Here’s the deal. It’s time for the Big Count and a whole bunch of you are down in Florida and Arizona and Alabama for heaven’s sake. If Census Day were July 4 instead of April 1, Michigan might be recorded as the most populous state in the Union, but it’s not and we’re not and that’s a problem. Political representation is established on the basis of population. Federal programs are based on population. People, we need all the help we can get up here. It’s safe to come home now.
I already explained to you that the ice is off Torch Lake. The March Melt continues on Grand Traverse Bay, too:
Pretty soon I’ll be able to sit on Big Boulder at dawn and watch the eagle. OK, I probably won’t do that very often on account of I am a lazy person but I’ll do it at least a few times, and the times will be here within the week.
Maybe I will take a fit and do some Interior Decorating. Probably not, but you never know. If I were to do it, I think I’d use these colors in the main living space. I’ve always admired the shades of warm in the spring willow branches. They go well with beach sand, which is an important consideration at my house.
So what are you waiting for? Pack up and come home. We need you to take the Census form off your doorknob or out of your mailbox and fill it out properly, which is to say here, where your heart is. C’mon, you know it’s true. Besides, your body is here too more often than it’s there, so put a nice polite zero on the form hanging on your doorknob where you’re temporarily visiting, write “just visiting” across it, and pop it in the mail. Then come home and put yourself proudly where you belong: in Michigan. We miss you, the fun’s about to begin, and we need you to stand up and be counted. You can read a lot more about it here (“Are northern states being cheated?”) and here (“Snowbirds urged to count themselves”) or you can just take my word for it. Oh, wait, I just found an Official Census Memorandum about it. Looky here, straight from David W. Sheppard his ownself:
If you receive a form at your usual residence where you spend most of your time during the year:
- Complete the entire census form you receive at that address and mail it back.
- This is where you will be counted in the 2010 Census.
- If you are NOT at your usual residence at the time of the census, as soon as you return to your usual residence you should complete the entire census form and mail it back.
If you receive a form at the other place. where you do NOT spend most of your time during the year:
- Enter ‘0’ in Question 1 (household count question) on that census form.
- Do not answer any other questions, and then mail it back.
This is not a new development. Back in the lumbering era, lumberjacks and millworkers were often recorded in two places—the camp or mill where they were working during the drive, and at their own homesteads. It makes an interesting little research problem. Tracking down my Civil War vets is absorbing. Come to think of it, I’ll bet their wives sometimes found it a bit of a challenge, too, but I digress. It’s what I do.
Torch Lake Views 
Anna Surface
March 12, 2010
Oh dear! Our census is sitting in my inbox basket at my desk. I forgot all about it! I’ll have to get those 10 questions answered and the census in the mail. Our state has the population of a large city and so everyone counts, for sure, like where you are at.
Say, those are really nice icy photos of Torch Lake. Brrr!
The census back in the late 19th century and early 20th century was something else. I’ve ran across records when looking up people where I live with different names because living in a household temporarily; i.e., Angus Jones became Angus Smith while living with the Smith’s. Also, the German names had different spellings for the same surname. Research back then is challenging to say to least!
Gerry
March 13, 2010
I haven’t answered mine, yet, either, Anna. Guess I’d better do that! I’ve been having some interesting times with name changes, too, but my biggest frustration is the missing 1890 Census. That’s exactly the period I’m interested in. At least the Soldiers and Sailors schedules survived, so I have something to work with.
Fee
March 13, 2010
I love looking at old census records. Ours will be done next year, although we had a test last year of the shiny, new “do-it-all-online” version. Being a bit a a techo-bug, I had to have a go. All I can say is, I hope the full version is a bit more efficient than the painfully-slow test version. Or I might have to resort to old-fashioned “fill-in-the-form-in-black-ink” mode.
I like the fact that 100 years from now, when the full thing is finally released, my descendants can get a snapshot of my life.
Gerry
March 13, 2010
I like the old records, too. I’m surprised at how complete they are, at least with respect to my Civil War vets. Of course, I’m not trying to go back to the 16th century, either.
Bruce Laidlaw
March 13, 2010
There is a box on the census form which you can check to indicate you also reside at another location.
Gerry
March 13, 2010
Yes, and that box is useful for people who split their time evenly between two places. HOWEVER, that box is no help at all in getting people counted at their primary place of residence. I repeat, if your primary residence is in Torch Lake Township but you are away on April 1, put a zero on the “away” form and complete the Torch Lake Township form. Otherwise you will almost certainly be counted in the “away” place, to the detriment of Michigan representation. I understand that for a number of people the Township is in fact the secondary, not the primary, residence, and for those people the advice works in the opposite direction. The Census Bureau has done an absolutely abysmal job of dealing with this issue. At least this year’s questionnaire is blessedly short.
Cindy Lou
March 13, 2010
Seriously topic – happily put, Gerry. I’ve done mine and was in a quandry about what to do with the one that came to our hunting camp. Proud Michigander’s come home!
Your first photo looks like an alien landscape…very cool! And the dogwood (willow?) is one of my favoritest spring plants – all the colors of the sunset! 🙂
Gerry
March 13, 2010
Now there’s a blog post–a census form hanging on the latch at the hunting camp! Must ask my friend Nancy if the Taj Mahal of deer blinds was visited by an enumerator.
p.j. grath
March 13, 2010
Count me in and let me fill out the form later. I have not yet had a chance to wear shorts in Florida this year, much less a bathing suit! Also, as David would be the first to observe, “There’s still snow on the ground.” Sarah and I wouldn’t mind, but–.
Gerry
March 13, 2010
You are hereby given official leave to come home after you’ve had a chance to go lollygagging about in your shorts and swimsuits to your hearts’ content. However, I feel constrained to point out that by the end of the coming week there will not be any snow on the ground. (Unless by saying that I’ve jinxed us. Oh dear.)