One of Those Things I Never Thought I'd Be Doing ...

climbing up on my roof in the middle of winter to shovel snow!

The snow was 10 inches deep (and heavy). I have never gone on my roof in the winter before, but they're forecasting more snow this weekend (and next week), and it's supposed to be wetter and heavier than what we already have. Since my garage and patio are covered with a flat roof and I don't want to deal with it collapsing, I took the ladder out of the garage and climbed up to shovel the roof. What a great way to spend a Friday afternoon/early evening.

It was a little scary getting up there and I was careful to stay away from the edge, although there was plenty of snow to break a fall. It took an hour and a half to clear the flat part of the roof, but it looks great now.

I finished just as the sun was setting. We'll see how long it takes to get covered again. Oh, the joys of home ownership!

Snowed In

Yes, we definitely have enough snow in Holland, Michigan! Last week Wednesday I came home from school in a nasty snowstorm; I could hardly see the road in front of me. That was the last day we had school; it's been a steady mix of snow, blowing wind/snow, and frigid temperatures/wind chills for the past week. I never even left my house until Monday (just for a quick trip to the grocery store). Today it finally stopped snowing and we even saw the sun and blue sky for a bit this afternoon - glorious. 

The dominant color in my neighborhood is white - white snow everywhere you look. I can't remember ever seeing this much snow at a time (except during the blizzard of '78). 

Every day I'd go out and snow blow the driveway … until the snowblower quit. The first few days I also shoveled off the back deck but gave up eventually and just shoveled a little path for Toby. Yesterday I finally shoveled a little path along the sidewalk so the mailman can get through (took a half hour to do the sidewalk in front of my house).

And, although I'm very thankful for the city plows, it's so frustrating when they come through and mess up the end of the driveway!

Poor Toby can hardly get through all the snow. He still makes his way, almost hopping, to his spot in the backyard. When he's finished, he'll dash along the little path back inside. He usually enjoys playing in the snow, but right now it's just too deep and too cold.

It is pretty. And I like it - in moderation. But there's just nowhere to put it anymore!

I expect we'll go back to school tomorrow. Most streets have been plowed and the temperature/wind chill is supposed to be better. After a week of "Snow Days" I'm sure kids, teachers, and parents are ready to get back to the normal routine.

Besides shoveling all the snow, it has been nice to sit and read a couple books, do a little baking, and have time to work on our school's spring program. And it's been nice staying home with Toby.

 

Just saw the latest weather forecast … you guessed it: another "Winter Weather Advisory" for tomorrow with more snow and blowing snow. Oh Michigan, how I love you!     

spring is coming…spring is coming…spring is coming…spring is coming...

Melanie & Jan's Mushing Adventure

Puppy Therapy

Our winter weekend in Michigan's snowy Upper Peninsula continued after our stop at Tahquamenon Falls to our main destination - Nature's Kennel (located near Newberry) and our overnight sled dog adventure! Our wonderful hosts picked us up at our motel on Sunday morning as my car would have gotten stuck long before we reached the kennel.

Before we set off with our sled dog team, we had some time to play with two groups of puppies. The newest litter was about a month old - three cuties named uno, dos, and tres. They were so cute and curious (with sharp teeth!). Still had that sweet puppy breath! I loved cuddling with them!

We also got to visit the four-month old "Monster Trucks" litter outside. They had fun jumping around in the snow and loved the attention.

I still miss my dog, Tosca, so much. This weekend "with the dogs" was just what I needed! 

Next up - our dog sled overnight adventure!

Winter Wonderland (Tahquamenon Falls)

Last Saturday morning my friend, Jan, and I set out for a wonderful winter weekend in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The weather was great for driving – clear and relatively mild temperatures – but we knew the snow was coming the farther north we went. We were happy to find plenty of snow after crossing the Mackinac Bridge.

Thankfully the driving conditions were still pretty good as we headed for Tahquamenon Falls, one of my favorite places to visit in the U.P. We never got lost and only made one wrong turn, although it was a pretty significant wrong turn! 

The sign for the Upper Falls was right next to a narrow road, so we turned right to go down the road. It seemed awfully narrow and twisted around after we went down a small hill; we quickly figured out it wasn’t the right way … as my tires started spinning. Jan got out of the car to check – yes, we were definitely stuck. Just then a group of snowmobilers pulled up and asked why we were driving down a snowmobile trail!! They graciously pushed us back up the hill and directed us to the correct turn for the Upper Falls (a much wider, plowed road!).

(In retrospect, the signs facing the other direction should have provided a clue that we weren't supposed to drive down this "road.")

We enjoyed a delicious late lunch of (fresh) fish and chips at the Upper Falls restaurant. The restaurant was packed with diners; apparently Tahquamenon Falls is a busy place all year long.

After our lunch we hiked to the falls. What a spectacular sight! The fresh-fallen snow on the trees, the ice formations, and the majestic water continuing to rush down – definitely the highlight of the day.

After our visit to the falls we drove west to Newberry where we enjoyed the hot tub at the Comfort Inn, knowing we would be much colder the following night.