaid (still looking for the Mickey Mouse ones we have around here somewhere).



Totally unrelated hummingbird pictures.  She was outside my window as I was typing.  I guess when you think about it, hummers are pretty jittery :)

There But For the Grace of God....

There but for the grace of God, go I.

I wonder how many times I have said those words in my lifetime.  Many, many, many.

Lots of people attribute those words to John Bradford, who was burned at the stake as a Protestant during the reign of Mary I of England (Bloody Mary).  Apparently, while he was imprisoned, he saw a number of men going to their deaths, and said, "There but for the Grace of God, goes John Bradford. "

Interesting how he was able to look at his own terrible situation, and see how it could be much worse. And with his great faith, he could see God's hand in that.

Other folk might call it "dodging the bullet."  I tend to side with Bradford in his take on the situation.

Thursday morning, Bob woke up with totally debilitating vertigo.  I woke up with him calling for me from the bathroom floor.

Ambulance.  Local hospital.  LONG ambulance ride with Jordan and me following.  Hospital in Wisconsin.  Loads of tests.

Scary day.  BUT, by the grace of God, it wasn't a stroke, circulatory problem, heart attack, cancer, not related to type II diabetes.  Probably just a virus.

Day 3, he's home, still dizzy, but can function from couch/bathroom/bed.  When I think how things could have turned out....

The kicker is, there had been a possibility on Wednesday afternoon that Bob was going to start making the trip, ALONE, back to Iowa, with the possibility of the moving company picking up our grand piano, THURSDAY MORNING.   We decided that we would rather wait a few days and have a later pickup with more advanced notice.

There but for the grace of God....

I get it, God.  Truly.  It is a GIFT to be able to wait on Bob a little today, as he recovers.

Peggy gets it, too, as he takes it easy snuggling up to Bob on the couch for moral support.

Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank You.

Letting Go--Flying Away

Why birds are like people:

Some are simply beautiful.

Some are simply not.


(Even a vulture can have pretty blue eyes, though)

Others are simply happy and don't care how they look.

Some are flirty.

 Some are grumpy.



Some are quick to show their true colors.

Others keep them hidden most of the time.

Some are wise.

Some are secretive. 

Some are social.

Others want to be alone.

Some live in mansions.

Others prefer a cozy (colorful) cottage.

(Oriole nest with Easter basket grass!)

Some sing beautifully.

Others think they sing beautifully.

Some like to pick a fight.

Others get along with nearly everyone.

Some have their signature hairstyle DOWN!

Others are still developing theirs.

Some end up living alone.

While others find their perfect mate.

The truth is, birds don't think they are any of these things.  Humans tend to anthropomorphize their world and everything in it, including God. It's the reason they dress up their doggies in little clothes, but it's also the reason people think they can understand every single thing about God, because after all, He is the image and likeness of Us, right?  (No, no, no! Shake your head no with me, please)

It's fun to do that with birds, and it's one of the reasons I take pictures of them.  Because I see funny looks in their eyes, that remind me so much of PEOPLE I know.

I also love birds, though, because they are so diverse. 

They can be seed eaters,

Meat Eaters,

Jelly eater,

Swimmers,

and (gorgeous, effortless) Flyers.

I scared all these birds...oops  :(

So, what's the lesson here?  I don't know. Nothing earth-shattering, today anyway :) God is greater than Us.  Diversity is wonderful, and everyone has their own talents.  Birds are interesting and photogenic and make me happy.  I hope some of my pictures make you feel happier, too. 

P.S. If you'd like to look at more of my happy bird pics, some of them are here:  Flickr bird pics 

P.P.S.  I know you know this, but these truly are MY pictures, so if you would like to use them for something, you need to ask.  I know you know...just saying. 

Day 33--Hurry Up and Wait

I am learning new things about myself every day.

I am learning that in my new life, I need to give up control of some things. I need to trust that good things will happen, and I don't always have to push so hard to make it so.

Moving took longer than we had originally thought.

We are currently waiting on several things, one of which is my grand piano, which was supposed to make the big move by August 1, and is currently still in Iowa. 

We need to make some changes in our business rental property before we can move in, but the people involved are moving more slowly than I would like. 

I would like it if my house in Iowa would sell immediately, but I know all that takes TIME.....aarrrggghhhh.

Okay....I've spoken my frustrations out loud; now I am going to LET THEM GO>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I wanna talk about this UP Dreams thing again.  I long to be creative.  Every day that I can create something makes me a happy person.  Some things I like to create:

Musical compositions, especially for piano or classroom instruments. 

Pictures of nature, especially birds, flowers, and bugs  :)

Soap...I hope to make some tomorrow, in fact!

Crocheted warm thingies, cowls, mittens, scarves, throws.

I know that none of these things is particularly unique, but I also know that no one does them quite like I do.  

That is stage one in the UP Dreams idea.  Putting my own stuff out there for people. Not just to sell them and make money, but to encourage the creativity of others.  Creative people are happy people. They find these moments of "flow," total immersion in what they are doing, totally concentrating on what they love.  I used to experience that feeling often when listening to or performing beautiful music.  

Music is kind of a tricky subject to me nowadays.  There is something about it that has been sullied by my teaching experiences.  I think some healing has to happen before I will be able to let go and immerse myself in it again.  It's okay, though.  I know it's waiting for me, when I'm ready.  

Anyway, I stumbled upon what I think is my mission statement the last time I posted, and I want to say this a lot of times so it's clear in my head when I am talking to others about my vision:

My mission is to create something beautiful in an already beautiful setting; to be inspired by the UP to create something unique, something that will bring pleasure and fulfillment to myself and to others; and to assist and inspire others to develop and use their God-given talents, whatever they may be, to enhance the lives of others. 

I particularly like the "God-given" part of that statement.  When we were driving someplace yesterday, I was talking to Bob about the amazing variety and diversity I can see in the types of wildflowers that grow along the road.  To me, whenever I notice something like this, I am amazed that there are people who don't see a Creator's hand at work in the AWESOMENESS of the natural world.  What a gift we've been given.  An even bigger gift, something I need to remember to thank God for more often, is for the ability to SEE the beauty around me every single day.  

See, that's the heart of it for me.  If I can create something beautiful, like a musical composition, a lovely picture of a butterfly, a cleanly fragrant bar of soap, a comforting winter scarf, maybe I can help someone to see the beauty that surrounds them every single day.  And by Beauty, of course, I mean God.  

Thank you, God.

YOU helped me turn my frustrations around and create something positive tonight.

God is good.

Amen.