Thursday, November 3, 2011

SIGNS

Having moved to another place recently I keep looking for signs ofthe season changing. Back at home I looked for the wooly worm or the behavior of the wildlife I knew so well. Here..it's all new. There are seagulls and I still don't know their habits. They seem to congregate on the ground in all sorts of parking lots and open spaces.
I ask around about how long they stick around. The  people here tell me they are sometimes here all winter long sticking close to the places where they know they can get food. If it is a really bad winter they will leave and go farther south and sometimes inland. YIKES... if I see them all leaving I think we are in for big trouble.

We are pretty much done with fall leaves turning here now..trees are somewhat bare in places. I noticed a lot of people remove leaves and can be fined if they leave them in the street. Snowplows cannot plow with leaves stuck to the curbs. BIG NO NO! With the amount of snow they get here, I guess it would be quite a problem in the dead of winter.



 Being pretty much a city girl I sure am getting a taste of how it is out in the wild. Not a very far ride from where I am is the middle of a state forest for miles and miles. It amazed me that some people were actually living in homes in the middle of the forest. The land was sold years ago and so they got it at a great price.
 Little did they know that years later, their would be a big road in the middle of it and traffic night and day. Talk about snowed in. I bet they keep an ample supply of wood and food in the winter, because some of the little side roads are not paved and are wayyyy back in the woods. Hope they have a plow handy. Up here, the local lodges like ELKS and MOOSE really do look like lodges. I see I have a lot to learn yet.

"DOWNSTATERS" is a word I heard I had never even thought of before. Imagine that we "downstaters" had a nickname. Going to be a lot of  getting used to living differently. YES, the stores here have much more winter clothing than "downstate", who knew?

8 comments:

Beth said...

You have become a Yooper!

xoxox

Sherry said...

A whole new way of life! Can be exciting!

Cindy said...

Sounds like you're in a really nice area now. Have you had any luck in finding a job yet? I'm always curious about how things are going and hoping you've found something especially with Christmas right around the corner. I'd imagine lots of places are hiring seasonal help. Good luck and enjoy northern Michigan.

Terry's Tete-a-tete said...

"Downstaters". Funny, I guess that's what you would call us here, as Beloit is right on the ILL/WI border.

CAROLDEE said...

Technically Sis..a YOOPER is only from the UPPER Penninsula. So we are kinda MID NORTHERNERS. Wierd I know..never knew there could be names for certain areas of ONE state. :-)

Joe said...

There can really be a difference between slickers and real live country folk can't there? I see it in this state all the time. I look at some of the houses out there in the remote areas and think it doesn't look too bad...then winter comes in and I think to myself: no thanks! Bless you my friend.

Seeking Serenity said...

oh it looks SO beautiful!!

Ramblingon said...

Downstaters. I wouldn't have thought there would be a nickname for where you were.

I'm still having fingers crossed and you o my mind that you find a job soon. xoxoxoxox