10 posts tagged “michigan”

Because I didn't want to lose my blogger status by not having anything particularly interesting to say, I'll pull out this little gem from FamilyH File. This is particularly funny to me know (as it was then, of course) because I've been noticing a complete lack of romantic angst or desire to meet anyone/date. I'm chalking it up partly to not wanting to make time for someone right now in my busy and fulfilling life as it is currently.

But you don't want to hear about me. You want FamilyH stories. But it is about me, so it satisfies a lot of blog requirements. :-P

A few years back, most likely from the very same trip as this story, Danielle (9?) and Courtney (8? - they could have been 8 and 7), were in the basement (just outside of my bedroom), sitting at their little table playing Uno.

Courtney: "Aunt Amy? Do you have any kids?"

Before I could respond:

Dani, dismissively: "Pfft. Of course she doesn't have kids, Courtney. First she needs to find a husband!"

Courtney, not to be defeated: "First she needs to find a BOYFRIEND!"

Dani: "First she needs to find TIME!"

Stifled giggles from MomH, upstairs.

Bonus story: One of those days of that trip, I had been outside helping with barn chores. Because it was December in Michigan, I was under many layers of clothing. Because I had been in the barn, I was stinky. The girls needed to be wherever I was at all times, but I wanted to take a shower. I was down to my last layer and said, "Girls, I need to go take a shower."

Courtney: "You can take your shirt off, Aunt Amy. We won't laugh."

Oh, and Mom didn't even stifle giggles on that one. Big time laughing coming from the upstairs. I was pretty speechless for both. Nice.  

I'm back in Arizona, safe and sound. My flight back was thankfully perv-free, but I was sitting next to an older couple who complained about EVERYTHING. Lucky for me, Brother Steve gave me a fully-loaded mp3 player for Christmas so I missed a lot of what was going on. The tunes also drowned out the sounds of their full-on tuberculosis and/or emphezema. It's amazing a human can cough so long, so loud without actually coughing up one or both lungs.

My friend picked me up at the airport and we compared parent stories. Her mom and DadH are very similar in their complaining. It's nice to know we aren't alone. More on that another time.

I got home and found Mr. WuvWuv fat and happy! When I left, he was still boney and now it seems he's putting weight back on. Granted, I don't want him fat but he was losing weight on a scary pace. It also wasn't fair that he was losing weight faster than I was and I was actually trying - and have more to give up. His cat-watchers did an excellent job and I am forever indebted to them for their kindness and generosity.

The stack of mail waiting for me included - prezzies from BrownAmazon! Canadian and Swiss chocolates for me, kitty toys for Elvis. Thanks so much!!!!! And as you will note in the second pic - you can't make Swiss chocolate without Brown Swiss cows. I like truth in packaging. :-)

Today is all about getting my crap together. I ran three miles, did three loads of laundry and need to go buy some food at some point but I might go without. I picked up a friend from the airport and we went straight for Mexican food. Both of us had gone far too long without good, cheap Mexican food. I had the shredded chicken burrito in a homemade tortilla. Mmmmm...lard...*drools* So I might not be hungry for a long while.

I've been thinking about making some resolutions, but the ones I've come up with are more suitable for a to-do list than any "I want to change my life" goals. Besides, my 2006 resolutions are still posted here on my desk and those would be the same ones I keep breaking: get back in shape, build writing career, eat better, date local guys, etc. I also know making resolutions like "Do dishes every night to wake up to an empty sink" are just setting myself up for failure. Sure, I'm good for one night, but after that? Pffft. Instead, here is what I would like to do in 2008:

1. Finish the quilt I started in 2003.
2. Replace the sliding patio door with new, energy efficient version. Added bonus: tighter seals to keep out my scorpion friends.
3. Buy new, energy efficient refrigerator. Added bonus: A freezer that doesn't destroy everything it holds.
4. Sign up for another race to keep motivation up for working out. My training for the Big Race in February centers around Shame Avoidance. Wanting to not be the weakest member of the team is the most powerful reason to stick to a training schedule.
5. Get out my oil paints and complete one picture.
6. Paint the spare room - but not with the oil paints.
7. Keep up the good work. (Always end on a positive!)

Edit - One more: 8. Use all the stuff I have in my house or get rid of it. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

I hope to make some tours around the 'hood and see what all y'all been up to!

Cow stories are pending, promise! To tide you over, here's a picture of dinner time on the farm:

Dinner Time

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My time here back home is winding down. I'm back in the air to Arizona tomorrow. Wish me luck for safe travels and calm weather. I've been pretty lucky with winter weather travel so far, so I'm hoping my streak can extend at least one more time.

I don't mind flying on New Year's Eve. Not too many other people are flying and the ones who do are usually good humored and happy to have a beer with you while you wait to board. As long as I don't sit next to another leg-grabber, it'll be a good time. Gah. On the way out, the guy in the middle seat (I was on the aisle) was taking up the arm rests and a good deal of my space as well. I was over as far as possible to keep his elbow out of my ribs. Then he was pretending to be asleep when the tray tables were down. I was reading a Smithsonian mag (I try to catch up on my pile when I fly) when I felt something. I look down and while his hand was on the seat rest, his fingers were curled around the bottom and he was reaching for my leg.

Was he just trying to stretch his hand? Is this really happening? I looked at his other hand - nope. No being grabby with the guy on the other side of him. I felt ill and I was pissed. What do you do when there are no other seats available and you have two more hours ahead of you? I grabbed another magazine and put it between my leg and his straining fingers. Then he was going under the magazine. ACK! So I took the magazine, aimed the binding side down and hit his fingers. He said, "oh, excuse me" and then kept his hands on the tray table and in plain sight the rest of the time.

So let's hope for no more of that.

Life has been good here. All the early drama subsided and we had a great time. Tonight was a big family dinner with everyone, followed by some Euchre (a card game popular in the Great Lakes region). Danielle (12) wants to learn so we've been playing with her the last couple of nights. Last night, I told her that the only time her grandpa made me cry was during a Euchre game and I trumped his ace. I said he made me feel like the dumbest person in the world.

DadH: "Nope. There was a dumber one up at Narrow Lake a few years back. No one liked to play with him."

If the H's are good for anything, we're good for a laugh. And there's been quite a bit of that, which has been fun to be around.

It's been a busy week back home, full of family, dogs, cows, friends and Michigan State sports (went to campus twice to watch both men's and women's basketball teams; football and hockey on tv). I haven't checked in too much because we're on dial-up out here in the sticks. Very unreliable for one, and Dad always seems to waiting for a Very Important Call.

Mom tried to get me interested in the fertilizer salesman who stopped by to help Dad figure out some past billing. "He's a hard worker, owns a lot of property and isn't married at the moment." Thanks, Mom. Then as he was leaving I heard him say he needed a wife who can stay home and do the bookwork. I pointed out to Mom that the two things he was looking for in a spouse are two things I'm not very good at.

It's always tough to leave here but I'm looking forward to getting back to Elvis and my life out in the desert. Being home is good for the soul and I'm glad to remember what good people I come from.

I wish everyone a very happy New Year and all the best for 2008. May the year bring you strength, kindness and patience to get you through the rough patches and love, joy and understanding in all of your moments.

Here I am safely ensconsed in my 80 degree A/C home and watching the National Independence Day festivities from DC on my local PBS station. I just finished a post about why I love Phoenix. But I realize one thing I miss.

Playing in a Fourth of July concert. Outside. Even though I've played more John Phillip Sousa tunes than I can recognize by name, I love the "Stars & Stripes Forever" with its dogfight section and piccolo feature.

However, I can only hope the TV broadcast was edited down. Way down. When the NSO played Tchaikovsy's 1812 Overture, I settled in for something fantastic. Instead, they only played the end. Not the entire heart wrenching piece, the tug of war between the French and Russian forces. It wasn't even anticlimatic, it was just the flash bang part.

I remembered back *crusty old crazy cat lady voice* back when I was in the band, we played the entire 1812 complete with Howitzers. Yeah. Howitzers. I'll never forget rehearshing under the baton of Dr. Rick Blatti (my favorite band director ever, now with Ohio State University), and being told "the part where the canon goes off, we are using Howitzers. Get ready for it."

So here we are, a summer band playing in a glorious band shell on a beautiful Midwestern summer day, playing Sousa tunes and full of exciting expectation for our grand finale.

Nearby, members of the Michigan National Guard were ready by radio for their part to play.

Then we dove into the 1812. During the last moments, when many 'indoor bands' play the part of the final defense with bass drums, we had real canon. I flew out of my chair from the blasts. Squirrels fell out of trees from shock. The moths fluttering around the band shell lights were stunned and dazed all over our music. When the smoke cleared, the audience, comprised of family, friends and almost everyone we knew - was out of their lawn chairs, off their blankets, cheering and clapping as if it was the most amazing concert they've experienced.

It so rocked. Even the NSO can't compare.

Wheelchair-bound man stuck to semi goes for wild ride

UPDATED AT 2:35 p.m.: PAW PAW -- A man was taken on a wild ride when his wheelchair became lodged in the grille of a semitrailer and was accidentally pushed down a highway for four miles at about 50 m.p.h., authorities said.

 AUDIO: Hear what witnesses told the 911 dispatcher

Yes, I talk about cowz a lot. I lof dem. I was feeling homesick from some talk of Michigan and running around on the farm as a kid during the summer. So I thought I would change up my banner and icon (avatar?) for a little while to amuse myself.

Alternative title: Regional Dialects, Part III. For reference, here is Part I and Part II.

Last week my co-worker and I were talking about Mackinac Island (pronounced Mackinaw) and the Grand Hotel, which

Michigan Satellite Photo

many people know from the movie, "Somewhere in Time". I've never seen the movie, but I have been to the Island. But back to my story. I asked him if he and his family knew they were "Fudgies".

You see, a Fudgie is a tourist to Northern Michigan, drawn to Mackinac Island fudge in the summer like Leaf Peepers flock to New England in the days of autumn. In my search, I came across a fabulous site, MichiganNative.com, created and supported by a Michigan expat feeding his and others' sentimentality about our way of speaking.

Here's an excerpt:

A little bit Fargo, a little bit Nasal Chicago, and a little bit Canadian, the Michigan Accent was derived from a lot of the linguistic influences of its early settlers: Irish, Finnish, Welsh and Dutch. In some areas, particularly around blue collar parts of Detroit, hordes of poor Southerners who came up the Dixie Highway to work on the assembly lines in the early-to-mid 1900's have also injected a bit of Southern twang into our Northern European heritage.

The resulting mix is similar to a pirate from Kentucky with a head cold...

Going through the pronunciation guide and unique words and phrases, I had to laugh and also feel a bit nostalgic for the Winter Water Wonderland. Earlier today I saw fellow Voxer and Michigander Lauri use "Jeezopete" in someone's post. Apparently, Geeze-o-Pete and it's various spellings is a Michigan thing. I use it all the time myself.

I admit this post is a bit esoteric but it was too fun not to share. Now I'm in the mood for a game of euchre. Anyone else?

A friend sent me a link to a dialect survey that mapped out what parts of the country said what and how. This survey is closed, but you can view the results here.

You can also find out what people in what regions call the grassy area between the sidewalk and the road, a drive-through liquor store and sweetened carbonated beverages:

105. What is your generic term for a sweetened carbonated beverage?
     a. soda (52.97%)
     b. pop (25.08%)
     c. coke (12.38%)
     d. tonic (0.67%)
     e. soft drink (5.89%)
     f. lemonade (0.01%)
     g. cocola (0.29%)
     h. fizzy drink (0.14%)
     i. dope (0.03%)
     j. other (2.55%)

I stole this from Crankypants, who stole it from some random blogger. Just in time to get me all excited for my trip to Michigan to celebrate Christmas with my family. When I get back to Arizona, I'll be shoving vowels through my nose like I never left the farm. You betcha!

Over on CO, Lauri and Teho were sharing Midwest memories and waves of nostalgia also flowed over yours truly. 

I moved to Phoenix October 6, 1993, to follow my future ex-husband. It was a perfect October day and I remember the drive to the airport in full technocolor. All in all, it was a good move for me. I think I needed to be here for my Elvis. (Obligatory cat reference). 

My family still all lives back on the farm with our Brown Swiss cows, some Holsteins and a few Jerseys owned by 4-H kids. Both of my brothers decided they wanted to continue on with farming post-college and moved back. (Mom, Dad, Grandma, and I are also Michigan State grads. Go State!)

Cows

When my brother Ray married Kathy, Mom and Dad built a house across the road so 'The Family' would have the house Dad grew up in and then raised his family. Mom said she always wanted a house on a lake, but our pond suffices quite well, in my opinion. Here's the view - which is also the site of the Great Canada Goose v Wild Turkeys Gaggleland Riot of 2006.

The Pond

This a great place for fishing derbies, picnics and lounging about under a massive shade tree (not pictured) . It was just a little baby tree when my parents planted back when we were all tykes. They thought it would never be big enough to provide any shade. We once had an old chicken coop that we renovated to be the Beach House, complete with changing room and portable toilet.

I'm also a big fan of winter. I always was, and I miss the snow here in the desert.

Farm in Winter

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I took this picture from the front of my parents' house a few years ago. My oldest niece and I were tromping through snow banks after some good slides on the pond ice. We rounded the corner of the house and I ran to get my camera. This is almost enough here to keep me cool when it's 115 degrees here.

These are the old barns. With so many people to support, the family put in an entirely new operation with the latest and greatest in dairy design. I could go on and on about cows and such, but I'll refrain. For now...