Cougars in Michigan? Check out this video evidence

WWMT has an interesting video on the question of whether or not there is a breeding population of cougars here in Michigan. The video shows some clips from amateurs of cougars in fields and other locales. A group is looking for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to recognize that there is a breeding population of cougars. The group, Michigan Citizens for Cougar Recognition, is trying to get the cougar population recognized in order to put the liability for property damage (death of farm animals, etc.) on either the county (if it is a pack of dogs for instance) or the DNR (if it is indeed cougars or coyotes).

Until the cougar is recognized by the DNR the various counties in Michigan are stuck with the bill for property damage. So, like most things in life, this is pretty much about MONEY. Go figure.

There was a blurb at the end about how the main thing that everyone wants is public safety and protection of the cougars. While I am sure that is true it seems the thing that is really driving this is money. The counties don't want to foot the bill and the DNR doesn't want to foot the bill in addition to having another animal population to manage.

Watch the video at the WWMT website. It is about 2.5 minutes long. Seeing images of cougars out in the wild here in Michigan is quite interesting.

Teen builds ballpark in his Grosse Point Woods backyard

Rob Hathaway has a passion for ballfields that goes back to his first view of the beloved ballpark at "The Corner," Tiger Stadium. Inspired by the lush field, Rob asked and received permission from his mom to build a pitcher's mound in the backyard. As Rob heads off to college this fall he leaves his father in charge of groundskeeping for the little ballpark that includes a mini Green Monster (from fabled Fenway Park in Boston) and two scoreboards. He put a lot of his own time and money into the project over the years to the tune of about $7,000.

You HAVE to check out the pictures over at the Detroit Free Press. Man, it makes me wish I had done something like that as a kid.

I had my own little ballfield in our yard when I was growing up. Home plate was a rough creosote soaked electric pole and my "Green Monster" was in centerfield - an outbuilding where you received credit for a home run if the ball landed on the rooftop. The bases were miniature orange traffic cones and the sandbox in right field was in play.

If you didn't have enough players to field a full team (living in the country we never had a full team) you could leave a "ghostie" on base and go back to hit again. Once and awhile I tried to have my "ghostie" steal a base, but I was always overruled. With the outdoor light on the barn you could even play night games if you wanted.

You know, come to think of it I did have a pretty cool field growing up. Sure there weren't any scoreboards or realistic looking outfield fences and a warning track. But I have such fond memories of playing a simple game of baseball with my dad, sisters, or cousins at my own "field of dreams" that I think it more than makes up for not having a more realistic looking field.

I only hope that I can create such fun memories for my son in our backyard.

Catch a falling star with the Perseid Meteor Shower

For those of us in Michigan now is the time to catch falling stars during the Perseid Meteor Shower. Unfortunately, the peak meteor activity this mid-August will be interfered with by the full moon tonight and its waning phases the next few nights. I remember laying out on a blanket one summer night as a child and watching the show that the meteors provide. It was literally a fireworks show presented by nature. Instead of booms and whistles the night air was only punctuated by my family's 'oohs' and 'ahhs.'

So, create a memorable family experience and lay out under the stars at least once over the next few days. The show starts to fade around the middle of August which is already next week. Where has the summer gone?

On a side note:

When I was writing this article, the Don McLean song "Starry Starry Night" (its actual title is Vincent, as in Van Gogh) popped into my head. I must admit that I never really listened to the words to this song in detail before. I never knew that it was about Vincent Van Gogh. You can listen to a live performance at Don McLean's website here. Starry Starry Night refers of course to Van Gogh's "Starry Night."

Places to Beat the Heat in Michigan

Today is the first of August and we are in the midst of the "dog days of summer" here in Michigan. The weatherman said that with the humidity the actual temperatures across Michigan were in the triple digits. It is supposed to be another scorcher today. I had a friend in Lansing who used to say, "it's not the heat, it's the stupidity." Of course that is a take on the popular phrase, "it's not the heat, it's the humidity." I prefer his line. People do stupid things when it gets this hot.

So, to help folks avoid doing stupid things in this heat I have some suggested places for you to go to stay cool.

• Take a dip in Lake Superior (66 degree water temps near Marquette)
• Visit your local library
• Hang out at the mall
• Stand in line at the Secretary of State office
• Become a volunteer greeter at Wal-Mart until the store manager asks you to leave
• Eat lots of ice cream at your local dairy bar :)
• Watch movies at your local movie theater (it's always too cold there so it should be nice)

Nothing in the World Like Homegrown Tomatoes

I don't mean to brag or boast, but our tomatoes this year are on pace to be the best looking ones we have ever grown. In years past I would try and see how early I could plant those buggers in the ground, but this year I waited. I think it was around the middle of May that we planted our tomatoes this year. We planted them in a raised bed consisting of top soil, compost, leaves from last fall, and topped off with composted cow manure. They have grown so large that my wife had to tie supports from the tomato branches to the tomato cages. We planted a couple of Grapette tomato plants and a few of another variety called Celebrity.

The Grapette tomatoes look like a cross between Cherry tomatoes and Roma tomatoes. They are elongated, but small and full of that wonderful tomato taste. So, I don't know if it was a combination of planting the tomatoes later in the spring and the nutritious soil or what. All I know is I will be eating a lot of tomato sandwiches and BLT's.

Is there anything quite like walking through your garden and plucking a perfectly ripe homegrown tomato and eating it right there in the garden? A wonderful sun-warmed treat that is hard to beat.

P.S. Where I come from a tomato sandwich merely consists of two slices of bread (white, wheat, who cares?), as many thick sliced tomatoes as the bread will hold, and a slathering of Miracle Whip. Oh, the memories from my childhood of picking the tomatoes from our garden with my dad and then sitting down to a feast of tomato sandwiches. Does life get much better than that?

Upper Peninsula Town Harassed by Bears

There must have been a bear jamboree in Ironwood up in Michigan's Upper Peninsula over the weekend. On Saturday, Ironwood Public Safety Department officers received eight different reports/complaints of bears. A large number of the complaints seem to be in reference to one of the bears in particular. He was tracked and after the IPSD contacted the Michigan DNR he was put down. The bear had been traveling through back yards and other areas where children are normally present and could not be scared out of town. For the safety of the kids and other residents the DNR recommended that the only action was to put the bear down. Another bear was later spotted in town and officers spooked it enough so it ran out of town with someone's bird feeder in its mouth.

All-in-all, Ironwood residents had quite the time with the convergence of numerous bears on their town. I am sure it would have been neat to see the bears (from a safe distance), but scary as a parent when you want to keep your kids safe.

Read the original article in the Ironwood Daily Globe

Michigan's DNR has a brief, yet informative guide to "Preventing Bear Problems in Michigan." The first main point the guide makes is to "never intentionally feed bears." It goes on to list various potential problems and the appropriate actions that you should take. I found it to be informative and to the point. Too bad that most of it is common sense since it seems that common sense can be in such short supply some times :).