For the birds

Well, we're getting close to Spring in Michigan. We drove the 75 miles to Bay City for a family reunion and St. Patrick's day celebration yesterday. Thew temp was as high as 68 which for Michigan is great at this time of year. We;;, Maybe it's great at any time of the year but Michigan weather can be capricious. One day wonderful - the next day stormy.

It reminds me of when I lived in Denver -- the weather was unpredictable there as well. One New Years eve it was zero or below when I stood on the Colorado State capitol steps to take a picture of the Christmas lights on the City Center buildings. The next day I was driving a friend's convertible around town with the top down. They say that the unpredictable weather in Denver depends upon Chinook winds coming down from the Rockies.

Around here we are subject to weather changes due to the Great Lakes. So one day it's great - the next day it can be horrible. Plus we can always blame the folks up north in Canada for what they export our way.

I remember the day we moved into our house in Oscoda -- March 27, 2003 to be exact. It was in the seventies that day and the sun was blessing us. A few days later (on April 1st to be exact) we had ten or more inches of snow and we were snowed in for some time. So it is with Michigan weather. (Some have asked us why we ever left Florida for the uncertainty of the Michigan weather after 17 years and we could only respond by saying, 'Have you ever been in Florida in the summertime' plus the old adage, 'Variety is the spice of life'.)

At any rate, We're seeing birds coming back. I am puzzled, however why the geese are flying west and not north. Is there a suggestion in that. And we saw our first robins yesterday.

Well, my friend above (a Scot in an Edinburgh park) is obviously a bird fancier and I thought it was a good character picture. (The man even held a sunflower seed in his lips and the bird would take it away.)

Like I said to begin with. some people are 'for the birds'. And that's not bad.