Michigan, Again

We headed across the upper reaches of the U.S. again this year to visit my family for Christmas. We made the veteran parenting move of taking Sarah Joy to the doctor the day before to ensure antibiotics were available to combat her persitent head cold. The I Tell You What family does not advocate antibiotics to counter mild and transient illnesses, but you DO NOT want that spreading into a major respiratory thing as you drive cross country and sleep in unfamiliar surroundings. Just trust me. We were very fortunate on the trip to my grandmother's house, the worst weather we encountered was rain until about 50 miles from her home. Then it was the usual Michigan grind of ridiculously heavy snow.

It's remarkable to span so much distance in a single drive. The beginning is from coastal Connecticut through hilly Massachusetts and eastern New York. The hills fade to pancake-flat western New York and southern Ontario, with raptors (this kind, not this kind) acting as sentinels every mile or two in the treetops. Then it's into the woodlands of Michigan once you exit the Thumb area. There it's forests, forests, and forests. The snow was deep, and the dark nights there mock your car's puny headlights. As we approached our destination we saw deer (naturally), turkeys (a foot from the windshield!), an elk herd (only me, everyone else was napping), a bald eagle, and, once we reached my mother's house, a pileated woodpecker big enough to fly off with one of the children.
The time with family was fantastic. Being in a rural area truly does slow things down. You can wait an entire day for something to happen, and it doesn't feel like you're missing anything else important. It was also an opportunity for Sweetness and Sarah Joy to enjoy some things we don't get much of on the coast.

1. Chickens- My mother has a bootleg-egg production up & running. It's great for the girls (Sweetness, here) to get a look at a small farm. Not many people really get an intimate look at where any sort of food comes from these days. I can't wait to see what else is in store for Grandma T's 20 acres of paradise.

2. Sledding- When snow is abundant, there is one thing that is easy to arrange. This is one of the downhill runs where Sarah did not take out her Grandpa at the knees.

3. Snow machines- My cousin rode her (that's right, her, and she could beat you in a race, I'd wager) snowmobile over to our grandmother's house on Christmas day to join the family celebration. All the great grandchildren were offered rides. Here is Sweetness taking advantage of the offer. This is how we celebrate the birth of Sweet Baby Jesus in the Winter Wonderland.