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Just a short update on Gene's book signing/fair today. As of early this morning he had no ride the 30 miles to the fair. We continued to pray, know if God wanted him there, a ride would materialize. An hour or so later, he had a ride! Praise the Lord!

Now how to get back..Hm..just trust the Lord..and use your head. LOL Gene put a sign on one of the books, saying a ride back to Republic gets you a free book. And he had a taker! About an hour ago, when he called, he'd already sold 5 books at the half-way point of the book fair. And he only took ten books, oh, ye of little faith. LOL Nah, Gene's got enough faith for him and me both.

So he's a happy camper, without a doubt. Now if he can only get some of you who have read his book to send him a short review, that would be icing on the cake. Nothing fancy, just a few sentences on your impressions. I believe Admin is requesting them preliminary to putting Trout Falls Chronicles in our new Boomer store, so you'll be helping Admin out as well.

Thanks to all of you who kept the "no ride" situation in your prayers. God does listen!

Have a wonderful weekend! Relax and enjoy!

Blessings,

Janet

Wow, did you see the new colorful graphic format of the e-mails sent out from Boomer notifying when we get a comment, message, etc? They even show a photo now of the sender. Very cool!

Do I thank Foxy?? I bet I do..Thank you, Foxy!

Janet

Postscript:

Foxy tells me we have Admin to thank for the classy new e-mail graphics that come to our personal e-mail accounts. Big thanks to Admin (PappaTom) for continuing to make our experience here better and better!

Good evening, Boomers! Just an update..

Gene's gone back up north to tend to his book affairs (book fair/signing, distribution, etc.) and I stayed in our Summit (Chicago area) home to catch up with my children/grandchildren and be here for my birthday, the 20th when we'll all be getting together. We'd hoped the second printing of the book would come from the printers while I was still up at the Penthouse Cabin so we could drive around the U.P. and get it out into the bookstores and tourist gift shops, but that didn't happen.

Gene surprised me with a mini birthday cake yesterday before I drove him to the bus station. I finished it off today, minus the frosting..which I think there was more of than the chocolate cake inside.

Pippen (my Scottie for those who are not in the know) is used to walks pretty much daily with Gene. So, to be fair, poor little guy, I took him on a short walk today. My arthritis doesn't allow for more. I wonder what he thinks not seeing Gene around. At least I understand where Gene went and that he'll be back, but Pippen? *sigh*

I love my home here and all the comforts it provides but I am a bit jealous that Gene's got that amazing view of Island Lake and all the birds and animals to watch out the cabin window. I feel like I went through a rite of passage spending the last month up there with no indoor plumbing, sounds outside that kept me vigilant with my flashlight out the window in the middle of the night and deer hitting my car on the road. Not bad for a city bred and raised girl! Ha ha!

Aha, I found a few more photos from the last days of our stay up north (Gene has some of them on his page in a slide show)...

Another awesome daybreak over Ialand Lake:



Another crafty squirrel of a different color who figured out how to get past Gene's "squirrel barrier" tree wrap and enjoy the corn on the feeder tree:



Toward the end of our stay, we had two pair of finches feeding off the thistle we put out:



We drove over to Marquette, MI while Annie was here for the Ethnic Fest (basically Scandinavian). It was pretty much of a bust, except that Gene had an opportunity to talk with another more experienced U.P. author, Jerry Harju. So no pics from the fair but I did take a picture of an old church I found interesting:



I also took some pictures of the coal chutes on Lake Superior. The trains would load up with the processed ore at the mines and run it down to the shore where they would empty into chutes under which were boats that would carry the ore to its destination:



Some of the chutes are no longer in use but stand as monuments to the past and what, in that time, brought jobs and a livelihood to the people of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan:



The day before we left, Republic (our town) had their annual festival complete with a parade, an outdoor band concert, the ladies selling strawberry shortcakes in the church basement, pony rides, a fancy car display, etc. Mind you, this is a town where any day of the year, you can drive into town (which is an area a few blocks in any direction) and often not see anyone on the street. Festival day is different. Overnight, stands and canopies are set up, flags suddenly adorn the street posts, and everyone readies themselves for the people who pour into town from far and wide. Walking down the streets and through the festival stands, Gene met quite a few of his relatives and some old friends. It was really a nice opportunity for me to meet them.

So here are the festival photos:









This building, on Republic's main street, was the Seven-Up Bottling Company many years ago. It now houses a collection of antiques of every type and description, most for sale.



Gene had me drive down a long country backroad where we came upon their polling place, of all things, out in the middle of nowhere:



That's country life for ya..

Gene went trout fishing one more time before we left and caught a few brook trout which we had for dinner:



Check out Gene's slide show to see more photos of his trout stream and his day fishing.

At the cabins where Annie stayed, a man brought this huge lake trout in and we all oooh'd and aaah'd over it:



Now THAT'S a fish!

Well, that's about it of photos from our stay at the Penthouse Cabin. Gene's there now, the Tracfone we bought to have a phone up there (Nextel didn't work past upper Wisconsin..grrr!) isn't working now either and his dad's surgery (lower leg amputation) is tomorrow. Please pray for his dad, his mom and for Gene. This is a really difficult time they're going through. We know God is in control. We pray for peace and comfort for the two of them and God's guidance for the doctors. Thank you all for your care and support through all of this.

I leave you with a final photo of Island Lake, a little piece of heaven on earth...



Good night and blessings,

Janet

As I gaze out of my window
And I look both left and right
Everything is fresh and clean
After the rain we had last night.

There on our small town street,
Stand homes as far as eyes can see,
And I know each holds its story
Of a family’s history.

Our flag adorns some of the homes,
On this Independence Day
Yet many do not care to show
What we celebrate in any way.

And it does make me wonder
How any can ignore,
Whether here for generations
Or newly come to America’s shore,

That it’s because of what we celebrate
Each summer on the 4th of July
That so many love America
And on her promise do rely.

So, feeling the caress of a summer breeze,
As I watch our flag fly brave and free
I am thankful for my blessings
And for those who sacrificed for me.

© Janet Ma'ly





Janet

Last night, returning quite late from dinner at Annie's cabin and long conversations, Gene and I drove down the pitch black highway toward home. Suddenly I was struck with the realization that we had never ventured out past dark here in the north woods, much less driven in the darkness illuminated solely by my headlights.

Whenever I drive here I am always wary. Gene has warned me that animals, especially deer, can leap out to cross the road at any moment. He's told me that if I see one deer make it across the road to watch for others to follow as they often do. My enjoyment of the pastoral scenery is always diminished by my need for vigilance straight ahead and on the periphery along the roadside for just such an encounter.

Last night, being that the darkness cut down my range of vision significantly, I kept my speed below the limit and hoped and prayed no deer would venture into my path. Gene said we'd never get home driving so slowly, so I accelerated a bit to appease him. Our conversation had just turned to something mildly humorous which, for just an instant, took my mind's eye away from its fear when, out of seemingly nowhere, a small deer appeared directly in front of my speeding car. I cried out in horror as my foot hit the brake, but not soon enough to avoid contact with the animal.

The car came rolling to a halt, Gene told me to pull off the road, and then got out to inspect the damage to the car. What about the poor deer, I thought. The animal was more my concern. But in the darkness Gene said one couldn't look for injured (or worse) deer. From what he could see, vehicle damage was minimal. He climbed back into the car and told me to continue on.

My mind was on the deer. Even if I hadn't killed it, and the blow did seem glancing, how could one leave an injured animal to suffer. Gene said, "You're a Yooper now; act like one," and said I'd now get a new nickname. What would that be, I asked. "Deerslayer" was his reply with a chuckle.

So now I'm an official Yooper, I guess. I hit my first deer (why did he have to say "first" as if there would inevitably be others??). Gotta keep a stiff upper lip and move on, literally and figuratively. I'd say I guess I'll get used to this, but somehow I hope not.

This morning I was somewhat relieved to find no blood on my car with the bits of deer fur stuck in a crack in my bumper. Small consolation, but at least something. And people say city life is harrowing. *sigh*

Good morning, Boomers! Just checking in again from the north woods with mostly some photos from the last few days.

Waking up here can be absolutely ethereal as I look out and feel I’ve a glimpse of Heaven…





and the view can change in an instant when a storm rolls in over the lake …





as the water turned an inky blue and the sky becomes dark and foreboding.

For the last couple of days we worked hard, getting the cabin all spiffy, inside and out, in anticipation of Annie’s arrival yesterday afternoon. Gene mowed the lawn which is not just a small patch of city grass, chopped some firewood with an ax thinking of the evening and sitting around a campfire and marshmallows, which he apologized for not having bought earlier on during our outdoor adventure and ached all the way through the work after his workout the day before jumping rocks to find the best fishing spot along the Little Michigan. [I know, that’s a terrible run-on sentence, but Easy does it and I think it’s contagious..lol]

On a run into town to do some laundry and pick up groceries before Annie arrived, we found a couple of garage sales along the road. We made a mental note to check them out on the way back home. One of the main stores in town is PAMIDA (the owner has three sons, Paul, Michael and David..thus Pa..Mi..Da..sort of neat, I thought). Over a week ago we’d bought an inexpensive fishing pole set there. On Gene’s first trip out fishing for brook trout, a part of the reel fell off and made it extremely difficult to continue fishing, but he did. Nothing could have stopped him that day. So I said we needed to return the reel as defective and, without a receipt and with Gene’s lack of confidence that I’d have any success, I walked into PAMIDA and explained our problem. “Do you have your receipt?” the manager asked. “My guy doesn’t save receipts,” I said (do any guys save receipts?? Lol). In the end, I walked out to the car where Gene had opted to wait rather than experience my embarrassing failure at getting satisfaction with the exchange with a brand new reel. Ha! Gene now says he’s leaving all consumer conflicts to me. Smart.

Our stops at the garage sales garnered, among other things, a nice scatter rug for in front of our non-functioning sink/cabinet, a cool set of Field & Stream coffee cups that fit right in at the cabin both for decor and beverages, a set of six chair pads in cabin brown and white checks (they outfitted the yard chairs nicely that Gene had picked up at a metal dump, his chair in the woods, and our indoor chairs), and a travel Scrabble set (Scrabble being our favorite activity in the evenings both here and back at our home in the city). Thing is, being it’s just the two of us on the road, playing Scrabble while I drive doesn’t seem a judicious way to go, particularly since I have enough trouble just staying awake! Gene never lets me forget that..and declines my suggestion that he lie back and take a nap while I drive (I wonder why??? lol).

Annie arrived safely and we enjoyed a good meal of roast beef, potatoes and carrots Gene put in the oven when we got back from town along with some sliced tomatoes and cucumbers Annie brought us. Gene collected up some small green branches and we had roasted marshmallows for dessert as we enjoyed a nice fire. Just as we were about to go out to the picnic table for dinner, looking out the cabin window, what did we see but a deer in the yard, like on cue for the enjoyment of our visitor. Though I didn’t get a shot of the deer this time (which Gene said he’d paid $50 to make an appearance for our company…lol), here are a few deer photos from the last few days…












Pippen’s first encounter with a deer sent the doe leaping off into the woods, where she stood looking back, hoping, I think, that Pippen would disappear and she could get back to the corn we put out. You can just see her off under the trees…






and then turned, walking off into the woods…





Pippen’s days are often quite full of such adventures and late evening finds him recharging his batteries on our futon in the Penthouse Cabin…





This dog knows how to relax!

As an aside, as I write this, another deer has wandered into the clearing in front of my window. Somehow I never lose my amazement seeing all of the creatures here around the Penthouse Cabin.

Driving home from leaving Gene off to trout fish the other day, I saw, looking across a high meadow, a lone deer…





and a pair of long-necked birds which Gene later identified as blue herons…






A constant battle for Gene (though half-hearted I think) is keeping the squirrels and chipmunks out of the bird feeder tree. We bought some slippery black sheeting which Gene nailed around the base of the tree in this attempt. A while later…





a little squirrel sat munching corn in the basket ABOVE the plastic “squirrel barrier”…lol. I told Gene he may as well give up. And how did the squirrel get up there? We watched and found it climbing the satellite dish post and LEAPING about six feet to the feeder tree.

One evening, as I went off to the neighbor’s campsite to use their hot water shower (ahhhh…) Gene stayed to prepare dinner. On my return, I was blessed to find a full course dinner of breaded fried butterfly shrimp (bought frozen), a baked potato and vivid green beans…




including a place mat made from a paper towel with hand-written additions such as “You can tip the waiter,” “You can buy my book at www.gplankeasy.com,” “I love you” a tic tac toe grid a la kids’ place mats at restaurants and a heart with “Easy and Gracie” written in it.

Gene takes himself off into the woods most days for a couple of hours to sit at his “spot” in the woods that I believe he’s mentioned in his blogs…





One evening he captured the late afternoon sun through a canopy of trees there…





This is where he does his best thinking…and finds his peace and solitude.

Well, that’s all for today. We are off to the Marquette County Scandinavian Fair with Annie. It should be a most excellent day…

Hugs and blessings,

Janet

Last night was different and I questioned why one would care to find oneself in this place.

We had just turned up the gas heater, turned out the lights and crawled into bed, thankful for another good day. As always, Gene said, “Sleep well, honey,” and I wished him the same. Ready for a peaceful night’s rest, I closed my eyes when…out of the darkness outside, came a a shriek, a cry, and what sounded like a struggle. It may have lasted for only a couple of seconds but it seemed much too long with the emotion it brought rising to the surface within me. Dread. Maybe fear.

“What is that?!” I demanded of Gene.
“Sounds like something’s getting killed,” he answered.

Now as most of you know, while we’ve been here in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, in a one-room cabin on Island Lake out in the middle of nowhere I’ve seen squirrels aplenty, along with chipmunks and rabbits, small snapping turtles and deer. I’ve seen birds of many sizes and colors. Considering, at that moment, all the woodland creatures I’d seen so far, yet remembering some I hadn’t seen that Gene had talked about before he took me home with him, my next question seemed reasonable…

“Killed? What is out there that would kill something?”
And in his infinite wisdom, Gene replied, “Another something.” Just like that.
Not much consolation, you can imagine.

As we both turned over, Gene fell asleep and I, well, I found myself staring at the ceiling of the cabin…suddenly wide awake, imagining, dreading, and wondering which little creature we had come to know from their daily visits would be missing in the morning. Sigh.

I heard it again. Another several cries in the night, come and gone as quickly as the first had been. I jumped out of bed. The night was pitch black outside. I found the flashlight and stepped to the window, sliding back the window pane. As the beam from the flashlight scanned the ground outside through the screen, I wondered if I’d have my first siting of some predatory animal. And then, there it was….

A RACOON! Actually two of them. Those night marauders were having their way with our campgrounds and as I watched I heard those same “cries” which ended up being the chatter they emitted as they chided one another it seemed. *sigh* What a relief! I may know from Gene’s stories that there are bears and bobcats and wolves prowling the night woods, but once I see one, I don’t know if I’ll feel as safe as I have up until now here in the wilds of the U.P. But then..that’s all part of life and living in Upper Michigan.

With little space in the Penthouse Cabin, any upward projection is fair game as a hook (noooo..not THAT one! LOL). We'd been using the top hook of the unneeded bunk bed ladder as a place to hang my camera bag, our laundry bag and a bag of candles I picked up at the thrift store. As Gene opened the fridge which is next to the bed and said ladder, the thing toppled over and everything hit the ground. I complained that his bunk beds had no bedpost at which point he broke into a one-line rendition of "Does Your Chewing Gum Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight". Neither of us could remember the rest of the song though it did bring back memories of our childhood.

So...of course..I googled it...and Gene regretted even bringing it up as I proceeded to read to him my finding which was obviously more than he cared to know about said song, but that didn't stop me. As I'm sure your musical curiosity has been piqued (what? no?? LOL), the following is what I pulled up...

DOES YOUR CHEWING GUM LOSE ITS FLAVOUR ON THE BEDPOST OVERNIGHT?
Based on the 1924 original by Ernest Hare & Billy Jones
"Does The Spearmint Lose Its Flavor On The Bedpost Overnight?
(Marty Bloom / Ernest Breuer / Billy Rose)

Lonnie Donegan - 1958

Also recorded by : Ding Dongs



Oh me oh my oh you
Whatever shall I do?
Hallelujah, the question is peculiar
I'd give a lot of dough
If only I could know
The answer to my question
Is it yes or is it no?

CHORUS:
Does your chewing gum lose its flavour on the bedpost overnight?
If your mother says don't chew it, do you swallow it in spite?
Can you catch it on your tonsils, can you heave it left and right?
Does your chewing gum lose its flavour on the bedpost overnight?

Here comes a blushing bride
The groom is by her side
Up to the altar, just as steady as Gibraltar
The groom has got the ring
And it's such a pretty thing
But as he slips it on her finger
The choir begins to sing:

CHORUS

Now the nation rise as one
To send their wanted son
Up to the White House, yes, the nation's only White House
To voice their discontent
Unto the Pres-I-dent
The bonny burning question, What has swept this continent?
SPOKEN: If tin whistles are made of tin, what do they make fog horns
out of?
(2nd Voice: Boom! Boom!)

CHORUS

On the bedpost overnight
(2nd Voice: Hello there, I love you and the one who holds you tight!)
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Sat'day night!
On the bedpost overnight
(2nd Voice: A dollar is a dollar and a dime is a dime!)
He'd sing another chorus but he hasn't got the time!
On the bedpost overnight, yeah!

Have a wonderful day..and just TRY to get that little ditty out of your head. Ha ha!

Love ya all,

Janet

Good Monday morning, Boomers! Life here has been inexplicably busy and I’m just now sitting down to post more about our U.P. Adventure and share more photos. I hope all of you had a great Father’s Day yesterday. Here I took Gene out for lunch on Saturday as we were in town and wouldn’t be on Sunday. We had a bountiful meal at Great Northern Buffet in Iron Mountain and then picked up some home-baked goods at a church outdoor rummage sale along the road home for dessert. They are collecting funds to put in a wheel chair ramp at the church and it felt good to help them out.

Sunday we went to church as usual. It’s called Witch Lake Baptist Church and somehow connecting the words “witch” and “church” seems odd to me, but it’s by Witch Lake so… Beside the fact that this church and the pastor always make sure to share the plan of salvation and make it clear that simply sitting in church on Sunday or knowing in ones head what the Bible says do not make one a Christian, their emphasis on music is what makes our Sunday worship something I especially look forward to each week. This Sunday the pastor invited anyone who would like to sing one of the hymns in an “impromptu choir” to come up front with their song book. Gene’s cousin’s wife sitting just in front of us turned around and encouraged me to join them up front, saying I sing very well. So, blushing, I joined the small group at the front of the sanctuary and felt, though new to the church, as if I was one of them which was nice. Most churches have an organized choir that practices on Wednesday night in preparation for the Sunday service, but this group with no practice sang in beautiful harmony.

Though it WAS Father’s Day, Gene spent most of the day working and I napping after I made a frozen pizza in the oven of our “new” stove for lunch. One of his projects was to add this to our feeder tree, in case I decide to “throw in the towel” and walk home… LOL





But no way! I have never been in a place where the beauty of all God’s creation is so evident. I finally got a photo of a deer by day…





Mr. and Mrs. Finch paid a visit to our feeder tree and were nice enough to pose for me…





Mr. Chubby Cheeks arrived to fill up on shelled safflower seeds…





and a black and white butterfly landed on the deck mat…





I even had a tiny butterfly land on my foot and it stayed long enough for Gene to hand me my camera…








On top of all this Gene collects wildflowers for me on his walks. You KNOW how much a bouquet of irises and daisies would cost at the florist. Well, this floral display…





grew the next day to this…





and as I used to buy myself flowers when I was alone just because I felt I was worth it, I now have a man who tells me I am and brings them daily in abundance.

While sitting in the woods each evening this is Gene’s view…








I promised to share the photos from Pippen’s first swimming expedition so here they are…

I outfitted him with a life jacket since he’s not a swimming breed (though Gene just shakes his head and repeats like a mantra “dog paddle…dog paddle” thinking I have never heard of the concept)…





I thought he looked quite the sportsman. LOL

Arriving at the end of the pier, Pippen peered (no pun intended) over the edge and his mind began to race, I’m sure…





But I knew how hot he must feel and thought a cool dip in the lake would be quite refreshing, not to mention serve as a quick bath. Hm..well, unfortunately I didn’t get a shot of him swimming (read “struggling” in the water) but here he is just after the experience…





and again, drying off on the pier (and I’m sure thinking up things he could pee on that would serve us right for what we’d done..LOL)…





We have been amazed at how a city dog who reveled in barking at squirrels and brought us baby opossums he’d “bagged” has now become a calm little guy who seems to have become one with the woodland creatures. Here we captured what we saw as Pippen and a baby squirrel got “up close and personal”…





The squirrel drew even closer…





and then scampered off…











up a tree, to Pippen’s dismay…




After a day filled with adventure, you will find Pippen, head on Gene’s pillow, sacked out on the bed..his favorite spot in the Penthouse Cabin…






So that’s the week in photos pretty much. We’re looking forward to a visit, hopefully, from Annie, our friend here on Boomer and off-Boomer from Windsor, ON Canada this coming weekend. It should be fun.

I leave you with a photo from this afternoon’s thunderstorm on the lake…





and though this blog started out with “Good Monday morning” I wish you a restful Monday evening as we sit down to a meal of “Gene’s Shrimp Fried Rice”…mmm..very tasty!

Blessings,

Janet

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