A Thumb Winter and Cabin Fever

Back from another white knuckle drive to “the city”, anything south and east of Caro is pretty much just called “the city” here in my beloved Thumb of Michigan.  I love winter, my favorite season, but, cabin fever is setting in even for me. I know everyone has had a tough one since Thanksgiving, polar vortex and polar plunge and ice storm and lots of snow.

Life in the winter here is different and more challenging than I remember in Detroit. It snows all the time, the weathercasters call it “lake effect snow”. We can see several inches a day near the Lake Huron shoreline and as far south and west as my hometown of Mayville which is on the Lapeer-Tuscola county line. So, even when no storm is forecasted you will be caught off guard.

Driving in the Thumb in the winter is awful. Do not even think about not having a truck or at least an SUV. We have lots of open roads that travel through wide expanses of farmland. The wind blows across these routes producing a drifted and icy mess. Dirt roads are everywhere that turn into ice rinks with any thaw. Plan on a few days before the county gets the plow down your road when you are far from town. The trip to the main highway can be very dicey. One time it was so bad I had to leave the car two miles from home because I could not get through the four to five foot drifts. Talk about a long cold walk, always have boots, hat, and gloves in the car.

But, at least that day I made it home. The hubby and I have been stranded many times either here at home or at work. The hotel in Cass City (yes there is one!) became my refuge during one blizzard. Rod has been stuck in Flint for days because travel back home was impossible. A long commute is the price you pay for living in the country.

 

350 Foot Driveway Demands a SnowBlower

 

A  generator is not a luxury. When power goes out here it is days, not hours. No water, no heat, no toilet, no fun. We finally invested in a home generator. This baby sits outside and runs on the propane we use to heat our home. Hardwired into the house and 10 seconds after the power goes out the lights come on.  Yes, it was expensive, but worth every penny. Every outage I have felt  pretty darn smart when my lights were on. Just the peace of mind when we have any kind of storm is worth it. No power here goes far beyond the spoiled food in the fridge. Think about hauling water from down the road for the animals and you get some idea.

 

But, despite it all the good far outweighs the challenges. We are close to Lake Huron which has special beauty in the winter and ice fishing if you like. Tons of open areas and trails for snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. Saginaw has a great park where we go ice skating. Seriously awesome sledding and tobogganing all over the area. Just a simple walk in this beautiful country can make all the difference. So, when that cabin fever hits the best cure I know is to take winter head on and go out and enjoy it.

Christmas Morning in the Thumb

 

 

 

 

Morning on the Sunrise Side

 

 

We are well beyond the holiday season, but I want to share a Thumb story of Christmas. I admit I am a “Christmas Catholic”, pretty much go to church on the holidays. Here in the Thumb the Catholic Church has seen a great loss of members. As a result, a priest will serve several parishes. In my area, a nun actually runs the day to day operations of three parishes whose area encompasses probably a 60 mile radius.

It is a snowy Christmas morning and we set off for Wilmont, normally about 30 minutes away. But, any snow here can make driving treacherous; the wide open farmland allows the wind to blow the snow into an icy path. Wilmont is a town of 800 people and is about 75 miles northeast of Troy. The parish we travel to is St. Michael’s founded in 1935. It is a simple but lovely country church several miles from the town surrounded by farms and cows. I bet the concrete block building seats no more than 100 people. We arrive just 5 minutes before mass is to begin.

We pull into the parking lot, ours is the only car. Do I have the wrong time I wonder? Rod (hubby) goes to the door and the gentlemen says “yes, we are having mass, come on in”. I was a little intimidated to go in worried we will be the only people inside. The church is vacant except for the organist and an old man sitting across the aisle, he looks at least 90. That’s it. And the old man is the priest conducting mass, he drove in the weather over an hour from Bay City so we could celebrate Christmas, me and Rod.

11am approaches and I am feeling really nervous, what if no one else comes? But, a few others arrive along with the nun who runs the parish. We now have a total of 10 people in this little country church. Sister lights the Christmas tree and orders the priest to the back of the church to make his entrance. He asks, “are we going to sing?” Sister responds, “you bet”, the priest is too funny and cracks, “bet she takes a collection too!”

The mass goes on and I feel a connection to these 10 people that I have never felt going to mass in my life. For some reason I feel truly joined with them in this celebration. By the end of the mass and the Wilmont rendition of “Silent Night” I am actually tearful, it is a bittersweet moment. This has been the most memorable Christmas mass for me ever, filling me with warmth and the spirit of the day. But, because so many people have moved from the area, St. Michaels’s will close in July. What a sad thing for these special people. I will never forget this day and how special my Christmas morning was, sharing the joy of the day with my ten new friends. 

 

Saint Michael's in the Warm Summertime