Icicles

 

Upper Tahquamenon Falls, Paradise, Michigan

Tahquamenon

 

Upper Tahquamenon Falls,  Newberry, Michigan

UP

 

I had a half day off on Friday, so I headed north and spent the weekend in the upper peninsula. My heart ached missing Naomi and I cried a lot of tears, but my spirit was nourished by the beauty of water, trees and rocks.

Mackinac Bridge

 

Blue

 

Down to business

 

Trees

 

Painting

 

Tree

 

Solitary retreat

 

Tawas Point State Park

Watercolor

 

Understated

 

Reflection

 

Snowed in, power out

 

I may have been the only adult who was excited to wake up on Saturday morning to find themselves snowed in without electricity.

I had heat from my gas heat stove, and I was able to light my cooking stove with a match, and I had plenty of snow. 

So, I gathered snow. I melted, boiled and filtered some of it for drinking and washing. Most of it I set in the warmest part of the house to melt to use to flush the toilet.

Do you know how much water it takes to flush a toilet?

Do you know how much snow it take to melt to get that much water?

Do you know how long it takes for the snow to melt?... Less time than it takes for my bladder to fill. 

I enjoyed my snowed-in, electric-less adventure (I read an entire book from the library). but I was happy when the power was restored again Saturday evening and I could flush my toilet with barely any effort. 

On my desk

 

Solace

 

For the past three and a half years, I spent Sunday mornings with Naomi, having church while sitting in comfortable chairs, drinking tea. 

Sunday mornings without her have been unrelentingly difficult. 

I have found some solace by pulling on my boots and layering on a wool sweater and heading to the trees and the river and the songs of a few brave birds. 

View

 

If I had grown up in a warmer climate, I might have thought snowy landscape scenes were embellished by artists. They're not. This was the view on the way home from church yesterday. 

Lines

 

White

 

Quiet snow

 

Snow, finally!

 

Jirah

 

Black and white

 

Chicks

 

Coloring

 

Potatoes

 

Reading

 

Libby and I met at the library the other day and asked a librarian to help us find children's books about grief. We came back with a stack that we previewed (and cried over) and set aside three to read with Betsy's children.

I loved the simplicity of Eva Eland's When Sadness is at Your Door so much that I ordered a copy for myself and one for a friend. 

Ida, Always, by Caron Levis, is based on a true story about two bears. The children like the part of the book where the bears respond to news of Ida's illness by growling. 

When Goodbye is Forever by Lois Rock can be a good starting place for discussions about death and loss. 

Conservatory

 

White

 

Snow dusted

 

Walk