Hibiscus, wilting in the heat, not unlike Yours Truly.
… when I visited Emily Frank Gardens in the Trenton Cultural Center on August 4th.
(Yep, I know you saw this blog post title and, but for the beautiful Hibiscus flower, you figured I’d be whining about the upcoming Siberian Polar Vortex which follows our fourth or fifth bout of brutally cold weather we have endured after a remarkably warm Fall.)
But no, I purposely tucked this post away for the heart of Winter in order to fully appreciate that extremely hot and humid day. Besides … this post also neatly fulfills Week #2 of Terri’s Monthly Color Two-Week Challenge: WHITE.
Normally, if prompted to write about “white” items in Winter, logically the topic would be snow. While our January 10th snowfall was pretty and pristine, I was reluctant to take the camera, as well as myself, out in the frigid temps. Last week showed no improvement with continued bone-chilling temps and freezing-rain-slickened surfaces. Mother Nature sure didn’t help me with gleaning steps for my walking regimen, but finally on Friday, with temps that felt almost tropical, I got to the Park, visited with and fed my peanut-eating pals and got some photos as well.
So, let’s flashback to Summer, shall we?
We still had one more week to go until those dreaded Dog Days of Summer were over and yes, the weather outside WAS frightful: 90+ percent humidity and 71F (21C) when I got up at 5:30 a.m. But I had a destination to visit and planned to leave early to beat the heat. That destination was not a large park, but just a short walk at this flower-filled venue. I checked to see if I visited last time in July or August and it was July 31st and the Gardens were at peak then, so, given the fact we had had an abundance of rain, plus hot and sunny days, I decided it was a perfect time to visit.
I went to a garden party …
… but I wasn’t reminiscing with old friends. I was there … just me, myself and I and a cute little bunny that you’ll meet in a bit. Sundays are a good time to visit this venue because the volunteers are off, so there are no garden hoses to step over, or sprinklers to contend with. Also, they are always looking for volunteers, so if you appear really interested in these extensive gardens with thousands of blooms, i.e. if you’re taking a lot of photos, they sometimes “hit on you” to be a volunteer here, or at MacArthur Park a beautiful pollinator park just down the road. I always give them kudos but politely decline. 🙂
Suddenly I felt a presence and found myself in a stare down with a Cottontail bunny. We had surprised one other on that still Sunday morning and moments later it bolted into a colorful patch of Zinnias.
“Well, so much for that photo op” I muttered.
But I remained in place, then peered in between the gazillion Zinnias where it had disappeared. I was sure if it was close by, the bottom of those plants would be vibrating with each beat of its heart because yes, it looked that scared of this hulking woman toting her camera. I cooed at it, partly to calm it down, to reinforce that I meant no harm and yes, a bit self-serving on my part to encourage it to come back out into the open so I could take a picture.
That boop-on-the-snoot-cute bunny must have enjoyed all that sweet talkin’ as suddenly it tempted fate and sprung from its flower-filled hiding place, out in the open and I got a couple of shots before it scurried to another hiding place.
Ah well, I knew there would be a few stone bunnies to supplement this post with …
As I began my little tour around the Gardens, it was only about 8:30 a.m. and I already felt a dribble of perspiration trickling down my forehead and stinging my eyes. But I was here to make the best of this foray into the flowery joy that this venue is known for.
It’s a marvelous DAY for a moondance….
One of the highlights here is the Moonglow Sanctuary Garden, a small corner of the venue which features white flowers …
… and statuary.
I’ve included some of the painted rocks for the years when accolades were received for the moonglow garden walks in this slideshow below.
Now, let’s kick the color up a notch or two.
When I was reviewing the pictures taken on my little jaunt, I realized I had enough flower photos for multiple posts because there is so much to see and I sure was clicking away. So I’ll save the pretty pond, Children’s Garden and red rustic barn photos for another time.
A turn-of-the-century farmhouse is nestled between the pond and amidst these flower gardens with a path of paver bricks and/or mulch to walk to each area.
The farmhouse serves as the City of Trenton’s Cultural Center and social events are often held here, like fancy tea parties and holiday gatherings.
As I strolled around, I was disappointed to see zero butterflies that day and just a few bees, in this pollinator garden extraordinaire.
These were just a few of the most-vibrant flowers, the other end of the spectrum from The Moonglow Garden. I think my favorites were the Zinnias and Dahlias.
Bunches of Black-eyed Susans were looking bright and cheery …
… and a few Sunflowers were already towering over me. No sign of any Goldfinches flitting amongst these big flowers to munch sunflower seeds.
The dew on the roses made them look even more delicate.
I planted myself here for a few minutes, hoping to see some hummingbirds hovering near these gorgeous, dew-covered Cannas, but perhaps they were lying low somewhere with a cool breeze.
“Pretty in Pink” could have been the theme for many portions of this venue.
If your locale is going to be part of this massive Siberian Polar Vortex in the next few days, please stay warm and safe.
In the meantime, I will leave you with some sunny thoughts from this yard art in The Moonglow Garden: “I count nothing but sunny hours.”
The snow finally arrived two nights ago, suddenly transforming our nondescript landscape into a pristine white blanket. It was the first measurable snowfall of the season, albeit a mere four inches, but more than we have seen thus far this season, when the white stuff could be whisked away with a broom.
So, for a refresher of how a nice, warm, late Spring day looks, I’ll turn the clock back some seven months to a virtual 5K I participated in way back in June 2024. Yes, I’m a little late rolling out the recaps of some of last year’s walks, having interrupted that flow with various holiday and year-end posts.
Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry.
Fish & Loaves Community Food Pantry exists to provide nourishment to the food insecure in our local community. In 2024 they distributed more than three million pounds of food to 50,000 households in the area. Yes, with inflation at an all time high, the need is greater than ever. Their credo is simple – they exist to ensure no one goes hungry. Every dollar donated to Fish & Loaves enables the organization to purchase four pounds of food.
The Annual Happy Soles 5K Event.
Last year was the seventh time I have participated in this worthwhile event. In 2018 and 2019 I attended on site, but since 2020, I have participated virtually, always choosing the same site as the event, picturesque Heritage Park, just going on a different day. For 2024, I did my virtual 5K on June 3rd.
The on-site event wends its way through the historical section of Heritage Park, whereupon those walkers and runners take to the streets of the neighborhood, next traveling through a wooded area and finally the route concludes at the Sheridan Center/Open Air Pavilion where the event began and prizes are awarded at that time.
For my virtual 5K I don’t walk through the neighborhoods, preferring to get the equivalent of my 5 kilometers/3.2 miles of steps throughout Heritage Park’s historical area and along Coan Lake and a little jaunt over to the Taylor Conservatory & Botanical Gardens.
Along the way I always pass the Petting Farm and on this day, I got a few fun shots there.
What happens at the Petting Farm …
… doesn’t always stay at the Petting Farm.
You know from previous posts, that it is not unusual to be taking in the beauty of the Botanical Gardens, when a chicken or two or three crosses your path and the resident rooster is all about announcing himself, whether inside or outside of the barnyard. Those “escapees” from the Petting Farm who dare to stray beyond the white wooden fence might even end up by the train station with its nearby caboose and box car like those Lavender Guinea Fowl I discovered a few years ago.
So Donald, is it true the grass is greener on the other side?
On this day, as I walked along busy Pardee Road, while enroute to the Botanical Gardens, a couple of Pekin Ducks ducked under the white wraparound wooden fence to explore life outside the confines of the barnyard.
I saw these two white beauties meander out onto the bright-green grass and instantly knew this would be a fun photo op for me, but what if they wandered out into the street? After all, Pardee Road has a goose crossing sign, but no duck crossing sign like at Elizabeth Park.
But the savvy pair knew their limits and I suspect they were merely on a mission to see whether the grass really was greener on the other side of the fence. They waddled …
… and grazed, sampling patches of grass here and there …
… then without any coaxing, they headed back to the barn, ducking daintily under the fence and were on their merry way, as was I.
I next visited the Botanical Gardens …
… where it was still a little meh, too early in the year for the perennials to have much pizazz and, even though the annuals were fresh and dewy looking, I omitted their pics from this post, preferring to use more pics of the white Pekin ducks instead.
There were no butterflies, bees or hummingbirds either, so, happy to have gleaned some Pekin pics, I headed back toward the historical area of Heritage Park.
As I passed the Petting Farm to head back to the park area, a bunny peeked between the white wooden fence slats. I assured him/her the coast was clear and I did not have Elmer Fudd alongside me.
Cottonwood fluff was everywhere!
In early June, here in Southeast Michigan, the Cottonwood trees start dispensing seeds, which are fluffy, like cotton candy. The seeds travel with the wind and settle down onto grassy surfaces or line the areas along sidewalks. These white wispy fibers are fond of plastering themselves onto the air conditioner’s grille, so if you have warm enough days to warrant turning on the A/C, you will need to keep hosing down the grille to keep your A/C unit from clogging up. As I walked along many paths, the almost snowy looking effect from the Cottonwood fluff was present.
By now, you know Heritage Park and its cast of characters, er … critters.
Around Coan Lake there were the usual sights to capture with my camera, like the Little Red Schoolhouse, where I noted that finally, the listing evergreen tree was gone …
… the Old Grist Mill …
… and the Log Cabin.
I crossed the covered bridge, modeled after old bridges from the 1700s and beyond and …
… because I knew it was nesting season for Barn Swallows, I peered up into the rafters for a nest and sure enough, there was one munchkin peeking out at me.
A Canada Goose was checking me out as I finished crossing the bridge …
… and nearby, a family of geese enjoyed a dunk in Coan Lake followed by a quick feather spray as they frolicked near the fountain.
Papa Mallard snoozed while Mama Mallard was on the lookout for humans overstepping their bounds.
What … no turtles? They will be in this week’s Wordless Wednesday as this post is already groaning with photos.
The sun was high in the sky and it was time to leave, having done my steps for the 5K and an earlier one-mile jaunt around Council Point Park.
My swag is above and also here. You readers with eagle eyes may notice the date on the tee-shirt was June 4th, which was incorrect – well oops.
The event date was actually Sunday, June 2, 2024.
This year’s event will be June 1st and I have already registered for it.
… and remember that life’s a great balancing act. ~Dr. Seuss
I fed the birds on New Year’s Day.
I’ve written before about the Scandinavian custom of feeding the birds on the first day of the new year because it will bring you luck the rest of the year.
Since the expected snow and sleet from New Year’s Eve did not mess up sidewalks and streets, off I went, on foot, to mark my first five miles of 2025 and feed my feathered and furry friends at Council Point Park. My Park pals didn’t recognize the holiday as a new year, (although I’m sure they were glad to leave the old year behind), but they likely had their ears blasted bigtime by the fireworks going off in the area in the wee hours of January 1st.
Last week’s blog post was chock full of what I did (or didn’t do) in 2024. I mentioned how much time I spend on photos. While I don’t spend any time editing my photos, (I’m not that much of a perfectionist yet), I consider that most of the time I am just a lucky photographer, being at the right place at the right time. I’m going to start exploring Windows 11’s editing features though because there is always room for improvement in everything we do, right? I spend loads of time on the trail(s) stopping and taking photos, then sorting through them later. I also spend a lot of time scratching my head WHY I take SO many photos, many which are duplicative. 🙂
With my furry friends, there will be perfect shots when they are patiently posing while munching on peanuts or walnuts, but then there are times I return home with squirrels missing snouts, or an up-close picture of a furry tail and nothing else. Squirrels are quicker than the eye sometimes and, in the gloomy and bitter cold Winter days, often the flash is slow to fire, so that “Kodak Moment” is lost forever.
My “Birdie Bucket List” for 2025.
It has become my annual tradition to update my list of coveted birds to see and photograph and, as you see below, they are the same old-same old “wants” plus I’ve added White Pelicans which were inadvertently not included before. I know Sterling State Park is the White Pelicans’ favorite stopover when migrating south, but in 2025 this park will be undergoing a much-needed rehab to their trails, which is good news since there are trip-and-fall hazards from tree roots all along the 3.6 mile paved loop trail. Depending on how extensive the rehab is, I might not get to see those big white birds in 2025.
I photographed a few new-to-me feathered friends in 2024.
As a result of countless excursions, mostly to Lake Erie Metropark, I was able to add the below trio of new birds to my “Birding Life List” making a grand total of 58 birds seen in my lifetime.
I’ve seen female Wood Ducks with their ducklings before, but never the male with its extraordinary plumage. Too bad this fellow was way across the marsh, meandering amongst the lily pads and reeds.
Seeing a raft of American Coots gathered at the Sterling Marsh at Sterling State Park had me clicking away. I had seen photos of them on birding sites and instantly recognized these birds by their white bill.
On a trip to photograph about-to-fledge-the-nest Ospreys at Pointe Mouillee DNR Headquarters, I was lucky to see these unique-looking “bonus” birds with their orangey-red bills and black caps. They are Caspian Terns.
There were also a few birds I encountered/photographed, which you have not “met” yet. Whenever I go on longer excursions at larger parks, once I get online, I write a quick summary of what the walk entailed because it may be awhile until I pair the photos taken to the summary and compile and publish that post. So, after quickly perusing those summaries, I will tell you that as my posts about 2024 excursions unfold, you will meet a Bank Swallow, an American Bittern and a Black-crowned Night Heron.
Who doesn’t love babies?
Every April I am on baby watch at Heritage Park. I ensure I get there to see if Mama Canada Goose is sitting on a nest, at her favorite place, on the boulders near the bridge. It can’t be a comfy place to nest, but she evidently feels safe and Papa is there to shoo away gawking walkers and nosy dogs who dare to stray near his mate. After scoping out this venue weekly, the blessed event happens around Mother’s Day and my reward is a passel of lemon-colored, sweet-faced goslings like these two.
When the initial phase of the Council Point Park Project began on May 8th I swore off taking my camera to my favorite nature nook until it looked halfway-decent once again. But my mindset changed three weeks later when I arrived at the Park early one Saturday morning to see a Mama Robin feeding her one and only offspring. Instantly my resolve fizzled, my heart softened and I hurried home to grab my camera. The pictures may not be the best due to sun and shadows, but they were among my favorite Kodak Moments in 2024.
Unfortunately I only had a few days to enjoy those tender moments …
… because soon the nestling became a fledgling and the nest, which had been nestled in the barbed-wire fence, suddenly was empty.
I made multiple trips to Lake Erie Metropark in search of anticipated offspring.
First, I craned my neck to find a Sandhill Crane colt, the offspring of the pair of cranes I always see at Lake Erie Metropark near a fishing bridge, but I had no success; however I did get some close-ups of what I believe are a mated pair – this is one of them, checking out me who is otherwise known as the pesky photographer.
Repeatedly I scoured that park, in all the nooks and crannies, for does and their fawns; I saw only one pair and the fawn was pretty big. The pair got separated after I must have spooked them. Mama headed over the fence, but the fawn had to find a place to leap and join its mother as it could not jump that high and there were bushes which hindered it as well. I was as panicked as the fawn was, but, as it loped along parallel to the fence …
… it gained speed and finally found a “jumpable spot” and those spindly legs soared over that pesky fence. Whew!
Other fun foto finds …
I smiled when I saw this Muskrat chomping on a Lotus Leaf along the Cherry Island Trail at Lake Erie Metropark …
While on an early Spring jaunt at Elizabeth Park, I found a lot of these guys singing away in a large puddle in a low area in the grass. How nice to be serenaded while I ambled by.
Here is a slideshow of the rest of my favorite shots from 2024.
From Rebeca Green’s Etsy site “Atlas Vintage Prints”
I wouldn’t say 2024 was the best year ever for me … it was filled with ups and downs to be honest and began on a sour note as I HAD intended to retire on December 31, 2023, but reluctantly agreed to stay another three months.
The wacky weather was another thorn in my side.
The weather at the onset of 2024 was wacky and wild, wherein two full weeks passed without walking, with me only venturing outside to run the car. That short walk was accomplished precariously as freezing rain and bitter cold had created a skating rink that even my ice-melting product could not dissolve. Of course I worried about my furry and feathered friends at the Park, but I also worried about a slip and fall for me, so when I finally got back to the Park, while it was impossible to count snoots and beaks, I was satisfied everyone was present and accounted for as they rushed toward me when I started on the perimeter path. Perhaps it was my smiling face, but most likely the smell of peanuts perked up their nostrils.
Come Spring we had many days of rain, torrential rain. Then the heat and humidity settled in. Ugh!
Then there was July 22nd, the hottest day recorded on Earth and smack dab in the middle of the Dog Days of Summer. Everyone was sweating that day!
This weather worrier often stewed over the stormy nights that accompanied those sultry temps. Sigh!
Our warmish Winter of 2023-2024 meant the mosquitoes and ticks didn’t die off, so we contended with those pests too!
We had a warm Fall right into November which allowed me to recoup those two weeks sans walking and some days when it was so stinking hot and humid that I didn’t step out for as long. When I got to the last 100 miles/160 kilometers, the weather got a little erratic as you see below.
Council Point Park: Paradise lost in one fell swoop.
Any minor personal disappointments were surpassed by the destruction of Council Point Park, my favorite walking venue. Here it is pictured in all seasons at the beginning of the perimeter path before “The Project”. (Note the trees along the Ecorse Creek shoreline on the left-hand side of each photo.)
To anyone who cared to listen and in my blog I bemoaned the destruction of my favorite nature nook as I have enjoyed walking there since discovering it in 2013. On May 8th, multiple earth-moving machines wreaked havoc along the entire Ecorse Creek, destroying the habitats of squirrels, songbirds and waterfowl along the shoreline, while in nesting season no less, as well as unearthing turtles as they sunned themselves on fallen logs and paddled lazily in the Creek, sending those poor creatures airborne.
The following day, upon seeing the cringeworthy destruction, my eyes filled with tears for “Paradise Lost” and for the critters, their “homes” in trees that were now haphazardly horizontal, birds with offspring still in the nests, or squirrels that were now skittish, terrified of the loud machines and grieving the loss of their offspring, similarly in the nests. One woman walker told me she saw a female squirrel, heart beating frantically, making many trips from a fallen tree, each time carrying a different dead offspring in her teeth. I’m grateful I didn’t witness that. I have written about the destruction twice, here and here.
This continues to hurt my heart.
I wish I could say it looks better now, seven months later, but I can’t. Kelly Rose, a woman who is involved with the Friends of the Detroit River, is an advocate of saving the Ecorse Creek and organizing clean-ups and assured me in our back-and-forth messages that native plants will be planted along the Ecorse Creek shoreline. To me, that will never replace the ambiance, large trees and critters’ habitats, nor offspring lost when the destruction began.
However, I now wonder about the promise of those native plants because a few weeks ago, I was walking at the Park when a landscaping crew was working along the shoreline. I watched them for a long time as they spread a teal substance which resembled lawn patch. After the patch was applied on both sides of the Creek, a machine shredded up bales of straw, which spewed out layers to cover that lawn patch. “Hmm – this doesn’t look like native plants to me” I mused to myself.
So, when the machinery motors were silent, I strolled over to inquire about the job and was told “it’s just grass patch ma’am – there will hopefully be grass come Spring” but he knew nothing about native plants that were to be planted on the shoreline areas.
As you see in this slideshow below, the stumps have been leveled to the ground (somewhat), brush and weeds removed, but the ugliness remains. These photos were taken about a week apart, before and after the lawn patch and straw were applied. Also, a few days ago the City finally installed a new park bench to replace the one the machinery mangled. It overlooks what used to be “The Point” a very picturesque area of the Park.
In early Fall the poor squirrels buried their peanuts for lean times, only to have them unearthed once again. No wonder some of them are still skittish and wary at times.
The water level is extremely low in the Creek now and it is rare to see a duck in the water these days. In recent months, we’ve had deer sightings on the other side of the Creek and there have been coyotes that have crossed over to the Park, wading through the water, not walking on ice … of course, this is not great news for the furry and/or feathered critters that make Council Point Park their home.
A ray of sunshine ….
But, amidst the negativity above, there was one small glimmer of hope I experienced on my Christmas Day visit.
I have seen this tiny fir tree there for the past few years and I really never gave it much thought as the City planted many deciduous tree saplings around the same time. I took this photo intending to include it with my Christmas post.
But about two weeks ago I showed up one morning, without my camera, to find this tiny tree sporting one red bulb, à la the infamous Charlie Brown Christmas tree. The next day I took my camera, half-expecting to see the bulb smashed on the ground, or gone.
Surprising, it was still there, so I took this photo to use along with the squirrels for my Christmas Day post instead of the original photo.
To my surprise, on my Christmas Day walk, a male walker, whom I only run into sporadically, pointed out how festive “his” tree looked. Of course Your Roving Reporter had to dig into that whole story and I learned that he had one of those small Christmas trees in a pot at home. It was getting big, so two years ago he and a buddy planted the tree along the perimeter path. (Luckily they didn’t plant it on the opposite side.) The tree “took” and is thriving, several feet tall now and he decided to bring one red bulb and place it on the tree. Well it brightened my spirits after seven months of looking at the remnants of what had once been a beautiful venue.
Now on to a few more positive notes about my year and yes, I realize this post will be very long, so I will be doing my favorite pics of 2024 post next week.
For the 13th straight year, I met my walking goal!
Aptly, I put a bow on my 2024 walking goal (1,257 miles/2,024 kilometers) on Christmas Day. I had five more miles left and with the threat of multiple days of rain and/or fog looming, I figured I’d better just get ‘er done. I waited until mid-day when I knew there would be no slick spots and ventured out. Yay! You know the drill – for 2025, it will be one more mile (1,258 miles/2,025 kilometers).
However, unlike the gingerbread girl pictured above, I was not hampered by snow in the waning days of 2024 as to my mileage goal. In fact, yesterday we enjoyed balmy weather: 58F/14C, some 24 degrees above normal. Not exactly Winter weather, but I’ll take it!
So, onward and upward for 2025!
Even my 15-year-old car got a workout as I put a whopping 1,545 miles on it in 2024. I know fellow bloggers Ruth and JP will be patting me on the back for sure with those stats! 🙂
Retirement is bliss; I rather like being a lady of leisure.
Nine months ago today I retired … Good Friday, 2024.
I was 67 years old … two weeks before I would turn 68 and what better incentive to just do it after reading this earlier in the year?
So, post-retirement … have I been productive, or was I a slacker? Well … ahem, if we are discussing walking miles, I did well and, if we are discussing blog post productivity, I churned out 106 posts. I can’t fathom how many photos I took – whew! Great Linda, those are fun things to do, but, if only everything else I planned (in my head) would have wrapped up so nicely by year-end, I’d have been thrilled.
WordPress decided Windows 7 was passé …
Well, thank you for doing that WP and, when I could no longer create a post without it freezing every few sentences, it was time to upgrade, something I had avoided doing for many years. Windows 7 was comfortable, like my walking shoes and it must be a sign of getting older, resisting change and all. So the upgrade was a pain and cut into my DAILY TO DO CHART but it got done … I had no choice.
Accomplishments and/or new ventures.
By the end of September, I took stock of my accomplishments in the six months post-retirement and my brow furrowed a little. Sure I had walked my socks off and taken a slew of photos but I had not accomplished a heck of a lot otherwise, despite my good intentions.
As to walking, sometimes it didn’t really feel much like anything was different, except having the ability to go on longer excursions at bigger parks on weekdays. I continued rising at the crack of dawn, still heading out as soon as it was light to enjoy the coolest part of the day, so old habits never died in that respect.
Then, along came September and the advent of Fall. All of a sudden the sun was rising later and later and a little bell went off in my head when I realized I no longer had to scramble to get my miles walked and hurry home to get ready for work … I could leave later and still get a long walk in.
It was finally time to shake off that mindset and embrace retirement – right?
But Linda – what about all the lists of things you wanted to accomplish?
Since I announced my retirement in my Easter post, a few of you have told me “you have all the time in the world – relax” or they suggested that “the retirement agenda and things you wanted to accomplish will eventually fall into place – you just need to find your groove.”
I took all those recommendations to heart – really I did. But, um, six months later and all I had accomplished was finding five new venues to visit, walk and take photos of. And I had done a lot of walking down the beaten path (and along that *&^# beaten path I had a tick hitch a ride on my ear – grrr).
But, did I get my house decluttered of work clothes and accessories I won’t be wearing in this retirement phase of my life? Well I half-heartedly embarked on that project and, after initially digging my heels into that task I proudly carried ten or more bags of garbage to the curb. Then I had to curtail that venture since the City switched garbage collection companies on July 1st and it took them about six weeks to get themselves together, sometimes not showing up for several weeks at a time So, I tabled that project to the new year now. in the depths of Winter to tackle it in earnest. Fitting household projects around walking, photography, blogging, reading and other hobbies, it seems housework takes a back seat.
Hobbies you say? What hobbies?
As September drew to a close, I sat nursing my coffee after returning home from a five-mile jaunt and took stock of stuff … “stuff” being my life.
What happened to all the retirement resolutions about hobbies I made? They were in the cloud, the cloud being in my head as I didn’t write down any lists. I had hobbies I wanted to pursue … taking some art classes, learning a language, reading more – had I accomplished any of these things? No!!
Procrastinate much?? I admit I am critical of myself most days.
So, in October I began dipping my toe in the water …
One item on my Retirement Bucket List was to learn how to sketch and paint, the latter so I may eventually join a plein air painting group when they have “paint-outs” where they gather at various large parks that I frequent and paint the landscape. I’ve written about the group in the past and I am in their Facebook group so I see where they go and what they paint. After meeting them the first time I took a free watercolor painting class down along the Detroit River at Dingell Park, went home, ordered lots of art supplies from Amazon and everything is packed in a box awaiting me to be inspired and begin.
So I signed up for a watercolor class taught by a local artist who is also a high school art teacher and on October 9th, off I went to learn how to paint still life pumpkins and I produced this painting which will never hang in the National Gallery of Art or The Louvre, but it was fun.
In fact, I intended to book myself for a second class but could not as the venue lost internet/phone/power so when that fizzled and died, I took an online watercolor tutorial instead. It will be a while until I’ve got the chops to join the group … practice makes perfect, right?
I resolved to study French and began doing so online after a 46-year absence from speaking or writing it. French was mandatory in Canada, so I took it from age five to ten and resumed throughout my college years; in fact, the last two years of our advanced French class we were not permitted to speak English. I thought I’d have an advantage, but other than remembering numbers and simple words like dog, cat and cow, it’s been intense with lots of grammar and loads of vocabulary words (750 to date) and verb conjugations (ugh) – today is Day #66. Brain strain for sure!
From “The Paper Grove1” (Etsy)
In the last quarter of the year, I started and finished four books before year-end and hope to become the avid reader I once was.
After wavering back and forth about the backyard perimeter gardens destroyed by the downed wire fire in December 2022 and the last Polar Vortex, every time I went into the backyard, I wavered on simply laying down sod versus a new butterfly garden. I had the back garden debris and tree stumps removed, new retainer walls put in and mulch laid down. As of now, I’m hoping to start a perennial garden come Spring; my only concern is if we have another extraordinarily hot Summer … or, for that matter, erratic weather going forward. It is a lot of work – do I want to dedicate that much time to it? I have awhile to ponder over it at any rate.
I guess if I had to pick a word for 2025, it would be this one … soon I will begin the 2025 version of tallying up my steps and I hope they continue to be long and leisurely walks, the best kind.
Your New Year’s greeting from me will arrive in this week’s Wordless Wednesday.
In this blog, I often step back in time, especially around the holidays, to reflect on days gone by. So, if you’ll indulge me one more time this year, I’ll share with you why teddy bears are still here, there and everywhere in my home.
The title of this blog has the word “WHIMSY” in it, so I think it is the perfect forum to introduce you to my INDOOR furry friends. After all, you’ve met Maryanne, the rag doll that has graced the kitchen deacon’s bench since 1985, Tilda Jane, my first doll and Joe the Monkey, stitched together by my mom when she was in the hospital some 85 years ago.
This post is about a collection of teddy bears I amassed in the 90s and through 2006. They are all still here, present and accounted for, although I stopped collecting teddy bears when I turned 50, my last acquisition being Boyds Bears Red Hat Society“Ima Lotsafun” seen below. (Yep, sadly just one Ima was not enough.)
“The Women of the Red Hat Society” (“RHS”) is a social group for women that began in 1998. There are 40,000 Chapters in 30 countries, a kind of sisterhood where its members’ credo encourages women to get the most out of life. From their website comes this motto that supports “women in the pursuit of Fun, Friendship, Freedom, Fitness and the Fulfillment of lifelong dreams.” (That’s a ton of alliteration! Dave will like that!)
When the Red Hat Society was formed in 1998, their members, who were aged 50 or above, didn’t dread turning the half-century mark, but instead embraced the idea. Once open to only 50+ year-old women, who would join one another at RHS social events, while wearing purple dresses and donning bright-red hats, membership was also extended to under-50-year-old women, who dressed in more subdued pastel colors: pink hats and lavender dresses.
I was only 42 years old when the Red Hat Society debuted, but I was mindful of the hoopla it entailed. You can read more about the RHS, which is still going strong in 2024, by clicking here.
Oops, I digressed a little because …
I really wanted to start at the beginning, as to the bears … I mean, who writes in reverse anyway?
The picture you see below is one of a kind … the only picture in all the photo albums of Yours Truly with a teddy bear. Oh, you’ll find lots of dollies through the years, but no teddy bears and nary a stuffed animal.
Look how much bigger the teddy bear was than little ol’ me. But then, I was only four pounds, 11 ounces (2.126 kg) when I was born and spent the first two weeks of my life in an incubator, healthy, just very tiny. Mom always joked that the special formula she fed me resulted in the 5’ 9” me in later years.
But soon after the above photo was taken, Mom told me that I had to see the pediatrician because I had allergy-like symptoms. The doctor did tests and determined I was allergic to stuffed animals. Dr. Hamlin said “they must go immediately!” Even the cute tiger pajama bag I posed with under the Christmas tree a few years later was not allowed to stay.
So imagine, a childhood without stuffed animals, or “stuffies” as people call them now. Well, I didn’t really know any difference as I’d never had them. There were dollies … the kind you cuddle, or paper cut-outs, then later my Barbie dolls. There are lots of photos in the albums of me clutching a baby doll.
Flash forward to 1986.
I remember the year, 1986, as it was sad due to the January death of my beloved maternal grandmother, Nanny. Mom and I were clothes shopping in the now-defunct Crowley’s Department Store. It was back-to-school time and, on a display table was a brown teddy bear wearing blue jeans and a plaid flannel shirt, (which you may recall from a recent post, was similar to MY favorite Fall garb). The bear’s name was “Boswell, the Teacher’s Pet” and my mom, on a whim, picked up that bear and said “Linda, I’m going to buy this cute bear for you – you never got to have teddy bears, or any stuffed animals when you were a kid, so this will make up it.”
Well, that started a trend.
Mom would likely later rue that purchase because it seemed wherever and whenever we went shopping, be it at a department store, Hallmark card store, or traveling, or even when Mom perused catalogs, I ended up the recipient of a new teddy bear.
Of course, having one or two bears was nice – they sat on the bed, then were put away at night when it was time to sleep, but soon bears of every size began to fill the tops of my dresser, chest and nightstand, until there came a time where I had no more room and new bears encroached into the TV room and eventually into Mom’s room.
But it was not only Mom who bought the teddy bears – friends started buying them as well. The daughter of one of Mom’s friends worked at Ganz, a stuffed animal factory in Toronto, so I routinely got a bear from her for birthdays and Christmas. Every time our neighbor Marge went on vacation, she brought me back a bear for taking care of her pets and getting the mail in her absence.
Admittedly, these are a lot of bears and over the years, I never thought to photograph them, although I did name them and dust them. Then, after connecting with a high school pal shortly after joining Facebook in 2009, we were catching up on news since graduation and somehow the topic of hobbies came up. She was sad as she was selling her collection of vintage dolls to a collector. She was going to photograph her collection before sending them off and offhandedly asked if I collected anything – “well yes, teddy bears, but I stopped doing so in 2006” was my reply.
She sent me photos of her vintage doll collection, then asked me to reciprocate as to my gang of bears. Well, I did so and you’ll see the photos in the slideshow below. But first, this is my first bear Boswell, who traded his comfy duds for a Red Wings “uniform” which I bought after the Wings won the Stanley Cup in 1997.
And here’s the rest of them in this slideshow.
Linda, the Arctophile.
Google tells me and I’m telling you that: a person who loves teddy bears is called an arctophile. The term comes from the Greek words arktos, meaning “bear”, and philos, meaning “loving or fond of”. The word became popular in the 1980s when interest in teddy bears increased.
“Really Linda – how old are you again?” I heard this often, but who can resist their sweet faces? But yes, I finally ended the parade of teddy bears with the two “Women of the Red Hat Society” which I bought myself.
Umm – dare I mention there was other “BEARaphernalia” too?!
Yes, my mother and others indulged my arctophile addiction, er … collection. This year I decided I would decorate for Christmas – the first time since 2008. While I was not going to put out all the decorations I once did, I decided I was going to put out a few of my bear collectibles which you’ll see below. I say “a few” as there are other bear decorations, not as easily accessible.
The first is a treasured Christmas tree Mom ordered from The Danbury Mint about 20 years ago. This ceramic tree has Boyds Bear characters from top to bottom and all around. It lights up and those tiny lights have to be replaced using tweezers. Here is the tree at some different angles.
Close-up of an exasperated Santa with a bear and her list of “wants”.
Front
Back
Around the tree are four of the Enesco Cherished Teddies Christmas collection, from 1995 – 1998, also from Mom.
1995 – Nickolas – “You’re at the Top of My List”
1996 – “Klaus – Bearer of Good Tidings”
1997 – “Kris – Up On the Rooftop”
1998 – “Santa – A Little Holiday R & R”
There were small wearables, like Christmas pins and other holiday pins and also this Boyds Bear tapestry jacket that Mom saw advertised in The Danbury Mint catalog with even more Boyds Bears and their Christmas decorating shenanigans. Mom ordered it, sent it to work and told me to bring it home and not to look inside the box when it arrived at work.
Last year my friend Nancy sent this fun pillow across the miles from Missouri because she knows I like teddy bears.
Christmas is a time for merriment, joy and a wee bit of whimsy too, right?
I’ll leave you with this quote and then a Christmas greeting from Jacquie Lawson:
“The world is divided into two nations: those with Teddy bears, those without. Each thinks the other is odd.” ~~Jenny DeVries
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 