Beth Jukuri travels the back roads from Chassell to Tapiola each day, delivering the mail as a rural carrier and earlier this week she posted these "signs of spring" from her delivery route.

Well, of course you're saying this first photo is not a "sign of spring", but here in the Keweenaw, it really is. Especially this year. I've heard reports that we've had more snow in April so far, than any of the other winter months this year. That's pretty amazing, considering we're only halfway through the month. I think I read somewhere that the snow total is around 30 inches for April. Spring?

The remaining three photos from Beth are truly "signs of Spring" here UP North. Those smelly little black and white critters are out and about after a winter of hibernating. Soon you'll be smelling that pungent aroma in the air near you!
The deer are out and about and on the move again, after a winter of holding up in the deer yards. So keep your eyes peeled for one that could dash out in front of your vehicle at any moment.

And lastly, Beth's jeep after a day of delivering the mail on the back roads. Covered in muddy slush... it's a good thing she has a good back roads vehicle for the job, since the country roads here UP North can get pretty sloppy this time of year. Happy Spring!

Uplifting pix! The title of the last one reminds me of the nickname that my father used to call my mother by, "Mush". He would say, "How are ya, Mush?"
In Britain, mush is the name for porridge.

Spring is definitely a dirty time of year. But with
the dirt comes promise of warmer weather.

Love the cat picture :-)

Nice Spring pictures! "Take a whiff on me that ain't no rose, roll up your windows and hold your nose!" Dead Skunk in the Middle of the Road

Alex,
Porridge/oatmeal = kaurapuuro, for some reason, I don't remember my grandparents pronunciation of porridge sounding like that spelling! lol

Oh no--skunks! Awesome pics but I hope the skunks
stay away.

The song Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road was
a hit when I was taking Drivers Ed. And there were
quite a few of them also along our routes. I like
the Skunk picture!

When I used to go on campouts with the Boy Scouts, we would eat Skunk Cabbage boiled in sugar water...not too bad.
D-A campgrounds - Metamora, MI.

Nice pictures Beth. You get to see a lot of nice scenery and critters on your mail rounds. Did you ever get "old yeller" stuck in the snow or the mud?

as a kid we use to go camping at a campground called Metamora. I found out, manyyyyy years later, that it is in, what is now, Lake Orion. We took a ride to the campgrounds and I almost started to cry when I found the spot we pitched the tent. The long walk down one road, make a right and cross a bridge, as I called it, then walk some more and make another right to get to the beach. At that time there was no picnic area, just went over there to swim. (memories) Lots of summers spent there as a kid coming from Detroit.

I especially like the snowy trees over the creek.

What a terrific mail route, Beth. I love driving it, but only see it in
the summer. Thanks for the photos.

Alex and Mickill you are bringing back some fond memories. We used to camp at Metamora State Park which is the same lake that the D-A camp was on - just across the lake. We went with our cousins and we would set up our little pop up campers on a little cove right next to the lake. We'd fish and hike all day for two weeks. What a great time! My cousins ended up buying a couple of lots and building a home on Lake Metamora which was just up the road about 5 miles towards M-24. I spent a lot of time in that area....

I remember my mom saying that camping at Metamora was her 'hide out' from her mom. It was fun times. My mom would heat up rocks and put them in our sleeping bags to warm them up, watch fire flies, take walks through the woods. My mom was born and raised in Calumet and she was always a country girl, so camping was fun for her, too. There was another place she use to take us, I just do not remember the name of the camp grounds.

Uncle Chuck (Unclechuck):
"Porridge/oatmeal = kaurapuuro, for some reason, I don't remember my grandparents pronunciation of porridge sounding like that spelling!"

Nope, me neither, my grandma just called it "puuroa".

Speaking of state parks and memories … here's an event from my childhood in Detroit that I'll never forget (I'm not so sure I'd like to revisit it again!):