Rays Retreat Ramblings

Looking for Mushrooms

We’re still waiting to find mushrooms or even hear about anyone finding more than a handful of the blacks. Up in this area we need some good rain followed by warm days/nights. Its getting down to 20 tonight so its not happening yet.

The local news station had a story about people finding meth lab trash left out in the woods. So beware and be careful.

http://www.9and10news.com/story/17860513/dangers-of-meth

Decision

 

Forest Fire

Forest Fire in Oscodo County…. just updated on the tv news that it has burned 400 – 500 acres. Jackpine is basically the trees that are burning so hotly and fast. Evacuations.

Please keep these people in prayer.

Rain needed

A day with sunshine and no wind! Amazing. We had clouds move in late in the afternoon but its not looking like we will be getting much if any rain from them.

We are desperate need for a good drenching in northern Michigan. Fire danger is extremely high and there have been many spot fires that departments have been putting out.

There’s another reason we need rain – to pop mushrooms. So incredibly dry in the woods. A few people have found some blacks but nothing more than a small ‘mess’ … enough for one person to enjoy.

We’ve lots of sticks and branches to pick up – AGAIN! The yard was looking so good. sigh. Its good for us. Good exercise. Sparky enjoys it when we have to be outside more. Although picking up sticks with him around is tricky. He races you to the stick, if he gets it first then it becomes a tug of war, and he always wins. So you give up, go to pick up another stick and he’s bounding back over to grab that one. The first stick has now been shred into several pieces … more to pick up!

Having that hot spell in March has made the rest of this cool spring seem never ending…. I had even gotten my summer clothes out in March and now I keep looking at them wondering when? when? how much longer before a good warm day?

I really would prefer for mother nature to just keep with the traditional weather calendar.

Conspiracy

Windy Days

We enjoyed a few days at the lake. Only one boat ride though. Mike and I were very disappointed. The wind just blew and blew. Each day it seemed to blow a little bit harder.

Gizzy is watching a loon. They are real pretty birds, a strange noise they make and they can swim underwater. Both Gizzy and I watched and watched for him to come back up. Then POP there he was halfway across the lake.

Saw and eagle late yesterday afternoon. Scooped a fish out of the lake. Now that’s fishing.

Now we’re back at the motel. Wind still blowing here too. ohhhh I’m feeling tired. That wind … it tires a dog out.

Sparky T. Ray

Never Boring

Before moving north I enjoyed spring as much as anyone. The gradual warming, grass and trees greening and then the flowers and buds opening. Beautiful.

Days of pleasant temps. Sunshine and 60’s with the occasional day ramping up to the 70s. Easy to start planning and planting the flowers and vegetables. Sitting and soaking up sunshine as you start to think about summer.

Our first spring up north I realized it was quite different. April down home the yards would be bright green. Daffodils and crocus open. Up north we were still walking thru snow piles. Ice in the drive.

Down home in May we were enjoying night time outdoors as the temps warmed. Lilacs, iris all sorts of flowers blooming.

May up north we are starting to get gentle days that tease us. Trying to lull us into planting. Which is too early. There are still nighttimes of frost ahead.

There is no real spring up north. It goes directly from winter to summer. Cold to not so cold.

This years been a little different since we had a week and a half of summer in March. Even that isn’t that unusual for Michigan. Here we can experience all four seasons in a 24 hour day.

The weather is never boring. Or predictable.

Later

Sigh of relief

We awoke this morning to the sound of rain which was a pleasant sound to hear. It was a pleasant sound which hopefully will be enough to help the fire danger and begin popping morels in the woods.

We enjoyed yesterday at the cottage. Summery day. A bit windy, but that didn’t stop us from getting out on the pontoon for a ride. We met our new neighbors to the left of us. We had been a bit worried remembering the family that had looked at it in the fall with five children running helter skelter from dock to dock. Its not that we don’t like children. We were children once upon a time, we had children, we enjoy our grandchildren. We just didn’t want to have children running around with their loud screeches when we are so close.

We were also worried about the dogs. If they were not dog friendly people.

Sigh of relief. We met the couple and enjoyed a fire together Saturday. Their children are adults. They are dog lovers and have two dogs. They thought Sparky was very handsome and Gizzy adorable. All four of us went to bed happy.

Big Foot

TV cameras were rolling in the vicinity of our cottage as they searched for signs of Bigfoot! .. its not a joke. For Real. Animal Planet apparently has a tv shot searching for Big Foot. I don’t know how I’ve missed that but I would never have imagined it was a show. The Michigan episode will air sometime this summer. Here’s the news story, check it out!

http://www.clarecountyreview.com/2012/04/bigfoot-search-comes-to-mid-michigan/

It was on several news shows this week.

Also a topic on the news is the extremely dry conditions. A winter of little snow, and start of spring that has had little rain. A fire was spotted to the east of us, along Turtle Lake Road. 55 acres were burned. They were able to get it under control and put out. Thank goodness they have the air patrols.

Hopefully Rain will be arriving this weekend. A good dousing to prevent fires, and to encourage the morels to pop!