Filling Up

In case you are grumbling about the price of gas in your neighborhood...

This winter, gas on Mackinac Island costs $7.30 per gallon. Last week, we paid about $39.00 to fill up one of our snowmobiles. Please know - I'm most definitely not complaining about that price; I'm thrilled to have gas available on the island. Thank you Rock Hardware!

We can get about 60 miles on a full eight-gallon tank, so we only need to fill up every couple of weeks or so. We just drive our snowmobile out onto the Coal Dock, and fuel up. 

We've had such mild winters lately, but this year is turning out to be much more like the winters of old - snowy and cold. (I think the high today was 11 degrees F (about -12 C.)  We have two snowmobiles, since Allen and I both work and regularly need to be in two different places during the day. People are often surprised to find out we only have one car. About once a summer we end up wanting to be at two different places (off the island) during the same weekend, but that hardly necessitates paying for two cars all year long. Our car sits in the parking lot more than we drive it! The snowmobiles really are our daily transportation...

Done

It was cold on Mackinac today; so cold we had to have indoor recess. That doesn't happen all that often, but when it happens at the same time the ferry boat announces they "will resume service when conditions allow," we start to get our hopes up. Every one of us is quietly wondering - will we get an ice bridge this year?

Long time island residents tend not to talk about the ice bridge much - we don't want people to think that we encouraged anyone to go out onto the ice. Each and every time anyone ventures out there they are risking their lives, so please know: even though I may talk about looking forward to an ice bridge, my choosing to cross the ice should never be taken as an assurance that it's safe - it isn't. 

Lachance Cottage, Circa 1907-1912

Even though it doesn't have a date, I love this Mackinac Island postcard. It is a card for Lachance cottage, but it is signed by L.J. Metevier, presumably a relation of the Market Street Meteviers (after whom the Metevier Inn is named.)

The card reads: 

Mackinac July 17

Madam:

In answer to your inquiry for rates per week 2 persons in rooms, our rates are 14.00 & 16.00 per week including meals front rooms being the more expensive. We would be pleased to have your reservation and are sure we can make your visit to Mackinac pleasant & enjoyable. Trusting you will favor us by notifying us of time of arrival and price of room desired. 

Yours truly,

L.J. Metevier

I guessed the card's date to be from the early 1900s, but I wasn't sure so I asked AI, specifically Google Gemini, for its input. It had several interesting "thoughts:" I copied everything in blue text directly from AI.

Estimated Date: 1907–1912

• The Divided Back: This is your most precise physical clue. Postcards with a vertical line on the back were produced between 1907 and 1915. Before 1907, the back was for the address only, and messages had to be written on the front. 

• The Signature (J.L. Metevier): Joseph Louis Metevier was a well-known island figure and Civil War veteran. His management of the property fits perfectly within this pre-WWI window. 

• The Price ($14–$16/week): This price reflects the peak of the "Cottage Era" on Mackinac. By the time the postal rate changed in 1917, inflation from the war began pushing these rates toward $20–$25. 

• Postage Rate ($0.01): The "one cent for domestic/two for foreign" was the standard until the temporary war tax of 1917. 

• The Spelling ("Lachance"): Using the lowercase 'c' is consistent with early 20th-century records.

I'm not a huge AI user, but every now and again I do find it quite helpful.

Stuck

Due to the blizzard northern Michigan is experiencing, there are no boats to or from Mackinac Island today. That means we're stuck on the mainland with no way to get home, which is just part of living on Mackinac. In the 33 years I've lived on the island, I've been stuck on the mainland twice - once for three days. There have been other times where I was stuck on the island, but since I wasn't trying to leave and it wasn't a big deal, I didn't keep track.

Luckily, my mom has a house on the mainland with plenty of  room for guests. While Mackinac Island hasn't lost power during this storm (yet), my mom's house did lose power for a few hours this morning. The power flickered on and off in a way I've never seen before. It almost seemed like someone was jiggling the powerline that fed the house for a couple of minutes before it finally went out for good.  In addition to her furnace, my mom has a wood stove, and we wanted to make sure to get a good stockpile close to the house so she wouldn't have to trek out to the woodpile if the power stayed out. (In April, she was without power for a full week.) So this morning while she shoveled, Allen and I hauled wood. It wasn't pleasant with the wind whipping snow in our faces, but I was glad to do it. And I'm happy to know, now that the power is back on and she'll use less, she has a few weeks worth of wood just outside her back door.

2025 Student Sewn Ornaments

Somehow, in the craziness of the week before break, I didn't share a picture of the Christmas trees my students made. Sadly, I didn't get a single picture of a finished ornament! Luckily, this one is close enough to finished for you to see what the kids created. 

Each day we sewed, I taught the fifth and sixth graders what to do in the morning. Then, after they completed that step on their ornaments, my students coached the third and fourth graders in the afternoon. It worked beautifully; my kids were such great teachers! Their comments amused me to no end. I heard: "Mrs. Burt, so-n-so just wouldn't listen to me. I tried to explain, but he wouldn't stop talking," and "So-n-so wouldn't pay attention to me - even after I asked him three times!" I even had one student come to the realization that now she understands how her mother feels when she doesn't follow directions. Hopefully, those were valuable life lessons that will stick with them, even if the sewing skills do not. Either way, in this highly digital world, I loved watching them create something with their own two hands to give to someone they care about.

The pattern for the ornament came from the Country Stitches quilt shop in Lansing, Michigan. It was originally a pattern for a much longer wall hanging, but I shortened it into an ornament. I had hoped to share a link for the pattern, but I couldn't find it on their website. The fabric was leftover fabric I had in my stash.

The "Real" World

Michigan's Upper Peninsula isn't really known for its shopping. I'm ok with that - I'd rather be surrounded by beautiful landscapes and the Great Lakes than be close to big box stores. That said, when I am in the neighborhood of these stores, I take advantage of  what's available. Sometimes though, I'm a bit overwhelmed at their sheer size!  I wonder who thought a person might need to pick up vitamins, pajamas, and an entire frozen lamb in a single stop. For the record, the lamb did not come home with us; and we're not going to discuss how much I spent at Costco. Let's just say my sister-in-law is looking forward to her cash back check.

What we can discuss is the cheese isle at Kroger (or "Krogers," as we Michiganders say.) Walmart's cheese selection is abysmal, but Kroger's was amazing! I'm glad I took the time to look at the choices, because their marketing person is hilarious.

Click on the picture to make the text larger; trust me, it's worth your time. The d'Affinois sign made my day; whoever wrote those signs definitely deserves a raise. While I didn't see it quiver, it it did beckon and it was creamy and delicious.

Merry & Bright

To all those who celebrate,

I wish you and yours

the merriest of Christmases. 

Christmas Miracle

Something miraculous happened at school recently. My students entered the classroom and discovered Camilla the Christmas Chicken was no longer a stuffed chicken - she was real!

Needless to say, they were all rather surprised, and a couple of them were a little scared. Luckily, Camilla's sweet personality and calm demeanor won them all over instantly.

Unfortunately, Camilla couldn't hold a pencil to take the spelling test so she had to leave. We called my  daughter who was willing to drive down to school,  pick her up, and take her home to our chicken coop. Thankfully, the next day Camilla was back to her old, stuffed self!

Letters to Santa

Every Christmas, Mackinac Island's Postmaster puts out this cute mailbox. Since the Post Office is only about a 10 minute walk from school, it is a fun excursion to take the week before Christmas break. Our Postmaster personally makes sure Santa receives each letter and the kids always get a lovely note back. (Plus it gives me the opportunity to teach my students how to address an envelop.) 

The kids also get the opportunity to hand cancel their letters before putting them into the box. How cool is that?

In case you are curious, the kids don't have to write to Santa. If they'd rather write to someone else, they can send that letter instead. And yes, that's all of my students this year - three fifth graders and six sixth graders.

Old and New

I haven't really felt much of the Christmas spirit this year. I'm not really sure why, but from shopping to decorating to baking, my heart just hasn't been it. It wasn't that I haven't had any Christmas spirit - it's been more of a "tank half full" kind of feeling. I know myself, and my tendency is to push through things and do what I feel like I should do, or need to do, but not this year. This year I told myself that whatever I managed to get done would be enough. So... the Christmas cookie spread was a little lighter this year, but that was OK.

I did decided to try a couple of new things. I found a madeleine cookie pan at the thrift shop recently for $1.00, so I made madeleines for the first time, which was fun. Especially after seeing them made on the Great British Bake Off. For the record, mine had a lovely hump. I also tried a new recipe for cutout cookies (the blue and white ones above), which taste really good. To go with them, I tried a different decorating technique (found here.) While the spread may be lighter than in past years, for this year, it is enough...

Hopeful

Local lore says the lake has to steam seven times before she freezes and we get ice. Today makes steam number one...

Too Close for Comfort

Putting up the window candles for the holidays is typically a fairly dull task, but this year it brought a bit of excitement when the light* pictured above caught fire. Luckily, the fire started quickly and my daughter was still close by. After she came down from her adrenaline rush, she found it quite ironic that the object intended to mimic a flame had actually burst into flame.

She grabbed it by the as-yet-not-on-fire base and ran outside. Luckily, her fleece bore the brunt of the damage, and apart from a scorched spot on the sleeve and some melted plastic on the window, all is well. Thankfully. Had my daughter put that lamp up in a different room and then walked away, this would be a very different post. So, today I am feeling extra grateful for my quick thinking daughter who, while thoughtfully trying to lighten my holiday load, quite literally saved the day. 

*The lamp was UL listed, had the correct wattage bulb, and was plugged into a wall outlet (not an extension cord.)

Happy Stitchers

Another thing we do in my classroom during the month of December is we sew. Most of this group has been sewing with me for a few years now, so they are quite adept! I'm not sure I could do a project like this, by myself, with a classroom of 30 kids, but since I only have nine it's quite doable. 

I'll be sure to share their ornaments once they're finished.

Happy December

My students have been counting down the days until Camilla the Christmas Chicken returns to the classroom. She came back today - and brought treats! (This year my students have been bringing treats in for their classmates for no reason. One Tuesday, someone brings in donuts, then the next the next week we're getting cupcakes. We've decided to call those days "Random Treat Days," and Camilla decided she needed to celebrate, too.)

Perfect Timing

Mackinac Island awoke today to a blanket of snow. We had a smidgen yesterday, but today we had more than enough for our snowmobiles. Not much makes us happier than that! For me it was perfect timing - now getting several large boxes down to school in the morning will be much easier.

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you and yours have a lovely day filled with family, friends, and food!

Teachable Moment

Mackinac Island kids aren't usually able to get up close and personal with semi-trucks. When a truck showed up today to drop off a load of wood chips for the play ground, I asked the driver if he'd talk to the kids about his rig. 

They learned how it was loaded, how many cubic yards of wood chips it could carry, and how much it weighed when it was full. He even let them climb up so they could peek in the cab and get a quick tutorial on all the dials and levers he had on the dashboard.

He was an absolute peach of a guy to answer all of their (and my) numerous questions. The fact the kids found the most surprising was the truck could only travel three miles on a gallon of diesel (about 1.8 km per L). 

Grand Rapids Comic Con 2025

We had a great time in Grand Rapids. The Grand Rapids Comic Con was larger than the ones we went to in Lansing and Traverse City, with many incredible costumes. Keith looked amazing in his Rebel Fleet Trooper kit, I debuted my A New Hope Princess Leia, and Keith's R2D2 was a big hit. Our friends, Dan and Kelaine, joined us and Kelaine even wore my Endor Leia kit. Next time I need to make sure to have makeup for my eyebrows. I'm use to them being invisible, but it looks really odd with the dark brown wig. 

 

The cosplay really was amazing! There were lots of things I didn't recognize, but here are a few of my favorites:

You've got to love Waldo.

(I even saw this guy!)

Chewy was so tall!

Santa Vader gave me a big hug after I called him, "Dad."

I was glad to see a number of different Star Trek shows represented. (One of these days I will put together a Yeoman Rand kit.)

Everyone loved the Black Night from

Monty Python's Holy Grail, but

this Dalek from Dr. Who was, hands down, the coolest cosplay of the day. I'm so glad we made the trip down state - it was a great day full of good times with good friends! It sure would be fun to organize something on the island. I think it would be a hoot to have Storm Troopers garrison Fort Mackinac for an afternoon!

Morning Musings

The sky was beautiful this morning. There's just something about my morning walks to school...

I'm not sure if it's the exercise, the solitude, or the quiet contemplation, but whatever it is, it gets my day started on a positive note. 

 

I Can't Resist

Let me tell you, I really appreciate being able to sew. I'm dressing up as Princess Leia for Comic Con this year. I made sure my dress had pockets, but I knew I couldn't make them big enough to carry everything I would need for a day out (glasses, phone, drink, wallet and, of course, snacks.) Even though a bag isn't part of Leia's official costume, I wanted one. Canvas and strap from Amazon, an inexpensive graphic from Etsy.com, a free Star Wars font, and an hour or two was all it took to create a bag fit for a princess.