Classic Style

  A  sartorial miss today, I fear, because there were too many colors or patterns happening on reflection.  Tan corduroys, a plan crewneck sweater, and/or a plainer necktie could have calmed down the melange of colors.  Or a plainer shirt and jacket.   Sad proof that it's easy to overdo it even with items that are nice by themselves.  Should've followed Coco Chanel's  advice and removed one item (or better, two) before heading out the door to the car.   Well, tomorrow is a new day as one of my son's pre-school teachers used to say.  Onward and upward. -- Heinz-Ulrich

  M ore snow in the night (Thursday), so another snow day Friday and extended weekend for the Young Master. A slippery early morning trip to take one of the cars to the garage for a scheduled oil change and other work, along with local skiing with the Grand Duchess in the afternoon before picking up the car at 5:30pm. The management of the nearby park and lake we like (Lake Lansing) was thinking ahead, so we were able to enjoy a few km of freshly groomed trails during the first half  of our tour.  We then ventured into the one-hour loop through the woods for some more challenging skiing along the north side trails.  Lots of quick climbs and short, sharp descents.   The Grand Duchess, who learned downhill skiing outside of Tahoe and Reno, Nevada as a girl, has always handled these quite well.  Not always so for yours truly, but it is becoming easier given all of the time  time I've spent on the snow so far this season.  27 ski tours since earl...

  The start-finish area about 7:45 Saturday morning.  Looks cold, and it was.  Brrrr. T he recent skiing weekend at Forbush Corner Nordic Ski Center just north of Grayling, Michigan was amazing (they just get better and better with each visit).  Besides my own activities Friday, Saturday, and half the day Sunday, I assisted with the 5k race Saturday morning.  There was also a much faster 15k race for, well, the racers out there!  Before you ask, the temperature was -14 degrees Fahrenheit (about -25.5 C. to the rest of the world) at 7:30am when I arrived with squeaky snow everywhere.  It warmed up but not by much, hovering at about 0 F. (-17.7 C.) for much of the beautifully sunny day.  When you move around as much as one does in cross-country skiing, you stay surprisingly warm, hence several thin layers of clothing rather than heavy, bulky items that restrict your motion. Of course, modern synthetics that wick moisture away from the skin really he...

  O r, Bingo Little gets lost in a drift?   Snowing again in our neck of the woods, but instead of ski gear, it was time to don something a bit more professional for classes this morning.  More of the usual suspects with the addition of a recent Christmas gift beneath the tweed jacket.  For traversing to and from the car and classroom building where I am scheduled this semester, additional items included a well-worn Borsalino fedora, a camel polo coat with blue and white schoolboy muffler, gloves, and orange overshoes by SWIMS. Perhaps a bit whimsical and even silly by the sartorial standards of 2026, yes.  But why not have a little fun with one's attire?  It certainly adds a spring to one's step when forced to leave the ski trails of Northern Michigan behind for another couple of weeks and return to real life during the Sunday afternoon drive south.  -- Heinz-Ulrich

  T he wonderful and amazing Grand Duchess back in the car after an approximately 90-minute ski tour through the Michigan woods near our house.  Her warm-up attire here includes a vintage men's sweater by Dale of Norway complimented by a wool ski cap she purchased during a conference trip to Estonia in 2024.  We had a blast during our jaunt through the woods, during which we encountered no one else. Presumably because the temperature hovered just above 0 degrees Fahrenheit (about -17 C.) all day. Funny how physical exercise will keep even the face and nose warm though. Not to mention the hands and feet. -- Heinz-Ulrich

    A   shot of yours truly taken by the Grand Duchess after lunch in the yurt at Forbush Corner Nordic Center on Sunday as we headed back out toward some more challenging intermediate and advanced terrain a few kilometers further along the trail. Conditions were about as close to perfect as one can get.  Cold, plenty of snow with more falling throughout the weekend, and many winter smiles as one of my coaches up there refers to happy skiers.   And there were record numbers this weekend!  250+ adults on Saturday alone. Lots of families or parents, grandparents, children of various ages, and even babies being towed in Burley ski trailers (usually by the fathers) out on the trails and in the yurt for breaks on Saturday and Sunday, which suggests at least to me that cross-country/Nordic skiing is far from dying like some doomsayers moan.  It's doing quite well in Michigan at least.  Admittedly, our own trail adventures were not quite  The H...

First They Came  Pastor Martin Niemoller  First they came for the Communists  And I did not speak out  Because I was not a Communist  Then they came for the Socialists  And I did not speak out  Because I was not a Socialist  Then they came for the trade unionists  And I did not speak out  Because I was not a trade unionist  Then they came for the Jews  And I did not speak out  Because I was not a Jew  Then they came for me  And there was no one left  To speak out for me.

  A s the 2025-2026 Christmas and holiday season wind down, it's important to remember the power of thank-you.  Especially in an era when common decency and politesse seem to be in such short supply, at least on the public stage.  Thus, let's remember to take a few moments to write thank-you cards to those who remembered us with a gift, a party invitation, or some other form of kindness during recent weeks.  So, sit yourself down, and take a few minutes to jot down a small note of gratitude to friends, family, and acquaintances who thought of you in some way.  Unusual?  Yes.  Memorable?  Yes.  And the right thing to do even if almost no one else thinks to do it in 2026?  An emphatic yes. As always, let's do our best to be gracious, present ourselves well, and set a quiet example for others in our daily conduct and words.   Happy New Year everyone! -- Heinz-Ulrich