Sunday, April 19, 2015

News From Down The Lane

It has been a busy week here in the north woods.

The big news is that winter suddenly ended last Sunday, and Spring began three weeks early.  Sunday began with our lake iced over.  The temperature climbed to sixty degrees, and a brisk wind blew the ice over to the north shore, where waves worked all afternoon to melt it.  By the end of the day all of the ice was gone, like a Penn and Teller magic trick.


The water is very clear this time of the year, before the warmth of the sun causes plant growth and algae bloom.


We lost one of our neighbors this winter.  Don was the long-retired former town constable, and had been in declining health for several years.  He passed at age 85.  We knew Don for 25 years, and in all that time we never heard anyone say one unkind thing about him, nor heard him say anything unpleasant.  He was a good man.

His age made him the third oldest guy in the neighborhood.  There are two neighbors who are in their middle nineties, and there spouses, who still live here year around.  One had a small stroke and then five stents this winter, but he's up and around, moving his own firewood, doing a bit of raking in his yard.  The other has the beginning of memory loss, but still drives, fishes, and so forth.  Something about living in the woods and having chores to do keeps people active well into their older years.

The woods needed some management this spring, so the timbering crews came in.


The harvest this year is limited to birch and red pine.  The birch will be turned into wood for cabinets, doors, and trim, while the red pine will be turned into pulp for paper and cardboard products.  The branches and scrap will be turned into paraffin-soaked fire starters for use in fireplaces and campfires.  Trees are a cash crop up here, and woodlands are harvested about every twenty years.

The crews had an unwelcome delay when the township placed weight limit restrictions on town roads.  Violate the load weight limits, and face a very stiff fine.  So everything stayed where it is for a few days until the earth under the roads fully thaws, and heavy loads won't cause road damage.


This may be our last Spring in the northwoods.  We met with a real estate agent last week, and will sign a listing contract this week placing our cabin for sale on the market.  We have been thinking about this now for two years, and have decided to go ahead with it.  It will be difficult to part with our cabin, but the time for that haa arrived.  We'd rather spend winter months in a warm climate, so that's what we'll do after the sale of the cabin has closed, whenever that may happen.

It's always interesting how the arc of life is different than the plans one makes.  We planned to live out our last years in the cabin, hoping to age as well as our neighbors.  The arc won't match that plan.  Winters in Florida, Texas, or California are now far more appealing than months of relentless subzero temperatures, and seemingly interminable snowfalls.  I'll miss the summers in the woods, though, I know that.


Time changes nearly everything.

38 comments:

AllenS said...

Time passes.

bagoh20 said...

If you don't need a job (there aren't any), Florida is a great deal. It has the most incredibly cheap real estate - even close to the ocean. Everywhere else that is warm in winter is expensive. Central Florida near the space coast is a nice climate, and cheap. I would live there myself, but I need mountains - at least nearby.

Southern California is the best climate, but just crazy expensive and the government is insulting and insane. Most other places warm are expensive, but less so than California. Central to Northern California is nice and not too crazy on price.

Michael Haz said...

Bago - Parts of Florida may be cheap, but other parts are off the planet expensive. We saw mile after mile of $20-$100 million homes along the gulf coast, many of them second, third or fourth homes, used only a month or two each winter.

Lots of Russian, Asian, South American and Canadian money. Lots of it.

We like Venice quite a bit, and it's possible to find a 2 bedroom condo on the beach for less than $250K, or a very nice new home 10 miles inland.

The Texas Hill Country west of Austin is also appealing, but it's awfully arid, and the immigration problems are, well, problems.

Michael Haz said...

I think I'm going to turn into the old white-haired hippie, riding a balloon-tired beater bicycle up and down the beach, wearing cutoff jeans, a tee shirt and flip-flops.

Michael Haz said...

This is probably the tee shirt.

JAL said...

Well after seeing the tee shirt, maybe you should hang out in FL.

On the other hand, that would go well in CA. You can get nice weather, ocean, etc., but a little short on water these days, but plenty of reasons to wear the T-shirt.

Did I mention that NC has lots of nice people? So does Texas (short on mtns.)

blake said...

See, I think I could used to winters, not having had any previously.

But I've been trying to take up smoking, too, so I'm probably not the best example. (Of anything.)

Trooper York said...

Florida sounds like the the thing. I think I would stick out. Like Johnnie Ola waiting for Hyman Roth to come back to the Caddy.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

You would fit right in Troops.

You even have the shirts already. If you didn't sell those.

Michael Haz said...

Trooper, the Atlantic side of Florida is basically Brooklyn with palm trees. You'd go unnoticed there.

The Gulf side is Midwesterners, Canadians, Germans and Russians.

Ron said...

If I haven't said it in awhile, Mr. Haz....you're a good man.

Aridog said...

If I get to where I must have "warm" year round (or nearly so) I think I'd look at Sedona, Arizona. I have no idea how much real estate costs there...I just like the place. No huge mountains, which I usually need now and then (like Montana) but it has some really big rock formations.

Oh, well...I suspect I'll live in and croak in Michigan and visit the mountain west only occasionally. Michigan is weird, infuriating politics, both parties, and yet there is culture if you know where to look...art and music especially. I am part of this place...like it or not.

But...that allure of "the warm" is growing every day these days. :-)

Aridog said...

Uhmmm...that said, if Haz manages to one day convince me to again ride motorcycles, where I die might not be up to me. Gaaaaah. Some little habibi with her face plastered to her smart phone while driving her BMW would likely wipe me out near a stop sign she blew through.

In Sedona, perhaps not so much. Do they execute those who drive there with the smart phones upside their heads? If yes, here I come. :-)

At least bikes don't eat when you sleep...so there's always that.

chickelit said...

The water is very clear this time of the year, before the warmth of the sun causes plant growth and algae bloom.

My dad used to like pointing that out because the water clarity in Wisconsin lakes got worse every summer. He always said that ice diving in the dead of winter afforded the best visibility. Ice diving was a little too hard core for me and I never took him up on it.

chickelit said...

Haz, there are plenty of old one storey fixers in Oceanside to had for relatively cheap. If you stick to those, you don't even need A/C. The school district may suck but at this point do you care? Plus at your age, you shouldn't be looking for stairs.

[ducks]

Michael Haz said...

Aridog - Sedona is indeed interesting, and a great area for motorcycling. We are going there to look around this year in Fall, I think.

Michael Haz said...

Chickelit - I liked at homes for sale in Oceanside while back. We have a niece who lives there with her family and likes it very much. The issue fro me would be the CA income taxes. I'd prefer a zero-level state income tax, and low property taxes.

Plus, most Oceanside property is expensive.

john said...

Haz, Az might be suitable for you all.

Sedona is pricy tho, and folks are pretty much resigned to buying or renting along the highway corridor toward I-17 because there just isn't much room at any price in town.

I'd be pleased to try and answer any questions or give you my free opinion on stuff in this state.

You gonna grow a ponytail?

rcocean said...

Florida is too hot and humid in the summer for my taste, but then maybe its not so bad if you're right on the beach.

Of course, Wisconsin can be pretty humid too, i assume.

poppa india said...

An aunt of mine who was born in and spent half her life in Michigan, moved to Hawaii and then California during her career as a dietitian. She then retired to Sedona for the last 20 years of her life, was very happy there.

bagoh20 said...

I love Sedona. Just beautiful, but a little expensive.

Over the last decade, I was buying income property in Florida around Melbourne, and my mother was managing it. Over the last year, I have been selling it all off.

I have one house left that will probably sell this month. It's not fancy but it's relatively new and has a nice big yard front and back. It's about 8 miles from the ocean. The asking price is $106K. There are a lot of similar homes in the area under $80K. The same thing was only $60K a couple years back. My point is that all that is extremely cheap for such a nice climate.

My house for sale:

http://www.flexmls.com/link.html?15522gsm8rv8,15,1

Chip Ahoy said...

Regular voice: Boy is ever cold outside.

Squeaky voice: How cold is it?

Regular voice: It's so cold I just now saw a group of wooly mammoths huddling around an oil drum camp fire.

Like a bunch of bums.

But it wasn't cold enough to kill all my plants.

And it did bring me closer to humanity with such exchanges as, "Jeeze, it's colder out here than I thought it would be."

"Yeah. It does that."

"I sure hope I don't freeze midstep before I get inside next door."

"Good luck, Buddy."

And such things as, "I always manage to choose clothing poorly."

"Yeah, you blew it this time."

rcocean said...

Another bad thing about Florida is there's very little surf. I was disappointed by the Florida pan handle, just flat beaches and the ocean lapping at the shore. I missed the boom of the surf and cliffs you can find in Mexico and Hawaii.

bagoh20 said...

My philosophy is to live where living is easy, and comfortable, (warm), and hopefully reasonably priced. Then, travel to and vacation in the other places you love.

bagoh20 said...

The problem with the the panhandle is that it's not on the ocean. It's the gulf. You need to be on the Atlantic side to get waves. One thing better about Florida than California is the water temperature which is balmy in Florida and chilly in California. Warm current vs cold one offshore.

Titus said...

My parents sold their condo in Sun City Arizona 5 years ago.

Last year my parents sold my father's hunting lodge in Bruce, Wisconsin.

This year they are selling their cottage in the Dells on a beautiful lake.

They are selling because they lost interest in previous interests-hunting, golfing, tennis, fishing, boating, and going to Fish Fries.

They offered the places to all their kids by no one wanted them.

Could you really see me in Sun City, Wisconsin Dells or Bruce, Wisconsin?

tits.

Titus said...

Maybe some day I will be interested in living somewhere less fab and expensive....but I doubt it.

Ideally, I want to be in Chatham, MA in the summer and San Juan PR in the winter.

I don't like any place in the U.S. for winter though.

MamaM said...

chickelit: On clear waters--if you haven't seen this one yet, it's for you

http://www.wndu.com/news/michigan/headlines/Clear-post-ice-Lake-Michigan-shows-off-submerged-shipwrecks-300592231.html

chickelit said...

Thanks, MamaM. I had not seen that. I do remember stories of divers flying to "spot" wrecks in the 1970's.

chickelit said...

Trooper York said...
Florida sounds like the the thing. I think I would stick out. Like Johnnie Ola waiting for Hyman Roth to come back to the Caddy.

Come on, Troop. We're both going to retire in Hawaii. Wasn't that the plan?

Trooper York said...

I wish chickie. If my book opens big maybe.

Florida is just more affordable right now.

Methadras said...

chickelit said...

Haz, there are plenty of old one storey fixers in Oceanside to had for relatively cheap. If you stick to those, you don't even need A/C. The school district may suck but at this point do you care? Plus at your age, you shouldn't be looking for stairs.

[ducks]


Chick, I work in Carlsbad. We should get together and grab a beer one day and just say hi. Besides, Oceanside is getting dumpy, too many illegals and the samoans are turning it into shit.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I was kinda hoping we would all go in together on a pad in Hawaii.

HI is really expensive. We'll need everyone to pony up.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Best of luck with your decision and home-location hunting, Haz.

Michael Haz said...

I was kinda hoping we would all go in together on a pad in Hawaii.

I like the way you think, April.

Aridog said...

MamaM ... your "clear waters" like brought back memories for me. We sold our "summer escape" home in the center of the arch of Sleeping Bear Bay in the Manitou Passage area. We sold it when the taxes on lake shore in-holders in the National Park became too expensive....e.g., the tax base became very narrow for the township of Glen Arbor. In short, if I want to revisit I can rent at The Homestead resort just north of our old place several times a year for less than the taxes alone.

Different years water levels changed from high to low and back...the link seems to show low levels. The clarity reminds me of the sundry invasive species of snails etc. that gobble up zooplankton and algae wrecking habitat for some native species and making the water exceptionally clear. In the old days about 20 feet was the max for viewing wrecks on a calm surface. Diving there however is quite clear all of the time, long ago and now...and I've snorkel dived on several of those wrecks when the water was at low ebb...my ears won't tolerate scuba diving below 25-30 feet....so its snorkel for me or just swim for fun. In really low ebb years some of the wrecks actually break the surface such as a couple in Good Harbor Bay just north of the Sleeping Bear Bay. As a young man I've canoed from Frankfort north to Northport and back, camping on the beach along the way, plus to both Manitou Islands.

It truly is a beautiful place, but just too expensive for most folks as home owning in-holders within the park. The family that bought our place are billionaires with a national food chain.

Amartel said...

Suggest looking at Oregon. Reasonable cost of living, beautiful, not too congested. No sales tax.

Aridog said...

Here is an above the waterline, low or high years, off the southern tip of South Manitou Island: the Fransisco Morazan in Lake Michigan just off the Manitou passage shipping lanes.