Daily Walk - Wednesday

So here it is Wednesday. I nearly forgot about posting here on my blog today. I was already out on my walk when it entered my mind. One thing I did notice about myself today is that I am not in too good of a mood. I had hoped that getting outside would clear it out but nope, didn't happen.

Brownee and I picked it up and cut a minute off of our pace. But the problem with that is I couldn't handle distance. Of course I've been sitting for the past few months more than walking, so my stamina isn't up to where it was last summer. It will get back to where it was with time.

Today we only saw a couple of people outside while we were walking. One was on the Trail and the other was walking to her car. There were only a couple of cars moving about withing the park. People must be settling in.

When we got home there was exciting mail from Fed-ex. The yarn I ordered from Premier yarns! Now I have something to work with while I am sitting on the couch.

Today's Walk

It's a bit warmer out today than it was yesterday, by about 5 degrees or so. I took Brownee out for a much longer walk. We both needed to get out of the house, that's for sure.

We started out by heading to the Wadhams to Avoca Trail and walked down it until we came to the cut-through that goes back into the Lakes. We saw several others walking, six I believe is what I counted. No one I knew. Getting back onto the Lakes property got us back into what seems like a ghost town. There is no one out and about except us and a couple of cars. 

We did stop at one neighbor's house, at Mark's, to check on him. He lives alone, like me. I wanted to offer him the three frozen spaghetti dinners I bought that have mushrooms in them but he doesn't eat mushrooms either. Oh well, I will find someone who does.

Public Safety Message

This just came through on my phone:

From the Executive Office of the Governor: The State of Michigan's Stay Home Stay Safe order takes effect at midnight tonight. Nonessential travel is prohibited. As necessary, you may leave your home for health and safety reasons, to get groceries and supplies, for certain outdoor activities, and to care for others. See www.michigan.gov/coronavirus

I am now feeling very cut off from the world.

Driving Tips for Detroit

First, you must learn to pronounce the city name. It's Di-troit. NOT DEE-troit. If you pronounce it DEE-Troit then we will assume you are from Toledo and here for the country Music hoe-down.

Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. Detroit has its own version of traffic rules... Hold on and pray!

The morning rush hour is from 6:00am to 10:00am. The evening rush hour is from 3:00pm to 7:00pm. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday morning. Weekends are open game.

If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear-ended, cussed out and possibly shot. If you're first off the starting line when the light turns green, count to five before going. This will avoid getting in the way of cross-traffic who just ran their yellow light to keep from getting shot.

Schoenherr can ONLY be properly pronounced by a native of the Detroit metro area. That goes for Gratiot too. Schoenherr is pronounced CHAY NER. Gratiot is pronounced, GRASH IT.

Construction and renovation on I-94, I-96, I-75, I-275, I-375, The Lodge and Southfield freeways are a way of life. Just deal with it.

There are two seasons in Detroit. Winter and construction.

If someone actually has their turn signal on, it is probably a factory defect or they are "out-of-towners."

All old men with white hair wearing a hat have total right-of-way.

The minimum acceptable speed on I-696 is 85regardless of the posted speeds. Anything less is considered downright SISSY.Oh, and don't even think of allowing more than one car length between cars!

That attractive wrought iron on the windows and doors in Detroit is NOT ornamental.

Never stare at the driver of the car with the bumper sticker that says "Keep honking, I'm reloading."

If you are in the left lane, and only going 70in a 60 mph zone, people are not waving because they are so friendly in Detroit. I would suggest you duck.

I-275/I-696 is our daily version of NASCAR.

It's not M-10, it's "the Lodge".
It's not I-696, it's "the Reuther"
It's not I-94, it's "the Ford"
It's not I-75, it's "the Chrysler"

That's not a lake, it's a pothole.

If someone tells you it's on Outer Drive, you better hope you have a map.

The left turn is simple. If you want to turn left, go a 1/4 of a mile past your turn, get to the left,then make a left, then make a right. NOW you have gone left.

Oh, AND:6 mile turns into McNichols
8 mile turns into Baseline
15 mile turns into Maple.
16 mile turns into Big Beaver and then Metro Parkway somewhere along the way.
17 mile turns into Wattles
18 mile turns into Long Lake
19 mile turns into Square Lake20 mile turns into Hall Road and then M-59
Main street starts as "Main Street" and turns into Livernois for no apparent reason.

If someone tells you to take "75 South to Detroit" make sure you merge onto 375 or you'll end up in Toledo

.and finally............to get off on Big Beaver Rd. off of I75, its exit #69

We speak our own language here...

You Know You're From Michigan If...

• You show people where you're from by pointing to a spot on the back of your left hand. (Especially useful if you're from the Thumb or the Little Finger.)
• The only place in the world can you experience all four seasons in one day.
• You know what a 'party store' is.
• You've never met any celebrities.
• "Vacation" means going to Cedar Point.
• At least one member of your family disowns you the week of the Michigan / Michigan State game.
• Your idea of a traffic jam is 40 cars waiting to pass an orange barrel.
• Half the change in your pocket is Canadian....eh?
• You drive 86 mph on the highway and pass on the right.
• You know how to play (and pronounce) Euchre.
• It's easy to get Vernor's ginger ale, Better Made chips, Sanders hot fudge sauce, and Faygo pop.
• You know how to pronounce "Mackinac."
• You've had to switch on the heat and the air conditioning in the same day.
• You bake with SODA and drink POP.
• The movie "Escanaba in Da Moonlight" wasn't funny. You consider it a documentary.
• Your little league game was snowed out.
• The word "thumb" has geographical rather than anatomical significance.
• Traveling coast-to-coast means driving from Port Huron to Muskegon.
• You measure distance in minutes.
• When giving directions, you refer to "A Michigan Left."
• You know that Kalamazoo not only exists, but isn't far from Hell.
• Your year has two seasons: Winter and Construction.
• Home Depot on any Saturday is busier than toy stores at Christmas.
• You know when it has rained because of the smell of worms.
• When owning a Japanese car was a hangin' offense in your hometown.
• You believe that "down south" means Toledo.
• Your idea of a seven-course meal is a six-pack and a bucket of smelt.
• You know that Big Mac is something that you drive over.
• You can see a car running in a parking lot with no one in it, no matter what time of the year.
• You end your sentences with a preposition; example: "Where's my coat at?"
• All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, or animal.
• You think of the four major food groups as beef, pork, BBQ sauce, and beer.
• You carry jumper cables and snow chains in your trunk.
• You design your kids' Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
• Driving in the winter is better because the pot-holes are filled with snow.
• Your favorite holidays are Christmas,Thanksgiving, and the opening of Deer Season, which you consider a National Holiday.
• You have 10 favorite recipes for venison.
• You learned to drive a boat before you could ride a bike.
• You owe more money on your snowmobile than your car.
• Your snowblower has more miles on it than your car.
• Shoveling the driveway constitutes a great upper body workout.
• You’ve ever used the word “bogue.”
• The "Big Three" means either Ford, Chrysler and GM, or Little Caesar's, Domino's, or Hungry Howie's.
• You think alkaline batteries were named after a Tiger outfielder.
• Your definition of a small Michigan town is one that doesn't have a lake.
• You define summer as three months of bad sledding.
• You attend a formal event in your best clothing, finest jewelry, and snowmobile boots.
• The municipality buys a zamboni before a bus.
• You have experienced frostbite and sunburn in the same week.
• The orange barrel is considered Michigan's 'other' lighthouse.

Photos of Michigan

Suggested Michigan Mottos

• "The one that looks like a mitten."
• "Where used cars from Florida bring top dollar."
• "No hurricanes here."
• "The Orange Barrel State."
• "So close to Canada you can hardly tell the difference."
• "We know the rules of euchre."
• "Got fudge?"
• "Two Mystery Spots. No waiting."
• "Yes, the Porcupines are real mountains."
• "Soda? We say pop here, buddy."
• "No riots since '67."
• "More than just boarded up auto plants."
• "Casino fever - catch it."
• "Sandy beaches without the severe undertow."
• "Imagine an island where horse manure still litters the streets."
• "Water enough for any drought."
• "Visit Hell, Paradise, Christmas and Climax."
• "Birthplace of Meijer Thrifty Acres."
• "Where Ontario is a shortcut to New York."
• "Gerald Ford slept here."
• "It's called snow. Get used to it."
• "Where the names of toney suburbs needlessly end with "e."
• "Deer processing available here."
• "Not as flat as Indiana."
• "Try eating corn flakes without us."
• "Hardly any annoying lizards or poisonous snakes."
• "Big on flannel."
• "It's not the heat. It's the humidity!"
• "Where the mosquito is the state bird."
• "Smoked fish sold here."
• "Good people with camping trailers."
• "We moved American history to Dearborn."
• "No toll roads and proud of it."
• "Our biggest bridge makes yours look puny."
• "Land of snow machines and bass boats."
• "We know a place where wooden shoes are always in style."
• "Where lousy teams get new stadiums."
• "Speed limit's back up to 70, so move it!"
• "The Red Wings State"