Here on the 46th parallel, we’re closer to the North Pole than the Equator and the arrival of spring isn’t always apparent. March and April bring mixed weather…60-degree melt one day, re-freeze the next. It keeps things interesting for both animals and humans. Herewith, photos of how it looks these days on the north (Lake Superior) edge of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
In winter and spring, the sun is lower so it enters many windows of the new cabin in unexpected places. Boo has found every one.
The deer and turkeys continue to enjoy free corn while the ground remains snow-covered. They feed side-by-side at Jeff’s cabin. I never see inter-species arguing. However….
…the deer do argue sometimes at feeding time. Bullies are bullies, regardless of species.
I also feed them at my own cabin. They’re getting used to me; these two seemed ready to walk through the patio door! Will stop feeding them once the snow melts.
They continue to use the bay as a thoroughfare past the front door of my cabin. But as it melts…
…fewer deer tracks visible. This looks like angry gray water, but the ice is actually frozen on top of the water. The bay was nearly ice-free a few days ago but refroze over one cold night.
That same winter storm brought at least four inches of new snow. My trek into the woods was interrupted by this deep stream which was fed by spring run-off. Too deep to wade through.
So I finished my walk on the dirt road that leads to camp. Almost as beautiful!
Inside the cabin, it’s always comfortable, thanks to in-floor heat. It keeps the interior at a consistent 70 degrees regardless of outside temp. The floor is always comfortable to bare feet but doesn’t feel warm to the touch. (Except in the mechanical room, where the heating tubes come together. That’s also the laundry room, so it’s easy to line-dry laundry in there.)
Boo has discovered the top of the kitchen cabinets. Her new playground! Haven’t seen yet how she gets there. Apparently from the loft, through those iron bars?
Here, she’s perched above the refrigerator.
And here, in the corner. Her black fur shows off the wood ceiling. I was so nervous choosing the stain color, but that Early American sure looks great.
Cat-on-a-shelf! 🙂 (Sorry for the several photos. I couldn’t resist. I mean, those eyes.)
Boo goes out once daily to check things out but comes back in quickly. No blaming her when it still looks like this. See the edge of the brown trailer on the middle right? That’s where I sit while writing this, with a fire in the woodstove. It’s still “my office,” as the cabin doesn’t have one yet.
On my driftwood pile, snow has again masked the Finnish word-stones tucked into it. A few days ago, I was blowing leaves here. Weather changes are expected here in any season, especially spring. It helps to remember that when I read the latest changes under way in the structure (maybe even type) of our government. Change is natural, albeit sometimes jarring.
I put my Navy windsock back up to track wind direction and speed. It will help determine when to finish various outdoor tasks involving flame. (How strange it is to feel sad about my Navy service now, when I was once proud of it. So many changes there, too…)
Camp Many Moons will reopen for visitors soon. Nobody seems to want to come in winter!
For Many Moons 