Michigan Winters

To me, a winter in Michigan is a time of recharging one's batteries. The grass doesn't need its weekly attention, the garden is asleep waiting for the next spring, and the lake cottage is buttoned up until warmer weather arrives, giving me time to spend reflecting and planning for the year ahead.

Winter weather in Michigan can be mild and laid-back, or when all things meteorological come together just so, all hell can break loose. My most memorable and life-threatening winter is 1978, when Michigan was hit with what is now known as The Great Blizzard. In January of that year we lived on our little 40-acre farm in rural Allegan county. Our home was situated on a private dirt road, about 300 yards off the paved county road. From January 25-27 we received well over 20 inches of snow, accompanied by gale-force winds. That combination closed roads, airports and even caused the University of Michigan to cancel classes for the first time in its 140-year history. The way the wind piled up the snow was both beautiful and scary.

I remember we almost lost Glenn on the day that storm began. He was walking home alone from a neighbor's house after being dropped off the school bus. His route was a shortcut through an open hayfield, as usual. He had walked back to our place that very way dozens of times, but with the snow and wind that day he became disoriented and we had to go out and find him to bring him home; dangerous stuff to be sure.

Thank goodness blizzards are a rare occurrence here. Still, with the average season snowfall of 75 inches or so, winter in west Michigan is a great time to just hunker down, start a fire in the fireplace, get out a good book and chill.

Garden seed catalogs have begun arriving lately, a surefire sign that Spring can't be too far away. I love to plan our little garden, using leftover heirloom seeds not planted last year, or the seeds saved from a few of last year's best-producing crops, and then ordering a few more for our next gardening season.

Our little "square foot" garden in 2010. 

I know, we won't feed the world with that little garden, but it augments our own needs quite well. For 2011, I'm adding two more 4'x4' raised beds. After this photo was taken, we added six raspberry bushes, hoping for a small harvest this year. Looking at photos like this make it easier to accept and survive another winter, knowing a new and warmer season is on the way.

For the past 10 years or so, I've enjoyed spending a week in (hopefully) sunny Florida during the month of March. The bulk of winter weather is over in Michigan and a few days of warmth and sunshine are a welcome change. For many years, those escapes were to Englewood Florida, where my Dad spent many winter months after his retirement. The past few years, after Dad's passing, Orlando has been my destination, using one of the timeshare weeks from the RCI account I received from Dad.

Sunshine, bright blue skies and palm trees do wonders
for a person after months of cold Michigan weather. 

For now though, with views like this on our back deck at the moment and weather forecasts expecting highs in the teens this week, that good book and cup of hot coffee seem like the best idea for the time being.