First Friday of the New Year

I don't know why reaching Friday is such an accomplishment in retirement when theoretically one day is the same as the next, but that Friday feeling still exists. Even without special plans for the weekend, Fridays still feel good, the promise of fun, relief or both.

Here in SE Michigan, we could use a little relief from cold weather but we are neither as bad as some areas nor at our worst yet. Next week's highs will be single digit temperatures. Single digits!!

I can't leave Michigan. My roots are here. My family and friends are here. This house has been our home all of our married life and it means a lot to me. Winter doesn't last forever but love does.

I've often said that I was meant to be an island girl. My hair was once this dark. I can wear a flower. I can sway from side to side. Unfortunately the similarities in body image end there.

I had a great idea recently. If you aren't familiar with the location and shape of Michigan, here is brief lesson. The lower peninsula, where I live, is called The Mitten. The upper peninsula can be reached by the Mackinac Bridge  (pronounced Mack-in-naw) which is a long suspension bridge. The upper peninsula has a common border with Wisconsin, not us "trolls" who live under the bridge.

Lower Michigan borders the states of Indiana and Ohio, as seen here:

With no offense directed at my Indiana and Ohio neighbors, my great idea was to physically cut the Mitten off of Indiana and Ohio and become an island. Brilliant, right? We would suddenly be warm. Tropical flowers would bloom. I would be oh-so-very happy!

Mother Nature stepped in and stomped on that idea. I cancelled the huge reciprocating saw that was going to accomplish this feat when I read some news on Facebook. Look on the map, the right of Detroit. Do you see that heart shaped blue water between Lake Erie on the south and Lake Huron on the north? That is Lake St Clair. Near the top of that heart, very close to the red line that indicates the division of American-Canadian waters, is Harsens Island. Our family has a cottage there. Most people on the island are summer people but there are 2000+ people who live their year round. The only way to reach the island is by your own boat or crossing over by auto ferry. Due to ice on the river, the ferry shut down yesterday afternoon with hopes of the coast guard cutter freeing things up this morning so that ferry crossings could resume.

Apparently making the Mitten an island wouldn't bring me the balmy weather I desire. Darn it. But never fear, I still can say TGIF....do you know why? Because we are one day closer to warm weather!

I'm even feeling sorry for the squirrels in this weather!