Just like many Michiganders, on Earth Day 2023, I awoke to a soggy Saturday. While I sipped my coffee, I decided that Mother Earth was shedding tears … tears for what has become of our planet. I am not talking about crime, divisiveness, social injustice … nope, none of those things, just the state of Mother Earth, the 5th biggest planet in the universe, (with a radius of 3,959 miles/6,371 kilometers) … the place we all call home.
Fortunately, the unrelenting rain, did NOT put a kibosh on the efforts of volunteers who sought to beautify the shorelines and grounds of Michigan’s many parks. They speared litter to fill their bags as they wandered through the venues we all enjoy so much. Too bad every day wasn’t Earth Day, but the event, in its 53rd year and commemorated by 190 countries, may help our environment fare better than the scientists’ dire predictions.
Okay, I’ll step off my soapbox now to begin this blog post, where I’m sharing May’s calendar page and profound thought. I like the wisdom, but the venue is a bit boring there in South Tyrol, Italy – hmm, that landscape could be anywhere, couldn’t it?
The 2023 Run for the Trees 5k event.
This is the second year I’ve participated in the Run for the Trees virtual 5K event, which is also known as the Happy Little 5K in honor of landscape painter Bob Ross. This is year #4 of the Happy Little 5k event and its good deeds have been expanded beyond Michigan to include four other states (Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio and South Carolina). Our Department of Natural Resources 5K registration funds are used to support tree planting and forest protection efforts such as invasive plant and forest pest management in Michigan state parks and recreation areas and so far has raised more than $1 million in net proceeds in Michigan.
Since this event was a virtual 5K, participants walked/ran or biked in the venue of their choice during a specific time frame from Earth Day (Saturday, April 22nd) to Arbor Day (Friday, April 28th).
Here was the swag we received well in advance of the event.
With a limited amount of days to get this 5K walk done (plus dealing with uncooperative weather), I chose Council Point Park for my venue and completed the 5K (3.2 miles) (and two additional miles) on Sunday, April 23rd. This worked perfectly as I intended to commemorate ten years of walking here anyway – so why not show some love for Council Point Park, the venue where I visit in all seasons …
… and spend more time and mark more miles than any other park in Southeast Michigan?
It was serendipity on April 26, 2013.
I discovered my favorite nature nook when I went to investigate a three-day event marking the 250th anniversary of Chief Pontiac’s council on April 27, 1763. I had heard about the celebration on the news and while the event turned out to be ho-hum, I was rewarded with a wonderful new 27-acre park to walk, rather than just getting my steps in around the ‘hood. Those two, one-mile asphalt loops in a figure eight, provided exercise as well as something to stir my soul. Birds chirping, bullfrogs belching, bunnies bopping across the grassy “donut hole” plus a peek at a Canada Goose family had me hooked. And, of course, the squirrels begged all along the perimeter path so, before I returned the next day, I stopped at the grocery store to buy peanuts in the shell. Thus this discovery, just two months after beginning my blog, began a decade of sharing peanuts with my furry and feathered friends and sharing the love from those excursions with all of you.
So, how did that 5K walk go anyway?
Sunday, April 23, 2023 was not the prettiest day to tote along the camera It was gray and gloomy with brooding clouds, but a pale sun showed up so I managed to get a few photos of what I refer to as “The Annual Awakening” when nature unfolds before my eyes. That “Awakening” occurred earlier this year after a spate of 80+-degree days that had us changing wardrobes, from shorts and tee-shirts, back to Winter coats, hats and gloves soon thereafter. Those high temps caused leaves to unfurl …
… and a frothy flourish from flowering trees provided eye candy as the Park awakened from its Winter doldrums.
It seemed almost overnight, leaves cloaked many of the squirrel’s nests, a fact that no doubt pleased the Mama Squirrels still nursing their young in nests now safe from those dreaded hawks and Mother Robins were free to drop worm bits into demanding offsprings’ beaks while tucked in their cozy nests, without fear of the bully Red-winged Blackbirds lurking about.
Because this 5K event was in conjunction with Earth Day, I have included a few photos of the shoreline of the Ecorse Creek, which is not particularly picturesque, especially while the reeds and Phragmites are still drab and lifeless. I was scanning both sides of the Creek for goose nests. Every year, just before Mother’s Day, Mama and Papa Goose suddenly appear with their brood of goslings, but I’ve never seen a Mama Goose sitting on a nest – where do they hide? We usually have three or four geese families, but those babies do not all debut at the same time. As of this writing, on Saturday morning, between bouts of rain, I saw three families of geese with their goslings. I will be returning for gosling pics – I got rained on and it was so humid I didn’t take along the camera.
Groups of pendulous seeds were hanging from trees, reminding me that in a few weeks’ time, those Maple seeds a/k/a “helicopters” would be fluttering down and embedding themselves into the grass and gutters – ugh.
Some trees aren’t the most photogenic, like this one with lumbago.
Still others cast pretty reflections on an otherwise still-drab shoreline.
Even this teasel looked better with a sprig of green alongside it and a pale sun making the Creek come to life.
I have a widget on my blog’s home page with fifty favorite Park photos. Most of the photos are from my early days spent at this venue. Every so often, I’ll go through them, with the intention of updating the gallery with newer versions of the birds, Harry the Heron, Rex the Red-belled Woodpecker or the Eastern Gray, Black and Fox squirrels. But I kind of like those early shots, so for now they stay.
I will tell you that in ten years I have amassed hundreds of images of squirrels. Who can resist their impish actions and cute faces? And on April 23rd, I managed to capture the images of a few more photogenic faces. 🙂
I even got a few shots of Harry the Heron across the Ecorse Creek evading me after screeching “no paparazzi please!”
So, here’s to a decade of sharin’ the love with you …
… and the peanuts and seeds with my furry and feathered Park pals. Although …
… graffiti mars the Park in places, I just view my favorite nature nook through rose-colored glasses …
… and, like this Mallard pair, I will just amble on while I enjoy the ambiance.
Next week I will write about the annual efforts to clean up the Ecorse Creek. I intended to use the narrative and photos here, but this post is already bursting at the seams.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 
Lovely post. I enjoyed the photos. I have never done a 5K – I am sure there is excitment in the air at these events.
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Glad you liked it Peggy. It is exciting when you go in person to the events. For me, this is a virtual event and I have two more coming up which I will go to virtually since you have the choice to do it. I am not keen on mixing with a big crowd due to COVID. The 5K that was the most fun was the Mutt Strut where people brought their dogs and ran or walked with them. That was a lot of fun and they had lots of treats for dogs, bandanas for them and a sweet pit bull giving kisses for $1.00. The money for registration for the event goes toward a big no-kill shelter.
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Beautiful & interested you sharing for Earth day. You are a social justice. Just the State of Mother Earth day the fifth biggest planet in the universe. Very you share environment for 53rd year and commemorated by 190 country. Very nice 2023 run for the trees 5 k event. Beautiful photo. Beautiful visited council point park.
Wonderful all photography. I like squirrels photos. Nice pic of sharin the love with you.
Very nice pic peanuts and seeds with. Thanks, Linda!
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Glad you liked this post Raj. I really do like this Park … it was great I discovered it just a few months after I began my blog. I can’t count how many posts I have written about this park and its cute squirrels.
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What a milestone!
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Indeed!!
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I ran in our town’s 10K this weekend. I would’ve rather done the Bob Ross for a better cause (United Way is a little generic for my tastes). I’ll think about that option next year.
We’re experiencing the leafing out of deciduous trees for the first time here in South Carolina. It’s a remarkable and rapid transformation. Suddenly we have all of our privacy back. The neighboring houses have disappeared completely 🙂
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I didn’t know you were a runner Dave. I think you’d enjoy this Bob Ross 5K. I got an e-mail way back in November last year to register for this event since I did it in 2022. I will pass it on to you when I get the link for 2023 if you’d like. I liked they included the additional states this year. I know what you mean about generic races. I decided to participate virtually in the March of Dimes “March for Babies” event this year since I had walked 50 years before. I signed up a couple of months ago and registered as an anonymous donor, intending to match my contribution as I was not going to solicit funds. They kept sending me e-mails to ask my employer to match donations or to post my fundraising goals on social media to raise money. I was not going to do that and told them that. I did a Mutt Strut 5K to raise money for a no-kill shelter which was fun and I always do the Fish & Loaves Food Pantry 5K as well. When the trees suddenly leaf out, the world is green again and it’s a wonderful feeling. (That said, we have snow showers right now and a light dusting of snow tonight!)
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Everything looks better with greenery!
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The big ol’ canopy of trees is wonderful. Before I discovered Council Point Park, I often walked down a street with large, stately homes on the borderline of my city and Wyandotte. It was a tree-lined street on each side and when the trees came out, it reminded me of a canopy, just gorgeous.
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I prefer walking on tree canopied trees. Not only is it prettier but it’s cooler in the summer!
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Yes, that was a wonderful feature of Emmons Boulevard – tons of trees, so much cooler. I used to chat with a woman who had two English Bulldogs and every day she’d take them for a walk. They didn’t like the walk at all. She’d pull out her liter bottle of water and fill their bowls and they’d have water breaks every few houses. Sometimes they would plunk down and refuse to walk anymore so she’d have to plead with them to get up.
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Maple seeds a/k/a “helicopters”
Okay that made me smile because I loved them as a child, finding them on the ground, tossing them up in the air to watch them twirl down. Also, I agree with Kate, it is amazing to see deciduous trees turn green. Everything looks better.
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Ally, the good ol’ days when we’d get a kick out of how those seeds fluttered to the ground – now we complain as we have to sweep them up. The “helicopters” are not as bad as those miniature eyeball-looking Elm tree seeds. They get into my lava and river rock gardens and create tiny weeds everywhere. We are still leafing out here and right now we have snow showers and will be getting a light dusting of snow overnight.
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I always enjoy your photos. Laughed at a tree with lumbago. Fine entertainment, Linda.
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Glad you liked the photos Anne and I provided you a smile. That tree is beyond hope. It has looked like that since I first walked there and still growing strong!
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Sorry to rain on your parade even more then Mother Nature Linda but you must have been confused with your wording.
You mentioned Earth is the fifth largest in the Universe. I think you meant our Solar system.
I can assure you that are millions upon millions of planets far far larger then Earth in our Universe.
https://futurism.com/earth-compared-to-the-universe
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Well, I took that stat from an article about Earth Day, so they were incorrect as well. I will correct it, but not now in case people are reading and have to stop reading while I edit it.
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can you send me that link Linda. I’d like to send them a correction.
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I have no idea where I read the story Wayne. I had portions of this post drafted as to Earth Day, my decade of walking at Council Point Park and the 5k and only needed the photos from the actual walk. I saw the statistic and decided to put it into my post. If I see it again, I’ll send it to you.
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Happy 10th anniversary of your long, happy relationship with Council Point Park! Loved the 4 seasons photos.
We had an early Awakening here in PA too this year. In fact, our local farm had strawberries for sale on April 29! That is the earliest I can ever remember. Bill is not happy. He has had to mow 4 times already. 🙂
Of course, you had to share some furry friends’ photos. They are so photogenic! Love seeing all the spring scenes. And your great swag! Will you wear the T-shirt?
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Thank you Laurie! I figured I should commemorate that lucky find and this was perfect. Now to get some sweet gosling pics at my favorite park and I’ll be all set. I thought it would be fun to stand at the exact same spot for each season for a post. I’ve never seen strawberries out that early either – we are more like June for the “U-pick-’em” places. On our news today they mentioned local farms had asparagus already. A fellow cooking/recipe blogger in Ohio has already picked her asparagus. The lawn must be lush. Four times mowing – wow and next you’ll be out with the mulch event – ugh.
The squirrels are so darn cute and this Wednesday I gave Parker his own post as I got some close-ups of him, about two feet away. It is good Spring is here, though right now we have snow showers and we have a dusting of snow overnight!
I usually wear the T-shirts and like you am starting to accumulate a lot of them. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever had a black T-shirt, so I’ll probably just wear it in the house as I think it will attract the heat outside.
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So glad that you found Council Point Park and have been sharing photos of the squirrels, geese and other critters with us over the years. I’m also glad spring finally reached your area. Spring is good for the soul. 🙂
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I am glad I found this Park too Rebecca – many happy hours have been spent here and the joy of seeing critters that I don’t always see at the other larger parks. These squirrels enjoy being on the other end of the camera. 🙂 Slowly but surely Spring is unfolding. We had a taste of Summer, then the temps reverted back to normal, even below normal. I agree with you – Spring is good for the soul!
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Enjoyed your spring photos. How does the 5k fundraiser work? Do the runners/walkers have to solicit donations, or is it all just entry fees?
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Glad you liked the photos Eilene. Our Winter was not as harsh or snowy as some Winters have been in the past, but it is always welcome to see the trees come to life again. This 5K fundraiser is dependent only on the registration fee which was $34.00 and included the T-shirt, bib and finisher’s medal. It is coordinated with Michigan’s DNR and last year they asked you to walk in state parks – this year it was anywhere.
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Woo-hoo – 10 years at Council Point Park!! While I adore every photo and every word you share in each post, what I admire most is that you continue to notice new things or familiar things with a twist at the park to share with us. Congratulations on finding such an enchanting place to enjoy. Way to participate in the 5k again. That’s fun swag – are you going to take a selfie of yourself wearing the shirt?
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I feel like I know every square inch and every tree in this Park Shelley. It is funny you say that because I have a companion-type post to this which will be posted next Monday – it is about a clean-up effort and my chatting with the volunteers and taking photos which I sent to them to post on their group site. I wrote that May 8th post last weekend and mentioned that in ten years I know which trees will unfurl first, which will turn colors first and where the first Spring Beauties wildflowers show up … there are always new things to notice. Like the raccoon (which has not returned BTW) so I’m glad I got my photo op when I did! They have this Bob Ross 5K down to an art – they contacted me back in November 2022 to ask if I wanted to sign up for this year’s 5K. I got my package with tee-shirt/bib/finisher’s medal two or three weeks before the 5K and it came with tracking info which was nice so I knew to look for the package. I have never taken a selfie with my camera, though a fellow blogger used to do it holding the camera away at arm’s length away and it worked well. I have two more virtual 5Ks coming up this Spring.
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You’ve found a great groove, Linda, keep on keeping on. The critters and all of us are your adoring fans!
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Thank you Shelley – that made my day!
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🤗🤩 You’re welcome!
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I enjoyed reading about your memories over the ten years of walking at Council Point Park. All the bits of spring green are so pretty, and the trees’ reflections in the water. But those squirrels are the real charmers with all their personalities and colors and facial expressions. It’s as if they are posing for you in appreciation for all the peanuts give them. 🙂 I do the same thing at our city beach, ignore the litter and graffiti and focus on the beauty. A camera allows us to do that, filter out the less seemly and spotlight the heartening.
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Barbara, your last post at Denison Nature Center was so similar to mine with the fresh new leaves, seedlings (though I’ve not seen Red Maple seeds) in the forest and the pretty reflections … we do enjoy the same nature settings don’t we? Those squirrels … these were my favorite shots from the pics I took that day, but I have a series of poses from Parker which will be my Wordless Wednesday post … he was hamming it up a little, so I thought he should have his own post. 🙂 I don’t just indulge him in peanuts but lots of pictures too. Those Eastern Gray squirrels are adorable – so fuzzy and cute and that black squirrel was giving me the side-eye. The black squirrels are a little more skittish than the others. That’s so true about the camera filtering out the not-so-wonderful aspects of our nature trips. A few years ago the City thinned out the bushes along the Creek and they took down some trees. I don’t know why – a beautiful Redbud tree was taken down and it was where I got some nice shots of the families of geese … it is near that opening that I showed in this post that leads right into the water, a clear walkway to the water with no brush for the goslings to walk through. They also cut down a huge Cedar tree and all the low-hanging branches where the Robins build their nests – sigh.
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10 years! Congratulations on your “Park” anniversary 🙂 I like Bob Ross, we were in a bar somewhere and the bartender had his show playing on TV, he seemed to be such a nice person and I like watching him work his magic. Those squirrels! They are so cute, I always get distracted watching them playing and running around.
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Thank you Susan! This worked perfectly combining the 10-year anniversary with the 5K. I got my miles done in the ‘hood, but it was boring, though I often saw the same dog walkers or walkers and we’d chat a little. People on their porch having coffee would wave “hi” … a fellow blogger, also from Ontario, has a mom who paints. She is 96 or 97 and was inspired to start painting in her 80s after watching Bob Ross shows on TV. I think he has a YouTube channel where they broadcast old shows as well. Those squirrels are so cute – these were my favorite photos from that day … the black squirrel giving me the side eye made me laugh. I have a few more squirrels tomorrow … Parker, my favorite Fox squirrel, hamming it up.
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Another nice quote, even if the scenery is drab. Kudos for participating in the run for trees. So many great pictures here, but I love the 4 seasons grouping!
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I liked the quote too Ruth, but the picture is blah. We can do better here in Michigan. In fact, I think there is a calendar picture for one month of Michigan and if I remember correctly, it is of Tahquamenon Falls, I liked that picture too Ruth … the same spot four different seasons at my all-time favorite park. This week we have two seasons … it is SUPPOSED to get warm later in the week anyway. I like that Run for the Trees and it’s a good cause as well.
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Congratulations Linda on marking your ten years! It’s quite an achievement. Your pictures are good even if the day was a cloudy one!
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Thank you Joni – It is amazing that this park is just one mile from me, yet I never knew about it and ten years walking here already just amazes me. I wonder what I would be writing about had I not discovered Council Point Park, because that led to visits at larger Parks and many more pictures? I am glad you liked the photos – it was not a pretty day, but that those leaves leafing out gave some color and made the squirrels look extra cute.
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I’m sure hoping for some sun the next few days! Tired of these rainy gloomy skies!
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It was nice here today and they have been telling us we had four, maybe five days in a row with no rain, (Thursday and rain on Monday night). Now they say a thunderstorm on Sunday and Monday. They kind of sprung that on us. It felt a little warmer walking today – I had heard or read we would have a rainy Spring but this is ridiculous.
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Yesterday and today were perfect warm and sunny with a slight cool breeze, but yes rain moving in Sunday and Monday again. Thanks for the Coronation card Linda! It was perfect! And beautiful – I wish I could grow flowers like that! I’m not sure I’ll be up that early but will catch the highlights. Usually they have a couple of hours of chit-chat before it actually starts. Anderson Cooper at CNN is Live so will probably watch that. And the Kentucky Derby is on in the afternoon – it’s the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s record breaking win – 1973.
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Yes, Thursday and Friday … finally nice, especially yesterday. I was overdressed today and couldn’t take off my coat as I didn’t have pockets to put the keys or the camera, but it got really warm by the time I was ready to drive home. Tonight we are having a bad storm (hail, thunderstorms and high winds) … hope there aren’t any issues with downed wires again … I know I will worry every time there are high winds forecast.
Glad you liked the card Joni. I wouldn’t have thought to look for one – I saw it when I went to Jacquie Lawson’s site for Easter. I did not get back from walking til around 12:30-1:00 p.m. I decided to sort all my pics today and while I was at it, I did the posts that went with it (just in draft). I usually do a quick draft, but without doing the pics. That’s what I did years ago – I took pics and posted usually the same day. When I got online I watched some highlights of the Coronation on Twitter … lots of Camilla bashing on Twitter about how it should be Diana who would be crowned Queen today, even remarks saying “Diana willed it to pour raining the entire day.” I heard that about Secretariat this morning and I can remember the excitement that he won the Triple Crown that year. The reason it was mentioned on the sports report was not only that it was 50 years since Secretariat won the Kentucky Derby, but he had 17 horses that were his descendants in today’s race (which fact really surprised me). My mom and I went to Kentucky Horse Park in the ’90s – we went to a few Southern states for a week’s vacation. At the Horse Park, they have graves and statues of many of the famous horses and they had a statue of Secretariat there. It was fairly new. It is terrible that six horses were euthanized this week before the Derby.
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I would love to see the Kentucky Horse Park someday. The race today was okay, but the favored horse Forte was pulled out by the state vet just this morning for a pulled foot. Yes, it’s strange re all the horse deaths? Are they running so fast that if they fall they have to be put down? I watched the Coronation on CNN well parts of it this morning and now it’s on repeat but it’s 1am and I’m going to bed. No Camilla bashing, but not much commentary either at least that I saw – but I didn’t watch all of it. Turned it on at 7;30 am, just as they were putting the crown on his head, and watched until they got into the gold coach, but did not see the balcony scene as I went back to bed. Not as glitzy as expected dress wise, although lots of gold robes, but it’s like they toned it down some, at least for the women.
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We enjoyed Kentucky Horse Park a lot. When it got to be too much walking for my mom, we got a portable wheelchair so we could go places, like to the mall and get around that way. She resisted doing that for a long time, but it was easier on her, so that was good as it was a lot of walking there. We were there right after the Kentucky Derby and what was fun was that several new foals had arrived recently. Each stall where there was a mare and foal, on the front of the stall was a wooden sign shaped and painted like a stork carrying a diaper with a foal inside the diaper peeking out. The diaper was either pink or blue. So when we went (in 1992 or 1993), you had to walk to see the statues, graves, barns and pastures all spread out. When I wrote you this comment, it was six horses that were euthanized. Shut off the computer and heard the news and ended up being seven horses. In all the Coronation highlights I watched yesterday, I never saw a view of Charles/Camilla on the balcony, just one shot from behind and the crowd. I had not heard until today that everyone in the UK has the day off tomorrow to rest up from today’s afterglow parties. I like watching the fascinators … I was not impressed with the dresses either. William and Kate’s kids sure got big all of a sudden! It’s funny because I got up early to watch the entire weddings of Diana, Kate and Meghan; I taped Diana’s funeral as we were out that morning and I watched a lot of videos online of the Queen’s funeral, but not interested as much in Charles/Camilla. I wonder if we will see William get coronated in our lifetime Joni?
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Kentucky sounds nice. Mom has just recently agreed to use a wheelchair at the mall, and I find it easier than trying to push her than in her walker, which is one of those ones you can sit on, but it’s hard to steer. They have the wheelchairs at customer service and you have to sign them out but it’s much easier for me to steer. I think they were avoiding the balcony shots because of Harry not being there – but I never saw William/Kate in them just their kids and the attendants.
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Yes, it took a long time for my mom to decide to do that and she was glad she ended up getting the portable chair. It folded down and we kept it in the trunk of the car and it only weighed 25 pounds, so easy for me to lift in/out of the trunk. We were able to go to bigger malls (inside and outside malls) where we had stopped going as it was too much walking. That sounds right – no balcony shots as it was awkward. There was an official photo of the entire Royal Family I saw on MSN.com (not on the balcony) and yes Harry was omitted, but so were William/Kate’s kids, even George who was one of the four Pages. The picture on the steps showed the ermine capes flowing down the carpeted stairs.
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You wouldn’t want to go to a mall (inside or out) now! Look at Texas – so sad, those poor little kids. I briefly saw a map of the 200 plus shootings (so far) in the US and the vast majority were in the lower half of the US – more gun lovers in the southern states I guess? Hardly any in the northwest or border states.
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I agree with you Joni – I doubt I’ll go to a mall anymore … too worrisome now. This had been a favorite pastime for us at one time. I have not been to the mall since I bought the camera – five years or so? I really don’t need to buy anything. A woman was interviewed from that town – she did not lose any family or friends in this shooting and she said she would never go into a big building without checking the exits. How sad is that statement? I know you should know in case of fire as well as to emergency exits. My mom would also look for exits when we went to a movie – she said it would be pandemonium in the dark. After Blockbuster was around, that was the end of going to the show, so I’ve not been since “Sommersby” in 1993.
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You’re not missing anything….most of the movies now are stupid. The Whale was out on DVD so I got it from the library and we watched it last night – how depressing. Good acting though- Brendan Fraser deserved winning the best actor award. That’s the movie about the 600 lb man who never left his house, but there really wasn’t much about his overeating, more about family dynamics etc. I would not recommend it to anyone but the very curious.
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After Brendan Fraser won the award and the movie was being discussed online, I looked at a trailer for it. I read something about the “fat suit” that was used … I didn’t realize he was 600 pounds, just knew he was severely overweight. I know he conducted his classes online, so I wonder if his students knew how heavy he was. I would like to see “Enchanted April” based on your recommendation which I can rent to see on Amazon Prime and I’d like to see the Tom Hanks “Otto” movie which you said you saw the foreign film if I remember correctly. I’ll wait for that on Amazon. Nothing else grabs my interest. I’m thinking I likely will never go to a movie theatre again.
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At the end of the movie he turns the camera on and lets his students see what he looks like. There are so many themes and sub-themes going on in the movie it would make for a good discussion, if only the world wasn’t depressing enough! Enchanted April was so much more uplifting.
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I didn’t know they got to “meet” him in the end. The one portion in the trailer he was yelling very loudly. I am keeping Enchanted April in mind. I’m behind four days in Reader again and started a book last weekend (“The Wish” by Nicholas Sparks) … I hope to catch up in Reader this weekend and get back to it. The world is very depressing but I keep listening or reading the news as I feel the need to know, but many people I know say they just don’t watch the news. I have to know.
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I’m behind now in REader too. But it’s too nice to be inside blogging. Now that I’ve planted the garden I have to keep it watered, no rain in sight for a whole week!
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I am now six days days behind. One day quickly turns into two, then three, etc. I was three posts ahead but not now. After the Mother’s Day post, I have to start over. I took today as a vacation day and thought of you as I went to the Ford Estate for “Lilac week” … I follow the Ford Estate on Facebook and in the past, I saw the Lilac bushes in the neighborhood were blooming, so went to the Estate and only a few had bloomed, so this year I reached out to ask someone if the Lilacs had bloomed – they said “yes, it is Lilac Week” – it was so beautiful and such a heavenly smell. Took pictures of them and all the flowering trees and went to a new venue 1/2 mile away which was nice as well, an Interpretive Center for Environmental Studies at U of M Dearborn’s campus, several trails … too hot though. Driving home this afternoon it was 81 degrees. We got some rain about an hour ago. Hope you got a little to save you watering tomorrow.
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No rain here….but I am envious of your lilac trip! I only had a few blooms again. I think I’m going to get my grasscutter to cut the one bush down as it is scraggly and half dead. Maybe the other one will get more sun then. He took my birch tree down last week as it was dead. No rain until next Friday according to our forecast. Have a nice weekend Linda! PS. I haven’t read since Tuesday, so yea…one day turns into tow and then three etc.
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I knew you would like it – it smelled wonderful. I didn’t go far today as it rained before sunrise and they said it would rain mid-morning. I figured I had time to walk to/from Counncil Point Park and a few loops, but got caught in the rain. I have spent this afternoon sorting thru all the pics taken yesterday. It is enough for three posts … I could make the lilacs its own post and have four posts I think. One of the caretakers said the lilacs had recovered from their issues three years ago which caused so many of them (I think it was 42 from the sign they had identifying the problem) to be cut down to try to get them back to normal. I wonder if these are the original bushes from when the Fords lived here? They must be as they are much taller than me and almost meet across the flagstone pathway. This caretaker said they had not bloomed that well since 2018. My lilac tree on the other side (not near the fire) did not bloom at all this year. I have to start at my post last Monday … it does not look too sunny for tomorrow, but no rain.
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I’m envious of your rain. Today was nice and sunny and a perfect 70, same with tomorrow. I bought a forsythia bush for my privacy hedge today which has to go in this week as next weekend, our long weekend, is supposed to be rainy. It’s always cold and rainy the first long weekend of the year – Victoria Day weekend. I stopped at an abandoned farm in the country and gathered a whole bouquet of lilacs – what a heavenly smell those old heirloom lilacs have. The ones on my parents place were planted in the 1920’s and were there until 2000, a good 80 years of blooming, but they were in direct sun mostly. I think my bush at home is too shaded now that the neighbours maple tree is taller. I’m now a week behind in Reader – very discouraging, but not reading tonight as I have other stuff to do.
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I like this weather – a little hot this afternoon, but I was home hours before and inside. Tomorrow is cooler and sunny. I wish it would stay like this a while longer. Hopefully they are wrong with your holiday weekend being rainy. Those old lilacs are beautiful … the ones at the Ford Estate were so tall and just weighed down by the blooms. Eighty years is a long time for those lilacs – long established and growing like a weed. You have given me the answer why my lilac on the other side no longer blooms – Rita’s white vinyl fence is blocking sun from that side – same for the roses. The trees have to go – they were not bad before, but after DTE hacked them up and left the pieces, they look bad now … the whole yard looks bad. I don’t know what happened to the grass. I will eventually have to put in sod or do something, but after the trees are cut down. Sigh. I did not get far last night at all in Reader and my eyelids were just fluttering now … I walked five miles this morning and it starts to catch up with me by this time of night.
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You are so lucky to have Council Point Park! It’s difficult to find a park that you feel connected to and enjoy visiting again and again. Places like that are special; even more special cause there you have Parker and his pals watching your every move.
Great pictures of the park through the 4 seasons! And what delightful swag from the 5k run.
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I am lucky Esther and to think I didn’t know it existed before I went to check it out that day. There is a sign that the Park was founded in 1994. (Maybe a blog post for next year and do a walk-around … I did a walk-around once after Marge passed away as she had been painting rocks with designs and had asked me to take them to the Park, which I did a few days later. I was supposed to go over to meet with her at her house then she had to go to the hospital and never returned, so I got the rocks from her family and walked around the Park taking pics where I had put them). I walked in the neighborhoods from August 2011 until April 2013, but in the opposite direction. I like that picture of the four seasons – perfect for this post. Last year I took more photos of the swag, but since I had so many photos of the Park, I laid the swag stuff together for one photos.
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I couldn’t help but think of you as we drove by some small lakes and ponds on our Michigan trip. We did see a swan but I’m sure with you walking, you would have taken so many pictures of all the nature. These are beautiful pictures Linda. How nice you can do the 5K virtually!
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I’m glad you had a good trip through Michigan Diane. I hope I can get closer to a swan this year to get close-ups of their babies, especially the cygnets riding on the mom’s back. It is always so nice when all the trees start to bud and unfurl and there are lots of flowering trees out now … they are beautiful. Glad you liked the photos … I thought I have only done one 5K at Council Point Park and that was an event to raise money for education in our City’s schools and it was my first 5K in 2018. This 5K is virtual – pick any park. Last year it was suggested to do the 5K in a state park, but this year, they were not particular. I have signed up for two more parks which are in-person events, but you can do them virtually. I’m still not keen on mixing and mingling in a big crowd due to COVID, even though today they said we should consider the pandemic over.
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I don’t blame you! Why chance getting COVID. You must be so proud to continue to do these 5K’s.
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Yes, I don’t like to take chances as to COVID. I know I am over-protective – I do admit that. I just worry. I am getting this second COVID booster this week, just to be safe. So I did a virtual 5K today – the actual walk is tomorrow and I intended to do it tomorrow, but we are having severe weather late tonight and in the morning (hail, high winds, thunderstorms), so I just did it today. I got a lot of gosling pics today which I hope will add some fun to that post. I do enjoy them … I wouldn’t mind to do that Mutt Strut again, but it would be difficult to do it virtually – that was my favorite one to date. It raised money to help a large no-kill animal shelter.
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I love the black squirrels! We don’t seem to have them around here.
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They are really cute Linda, a little more skittish than the gray squirrels and Fox Squirrels (who are very brave). I like the side-eye look the black squirrel gave me. 🙂
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I have only seen a few fox squirrels. We have them in this area, but the only place I see them is at the agricultural center where I work.
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Someone must be feeding them to have them hang around. They are pretty bold and brazen – no fears like the black and gray squirrels. One peanut tossed their way and they are your buddy for life. 🙂
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There is no one intentionally feeding them but we have hundreds of pecan trees so they have access to all of the nuts a squirrel can desire.
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Wow – lucky them! It is nut nirvana for those squirrels. A fellow blogger has black walnut trees on his property and so he has a lot of squirrels hanging around and chewing on his car wires as well.
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Congratulations on a full decade of documenting that park. Just think of what a wonderful historical reference your photos will be.
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Thank you JP – you are correct. I have hundreds of photos documenting a decade of walking at this venue. I just did another virtual 5K there on Sunday for March for Babies (March of Dimes).
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