I thought I’d dust off my Friday Frivolity feature to share a few thoughts about birdies and bandanas that have been rumbling around in my brain while I’ve been rambling around the ‘hood.
It is also a chance to bemoan the fact that it is four weeks today since Council Point Park closed. I’ve been taking some pictures of what I’ve seen and where I’ve been in the ‘hood, though that collection of photos would never equal, nor surpass, my last walk taken at Council Point Park on May 1st. On that day, I was blessed with a bounty of furry and feathered critters that crossed my path, saw blossoms on ornamental trees in bloom, all framed by a flawless blue sky. Sigh. Hopefully our City’s 22 parks will open soon. I walk by my favorite nature nook all the time, as well as check the City’s Facebook neighborhood chat forum, to see if the situation is status quo or not, but sadly the barriers blocking the entrance remain and we walkers are shut out.
My morning jaunts at the Park were beneficial to my brain, as well as getting steps in toward my final goal. As I walked along the perimeter path, a bag of peanuts clasped in one hand, and the compact digital camera in the other, I felt as free as a bird. All time spent on the walking loops in a natural setting was the best way to begin my day for the past seven years.
Follow me where I go …
I do miss tendering peanuts to the squirrels, but the birds were also my little peanut buddies in my morning meanders. I liked that the Blue Jays, Cardinals and even the rather-ornery Red-Winged Blackbirds, would often follow me around, flying from tree to tree, waiting for an opportune moment to swoop down and snatch a peanut from under a squirrel’s nose. Sometimes I’d catch those birds eyeing me from the tree tops, then, once they knew they had caught my eye, they would hop down closer to me, knowing I’d toss down peanuts just for them. I shake my head when I hear people calling them bird brains, an expression that is the biggest misnomer ever! In fact, I had built up a rapport with these feathered friends – it is not just the squirrels who are interested in treats – a peanut for a pose benefits both of us. 🙂
One of the last times I walked at Council Point Park, I had the eerie feeling of being followed. It is not unusual to have a squirrel or two following at my heels, especially if they were distracted and missed my first pass-through along the loop where they congregate. In the past, walkers behind me, or approaching from the other side, have snickered, then pointed to the ground while saying “look behind you!” I saw what made them laugh, as I resembled the Pied Piper of Hamelin, that legendary fellow who lured the rats away from Hamelin, Germany while playing his magic pipe. Well, I had no magic pipe, just peanuts and perhaps the smell of fresh nuts was wafting from the open bag. (Then again, it might have been my personality – who knows?)
So … back to that feeling of being followed. Well, I slowly craned my neck around to find a beautiful male Cardinal hopping along the path behind me. I couldn’t help but smile, then immediately thought “hmm – how long has he been there?” Then I amended that thought to “good thing I didn’t back up!”
Usually the birds just swoop down and snatch a peanut from the squirrel’s pile … so maybe he was the shy type? I rewarded him with extra peanuts for his effort and after I watched him grab the largest one in his beak and head off for parts unknown, I said “now don’t forget to come back and finish these okay? At least take some home for the little woman, or a few for the kids – by the way, are those babies weaned from grubs and onto peanuts yet, or are you still awaiting the big event?”
Yes, I talk to all the birds in the trees to coax them down, or give them an “Atta boy” or “Atta girl” for being bold and brazen, especially if they ventured over on their own. I follow a few birding sites online and yes, birds do recognize their human friends, not only identifying them by their face, but also differentiating between human voices. (I concede that a Ziploc bag in my hand or peeking out of a coat pocket may make a difference too.)
Too bad I was walking without the camera that day, but, as I whirled around to move along, another walker caught up with me and said “I saw what happened there – that was pretty cool – are you a Cardinal whisperer?”
Hmm – I lived on that compliment the rest of my walk. He seemed incredulous that a bird would hop along behind me.
Late to the peanut party.
What made that morning just a little sweeter was when I got home from walking and there was a male Cardinal sitting on the porch. I glanced toward the wire basket of peanuts I left for the squirrels and birds and it was empty – yes, this beautiful red bird was late to the peanut party, so could I help out? He waited until I opened the bag I had in my pocket, then put a few on the porch for him, then he took off with one.
Whistle in the wind – bandanas and birdies.
Well sadly, all the fun and games with the critters at Council Point Park came to a crashing halt on May 1st. I am relegated now to walking only in the ‘hood and will do a picture-laden post to show what I’ve seen during the month of May. But remember – I wended my way to the Park by walking through the ‘hood most days – other days I drove to give the car a run, but usually I walked one mile each way. So communing with nature in the ‘hood is not something new to me.
One thing that always amuses me are the birds on my morning walks. A cheery Robin will be singing, or a Cardinal will be tweeting, and, as I usually do, I whistle back at them. In some cases, a bird will fly after me, alighting on a branch, singing sweetly while I whistle back. This is not unusual at all, but now there is a hitch. Wearing a bandana has not been conducive to maintaining our little game. After all – how does one whistle while wearing a bandana? Well, it is a muffled whistle at best and a pretty poor showing on my part. Hard as I may try, I can no longer match the Cardinal’s tweets note for note like I usually do. At first the resident Cardinal got a bit exasperated with me for not participating in our usual repartee, so he kept getting louder, perhaps thinking I was distracted and didn’t hear him? (How could that be … this bright-red bird was persistent and loud!) I found myself muttering a muffled apology, though my mouth was concealed by the bandana, so the apology was rather lame. As a concession, I ended up tossing some peanuts down onto the sidewalk as a peace offering, since the head tilt told me my little feathered friend had decided I’d lost my whistling ability.
Who is the woman behind the dark glasses and the mask?
Also, it’s easier for critters to recognize me – some method in my madness.
Don’t feel bad birdies – wearing a mask is like shaving off your eyebrows. Your face is devoid of expression. Often when I’m walking and encounter an unmasked walker, they might smile and say good morning. I reciprocate, but belatedly realize my smile is covered – so, do my eyes crinkle up in those so-called “laugh lines?” There are many things to ponder these days.
Singing is not the only amusement offered by my fine-feathered friends.
Birdhouses and birdies.
During a large part of our State’s Stay-Safe/Stay-Home Order, most non-essential services were nixed. As the Order became less restrictive, more businesses have been able to open up, like builders being allowed to return to work sites and building homes as of May 7th.
The birds were way ahead of these brick-and-mortar builders and since May is the primo time for birds building nests, I was checking the elbow in my coach light daily, since this is a favorite spot for Robins to raise their chicks. Well, not if I can help it and I’ve warred with these nest-building birds nearly every Spring for years. Whew – I caught a break this year thankfully. Those industrious Robins can build a nest in 24 hours that is rock solid, airtight, quickly slapped together with long grass, wet mud and lots of love for their bundles of joy that are on the way, but still encased in the pretty blue egg. The downside for me, however, is their mud splats drip down on the mailbox and porch and once the mud hardens, it cements the nest, which will function as a nursery, so it fits snugly in the elbow of the lamp – believe me, it isn’t going anywhere soon. Me, the big meanie, wages war to stop them in their tracks by stuffing the elbow with bags or balloons. Perhaps they tired of me ripping it down, or decided to simply not tangle with me and said “let’s give Linda a break – 2020 is rough enough.”
Since I’ve been walking in the ‘hood and returning to old haunts, I’ve been scoping out gutters and low-hanging trees for potential shots of Mama Robins sitting on the nest, or hatchlings with their mouths upturned awaiting grubs and worm bits. But I’ve not yet been successful. I may be ready to take photos like in the past, but where the heck is everyone?
Even while the Park was still open, I found no Robin’s nests – the last two years I was lucky to track two or three families and enjoyed using the camera for that 14 days to capture images from hatchlings to fledglings. No such luck this year.
Home Tweet Home.
I have even seen some vacant homes, er … nests, which I’ve been monitoring for any birdie action, but no such luck. I mused to myself thinking how a realtor would describe these little gems.
Birds have always brought me joy, whether beloved pets, or songbirds in the wild. I am ecstatic to find a hummingbird flitting around the garden (especially since there are no flowers – dare I admit that Homer honed in on a tall weed with pink flowers?) So, I took a leap of faith and bought two small feeders to put up and will see if Homer will stick around and bring along some hummingbird pals for sugary Slurpees.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Thank you for sharing your recap of May. It sure seems like one of the longest May’s ever in a weird kind of way, doesn’t it? I love the colors of your bandanas. I bet the critters are missing you as much as you miss them. Hopefully, June will be better!
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It sure does seem long. The weather hasn’t helped with its smorgasbord of wacky weather. Now we’re back to cool weather for three days. I’m happy for that cooler weather – that really hot and humid stuff was way too early.
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Enjoy the cooler weather for walking!
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I am happy it is cooler – going to enjoy the next four days, then it ramps up and it hot again! Have a good weekend Shelley.
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Same to you, Linda!
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I don’t have much luck with hummingbird feeders. You need to change the water every couple of days and it felt like I was constantly changing it and no one was drinking. I will see one occasionally on my geraniums but that’s about it. Good luck to you.
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Thanks Kate. Hope I have beginner’s luck since it is my first time doing this. My neighbor had lots of hummers, with shepherd’s hooks and feeders all over the yard, especially by her door wall in the kitchen where she had the biggest group of them. I hope the one I saw does not take a hike.
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I love the beginning of your contract — a peanut for a pose. The nested photos were fun.
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Glad you liked that Anne – it seems like a good deal to me. I held onto those nested photos for a while, hoping I’d either find more or someone would find a home and I’d get some pictures. The one nest is at the church where the angel was listing. (It is now standing up straight.) I can’t understand why no birds have discovered it. It is sturdy and well made.
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Lovely photos! this horrible pandemic has affected so much! Hope they are able to open the park soon.. though this virus is so scary, I don’t know about America but I’m sure the UK are removing restrictions too soon. Hope you are well otherwise!
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Thank you Marian. The biggest loss for far for me has been the closure of the Park. It was a constant in my life and somewhere I enjoyed going on a daily basis. Four weeks today and hope it is not closed for another four weeks. I know the UK is bad and the U.S. is bad – our state of Michigan was the third worst in the U.S. for new cases and deaths, but has flattened the curve now. I am otherwise fine – hope you are well too, notwithstanding the times we live in these days.
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Hi, yes we are okay, just getting stressed with home schooling right now. She’s supposed to be writing an acrostic poem about the beach and she’s refusing. I feel I’ve wasted Saturday getting no where…
I hope the curve stays flattened and goes right down. These are difficult times. Pleased you are okay x
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You need to encourage your daughter by singing the praises of blogging – starting out small and look where she could become! Hopefully the schools soon go on recess for the Summer, or will they be delayed due to less hours due to home schooling? The curve has flattened here incredibly (and hopefully no issues will crop up from the groups that were rioting over the misfortune of George Floyd). Just within the last hour the Park where I walk daily is opening tomorrow – I am ecstatic. It has been closed for one month exactly. I don’t see us going back to our old normal Marian even with a vaccine for COVID-19 – it is scary isn’t it?
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Yes this is all scary. Really hope your park opens safely.
Yes my son has worked hard today. My daughter has frozen washing up liquid..
Green ice cubes… it’s so learning but I got frustrated. My children see me write my blog but for now they are not interested in writing.
Hope you are able to stay safe! X
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I hope things return to normal soon for you – too bad your son and daughter do not find the same joy in writing as you do. As for me, the Park has opened but only one other walker the last few days and the squirrels and birds are not around like before – just a few here and there, while before there were a dozen or more daily and many birds coming down to the pathway. I find that odd but I am thinking no one was around for a month and they moved to another location. That’s too bad as I like taking photos of them which I use in my blog. Take care and stay safe!
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I wonder if birds even notice we humans have eyebrows? Yes, that’s my first thought after reading your lovely recap of the longest May on record. I’m glad you’ve been able to get out for a few walks, even if they aren’t your preferred route.
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Yes, I’m sure the birds might know me by my voice Ally. Years ago, I’d spend a whole weekend working out in the yard and be whistling back at the birds. Likely they heard me singing too as I always wore my headphones and would be singing to music at the top of my lungs! I have been walking as much as weather permits, but it has been boring to be honest..
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Those bandanas are so cute! Even if they make your glasses fog up, they are pretty. I hope you get to go back to Council Point Park soon, Linda, and I’m sure your feathered and furry friends feel the same way. I can just imagine you meandering down the path with a male cardinal at your heels.
I saw this video on Facebook and it made me think of you. Not sure if you can watch it.
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I got those from REI Laurie and that was because I wanted something soft and Googled around for “soft/draping bandanas” and that’s what I came up with with customers who said they were not scratchy. They’re still too new but a few more washings will be a little softer. They are batik – I liked the blue too but they were out of stock, so got them all the same. We had rain today, so I guess they didn’t mow again – it is getting raggedy and desolate looking. I hope they open soon – Michigan had a spike in cases and hopefully that doesn’t impact our Mayor’s decision to re-open or not. The link did not come thru Laurie but I am on Facebook, so should be able to view it – thanks for thinking of me.
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What a wonderful day, I can just picture all the critters of the park getting excited when they see you. I can just picture them following along, that is so amazing Linda, You have a way with the animals. Something they sense also, trust enough to come stand on your shoe. 🙂 I just got on the computer and came over to read your post. Always puts a smile on my face. 🙂
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Here you wrote such a nice comment, full of compliments and I am just responding now, two days later. I should be ashamed Sandra. I am recovered from yardwork and back here again after crashing two nights in a row. 🙂 I am happy to report that tomorrow the critters will be happy and I will be happy since they opened up the Parks effective about 1/2 hour ago. I was following on Facebook to see as the Governor has opened a lot of the state up effective today, some more on Thursday. So I will go with my bag of peanuts in hand and look for birds and squirrels and hopefully this never happens again. I have to tell you that the cardinal hopping around behind me was unusual. They will come down to meet me and I often walk along jiggling the bag of peanuts for the squirrels and have become accustomed to doing that for the birds now too. They seem fearless there, maybe because they do watch human’s movements and see that it is safe, so down they become. So glad I did not step backward!
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I know you are busy Linda, never worry about not answering right away. You deserve the praise for all that you do for the animals around you. You have such a good heart, it reflects in your words. It is just a joy to read your post. 🙂
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Thank you for saying that Sandra – it means a lot to me, it really does. I am happy the Park is open again – I’m sure several, if not most, of the walkers will not know about it as it was on social media and most of the walkers there do not follow social media. I hope they do a drive by. I did a quick Wordless Wednesday before I came here because we spiked to 90 degrees today (20 degrees higher than yesterday) and will have some severe weather overnight/early morning. So not sure I could do it in the morning. I’ve now done Wordless Wednesday every week since March 11th … I hope to continue it as long as I have one photo or a collection that needs no real introduction. I stopped to do that post and hope to catch up a little here – I know I can’t catch up totally and I hate being behind. I hope the weather does not do me in too early – they say midnight … you and I have the same apprehension about severe weather. One weatherman said 75 mph winds – I sure hope it was a typo.
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I hope that was a typo also. You don’t need winds like that.
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Well the weather forecast was all wrong and more than one meteorologist was calling for high winds, hail, possible tornadic activity and torrential rain. I set my alarm later as I believed I was not going out – we got nothing and I was able to get a walk in at the Park. It was 79 or 80 when I left the house this morning around 8:30. That’s ridiculous isn’t it? I got to the Park and the wind picked up and very high. Only two squirrels came over and no birds – I fear the lack of humans in the Park and feeding the critters may have caused them to find another food source – I sure hope that is not the case. Yesterday I had five squirrels, but three of them followed me from the neighborhood as I walked through – they may have migrated over to the neighborhood looking for food.
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I believe that is what happened with all my backyard critters. I had so many different kinds last year. I was pretty consistent with feeding them for years. And I took the winter off because I wasn’t here. And they all left.
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I fear that has happened Sandra – I feel sick about that because the walk is nice, the scenery is nice and it seems the whole ambiance has changed in the month, despite my best efforts that I wrote you about … I am running late now … took the hummer feeders in to wash them and replenish the food … even that is becoming a bit of a downer as ;Homer the Hummer has not returned and I have taken the nectar tips which was supposed to help no bees get into the nectar – worried the hummer/hummers can’t get in. My entire nature experience is crumbling a little … the house squirrels and birds are gone. Like you said … no food out, they disappear. Have a good day Sandra … I have to get myself in gear. At least it is only in the 60s this a.m.
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Linda, you may feel you don’t have as much to write about, but we still enjoy reading about your jaunts in the hood! I especially. love the real estate captions! I like the cardinal whisperer tag too. I’m impressed you can whistle…not a skill I possess. My neighbour tells me she has a cardinal nesting in her bush (4 eggs) so I’m hoping I’ll get a peek when they hatch, as there are seldom any cardinals in my yard for lack of cover.
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Joni – I had held off on this post for about two weeks since seeing those empty nests, hoping that I would see birds in one or all of them, but did not, so finally did the post. I have to tell you that when I had the bird feeders and birdbaths out in the backyard, I had a nice collection of birds that hung around the backyard. I would go out and do yard work and they would be in the trees or on the chain-link fence singing away. I would whistle back and they would go and go and never quit until finally I’d have to say “time out – I can’t whistle anymore” … cardinals will always whistle back. In fact, I have a pair of cardinals in the barberry bush in the back. They have been there for several years and had predecessors that lived there for years and they nest in there and must have little ones as I worked in the yard all weekend long and when I walked by I could hear tiny peeps and squeaks. Cardinals will keep singing back as long as you can keep up with them. I wrote this post a few years ago – this cardinal seems to own this telephone wire and I walk this way every time I walk to the Park. He is usually up there singing and I whistle back and he keeps it up, and can hear him til I get to the next cross street. Sometimes he follows along down the street with me. That’s exciting – I’ve never seen baby cardinals, just robins. The male cardinal helps to feed the babies too. I did this post, and the cardinal is far away here, but he was up there, and “we” were singing and a plane went overhead drowning us both out – he looked confused. 🙂 https://lindaschaubblog.net/2018/08/23/with-some-pep-in-my-step-i-explored-the-naturehood/
I am ecstatic – the Park opens back up tomorrow – unfortunately we may have rain/stormy weather though.
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I did not know that they would whistle back at you. I read your older post – great pics. I wonder with the new Block editor I read that you can insert video/podcasts on it now, maybe you could before but I never did? Do you have video on your bigger camera? Can you get near the cardinal nest in your backyard, or are they very protective? That’s great that your park is opening up again! The weekend is supposed to be nice again.
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Yes – it is really interesting Joni because once you start with them, they will keep it up and I figure that they have to know it is not another bird … if you listen to an audio file on Northern Cardinals, my whistling sounds nothing like a Cardinal’s song.
https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Northern_Cardinal/sounds
Sometimes they just make a tweet noise, short little tweets and you can whistle back at them and then they break into song as opposed to the short tweets. I used to do it when I worked in the yard every weekend when the backyard had lots of flowers and bushes … there was always some maintenance to do and always birds around as in those days I have bird feeders and had four birdbaths in different sizes. The Jays don’t do any singing – they just screech, though I’ve been outside and they sit nearby and screech for peanuts – you put one out, they swoop down, then fly away. They’re pretty vocal about asking for peanuts – beginning just the squirrels.
I am really happy the Park is open again. We are having severe thunderstorms tonight and into tomorrow morning. We have some more storms on Friday, but like you, a beautiful weekend. Two nice weekends in a row – we are lucky for that.
I actually have video on the digital compact and I’ve had it five years and have not looked how to use it (I know that’s terrible). I have it on the bigger camera as well, but have not used it yet. When I got the camera, they had large-size photo cards on sale very cheap, so I got one and have plenty of room on the card. I really have to get with the program to add some extra elements to my posts. I also have to find out how to insert videos from YouTube without the ads showing up – now, I’ve seen people do that, but I think they may have Vimeo, a paid service for inserting videos. I just did a quick Wordless Wednesday and noticed that there are some big changes since the last post I did and the icons looked bigger on top of it. I kept hitting “gallery” instead of “image” for some reason.
I looked the other day when I was working in the yard and can hear noises, but see nothing. There are several barberry bushes and I assume it is the biggest one, but they may be sitting in a different bush than the one where the babies are just to throw me off.
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Thanks Linda…..I hear a cardinal outside my deck in early spring, but it didn’t sound at all like that, so now I’m wondering if it was a different bird. It was very loud and I actually thought it was the C02 detector chirping!
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I thought I would send that link along Joni so you could hear their various calls.
The pair of cardinals and their ancestors have been nesting in the barberry bush for many years. They have various sounds they make and the short little tweets are the most common, but they do sing loud and clear and have a whole range of songs/warbles. Ruth Soaper has mentioned a robin who lives in an apple tree by her bedroom window. That particular robin wakes them up at 4:00 a.m. daily and starts singing and whether the window is open or closed, it is loud and wakes them up every time it sings as it keeps it up. Persistent little bird.
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This was so loud that initially I thought it was something inside the house, so I was surprised to see it was a cardinal outside. Went and got my camera but when I came back it was gone.
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I hate when you go out with the camera after seeing the birds (or squirrels) in the same place day after day and then they don’t show up that day. I have always loved cardinals and blue jays – such pretty birds.
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I’m surprised that the parks are still closed especially since they are allowing businesses to reopen. What a cute stories about the cardinal following you and the one who was upset because you couldn’t whistle back to him. These made me smile. 🙂
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Ruth, they finally opened the Park up just tonight … I follow the City’s info and crime sites (they have two for my City and one for the Downriver area) and about 1/2 hour ago they announced they would open tomorrow after the Governor’s relaxing the order on groups – now there can be groups of 100 – I was surprised they didn’t open it up after we were allowed to have 10 people. But it is open again – I am ecstatic! The cardinals really have personality – I have a pair in the barberry bushes and I think they have a nest because when I was trimming over the weekend, I was careful since I heard lots of little peeps and squeaks coming from the bushes. And I see the male and female flying around there all the time – they have nested there for years. About 20 years ago, we had a nest and babies, though I never saw them, but heard them. Every night I’d come home from work and give the female one little Dixie cup full of safflower seeds. They like them and I would becoming down the sidewalk to open the door and she’d fly out of the bush and go to the ground to get her seeds. I’d say “I have to drop off my bus bag and get your seeds – stay there okay?” I’d come out and she hadn’t moved a bit. That cardinal behind me was so funny too – right at my heels. 🙂
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I like your new masks.
I hope you get lotsa birds coming….
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Thanks Ellie – I will stay masked up a little longer, but good news today – late today they have opened the Park back, I am overjoyed at that.
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So excited for you
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you need to wear a mask with just the birds around? I’d be tempted to slip it down when I’m by myself.
I noticed many of the rioters used masks as a means not to be ID’d! They probably don’t wear one normally!
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I don’t take any chances Wayne, but I could slip it down, but since I’d have to be fiddling with around my face, I just leave it on. That is interesting about the rioters wearing masks to conceal their identity – here in Detroit they said once the peaceful protesting ended and the riots and looting began, there were no masks being worn. Interestingly, the Detroit problems, for which 100 were arrested Sunday night after a curfew was in place, were not from Detroit, but metropolitan area instead and some were from neighboring states. No masks and they worried that COVID-19 which has seen a significant flattening in recent days, to encounter a resurgence. The Governor today lifted many restrictions and we may now gather in groups of 100 people again. This caused the Mayor in our City to allow the Parks to open probably tomorrow – the official message just went out about an hour ago. I am ecstatic!
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lets hope there isn’t a artificially induced second wave for your area and also that Trump doesn’t unleash the Military!
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I agree Wayne – I was just listening to the City of Detroit Police Chief and he said he was proud not only of his police force but the residents of the City of Detroit for remaining calm and obeying the curfew – it is people coming in from other cities/states that are causing issues. We have very hot weather today which they say will incite more tempers to flare – what a horrid year 2020 has become.
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and everyone was wishing to get rid of 2019 too! Thats the way its going to be from now on…..each year will just keep getting worse and worse!
Detroit can’t afford any riots to begin with!
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Yes, and look what we have now – everyone was excited for a new decade – it’s not been too special thus far. The protesting got out of hand tonight. They’d been pretty good last night after 100 were arrested Sunday night. But we have a heat spike today – it was gorgeous all weekend and yesterday – today hot and humid and 90 degrees (real feel around 94) and they were marching in that and yelling and not so peaceful. Someone brought in cold water and snacks as they thought they might keel over – nope, but they did not go away at 8:00 p.m. either and the police had to use tear gas and hauled 84 of them away. There were problems at 10:00 p.m. – I’ve been listening to the news on/off as we have severe weather after 2:00 a.m. through 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning from this heat spike. Already worried about it and the possible tornadic activity. We have ceased having normal weather for any longer than a handful of days, and it turns to erratic weather again. The weather, like the whole state of the union these days is worrisome.
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thats all you need now is a Tornado! Could be worse………Trump could be visiting for a photo op!
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With the heat and humidity, I am surprised we didn’t get that – the central and west part of the state got it – power outages and trees down. They said a state-wide alert for severe weather which did not come here. Whew! They also said a stormy morning – no rain all day today, so I got out. We are having protests tomorrow on a main street and it is a mile to a mile and a 1/4 away. They will start at 4:00 p.m. and go through this city and into another city, then to the police station.
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lets hope the weather and the protests both peter out.
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I agree Wayne – it was a little cooler this morning, but hot, humid and some storms tomorrow afternoon. The weather is too erratic for this time of year – you get this heat/humidity and high dew points in July and August. The protest ended around 6:00 p.m. I watched some videos on the Facebook group for crime/neighborhood happenings. A council member videotaped them marching down Southfield Road, holding signs. She did not take photos or videos of the planned laying down and chanting. I did not hear anything on the news that there were issues, so I guess it was okay. I am glad, given all the looting. They are already in downtown Detroit though for the daily evening protests.
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most of the looting goes on after darkness has fallen. Downtown Detroit may still fall into the rabbit hole?
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Last night the police chief in Detroit (who has been a police chief in two other large cities (L.A. and Cleveland) decided to take a leap of faith last night and forego the curfew after all the arrests the night before – he walked alongside the protesters. He calmed them down. Some of these protesters are groups from out of state – they are out to be rabble-rousers. I heard that they are being paid to cause problems. That was new to me.
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I doubt if anyone needs to pay youth to destroy!
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No, they have all that youthful energy that we once had!
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yes but misdirected energy!
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I hope your park opens up soon. The park closest to us that goes along the bay is still closed. Kayakers can launch from there, but no one can walk along the path or sit on the grass. Hopefully soon it will open and everyone will behave so it can stay open. I hope one day someone takes a picture of you and your long line of furry or feathered followers. That would be so fun to see!
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Hi Janis – They have just opened our Park effective tomorrow. There was a big relaxing of the stay-home/stay-safe Order by the Governor today and we are now allowed to gather in groups of 100 (which surprised me as we just got to be in groups of 10 a few days before Memorial Day) and they will open restaurants and bars for dine in on Thursday. Our Mayor decided to open the 22 parks back up. I am happy for that and hope it is for good now. I hope someone takes a picture too Janis. No one carries a camera but me and the only people I ever chat with all have flip phones like me. I would like to get a picture one day – I only have Parker from the front, sitting on my shoe or stepping on the toe part to get my attention.
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