Actually what *my* mama aka The Commander used to say was, “No! You can’t go outside without a jacket until the ice is outta the St. Marys.” (And no, there is NOT an apostrophe in Marys.)

She was talking about the St. Marys river that borders the north side of my hometown (Sault Ste. Siberia) as well as the United Snakes of America. Canananada is on the other side with the Soo Locks in between.

And yes, there can certainly be ice in the St. Marys in April and sometimes even in May. More than a few Aprils ago during the Polar Vortex winter (2014), Gitchee Gumee was mostly frozen over. Storm Warrior posted about trying to ram through ice with his bote (lake freighter) and one of our faves Big Butt (aka the Roger Blough) suffered various bits of damage from ice. That particular year people were posting pics of ice floes in Gitchee Gumee as late as July.

Even when the ice is outta the St. Marys, it can be dern cold up there almost any time. A northern FB Gitchee Gumee neighbor posted today that she was kicking herself for putting her long underwear away before April. I commented that last AUGUST there was a day I was wishing I had my Smart Wool leggings with me when I was up there at the moomincabin/beach.

That was a long preamble but yes… It’s April and it’s snowing like crazy here in southeast Michigan. It’s funny how people who have lived in the Great Lake State forget from year to year that yes, it DOES snow in April. And sometimes in May. And sometimes even in June but that’s usually in the yooperland and our main residence is 300 moils* south of the yooperland.

*Moils: When you are 10 years old and you are in a tornado shelter with yer dad and his identical twin and yer “identical” cousin. You are in the after-tornado shelter because you have survived a tornado in a tent, in which a BIG tree has fallen on a small tree, which broke its fall on YOU and your tentmates. You are alive and now you are in a shelter. You are kinda crying a bit [because you are a kid] but then you all meet an Australian woman who is also sheltering and your dad explains, “She misses her mama.” The Australian says, “I miss moi mama too but she’s moils away.” This is my daughter’s story, not mine.

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