This is my first blog and I enjoy writing each and every post immensely. I started a walking regimen in 2011 and decided to create a blog as a means of memorializing the people, places and things I see on my daily walks. I have always enjoyed people watching, and so my blog is peppered with folks I meet, or reflections of characters I have known through the years. Often something piques my interest, or evokes a pleasant memory from my memory bank, so this becomes a “slice o’ life” blog post that day. I respect and appreciate nature and my interaction with Mother Nature’s gifts is also a common theme. Sometimes the most-ordinary items become fodder for points to ponder over and touch upon. My career has been in the legal field and I have been a legal secretary for four decades, primarily working in downtown Detroit, and now working from my home. I graduated from Wayne State University with a degree in print journalism in 1978, though I’ve never worked in that field. I like to think this blog is the writer in me finally emerging!! Walking and writing have met and shaken hands and the creative juices are flowing once again in Walkin’, Writin’, Wit & Whimsy – hope you think so too. - Linda Schaub
My feelings exactly Ally. There were lots of wildflowers on this walk and these are just a few of them. We had our sunniest June on record here in SE Michigan, plus our very hot July, there are wildflowers everywhere.
I love seeing all these flowers Linda, it is so cool to see the flowers that you walk by, that are almost the same as the flowers I see in a different part of the country. I just love that. We are all connected through the little things that surround us. Nature is so amazing. I love the dragonfly. I will add that to my list. Good job, they never sit still long enough.
Thanks Sandra – it is cool with both of us seeing all these flowers on our morning jaunts. The weatherman said we had our sunniest June on record and July was one of the hottest … (finally cool for a few days) so I am betting that is why there are so many more wildflowers this year (or so it seems). I was happy with the dragonfly (which I think I’ve identified as a “Blue Dasher”) because he/she first landed on the pathway and I tried getting a photo there, but it was not a good background, then he/she flitted over to this plant. So I moved quickly! You are right, they skim over the water and seem to never stop.
Thanks Anne – I’m glad you liked them. The wildflowers are in abundance in SE Michigan this year. We had our sunniest June on record and one of the hottest Julys on record as well. I hope to try again for a sunflower field, now that I found one 10 miles away. I discovered it last year but it was the end of the season.
Yes for sure and I follow a UK blogger who is a hobby photographer and he went to a sunflower field/farm a few weeks ago, so I told him I’d like to go to this place. It belongs to Ford Motor Company. You can’t go to pick flowers like at a sunflower farm, just admire the sunflowers. They are there for the birds and people to take photos of. Many years ago, I went to community college in Dearborn (home of Ford Motor Company/Henry Ford, etc.). As I drove home, near the school, there was such a field of sunflowers – very beautiful. I saw it twice a day, took my mom to see it, but never took pics of it for some reason. When I got lost and didn’t get to the Sunflower Festival, I researched if Ford still had sunflower fields, but in a different location – there is a building there now. I found that there is one, but I was too late to see it – the flowers were gone. So going to try 2nd or 3rd week in August. There is a lot of construction and the directions are not so great how to get there. I am terrible at directions.
I hope so too Anne. As is with other attractions, it is off the main drag and in an out-of-the-way place. I have to find my notes from last year because I did the route based on the person at the City of Dearborn suggesting I park in a nearby elementary school, so hopefully those directions are still good – last year’s Google map info did not have the fork in the road I encountered. They are doing lots of construction all over Dearborn unfortunately.
I had to cancel as we had flash flood warnings for earlier in the day – they still have not happened, though we had rain from 1:00-ish on. I got woken up by the weather radio an hour or so before the alarm was to go off about tonight’s flash flood … really?! So, since I wasn’t familiar with the area and didn’t want to get caught in bad weather, I just stayed close. I believe in omens – for some reason, every time I plan to go, something stops my trip.
Yes, and we had a rough day today – not storm-wise, as storms were not predicted, but the flash flood issues. We had two inches of rain from Saturday late afternoon til this morning around 10:00. Unbelievably, the weather radio went off three times from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. to warn of flash floods … it was a red flashing light and remained that way until about 3:00 p.m. The first alarm at 4:00 a.m. came on (with a noise to wake the dead) and a minute later it was Biblical rain. There is lots of flooding in basements … not mine luckily, but we had new sewers put in the Summer of 1989 or 1990 … took the entire Summer and our street was a dusty and muddy mess, but worth it when I read what people are dealing with from each heavy rain. We get no rain for a long time, then heavy rain and it causes runoff and big issues.
Well now I am hearing “the Carolinas” (how CBS Radio refers to NC and SC) will be affected by this hurricane. Hope you stay safe and there is no water damage where you live. Our weather is just crazy. Today, you could use a cardigan and a couple of days ago, their “cool spell” was still hot and humid, no matter how you spin it.
Glad you liked these beautiful blooms Rebecca. I like the natural split-rail weathered fence too – it looks as rustic as the landscaping and fits right in.
Miss Linda……………………………..Only you could think of something clever like that………………that combination of wood and wildflowers in the woods………………………………you and your alliterations…………………….and yes the beautiful summer flowers………………………….lets remember them come winter, when everything is cold and bland icy out
Thanks Ann Marie – I love alliteration and could get really carried away with it and have to stop myself sometimes. 🙂 I do like the wildflowers around these parks and I think all our hot weather and sunny days have caused them to be bigger than usual this year. Yes, I ought to post something Summery like this post in the middle of January or February when we wonder if the ice, snow and cold will ever go away.
Lovely photos – great catch on the spider web too! I was watching a dragonfly on my daisies yesterday, they sure move funny when they land and bend in half. Thanks for sharing what you’ve noticed on your walks, its fun to see what is similar in Michigan compared to my neck of the woods in WI.
Thanks Shelley – you are the only one who noticed the spider web and too bad it was dry or it might have looked better, but no dew on it as it was late morning. The dragonfly was originally on the ground and took some shots there – they were not good, then he landed on the leaf, so that was perfect!
Yeah, I’ve tried to capture spider webs when dry and it’s hard to do. Dew helps. 😉 It’s cool that you got that close to the dragonfly. They are skittish around my yard.
Yes, I was lucky with that dragonfly. I have to go out when it is dewy. I got the drops on the daisy a few weeks ago but that’s it. August there are always lots more spider webs around.
Oh, those summer wildflowers. So pretty! I tend to go on wildflower walks in the spring, then forget about them for the rest of the year. I think the summer flowers are just as pretty as the more delicate ones of spring. Great photo of the damselfly!
Yes, they are gorgeous – glad you liked them Laurie. I’ve gotten quite a few from the other parks too. The wildflowers are growing like crazy this year – maybe the heat and all that sun we had (our sunniest June on record) but they are just gorgeous. Glad you liked the damselfly – it was happy to pose even though I had no treats for it. 🙂
The wildflowers have been abundant and colorful this Summer Diane and I’m thinking it is due to all the heat and the sunny June we had … it was our sunniest June on record they said!
Yes, I love alliteration and decided a three-word title using the letter “W” to go with “Wordless Wednesday” would be perfect. 🙂 You know that when I first began my blog, I decided my unique thing would be one-word titles and one-paragraph of text. I did not even use pictures for a while, then one, maybe two pictures. I would be walking home and trying to think how to condense my post into one-word to describe that work. It’s much easier now (especially when I use song titles).
Linda, you have such an easy flow of words that I can’t even imagine you with one paragraph…..I’ll have to go back to the beginning of your blog and check it out!
Thanks Joni – that’s nice of you to say and yes, my posts have morphed into really long posts. After my initial very long post when I began blogging, I used a one-word title, a one-paragraph post … I thought that would be my style. Then I signed up to blog at Patch.com which was/is an online newspaper owned by AOL. That was the the same year I started my blog (2013). All the contributors had their own blogs and we just posted at our respective city Patch site. The contributors were encouraged to join a Patch Facebook group and share our posts and it was a nice group of bloggers. The woman in charge of monitoring the contributors was young, e-mailed me on the side and asked me why I would not try to be creative with my title and break up the gray matter in my posts and consider using photos. I was miffed because I had intended that to be my “style” and she critiqued it … it was not school after all! She knew I was miffed and said “think on it” so I did, for a week or so, and decided maybe she was right. I left the existing posts in there like I posted them. My earliest pictures are very small. It was a 4X zoom digital camera and I am amazed when I look back and see how tiny the photos were once I started adding non-stock photos to my blog.
It is annoying when you get critiqued like that….I was told I don’t have enough white space in my blogs…..white space is your friend apparently for easy reading…..but I figure we’re not grade school students. Most of us can read a long paragraph….
I agree with you Joni. I was really miffed about it and I agree with you – maybe a kid has to have short, snappy paragraphs to comprehend – surely an adult can manage it. When I was in the Patch blogging group I started paying attention to other bloggers and their writing style. I found people often had a series of one-sentence paragraphs. I thought that was different to be honest. I think we should do what we want … but I did listen to what she said and made wordier titles and more paragraphs. I never saw her write anything except interacting with our group. She probably would not have liked my long blog posts either.
Well I will read it and enjoy it Joni and sometimes, if you are telling a story, it cannot be helped … especially if there’s a backstory. I just went into my Word document for tomorrow’s post … it is a combo of a “Throwback Thursday” and a damaged tree. It is about 1,500+ words – I say “around” because I use asterisks and put a description for myself where each photo goes. And there are lots of photos. We obviously have lot to say.
The flowers are beautiful. And I love the tree stump….
💕🕯✨
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I mean log, wood, whatever it’s called.
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I liked them too Ellie – they are rustic looking and perfect for the venue. They are split rail fences that look better as they age.
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I like seeing photos of flowers, they always make me feel joyful. And that’s a good thing in these ridiculous times!
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My feelings exactly Ally. There were lots of wildflowers on this walk and these are just a few of them. We had our sunniest June on record here in SE Michigan, plus our very hot July, there are wildflowers everywhere.
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I love seeing all these flowers Linda, it is so cool to see the flowers that you walk by, that are almost the same as the flowers I see in a different part of the country. I just love that. We are all connected through the little things that surround us. Nature is so amazing. I love the dragonfly. I will add that to my list. Good job, they never sit still long enough.
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Thanks Sandra – it is cool with both of us seeing all these flowers on our morning jaunts. The weatherman said we had our sunniest June on record and July was one of the hottest … (finally cool for a few days) so I am betting that is why there are so many more wildflowers this year (or so it seems). I was happy with the dragonfly (which I think I’ve identified as a “Blue Dasher”) because he/she first landed on the pathway and I tried getting a photo there, but it was not a good background, then he/she flitted over to this plant. So I moved quickly! You are right, they skim over the water and seem to never stop.
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I always love your photos.
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Thanks Anne – I’m glad you liked them. The wildflowers are in abundance in SE Michigan this year. We had our sunniest June on record and one of the hottest Julys on record as well. I hope to try again for a sunflower field, now that I found one 10 miles away. I discovered it last year but it was the end of the season.
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Sunflowers sound great.
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Yes for sure and I follow a UK blogger who is a hobby photographer and he went to a sunflower field/farm a few weeks ago, so I told him I’d like to go to this place. It belongs to Ford Motor Company. You can’t go to pick flowers like at a sunflower farm, just admire the sunflowers. They are there for the birds and people to take photos of. Many years ago, I went to community college in Dearborn (home of Ford Motor Company/Henry Ford, etc.). As I drove home, near the school, there was such a field of sunflowers – very beautiful. I saw it twice a day, took my mom to see it, but never took pics of it for some reason. When I got lost and didn’t get to the Sunflower Festival, I researched if Ford still had sunflower fields, but in a different location – there is a building there now. I found that there is one, but I was too late to see it – the flowers were gone. So going to try 2nd or 3rd week in August. There is a lot of construction and the directions are not so great how to get there. I am terrible at directions.
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I hope you make it to the sunflowers easily.
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I hope so too Anne. As is with other attractions, it is off the main drag and in an out-of-the-way place. I have to find my notes from last year because I did the route based on the person at the City of Dearborn suggesting I park in a nearby elementary school, so hopefully those directions are still good – last year’s Google map info did not have the fork in the road I encountered. They are doing lots of construction all over Dearborn unfortunately.
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Good luck!
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I had to cancel as we had flash flood warnings for earlier in the day – they still have not happened, though we had rain from 1:00-ish on. I got woken up by the weather radio an hour or so before the alarm was to go off about tonight’s flash flood … really?! So, since I wasn’t familiar with the area and didn’t want to get caught in bad weather, I just stayed close. I believe in omens – for some reason, every time I plan to go, something stops my trip.
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That is depressing.
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Yes, and we had a rough day today – not storm-wise, as storms were not predicted, but the flash flood issues. We had two inches of rain from Saturday late afternoon til this morning around 10:00. Unbelievably, the weather radio went off three times from 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. to warn of flash floods … it was a red flashing light and remained that way until about 3:00 p.m. The first alarm at 4:00 a.m. came on (with a noise to wake the dead) and a minute later it was Biblical rain. There is lots of flooding in basements … not mine luckily, but we had new sewers put in the Summer of 1989 or 1990 … took the entire Summer and our street was a dusty and muddy mess, but worth it when I read what people are dealing with from each heavy rain. We get no rain for a long time, then heavy rain and it causes runoff and big issues.
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Glad you are ok.
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Thanks Anne … I’ve heard torrential rain before, but this was really something.
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I know you are speaking the truth, but your weather is hard to believe!
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Well now I am hearing “the Carolinas” (how CBS Radio refers to NC and SC) will be affected by this hurricane. Hope you stay safe and there is no water damage where you live. Our weather is just crazy. Today, you could use a cardigan and a couple of days ago, their “cool spell” was still hot and humid, no matter how you spin it.
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The hurricane is not likely to affect us. NC is a long state, and we live 20 miles from the TN border.
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Oh, that’s good news Anne. I should familiarize myself with a map so I know how far that hurricane affects.
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Beautiful photos!
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Thank you Mary!
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You’re welcome!
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Beautiful blooms, Linda! Interesting to see how the fence was put together. No nails required. 🙂
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Glad you liked these beautiful blooms Rebecca. I like the natural split-rail weathered fence too – it looks as rustic as the landscaping and fits right in.
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I do like the rustic look. Whenever I see one, I can’t help but think of the hard work that goes into making one.
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And I think they’d last longer too – no nails to splinter into the wood and crack it.
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Miss Linda……………………………..Only you could think of something clever like that………………that combination of wood and wildflowers in the woods………………………………you and your alliterations…………………….and yes the beautiful summer flowers………………………….lets remember them come winter, when everything is cold and bland icy out
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Thanks Ann Marie – I love alliteration and could get really carried away with it and have to stop myself sometimes. 🙂 I do like the wildflowers around these parks and I think all our hot weather and sunny days have caused them to be bigger than usual this year. Yes, I ought to post something Summery like this post in the middle of January or February when we wonder if the ice, snow and cold will ever go away.
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Lovely photos – great catch on the spider web too! I was watching a dragonfly on my daisies yesterday, they sure move funny when they land and bend in half. Thanks for sharing what you’ve noticed on your walks, its fun to see what is similar in Michigan compared to my neck of the woods in WI.
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Thanks Shelley – you are the only one who noticed the spider web and too bad it was dry or it might have looked better, but no dew on it as it was late morning. The dragonfly was originally on the ground and took some shots there – they were not good, then he landed on the leaf, so that was perfect!
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Yeah, I’ve tried to capture spider webs when dry and it’s hard to do. Dew helps. 😉 It’s cool that you got that close to the dragonfly. They are skittish around my yard.
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Yes, I was lucky with that dragonfly. I have to go out when it is dewy. I got the drops on the daisy a few weeks ago but that’s it. August there are always lots more spider webs around.
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Oh, those summer wildflowers. So pretty! I tend to go on wildflower walks in the spring, then forget about them for the rest of the year. I think the summer flowers are just as pretty as the more delicate ones of spring. Great photo of the damselfly!
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Yes, they are gorgeous – glad you liked them Laurie. I’ve gotten quite a few from the other parks too. The wildflowers are growing like crazy this year – maybe the heat and all that sun we had (our sunniest June on record) but they are just gorgeous. Glad you liked the damselfly – it was happy to pose even though I had no treats for it. 🙂
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So many beautiful flowers.
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The wildflowers have been abundant and colorful this Summer Diane and I’m thinking it is due to all the heat and the sunny June we had … it was our sunniest June on record they said!
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That’s a lot of w’s….and a lot of pretty flowers!
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Yes, I love alliteration and decided a three-word title using the letter “W” to go with “Wordless Wednesday” would be perfect. 🙂 You know that when I first began my blog, I decided my unique thing would be one-word titles and one-paragraph of text. I did not even use pictures for a while, then one, maybe two pictures. I would be walking home and trying to think how to condense my post into one-word to describe that work. It’s much easier now (especially when I use song titles).
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Linda, you have such an easy flow of words that I can’t even imagine you with one paragraph…..I’ll have to go back to the beginning of your blog and check it out!
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Thanks Joni – that’s nice of you to say and yes, my posts have morphed into really long posts. After my initial very long post when I began blogging, I used a one-word title, a one-paragraph post … I thought that would be my style. Then I signed up to blog at Patch.com which was/is an online newspaper owned by AOL. That was the the same year I started my blog (2013). All the contributors had their own blogs and we just posted at our respective city Patch site. The contributors were encouraged to join a Patch Facebook group and share our posts and it was a nice group of bloggers. The woman in charge of monitoring the contributors was young, e-mailed me on the side and asked me why I would not try to be creative with my title and break up the gray matter in my posts and consider using photos. I was miffed because I had intended that to be my “style” and she critiqued it … it was not school after all! She knew I was miffed and said “think on it” so I did, for a week or so, and decided maybe she was right. I left the existing posts in there like I posted them. My earliest pictures are very small. It was a 4X zoom digital camera and I am amazed when I look back and see how tiny the photos were once I started adding non-stock photos to my blog.
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It is annoying when you get critiqued like that….I was told I don’t have enough white space in my blogs…..white space is your friend apparently for easy reading…..but I figure we’re not grade school students. Most of us can read a long paragraph….
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I agree with you Joni. I was really miffed about it and I agree with you – maybe a kid has to have short, snappy paragraphs to comprehend – surely an adult can manage it. When I was in the Patch blogging group I started paying attention to other bloggers and their writing style. I found people often had a series of one-sentence paragraphs. I thought that was different to be honest. I think we should do what we want … but I did listen to what she said and made wordier titles and more paragraphs. I never saw her write anything except interacting with our group. She probably would not have liked my long blog posts either.
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My post for tomorrow is 3000 words…..or about the length of a magazine article. Not for everyone I guess.
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Well I will read it and enjoy it Joni and sometimes, if you are telling a story, it cannot be helped … especially if there’s a backstory. I just went into my Word document for tomorrow’s post … it is a combo of a “Throwback Thursday” and a damaged tree. It is about 1,500+ words – I say “around” because I use asterisks and put a description for myself where each photo goes. And there are lots of photos. We obviously have lot to say.
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Yes we do! I finally got caught up on Reader….hurrah! Good night!
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It’s a good feeling – I am caught up too and later than I wanted to be! Good night Joni.
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