Longing for Home

I place the blame for the following sad list of "longings"... on Facebook. Finding long-lost friends, reading what they post about.... it can be alot for overly-sensitive emotions, such as mine.

I love where we live today and see alot of benefits to raising a family here. To my kids, this is "home". To me, it sometimes feels like home, other times... I wonder what in the world I'm doing 600 miles away from Michigan... and I realize my heart is still there.

So....... here they are, in no particular order, the top ten things Michigan has (and I love) that Alabama is lacking....

First, and foremost.... Flint Coney Island Hot Dogs. If you've never been to Michigan, you've never had one and you are missing out. In googling for a picture, I found this picture of the Coney Island that is RIGHT NEAR my parents house. So close, we used to walk there for lunch on occasion.

A friend on Facebook was recently talking about Fried Smelt. Apparently this is a Northern, fresh-water fish. I have seen them at the Krogers here (frozen) only ONCE in the entire time we've lived here. In Michigan, you can get them fresh- you take them home and fry them and they are SOOOOO good.


(I said "no particular order" but then put all the food first. ;-)) Halo Burger. A Flint original. When I go there, I get a burger with green olives on it and a Boston Cooler. (Basically a ginger-ale milk shake, and at Halo Burger, that means Vernors). Now, we do have Vernors in the stores here, but it's really a Michigan thing, too.
Frankenmuth. If you've never been... you're missing out.Go Right Thru for MSU....

Meijer is the original "Super Wal-mart"... only better. I make a trip there every time I am in Michigan.

While I'm there, I often buy Lestoil to bring home. This is a miracle product for getting greasy stains out of clothes. But you can't buy it in stores here. I guess Alabamians never get greasy stains on their clothes. Actually- it may just be that the stuff is very potent. My mother-in-law brought me three bottles once and since it sat so long in the laundry room, the product ATE THROUGH the plastic bottle it comes in and leaked all over the place. I now store it in glass bottles.
Ahhhh.... lilacs. True, there are varieties that will grow here, but they have no fragrance whatsoever. We had a huge lilac bush outside our backdoor growing up and when it blooms in the Spring... there is nothing better.
The Mackinac Bridge. At five miles long, it is the biggest suspension bridge in the U.S. (Okay, I think so, anyway). It is a sight to behold. It is four hours from my parents' house, but I saw it regularly as a child. It connects the Lower Peninsula to the Upper Peninsula and divides Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. I've been longing to see it again.

And finally, the best thing Michigan has that Alabama is lacking are these people....

Okay- now I will go off and cry a little and remind myself that "This world is not my home, I'm just a passin' through".