… in a deep and dark December. This post memorializes a trek taken at Lake Erie Metropark on December 7th. I had it tacked onto my Winter whining post I just published, but decided it merited it own post … so here goes.
I began my day with a quick trip to Council Point Park to feed my furry and feathered friends as rain was predicted for the next day. The sky, though gray and gloomy, yielded no flurries, so no worries. I donned a lot of layers, since the other venues on my agenda were right along the water.
I was out and about six hours that day, between walking, taking pictures, and driving from park to park.
I visited Elizabeth Park in the afternoon to feed peanuts to hungry squirrels and birds like nuthatches, woodpeckers and blue jays. I already wrote about that delightful trek here in case you missed it, just click here.
But sandwiched between those two parks was this stop at Lake Erie Metropark, which is located at the mouth of the Huron River on Lake Erie. I stopped at Cove Point and walked along the shoreline, then drove to the other side of the park to visit Luc, the resident bald eagle. I chitchatted with him while trying not to glance down at the frozen white rat with the pink tail that was placed on the tree stump in his cage for his Saturday meal. The air was so frigid that Luc’s water bowl, just like his meal, was frozen.
I stepped away from Luc to mosey over to the boathouse and wooden overlook area (as seen from across the lagoon).
The marshes and lagoon areas that encompass much of this large park were mostly frozen. Occasionally you could see a few mallards diving for breakfast.
The drab landscape didn’t look too promising for photos to accompany my post.
But, while looking around for something to pique my interest, a flash of something dark appeared in my peripheral vision. I turned my head just in time to see a brown furry head pop out of a watery hole in the ice. Next, this critter eased his whole body out of the water.
Once onto the frozen surface, he trotted across the ice on short, stubby legs. I was ecstatic and my reaction was “wow, my first otter!” I hurried to get a couple of shots of him as he made his way across the frozen lagoon.
It was a good thing I was quick on the draw whipping out the camera, as he was gone a moment later, merely stopping to grab a bite to eat. So, what did my new friend munch on? A small fish? Nope, he stopped to nibble on a pond lily and decided to take the rest of that huge leaf to go. Lake Erie Metropark is known for its lotus beds which are the largest and most accessible beds in Michigan. These tropical-looking flowers rise high above the mammoth leaves that float in two huge lotus beds at this locale. The lotuses are all in bloom by late August, but fast forward to late Fall, and all that is left are brown seed pods and withered leaves that flutter lazily in the breeze.
That night, I peeked at my photos taken that day and chose my best “otter” picture to send to a friend, while happily crowing “my first otter – look!” I was told it was a muskat. Oops! I have seen plenty of muskrats in my daily jaunts at Council Point Park, but all I see is the back of their heads and that huge tail streaming along behind them as they cross the Ecorse Creek. Oh well – it was a furry sign of life on a very cold morning.
Next, I wended my way down to the marina. I took the wooden overlook path, noting how blah the marsh landscape had become since my last trip in October, when the leaves were just beginning to turn color.
At the boat launch area I discovered a huge buoy overwintering on the shore …
… and two boat ramps had also been pulled out of the water.
A few boaters were out, wrapped up like mummies, as they sped along in their motor boats. Surprisingly, the seagulls were absent, but a few geese came to attention as they watched me enter their domain, but quickly lost interest and paddled away.
The rest of the trek was spent wandering around observing the desolateness of this usually vibrant venue, like Phragmites bending a bit in the breeze, the frozen marshland and the bare branches of a tall tree exposing a squirrel’s nest.
Last week I mentioned that the “real Winter” was wary of putting in an appearance and perhaps I jinxed things?
Winter has returned with a vengeance, though you would not have known that Saturday. We had Spring-like temperatures and rain that began at just before midnight on Friday and continued nonstop through Saturday. We got about 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) of rain altogether. I understand that if that precip had been snow, we’d have ended up with 25 inches (63 cms) of the white stuff. Yikes!
We lucked out, though the sidewalks and driveway looked like a washboard Sunday morning and the same scenario happened this morning. A light dusting of snow made shoveling or sweeping seem like a waste of time. I think the snow would provide a better walking surface until everything melts away when temperatures climb again on Tuesday. In reading the Facebook forum for local happenings, it seems a lot of homeowners in our City had extensive flooding. The northern counties did not fare so well when rain morphed into a freezing drizzle and ice coated the streets. The weather folks issued warnings in advance for not only torrential rain, but icy conditions and then snow … a smorgasbord of not only crummy, but also dangerous, weather. DTE, our energy provider, was so sure we would encounter massive downed lines and power outages as a result of the ice storm, that they requested 200 linemen from three neighboring states. By a stroke of luck, the temperature was just a smidge over the freezing mark and the widespread ice damage which was anticipated, did not occur, so the extra linemen returned to their respective states.
I’ll be putting my jaunts to the Park on hold until all the ice is gone – now we have predictions for a snow/ice storm on Friday into Saturday. My walking regimen took a major hit over the last week. In fact, I have not done very well since the beginning of the year, racking up barely ten miles to date. I took last Monday to run errands, as I knew the weather report looked dicey for the next week to ten days.
Because my motto is “seize the day” when it comes to walking, as you know, Fall-like temperatures and my wish to reach my year-end goal, meant I enjoyed a lot of walking time in December. Christmas Day was an exception when we had freezing fog which lasted until early afternoon. I got out later in the day, but my furry and feathered pals were tucked into their respective nests already. I sure hope my peanut-eating pals are doing okay at the Park. I continue to cater to a few squirrels and birds who come calling at the door for peanuts.
Shadow play …
I have some new followers since the last time I did a post exclusively about Parker, my favorite peanut pal at Council Point Park. This little Fox squirrel has my heart and I am not shy about telling you that I cater to him more than the others, with secret stashes of treats and niceties just for him. Yes, those little indulgences like extra Nutter Butters, peanut M&Ms or the biggest and shiniest apple are because I cannot resist those big brown eyes and that tail that swishes when he sees me. 🙂 I admit I am a sucker for his wily ways and in turn this little guy sometimes may be found trailing around behind me like a faithful dog.
Here is Parker happily noshing on a nut in a tree.
So … one sunny day in December, the sun was low in the sky allowing for some fun shadows. Seeing my elongated legs and Parker’s fuzzy tail as he sat contently by my side just gave me a smile. I spent about a half-hour getting the shots just right, repeatedly telling my furry friend to “hold that pose sweetie!”
What is not to love about a sunny day, especially when you can make a few fun shadows?
Apparently Parker was basking in the sun, (as well as all my extra attention), because at the end of my trek on the perimeter path, I walked back to my car and there he was, waiting ever so sweetly by the rear tire of my car. He knows two things: 1) I will give him more peanuts because I like him; and 2) I will give him even extra peanuts which I put far enough away from the car, so he is occupied and I can beat a hasty retreat and drive away without running over him. Parker the Squirrel is no slouch when it comes to treats!
For those who do not know, this little Fox squirrel was given the moniker of “Parker” several years ago by me. I don’t always drive to the Park, but when I do, this sly little squirrel recognized my car and parked himself next to it, while hoping to scam a few more peanuts before I headed home. Of course, I had already given him peanuts when I walked the first loop, and sometimes each subsequent loop after that. So this became a ritual – I am sure he climbs to the highest tree to scope out when I’m ready to leave the Park.
Parker is fond of putting his paw on my shoe top to get my attention, and, has, on a few occasions, if I don’t succumb to the “treat stare” and tender peanuts quickly enough, attempted to scale my pant leg to reach the peanuts I have hanging in a mesh bag clipped to my fanny pack, or he will start trying to reach my coat pocket where a bag of peanuts peeking out entices him to do acrobatics.
He often begins dancing around my feet …
… then resting a front paw on my shoe and often gazing up at me with that “peanuts pretty please” treat stare!
So, without a shadow of a doubt, Parker is my favorite Park squirrel and he knows it and now you know why too!
On Saturday, December 28th I headed to two parks to wind down the last of my long weekend treks for 2019. As I was walking through the parking lot to start on the perimeter path, a fellow walker, who always feeds the squirrels, commented that something new and unusual happened during his walk. “Linda, the geese came and ate the peanuts I gave to the squirrels – I’ve never seen that before, have you?” I admitted that was the first I had heard of that happening, but a few weeks before, I was bending over to the squirrels’ level, talking to them and putting peanuts down on the pathway, then, when I turned away to start walking, I noticed about ten Canada geese were close enough to “goose” me – yikes! (Good thing I turned around when I did.)
I only intended to walk one loop, feed my feathered and furry pals, then head to Elizabeth Park to do basically the same thing, only a bigger venue. Since rain was predicted the next day, I decided I’d stop here and treat the “regulars” first. I meandered along, tossing peanuts, taking a few pictures, and, I have to admit, I was looking over my shoulder as a gaggle of geese was grazing in the donut area of the walking loop where I was strolling.
Everything was peaceful and hunky dory; all that soon would change.
When I first appeared on the perimeter path, everyone, i.e. the usual peanuts gang, was on high alert that peanuts would soon be hitting the asphalt path.
The squirrels positioned themselves to greet me, having scurried down their respective trees from their nests high above.
There must be some secret lingo that announces my arrival – everyone is at attention.
Or, perhaps the smell of a newly opened bag of peanuts is wafting through the morning air?
“Please Linda – I’ll pose for you again, just leave lots of peanuts!”is what Midnight said.
The blue jay hovered nearby on a bare branch, deciding when and where to make his swoop down to grab a peanut … or two … or three. The cardinal carefully calculated the best spot to retrieve his peanut, as he is more timid and not as pushy as his blue counterpart, the conniving jay.
“I’m waitin’ on the Peanut Lady for my breakfast.”
*Yippee! Linda’s here – I’m starving!”
“Oh darn, that pesky jay is going to scam all the biggest, bestest peanuts!”
Sometimes, in the stillness of my morning walk, not only do I hear the peanut shells falling quietly onto the path as nuts are enjoyed, but I swear I can hear the gears clicking in the brains of my furry and feathered friends, as they anticipate their next move.
The Peanuts Gang – nope, not what you’d think.
In this particular tree-lined area, where many of the squirrels gather, they came scurrying over and I dropped a lot of peanuts, as I knew I would be leaving soon. Whether the geese were savvy enough to equate the plastic bag of peanuts as food for them, or, they were especially hungry and decided peanuts were on their breakfast menu, I don’t know, but this is how the scene unfolded.
The lead goose saw me doling out peanuts and told the others “get your butts over there now! The Peanut Lady just laid down peanuts for the squirts.”
And so the stampede began; more geese were in the background.
“Yesssssss! This is something we can really sink our teeth, er … beaks into!”
The geese took delight in gobbling up those peanuts, and, unlike the squirrels and birds who politely nosh or steal ONE peanut at a time, these piggy geese couldn’t eat them fast enough. Note the peanuts falling on his webbed foot, unless he was holding them there for a snack later. (Unfortunately, I cut off the top of the head of one goose, but the image of the other piggy goose was too good to pass up.)
They continued noshing away on nuts …
... as if they had never eaten before, while the rest of the Park critters looked on helplessly.
“Linda – do something NOW!”
The squirrels, jay and cardinal were stunned by this revelation that the geese should be nervy enough to be feasting on THEIR peanuts. They looked at me, which I suppose was akin to “Linda – do something NOW!” So what’s a walker/peanut feeder to do? I waited until the geese gobbled up the last peanut (and I believe they ate shells and all – ugh) and waddled away, then I put down more peanuts for my pals. The “regulars” were quite aghast with the geese as you see below.
“OMG – all our peanuts are going, going gone!”
“How dare those geese gobble our treats!”
“Wait! Am I really seeing geese eating OUR peanuts?!”
“You all must cease and desist this nonsense immediately!”
“Maybe if I give ’em the side eye, they’ll leave?!”
“When are they going to take off? And more importantly … will Linda leave us more nuts?”
The bright-red bird shook his head in disdain. Meanwhile, the jay took a hike – he was no fool and was not going to mess with birds bigger than he was.
The sad saga ended once the peanuts were gone, and, as mentioned above, I fed the squirrels and birds once the last goose waddled back to graze on the grass and everyone lived happily ever after.
[Header image of the pile of peanuts from Pinterest]
After dealing with a dusting of snow on the pumpkin on November 7th, then the big snowfall (8.8 inches/22 cm) on November 11th, most people here in the Mitten State settled in for that extra-long and very-wicked Winter that was predicted way back in October. But, it turned out that the snow was whisked away within a week and we returned to a Fall-like feel for most of the time since then.
We have had snow showers or flurries in the forecast several times the past few days, but they never seemed to materialize – that’s okay with me. Ol’ Man Winter likely has a few blizzards and Polar Vortex events up his sleeve, so for now, it is good to just seize the day and get out and walk as much as I can.
We’ve had very few appearances of the sun and each day seems grayer than the last. It seems hard to believe, but our weather folks wowed us with the fact that the entire month of November passed by without a single ray of sunshine in SE Michigan!
So, when the clouds parted and the sun dared to show its face, it was cause for celebration. I know I was all giddy, snapping photos of the long shadows of me alongside my furry friend Parker. I’m going to feature Parker in an upcoming post where we engaged in some fun shadow play just for kicks.
My camera was busy clicking away throughout December and I spent a good part of New Year’s Day wading through all my December photos and separating them into various bite-sized posts, to be published throughout January. Unbelievably, I have also amassed a lot of photos from a few very long treks in the Summer and I have yet to even poke through them. I thought it would refreshing to have a few posts chock full of flowers, bees and butterflies in the dead of Winter. I am sure you’ll agree. In fact, 2019 was the first year that I did not always write a post with accompanying photos the same day I went on a long weekend walk; the exception was the four 5Ks I participated in during May and June.
As to this post, it memorializes a walk I took shortly after our Arctic Blast in mid-December. The Creek was still frozen over and it was quite nippy when I arrived. Harry had done his laborious and treacherous trek across the Creek the day before. With just the faintest glimmer of sun present, even though the bare branches on trees and bushes against a monochromatic sky made for a drab walk, I was still able to find a little beauty at my favorite nature nook.
It was a tranquil scene with the images of the trees reflecting on the ice and snow.
Ice covered the Creek and we had a very light dusting of snow that resembled icing sugar as it sprinkled across parts of the ice.
It sure looked desolate with no ducks frolicking in the water, nor geese gliding down the center of the Creek. All was very still.
It looked very desolate indeed.
Ice outlined the Creek banks, likely where the water lapped up and froze in place.
My blah trek was devoid of any bright colors, just a few teasels standing at attention like soldiers …
…and the milkweed pods that had gone to seed and looked like cotton batting that formerly filled up their now-frozen shells.
I walked along, my head swiveling from side to side as I looked for my furry and feathered pals, but they were reluctant to leave the comfort of their cozy nests until I was on my third lap around and the squirrels finally ventured out and came scurrying over to greet me, as if I’d just arrived. (Kids!!!)
From afar, and across this portion of the Creek, which surface was as smooth as glass, I saw Harry had perched in his favorite tree with those pale, gray-blue feathers standing out against the weathered and dead wood.
He stood like a bump on a log, glanced at me, then quickly turned his back, obviously not eager for a photo op since I had no fish or frogs to entice him to pose for me. I guess he was happy to be overseeing his kingdom and not fishing for the time being.
On my last lap around the perimeter path, Harry was hunkered down, his head barely discernible in those feathers and I guess he was sleeping. I strained to see if he slept with his head turned backwards and buried in his feathers, like most other waterfowl, but I couldn’t tell.
One thing’s for certain – he likely awoke from his nap with “bed head” like this painted rock I found that morning at the base of a memorial tree.
Just like the Paul Simon song, the year is likewise slip-slidin’ away.
Let it go – I’m in no hurry to keep it around, nor the decade either. I’m eager to start a new decade tomorrow.
As I write this post, through a prayer, crossed fingers and toes, I managed to reboot my furnace and warm air is circulating throughout the house. That wasn’t the case most of Monday when the furnace had a big fail. The HVAC folks will come out to rejuvenate it for New Year’s Eve early this morning. I asked Mr. Furnace why it couldn’t have its hiccup while the temps were above average, instead of the first day when temps were below average and the winds were 45 mph/72 kmh and snow would soon be a’flyin’. I got no answer. I concede that things could be worse … all in all I feel very blessed, despite my occasional grumbling and whining (about the weather mostly).
So, about two weeks ago we had an Arctic blast which lasted a couple of days. The thermometer dipped down very low and the Ecorse Creek at Council Point Park soon froze over. That weekend, though the temps were warmer, the Creek was still frozen solid. I saw Harry the Heron trying to cross the Creek to the other side. He wobbled a little as he strode across on his icy trek. My guess is that he could not take off and fly once he started on his journey. I held my breath a few times, sharing that Great Blue Heron’s pain. Many mornings when I still worked on site in downtown Detroit and took the bus, I’d have to walk on glare ice. I took baby steps down our street to get to the bus stop. I assure you my heart was in my mouth the entire time.
Harry gained confidence at some point in his trek, throwing his head back, saying “I’ve got this” … perhaps this was when the ice was bumpy, enabling him to get a grip.
But at one point, he slid and was off balance and righted himself again by crossing his legs in a very amusing pose – pretty fancy footwork there Harry!
He made it across and I wanted to shout “yay!” I was lucky enough to be able to document his arrival from this side of the Creek banks.
You can see here how the ice was beginning to melt a little, so my guess is the fishing would be better at this spot. After all, who can spear their beak through a frozen Creek to catch a minnow?
I chose these photos, not just for the “slip-slidin’ away” theme, but also I thought the heron’s adventure mirrored my year of walking … there were times, especially after that whopper snowfall on Veteran’s Day, that I thought I had bitten off more than I could chew and I would not achieve that lofty goal I set for myself. After all, my original intent was always just to go one more mile than the previous year. But I rose to the challenge of walking 2,000 kilometers/1,242 miles suggested by a fellow blogger, even though it meant tacking on an additional 80 more miles/128 more kilometers than I would have originally intended to walk.
As I mentioned on December 12th when I made my goal, it was a year of wacky weather. Winter overstayed its welcome (although Winter is never welcome in my opinion) and Spring was rainy – not just a gentle rain, but torrential rain that went many days in a row. Summer arrived and most of my favorite haunts for weekend treks were swampy or muddy. Then it was hot and humid and Fall was just a blip – we really had no Fall and then it snowed twice in one week in early November and that left me shaking my head – it was then I questioned if I could meet my goal.
Luckily the weather rallied back in December – then we had above-average temps … until yesterday.
Last Saturday I took a six-mile walk, back to Elizabeth Park, where the squirrels and birds gathered around me, like I was Snow White. I truly don’t know who was having a better time – them or me? I guess me; plus I finished off the year 2019 with 1,300 miles under my belt and took a slew of pictures as well. I took the rest of the year (three days) off to rest on my laurels (and because the weather was crummy).
And because I like rounding off numbers, I will finish off the year with this 1,400th post.
And, by the way, a few days ago, I reached 7,000 miles on my 2010 car. I took a picture of that monumental occasion, but I’m going to keep this post simple and nature only, so I’ll omit it.
So, I’ve pondered what to do about next year’s miles. I don’t want to merely assume I can get to 1,300 miles again. The weather folks say we are in for a snowy Winter with a brutal January or February in store. I don’t want to fret about making miles – walking is supposed to be fun.
So for 2020, this brand-spanking-new year and decade, I will walk 2,020 kilometers/1,255 miles. If I go over that, I’ll be happy, but I won’t try to top it. When I am retired and can walk any time of day, I can shoot for the moon, but with so many snowy, icy or rainy mornings messing up my walk before I begin my workday, I’ll do this type of goal in the interim. Next year I’ll aim for 2,021 miles and so on.
I believe walking is the best present I’ve given myself because, had it not been for walking, I never would have started blogging nor had a renewed interest in photography. And, of course, I’d never have met all of you here in Blogland.
“It’s time to wish you Merry Christmas or Happy Hanukkah.”
This is a short and sweet post … even a bit bittersweet.
Everyone has their Christmas traditions and I’ve had a few through the years … just like you.
Christmas in July.
One such ritual was that my mom and I used to attend the annual Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Preview Party every July. A few weeks before the event, I’d stop at the card store and pick up that year’s “Dream Book” and we’d peruse it, dog-earing the pages where ornaments of interest would appear. Then, on a steamy hot mid-July day, we’d go to our favorite Hallmark store and mix and mingle with the crowd of Hallmark Keepsake Ornament collectors, while munching on Christmas cookies, sipping hot chocolate or punch, admiring the holiday décor and listening to Christmas music in the background. We’d buy an ornament or two in the air-conditioned store, then step back outside into the sweltering July temps. The ornament(s) would be tucked away until Thanksgiving weekend when I hauled out all the holiday treasures.
After we collected enough miniature ornaments to fill up our tree at home, as well as my tree at work, just to keep the tradition going, every year Mom bought me a collectible ornament to sit on a shelf or hang on a stand. I collected teddy bears for years, so some ornaments were bears, but I always loved Snoopy and the Peanuts gang, so one year Mom bought me the ornament called “Literary Ace” – the paper in Snoopy’s typewriter is devoid of words, except the year of the ornament’s debut: 2002.
Well I adored that little ornament and insisted on putting it front and center on the corner cabinet in the kitchen.
The years rolled by and Snoopy appeared in other collectible ornaments, but not as a writer … until 2009.
I stopped and picked up the “Dream Book” just like usual, but my mom was having a lot of issues with dizziness and very unsteady on her feet at that time, so she insisted I go to the Ornament Preview Party by myself, but, before I left, she pressed some money into my hand to buy the latest Snoopy “writer” ornament entitled “Once Upon a Holiday” and, as you see below, everyone’s favorite beagle is busy typing once again. So, is he typing a second draft of the Great American Novel?
The paper in the typewriter reads: “It was a bright and merry night.” Woodstock looks on, perhaps proofreading Snoopy’s work?
Did Mom have a premonition I’d be a blogger one day? Hmm – well, who knows about that musing, but it is the last ornament she ever bought for me, one decade ago, so it is a cherished possession.
The two Snoopy ornaments sit side by side on the bottom shelf of the corner cabinet every holiday season.
Always cherish the memories, objects and people that bring you joy – here’s hoping your holiday will be filled with much joy and love.
On Saturday, December 7th, I spent my day visiting three parks. First, it was Council Point Park for a quick jaunt to feed my furry and feathered friends, then there was a foray to Lake Erie Metropark, followed by Elizabeth Park. I already knew the picturesque beauty of the latter two venues would be muted somewhat by the late date in the Fall season, plus it was a gray and blustery day, but I made stops at both parks anyway, camera in hand, because it is Michigan after all … who knows how many days, weeks – even months it might be before I returned to either place? A little cloud cover and cold was not going to hold me back at all. [It turns out, the weather has been fantastic and will be great until the end of this year!]
It was rather desolate looking at Lake Erie Metropark, with the ochre-colored spent bulrushes and reeds and just the occasional mallard paddling through what portions of the marsh were not frozen over. I saw a muskrat emerge from a break in the ice and watched it trot across the frozen surface. I glanced a second time to see its mouth was full of pond lilies, something which is part of a muskrat’s diet. I’ll write about that park adventure in the new year.
You may recall my recent post about stepping out of the car to find a collection of squirrels who hurried over, quickly surrounding the car and me. I was amused and wished I had more peanuts to give them, but I’d used up most of my peanut stash on the early risers at Council Point Park. I remarked in that post that I was sure that I had “Peanut Lady” emblazoned on my forehead.
Well, I vowed to return to Elizabeth Park before the snowflakes began to fly, only this time with a whole package of peanuts, just for those sweet squirrels.
I didn’t expect to see, just moments after scattering most of the peanuts on the ground, a gathering, not only of squirrels, but birds as well, among them Jays, Nuthatches and Woodpeckers … suffice it to say I was in my glory. All this wildlife surrounding me, just for the price of a bag of peanuts. I have used the phrase “simple joy” before – I admit I am easy to please and I was delighted to see them.
I took a lot of pictures of the gathering of my furry and feathered friends happily munching away, then I moseyed and meandered around the rest of Elizabeth Park enjoying the view. It was really cold, but I was dressed for it, except for my fingers which persisted in freezing, despite two pair of gloves.
The trees were mostly bare; the many majestic oaks had dropped their leaves and a carpet of brown and withered leaves was everywhere. In some instances, ice was still embedded amongst the leaves from a cold snap earlier in the week.
I scuffed through loads of them on the grass and some leaves littered the boardwalk.
I stopped to check out the etchings of young love declared and painstakingly “engraved” into the painted metal railings along the boardwalk. I took a few pictures of those hearts, doodles and curlicues, thinking they might become the topic of a post, perhaps at Valentine’s Day, but decided to just use them here.
And, alas … there was love gone wrong too it seems.
I returned home, having driven 50 miles (80 kms), walked almost seven miles (11 kms) and I was gone for six hours doing so. My breakfast was down in my toes and I was ready for something warm to eat and drink.
The images of the Park’s inhabitants that day remain in my head, as well as captured by the camera, so let me share my favorite photos of the day and weave a little rhyme in there as well, about Mother Nature’s gifts, a timely topic as we are immersed in the gift-giving season.
On the 7th of December, Mother Nature gave to me:
A mess o’ squirrels that came runnin’ when they saw the Peanut Lady!
A Blue Jay scamming peanuts in between screeching like Mariah Carey.
A Red-Bellied Woodpecker that spotted nuts and stopped drilling on a tree.
A White-breasted Nuthatch who scoped out peanuts and began yelling “Yippee!”
I tossed peanuts, they gathered, posed and feasted … they must’ve been hungry!
I was happy to share the love and I left with a spring in my step and feeling merry.
Then down the road a little, there was …
A gaggle of geese goose-steppin’ on the icy grass slowly and very precariously.
Some seagull shenanigans – even one dozing off and looking quite sleepy.
I watched Woodpeckers at the feeding station checking out the seeds with glee.
I felt blessed I had chosen this time and place to walk and see the menagerie.
Wide-eyed wonder …
I hope that every walk in nature continues to fill me with wide-eyed wonder just like this squirrel and that I will always remain mindful of the words in the quotation up at the very top of this post.
The hustle and bustle of the holiday season barely gives most people a minute to catch their breath. That is why the many memes “keep calm and put a bow on it” are always trending on social media this time of year. But for me, it is fairly quiet, and, given the fact that the weather has been mostly cooperative lately, (except for a dusting of snow this morning), I’ve gotten out to my favorite parks, just marking my time, waiting for when snow and ice will obliterate my longer walks and picture-taking adventures.
I do love Heritage Park in Taylor, Michigan for many reasons, especially the ducks and geese who gather around Coan Lake, a man-made lake adjacent to the covered bridge. Around the holidays, at night, the park is lit up on the bridge with strands of twinkling lights and the old-fashioned light poles are all aglow as well. As you can see above, and in some photos below, Heritage Park puts holiday flags on all the light poles, lending a very festive air.
On the day that I last visited here, it was very blustery and cold. I did an earlier post about the mallards that gathered near the bridge, (click here if you missed it) and this post I’m going to write about their feathered friends, the Canada Geese, which are also plentiful at the park, whether they are strolling around the grounds, or paddling in the lake. Even though the day was dull and dreary, with a sky that seemed to threaten rain any minute, this venue never disappoints. It was the weekend before Thanksgiving and many of the trees still had their leaves, though the colors were somewhat subdued – likely by now, the trees are all bare. Here are some of my favorite photos and impressions from that day.
It seems a flock of geese are always on the move, often flying overhead and they give me cause to pause to look up and marvel at their formation, most of the time in a perfect V. I will watch their signal caller as I wonder, will they dip down to graze or paddle or float around in the water? I was lucky enough to capture these geese ascending and descending, respectively, in the two photos below. They honk the entire time they are doing this and I’ve never figured out if they are conveying a message to one another or simply announcing their arrival or departure to the rest of the world? (Look closely in the first picture as they are directly in front of the schoolhouse.)
The festive flags and the geese got me thinking about the impending holidays and the Canada geese who “live” at this house. My mother loved birds, especially cardinals and jays, and there are many ornaments, resin figurines and other collectibles around the house with their likeness, though she sure liked the bigger birds too. The kitchen has its collection of wooden and ceramic duck decoys, rooster items on the wall, or on top of the fridge, and then there are the geese – oh yes, the geese. There are a lot of them too; some are rustic and hand carved, some which are other mediums, like ceramic or wool and a few even have names too. (Try dusting all these fine-feathered friends … grrrrrr.)
I used to spend an entire day decorating the house (and it’s a small house) for Christmas … this required tucking items away for a month and hoping to remember where the knickknacks etc. were stored for New Year’s Day when I took everything Christmassy down and restored the house back to normal again.
Every year, my mom would say “don’t spend all your time decorating – we’re adults and there are no kids coming to the house – rest on the day after Thanksgiving!” But I persisted, saying we needed the festive ambiance in our home. My mom did her part to brighten the holiday season by decorating the Canada Geese. This entailed tying a bright-red ribbon around each one’s neck. I’d say it was her tradition, just like making Christmas cookies and the sinfully rich (and rather boozy) mincemeat tarts that would knock your socks off. She did not drink, but in July halved a bottle of candied fruit mincemeat mix and poured a liberal amount of rum in each jar; by December the mixture was pretty potent. Anyway, Mom would tie her ribbons on the geese and declare her part of the holiday decorating was done.
Here are a few pictures of my mom and me holding “Lucy” the almost life-sized Canada Goose which always sits in front of the electric fireplace in the living room. The first photo is from Christmas 1984 and the rest of the photos are from Christmas 1987, a holiday I remember very well … more on that in a minute.
I hate that some of these older pictures have a gummy residue on them from the photo albums, but, that said, these 1987 pictures were from a very non-traditional Christmas, because I had my tonsils out on December 22nd. I had my tonsils originally removed in 1972 and one “root” was left and the tonsil grew back on that side – what are the odds of that happening I wonder? I went to an ear/nose and throat doc complaining that if a person with a cold even looked at me, I’d end up with a sore throat and was sick the next day, despite eating healthy, sleeping well, taking vitamins AND having my tonsils removed already! The ENT doc peered down my throat and said “you have the remains of a tonsil my dear – as soon as your cold is over, call my office and we’ll schedule you for outpatient surgery and plan on a few days’ downtime because you’re older and it’s not so easy when you have a tonsillectomy.” I was 31 years old (that was older??)
The surgery was on Tuesday, the 22nd and I planned to use up all my sick days and took off work until the new year. I did have a few issues with my ear afterward, and this surgery complicated Christmas dinner as I was not supposed to have anything solid for about five or six days … you can do the math. Mom made many bowls of Jell-o and it was nice of her to make them in cherry and lime flavors for Christmas Day. She heated herself up a can of Campbell’s Chunky soup and ate it in the other room so I would not smell the soup and hunger for something more than Jell-o. I never even decorated at work or at home that year, save for a small tree I usually put up on my desk, as I considered Christmas kind of a lost cause that year. Here is me on Christmas Day eating Jell-o and posing near the arrangement they sent to me from work.
This year, like most years since my mom passed away in 2010, I did not decorate … oh, I put out an ornament or two, but that was it. Next year I promise myself I’ll at least put up one of the Christmas trees – there are two ceramic trees, the little one pictured on the mantel above and two miniature trees, one I took to work in later years and one here at the house … surely I can do that much right? But, despite my lackadaisical manner of decorating for the Christmas season, I smile fondly as I remember my mom announcing “my decorating is done!” Right … adding those bows to the Canada Geese. So you’ve met Lucy and these geese I have similarly adorned with their holiday bows and with that task, I have put a bow on my Christmas 2019 prep.
The first goose is Daloose – I am spelling her name phonetically as I have never had occasion to spell out her moniker. We were at a Pendleton shop buying some Winter woolen skirt suits for me (back in the days when I still got dressed up for work) and it was around Christmastime. We spotted this woolen goose which was an ornament on a shelf and asked the owner if it was for sale. No, it was not, but we explained our goose and duck collection and she parted with it … Daloose has lived at the end of the hall since the late 80s and, while not a Canada Goose, she is still displayed prominently. She used to have a silk Christmas neck ribbon and one day I was vacuuming her and the vacuum nozzle caught the ribbon and sucked the whole thing up – I let out a scream in surprise and we did not retrieve the ribbon, but simply used another one.
And then there’s Bruce – he resides in the spare bedroom. Not much character with this guy, with his bland expression and he is not as realistic looking as Lucy, but he is similarly adorned with a red bow. There are other smaller geese or geese figurines here at the house, but no more Canada Geese, since we ran out of goose-type names. 🙂
I digressed … bigtime – enough memories; now back to Heritage Park.
While meandering around Heritage Park, snapping pics of the mallards and the geese, I remembered Mom and her tradition and I fancied the geese that paraded in front of me looking like those festive geese at home. So, in preparing this post, I added a ribbon here and there … just because. What do you think – do the Heritage Park fellows look like the geese here at home?
Just like at the eye doctor always asks at your annual appointment … is this better?
… or about the same? (In this instance, it would be Canada geese au naturel.)
Of course, be-ribboning your Canada Geese doesn’t always work out, especially if you are trying your best to capture four of them in an Beatles Abbey Road-like pose like these below … c’mon guys, work with me on this … march across, no veering off the pathway. How did I do? Is that a wiggle or a struggle for y’all? Just stay on the beaten path please! You see in the second photo, one goose started to go his own way.
Back to Christmastime and Heritage Park at the holidays. The venue has such a nostalgic look and hearkens back to times long before I was ever around. Here are some more pictures around this historic park. The old-time buildings give this park its ambiance – my favorites are the covered bridge, mill and little red schoolhouse.
Christmas is a week from today, so here’s hoping your holiday prep is a wrap and you can enjoy the ambiance of the season. Me, … I’m headed out to shovel or sweep away the dusting of snow on this bitter cold morning.
… and that’s likely because he had a big green sugar cookie shaped like a Christmas tree in his paws and was nibbling away at it.
Season’s Eatings – 2019 Style.
The past few years I’ve taken some extra treats for the squirrels and birds for Christmas and left those items there for them to enjoy while I was walking and for afterward. I usually do this on a weekend, when I can monitor who is enjoying (or discarding) what treat, on each successive lap around the Park. I also check out the progress of nibbling the treats in the days to come (if they last that long).
I’ve never taken Christmas cookies before and this year I parted with six “Voortman Bakery Assorted Festive Cookies®” out of my package. (I tore the bag when I opened it, so I’m borrowing this photo from Voortman’s website.)
They were all sugar cookies and I was thinking the squirrels might just play nice and share them with the sparrows, who watch me every morning, hoping for a morsel of food that they can enjoy. Unlike last year, when I lumped everything together on one of the picnic tables under the pavilion roof, (click here to see their food fest I left them), this year I decided that the birds would actually get a chance to enjoy their bird seed bells, without the squirrels misappropriating them like they do any kind of food, whether at home on the front porch, or at the Park. The squirrels can be piggy sometimes, especially the Fox squirrels (like Parker and Stubby).
So, I took along some long pipe cleaners, (a/k/a craft chenille stems), and hung the two feeders up in a tree near the end of a branch, where a clever squirrel might not feel secure venturing out on such a narrow perch.
But, I’d barely turned my back to start arranging goodies on the picnic table, when I heard the unmistakable noise of claws scratching on bark … I whirled around and there was a squirrel crouched down, contemplating his best move to reach the bells. Perhaps the noise I heard was the gears clicking in his head as he planned his attack.
The rest of the goodies I had toted with me, I then proceeded to spread along the picnic table. I like dates or raisins plus shelled sunflower seeds in my morning oatmeal, so I took along some dates and seeds and mixed them with some peanuts. I also took along two berry-flavored suet cakes which I had speared with a knife at home to “start it” for the birds. Those treats were ostensibly for the birds and they were welcome to nibble on the sugar cookies as well, if the squirrels didn’t glom onto them first. Before leaving home, I swabbed peanut butter on the heads of the two snowmen cookies and laid them with red and green sugar cookies along the picnic table. Just for laughs, I picked the table with the graffiti, and in particular, to show the scrawl that said “do yo squats”(a subtle reminder as we ease into the holiday fare, so we can still ease into our clothes). I’ve taken different shots, including up close, so you can see the array of goodies.
Every picture tells a story …
I was wearing cumbersome gloves and unfortunately I dropped one of the snowmen cookies onto the cement floor, still in its plastic bag. I had put each of the cookies with peanut butter into separate Baggies, so the peanut butter would not make a mess on my gloves and I could just slide the cookie from the bag onto the table. Before I had time to retrieve the bag from the floor, a black squirrel darted over and took the Baggie containing the cookie which had now broken in two. He grabbed the bag between his teeth and beat it up a tree. The picture is not clear, but he hooked the bag onto a twig and pulled out what he wanted and soon was happily chomping away on it, leaving the rest for later (or maybe his mate)?
Then, I began walking on the perimeter path, an open bag of peanuts in one hand, the camera in the other. It was very cold and blustery that morning and a few snowflakes were skittering along the pathway, as well as landing on my jacket. The squirrels were nowhere to be seen on the path the first time around, even though I jiggled the cellophane bag to announce my presence, just in case they missed me (even though I think I’m fairly easy to find).
Soon I had walked the 0.9 mile first loop where all the critters are, without a single one stopping me to beg for peanuts. There was not a single Blue Jay either. As I neared the pavilion area, I saw Parker dash over to see me, but he made a U-turn when he saw the Blue Jay flying toward the picnic table. Never one to miss out on a hub bub of activity when it involves food, Parker climbed up onto a seat at the picnic table to check out the offerings.
“Hmm – don’t mind if I help myself” he thought, then he hightailed it over to scope out the treats and gave a cookie the sniff test.
Forget the sensible snack, i.e. peanuts, Parker grabbed onto a green cookie and scrambled up the nearest tree, the cookie sticking out of his mouth sideways.
As you see in the picture way up top, there he sat on his perch, nibbling away, not even mindful of the bird seed bells in such close proximity. Here’s a few more shots since he posed so nicely. Check out his gleeful face. Hey … who does not like cookies, whether you’re human or a squirrel?
But wait – there were four more cookies – so would they be saved for later and the nuts noshed first, as is done when I take apples, mini pumpkins or even Nutter Butter cookies? Hmm – was he partial to the green cookie due to the color, or the fact it was shaped like a tree, admittedly his favorite hangout spot? Well, I’m no squirrel mind reader, but likely it was just due to an appealing scent, as squirrels are colorblind and they don’t hang out in evergreen trees. When I stopped at the goodies table after my second trip around the perimeter path loop, I decided Stubby and Parker were determined to keep this table of treats “find” all to themselves.
I peered again at the picnic table top … okay, one snowman cookie was gone, but the nice Jif® peanut butter that I had swabbed on so generously as a special treat for my favorite furry friends had been removed. No, not licked off and enjoyed, but left behind in a sticky gob. Nice goin’ guys, making a mess like that! Hope I don’t get fined for littering!
I looked around the area – surely the cookie culprit did not go far, although admittedly, it takes me about 15 to 18 minutes to make that trip around the first loop, especially with no critter interaction. Ah, there was the little rascal … it was a gray squirrel gnawing on what remained of the snowman’s body.
I turned on my heel to go and noticed Stubby had just arrived and he made a beeline up to the table. I wanted to chide him and say “you’re chubby enough Bud – maybe just stick to peanuts.” But, in the blink of an eye, just like Parker, another squirrel also snatched a green sugar cookie and took it to go, but up in a different tree. Well, I was still chasing after my mileage goal, so I stepped away onto the perimeter path once again and let him be after snapping this picture.
I walked at a brisk clip, the wind racing up my sleeves and whipping around my neck, its windy fingers slicing through my wool scarf and making me shiver. Although I attempted to keep my parka hood up over my head and hat, the wind kept pushing it back down again. While hitching that hood up one more time, I discovered he had moved with his treat over near the Creek. I guess he was subtly telling me he was done with our photo session, because as I inched closer to him, he shot me a rather exasperated look like “Really?!” …
… before fixing his attention on the remainder of that prized cookie.
By now the Park had come alive with squirrels scurrying back and forth along the path and climbing onto the picnic table. The sparrows circled around, with a renewed interest in the offerings, especially sunflower seeds and cookie crumbs. Even the cardinal was looking for goodies, first pausing at the table top to grab a sunflower seed, then he was wise enough to realize several of those seeds had slipped between the cracks of the picnic table, so he might as well grab them off the floor before the other cardinals discovered them. No … birds should never be labeled “bird brains!”
After walking several loops and gleaning a lot of shots of my Park pals enjoying their grub, I was ready to head home, and wrap my freezing fingers around a mug of coffee and enjoy some sugar cookies.
P.S. – When I returned to the Park a few days later, both bird seed bells were empty, and only the center sticks were left dangling from the tree branch. The two trays of suet were frozen solid as we had some brutally cold weather move in. I had driven that day to give the car a run. I went to the car and got something to break the suet apart and when I returned Thursday the empty trays were on the cement floor upside down, and only crumbs remained. I’m sure it was the squirrels that helped polish off the suet.
Today I reached my goal of 1,242 miles/2,000 kilometers walked in 2019! I’m excited, especially since the weather wreaked havoc with my walking regimen multiple times this year. Our Winter lingered into Spring, then Winter had the nerve to encroach on Fall, bringing a dusting of snow back on November 7th. Summer was hot and humid. And, oh yes … I tried to change my mindset about walking in the rain and even bought a pair of waterproof walking shoes and some bright red vinyl boots, though it didn’t make going out on damp days any more pleasant. I did try walking in a gentle rain, on a warm day, a few times, but many more mornings had torrential rain, so I skipped a walk altogether on those days.
I will keep on walking until year end and report on my final tally of steps/miles, but for my next goal I am going to cap my miles and will explain how I’ll do this on January 1, 2020 when I begin anew. [Nutcracker courtesy of Pinterest]
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 