November 2007 Custom Cabins Newsletter

Now that it is November in e-news land, and all of the fish and bears are “in bed” for the winter, we see other signs of late fall as our world begins to prepare for the cold snowy months of winter. We have seen small birds that resemble sparrows except that these birds have white tails. They are referred to as “snow birds”, but are actually snow buntings. They are usually found in flocks and usually along the side of the road. The amazing thing about the appearance of these birds is that after they have been here for about a week or ten days, it always snows. There may not be much snow, but nevertheless, it does snow. After that we rarely see them. Perhaps they are just passing “heralders” for the coming of winter.

Because we have had such a warm fall, the flowers by the sign as you turn to come up to the house were still blooming in the middle of November. The yellow straw flowers and the dusty miller are hearty, but even the petunias were still in full bloom.

The leaves on the trees had left much earlier. No more bright reds of the maples or the greens of the pines and yellows of the birch and aspens.

With the leaves gone, we have noticed how much further sounds travel. During the summer the leaves of the tress absorb a lot of sounds, while now the sounds seem to echo through the trees. The sounds of howling wolves, chirping birds, and even scolding squirrels appear to be much closer than they actually are.

One of the year round birds in this area is the grey jay. This bird resembles the blue jay, except that it is primarily grey in color. Campers often see them, especially in the spring and fall. Sometimes they are referred to as “camp robbers” or “whiskey jacks”. They are brazen, nosey, and have been known to fly into camp sites and try to steal any food that is out, even if it is in a frying pan.

Dave and Eva, our neighbors, have a bird feeder on their walk out deck. One morning Dave put out some dog food. A grey jay came by and ate it. The next morning, he put out some more and then stood on the deck. The jay seemed to have no fear of him and took the food. This continued for several days, and then he put the food in his hand, the jay came in, sat on his hand and ate the food. This was repeated for several days, until one day the bird thought Dave was late serving him his breakfast, so he flew around to the other side of the house where Dave and Eva were sitting in the kitchen having coffee and started to flap his wings against the kitchen window. Breakfast was then served immediately.

Eva was lucky enough to see a Cross Fox cross through their yard. In reality, this is a red fox, but its colors are different. It may have some red coloring, but it is usually mixed with some back and silver and an accompanying dark face. Apparently their yard is on his route of getting from some place to some other place.

Now, you may wonder why our neighbors see more wild life than we do. Well, for those of you who weren’t here this last summer, we have two new members of our “team”. We would like to introduce Jack and Hart-a brother and sister routine. They are a mixed breed-one half English Pointer and one half Alaskan Husky (short haired). That means the second half could be almost anything that runs.

They were in Paul’s kennel, but were too small to make the team-so we adopted them. They had to change from being outside racing doggies to being inside resort doggies. That meant they had to become “meeters and greeters”. It was quite a “career” move for them, but with time and understanding from our guests throughout the summer they worked on making the transition. They are two years old now and thoroughly love to run and chase anything that moves. Hopefully in another year, they will have grown into adulthood. Stay tuned for some of their escapades.

(1) In our last letter we told you that the Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital is trying to win an MRI machine and we asked you to go to www.winanmri.com to cast a vote for our hospital. We have heard from many of you saying you indeed had voted, and we thank you for your efforts. Please keep in mind that you need to vote once each day through December 31. It is the daily votes that could put us over the top and bring a much needed machine to our town. We are currently in fourth place, and we really need your help. In advance, we thank you.

(2) We are now into “permit season”. That means that several of you should have received an e-mail from us explaining “how to” apply for permits. If you are planning to apply for your own permits, did not receive this note and would like it, please contact us and we will be happy to send it to you.

(3) If you have a reservation with us and have not sent a deposit, please do so.

Custom Cabin Rentals
14663 Vosburgh Rd.
Ely, Minnesota 55731
218-365-6947 or 1-800-235-6947

www.CustomCabins.com