[mrsD]

I am home now recovering from the long drive and the very cold
temperatures we had to endure all summer.

Never got into shorts and tank tops...it was long pants, thick socks, leg warmers, and 3 layers on top night and day! Only about 7 nice days to enjoy the scarce summer.

I'll be back to normal I think in a couple more days. It is good to be home. It is very wet here too... normally by now in Sept my ferns would be gone, and the garden parched. But not this season! We did escape the power outages here and floods. I am very grateful for that!

[AussieDebbie]

So pleased to see you back, your assistance here is invaluable. Although you hovered around here, helping people when you could, it is comforting to know you are back.

Despite the weather I hope your vacation was memorable.

Welcome back.

[mrsD]

Oh, I have to laugh.... working on that minute 4S iPhone screen was a real battle! Typing with a stylus too very frustrating.

But at least I could keep up some. In the past it took me weeks to catch up on the old posts. That was difficult too.

Weezie our cat had a good time though. She caught many pigmy shrews and some large bog lemmings. She also ate alot of grasshoppers. She relished those! The little mink we had for a while also hunted the grasshoppers. I have some interesting photos of him I'll put up later.

I did have to wear my fingerless gloves alot (even to bed) and discovered that they really helped my hands and stiffness and finger swelling.
So I'd recommend them to others here to help. They seem to warm the wrists where the blood vessels are near the surface.
I bought mine at Ebay last winter. This was the first summer I used them upNorth, and they saved me much discomfort.
Amazon has some too. Mine were knit and not leather.

[Dr. Smith]

Originally Posted by mrsD

Weezie our cat had a good time though. She caught many pigmy shrews and some large bog lemmings.

Would that be northern bog lemming or southern bog lemming?
(In the vein of Monty Python's air-speed velocity of an unladen [African or European] swallow—but sincerely curious nonetheless... )

Guessing from habitat maps, the southern species/variety seems more likely, however there is some overlap.

The southern bog lemming (Synaptomys cooperi) is a small North American lemming. Its range overlaps with the other species in genus Synaptomys, the northern bog lemming, in southeastern Canada but extends further south.
....
They feed on grasses, other green vegetation, fungi, and mosses. Their droppings are green. Predators include owls, hawks, mustelids, snakes, [...and puddytats].
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_bog_lemming

File under: Learn Sump'n Ev'ry Day—I never knew we had lemmings in North America, let alone the USA!

She also ate alot of grasshoppers. She relished those!

Doesn't everyone?

It’s not about hunger though – my cats get two square [] meals a day plus treats, yet they still munch on that juicy grasshopper like it’s the best feline caviar on the planet, the stuff of every kitty’s dream. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear they eat their kill with even more gusto when I am watching, because they know how much it grosses me out. Yep, there is nothing quite like seeing your cat wolf down a fly and come running over for a kiss.
http://www.canidae.com/blog/2013/11/...-eat-bugs.html

Doc

[mrsD]

I think it is a Northern Bog Lemming...they are more common when the water is high like this year and everything along the shore is very swampy, and the interior of our island becomes a small pond with lots of moss around it. We don't see the lemmings often. We also had more snakes than usual too. But the spiders were less common, which I do appreciate.

This was quite large (almost 3 in long)... larger than a regular shrew. It was gray though with a rodent mouth and teeth, very unlike shrew snouts and teeth. Weez brought us 2 of these over the vacation. Many of the shrews Weezie caught were no bigger than your first thumb joint. Those were teensy, but very fast and she loved chasing them. She does not eat them or the lemmings.

We had a monster storm not too long ago that moved mountains of water...took our dock out... and grounded a 1000 ft freighter at the Mackinaw Bridge. I have a photo here from the St. Ignace News showing the offloading of the cargo of taconite iron ore into a 600 ft one (in front of the longer one).
The lightning behind both of them was typical for this summer.
We had a strike in our back yard area... which is the 3rd that we have seen up there so close. The first one in 1980 hit the house when I was there alone right around Labor Day. For some reason the lightning keeps hitting near us! ick ick I am thinking there is some iron deposits under the limestone?

[mrsD]

I put up some new photos in my Vacation album location in my profile for those interested in birds, hummingbirds and mink.
There is a new sunset one too.

[Kitt]

We have hummingbirds coming to the feeder right out from our kitchen window (not that far like 6-8'). They have come for years now. We discovered other birds like the stuff too. Fun to watch so close at hand.

[St George 2013]

So very glad you are back with our NT family....we missed you !

Sure wish you'd had a little bit warmer weather up there

Debi from Georgia