Closet Blogger Frogger

So, OK.....I'm coming out of the closet. I'm a "Blogger Frogger"! It's the reason that I really don't get much posted myself, I'm just too busy jumping around reading everyone else's blogs! It's not that my own life isn't fascinating, funny, amusing or in the least bit interesting or entertaining. In fact, several times during the day I have occasion to think - "hmmm, that would be a good topic for a blog". But when I finally get home from work & turn on my computer, I find that it takes so long for me to do anything on it that by the time I get through checking out all my favorite sites & 3 or 4 or 5 new ones - it's so late that I just have to shut down & go to bed!
Guess I should explain why navigating should take so long for me. It's because I have the out-dated "dial-up" connection to the Internet. I won't go into the complicated details as to the "why-for's". Just to say that it's complicated, impractical & way too expensive to have either cable or satellite. Suffice it to say....."it's as slow as molasses in January"!
By the time I've read, answered & sent my e-mails, checked out what's going on in "facebook", done a little research, checked out the blogging world, etc.......
I'm thinking that maybe if I just start off with composing the blog BEFORE checking out everything else, I could be a Happy Blogger Frogger!

WHAT BIG TEETH YOU HAVE, GRANDMA!!!!!

This is a copy of a picture that was on the front page our local newspaper last winter. It was taken by MPK's neighbors. It was only a couple hundred yards from his house on Sugar Island! There was a short article saying that "it is one of a pair that have apparently taken up residence on the northeast end of Sugar Island." The neighbors who had sent in the picture said that "the wolves have been showing an iterest in the local ducks that gather near the old shipping channel."
We've seen them quite often, mostly in the winter when they venture out on the ice on the river & travel over to Squirrel Island. (A Canadian Island between Sugar Island & Canadian mainland) And either we or our neighbors can tell several stories about the wolves, moose, bear, fox & alot of other animals that we see either crossing the ice or swimming the river! I've even found prints that a wolf left after a rain - under the clothes line. I had a brainstorm of an idea & took a couple of buckets out & flipped them upside down on top of them (to preserve the) & drove into town & bought some plaster mix. I really didn't think it would work, but the casts that I took of them turned out great! And I gave them to my grandsons.
The most memorable experience that I've had since I moved up here (that involves animals!) was about this time of year. MPK happened to be home from work & so was I. At the time we had a black Lab. about a year old by the name of Uno. It was a beautiful, rare, sunshiny day with the temp. around the mid 30's.
I was in the house & MPK was outside splitting wood. He had Uno out with him. He opened the door & hollered at me to grab the camera & hurry outside. When I got out there - he showed me where a wolf was traveling across the ice & was almost to Squirrel Island. I took some pictures - but wouldn’t you know that I had my old 35 mm camera & didn’t have my zoom lens on & he turned out looking like a tiny speck!? But - in the meantime, Uno had found the wolve’s tracks going across the yard & down the hill to the river. And the wolf must have stopped & “marked his territory” on one of the pilings of the boat dock - because when Uno got to that spot - he went ballistic!!!
MPK & I were at the top of the hill watching the wolf & when the wolf heard Uno barking……. I had the most EERIE feeling that I have had in my entire life! (You know - like when the hair stands up on the back of your neck?!) I had also grabbed the binoculars & was looking through them & I could tell when that wolf heard Uno bark - he was about 2/3 of the way across the ice & stopped & turned around & just stood there & watched. Since Uno was still just a pup & was still in the “I love everybody & especially doggies & I want to play” stage….. we knew that if he found the wolf’s tracks & started to follow them or even saw the wolf - he would have headed across that ice on a dead run & he would have been that night’s dinner for that wolf! But - MPK managed to get Uno back up & had to put him in the house. And in the meantime, I was watching the wolf through the binoculars. He had decided to lay down on the ice to watch what was happening with the noisy appetizer on the US side of the river!
Oh, yeah! That wolf stayed right there for about a good hour AFTER we went back in the house! We could still see him from the front window.
I wouldn’t have then, & still won’t to this day - trade that experience “for all the money in the world”!!!!!

Dirty Jobs

I gotta confess, I don’t watch much TV. I do like most of the programs on the Discovery channel. My favorite is “Dirty Jobs” with Mike Rowe. Well, guess who happens to be in our neck of the woods this week? Oh, yeah! It’s the man himself! He’s been up this way before a couple of times, but I didn’t get a chance to see those episodes. He did one where he changed a burnt out light bulb on the Mackinac Bridge and the other one was where he was on a horse-poo patrol on Mackinaw Island.
Guess I should explain that the state of Michigan consists of two peninsulas. We refer to them as the “lower” & “upper” peninsulas. They’re connected by the awesome 5 mile long Mackinac Bridge.
Mackinaw Island lies a couple of miles East of the bridge. Travel to the island is done by ferries or airplane. There are no motorized vehicles on the island during the tourist season. The only mode of transportation is either by walking, bicycle, or horse. Hence the “poo patrol” mission.

Besides being steeped in Native American, French, English as well as American history, the island is home to the most species of lilacs in one area in the world. And in these parts it’s also famous for having been where the movie, “Somewhere In Time” with Christopher Reed & Jane Seymour was filmed. The last time I was on the island - you couldn’t even walk down the road in front of that hotel without paying a charge of $5. A cup of coffee anywhere in town cost $2.50 & a hamburger was over $5!!! Sorry - I can get off on a tangent when it comes to things like over-inflated flavored water & a simple hamburger!
I can’t wait to find out when this episode of “Dirty Jobs” is going to air - I sure don’t want to miss this one!

Baby Steps

Spent some time cruising around the opions on this site. Not only am I the nearest thing to "computer illiterate" - but I'm cursed with the antiquated "dial-up" internet! Neither cable, nor satellite are options for me here.
I've resigned myself to the fact that, if I really do need the faster option - I'll just have to take a drive down to the local library!
It's just going to take a while to get things going. I just hope I have the patience for it!
I still have much to think about that I want to do with & accomplish with this project. But it will just have to wait til later. I have to be at work really early in the morning - better to give it a shot later.

~*Sugar Islalnd Fairy*~

I’m CDS, a single Mom of two grown children & three terrific grandchildren. I moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan 16 years ago. I live in Sault Sainte Marie, but own property on Sugar Island & used to live there when I first came here.
Shortly after I moved here, I hit the “Boyfriend Lottery”! He goes by MPK & also lives on Sugar Island. We refer to his place as KFC & when I first met him he was just building his house. I helped him with what I could during the last phases of construction & most of the decorating, landscaping & gardening.
Because I work on the mainland, it’s more economical to live in my apartment in town. But, I spend as much of my free time as I can at KFC.
The island is named for the sugar maple trees that grow in abundance there. The original name was in the Ojibwa language but was changed by the British. It’s one of several islands in a chain between Canada & the U.S. It is one of the U.S. island’s, but we’re about a stone’s throw away from Canada! And we have the most beautiful views of Canada & the Laurentian mountains.
This area is one of the richest……in history, beauty & wildlife
And yes…….the only way to get there from here is the “Sugar Island Ferry”!