In a Fog

Perhaps today I'll write about something that has to do with our actual place. Since I use UP as a moniker, I suppose it would be appropriate to mention it occasionally.

Compared to the rest of the country, our winter has been an easy one. We have had blizzards to the north, south, and east of us, while we made do with moderate snowfalls. We did have plenty of snow for the Ski Tournament, but as I mentioned before, the air was still and the temperatures were very mild.

Those pansies on the header are planted in New Orleans, and I'm not that into snow pictures. It's sort of like my lake pictures-----they are flat and blue----and here they are ubiquitous. The only time in my life that I was far from a lake was while living in Virginia and I desperately wanted to see a lake. Desperately!

But this morning our ground temp/air temp conditions are such that we are surrounded by a dense fog, predicted to last until 11 A. M.

Another feature of life in our neighborhood this week has been frequent sighting of deer herds, or portions thereof. At dusk last Friday, I spotted seven deer walking single file between the two houses across the street from us. On Monday they were sashaying straight north on our street. Yesterday morning they were foraging in the yard across the street. It seems logical to me that I'm seeing the same six or seven deer at each sighting. They are the group that systematically empty my bird feeders, too. (Fertilizing as they go.)

Other "wildlife" sightings include the neighborhood feral cat who sits out in the back yard occasionally, and our resident bunny, and of course the birds. My run around town car sits beside a huge cedar tree which houses about a dozen mourning doves. When they fly from this perch they fertilize my Toyota. When the fog dissipates, I need to visit the car wash---and maybe find a tarp.

Actually, it's probably easier to wash the car than clean off a tarp. Scratch that idea.

Marquette, north of us on the coast of Lake Superior, has upcoming ski events and endurance dog sled races scheduled pretty soon. I hope they have a good snow base established already.
We usually have a thaw each month, but this one is a doozy. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, but it's hard on the snow bunnies.

Have a great Thursday!