TGIF

The drive up to my parents for Thanksgiving was nice: clear dry roads and some of that rare stuff in late fall, when you get the weird blue bits showing in the gray.

I've picked up a lot of south-of-the-equator readers, so let me say that this part of Michigan was settled by the Dutch.

Having been to the Netherlands, I can understand why they found this flat, wet section of Michigan so familiar and homey. It was flat and needed drainage. Who understood getting water off of land like the Dutch?

Here's a great picture of lake-effect snow in action. See how the blue is all along the west Lake Michigan shore? That would be where I live.

Quick Great Lakes ID: Lake Superior to the north, Lake Michigan to the west, Lakes Huron and Ontario (mostly cut off, sorry Ontario) to the northeast, Lake Erie to the southeast. The little heart-shaped lake in between Huron and Erie is Lake St. Claire.

And since snow on the ground looks a little different from snow on the radar, here was our sunrise.

Not a whole lot of snow, and it will probably melt tomorrow when the temp. hits 40 F., but our son and snow-loving dogs have already been outside enjoying it. (And inside for hot cocoa -- one of the pleasures of cold weather is certainly getting warm again!)

Would you say this was mitten-knitting weather?