WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
If you you’ve traveled all over the state of Michigan and have never visited the upper peninsula, then you’ve never experienced the “Real Michigan”. The upper peninsula, or better known as the UP, is quite unique and a lot different than the lower peninsula. Both peninsulas are extremely picturesque, especially north of Cadillac in the lower peninsula.
The upper peninsula covers 16,377 square miles with 1700 miles of Great Lakes shoreline. There aren’t as many great beaches in the UP as there are along the Lake Michigan coastline in the lower part of the state. The population of the UP, according to a 2010 census, is 311,631. This gives everyone plenty of elbow-room. For the tree huggers out there, eighty per cent of the UP is covered by forests.
I think it would be great to live north of the Mackinac Bridge, but it might be difficult to find a job. The economy is strengthened by tourism and logging, but I’m sure there are many other jobs available, depending on what you’re looking for.
There are several things that prevent me from moving to the upper peninsula. They usually get more than 200 inches of snow every year, I’m more than uneasy about crossing the “Mighty Mac”, and finally, I’m not a very good Euchre player. To sum this all up, it’s a beautiful place to visit, but I don’t think I’d care to live there.
I’m very fortunate to have my share of toys. I’ve always wanted a pony, but realize that all that a pony does is eat, digest and get rid all of what it eats and digests. We do have one and half cats, but putting a saddle on a cat is more than I care to do at my age.
Like most men, I have a need for just about everything a hardware store has to offer. My latest purchase was a power washer. It’s something I’ve wanted for quite some time. Over the years, I’ve learned quite a bit about the fine art of nagging. I recently received the blessing to make the purchase. Our back deck is starting to look almost new again and the walnut stains are slowly disappearing from the driveway. I think I’ll surprise my wife by cleaning up the cat. I tried giving our cat a bath once. It took me forever to get the hair off my tongue.
This is fair week. You’ll want to see the Moving Vietnam Wall, along with the many exhibit barns. I’m volunteering as a Courtesy Cart driver this week, so look me up and I’ll be glad to take you wherever you want to go on the fairgrounds. The ride is FREE. There are several pick-up locations and several courtesy carts available for your convenience and comfort. Positive feedback has been received from having the courtesy carts, so while at the fair, check them out.
The village of Paw Paw held their annual Wine and Harvest Festival the weekend of September 9, so we ventured Out and About to see how it compared to the Three Rivers Water Festival. We were only there for a couple of hours on Sunday, September 10, but in that brief time, we felt that it was just as nice as the Three Rivers event. Paw Paw’s population is around 3000 people. It seems everyone turned out to either help or participate in the many activities. They didn’t have a turtle derby like we do, but they do have a duck race with over 2000 entries. The size of the community doesn’t matter when it comes to putting on a community event. If you have enough volunteers, you can’t help but be successful. Having fun working together is just an extra bonus.
It’s almost time to put away your motor home or camping trailer for the winter. If you plan to store your unit inside, don’t forget to purchase several boxes of mothballs. Spread them around the perimeter of your unit. Mice love to make a nest inside your unit and they also love to chew on the rubber around your wiring. They don’t like the smell of mothballs, so they are less likely to enter your trailer.
Peanuts are one of the ingredients of dynamite.
See you Out and About!
Submitted by Norm Stutesman
