It may dip back into winter in the upcoming weeks, but for now spring has sprung in western Michigan. We’re getting to know our yard now that it isn’t buried in snow, the birds are singing, and the deer are getting harder to spot (except for the ones that were killed by the snowplows in the snowy season - they’re reappearing after wintering in the banks of snow along the side of the road).

We’ve settled into our house - the leaks are fixed, the bed is propped up, and it turns out that the guest bathroom isn’t scary at all when it’s clean. The stinky hot water was from the re-chlorination of the well, and it’s gone now. All in all it’s a cute little home and I look forward to hosting many of you here. The neighborhood is beautiful and we’ve enjoyed our time out on the frozen lakes. We haven’t done any ice-fishing, so when I say “our time out on the frozen lakes”, picture us just standing out there listening to the subsonic groaning and cracking and daring ourselves to stay put. Now that the weather has taken a turn for the warmer, we’ll have to give up our lake walking, but I’m sure we’ll find many outdoor exploits to replace it with.

Franklin is (of course) enjoying the guitar school. We’re impressed with the level of professionalism of the course and the staff. Franklin says he is learning a lot, and of course he loves having people around with whom he can talk guitar.

I’m keeping busy by joining every club Canadian Lakes has to offer. I understand that things really pick up here in April when the snowbirds return, but I’m already walking with the Fitness Walkers, going to the weekly Bible study (I’m the only protestant!), and meeting with the writer’s club (shhhh! They don’t know what an amateur I am!).

We still have occasional flashes of homesickness, and we sure do miss our family and friends, but we’re excited about this phase in our lives, and we look forward to the future.

General, the michigan years | 4 Comments »

We moved into our new home in Canadian Lakes, Michigan yesterday.

First of all, let me tell you about Michigan in February. There’s about 3 inches of snow on the ground, and 22 inches of ice on the lakes. The roads are clear of snow and ice - though maybe I shouldn’t say “road” because they’re more pothole than pavement. On our way to the grocery store yesterday afternoon we narrowly avoided being hit by a gang of mammoth shaggy does, and judging from the variety of dead animals on the side of the road, fauna abound in this area. It is amazingly cold, and apparently this is a warm spell. I wish you all could have seen us getting into the car this morning - I thought I would never be warm again.

Our house is in a resort area where, according to the neighborhood schedule, there are book groups, euchre, poker, and bridge games, daily winter hiking clubs, Bible studies, singing groups, sewing circles, square dancing, aquasize (indoor, thankfully), fishing clubs, cross-country skiing groups, and a planned event for any other type of outdoor or indoor activity that can be engaged in corporately. I intend to take part in all most of them. The house itself is cute - if you overlook the various leaks, the saggy bed, the stinky hot water (temporary, they assure us), the non-functioning fridge (though we saved the freezer goods by putting them outside overnight), and the rental house smell. And I’m a little bit afraid of our guest bathroom. But seriously, we’ve unpacked and nested, and once we fix our “punch list,” I think we’re really going to love it.

The people here are amazingly friendly. We met a couple at WalMart last night (the only grocery store we’ve located thus far, sadly) who told us the best place in town to eat (Sharon’s - just down the road - open 24 hours over the weekend) and welcomed us warmly to the area. Our real estate agent has been a doll, and we look forward to going in on the first of every month to hand her our check. This morning we met Jamie, who works for our landlord and will be fixing things up for us. He’s super nice, a Jehovah’s Witness, and plays hockey on one of the lakes regularly. He told us that the owner left 2 kayaks which he’ll bring over when the ice melts - yay!

So, despite the occasional flashes of “oh my soul! what were we thinking? what are we doing here?”, we’re settling in nicely, and we’re excited about the future. We have this week to get everything in order - and me may even sneak off to Crystal Mountain for some downhill skiing. See pictures of the new place in our gallery. We miss everyone tons.

General, the michigan years | 2 Comments »