After the Plow

The roar of an approaching snowplow is a welcome sound in the Midwest.  It holds the promise of being able to venture out with the car again after the latest snow.  You’ve shoveled the walks and driveway.  You’ve scraped the car’s windows and brushed the snow off its roof.  You’re ready to go.  But the… Continue reading After the Plow

Winter Surprises

Winter has arrived in Michigan, and with it come certain expectations.  Michiganders know there will be grey slushy days and days so beautiful they remind us what a privilege it is to live here.  Children will build snowpeople, then head for the sledding hills.  Hockey players will clear rinks on the pond.  Dogs will cavort,… Continue reading Winter Surprises

Enough Boots

Another cold grey day today.  Yesterday was glorious and sunny, but that was then.  The situation today is snow on the ground, clear sidewalks, and the path through the woods so icy you could skate on it.  What to put on my feet?  As I surveyed my choices this morning, I decided I might not… Continue reading Enough Boots

Intimations of Spring

All over our part of Michigan, there are intimations of spring.  For starters, we’ve had a thaw.  From temperatures in the single digits and teens, we’ve jumped into the thirties, forties, and even fifties.  Winter is a long way from over in this Northern state, but this respite reminds us that winter does not, in… Continue reading Intimations of Spring