Up North Blog

January 13, 2023 — On Sunday afternoon, I had an hour before I planned to meet Steph and Hawthorn in Traverse City to run some errands. Sonny needed a walk, of course, but all morning as I did washing and housework, I studied the dark snowless ice on the shallow waist deep water at our …

January 5, 2023 – The ice and solitude of our side of Little Traverse Lake have given safety for four otters who have taken to the little bit of open waters at the start of Shalda Creek. They fish and frolic and hang out on our dock and on the ice surrounding it. This furry …

National Blonde Brownie Day is January 22nd! Add some dried cherries to this recipe and put a cherry twist on it. What is a Cherry Blondie? Blondies, sometimes called blondie brownies or blonde brownies are the non-chocolate version of a brownie! They are fudgier than a cookie with a bit of a chew factor. You’ll …

December 24, 2022 —On a blizzardy Christmas Eve, we were cozied in with Steph’s family high on windblown Miller Hill.  The snow was coming down for hours and hours and the winds had picked up and big drifts were everywhere.  While eight of us ate dinner, near the exposed lake side of the house, there …

December 15, 2022 — I don’t ever remember a holiday rush like this one. It has been a fantastic season of greeting customers and filling orders. I can’t thank our customers enough for all their orders and support. And thanks to all the seasonal workers who come out of retirement or pull away from other …

December 15, 2022 — Late on Sunday afternoon, Sonny and I went to Effie’s Assisted Living Place to visit my mother. All the residents were together and the energy was really good. A few musicians had just put on a holiday concert so they were in the Christmas spirit. I sat at the dining room …

December 8, 2022 — One morning last weekend, when Steph and I were running errands in Traverse City,  we got a call from Colebrook. “There is a man at our door asking if he can cut down a pine in our yard for his Christmas Tree.” Steph and I looked at each other with alarm. …

December 1, 2022 — Steph and I were having a lazy Sunday morning. As we talk, powerful gusts of wind blast against the weeping willows. Their branches drape in the calm until a big gust swings them out like a wind whipped flag. Gust after gust hurls through the yard and I watch wrinkled brown …

GLEN ARBOR, Mich., Dec. 7, 2022 — Cherry Republic has been awarded a Top Workplaces 2022 honor by The Detroit Free Press. The cherry retailer also received this honor in 2020. The list is based solely on employee feedback gathered through a third-party survey administered by employee engagement technology partner Energage, LLC. The anonymous survey …

Meatballs cooked in a tangy BBQ sauce are high on everyone’s list when it comes to favorite holiday hors d’oeuvres. This recipe adds a tasty cherry twist by using Cherry Republic’s new Great Hall Classic Cherry Ketchup. Trust us, this premium steakhouse-style ketchup is a step above your average condiment! Rich in color and flavor, …

Nov. 23, 2022 — On Saturday afternoon, I pulled on a thick fire-red shirt and an orange hat and grabbed my skis for the first time this year. I drove to my favorite spot to backcountry telemark ski and studied the woods to make sure there were no hunters to disturb. Normally, I would be …

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