Michigan Forest Life - January 11, 2026

Good morning, friends,

The Michigan sky is still dark, waiting for its sunrise... and the world is quiet.

Snow fell again yesterday. It came down gently. Postage stamp-size flakes floating tentatively to the ground (Photo 1). Each flake perhaps expecting to melt upon landing. After all, only 24 hours ago the temperature was 55°F. But they did not. Each spread its square inch of whiteness on ground washed by a week of rain until they covered it all (Photo 2). And then more peaceful flakes built up into an intricate frosting that lay like a blanket of soft goose down covering the ground (Photo 3). Snow so delicate a stray breath could blow a hole in the quilt and tuft the flakes onto to another spot close by. 

In this morning’s darkness, I lay under my warm covers thinking about the personality of snowstorms - snowfalls. Often, they are powerful, sometimes ferocious. Biting wind and bitter cold with snow blowing sideways. Aggressive weather piling feet of snow in a single one-day dump. And then there are the times when snow comes down day after day. It is incredibly persistent – often relentless … testing the character of humans who inhabit where the snow falls. But there are times like yesterday, when it arrives so quietly that it brings with it a feeling of joy. As if each flake is a tiny bell that rings silently as it drifts to the ground. The flakes are so individual that you can imagine them looking at the ground as they gently circle, like a parachute looking for a clear spot to land softly. And then when enough have built up, they land in a pile made up of their cousins, who catch them and laugh as the pile gets bigger – a happy family reunion.

It makes me think about how Mother Nature is both powerful and gentle; two sides of her personality reflected in how she brings the snow.

Permit me to include another teaser from FOREST LEGEND: THE TALE OF OL’ SPLIT TOE –

preview snippet 16 of 27 (Photo 4). FOREST LEGEND is a adventure that sweeps across time, from the Ice Age to the future, and tells the story of ecological change through the eyes of nature – a time-traveling deer, Ol’ Split Toe.  The story takes place in Michigan.

I wish you a gentle snowfall, with postage stamp-size flakes.

Until next time,

Dan

Excerpt from Chapter 20

AD 1918 - Edra rode to the village in her horse-drawn buggy for a special event. Split Toe watched her go. He remembered seeing it was a happy day in the community, and noticed Edra’s excitement. Several of the community’s boys had arrived back home from the war in Europe, the war they called the Great War. A crowd met the fellows at the train station. To families in the community, they were all heroes.

“My, aren’t you the handsome one in this uniform.” Edra quickly stepped up to Angus and Grace’s son.

She tugged at the sleeve before giving him a genuine hug and a kiss on the cheek. “Where’s the little boy I once knew?”

The soldier smiled back. “Thank you, Edra. You ain’t changed a speck. I need one of your cookies.”

Edra smiled, “And what’s this limp you’ve picked up? You are beginning to remind me of Ol’ Split Toe.”

Most of the returning soldiers wore uniforms. For many, it was all they owned. The whole community welcomed the soldiers back with both happiness and sorrow. Hugs and kisses for all.

Edra returned to her place in the forest with a box of candles and a can of kerosene. She travelled to town so infrequently that she couldn’t ignore the opportunity to fetch some supplies.

Around two days after Edra returned, she began to feel a slight cough in her lungs and a growing fever. A rash developed on her chest at about the same time, which she believed was a result of the fever.

Copyright @ 2025 by Daniel S. Ellens

Pre-order now on Amazon – hardcover, paperback, eBook, Audiobook

Publication Date: March 31, 2026

Praise for FOREST LEGEND:

“A powerful, lyrical meditation on wilderness, myth, and memory. Ellens has created a tale that feels ancient and urgent at the same time.”

– William Gibson, author of Neuromancer and New York Times bestseller Agency.