So, Michigan seems to be getting a bit of press lately, with the voting on Right-to-Work legislation and angry and sometimes violent protests at the Capitol, just down the road a ways from my house. Having friends on both sides of the issue and also because this space is not about politics, I’m certainly not going to take any stances here or push my own opinion, though I have one. Instead, I’m going to give you some peaceful pictures of places in Michigan where no one is protesting, except perhaps a squirrel chittering at a stray dog nosing around its tree.

Now then, let’s all take a deep breath and know that the world will go on, season to season, no matter who is elected at any level of our government and no matter what does or does not get signed into law. The natural world cares not about Right-to-Work, because the trees and the animals must all do their work anyway, with no pay or benefits, with no unions, with no thought of fairness or coercion or sustainability. With no bitterness or rancor, a tree grows, a flower blooms, a bird builds its nest, a squirrel gathers its hoard of nuts and seeds for winter.

And life moves on.