Winter’s Comin’ & the Almanac Says, a Frozen North
(Sung to the tune of Eli’s Comin’ by Three Dog Night.  You know, "Eli's comin' & the cards say, a broken heart") 

I ran across a magical phenomenon in our woods last winter but didn’t have a blog to share about it at the time.  Now I do so I thought I’d add it in anticipation of the beautiful season to come. (Yes,  I’ve turned into one of those annoying transplants who loves the northern Michigan winter experience!)

In February of 2014 northern Michigan, along with a lot of the rest of the country, was in the middle of a record breaking winter in terms of snow fall and low temperatures.  Something in these unique conditions started creating what I've come to think of as “snow ribbons” in our woods.  Here’s a picture of our most amazing one.  You can click on it for a larger view.

People were so very amazed by the picture and nobody seemed to have seen anything like it before.  Me too, me too!  But then some folks started wondering out loud if I used some kind of techie tricks to create a fake picture. No. I. Did. Not.  (Will I ever live down the cat drinking with her new chipmunk friend joke/debacle?  Well, perhaps I shouldn't.  But remember friends who called me out on Facebook, there was no photo trickery involved there either ... just very poor judgment.)
  
The video that follows was taken in the same spot a number of days before the still picture so it gives clues about how it evolved.  Now I'm not a meteorologist.  Heck, I've never even played one on TV.  But this is my theory of what may have been happening.  As we can see from the first photo, if the sun was out it could filter through the trees and hit this spot. I suspect parts of the snow piled on the branch would start to melt but as cold as it was, it would quickly refreeze as soon as the sun was blocked again. Melting snow and ice droplets are heavier than the fluffy stuff and so they would tend compact the snow and sink down. The increased density caused the whole thing to begin to, for want of better words, sag and stretch, eventually forming this ribbon-like shape.  Seeing it change daily reinforced this theory. I suspect we must have had very little wind during this time too.  Normally snow is blown out of the trees long before anything like this has a chance to develop.  My alternate theory is wood nymphs came out at night with bags of snow icing and decorated the trees.

I noticed several other little ribbons starting to form in the woods through the winter but nothing as large and perfect as this one.  Plus its wonderful placement high up between the sun and our trail spotlighted it beautifully. 

The Farmers Almanac  is predicting another hard winter.  I’m choosing to look on the positive side and view it as ideal conditions to see more snow ribbons.  If anyone has seen snow ribbons before, or knows what they are really called, I’d love to hear about it in a comment below. 

Whenever I’m going to teach something new I first try to round up friends to be guinea pigs.  That is to say, give them the chance to take advantage of a special opportunity – get a free jewelry making class and come out with a piece they probably never thought they could make.  That sounds much better, doesn't it? I discovered long ago that there are always surprises when you start teaching a topic and everything goes more smoothly when I’m aware of common problem areas before “official” classes begin.  

 This fall I’ll be teaching a fold forming class so I’ve been gathering willing, and a few not-so-willing subjects.  (What is fold forming?  See the previous blog entry.)  One was the husband.  I’d have to put him in the not-so-willing category but he finally succumbed to my sighing and gamely created a work of art that surprised both of us.  We're not sure where it is now or it would be included here... The only two I’ve convinced since I started this web site are my sister Danni and the husband’s old Albion College chum, Larry Downs.  The only one I remembered to take pictures of in the studio was Larry – so may I proudly introduce AuSable Designs August Student of The Month:  Larry Downs of Coldwater Michigan (pictured above).

I knew Larry was a handy fellow with an artistic eye and it wasn't too hard to talk him into trying to create a pair of fold formed leaf earrings for his lovely bride (of many years) Judy.  I assured him I would happily finish whatever he didn't want to, and he’d still get the special gift for Judy along with major husband Brownie points.  What's not to like? Turns out I didn't need to finish anything.   

I've always felt an important part of teaching is figuring out how much guidance your student needs.  Some are nervous and want step by step support. Others not so much.  I quickly learned Larry was at the extreme end of “not so much.”  I might have to make a new category of “show me only what you absolutely HAVE to then get out of my way.”  No matter how quickly I tried to demonstrate, it seemed his hand was reaching for the tool before I was done.  I found it best to keep myself busy in another part of the studio rather than hover.  If I saw a problem developing I tried to move in and out with explanations ASAP so he could get back to his own pace.  He did every step of the process from cutting out the copper sheet shapes to making his own sterling ear wires and applying multiple coats of Renaissance wax sealer in the final steps.  Here they are.  Who knows, this could be spoken about, in years to come, as the week that Larry Downs first learned he liked to move metal.  

His visit ended with a wonderful dinner of fresh grilled king salmon that the husband prepared while we metal smiths toiled in the studio.  The guy is a gem. Have I mentioned what a talented cook he is?  My mother used to loudly kiss her pinched fingers and shake them at you exclaiming with an Italian accent (No, we’re Irish, not Italian.  Not sure how that started but the accent and hand gesture had a recurring guest role on Mother's life show. It was probably an East Coast thing.), “My son-in-law, the gourmet chef!” 

But I digress ... again.  Larry caught the salmon earlier in the day jigging on Betsie Bay (just off Lake Michigan at Frankfort) with the husband.  Nice fish, nice earrings, nice dinner, and nice end to a 3-day fishing trip visiting with his old college pal.  Not a bad day for Downs. 

Welcome to my first Sorta Blog post. (I can hear the whispered comments; "What the heck is a Sorta Blog?"  Patience my slightly befuddled readership. This slightly befuddled writer is getting to that.) I enjoy reading blogs, especially by people who work with metal. I've picked up lots of good tips and made some online friends that way. I also enjoy writing (when I'm in the right mood) and sharing about things I learn.  So when I thought about creating a web page, a blog section seemed a no-brainer.  But then I'd see bloggers guiltily apologizing for not posting regularly enough. Back to that "when I'm in the mood" thing about writing.  I discovered one of the quickest way to get me out of the mood is to give me a deadline.  Then it becomes work, then my brain blanks out, then I start procrastinating and feeling guilty.  Who needs that?  I'm retired from official work and this is supposed to be fun. "Aha", says I.  "Don't call it a Blog and then you don't need to feel like you have to post on a regular schedule."  No deadline, no guilt, no problem - perfect!  So that's how I came up with the strange page name of Sorta Blog.  That's a blog-type page with no assumed posting schedule.  

And the picture?  Well, that's our adorable cat Marlowe hoping to be taken along on a fishing trip with the husband.  Some of you may be thinking that it doesn't have much to do with the topic.  Well, what the heck kind of picture can a person use to illustrate a topic like this? Have you got a picture of a Sorta or a Blog you can loan me?  On the other hand Rule #1 of Sorta Blogging is: when in doubt toss in a cute cat picture.  Works for me.