Reflections: It's a great place to live

Ed Hungness

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Hungness

August 7, 2011

By Ed Hungness, Local columnist ---- The Record Eagle Mon Mar 26, 2012, 10:49 AM EDT

As I drove down the gravel road, I noticed the beauty of the wild daises growing along the side and in the ditch. A mix of hardwoods and pines filled the forest. A deer darted across the road, 50 or 60 yards ahead of me, and a chipmunk scurried across my path barely avoiding death.

Turning onto the highway, I couldn't help but notice the deep blue color of the clear northern sky. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and branches painted a mosaic-like pattern on the pavement. "How lucky we are to live in such a beautiful place" I thought to myself.

This month, my wife and I will celebrate the sixth anniversary of our up-north move. As most of you who read my column on a regular basis know, we retired and moved here from the Chicago area.

The differences between the two areas are like night and day. The big city has much to offer in the way of in the way of cultural activities, major league sports and entertainment. But in the natural beauty, peace and tranquility departments, northern Michigan has the big city beat, hands down. When we told our friends we were retiring in Michigan, they said, "Are you nuts? It gets too cold up there!" Little do they know how beautiful ALL the seasons are.

I wonder if those who have spent a lifetime living here appreciate the region as much as we who migrated from elsewhere. If the northern lifestyle is what local residents have always known, they might take the area's charm and beauty for granted. I hope not.

I could go on and on about the lakes, rivers, quaint little towns, wildlife and laid-back lifestyle but my column space doesn't allow it. Instead, I want to focus on the people that inhabit this sparsely populated portion of the state.

Not long ago I was watching a commentary on TV about how life has changed in the United States since the '50s and '60s. The speaker said that if you wanted to see what life was like then, you should visit small towns in the Midwest as opposed to the East or West coasts. He was right.

Walk down any sidewalk in a small Michigan town and I guarantee that when you meet someone, they will say "Hello" or "Good morning." Total strangers will say, "How you doing?" or "Have a good day."

In small towns, men still hold a door open for a lady who is entering. Car horns are seldom heard unless someone is tooting just to say hello. We often wave at oncoming traffic, even if we don't know the other driver. That is something you would never do in Chicago!

Road rage is almost non-existent in northern Michigan and so are obscene gestures. If you witness an example of either, the vehicle frequently has out-of-state plates and is heading south on Sunday. I'm not sure why they are so anxious to get back to where they came from. Maybe they are just upset because they have to leave what we enjoy on a daily basis.

We have problems here just like anywhere else. We deal with high unemployment and our share of crime, but we are not alone. It could be worse.

We definitely have more snow and cold temperatures but, rugged as we are, we take it in stride. What we don't face are mudslides, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods, droughts and earthquakes. Thankfully tornadoes and brush fires are few and far between. Our air and water are clean and the night sky is full of stars.

If we are lucky we occasionally see the northern lights or the space station passing overhead. We savor our local sweet cherries, maple syrup, fresh fish and Michigan wines. Some people travel from far and wide just for the fudge.

So what's not to like about northern Michigan? After six years, we're still delighted to call it home.

Ed Hungness and his wife became full-time residents of Fife Lake in 2005 after Ed's retirement. He can be reached at edhungness@yahoo.com or by mail at P.O. Box 57, Fife Lake, MI 49633.