Surviving a Northern Michigan Winter



It's official. We have a lot of snow and it's sticking. For good, it feels like. Winter was slow to arrive and is never quick to leave us up here in the Great White North.

The above photo was taken through one of our front windows. The icecicles on our house are outrageous. And I don't mean that as a good thing. What is it with us, old houses, and bad insulation? "Hello, high energy bills. We meet again."

Another challenge in the winter time up here is the lack of entertainment. We live in a smallish town-with close to nothing to do. Ice fishing and snowmobiling are all the rage up here and we do neither. Here are a couple of tips for Surviving a Northern Michigan winter that work for us:

1. Home projects that can be done inside.

Jake and I painted our second hand rocking chair while the weather was nice, and saved the reupholstering for one of those long, cold weekends.

2. Get a gym membership.

I did this recently and have been going consistently. It is good for the body and soul, and an excuse to get out of the house on days off work.

3. Learn to like reading.

We watch quite a few movies over here, but tv doesn't strengthen the mind like a good book. I am in the middle of a novel now and currently have 13 more books waiting in the wings.

4. Get a tan.

There is no need to go overboard, but I think it's ok to get a fake tan every so often. Our gym is attached to a tanning salon and we can even adjust our package to include a few tans a month. Everyone looks better a light shade of brown and I hear it helps with the winter-time blues.

5. Still dress cute. I realize Fall's long gone-but the days of dressing cute are not. Throw on some cute boots, designer jeans, a matching scarf and hat set and don't fall prey to the baggy sweatshirts and sweatpants that I see all too often up here.

photo courtesy Vogue