Author Archives: makielb

Today was the first day of the Ann Arbor stamp show. The highlight for me was the dealer bourse with dealers from 10 states. The U.S. post office had a table for getting recent U.S. stamps. The United Nations post office was also there. There was a food court and a children’s area with lotsContinue reading “Ann Arbor stamp show”

Here’s my one habañero plant. It was started from see in late March and spent May until late October in the garden in a bed with jalapeños and cayenne peppers. This however never turned orange. I lost hope of getting any ripe fruit. Then in late October I decided that I would dig up theContinue reading “Peppers from a friend”

I posted the cartoon that was the day before this one. Always carry a towel! A hitchhiker’s nnecessity. Waking up this morning to temperatures in the upper 20sF and a light dusting of snow emphasizes the need for cuddling. The garden one day apart. Without and with a little snow. Halloween decoration in our neighborhood.Continue reading “Halloween, 2023”

Today is Halloween and a big cold front has blown in. It might snow this evening when kids are out. I hope that adults are kind and giving to them on their night. Every year Caulfield dresses up as a literary character. The towel makes me think about a fictional book that I really like.Continue reading “Halloween and a great concert”

The fall colors are just about peak in Ann Arbor. I think that sums it up. With the exception of They Live I have read or seen a movie for each one of these. If only this could apply to the Middle East. And this explains how squirrels cross the road. I’ll bet you missedContinue reading “Some humor for an Autumn cold front”

Sadly, Angelo’s will be closing at the end of the year. It’s always been a good place for breakfast or lunch. In fact, Angelo’s was the first place I ate in Ann Arbor after moving here in 1977. Here’s where we sat this morning looking across the restaurant towards the front door. Below is theContinue reading “Having breakfast at Angelos”

The Mandalorian and Grogu are getting ready for Halloween. A ghostly wolf skeleton is howling at the near-full Moon. I think that there’s a little “hanky-panky” going on at the tub. This giant spider seems to have feasted on an unaware woman. And Susan has the moth black lights set up on what is perhapsContinue reading “Halloween is coming”

It’s not often that I see a new book about natural history and immediately order it, but I did with this one. My current go too book on lichens is The Lichens of North America, which is huge. It’s about 8″x14″ and weights in around 4 pounds. It’s way too big and comprehensive to cartContinue reading “A new lichen book”

Shortly after 5pm last night I got a call from my friend Don saying that there was a Limpkin in the Arboretum. Susan and I were getting ready for dinner, but immediately stopped and headed down to the Arb. It was a short walk from the Hospital parking lot to where there were several people.Continue reading “A rare bird in Ann Arbor”

Fall is in full swing here. The winds have shifted to the SE and it’s much warmer than the other day. Lots of ducks moving at the point, mergansers, teal, scaup and scoters mostly. Lapland Longspurs are always fun to see, even briefly as they fly by. I spent some time watching birds from theContinue reading “Whitefish Point, day-6 – migration”