WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY

Up with the sun, gone with the wind.

Posted on April 8, 2018 by Linda Schaub

I was up early this morning and on the move, as today’s adventure would be at Trenton’s Elizabeth Park.

But, before I ventured out, I decided to watch this Sunday unfold before my eyes, as well as document it with the camera.

Last night, I glanced at the sunrise/sunset chart and was amazed to discover in just one week’s time, we’d gained twelve minutes of extra daylight in the morning! I really couldn’t tell on an everyday basis, since the weather had been overcast most of the week. The chart showed that on Easter the sun rose at 7:14 a.m. and this morning it rose at 7:02 a.m. … that is a big difference in the course of one week!

I don’t have an opportune spot to watch the sun rise or set, unless of course I want to climb onto the roof. However, hanging out the front door worked well in a pinch. I wanted to do a sunrise photo before the trees leafed out and blocked the sunrise entirely.

Pictured above is that glow the sun emits while it is “gettin’ there” … how about that pale orange through the bare trees, looking just a little spooky?

In this photo all you see is a ball of fire on the rise in the trees.

And finally, this shot shows the sun as it makes that climb into the sky.

FINAL3

I left right after this photo was taken and headed to Elizabeth Park, about a twenty-mile round trip from here. The car needed a good run and I wanted to walk along the Detroit River in the 24-degree air temps and 19-degee wind chill. It was cold all right, but, it really didn’t matter because it was dry, very sunny and picture perfect on the boardwalk along the Detroit River.

BOARDWALK

Just like the other parks, the landscape is rather blah and boring right now, but there are a lot of waterfowl which made this trip enjoyable.

I usually buy oyster crackers to have on hand for when I go somewhere you can feed the ducks. The oyster crackers are so light that they float and are easy for the ducks to spot them on the water’s surface.

I came upon the first group of ducks – it was a mixed bag for sure.

DUCKS IN GROUP.jpg

At Council Point Park and Heritage Park it is just mallards, but here they have the white Pekin ducks as well.

PEKIN DUCK

Today was a real treat as I saw a unique-looking dark brown and white speckled duck. I have never seen that type of duck before and I Googled around and all I can find is that it is a mallard hybrid.

HYBRID MALE

This appears to be its mate.

HYBRID FEMALE.jpg

Elizabeth Park posts signs about feeding the geese, but there are no restrictions as to the ducks. Besides, this was right after the boardwalk ended and at the Detroit River’s edge, not in the actual Park itself. I tossed out the first handful of oyster crackers, aiming right for them. Those ducks instantly regrouped from the water to paddle over by the rocks to retrieve them.

I took so many photos of the ducks, I thought my frozen fingers could not take it another minute. The fingerless gloves are handy, but not too warm, so I stuffed the camera in its pouch and just zipped up my coat to allow my fingers to thaw out a bit.

But then I saw a pair of geese sitting on boulders in the water and a goose rising out of the water. That scene looked peaceful and serene, so out came the camera once again, an exercise that would be repeated at least a half-dozen more times.

GOOSE RISING

As early as it was, many powerboats zoomed by, stirring up the water and creating waves which slapped against the boulders along the shoreline. There was commotion overhead as geese and ducks were constantly taking off and landing, plus a bald eagle cruised lazily high above. All you could see was the outline of its wings, a brown blip on a bright blue canvas. A few trees were coming back to life after this brutal Winter and exceptionally cold Spring. The weatherman says we may turn a corner at week’s end, but we’ve been at least 15 degrees below normal through most of March and this first week of April.

Near the picturesque bridge, I was surprised to see the old weeping willow was starting to leaf out. Soon a parade of girls in frilly prom dresses, or beautiful brides will pose on this bridge with an idyllic backdrop of water and trees.

WILLOW

There is a road that loops around the entire Elizabeth Park which is over a mile long. A walking/biking path similarly encircles this park, with many other trails or places to meander through, but today I only went along the boardwalk and on the asphalt path. This was because there were icy pools of water from all the rain on Tuesday and they were now like miniature skating rinks scattered throughout the entire Park.

I saw a pair of seagulls sitting on a humongous rock sunning themselves. Over the course of a few minutes, they changed direction twice, then finally must have grown tired of each other’s company, as they ended up facing the opposite way, completely lacking in any social graces.

By contrast, a pair of mallard ducks sat companionably in a small cove.

MALLARDS PAIR IN PARK

There was only a handful of people strolling through Elizabeth Park this morning. But, among them, I was amused to find a pair of kindred spirits busily breaking up two boules and placing huge chunks of that crusty bread on top of a wooden picnic table. Then they scurried out of the way, but watched from a distance to see who would enjoy those yeasty tidbits. I also watched as a couple of jays swooped right in and took their bread to go.

I reached for the camera after I saw a Downy woodpecker and a robin breaking bread together.

BREAD ROBIN.jpg

Next, it was a fox squirrel who climbed up the seat, then reached up and with his paw swiped down a piece of bread, then took that treat up into a nearby tree.

I couldn’t resist taking a photo of this black squirrel who planted his body amongst the bread chunks and proceeded to dig in.

BREAD SQUIRREL

Nearby, I noticed someone had set up a feeding station in a small tree. What a wonderful idea, and I wonder if they do this year-round or only in the Winter months when food is often scarce for our furry and feathered friends? I looked closely and saw multiple feeders, including one that was hanging on a shepherd’s hook with a slinky on the pole, no doubt to deter the squirrels. It worked for that feeder, but once when I passed by, a pudgy squirrel was gorging on seed as he raided another feeder. The benefactors didn’t play favorites either. There was a mesh sock feeder for thistle seeds and a suet cake as well. Squirrels, a dove and some ducks were enjoying the seed that had spilled out of the feeders onto the ground. Everyone was happy, and I noticed there was a plaque on the ground, so maybe it is a memorial tree for someone who loved feeding the critters. I would have liked to see the words on the plaque but didn’t want to disturb everyone’s feast.

For the umpteenth time I put the camera back into its pouch and tucked it in the zippered compartment in my squall coat. Each time I put the camera away, it was because my bare fingers that were sticking out of the fingerless gloves felt like they were frozen solid. Finally, I could take it no more and the camera remained in the case the balance of the trip.

I went around the entire Park three complete times plus meandered along the boardwalk twice. I racked up five miles by the time I was finished. I was happy I made the trip there, and look forward to the next time, when our “real Spring” finally arrives and hopefully the gloves can be cast aside.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ducks, geese, nature, Park, Spring, Sunrise, walk, walking | 43 Comments

‘Tis the season …

Posted on April 7, 2018 by Linda Schaub

BLACK SQUIRREL

… to be sneezin’. Or freezin’. Take your pick.

Friday morning we awoke to snow. There was only one inch of slushy snow that adorned the grass, bushes and trees. It looked very pretty. It didn’t stay on the pavement so I could walk. By afternoon, it had all melted; that is my type of snow, the kind that quickly vanishes.

This morning I peered out the door before leaving for my walk. Some snow must’ve fallen overnight, as it looked like Mother Nature sifted her icing sugar over the grass. That snow sure wasn’t going anywhere for a while, at 25 degrees with a real-feel of 18 degrees.

I headed down to Council Point Park where Parker and four of his friends greeted me before I even reached the pavilion area. I know I missed three days of walking here this week due to the rain, wind and snow. Two of those days I just walked in the neighborhood. So my furry friends sure were anxious for their treats. I spread out quite a few peanuts for them, then saw fellow walker Joanne, so we walked two laps together. Our mouths were going a mile a minute, while catching up since last time we chatted, and I kept stopping to feed more squirrels along the way, but admittedly did not give them the sweet talk that I usually dispense with their peanuts. There were no cardinals this morning and I showed Joanne the bag of safflower seeds I was toting and told her I was hopeful to lure them to the ground for some photo opportunities. She had arrived earlier than me this morning, so after she left, I went back and walked the “wild life” loop and lavished more attention to the squirrels who, once again, came running right over with the same pent-up energy as earlier in the morning.

It was bitter cold for April 7^th. While the sun was welcome, it didn’t do much to warm me up. Despite the cold weather, the maples and elms continue their budding process causing the pollen count to rise as to these trees.

TREE BUDSY.jpg

The maple blossom buds continue to litter the sidewalks as you see. Earlier in the week I was sneezing my head off, but not so bad today.

TREE LINT

I was on my way home, scuffing through all the maple tree debris, when I heard a peculiar noise high up above. At first I thought it was a bird in distress, but instead it was a black squirrel crouched on a branch and peering down at me.

BLACK SQUIRREL AND RED BUDS.jpg

He was pure black, save for his tail which had a tinge of red to it, not unlike the color of the red buds in the tree where he was perched. He was swishing that tail back and forth while mewling and he reminded me of a cat.

It made me a bit uneasy.

Did he perceive me as a threat? Was he hurt? I didn’t see anything that could be terrorizing him like a cat or a predator bird, and I sure wasn’t going to do him any harm. In fact, I see this black squirrel twice a day when I pass under this tall tree when walking to the Park. I talked to him in a soothing voice, but the cries continued. I stood there, waiting to see if he would come down to ground level after I scattered some peanuts on the sidewalk. Nope – he continued making his crying sounds and stayed put. I didn’t like hearing him do that as I didn’t know if he was hurt, though I couldn’t see anything with my naked eye, or even when I zoomed in close with the camera. Since I wanted to get a photo of the tree in bloom anyway, his presence just made the photo complete. I left him to continue my trek home, but couldn’t get him out of my mind the rest of the trip.

Of course once I got online you know I HAD to Google “distress calls by black squirrels” to see if that was the norm or not. I’ve heard squirrels chattering to one another, or to me, and this was not a normal squirrel utterance. I found many sites which mentioned the distress calls of various types of squirrels, describing them as a cry, or even a bark. Here is a video depicting the exact noise I heard:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69qMR8fSYy0

I hope he was okay after I left.

Since it is “National No-Housework Day” today, I gave myself a break and lingered a little longer on my walk, giving me a smidge over five miles.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged nature, Park, Spring, Squirrels, walk, walking | 26 Comments

Hey, I’ve got dibs on that peanut!!

Posted on April 5, 2018 by Linda Schaub

I’ve been doing the two-step all week long … as to my walking regimen anyway. That would be “one step forward, two steps back” and it’s all due to Mother Nature, who is still trying to get her seasons sorted out.

I walked Monday.

Tuesday was a rainy and stormy day and night.

Wednesday was not so bad if you liked walking in a wind tunnel. I was bound and determined to get my steps in, since it was the first Wednesday in April, a/k/a National Walking Day. The raindrops pitter pattering on the patio roof when the alarm went off didn’t make that trek sound too promising, but, by the time I was ready to leave, the ferocious wind had dried up the pavement, not unlike a jet dryer at the NASCAR track. I walked, but just two miles, and stayed in the neighborhood due to the high wind. The streets were rather deserted since the kids are on vacation. Usually the week after Easter I see drawings adorning the sidewalks, the handiwork of kids who found fat pastel chalks in their Easter baskets and are eager to become cement artistes. However, there have been no pastel chalk renderings, no doubt due to the crummy weather … maybe once it warms up some more.

Thankfully today was bright and sunny and mercifully no wind, so I set off to Council Point Park. Since it was only 29 degrees, I was still wearing my heavy Winter squall coat which is great for walking on the path along the Ecorse Creek. When the cold wind blows, the bare trees and bushes allow all the wind to buffet the walkers while they are on the perimeter path.

The squall coat is also great for hauling all my paraphernalia to the Park. It has some secret compartments and hidey holes, plus two big cargo pockets to stuff with Ziploc bags brimming with peanuts.

But this morning I was toting a new “treat pack” – safflower seeds for the cardinals.

You may recall that recently I wrote a post entitled “Nutty Buddies” where a male cardinal flew down from a tree after he spied the peanuts I was doling out to the squirrels, so I gave him a few of his own. I was lucky enough to take some pictures of that beautiful bird.

After publishing that post, a fellow blogger, Thomas Peace, who writes a nature and mindfulness blog, (https://tom8pie.com/ ), suggested I don’t feed the birds peanuts since they might have Aspergillus that birds are extremely vulnerable to. So, I got some safflower seeds just for the cardinals.

Safflower seeds are great because the squirrels don’t like the taste, so they can be strewn on the walking path and the squirrels will leave them alone.

Cardinals, however, enjoy safflower seeds. Years ago, I had a pair of cardinals build their nest in a barberry bush. Through my binoculars at a back window, I could watch the female and her young. I bought safflower seeds as they are a treat for cardinals. We had a ritual when I came home from work every night. Once she saw me coming up the sidewalk, she’d fly down to the cement patio near the barberry bush. Meanwhile, I went into the house, dropped off my tote bag and came out with a small Dixie cup full of safflower seeds which I spread out for her. It was as if that cardinal was my pet, just like Parker, my squirrel pal at the Park.

So … remembering the cardinal’s penchant for safflower seeds, I bought a bag, as you see above. I filled some Ziploc bags to just grab-and-go.

I had divvied up fresh peanuts in Ziploc bags for the squirrels as well.

As I meandered along the perimeter path this morning, a squirrel came rushing over for a treat. I scattered some peanuts for him, but who should come down to nosh on them but the cardinal.

I know this is not the best picture of the cardinal, but considering I had to stuff the bag of peanuts in my pocket, then get the camera out of its pouch, I was lucky to get this one shot of him opening his beak, anticipating that tasty treat. There were actually two male cardinals that swooped right down from the tree, and both misappropriated a peanut for themselves.

I’m sure the squirrel, happily munching the first peanut from his perch in the tree, was taken aback, having climbed up there secure in the knowledge that those peanuts were all his to enjoy.

SQUIRREL

Alas, I never had time to pull out the bag of safflower seeds.

Well, I tried to do the right thing.

I’ll try again tomorrow, that is as long as Mother Nature doesn’t bring that one or two inches of snow we’ve been hearing about for tonight’s forecast.

I wrestled with a title for this post … do I call it “Tidbits and Treats” or “Yummies for Tummies” … in the end, I decided to just go with what really happened, i.e. “Hey, I’ve got dibs on that peanut!!”

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cardinal, humor, nature, Park, Peanuts, Spring, Squirrels, walk, walking | 45 Comments

Catching some ZZZZZs.

Posted on April 2, 2018 by Linda Schaub

peeking

It was a back-to-work Monday for most of us. How quickly the Easter holiday was over! My boss was driving back from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula today and told me they had nine inches of snow over the weekend. My retort was that if I had visited up there, I’d have to stay until it melted – he understood as he knows I am a Winter weenie when it comes to driving in the snow.

It was only 24 degrees when I left the house this morning. I left earlier since the sun was up and shining brightly, so that gave me time to get in a five-mile walk. I was scrambling around to leave earlier and forgot to wear my convertible mitts with the fingerless gloves and wore my regular gloves instead. It was so bitter cold at the Park that I swore I’d leave the camera in its case, zippered inside my vest and under my coat, to keep my hands warm and get some extra steps in. But when a Kodak moment presented itself, I had to stop, cast off the gloves and let my hands freeze. They felt numb as I was trying to get a few shots of this sleeping duck, while Parker and his impatient pals were dancing around my feet waiting on peanuts.

I decided to walk three loops, all on them on the “scenic side” of the Park. The first time around, a sleepy drake had his head tucked under his wing. He was huddled down asleep like a log as that expression goes. He looked comfy catching some ZZZZZs, but I couldn’t tell if he was “sawing wood” as I didn’t get that close to him.

Then, I made some loud clicking noises with my tongue and he opened one eye and looked in my direction to check me out, but barely stirred. That peeking duck is the picture you see above.

The next lap around, he was awake and gave me a sideways glance.

eyes open

Usually, once the ducks that are lined up on the partially submerged log catch sight of me, they slip right into the water and paddle for their lives just to escape this hulking human.

On the third, and last, go-around, the drake was standing up on one leg gazing into space. I guess he was deciding whether to take a dip in the cold Creek water. Personally, I’d vote for another round of ZZZZZs if it were me. On this 2^nd day of April, it is as difficult to jump out of the cozy bed as it was on February 2^nd!

standing duck

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged duck, Park, Spring, walk, walking | 32 Comments

My Easter bonnet …

Posted on April 1, 2018 by Linda Schaub

my hat

… had no frills, frou frou or flowers upon it.

Instead, it was a fleece-lined, warm wool hat, with a huge fur pom-pom, and, it was a necessity to venture out in that cold air this morning.

After yesterday’s rain, this morning I waited patiently while the thermometer seemed to hover forever between 31 and 32 degrees. I wanted to wait until the temperature was 33 degrees so black ice would not be worrisome on the asphalt path.

I finally set out at nearly 10:00 a.m. It was a lackluster sun and sure not the brightest, nor best, weather for our Easter Sunday. Given this chilly Spring, it is unfortunate that Easter could not have been in mid-April instead.

I didn’t always wear a wool hat and squall coat when I ventured out on Easter Sunday. Here is a photo of me modeling my new hat and coat circa 1963, when Easter happened to fall on my birthday.

Linda old

I think it was my first dress hat which did not tie under the chin. My mom insisted on plopping it onto my head, then positioning it at a jaunty angle and I kept “accidentally on purpose” trying to fix it to my liking. I didn’t like that hat as I thought it made me look old. It was not like I was a “fashion plate” at the tender age of 7, yet I protested each time I wore it to Sunday school, but my protestations fell on deaf ears and unfortunately it was mine until I outgrew it.

As mentioned above, as I walked to the Park, I mused that I certainly wasn’t dressed appropriately for Easter Sunday. I’m still wearing a configuration of nine different pieces of clothing to stay warm while walking through the breezy Park, especially since I walk parallel to the Creek. This morning that wind was humming along and the water was rippling with the breeze. Thankfully, Saturday’s wind finally died down. While the wind never got to the projected 50-60 mph gusts, I could still feel the house movin’ and shakin’ on occasion.

We’ve not turned a corner yet on this cold weather that continues to linger. This morning the weatherman commented that you might want to wear earmuffs with your Easter bonnet, and there is no significant warm-up in sight for at least two or three more weeks. Well, I’ll take it as long as the weather forecast does not come with rain.

Today I took a long and leisurely stroll, nearly six miles to be exact. Around the neighborhoods and through the Park I went, looking for some signs of Spring. I took some photos yesterday, but there was no sun then. Today, when the sun finally got brighter, I took the same pictures again.

At the Park, the subtle shades of green intermingled with the dead grass and marsh reeds to help define the magic of Spring. As old as I am, I still marvel that such a cold and snowy season can end, then suddenly new growth appears, those tiny bright-green tendrils reaching for the Heavens, or wrapping themselves around and alongside dead grass and decayed leaves in a still-barren landscape.

park greena.jpg

Those first tiny shoots pushing through the cold dark earth give credence to this Chinese proverb: “Spring is sooner recognized by plants than by men.”

Nothing says Spring is on the way like seeing the first robin of the year. They have been out in the neighborhood or at Council Point Park for several months now. This morning, I watched a couple of robins … or, perhaps I should say they watched me. I was very still as I wanted a close-up of them as they poked and prodded the hard ground with their pointed yellow beaks, trying valiantly to produce a worm. I wanted to tell them to forget about it ‘til May, but I let them go on about their business. Finally, the smarter of the two, flew up into a tree.

ROBIN IN TREE.jpg

The other one kept stabbing the ground as if to prove a point to me.

ROBIN POKING AROUND.jpg

Finally, wearing a look of exasperation, or maybe even humiliation, it looked me straight in the eye.

ROBIN SHEEPISH

That long-anticipated “greening” of the Park carries over to the neighborhoods as well, telling me that perhaps Spring is really waiting in the wings, despite these cold temps and the occasional flurries that were flitting around my face this morning.

On my daily walks, I monitor the growth spurts of the neighborhood perennials … even the moss.

hostas

The snowdrops next to the crocuses are still holding their own, since I first discovered them at this spot and showed you a photo of them back on February 24^th. Those poor blooms have weathered the wind, slush and torrential rains … and still look good.

crocuses

But those plants’ tenacity is nothing like that of a former neighbor’s tulips and daffodils. One Spring I wrote at length about the bulbs that were planted sixty years ago by the original owners of the house. After they both passed away in 2010, their children sold the house and some outside landscaping took place immediately thereafter. Those prized tulips and daffs in the front and side garden beds, were the first to go, after a rototiller churned the beds up. Next, many wheelbarrows of mulch covered up the garden beds where evergreens and perennials had co-existed happily for years. I gasped when I heard the noise and investigated, then saw the result. Those perennials had been such a source of delight for the homeowners for many years, and frequently passersby remarked on their beauty when they all bloomed profusely in the Springtime.

Well, a few daffodils are back, refusing to submit to the rototiller blades and still standing tall like soldiers, their bright-yellow heads bobbing in the un-Spring-like breeze.

If only people were as resilient …

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Easter, green, humor, Park, robins, Spring, walk, walking | 18 Comments

Chicken Little.

Posted on March 31, 2018 by Linda Schaub

easter greetings

When I was out walking this morning I thought of Chicken Little. You DO remember Chicken Little of “the sky is falling” fame?

While most people are immersed in their Easter weekend plans … like dreaming about tomorrow’s feast, donning their new duds, or just devouring their candy, I was meandering along thinking of chickens.

When I was a youngster, I was not allowed to eat candy except on special occasions. Easter was designated as one of those special occasions. In anticipation of the big day, Mom would empty the contents of her old brown wicker sewing basket into a bag and stuff it away somewhere. Her sewing basket was repurposed to hold my Easter goodies. It didn’t look like your traditional Easter basket. No pretty pastel colors, festooned with a huge bow and wrapped in cellophane, but it was very festive nevertheless.

This was thanks to the chickens.

chenille chicken1.jpg

Mom always put chenille chickens all around the edge of the basket. They were cute and fuzzy, yellow-colored chicks with orange wire feet, that she slid in between the woven wicker to secure them to the rim of the basket. Inside the basket, nestled in the shiny green Easter grass, was a tall foil-wrapped bunny, some Laura Secord pastel chocolate suckers, plus the latest “Golden Books” with animal themes to read, re-read and treasure for many years to come.

I was dwelling on the past, reliving those Easter Sundays and chenille chickens lovingly fastened to a basket. They were sweet memories, much sweeter than those chocolate confections ever were.

But soon my mind got to wandering, just like I was wandering along the perimeter path in my favorite woodsy area. Only nothing fell onto my head, like the misfortune endured by Chicken Little as she walked through the woods in that famous folk tale.

You might recall Chicken Little was scared witless, believing the sky would fall, so soon she became the town crier to anyone she met along the way. There’s a moral to the story, and if you don’t remember it, you can find it here: https://www.worldstory.net/en/stories/chicken_little.html

There has been a lot of activity in our sky of late, and that’s not counting all the rain, the potential snowflakes that may be on the way, and wind that is gusting mightily outside right now.

It wasn’t enough that Michigan had that meteor streaking through the night sky, leaving behind meteorite particles back on January 16^th; now we find that our part of the Mitten State (Detroit and Southeast Michigan) is likely the landing place for chunks of space debris from China’s Tiangong-1, an 8.5 ton space station that did not already burn up in space. Unlike the meteorites that were scooped up and prized, this is considered a hazmat situation and people are to stay 150 feet clear of the debris. Hmm. I hope it stays away during its final descent now set to occur late Sunday or early Monday.

Last night was the second full moon of the month, also known as a blue moon. Did you see it?

Ten years ago, our neighbor Marge saw a story about sending your name to orbit the moon. She registered my mom and me and printed out the certificates for us.

mom moon.jpg

linda moon.jpg

Recently I found those certificates which I had squirreled away for safekeeping. Coincidentally, a few days later, I heard that NASA is doing a similar project for the sun. You can submit your name to be placed on a microchip on the historic Parker Solar Probe mission, which will launch this Summer. I’ve already done mine a few weeks ago as you see below:

Anyone around the world can submit their name (before April 27^th) to be part of this solar fun: https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/08/us/fly-your-name-to-the-sun-trnd/index.html

That’s my virtual Easter gift to each of you since I can’t send you those marshmallow Peeps I know you all love so much.

Happy Easter!

[Images of vintage chenille chick and postcard from Pinterest]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged chickens, chocolate, Easter, humor, moon, nature, sun, vintage | 45 Comments

Something was afoot …

Posted on March 30, 2018 by Linda Schaub

red-winged blackbird in tree.jpg

… and it wasn’t me stepping out with my best foot forward. Finally, a few more of the long-time walkers were strolling along the perimeter path this morning.

So what ultimately brought the “regulars” out of hibernation?

It sure wasn’t because of the sliver of sun peering between those gray clouds on this dismal morn. Nor did that 33-degree weather beckon them to join fellow walkers at Council Point Park. No, something was afoot as today was touted as “National Take a Walk in the Park Day” – so now you know.

The weather and walking were both duds this week; Tuesday and Thursday were all-day rains and Wednesday was dull and dreary, so I used that morning to run a few errands.

So … fast forward to Friday. Luckily it was above freezing, or I’d have worried about the dreaded black ice forming on the asphalt walking path after yesterday’s incessant rain. The squirrels, with Parker leading the pack, came racing over to greet me like I’d been away for weeks, rather than just a handful of days. I made their day by doling out extra peanuts, then off I went to find some pictures for today’s post.

A big splash in the Ecorse Creek sent me scurrying to the water’s edge, as far as I dared, since the grass was slick and a little muddy from all the rain. Then I heard another splash. Clearly it was not the large smack landing by a duck or a goose, so there I stood, still as a statue, camera in hand and ready to take a shot of whatever surfaced. I suspect it was a fish flip-flopping in the water, certainly apropos for Good Friday during the Lenten season.

I gave that mystery creature five minutes to put in an appearance, and he or she did not, so I finally left. A few geese were peacefully paddling down the Creek, and a drake stood on a half-submerged log performing its morning ablution, first sticking its bright-yellow bill into the water, then using that moisture to spread the natural oils to the end of each feather. Clearly, he was so engrossed in this task, that he was oblivious to me as I stood there during his preening process.

On the second loop of the perimeter path, there was no action, except calling out “Happy New Year and Happy Easter” to a walker I’ve not seen since at least mid-December.

There are subtle signs of Spring at my favorite nature nook, and on the way home I noticed tree lint littering the sidewalk. Those red leafy buds were everywhere, a soft cushion beneath my shoes while I walked along, plus occasionally tickling my nose since I have Spring allergies.

It was good to be back on the trail, albeit on a gray and dreary day.

I’ll leave you with this quote that I saw on #TakeAWalkInTheParkDay, which was trending on Twitter earlier today:

“We need the tonic of wilderness.

We can never have enough of nature.”

~Henry David Thoreau

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Park, Spring, walk, walking | 10 Comments

Tuesday Musings.

Posted on March 27, 2018 by Linda Schaub

Well, it was a good run, but … it is finally over.

We’ve been blessed with two solid weeks of dry weather but today it’s been a steady rain.

You win some, you lose some.

Spring and Winter are sparring, as Spring is trying to give Winter the boot and bring in some warmer temps, but …

Goodbye Winter hello Spring written on board

… Winter is not going away without a fight and will flex its muscles again Thursday and Saturday nights when possible snow is in the forecast, maybe even measurable snow for Easter morning. Ugh! Going to church in your Easter finery doesn’t mean donning galoshes, nor does it mean searching for decorated eggs underneath a blanket of snow in your backyard.

The rain ruined today’s walk much to my chagrin. Instead, I stayed inside and even made a feeble attempt to be productive. I confess I’ve done a lame job on household tasks, preferring to enjoy all those weekends of cold but sunny days, which were perfect for walking, taking a slew of photos, and writing blog posts to accompany all those images. I’ve catered to myself instead of being diligent with housework and let things kind of slide, while enjoying some “me time” after our unrelenting Winter.

I also had to deal with the new speakerphone. You might recall a few weeks ago my speakerphone suddenly stopped working. I use it a lot for work, and, while it was great that it was still receiving calls and the speaker part worked fine, I could not make outgoing calls. This is likely the result of my slamming the receiver down after one too many junk calls, instead of replacing it gently into the cradle. I get a ton of junk calls, and I can’t always tell from the caller I.D. if they are legitimate or not. I have had rogue calls by people whose phone numbers were impersonating Comcast, DTE and even AT&T.

So, for the last month, I had two phones on the table where I work – the speakerphone was still near my elbow to receive calls, and one phone on the other side of the table to make calls. My boss is leaving tomorrow for an Easter holiday getaway and I check his office voicemail throughout the day, and the two-phone operation was not going to work so well if I had to transcribe lengthy messages, so, I ordered a new phone from Amazon last week.

Do you have “porch pirates” that trail behind the UPS, Fed Ex or mail trucks and watch packages being delivered, then go and nab them? Well we do, and I follow the local crime sites on Facebook and it happens all the time.

I ordered the phone with a two-day delivery because the weather was dry all week, so I knew, when the package arrived with the requested knock at the door, I’d simply run to the front door and grab it from the porch. The package was coming from Amazon’s Fulfillment Center in Brownstown, Michigan, about seven miles from here. But, Amazon sent it out Tuesday from Brownstown, then it went to Indiana on Wednesday, then back to Brownstown again, and it was delivered to me on Thursday. Hmmm. That rigmarole was as bad as Fed Ex which will reroute the delivery of a local package to their main hub in Memphis, Tennessee, only to bring it back hours later to the home state.

Anyway, I opened up the box and took out all the pieces. Easy enough – no tools needed, but where was the instruction booklet? There was no instruction booklet in the box, although I did find an “Easy Set-Up Sheet” and a pamphlet called “Abridged Speakerphone Directions” … two sets of condensed directions, but if you needed more help, you had to get it online. Query: what if you don’t have access to the internet? Just sayin’.

Technology really slays me sometimes and this phone was way different than my Radio Shack phone that I’ve had for years.

AT&T Phone

For example, it has these huge touch-tone numbers – I could make a phone call without my glasses on and not miss a beat. I figured out how to program it for caller I.D., put some speed dial numbers in there, got the tilt angle and display just right, but, in the information window, above the date and time, I saw this:

“CL2940”

So, I perused my handy-dandy guides to find what this code was for. I found no information. I decided to call myself from the cellphone to see if the code remained once the phone was used. I cleared the call and the code was still there. Grumpily, I decided to resort to looking online, only to discover “CL2940” was the model number for the phone. That number remains in the window all the time, which seems strange to me and I see it in my peripheral vision.

Maybe it’s just me.

[Image of phone courtesy of Amazon.com and AT&T]

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged humor, phone, Spring, Winter | 15 Comments

March gladness.

Posted on March 25, 2018 by Linda Schaub

sky

This morning I rolled past the local Dairy Queen while taking the car for a spin. I noticed the DQ’s marquis proclaimed “’Tis the season!” … well “to be freezin'” maybe. That sign might have drawn a crowd for free cone day on the first day of Spring, but I’m sure the folks aren’t lining up in this downright cold weather.

I HAD planned on a jaunt to scenic Elizabeth Park in Trenton, just a 15-mile round trip from home. But, picturing that boardwalk along the Detroit River at 23 degrees, with a 13-degree wind chill and blustery 15 mph NE winds, made me quickly rethink that idea, so I headed to my favorite stomping grounds, Council Point Park, instead.

The sun was in abundance, not that it helped to warm things up, but it looked good and I gave it a 10 on my good shadow day meter. A sunny Sunday, albeit cold, but dry, so who could ask for more?

It was mighty blustery going around each bend and I went through plenty of them, as I walked three complete laps around the entire Park. Each bend in the path caused my coat hood to flip up as the wind tugged at my clothes and infiltrated my warm woolens. But, I wanted to get in some extra steps, so I walked six miles today.

There was ice in some portions of the Creek and very few ducks and geese once again. The squirrels were up and at ‘em as soon as I hit the trail. However, my hunch that the brilliant red cardinal would be ready to receive some peanuts from me proved to be wrong, though a female cardinal was in the exact same spot. Hmm – did my bright-red friend send a proxy and sleep in this morning? I tried to coax Mrs. Cardinal down to ground level with three strategically placed peanuts where I was sure she would see them. It’s just as well she remained aloof, or shy, because a fellow blogger has told me that peanuts are not good for birds as it may cause Aspergillus. I remember that term from my days as a “med-mal” secretary, so I’ll get some sunflower seeds instead to try to entice these beautiful birds for a photo op.

I didn’t take a picture of the female cardinal because her grayish-brown plumage was hardly distinguishable from the weathered tree she was sitting in. In early Spring, Mother Nature’s palette at the Park is rather blah and non-descript as you see in today’s photo above.

With the exception of a man walking his dog on the last leg of my journey, I was the only person on the perimeter path the entire time. Perhaps everyone was at services for Palm Sunday. I walked to the car and headed home. I had timed my walk to coincide with the City’s Annual Easter Egg Hunt, so I wandered over to Memorial Park where kids and their parents were milling around waiting to collect eggs. Last year Easter was in mid-April, so people were in shirtsleeves and shorts, but not today. Kids were zipped up in Winter coats, their mittened hands clutching bags or baskets to collect the colorful plastic eggs. The Easter Bunny was doing a meet-and-greet with the kids and obligingly posed for photos, probably which will now adorn many Facebook and/or Instagram accounts.

I didn’t stay for the Easter Egg hunt, as I’d been out in the cold for almost three hours and was happy to head home and to wrap my frozen fingers around a mug of coffee to warm me up. I was pretty happy about my mileage too … as of today I have walked 151 miles in 2018. That leaves me just 900 miles left to best last year’s record of 1,050 miles walked.

I’m up for the task, as long as Mother Nature cooperates, so onward and upward!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Easter, nature, Park, Spring, walk, walking | 42 Comments

Nutty Buddies.

Posted on March 24, 2018 by Linda Schaub

cardinal - header

As of today I have a new nutty buddy at Council Point Park.

I don’t think Parker, nor his furry friends, will be too awfully upset or jealous; after all, just how many peanuts can one cardinal eat anyway?

You’ll recall in yesterday’s blog post, in between whining about the sparrows and robins, that I mentioned seeing a beautiful cardinal on my walk. That cardinal was sitting on a low branch, and, I stopped short of taking its picture since it would take too long to put away the peanuts, dig for the camera and take the shot.

But, from his perch in the tree, that male cardinal watched me feeding the squirrels and he took notice.

Today, in the same location, once again I was dispensing peanuts to the squirrels, when the cardinal suddenly appeared on that low branch again. I said “wait a minute … here, have a peanut or something, I want to take your picture.” So, on a whim, I tossed out a few peanuts to the side of the asphalt path, hoping they would interest him. I know blue jays love peanuts, but I thought cardinals were more into sunflower seeds. Evidently not.

First, that beautiful bird hopped down …

… then ambled toward the first peanut.

cardinal00

He cracked open the shell, getting peanut chaff on that orangey-red bill. He stayed put long enough for me to get a few photos, then he was done posing and took the remaining peanut “to go” and flew away.

cardinal1

I know this cardinal will be watching for me tomorrow and thereafter. Once you feed a wild animal or bird just one time, and it knows you mean them no harm, they are your pal. We’ll establish a routine if possible.

Of course the squirrels, my original nutty buddies, were out and about as well. I got a few photos of them enjoying their peanuts. Here’s one of Parker:

squirrel1

Like the cardinal, the squirrels often take their peanut “to go” and I am amused, when they grab it from the ground, scale the tree, and sit on a branch munchin’ away. All this effort to eat ONE peanut in peace.

squirrel2

Then they run down the tree again for another peanut.

squirrel-do i smell peanuts

Sometimes you get a two-fer … one squirrel in the tree; one on the ground.

two-fer

I walked around the entire Park once, then the first loop one more time. At one point in the walk, I felt a presence behind me. I turned around and three squirrels were trailing at my heels. I was sure I had fed them already the first time around, but I jollied along like it was the first time I saw them today. I tossed out a few peanuts so they scampered right over.

Sometimes they hide their goodies. Do they think I am blind to seeing this sight as I stroll along the trail?

squirreling away for a rainy day.jpg

The sunny morning more than made up for the chilly temperatures. It was about 26 degrees when I left the house. Very few portions of the Ecorse Creek had a light skim of ice, yet the ducks and geese were scarce. The heron has been at large for several weeks now, so it was those peanut-loving squirrels and cardinal which gave me a smile during today’s five-mile walk. Yup, a peanut here or there and soon you’ve got a feathered or furry friend for life.

My Park pals reminded me of years ago and two retired male neighbors who lived across the street. The first gentleman, Gerry, was stuck in the rut of too many years of getting up early. He retired mid-Summer, so he’d take his cup of coffee and sat out on the front porch to read the morning newspaper. I’d see him every morning when I left for work. There was one squirrel hanging around on that first day of retirement bliss, so Gerry went inside and got some cookies for him. This soon became a morning ritual, but, if it rained, or Gerry decided to sleep in, when he finally stepped outside to fetch the newspaper, there was the squirrel pacing back and forth on the cement ledge in front of the picture window, wearing a perturbed look. Then, Gerry’s next-door neighbor retired and Andy liked to tinker in his wood shop that was in the garage. An inquisitive squirrel meandered in there one day, so Andy went into the house and got a treat for him. From that day forward, that squirrel came by every morning. He’d plant himself by the garage side door waiting until Andy came out of the house and headed to the garage, then he’d scamper over to meet him at the garage door. For both retirees, a relationship between man and beast began and lasted many more years.