I have mentioned my lovely wife many times and have also written about her Up North shirts. We have a lot of fun looking for flannel shirts to repurpose. She sells the shirts in a couple of stores and we have sold them in a local farmers’ market. She recently wrote the following.

“Michigan! Michigan’s geography is known through some common descriptors such as, ‘The Land of Many Waters,’ a ‘Winter Wonderland’ or a ‘Pleasant Peninsula.’ Michigan has four distinct seasons, which all have unique characteristics! And, it may be the only state where you use your hand to show people where you are from. ‘I live in the thumb,’ I say, and people look back with a confused expression. So, I then resort to the ‘one hundred miles north of Detroit’ reference and they knowingly nod.

“Michigan folks have the opportunity to enjoy vacationing year round if they wish. Every Michigander knows the term ‘Up North.’ Up North might be an hour’s drive to a destination in the thumb on the shoreline of Lake Huron or Saginaw Bay. It might be 200 miles north to the Straits of Mackinac or to the west, to the shores of Lake Michigan. There are numerous campgrounds and resorts sprinkled all over the state, and activities that we can enjoy through every season.

“It is upon this concept, which I chose to name my repurposed flannels ‘Up North Shirts.’ My ‘Up North Shirts’ are perfect for sitting around a campfire in the North woods or taking in the sunrise on your deck as you sip your morning coffee. It’s something you can throw on, on a chilly day as you dash out to get the mail or run to the grocery store. Each is versatile, cozy and soft, and feels comfortable against your skin. I never leave home without mine!”

Who doesn’t love a great flannel shirt? We had great fun this Christmas as my wife selected Up North shirts for everyone in our family.

It’s obvious she is the real writer of the family. She is a certified elementary English teacher, and even though the majority of her career was teaching Social Studies to middle school students, she taught English as well. It’s very similar to the years of music we performed together, and still do, once in a while. She is the real singer. My favorite, as a matter of fact.

Whether you are a Michigander, or you’re reading this in the UK, or Alaska, or Ireland, it’s important to find a great flannel shirt. (No, we don’t sell them online, or do mail-order, we don’t have a website – we’re not interested in starting down that road.) It’s just fun for us, and several people have been happy to find our Up North Flannels.

Here’s to many enjoyable nights around a crackling fire, snug in a flannel shirt while you sip your coffee.