WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY

Dust bunnies and dandelions.

Posted on May 13, 2018 by Linda Schaub

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There is a young man, maybe in his 20s, who has been frequenting Council Point Park lately. Nate is a kindred spirit, who similarly enjoys the Park’s ambiance and is particularly infatuated with the squirrels and birds. One day last week he paused at the spot where I was feeding the squirrels.

Nate quickly became intrigued by a cardinal, who interjected himself into the feeding frenzy. His face lit up as he turned to me and said “hey, this is so cool!” and he was genuinely enjoying the experience, so I poured out some peanuts from my bag into his hands to share with him. He quickly tossed a few out and a couple of squirrels raced over to where they landed, followed by one red cardinal which alighted on the asphalt path soon thereafter.

Nate took out his phone and started taking a video of the whole scene, then showed me that video, along with some others of eagles and swans that he had recently seen.

We chatted a little while our furry and feathered friends enjoyed their treats. Then we both looked up in the tree and noticed the male cardinal looking down at us expectantly, probably awaiting more peanuts to be doled out to the squirrels, so he could nab one. “Your turn” I told Nate, and, once again, he tossed several peanuts onto the asphalt path.

Then he asked me if I had heard of the legend of the cardinal and what their presence signified. I responded that yes, I had heard that theory. Next, Nate asked me if I believed that these cardinals in the Park were angels of loved ones lost who were reaching out to those they left behind. I told Nate that would be a pleasant thought, and I’d like to believe that this scarlet beauty was my mom, who dearly loved cardinals, collected figurines of them, and that Mom was looking over my shoulder as I strolled around my favorite nature nook.

I also conceded it is likely that the cardinal’s motives are not 100% pure and our daily meet-and-greet at the same tree is likely to swipe peanuts when the squirrels are not looking. He smiled at my reasoning.

But, after I said goodbye to Nate and headed home, I replayed our conversation in my mind. I decided that sometimes it is not always so great to be a realist, and occasionally one should indulge in a little fiction or fantasy.

If you’ve never heard the legend about the cardinals, I found it on Pinterest.

Legend of the Cardinal

I don’t have a tree filled with cardinals looking down at me.

Just one.

And, he is always in the same tree.

This is the picture I took that morning in the Park when I met Nate.

Cardinal with Nate.jpg

And here’s another photo of the cardinal, a bright spot in a bare tree, in the tail end of Winter.

Cardinal in Winter time

I lost my mom on January 31, 2010 and there is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of her. If she is indeed looking down on me, she would be clucking her tongue, because she was a fastidious housekeeper, and she liked the house, both inside and outside, to look immaculate at all times. She likely would chastise me for being out walking, or writing this blog post, when there are other items that need my attention.

We clearly skipped a generation, for I don’t have those same genes as Mom. These days I try not to sweat the small stuff, but put blinders on instead.

Note to Mom – I love you, but if you’re looking down on me, please ignore those dust bunnies and dandelions, okay?

[Image of The Legend of the Cardinals from Pinterest.]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Cardinals, Legend of the Cardinals, Mom, Mother's Day, nature, walk | 34 Comments

A soggy Saturday, glimpses of goslings, and the robins are growing up fast.

Posted on May 12, 2018 by Linda Schaub

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Spring here in Southeast Michigan has really been nothing special. May’s incessant rain has made our days dreary and dismal, with sunny days few and far between. It has been raining since noon on Friday, sometimes torrential downpours, and off-and-on thunderstorms. So, I slept in late on this soggy Saturday, since I knew it would be a stay-at-home day, and likely Sunday too, unless the rain finally ends. Sigh.

But, I have been busy gathering my photos for Mother’s Day weekend blog posts, which I will use rain or shine.

The first part of this post involves the second sighting of goslings at Council Point Park last Wednesday.

As I rounded the perimeter path at the old twisted tree, there they were, the goslings and their parents, grazing by the blue metal park bench. I’d have liked it better if they weren’t so close to the bench and I had a clearer view of the entire family, but I wasn’t about to shout “hey you guys – move over to the left a little would you?” The family was fairly close to the walking path, so I left the path and stood on the nearby grass to get a better look at them, and thus avoid getting the gander riled up.

ONE FAMILY WITH PINK TREE-LINDA.jpg

It was then I noticed a second family of geese near the dense, still-dead swamp grass. They were headed to the water for swimming lessons. I figured it was my lucky day, though I’d have been a tad luckier had I arrived a few minutes earlier, as I might have had two gaggles of geese and a double dose of cute goslings for my post.

TWO FAMILIES LINDA.jpg

I took a few more pictures, stepped back onto the perimeter path and fed some of my furry pals, then heard some commotion. I turned around and a crowd was gathering by the goose family.

THE CROWD LINDA

I watched some of these folks from afar as they stepped off the path and onto the grass toward the family. The gander hissed, but there was no wing flapping. Someone had brought food for the geese – bread perhaps – something in tidbits which could be thrown out. By then, both the male and female were hissing, and the babies – what do you think they were doing?

HISSY FIT LINDA.jpg

Well, if your kid is eating his veggies and someone offers up a chocolate chip cookie, those veggies are going to be abandoned in favor of a cookie in a heartbeat. Those goslings took off running, er … waddling, toward the bread, eager to abandon the grass they had just been grazing on.

GOSLINGS ONLY GOOD FINAL LINDA

When I uploaded the photos later and realized I cut the top of the gosling’s head off, I was disappointed, but I’m using it anyway – it shows his (or her) exuberance at seeing the treats.

GOSLING TRIO LINDA.jpg

The goslings’ parents had calmed down somewhat and did not take any of the tidbits for themselves, but had a watchful eye over their babies the entire time. That sudden intrusion of humans on the little clan gave me an opportunity for more photos, though I still hung back, thinking that the parents will remember this interaction, and I don’t want them associating me with it a few weeks from now, and charging after me. Now, you might scoff at that idea, but hear me out. A few years ago I brought a couple of bags of bread for the geese, and, there I was amidst a gaggle of them, throwing out yeasty tidbits and feeling at peace with nature … that is, until I got to the bottom of the second bag. The geese who were fed waddled off, but about a dozen newcomers who missed out on the treat, came after me. Yikes! Suddenly this girl was not giggling over the gaggle of geese, but sprinting for her life to merge into a group of walkers. Yup – I learned my lesson that day and I’ve never brought treats for the Canada geese since.

Even after the crowd departed, Mom and Dad were still having a hissy fit. I did take some additional photos, without the pesky park bench being in the way, and this was my favorite as they walked away, perhaps for a swim with their brethren. Guess they don’t follow the wait-for-an-hour-after-you-eat-to-go-swimming rule.

Well goslings … goodbye for now.

BYE BYE.jpg

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Now, it’s time to return to the robin family in Richmond, Virginia. As you know from two prior posts, my friend Evelyn has faithfully documented the robin family since they built the nest, then laid the eggs, and the emergence of the hatchlings.

Maybe it was her newfound “grandmother instincts” settling in, but Evelyn fussed over the trio of chicks like a mother hen. She called the vet to see if she could get something for the babies’ diet to supplement what the parents brought, but the vet said the chicks would be fine and not to worry.

The vet was right. As you see below, Mama Robin arrived, as if on cue, beak open to drop some grub into one of those hungry mouths.

mama robin FEEDING 05-11-18

Slowly but surely, those helpless and scrawny babies born last week are starting to look more like robins. The size of their beaks just amazes me and I’ve remarked to Evelyn “when will they grow into their beaks?” They remind me a little of Daffy Duck in these photos. I love that they are already clamoring for food and today one chick had an eye open. Evelyn says the parents are leaving the nest more to retrieve nourishment to feed their young. The following photos are from each of the past four days:

05/09/18

05/10/18

05/11/18

05/12/18

This last picture, I would like to caption: “Hi Mom, I’m awake and I see you, so I’m opening my mouth so you can just drop in a few grubs and meal worms, okay?”

Isn’t nature grand?

As I finish up this post, I am thinking about the episode this week where the red-winged blackbird, attacked the robin sitting on her nest. That blackbird was way bigger, but the Mama Robin fought that red-winged blackbird, who likely wanted to steal the eggs or babies from the nest. That mom was devoted to her young, hatched or still in the shell.

I’ll leave you with this quote:

A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world.

It knows no law, no pity.

It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.

~Agatha Christie

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged geese, Goslings, humor, Mom, Mother's Day, nature, Park, robins, Spring, walk, walking | 17 Comments

Mother Nature is my nemesis sometimes …

Posted on May 10, 2018 by Linda Schaub

trees in bloom

The rain, the Park and other things

The jury’s still out on whether Spring has arrived yet. We’ve had a few more 70-degree days, as well as thunderstorms that typically whip up with all that heat and humidity, but tomorrow our high will be a mere 50 degrees. The normal Spring weather,which we looked forward to for so long, keeps retreating into a corner.

I’m convinced we are still a month behind in that ditty we memorized way back when about “March winds and April showers bring forth May flowers” … the showers in April were of the snow variety and it seems every other day in May it pours raining or storms. During my trip to the backyard to check on the progress of the lilacs, they had leafed out, but there were no blossoms yet. In the neighborhood, a magnolia bush that sported huge buds just a few days ago, now is full of large open blossoms.

magnolia1

magnolias

I was happy to eke out a walk this morning because the forecast originally called for rain (what else) and my trek to the Park was still kind of puddly from all the rain yesterday and overnight. On my way there I saw a few birds bathing in the street, splashing away in the many pools of water that formed near the curb. The robins were pecking and slurping up some long worms which had wriggled free from the earth as a result of all that rain. Those robins wore a defiant look as I neared them, as if to say “hey you, don’t step on my worm!” I wanted to say “don’t worry, I’ve already had my breakfast, thank you.”

I’ve scouted out some new parks to try out, but the threat of rain last weekend and the promised rain, (two inches in total), for this weekend, will have me tabling those treks a little longer.

My trip to the Park yesterday was enjoyable. On the heels of my statement that the geese and their offspring had been missing in action the past few days, I rounded the path by the old twisted tree and there were two families of geese, with all their goslings grazing companionably alongside their parents. This scenario was just a tease for you, because I’ll save those warm-and-fuzzy photos and narrative for the upcoming Mother’s Day holiday, plus an update on the baby robins as well.

I’ve been watching Council Point Park slowly come back to life. Gone are those bare branches which have now totally leafed out, lending a cozier feel to the Park. The bushes have likewise filled in, and only the reeds and swamp grass are still a dull and drab brown color. Perhaps this onslaught of rain will green up the rest of the Park.

Angels and butterflies for a life cut short

There are many memorial trees planted around the Park. They are all different varieties, each bearing a stone plaque of loved ones. Some people take great care with their memorial trees, laying down fresh mulch, planting flowers, putting balloons for birthdays, or decorating for the various holidays throughout the year.

This one tree, in particular, stands out every Spring because its delicate white blossoms arrive the same time as the tulips that are planted around the memorial stone.

tree with blossoms

Butterflies with gossamer wings are fastened to the tree branches …

butterfly1

butterfly2

… as well as an angel with the same delicate wings.

angel good

I took a picture of the memorial stone as I wanted to know more about Erica Megan Sharick, who passed away at just 21 years old.

I thought I’d include that info with this post, but a Google search of her name revealed nothing. All year around, there are always angels of some kind adorning this tree, or reclining near the stone. It always makes me feel a little sad when I pass by.

On Monday the mowers arrived and cut the grass, but the dandelions have already returned. They are in abundance, and sometimes it appears my feathered and furry friends are lost among those familiar yellow weeds.

robin in the dandelions.jpg

robin big in dandelions.jpg

squirrel in dandelions.jpg

A tough nut to crack

With the advent of a rainy weekend, I’ve decided that this year’s goal will be a tough nut to crack. My fine-feathered friends know all about that expression. Beaks are definitely not as sharp as a squirrel’s front teeth, and, when cardinals and red-winged blackbirds swoop down to snatch a peanut from under a squirrel’s nose, they often are perplexed how to eat it afterward. The cardinal is fairly adept if it’s a small peanut, but the red-winged blackbird, having finagled that treat, has to twist and turn it around to enjoy it.

rw blackbird

rw blackbird1

Today’s jaunt got me to 301 miles walked so far in 2018, leaving me 750 more miles to go to reach this year’s goal. Gulp! I hope to fulfill this goal, but this weather has to cooperate better. Mother Nature, help me out please!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Spring, walk, walking | 35 Comments

Tuesday Musings.

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Linda Schaub

This morning it was just 47 degrees when I stepped out the door. For at least an hour beforehand, I heard the foghorns making their low, long and mournful call down at the Detroit River, but I guess they were only practicing, since it was sunny and clear.

I hurried out, eager to get my five miles walked. I’ve been averaging five miles per day and need to step up my game a little on the weekends and get those steps done, then meander here and there with the camera. Sometimes that is better said, than done though.

After the delightful day at the Park on Sunday, yesterday and today have been a little blah. Only a handful of squirrels were on the pathway, Mom and Pop Goose and their wee ones weren’t out and about, nor were they taking their offspring for swimming lessons. Surely there must be more than one pair of geese with goslings?

What I did see, but didn’t much care for, was a red-winged blackbird that suddenly swooped down from a high tree and attempted to knock the robin off the nest she was plopped on. After this attack, the mother robin fought back, the two tangled, and after some angry-sounding chatter, both birds flew off. That red-winged blackbird was very aggressive, at least twice the size of the robin, and his unprovoked attack in her vulnerable state, i.e. protecting her brood (eggs or babies) made me feel a little sad. Another walker and I witnessed that attack and she said it likely wanted to steal the eggs, or babies. Even though the nest rests on a low branch, I still can’t see inside it, so I’m guessing she is still incubating those pretty blue eggs. I worried she might be hurt from the confrontation, but the next time around, she was back on the nest.

Sometimes nature is awesome … sometimes not so much.

I saw on Twitter that today is “World Walking Day and decided since I’ve taken a few walks in faraway countries, that today, and for each subsequent “World Walking Day”, I’ll create a post reflecting back on a different trip.

world walking day.JPG

So, to stray off the beaten path via the way-back machine, I’ll include some photos from a three-week Scandinavian and Russia trip taken in 1983. It was a land tour of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark and included a daytime Norwegian fjord cruise, an overnight Baltic Sea cruise to cross from Sweden to Finland, and two plane trips, one from St. Petersburg to Moscow and the other from Moscow to Copenhagen. The trip was taken June 4^th to June 25th.

I’m going to choose a photo or two of me, representative of each country.

The first leg of our trip was Norway, and we landed in Bergen and went to Market Square to the Merchant’s Quay.

The Quay

We next traveled to the mountain railway station at Myrdal Valley which is 3,000 feet above sea level.

Train Station.jpg

After several days in Norway, our next country to visit was Sweden. Most of my photos in this country were scenery or architecture only, but, we spent the day at Stockholm’s Open-Air Museum, then went to our hotel where we dined on reindeer patties and lingonberries over ice cream and enjoyed an evening of folk dancing at the Skansen Entertainment Center. The woman in this picture was a fellow traveler in our group.

Marybelle and I Skansen

We left Sweden via an overnight cruise ship to Finland.

Boat good.jpg

In this photo I am standing in front of the Sibelius Monument which is dedicated to Finnish composer Jean Sibelius. The Park is in Helsinki, Finland.

Sibelius Monument

From Helsinki we traveled via rail to Leningrad. Our tour group stopped for lunch before our departure and one of the waiters tucked a red carnation from the vase on the table into my hair and wished me “safe travels” before we boarded the train.

Train to Leningrad.jpg

We spent a week in the U.S.S.R. altogether.

First we went to St. Petersburg for three days and I have many pictures of the architecture and landscape but no pictures of me there. Later in the week we boarded an Aeroflot Airlines puddle jumper for a short flight to Moscow.

This is a photo of my tour guide, Don Gilliland and me at the Moskva River. The Cathedral of the Annunciation and the Kremlin are in the background.

Don and Me

In this shot you see the Cathedral of the Annunciation and the ornate St. Basil’s Cathedral in the background.

Linda in front of cathedrals

Our last leg of the journey was in Denmark, and we flew from Moscow to Copenhagen and spent four days there.

While in Copenhagen, we took in the usual sights like the Little Mermaid statue and Langelinie Fountain and Pavilion.

Rosenborg Castle was a big hit with tourists as well.

Rosenborg Castle

It was planned that our last night of the tour would coincide with Midsummer Eve, so we spent the evening at Tivoli Gardens where there was celebration and fireworks that extended to the wee hours of the morning. Our hotel was across the street from Tivoli Gardens so I had many photos of the fireworks after we left.

Hope you enjoyed these photos on this “World Walking Day” … next year it will be one country only. Up next will be more signs of Spring from my favorite, go-to local venue, a/k/a Council Point Park, as I continue to walk my socks off!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Spring, walk, walking, World Travel Day | 49 Comments

Spring Offspring!

Posted on May 7, 2018 by Linda Schaub

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If I had written a post yesterday, it would have extolled the virtues of a warm and sunny Sunday, a day that was just picture perfect. The Park was busy with most of the regular walkers, all there to enjoy the beautiful Spring day.

I took a slew of photos and was anxious to see and share them with you, but we had a horrific storm pop up in the two o’clock hour. That storm raged for several hours, running the gamut of thunder and lightning, hail up to an inch in diameter and torrential downpours. The house was pelted with hail from every angle, and rain came with such force, the water was level with the top of the curb. I watched from the front door, as one brave neighbor donned his poncho and took a rake in the teeming rain to clear out the sewer grate, which was causing our street and the cross-street to flood. All the tree buds and bits that had been flitting around and landed in the street had whooshed down to the drain and clogged it.

After the storm subsided, the afternoon was suddenly over, and I never recouped that lost “online time” so I deferred the post to today.

As I walked around Council Point Park yesterday, it seemed that Mother Nature was at her finest. I saw lush grass, a flawless blue sky, and the leaves had finally unfurled, providing a canopy of green as I traveled along the perimeter path. Songbirds trilled and thrilled me with their song, and Parker was dancing over my shoe tops, pleading for peanuts with pensive eyes and other whimsical antics.

It is appropriate in this week leading up to Mother’s Day, that I should spotlight Spring’s offspring, and I hope you enjoy them.

My first find was getting a glimpse at the goslings. My friend Ann Marie reported seeing some goslings and their parents at the man-made pond at her apartment building on Saturday. She texted me pictures of those cute and fuzzy chicks, so I was hopeful to see some of my own.

As I rounded the bend of the first walking loop, there they were, nestled together by the old twisted tree, sweet golden fuzz balls, with their proud parents nearby.

geese on ground.jpg

I admired the first “batch” of the 2018 goslings, and was careful to stay far from them, while clicking away at these chicks. The goslings barely stirred the entire time I was there, including the parents who guarded their babies like sentries, not even moving a muscle.

geese on ground with parents

Reluctantly I moved along, fed a few more squirrels, a pair of cardinals and the red-winged blackbird. I stopped every walker I saw to tell them the first goslings had arrived at the Park.

I walked the entire perimeter path, which is two miles, and found myself back where I saw Mom and Pop Goose and their young ‘uns the first go-around. Only this time, they had moved out of their cozy alcove and were grazing. I was surprised to find the goslings were not as small as I originally thought – hmm, so where have they been hiding?

Of course, more warm-and-fuzzy photos had to be taken to share here.

geese standing

geese standing two.jpg

Begrudgingly, I tore myself away from the goose family to tackle another entire loop around Council Point Park.

I heard the steady drumming of a woodpecker very high up in a dead tree. While shielding my eyes from the sun, I scoured the weathered branches to find him. It was a large woodpecker, but it seems I startled him, as I saw a blur of wings and poof – he was gone.

But, glancing toward the sky for the elusive woodpecker had yielded another find … a robin’s nest on a low branch. I know I’d have seen it before, so it was obviously a new addition along my regular route. The mother robin was sitting on top of the rather messy-looking nest, with only her head and tail visible from my vantage point.

nest robin fixings.jpg

Mama Robin’s eyes followed me as I took a few pictures, and she never moved a muscle. She guarded that cache of eggs with her life.

nest robin

I sure didn’t want to scare her, so I left quietly and returned to the primary purpose of my excursion … oh yeah, walking, with some bliss thrown in to set the Spring mood.

I mused that once the baby robins hatch, even more newborns will be roaming around Council Point Park in a few short weeks.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Meanwhile, to update you on an earlier post, in Richmond, Virginia the new robins have arrived. You’ll recall I wrote about the robin’s nest my friend Evelyn discovered on her back porch a few weeks ago. I showed you some pictures of three eggs, then four eggs, plus a photo of Mama Robin keeping those eggs warm and toasty. https://lindaschaubblog.net/2018/04/27/spring-blessings/

Mama Robin rarely moved off the nest.

Mama on nest.jpg

When Evelyn put her dogs out each morning, she had her phone handy to monitor the “goin’s on” at the nest since Mama Robin usually flew off the nest once they walked out the back door.

Because the eggs were different sizes, on May 2^ndEvelyn noticed Mama Robin had been rotating the eggs, likely moving them around to give them equal warmth from her body. This reconfiguration of eggs happened just prior to “hatch day” as you’ll see below.

05-02 eggs rotated.jpg

The next day, May 3^rd, one of the eggs had a small crack in its beautiful blue shell – the hatching had begun!

05-03 first egg cracking.jpg

On May 4^th, Evelyn discovered three naked newborn robins, each with a tiny tuft of feathers, had made their entrance into the world. What a miracle! You’ll recall one egg was laid a day or two after the others, so it had some catching up to do. As you see in the next photo, that fourth and final egg remained in the nest, snugged up near the hatchlings. Evelyn assumed the remaining egg would hatch a day or so later.

05-04 three babies 1 egg

But, the very next day, Saturday the 5^th, sadly, there was no sign of the fourth egg in the nest. It was as if Mama Robin determined that hatchling was not going to make it and discarded the egg. So, it was just a trio of hatchlings remaining in the nest.

05-05 three babies

The hatchings have grown in leaps and bounds – here is how they looked this morning. At least they resemble a bird. They are “all beak” and isn’t it amazing to see the blue veins in their tiny bodies?

05-07 three babies

I researched to find more info on robin hatchlings and learned they will open their eyes at 5 days old. They will be ready to leave the nest when they are 13 days old when they will be almost the size of their parents. Amazing, when you look at those scrawny little bodies now. Once fledged from the nest, they will be capable fliers in just 10-15 days.

Look out world (and worms)!!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Birth, geese, Goslings, nature, robins, Spring, walk, walking | 34 Comments

Nutty Buddies Revisited.

Posted on May 5, 2018 by Linda Schaub

for me

The rain finally stopped late Friday afternoon. It had been raining or storming off and on for two days, and, when there appeared to be a lull in those incessant showers, I laced up my walking shoes and set out on a walk.

The water droplets might have ceased, but it was raining tree dander everywhere, thanks to the wind that was humming along around 12 mph. That breeze was just enough to cause green speckles to flutter down from the trees and go airborne. They landed on my clothes and the wind had whipped a big pile of them in front of the garage door.

I decided to stay in the neighborhood, but the winds suddenly picked up and were gusting mightily within a few blocks from home. With each gigantic puff of air, tree dander was flying fast and furiously. I was either sneezing, or on the verge of doing so, so I just gave up and headed home. Unfortunately, decades of allergy shots and a morning OTC pill will not cure my Spring allergies once the trees begin to open, and the high humidity sure wasn’t helping either.

That pesky rain continued off and on throughout Friday, and all the while the winds raged. I swear the house felt like it was swaying back and forth and there were ominous-sounding creaks when peak gusts of 61 mph hit around 1:00 p.m. Years ago, when I worked at an ad agency in the Ren Cen, (then the tallest building in downtown Detroit), on a windy day, just for kicks, the art directors would tape string onto a pencil and hang it on their cork boards, then they’d watch that pencil swing back and forth like a pendulum each time a hefty gust of wind hit the building. Thankfully, I did not lose my power here at home, but I was at the tail end of a project when the electricity went out at work and disconnected me from my work computer. Almost 300,000 Michiganders lost power from this latest storm and the event even made the national news

Today dawned with weather that had no attitude at all. It was overcast with just a hint of sun, but thankfully it was dry and not too windy.

I hustled down to Council Point Park where Spring continues to roll out very slowly. That’s not counting the dandelions which have taken over the Park and will be fodder for another day’s post.

There was just a handful of walkers on the perimeter path when I arrived. I pulled the Ziploc bag of peanuts out of my pocket when I saw a passel of squirrels racing over to greet me. I had just filled up fresh packets this morning and when I opened the bag, they smelled so good.

I scattered some peanuts, then reached for the camera, addressing the crowd of my furry friends that circled around me by asking politely “any takers?”

In my peripheral vision I saw a squirrel high up, calculating how to get to ground level in record time, and I imagined him thinking “oh boy, Linda’s here – hold on, I’m on my way down, so don’t forget me!”

up in the treetop

Another squirrel had already begun his descent by scrambling down a tree.

down the tree

A couple of enterprising squirrels did the I’ll-just-sit-on-my-haunches-and-look-cute-routine hoping their cute antics would warrant a few more peanuts.

oh boy

I complied, and once they got a treat, they ran over to a corner, or back up in the tree with their prize. Yup, peanut nirvana is easily accomplished up in the tree, or, at least by getting away from the fray, since what squirrel wants a bird to come along and peck its nose to get out of their way? So the squirrels execute some fancy footwork, and hightail it way above ground level.

away from the maddening crowd

Or, they simply slink over to the nearest tree to nosh on their nut in peace and quiet.

love peanuts

If you’ll recall my original post entitled “Nutty Buddies” it is not just the squirrels that share in this peanut-eating frenzy. Our fine-feathered friends are front and center as well. For those new followers who have not seen that post, here is the link: https://lindaschaubblog.net/2018/03/24/nutty-buddies/

After that post back in March, a well-meaning blogger suggested that I not use peanuts for the birds as peanuts contain Aspergillus, a type of mold which could make the birds sick. Well, that notion is easier said than done. I bought safflower seeds and after strewing them on the walking path several times, the cardinals turned up their noses, er … beaks, at them. I even tried those safflower seeds with the neighborhood cardinals and they showed no interest in eating them either. My intentions were good, but invariably a peanut gets scammed by an enterprising cardinal …

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CARDINAL READY FOR PEANUTS.jpg

APPROACHING

… or a savvy red-winged blackbird, who likewise has the swift moves down pat when it comes to honing in on a peanut on the asphalt pathway. His brilliant wing “epaulets” add color in the still-bare landscape, as he scopes out the walking path, ready to make a move to abscond with a peanut when the squirrels aren’t looking. He hops from the lowest branch and quickly swoops in for his treat before any squirrels can shoo him away.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world at the Park sometimes and the critters’ antics give me a smile.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged humor, nature, Park, Peanuts, Spring, Squirrel, walk, walking | 28 Comments

Birds of a feather …

Posted on May 2, 2018 by Linda Schaub

ROBIN HEAD ON

… flock together.

It was crowded on the perimeter path at Council Point Park this morning, despite my earlier-than-usual arrival to beat the heat. Yes “beat the heat” … you read that correctly. It was already 62 degrees when I left the house, and 71 degrees by the time I returned home. This sudden Summerfest is just incredible, since three days ago I was wearing woolens. Today, as the walkers flocked down to the walking path at Council Point Park, we were dressed similarly in tee-shirts and capris or shorts.

Although there were many walkers pounding that asphalt trail, it was fairly quiet as each one was lost in thought, merely mouthing “hello” or “good morning” when we passed one another like two ships in the night.

It was peaceful, that is, except for a few fractious geese that were honking their heads off every so often. It was so quiet I could hear the squirrels enjoying their peanuts, that cracking noise as they crunched into the shell. Yup, that quiet.

I want to write about the robin at the Park today. He was hopping on the grass near the walking trail, as he studied the ground for grubs and/or worms. He picked up the occasional piece of grass or twig, discarding it when he realized it had no nutritional value.

. ROBIN EATING GRUB

This robin redbreast continued stabbing the ground but came up empty. The ground was dry, and likely, despite two days of hot weather, still cold from our chilly Spring. With no worms or grubs to be found, he looked up and saw me watching him. I said “after all this rain, you’ll have worms galore.” All I got was a scowl for my sympathy.

ROBIN IS PERPLEXED.jpg

Perhaps he was hungry and he knew I couldn’t accommodate him – robins don’t “do” peanuts, so I didn’t toss out any.

The tee-shirts and shorts have emerged from the depths of bureau drawers where we packed them away long ago for this imposter Summer, and also brought a welcome sight, my first cabbage white butterfly which flitted around my front yard as I was walking up the driveway. It danced around the dandelions which cropped up overnight.

This post is short and sweet as we have stormy weather which just erupted, the result of too hot, too soon temps. More rain and storms are destined in the next 48 hours. Though I’ve whined about the Winter, then chilly Spring … this hot weather is not to my liking either, so perhaps I’m just a malcontent?!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged humor, nature, Park, Robin, Spring, Summer, walk, walking | 23 Comments

Tuesday Musings.

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Linda Schaub

close up planner page

Mayday! Mayday! Spring is missing? Where did it go?

We zoomed from our chilly Spring weather to a whopping, summery-feeling 85 degrees – whew! The weatherman said it was the first time we hit a temperature of 85 since October 3^rd. When I heard that, I agreed it was a long time; he later added it had been 210 days. But really?! We went from almost Winter-like temps to July or August temps in one day!

I had a spring in my step when I departed for my walk. It was breezy this morning and felt good walking with my hair in a loose top knot, the soft breeze teasing the tendrils around my face and airing out my brain. I thought I needed a jacket, and did not, and ended up looping it around my waist, so it did not hinder any feeding and picture-taking activities at the Park. Perhaps I need to have my mother dress me as that expression goes, since I’m having a difficult time finding a happy medium for what to wear these days, and I believe that mindset comes from dressing like Nanook of the North all those months.

This first warm day is to be savored, especially after the Winter and Spring we’ve just endured. As I crossed the parking lot at Council Point Park, I noticed how many vehicles were there. It was not only the usual walkers or joggers, but today the path was shared with pooches, bicyclists and baby strollers.

The greening of Council Point Park is finally coming to fruition, with a few more saplings unfurling their tender leaves.

TENDER GREEN SHOOTS

THE GREENING OF THE PARK

In the neighborhood, the ornamental bushes and trees suddenly are dripping blossoms from every branch. Today I saw forsythia bushes and weeping cherry and magnolia trees.

FORSYTHIA BUSH

WEEPING CHERRY FINAL

MAGNOLIA FINAL

Creeping phlox, daffodils, tulips and hyacinths now appear in dribs and drabs, poking their colorful blooms through soil and unkempt-looking mulch beds.

CREEPING PHLOX

DAFFODIL EXPLOSION

TULIP FINAL

HYACINTH TRIO

While there are not fifty shades of Spring on this first day of May, we’ll breathe a collective sigh of relief because we know the best is yet to come.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged humor, nature, Spring, Summer, Trees, walk, walking | 19 Comments

Hurrying and scurrying along the perimeter path.

Posted on April 30, 2018 by Linda Schaub

SQUIRREL ON PATHWAY1

There was increased activity on the perimeter path yesterday and today. Not only has the warmer weather brought all the regular walkers back from their basement treadmills and the local shopping malls, but I believe every single squirrel at Council Point Park was out of their trees and hustlin’ for peanuts.

Having just passed the five-year anniversary of walking at my favorite nature nook, I’ve come to the conclusion that squirrel mamas and papas teach their young ‘uns to hustle for peanuts as soon as they are old enough to “work the trail” … yup, pointers are passed on to the next generation, so they know all the savvy tricks to appeal to animal lovers. Cute antics like standing on your haunches with a pleading look, scrambling on all fours while flicking that furry tail, or even dancing around on your benefactor’s shoes, are all moves that squirrel magnets like myself find endearing. Endearing translates to doling out extra peanuts for those select few that try harder.

I’ll bet that squirrel parents even teach their wee ones how to play both ends against the middle.

I understand the art of “playing both ends against the middle” because, as an only child, I had to blaze new trails when one parent said “no” as there was no older sibling for me to protest that they had rights, thus so should I. Instead, if the relief requested was denied, I’d hustle over to the other parent to plead my case/state my request for whatever was happening at that time. Of course, I thought I was pretty smart until one day my mom said “Linda, are you playing both ends against the middle with me? What did your father say?” My response was “what does that mean?” then to pretend that notion had never entered my mind, but I think they were both wise when I resorted to such antics.

Likewise, the squirrels try that same trick. There are two other people who feed them peanuts. The two gentleman usually arrive around the same time or shortly before me. Sometimes I’ll see those furry pals chowing down on the opposite side of the walking loop, but they’ll come scurrying over to my side like they are absolutely starving, just as soon as I set foot on the perimeter path, or even in the parking lot, they’ll hunt me down. My little furry friends are fickle sometimes.

In yesterday’s post, I mentioned a passel of squirrels who were swarming around. People smiled and remarked on their presence since there were more than usual, and the same thing happened again this morning.

Yesterday, Mike, a fellow walker and another squirrel magnet, ended up at the beginning of the trail at the same time as me. However, he was coming from the opposite side. So we stopped to chit-chat, and in our respective peripheral vision each of us saw a few squirrels moseying over to us. Just like Pavlov’s dog, we simultaneously opened our bags of peanuts in anticipation of the “rush” of furry pals. Sure enough, soon a contingent of squirrels raced over.

But, those squirrels were a bit perplexed, and I could almost hear the gears clicking in their minds: “wow, this is awkward, who do we go to first and will they both give us peanuts?”

We were laughing as the squirrels surrounded us. First, four, six, then a few more, until soon there were a dozen squirrels circling us. Mike kept saying “I’ve never seen anything like this – where did they all come from?” It was amusing and I took some photos of our furry friends as they darted to and fro. I was able to only get about four in a picture at one time. Those squirrels are faster than the shutter speed on the camera because many of the shots ended up as images of snouts or tails only, and some were just the asphalt trail with no squirrels at all in the picture.

Then I took a few photos of Mike, who asked “want a picture of me feeding them by hand?” I gasped and said “you do that?” “Sure, all the time” he said, “they eat right out of my hand.” I’m a little timid when it comes to hand-feeding, even with my favorite pal Parker, but here is Mike enticing a few squirrels to come up to him.

MIKE ENTICING SQUIRRELS

Then another photo of him feeding one of our peanut pals.

MIKE FEEDING SQUIRRELS

So, the squirrels were double-dippin’ but who could blame them? It’s was an overlong Winter and a wicked Spring for all of us, so I’ll overlook the pushy ploys by those peanut pals.

I’ll leave you with this quote:

Animals have a knowing when someone has a good heart through their vibrations and feel safe being close to that human ~ Thomas Barrett

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged humor, nature, Park, Spring, Squirrels, walk, walking | 31 Comments

The Early Bird Catches the Worm.

Posted on April 29, 2018 by Linda Schaub

BOAT AT BISHOP PARK

Saturday began with a soggy start and the entire day was nothing special weather-wise. I just walked in the ‘hood and decided not to write a post about it.

But today was a different story. There’s nothing like bright sunshine to start your day off right – that sun even made me forgive Mother Nature for making it downright cold on April 29^th. The pointer of the thermometer on my neighbor’s deck hovered right at the freezing mark when I left the house this morning. Of course, it could be worse – to put it into perspective, the weatherman told us the western part of New York was getting lake-effect snow.

I shed a couple of articles of clothing, but was reluctant to get rid of the hat and fingerless mitts, so just 7 ½ different items as I swapped the knit hat for a knitted headband instead.

My first destinations were at the Detroit River to two different parks. I saw no sense in driving to Heritage Park or Elizabeth Park, as beautiful as those two venues are, because the trees have not leafed out and there is nothing much to see there now … I’ll give it a few more weeks and visit then.

First, I headed to Bishop Park in Wyandotte. As I neared the marina, I saw many pickup trucks with boat trailers lined up along Biddle Avenue, so I knew I was not going to be the first one at the riverfront. I saw the cabin cruisers and luxury boats still shrink-wrapped and up on blocks … those boat owners are not going to put their pride and joy into the slips in the still-cold water.

Talk about the early bird catching the worm – those fisherman likely beat me by an hour as you see above.

GULL AND BOATS IN BACKGROUND.jpg

A breeze was blowing and it was quite chilly at the waterfront. There were several men standing or sitting on stools, bundled up in wool caps and gloves and Winter coats, as they patiently sat, poles in hand or propped up against the railing, hoping for a bite. Still other fisherman were out in their boats or fishing along the smaller pier.

PIER AND GULL

I chatted with a few of them as I strolled along the water’s edge and some already had caught a few fish. They told me the walleye were running. The water sparkled as the sun hit it. I walked a half mile, then drove over to Dingell Park.

I had the same peaceful feeling at John Dingell Park, or Ecorse Park as it is also referred to. I knew it was too early for the swans to have cygnets as the ones at Council Point Park were just building a nest last week and the eggs take six weeks to incubate, so this was just a mallard meet-and-greet event.

Just like at Bishop Park, fisherman likewise lined the pier, hopeful for a bite.

FISHING OFF THE PIER.jpg

I know who did get a bite, and that was the ducks who were by the pavilion where I stationed myself with a cellophane bag of oyster crackers. I like using them because they float on the top of the water, so none get wasted. The three early bird mallards who were nosing around the reeds for breakfast got an unexpected treat and they honed right in and proceeded to gobble them up. Oddly enough, no other ducks joined them.

PAIR OF DUCKS EATING CRACKERS

FEMALE MALLARD.jpg

MALE MALLARD

See … the early bird catches the worm also works well in this instance. Those mallards had their ducks in a row this morning, didn’t they?

DUCKS IN A ROW.jpg

The seagulls, those scavengers that ruin every food fest at the river’s edge, must have been snoozing since the mallards got about ten minutes of good eating before the first seagull flew in to join the party at the river’s edge.

One seagull tried balancing on the water to eat some crackers, but he made an ungraceful swoop, got all wet, so he and his wounded feelings beat a hasty retreat shortly after this photo was taken.

SEAGULL ATTEMPTS TO LAND

The seagulls buzzed and swooped for a few minutes then departed – someone on the boats must’ve had goodies as I saw them hanging around way down the river. One hanger-on kept looking at me hopefully in case I had more treats.

NO FISHING AT PAVILION.jpg

I walked the waterfront twice for about another 1/2 mile then got in the car and drove to Council Point Park.

The grass had really greened up since I was there on Friday and a few more of those seedlings and saplings have leafed out, but it is not a grand show of color yet. I saw some dandelions, but that is about all.

The squirrels, led by Parker, came running over like we were long-lost friends. I chastised them for not coming over to see me on Friday and said “I didn’t punish you by not showing up yesterday, but instead I walked in the ‘hood and fed the ‘hood squirrels.” They made no apologies, and neither did I, but as they circled around me I had a flashback wherein I felt like Ms. Montie, the children’s librarian at the Lincoln Park Library eons ago.

By the time we moved here from Canada, I was well past the age of being read to by Ms. Montie, but I can remember going to the library to do research for book reports and term papers, and there was Ms. Montie, her glasses hanging down on a string, resting on her ample bosom, and her knitted shawl wrapped loosely around her shoulders. She “held court” by sitting on a small stool while the kids sat on equally squat stools, so she was always at eye level with her charges. Once everyone was quiet and stationed in their seat, she put on her glasses and begin to read a storybook. She would tell that tale with animation and fanfare much to the delight of the little children. So, I likewise commanded the attention of at least ten squirrels at one time today. Everyone who walked by me remarked on the crowd of squirrels I had today. I told those walkers that half my allowance goes for peanuts so they’d better be showing me some love! I dispensed peanuts for a while and when everyone was satisfied, I headed off to walk, the main reason I was there after all. The first two venues were mostly for photos, although I can’t resist a cute squirrel pose, so here are a few from Council Point Park.

PARKER A.jpg

PARKER B.jpg

PARKER C

A gaggle of geese were grateful for the grass that is fast becoming lush and they were in their glory as they nibbled delicately on the tender blades.

GOOSE NIBBLING GRASS.jpg

Today the group of about eight geese seemed unfazed as I rounded the bend, and there was no hissing or histrionics like Friday when I was treated to the pink tongue and wing flapping when all I did was stroll by.

GEESE GRAZING.jpg

As I passed the cement landing, a pair of geese were standing at attention. I don’t know whether they were soul searching or merely sunbathing, but they looked deep in thought.

PAIR OF GEESE ON CEMENT LANDING.jpg

They posed this way and that as I watched them, happily clicking shot after shot, then suddenly they must have had some secret code because there was one honk and in a flurry they were off.

PAIR OF GEESE ON CEMENT LANDING FLAPPING.jpg

Next, I heard a red-bellied woodpecker, and, for the first time ever, I was able to get a picture of one of these beautiful birds as he drilled into the tree.

DOWNY HIGH UP ON TREE.jpg

I often hear the woodpeckers at the Park and I’ll glance up in the tree and see that red patch on the back of the head jerking back and forth while it taps away in staccato-like movements. I gazed up at that tall tree and this little guy sure was gathering no moss as he moved from one side of the tree to the other, trying to find a fresh place to drill. No wonder he had such a difficult time finding a drilling spot if you take a close look at the tree and its decay and how it is already riddled with “drill holes”.

Here he is giving me the side eye as he perches in the decayed wood.

DOWNY SIDE EYE.jpg

Also included in the miscellaneous and sundry array of birds on this Sunday morning were a cardinal, red-winged blackbird and a heron. This trio needs to remain as images in my head because as I caught sight of each of them, I had squirrels dancing around my feet and standing on their haunches for more peanuts, and, having only two hands, I couldn’t take a picture and dispense peanuts simultaneously, so something had to give. There will be plenty of opportunities for photos, once I don’t need to fumble with gloves and can access the peanuts more readily then digging into the Ziploc bag each time.

Both the cardinal and the red-winged blackbird flew down from their respective trees to snatch a peanut I’d put out for the squirrels. The heron got spooked as I walked past and was giving him the once-over while trying to determine whether that grayish blob in the tree was a bird or part of the tree. He answered my unspoken question when suddenly the tree moved and all I saw was a grayish underbelly and a wide wingspan as he took flight.

Perhaps heading out the door on this frosty morning was not for everyone, but it was a perfect outing and a chance to get lots of pictures to share in this post, plus I reached 251 miles walked so far in 2018. Now, I only have 800 miles more to reach my goal by year end. Whew!

So maybe the early bird really does catch the worm after all.