Metro photo

ESCANABA — As the snow makes lace work of the balsam branches outside the kitchen window; the warm aroma of roasting turkey makes beadwork on the glass.

The sky is gray.

The maples and oaks have empty arms.

The deer and the wild turkeys leave their tracks around the orchard.

Black-capped chick-a-dees feast on sunflower seeds. One seed at a time, they fly off and chirp their gratitude.

There is no better place to find the true meaning of Thanksgiving than right here in Upper Michigan.

“Over the river and through the woods, to Grandmother’s house we go,” is more than just a song. It’s reality in the U.P.

Gratitude for a healthy harvest — be it corn, potatoes, pulpwood, milk, beef or venison — is something most Yoopers understand.

Appreciation of family and friends binds us together. Small town neighbors work together, lend helping hands, play together, fish, hunt, sauna, and shovel snow together.

Status symbols and “keeping up with the Jones,” means a lot in some metropolitan areas, but here in the U.P., a sense of contentment comes with having a roof over your head, a long woodpile, a freezer full of venison and a cellar full of potatoes.

Family ties are strong in the north woods. Some family homes house third or fourth generation Yoopers. Some country roads are named for families having brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts and cousins on both sides of a lane.

Good, “made from scratch,” cooks still abound in the U.P. Homemade pumpkin pie, bread, pickles, turkey, dressing and gravy will be served in most homes.

There is a commitment to sharing. Can-a-thons for the needy, benefits for people with medical bills, and fundraisers for school, church and community projects always seem to be successful.

Yes, Upper Michigan knows about Thanksgiving.

And right outside our windows are picture perfect harvest scenes of late autumn. The snow covered scarecrow, the smoke curling out of the chimney, the coppery, brown oak leaves still clinging to the tree and frosty breath of the gray rutting bucks beneath the pines, are images of November.

One other important thing about Thanksgiving is the power of a thank-you prayer. There are not many families that will go without a table grace this holiday.

Thanksgiving U.P. style, there’s nothing else like it. Have a great one with your family and friends.

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Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her folksy columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.