Let’s just say that I might be a secret, small town Michigander.
This latest epiphany came to me during a brief trip back to the U.S. to see my folks and our girls. Because Anna was finishing up the spring semester of her Junior year at SMU, most of my time was spent in Cadillac, Michigan to see Maggie in her new home.
Cadillac is a town of about 10,000 in Western Michigan. Maggie is working at the nearby Young Life camp, Timber Wolf Lake, in Lake City, population 840.
Small town life abounds. There’s a grange hall, an American Legion, two Dollar Stores, three different farm supply stores, a Wal-Mart, lots of dairy farms, pick-ups, flags, churches and VERY friendly people. Everyone talks to you. I loved it.
Besides seeing Maggie and Bingo, I had volunteered to pay some attention to her yard. Because it had snowed just the week before I arrived, we weren’t sure what I would do. Fortunately, the sun came out just in time and we were able to use her new lawn mower, (given to her by a co-worker) and tend to a very ignored patch of weeds.
Her four massive walnut trees had dropped all of their leaves just before the fall snow. Maggie moved in during early December so the leaves were exposed just in time for my arrival. We learned all about what a Michigan lawn needed from a helpful couple in the garden aisle at Home Depot. Maggie’s now patiently waiting for the new grass to grow. Her roommate has planted a few vegetables. Maggie’s also very bothered by the number of weeds and dandelions that have welcomed the warmer days.
The second night of my visit, I woke at 3:00 am to loud pounding and shouting nearby. I glanced out the window to see several men waving flashlights in the yard of a house across the alley. Moments later, the roof of the little bungalow burst into flames. For the next 3 hours, a multi-unit fire crew responded to the blaze.
Nothing like a house fire (or Sally arriving in town) to meet all of your neighbors. The next day, while Maggie was at work, I met nearly everyone. The burned house had been vacant as the resident recently passed and the house was going on the market. Squirrels had eaten through the ancient electrical wires and caused the fire.
Just outside the Cadillac Courthouse Hill Historic District, most of Maggie’s neighbors have lived in Cadillac forever. They all provided local gossip and ideas for adjusting to the community or taking care of her yard. You take your recyclables to Mrs. Green’s. You have to apply grub killer to your lawn or the critters will destroy your grass. You have to find the switch in the basement to turn on your outdoor water spigots. My suggestion of hitting the Senior Center Bingo Night was not embraced by Maggie or her roommate, Sarah.
Larry and Char live across the street and have a beagle. Daisy is old and much slower than Bingo, but this lovely semi-retired couple moved in just a few months before Maggie and have kindly offered to include Bingo when they take Daisy out for her daily walk. They are gracious and Larry is crazy about Bingo. They have a daughter who owns her own home so they have been a tremendous help to Maggie with any new homeowner questions.
It was a joy to see Maggie planting roots.
As always, I was sad to leave but the next stop was Dallas to see Anna and help her pack up at the end of her Junior year. Because she was busy being with friends, I had a bit of time to see dear former roommates who now live in Dallas.
Moving was easy this time as Anna will live with the same roommate and same room at her sorority in the fall. We jetted back to Seattle where she’s relishing her final year of coaching our neighborhood swim team. For a change from years past, she is housesitting with her cousin, Andrew, who has been living at our Seattle area home for this past year. Fortunately, they get along well - and we’re praying that it stays that way.
There were only a few days with Anna at home and then a few with my folks in Vancouver, Washington.
My parents are well. They are thriving in their cottage at Touchmark Village about 30 minutes from where they had lived for the past 30 years. They are the host guides for potential new residents and have to keep track of their social and dinner schedules. They have found a church nearer where they live and the local Young Life Area Director comes every other week and leads a Bible Study for the residents. I think they are pretty happy.
I returned to Uganda last Friday morning just hours before the Pepperdine Legal Fellows arrived for the summer. We hosted 16 people for the day at our apartment just 36 hours after arriving back from my whirlwind U.S. tour.
Yep, I am pooped!
That's it. I am filing your name for Mayor of Cadillac!
Sounds like a great Trip!!
LOVE your updates!