Gram's Place

Just a note... I tried to change my profile pic but everything I have is too big for blogger. It's taking too much time. So, I'm going to be the standard outline you see here for a while. Happy Long Weekend!

I stumbled across this site today (Thanks Chrysanthemama !) The Simple Woman has a thing called the Simple Woman's Daybook. Goll darn it I couldn't get the image to load on this page but I really want to do it anyway. For today, August 28, 2008... Outside my Window... is a busy main street with lots of cars and noise. The last few days were cool in the evening but today brings with it the beginning of the indian summer heat. I am thinking... I am not ready for fall and winter to come. I know it will come quickly and I am just not ready. This has been a year of change, and I would love to just have something...anything... stay the same.... at least for a while. From the kitchen... we are cherishing the summer harvest in all of it's freshness. The neighbor brought over plump tomatoes, fat cucumbers, and ripe squash. I have vowed that next spring I will have them of my own to share with my friends and family. I am wearing... my comfy jeans and worn out striped tshir...

My sweet brother-in-law celebrated his 44 birthday last Spring. My daughter Haleigh gave him a late birthday present and it was so precious to see him get it. He talked to his little buddy and gave him a kiss and told him he was his best friend. I love this little guy. He has made our lives so complete in so many ways. He is so giving and loving and generous and transparent. So many of us hide behind a facade of what we want to be or what we try to be, our insecurities and fears, our hurts and sorrows. But, Shelly... he is who he is. He loves big and his sorrow is real. There is so much I have learned from him and in so many ways, I wish I could be like him.

Fall... here we come!

We had an interesting visitor the other night. We were sitting on our back deck eating dinner and we noticed that one of the neighbors' young chickens were headed our direction. We live in an area where the lots are about 1.5 or 2 acres each, and the neighbors always raise about 8 or 9 chickens each year. They wander past their borders every now and then, and we don't really mind because it gives us something to talk about and look at (and apparently blog about). This particular chicken wandered quite a way from it's borders and into our yard, over to the decks and was walking around down under the decks. Shawn went down the steps and decided to see how friendly the little gal was. He went up to it and tried to touch it and it came up to him and let him pet it. I know... who pets a chicken? The next thing you know, he tried to pick it up. I figured for sure the thing was going to squawk and run off...but to my surprise, it let him pick it up. He sat with it for a while, hi...

I have to have one more post.... This is one of the main streets on the Island. I wish I had taken more of these, but at the time, I thought I was taking too many. This is one of the horse carriages lined up to take the tourists where they wanted to go. We didn't ride this exact one, but one similar to it. Mackinac Island has no motorized vehicles so everyone rides bikes or carriages. We did find out that the 500 or so people that live on the island do use snowmobiles in the winter to get around. Most of the horses are taken off the island at the end of the fall season to winter in the U.P. somewhere. Another island pic... This is Fort Mackinac. There is a fort on the island. It's pretty interesting. This is a view of Lake Huron from the top of Fort Mackinac.

I have so many great photos of Mackinac Island I have to post more! This is me....eating the best fudge I've ever had in my life. Turtle Fudge. We brought home blueberry, cherry, and peanut butter something or other. It's all soooooooooooooo good! This is our table of fudge... just a few samples. You know, like about $20 worth! This is Shawn looking out at the South Shore of Lake Superior. One of the butterflies at the butterfly conservatory on the island. Me and my guy at the butterfly conservatory.

We had a great time at Mackinac Island. I took a ton of photos with Shawn's camera. Here are a few of my favorites... this one is our ride... a Suzuki Vitara. And red! Fun! We flew in to Traverse City and drove with the Suzuki to Mackinaw City. This little "town" is one on the way... we had to stop and take photos. This is our B&B. I'm taking the picture...so Shawn is alone on the porch. I think this is a photo of Lake Superior... or is it Lake Huron? Or Lake Michigan? We saw all three of those lakes on our trip...so I can't remember which is which. I think this one is Lake Superior. We drove up one night and visited the Soo Locks (camera battery was dead at the locks) and then drove to Lake Superior and went to a lighthouse. It was closed, so we just wandered around the lake a while.

Our five little visitors are at their grammas house for a few days. She came and picked them up this morning. and oh is it quiet all of the sudden. Amazingly enough, we miss them already. But, too much to do for now so it's a good thing. We are packing our bags and leaving in the morning for our trip here . I'm really confused about this place. I've heard it pronounced "MackinAW" like Mackinaw City where the "c" is .. uh...french? what would that be?... and I've heard it pronounced MackinACK. So, my number one goal when we go there is to ask someone "Where am I exactly?" and see how they pronounce it. I'll let you know. My second goal: r.e.l.a.x. We keep looking at all the websites and brochures of sailing and buggy rides, and horseback riding, and fishing (ew), and we are both just wondering where we can find a good nap. We will be a couple weeks early for the Fudge Festival. Yes, you heard it right. Fudge Festival. You know as...

Well, we've made it five days and five nights so far with five extra kids. They are age 9, 7, 5, 4, 2. Today, five is the lucky number. There haven't been any major incidents, just the occasional meltdown when the barbie motorcycle hasn't been shared for 2 minutes, the ice doesn't make it to the cup in time, someone cut in line for the water slide, someone didn't get the blue cup, bedtime, you know, the usual kid stuff. I'm a little rusty, considering my 4 kids are 21, 19, 16, 9. But, it's all coming back to me now... you know, like riding a bike. The 4 year old and I had an interesting conversation. 4 yr old: "You're old?" me: "what?" 4 yr old: "Is you old?" me: "uh... no.... not really. why?" 4 yr old: "gramma says that when you get old, you get purple things on your legs" (((((sigh))))) I must be old.