Enjoying Michigan Winters

It's tradition in Michigan that this time of the year is prime time for complaining about the weather. As I move through my day, visiting the grocery store, dry cleaners, mall or vet, I hear the same thing repeated again and again. 'How are you doing?' I ask. 'OK, except for the [freezing, gloomy, snowy, icy...insert your own adjective here] weather. I don't think I can make it until spring...winter is so long!'. When I tell people that I actually like winter, I am regarded with suspicion. I'm not following the party line. Worst of all, though, is listening to the weather reports on TV, which hearken thoughts of the apocolypse whenever a snowfall is expected. So I gave up on TV weather long ago. Couldn't take the drama.

I'd like to suggest that our weather isn't all that bad, and perhaps we (shall I say it?) exaggerate a bit. Keep in mind that right now, early January, that days are actually getting longer. It is cold, but unless you don't have a home, I'm guessing most of us are adequately warm most of the time. And can I suggest you look at how other people around the world handle weather to gain some perspective? For example, I lived in Tokyo for a number of years, and they have a typhoon season that lasts from August through to mid-October. One day early in my stay I looked out my window and saw a green sky with high winds whipping the rain horizontally. I had to be somewhere for a meeting about 1/2 hour walk away, and since I had no car, as most people did not, I assumed the meeting was canceled (wimpy Michigan person that I am). When I called my Japanese friend to make sure my assumption was correct, I found that not only was the meeting on, but that she was a bit puzzled as to why I was even calling.

So there was a big lesson for me. Don't worry about the weather! Throughout my years in Tokyo, I walked everywhere (often in a dress and heels) in all weather conditions, and found that, surprise, it wasn't all that bad. I learned to bring along a handkerchief to sometimes wipe off my legs, kept an umbrella with me, and came to accept that my hair was going to have some bad days.

Another discovery was that being outside year-round did great things for my spirits. I recognized that in the USA I usually moved from cubicle (home) to cubicle (car) without fresh air intake, and perhaps this wasn't the best thing for me. So when we moved back, we began biking and walking more. Tom is still biking, even into January, for part of his commute downtown. And although I'm more of a 3-season biker, I have recently picked up a new form of exercise, swimming, that is also wonderful for lifting my spirits in a cold Michigan January. There's something about being in contact with the elements (fresh air or water) that must be a fundamental need of ours.

So, right now in the middle of a [can we try the word 'beautiful'?] Michigan winter, let's relax and enjoy each season our wonderful state has to offer. Our Tuesday group is going to be discussing various topics that are winter-related these coming weeks, and feel free to join us. We start next Tuesday with ice-removal and humidifiers, and will also tackle dressing for the weather, hibernation/need to sleep in winter (including food cravings), setting up a comfortable winter environment, seasonal cultural expectations, and inspirational reading.

Another way to do Christmas lights

This year we decided to forsake the traditional strings of lights we normally display in the front of our house. Instead, we purchased 2 lanterns at Pottery Barn and put candles in them. We light them every night for a few hours, and we love the subtle effect.

A new kind of Christmas tree

When we were in Montreal last month, we biked up a mountain (less impressive than it sounds - not a very steep grade), and at the top was, in addition to a breathtaking view of the city, a series of interesting gardens. One idea that caught our eye was a simple teepee-like structure that was built from sticks and vines.



We've got a lot of that type of material in our yard, as we are adjacent to a woods. So on Thanksgiving day, Tom, Molly and Tommy built our own structure from sticks and some invasive vines we found in the woods. We used tufts of goldenrod as 'ornaments.' We also attached lights for illumination at night.

Making stock from scraps

A number of months ago Ayliffe and Mitzi introduced the group to a new way of making soup stock using vegetable scraps. The process is actually quite simple: Every time you find yourself with parts of your vegetables that you don't use, like broccoli stems or potato peelings, instead of putting them into your compost, stick them in a freezer bag (gallon size), and keep it in the freezer. When the bag is full, put it into a stock pot, and fill the pot with enough water to cover the vegetables (about 18 cups for us). Put the pot on the smallest burner you have, on low. It will take a long time for the water to heat up, but keep it below a simmer for about 2 hours (you don't want foam to develop). Check it at the 2 hour mark, stir it a bit, and then check it about every 1/2 hour after that, for a total of about 4 hours. Pour it into a strainer that is over a large bowl. Compost the vegetables now. Then, you can make your favorite soup from this stock. You can also do this with chicken carcasses.

Anyway, Tom and I have been experimenting with this, and the results have been superb. I don't think I have ever eaten soup this good before, and the stock makes all the difference. And it's a great way to use your (clean) vegetable scraps.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Training the Neighbors

Many of you may know that Tom and I begin to gather our neighbors' leaves this time of year to put on our woodsy area in our backyard. It serves as a good mulch and provides rich nutrition to the soil. Right now is prime gathering time but we are currently distracted by 2 things: the Green Garage work, and our recent vacation up north. So we haven't been able to take the short drive around the neighborhood yet to rob our neighbors of their organic gold. I'm sure they're disappointed because it has to be great fodder for neighborly conversations for months to come. Anyway, we arrived home from vacation late Monday night, and Tuesday morning while I was sipping my tea waiting for the sun to rise, I saw some forms out in the garden that I couldn't quite place. Was it a deer sleeping out there? As the sky lightened, I saw that our considerate neighbors behind us had taken their leaf bags and deposited them in our garden, knowing that we needed them. I think I'll take them over some cookies, and hope they spread the word. Maybe next year ALL of our neighbors will make a donation, saving us the effort of even going out. And that, folks, is how you train your neighbors.

Biking in the Cold Weather

At our last Tuesday meeting, we talked about biking in cold weather. In this video, Tom describes the process of preparing for his morning bike commute.

Arthur and Me

In early October, Tom and I took a 10-day vacation to 4 cities in Canada. We dropped our car off in Stratford, Ontario, and then took the train to Kingston (by New York state), then Montreal, and finally to Toronto. We have done train travel before and find it fits us very well. Unlike car travel, we can sleep or read, and there is no 2-hour wait at an airport like plane travel. Besides, the leg room is to die for.

But can I suggest one more hidden benefit? Sometimes you meet the greatest people. Once, when I was traveling alone to Milwaukee, I sat next to a man who worked for a major TV news organization, and spent many hours discussing the changing role of media today. I had such an occasion once again on this trip. This time, Tom and I boarded a crowded train from Kingston to Montreal and couldn't find 2 seats together, and finally settled across from each other on aisle seats. My seat mate was an elderly gentleman who welcomed me with a warm smile. I noticed that he was wearing some sort of a uniform jacket and that the jacket was decorated with numerous medals. I assumed he was a veteran. Almost immediately, he began speaking with me, friendly sort that he was, and since I love meeting new people we quickly got to know each other. His name was Arthur Brough and he was from England, but was currently in Canada visiting a niece. He was to turn 90 on October 24th, and was heading to Montreal to catch the plane back to England for his party.

I asked Arthur about his history in the armed forces, and he told me a fascinating story about his time in the army in WWII. He told me, in fact, that he had been a prisoner of war in Poland for 5 years. He said that he had put down his remembrances into a book. I told him that I certainly would love to read that book, at which point he reached into his bag and pulled out a book titled 'My Wasted Years - 1940-1945'! Would you mind, I asked him, if I read it right now? He was delighted to have me read his story, so I spent the next 3 hours or so reading Arthur's story, pausing to have him clarify points. I can't tell you all of the details of his story, but he was captured in France, taken to Poland via cattle car, and taken to a main stalag (Stalag 13, in fact), where he was put on various work details and sometimes sent out to Polish farms. He tried to escape numerous times but was never successful. Two things I'll remember about his story: First, he had an uncanny ability to remember the food he received from the Red Cross or kind Polish citizens (he mentions any special food in great detail), probably because he was half-starved most of the time. Also, I was struck by the kindness shown by British soldiers to their guards. When they received food packages from home (yes, they did get through), they would share the food with their guards because, he said, that was the British thing to do. I wonder if I would be so generous.

After he was liberated by the Americans in 1945, he married a young woman named Vera and worked as a crane operator. He and Vera had no children, and he lost her 5 years ago. As he told me this, he pulled a small locket from inside his shirt. On one side was a photo of Vera, probably taken at the time of their marriage, and one the other side was his photo. He had to wipe away the tears when speaking of her.


So there is my train travel story. Tom took a photo of us before we got off the train, and I promised Arthur I'd send it to him. He gave me an address card with a picture of him and Vera on the front. Tomorrow I'm making a special batch of my chocolate chip cookies, and I'll send them along with the photo for his birthday. After all, he really does love packages of special food.