WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY

Scarecrow strollin’.

Posted on October 20, 2024 by Linda Schaub

It was mid-morning and I had already walked to and from, then around Council Point Park where I fed my furry and feathered friends. While walking home, I ended up carrying my jacket as the temps had warmed up considerably since the frosty-feeling morning. I planned to drop off my “treat bag” then shed a layer or two and set out again, camera in hand, because this glorious and sunny day was perfect to glean photos for my “Walktober” post.

About 20 minutes later, having shed the sweatsuit and jacket, I donned a plaid flannel shirt, a beige sherpa vest and …

… a pair of blue jeans. Then I laced up my red kicks and stepped out.

The wind was refreshing and, after my sunhat threatened to go airborne once or twice, I finally just jammed it into my jeans pocket. I felt the wind rustling my straw, er … hair as I strolled along and I knew I was grinning bigtime as I said to no one in particular “this is my kind of Fall day!”

Yikes! Mid-October in Michigan and the leaves were still green!

I don’t recall a September and early October so warm and rain-free. While that weather was great for walking, helping to bulk up my steps/miles, here in Southeast Michigan, our usually colorful leaves were mostly still stuck at green. Even at the Park, those Maples that begin showing tinges of red or yellow, were totally devoid of color.

Because I enjoy the harvest décor around the ‘hood, I decided my “Walktober” post would be a stroll to my favorite spots where the homeowners routinely outdo themselves with large pots of mums, cornstalks with Indian corn and, especially some scarecrows, their silly grins guaranteed to make ME grin.

I’ve always had an affinity for these harvest-time scarecrows and I’ve posted plenty of times about them. Once I had some fun with a tale about how the scarecrows gathered and broke bread at Thanksgiving dinner.

I was disappointed to learn that the Taylor Conservatory & Botanical Gardens would not be having their annual Scarecrow Stroll. People buy a wooden form (head and shoulders), then decorate their scarecrow to display in the Gardens. Well, no problem – I would have my own Scarecrow Stroll – so there!

There was harvest decor a’plenty here!

This house on Emmons Boulevard is my favorite for harvest décor and I’ve spotlighted it many times in this blog. They go to great lengths to tastefully decorate for each holiday and their gardens are always on the City’s annual garden tour as well.

They’ve added a few new items for 2024, but kept this long-time scarecrow with his message: “Sing the Song of Harvest Time” …

… and, then there are the “Harvest Thyme” wagon, gourds and mums in the front of the home.

The metal bin with Ralph Waldo Emerson’s quote “The earth laughs in flowers” was also out front, along with that “Yikes!” scarecrow.

At this home on Pagel Avenue, a few scarecrows can always be scared up …

And I noticed this beautiful Maple, always the first tree to turn and drop its leaves, had just a smidge of red and yellow …

A mischievous squirrel had dismantled a corn husk and Indian corn display and was eating the corn in the street. It looked up at me defiantly with zero remorse.

I would be remiss if I didn’t include a little “Winchester Whimsy” as well, so I strolled down Emmons and over one block. At this house where I often stop to take seasonal pics, the homeowner was covering Harvest time, Halloween and Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

While most people start their harvest displays in early September, I noticed a trend of less real pumpkins and more realistic-looking fake pumpkins.

Yep, you’d have to be out of your gourd to put out real gourds when temps climbed to nearly 90F several times, as you’d have mush. These real gourds looked pretty fresh though.

Mum’s the word everywhere I looked.

Beautiful jewel-toned chrysanthemums were everywhere, mostly in pots, but some in-ground as well. These were especially pretty in a pot at the church entrance …

… but there were so many mums that I came home with my camera card brimming with them, then had to winnow down my favorites for this post.

The lovely Lantana rivaled those mums in my opinion.

A bee was busy, nestled in the blooms.

The mid-day sun began beating down on my head, so I pulled my sunhat from my jeans pocket. It was a bit wrinkled, but I plunked it on my head anyway. My tootsies told me it was time to go home, having walked five miles altogether. Note to self: “next time just wear your walking shoes for comfortable feet!”

I grabbed a cup of coffee and a snack, kicked off those darn pointy boots, then fired up the computer to tell y’all about my “Walktober”.

A few things to note:

It appears we have finally switched seasons as it feels and looks like Fall here in Southeast Michigan. I will be going to a few parks in the next few weeks to get some foliage photos.

Terri’s Monthly Color Challenge for October is Black and/or Black and White – I will have a fun black and white photo for this week’s Wordless Wednesday.

All the photos are my own, except the last one (of course), which is a WordPress AI-generated photo. 🙂

Posted in Halloween and Harvest, Seasons, walk, walking | Tagged Fall, Harvest season, Seasons, walk, walking, Walktober | 66 Comments

Parasol for a Pied-billed Grebe #Wordless Wednesday

Posted on October 16, 2024 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature | Tagged #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, A parasol for Milady, birds, Juvenile Pied-billed Grebe, nature | 43 Comments

When you stick your neck out …

Posted on October 13, 2024 by Linda Schaub

… to bend the rules just a tad.

Since purchasing my first Metropark pass in the Summer of 2018, I have made countless excursions to various Michigan Metroparks, especially my favorite, Lake Erie Metropark.

The first year I practically wore a path driving to/from this venue, not only for weekend meanders, alone with my camera, but I also took multiple interpretive group walks, plus two different interpretive boat excursions on Lake Erie and the Detroit River.

On my first interpretive event led by long-time guide Paul, just as we ended our woodsy walk, I saw a squirrel and since I always have a peanut or two stashed in a pocket (because you never know when a poses-for-peanuts photo op might happen), I reached into my pocket to toss a peanut to that squirrel, who, mind you, was NOT begging, but just happening by.

Paul saw me and just before I launched that peanut, I got the equivalent of a scolding AND a hand slapping when he informed me that WE do not feed the wildlife in the Metroparks, with the exception of the Nature Center at Kensington Park where it is okay to fill your open palm with treats or seeds and birds will alight and feast without fear. However, feeding the bold and brazen Sandhill Cranes that will come up to you and poke their pointy bill into your pocket hoping for a treat is not allowed.

Okay … got it. I put the peanut back into my pocket and saved it for where feeding is allowed, i.e. state, county or city parks and, of course, my favorite nature nirvana, Council Point Park.

So, lesson learned. There are also many signs throughout Lake Erie Metropark, namely that dogs must be leashed, no diving or swimming allowed and no stopping on the side of the road. I’ve always abided by all the park’s rules, even though I often see drivers pull over and their passenger will snake their arm out the window to snap a few photos or a video of deer. But, unfortunately, for me it seems in this four-mile, 1,607-acre park, I generally see more deer while I am driving in/out or around the park, so stopping is not an option.

But on the morning of July 19th this year, things were, let’s just say, a little different.

Something to fawn over.

During the Spring and Summer months, on each excursion to this park, I hoped to see new life – oh, there were plenty of goslings toddling after their parents on the shoreline, as well as ducklings streaming out behind Mama Mallard in the marsh, photos I’ll be sharing in the coming months. But, I hoped to see a fawn or two and if the resident Sandhill Crane pair produced a “colt” the term for their offspring.

So, on that July morning, while driving to the Offshore Fishing Bridge where the Sandhill Cranes generally hang out, I glimpsed a flash of brown in a wooded area. I slowed down and saw a doe and her fawn. This was not the sweet, wobbly-legged Bambi I was hoping for, but it was a fawn, still with its spots and positioned close to its Mama. Ahh – yes, I was smitten. 🙂

They were near a small road, just off the main road, with a locked gate, so I knew no service vehicles were arriving anytime soon. Thus, I figured I could pull in, stop and get my shots, then head to my original destination, all within minutes.

Mama and Baby paused, while munching on some greenery, just as I flew out of the car, grabbed the camera, not even bothering to shut the door, lest the noise would scare them and the pair would bolt.

As quickly and quietly as possible, I got a few shots in …

… and, while Mama was probably aggravated with my presence, the fawn seemed fascinated as we locked eyes …

… but, this magical moment (for me anyway) was soon lost as the pair seemed suddenly spooked by my presence. Mama turned around and daintily hopped over the fence, the wires of which are barely discernible in this picture below …

… then the fawn tried to follow suit, but could not jump that high.

Even though the fawn was big, it tried a few times, but was unable to scale that fence. Had it been tinier, it would have simply squeezed between the fence and gate.

It stood wondering what the heck to do …

… and then ran back to where Mama disappeared.

While it ran parallel to the fence, plaintively bleating for its Mama, it was kicking up its heels and flashing its white tail, for which the description of its species “White-tailed Deer” aptly applies, Raising its tail vertically is known as “flagging” and it means a deer knows something is wrong and is attempting to make an escape.

I wondered why Mama wouldn’t look for her fawn, then I felt incredible remorse having created this distress for the fawn.

But then this sweet fleet-of-foot fawn eventually realized that if it gained some speed, with just enough oomph …

… it might just hightail it over the gate, which it eventually did. Yay!

So, of course you are now wondering why I didn’t complete the series of photos showing you the fawn flying over the fence and reuniting with its Mama?

Well, there was a situation … an intrusion if you will.

As I watched the fawn’s final attempt to jump the fence, a car stopped on the main road, then a gentleman I’ve spoken to in the past came rushing over to me. His name is “Jim” and he lives nearby, so he drives through the park several times a day, stopping if something piques his interest. Thus, my parked car, with the door flung open and me taking photos piqued his interest. He asked “what were you taking pictures of?” I said “a doe and a fawn, but they’re gone now.” He proceeded to tell me that he’d seen a herd of deer passing by as he drove out of the park at sundown a few days before and … well, Jim didn’t finish his tale as one of the park rangers veered off the main road, pulled behind my car and walked toward us. The ranger asked me if I was okay and I nodded my head “yes” expecting to be chastised for pulling into the service drive. Instead, in a stern voice he told Jim not to stop on the side of the road again, then turned on his heel and left. We got into our respective vehicles and vamoosed. Whew!

I headed toward the Offshore Fishing Bridge and it was devoid of anglers and the Cranes. I didn’t even park the car, opting instead to walk on the Cherry Island Trail.

As I started on that trail I wondered if there would be any more adventures here today? I didn’t have to wait long to find out!

Behold both of us bending the rules here!

I started on the road to the trail and saw a doe standing motionless in the marsh.

She seemed unfazed by my presence and began fixing her gaze on me, a/k/a the intruder.

The doe peered into the marsh water – did it like its reflection?

Oh, she didn’t fool me – she was not admiring herself, but instead checking out which Lotus leaf to eat first!

I hoped to get a photo of her chowing down on the Lotus leaves, but unfortunately I heard, then saw, a massive mowing machine coming around the corner toward me. Yikes! Well, there went the photo op …

… or maybe not?

The mower’s operator gave me a thumb’s up, a smile, then went around me. I mouthed “thank you” for that courtesy, just as the doe bent her head and began chowing down on a small Lotus leaf.

The mower’s loud noise and cloud of spewed-out grass clippings soon rounded another bend …

… and was out of sight.

Wow – two free passes to take pictures where I shouldn’t be in one day … I must’ve been living right!

I’ve mentioned before that even though Michigan generally does not have the temperate climate you’d expect to grow delicate Lotuses, Lake Erie Metropark boasts having the largest and most accessible American Lotus beds in Michigan. They are dormant in Winter and the leaves emerge in early Summer, peaking in late August. Here are some I saw that day – not many blooms yet and the leaves weren’t all that large.

The American Lotuses are protected plants and humans are not permitted to pick the blooms, leaves or even take the dead seed pods – doing so will result in a fine.

But that doesn’t stop the wildlife from munching on them, like this deer and the muskrat in last week’s Wordless Wednesday post.

Next it was Swan Lake, er … Marsh.

At this point in the Cherry Island Trail, you may opt to walk along the road or on a wooden overlook. The overlook spans across a large marshy area and still more Lotuses and even a few Pond Lilies.

From the overlook I saw them, a family of Mute Swans. Like the doe with her fawn, these were older cygnets. This was a large family – usually a Mute Swan will lay between four and ten eggs. I’ve never seen more than three offspring with their parents, but I counted six cygnets. Yes, my lucky day all around it seemed!

I watched the family for a while, trying to capture as many family members in the photo without any being obliterated by the Lotus leaves. Just as I was ready to click the shutter button, I heard a small motor humming. “Now what?” I mumbled. This guy was also on the overlook and coming toward me, likely to do some maintenance. Sigh. So was he going to chase me off here?

He parked his vehicle, but remained at the other end of the overlook, eventually crouched down doing a repair of a wooden railing. So, while I didn’t get the proverbial “free pass” this time, I was able to stay and get my shots of the lovely Mute Swans and their cygnets.

Here are the parents, guiding the way for their cygnets …

… and a few close-ups of the adults, male first, then female. The male has a larger knob at the base of its beak.

As mentioned previously, these are older cygnets who do not look like a “mini-me” of the parents. Cygnets don’t get their white plumage until they are a year old and their orange beak and black “mask” will appear after that time as they mature.

The rest of the excursion was the usual Canada Geese, Mallards, Painted Turtles and a stop at Luc, the resident Bald Eagle’s cage where he gave me a chirp after I greeted him.

I’d say it was a good excursion, wouldn’t you?

Terri does not have a Challenge this week.

Posted in nature, walk, walking | Tagged nature, walk, walking | 55 Comments

Muskrat Love: A Lotus leaf for lunch – yes please! #Wordless Wednesday #Muskrat

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, nature | Tagged #Sunday Stills Photo Challenge, #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, Leaves, nature | 46 Comments

Fabulous Fair Lane in the Fall.

Posted on October 6, 2024 by Linda Schaub

I’ve taken a lot of walks this year, but not as many as anticipated after retiring on March 29th. With seemingly endless hours of newfound free time, I had a running list in my head for my longer excursions agenda, but Mother Nature had her agenda as well.

Truthfully, I might have whined more about the weather, but after seeing the recent destruction from Hurricane Helene, plus several bouts of widespread tornado damage this year in many states, including my own, I won’t whimper about the weather.

We didn’t see a drop of rain for most of September, which meteorologists said might have put the kibosh on beautiful leaf colors, but last weekend’s rain, the dregs of Helene’s fury, might have salvaged some of that Fall foliage, thus, the Mitten State is in wait-and-see mode for peak leaf-peeping.

Terri’s Challenge this week is “Leaves and Trees” and today’s post will be about a walk taken at the Clara and Henry Ford Estate in Autumn 2023.

I had this portion of a very long walk taken last year tucked away for several reasons.

I took a lot of photos that day, first as I walked along the Rouge River Gateway Trail while enroute to the Henry and Clara Ford Estate, a/k/a Fair Lane. I wrote a post about that trail experience last year, which you can read here if you missed it.

So I knew that picture-laden post would be groaning (as would you readers) if I included the Estate photos too.

I have not visited Fair Lane, nor the nearby Environmental Interpretive Center in 2024. While I was eager to participate in the EIC’s monthly nature photography hike with a naturalist/nature photographer, first the pesky rain was problematic and then, since this natural habitat is rustic and rather unkempt and due to our state’s overabundance of ticks, I decided I’d just wait until 2025 to join in.

As for a Fall foliage excursion to the Estate in 2024, I follow this venue on social media and there have been extensive renovations ongoing at the Power House and Henry Ford’s garage since Spring. Several photos showed all the vintage Model Ts exiting the garage and into vans to be transported for safekeeping while Phase II of the restorative work is being done. That entire area is cordoned off for visitors.

Restorative efforts for the entire Estate began in 2013, with an eventual goal to return the Fords’ home and grounds to its glory days i.e. 1915 when they moved into their brand-new abode. Even though visitors are free to roam about the grounds, the inside of Fair Lane remains off limits to the public.

I have been to the Ford Estate grounds in every season except Winter, but photos posted on social media show a peaceful venue and it is spectacular even with the many bare trees. Spring is my favorite season to visit here due to the gorgeous Redbud trees, plus I enjoy meandering along the flagstone pathway that is nestled between the 100+ Persian Lilac bushes.

Enjoy the photos of last year’s visit to the Estate – the colors were not yet at peak here.

A mini-meander around Fair Lane’s grounds.

These views of the foliage are from various areas around the Estate. This is the Power House and Garage area, then a close-up of the trees behind these buildings.

The roaring Rouge River and dam (seen in the second photo) are found at the back of the mansion. Henry Ford hired landscape architect Jens Jensen to camouflage the hydroelectric dam that powered the Fair Lane Estate, Power Plant and Garage in a natural setting.

A touch of Fall and …

… a wee bit of whimsy. You may recall I used this sign before in a Wordless Wednesday post, imagining my furry friend Parker’s delight in making this discovery and tipping his head backward to receive those nutty treats. 🙂

This is the entrance to the Boathouse.

The Potting Shed and Tribute Garden.

While the leaves were not necessarily all ablaze in color, the flowers in and around the Potting Shed …

… and Tribute Garden still looked great, some very vibrant.

So, it was no surprise to me that the roses in Clara’s rose garden were also in bloom.

These gardens are well maintained, not only by a gardening staff, but also by volunteers from local companies, namely Ford Motor Company. I met a group of young Ford workers last year when the Lilac gardens were at peak.

I hope to wow you with lovely leaves in a few weeks for my “Walktober” post, so stay tuned.

I am joining Terri Webster Schrandt’s October 6th Sunday Stills Photo Challenge: Leaves and Trees.

Posted in nature, Uncategorized, walk, walking | Tagged #Sunday Stills Photo Challenge, Clara and Henry Ford Estate, Fall Foliage, nature, walk, walking | 66 Comments

Marsh Mayhem! #Wordless Wednesday #This is not V-formation; you need a new signal caller!

Posted on October 2, 2024 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature | Tagged #Sunday Stills Photo Challenge: Oddballs, #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds | 30 Comments

Cormorant Camaraderie.

Posted on September 29, 2024 by Linda Schaub

On this August 23, 2024 visit to the Humbug Unit of the Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge, it was a walk filled with a lot of oddball occurrences, from my early morning arrival until my noon departure. It was the final day of a nearly week-long cool spell and I had made the most of those days, seizing the opportunity to take long walks with the camera before the heat and humidity came back.

Returning to the Refuge.

It was my first visit to this venue since late February when I bopped by to take photos of the candy-cane-striped twin smokestacks at the DTE power plant before their demolition on March 15th.

After parking, I decided to meander down to the Detroit River to check out the Cormorants who like to roost in the trees across from the fishing pier. It’s a bit of a hike from the parking lot, down the slope and then along the 700-foot (213 meter) Korneffel Fishing Pier which juts out into the western Trenton Channel at the Detroit River.

Cormorants are a wild and crazy bunch!

There’s something a little weird and wacky about Double-Crested Cormorants, the skinny black waterfowl found in abundance here in Southeast Michigan. They are easily identifiable, not only by their profile, i.e. they ride low in the water like a Loon, with just their long neck and head visible, but they also have a pronounced hooked bill.

At the shoreline, as soon as Cormorants step out of the water, since they lack sufficient oil in their feathers to repel water, they will stand with their wings outstretched to dry them. They remind me a little of Dracula waving his arms in his flowy black cape … or a flasher. 🙂

I’ve never been lucky enough to see these unique-looking birds up close, but birders who post photos of them usually spotlight their bright yellow face and brilliant turquoise eyes.

And there they were ….

Sometimes there are so many Cormorants it is hard to count ‘em all, but the flock frequently congregates together, black dots in the trees. Oddly enough, they don’t congregate in the live trees, only the dead trees. I took many photos across the water, but they weren’t all that close to get those unique facial features. These are some of the shots.

Every so often one of the Cormorants would launch out of the tree, likely to scope out breakfast.

As my camera lens followed that one …

… I whirled around and saw a passel of Cormorants perched on two logs on the opposite side of the pier.

Evidently Cormorants like each other’s company, which is more than I can say for all birds … keep reading and you’ll see what I mean.

Goings-on at the Monguagon Delta.

I’d already taken a ton of shots as I walked back up the pier, slope and across the parking lot to check out what was happening at the Monguagon Delta. I generally stop here first and on occasion, enroute home from Lake Erie Metropark, I do a drive-around to see if any Egrets or Great Blue Herons are lurking about in that marshy pond and if not, I just continue on my way.

I don’t venture along the Delta walkway if it’s windy as it has no railings. Even on a calm weather day, the large Carp chase each other, their big belly flops creating a large splash, often catching me by surprise on this somewhat narrow walkway. Even though the pond is not deep, I’d rather not topple into the drink.

So, on this calm morning, I stepped onto the walkway – at least here if you make a misstep you only end up in the reeds.

I saw a Great Egret that looked elegant in the morning light, its body casting a perfect reflection on the water. The water was so still that I took several photos of that Egret as well as the local industry, all casting pretty reflections. Those photos were used in my September 11th post.

Most times when I am photographing an Egret or Heron, they are so engrossed in fishing, they are oblivious to me standing there on the walkway. But then while chomping on their catch-of-the-day, they spot me and freak out, flapping their wings in a grand escape.

Well, after a few photos, the Egret saw me and took flight.

But, unbeknownst to this Egret or Your Roving Reporter, a Heron was just rounding the bend to look for its breakfast at the Delta. The trees along the Delta shoreline obliterated what happened next as all I heard were screeches and squawks and I saw a Heron flying across the Delta …

… then a blur of wings as that Heron dipped through the trees.

I guess there was a mid-air collision and I missed it as it was out of my range of vision, but wait … soon, each bird took to a different perch, putting distance between them, then glared at one another (and the Egret probably had a few choice words to mumble about me as well).

Here’s the Heron after it alighted …

… and here’s the Egret.

Obviously, being “best buds” doesn’t apply to Herons and Egrets like it does to Cormorants and what had been a peaceful morning just a few moments earlier had deteriorated into two pouting waterfowl and a photographer who knew it was time to leave and continue on her walk.

The wildflowers along the path were pretty.

I didn’t see any beekeepers at “Bees in the D”.

My next stop would be Humbug Marsh and The Old Growth Forest.

The wooden bench looked inviting …

… but I continued on, hanging a right and that is when the Vole scurried in my path – yikes, right at this sign.

I cautioned “okay, buddy – yes, you live here, but next time, wait ‘til I pass, okay?” I know I let out a small scream. Yes, you’re thinking the Vole is more terrified of you than you are of it – not necessarily true! But my brown furry forest pal dashed into the brush so I kept calm and carried on. I was alone in this not-so-dense forest, so no one came to my rescue … good thing, as I’d have been embarrassed.

Part of my prolonged absence at the Refuge was due to all the rain we had in July and early August. The Old Growth Forest has some elevated walkways but some are not and they tend to be muddy. Nothing like slogging along, being mindful of the mud and meanwhile watching for Eastern Fox Snakes and oh yes, ticks too. After all it was while visiting the other Refuge, just five miles away, I got the tick in my ear.

The Vernal Pool, usually a haven for frogs and aquatic plants in the Spring, had become overgrown with weeds, likely due to all the rain, heat and humidity.

As I headed to the end of the walkway, I spotted a few red-tinged leaves on this Shagbark Hickory tree trunk.

At the end of the walkway, it was lush with Cattails, reeds and Purple Loosestrife which made a nice background for the spotting scope, that is, if you ignore the green algae scum on the water.

I saw no birds – usually there are more Egrets or Herons here, so I just kept on walking.

Two’s company, three’s a crowd.

This idiom applies to our feathered friends as well as to humans.

This log is where I always stop to take photos of the turtles sunning themselves. But on this day, the log was occupied by only one turtle and two Mallard ducks. The heavy ducks weighed down the log. I thought of the turtle as being on the other end of a teeter-totter and hoped it didn’t flip up in the air.

Either the trio spotted me, or, this unlikely threesome was awkward, as first the turtle slid off the log, then one of the ducks departed …

… leaving one lonely Mallard, perhaps a bit anti-social, or just enjoying the solitude?

I was nearing the entrance of Humbug Marsh as I saw the weather vane on the visitor center.

It was getting warmish, just a preview of the coming days ahead … we sweltered through a week of the muggies, then plunged back into coolish temps for the long holiday weekend.

I am joining Terri Webster Schrandt’s September 29th Sunday Stills Photo Challenge: Oddballs, Wild and Weird.

Posted in birds, nature, walk, walking | Tagged #Sunday Stills Photo Challenge, birds, nature, walk, walking | 71 Comments

Magnificent Mallards at the marsh. #Wordless Wednesday #Feelin’ ducky!

Posted on September 25, 2024 by Linda Schaub

Wordless Wednesday – allow your photo(s) to tell the story.

Posted in #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, nature, Uncategorized | Tagged #WildlifeWednesday, #Wordless Wednesday, birds, Mallard Ducks, nature | 49 Comments

Fall Infatuation.

Posted on September 22, 2024 by Linda Schaub

Fall (finally) arrived today at 8:44 a.m., just as I was stepping out the door. Ah, glorious Fall, even though the “real feel” was still hot and humid.

If you know me personally, or have followed my blog for a while, you know I adore Autumn. Tell me what other season has more ambiance than Autumn? (Well, okay … Christmas does, but that is a holiday, not a season.)

What’s not to like about Fall? The crispness of the air and who doesn’t love the jewel-toned leaves that flutter down and crackle beneath your feet? It’s sweater weather, with a trip to the cider mill if you’re so inclined and sweet pumpkin treats to savor, or chomping on a Honeycrisp apple with a wee wedge of cheddar cheese on the side. The harvest décor on homeowners’ lawns makes for pretty pictures, plus also gives mischievous squirrels a chance to feast on gourds and Indian corn or to scale and eventually topple corn stalks. Fall is fleeting here in Southeast Michigan, so I try to make the most of it.

I decorated inside this year, a few touches here and there and added a handful of Hershey Kisses in this furry friend’s basket, a gift from my friend Ann Marie …

… then I sat back to enjoy a cup of cappuccino and a sweet treat.

I was gobsmacked to learn about the concept of “Walktober” which only entered my vocabulary a couple of years ago, despite being an avid walker since 2011. “Walktober” is about getting your steps in while enjoying the cooler temps and admiring the Fall foliage. It’s simple, it’s free and good for you – what a concept!

These are a few Fall foliage photos from last year in some of those jewel tones.

Hopefully our drought-like conditions for September here in SE Michigan do not obliterate the colorful Fall foliage. I’ve heard that the colors will be subdued due to the stress from September’s unrelenting days over 80F and lack of rain. Michigan is a top leaf-peeping place, especially in the Upper Peninsula and only second to New England. Starting soon, our travel bureaus and weather folks will post a weekly schedule to show peak leaf-peeping dates and locales.

Unbelievably, in early August, I saw Poplar and Locust tree leaves littering the boardwalk at Lake Erie Metropark and red-tinged leaves gave a pop of color on the trails.

There were even bright-red berries, which must be poisonous since the birds and squirrels didn’t feast on them.

Here in The Mitten State we enjoyed a few cooler days in September; it was wonderful to walk and take photos and not come home by mid-day feeling exhausted from the heat. My furry friends at the Park decided it was time to alter their feeding routine, i.e. instead of eating all their peanuts at one time, they wisely switched to eating one and burying one. Yes, the squirrels are resourceful and know the routine. Soon they will begin to bulk up and their fur will thicken, all Mother Nature’s way of ensuring they are protected from the wicked Winter weather.

Even though it felt like “furnace weather” on those nippy nights when temps dipped into the 40s, I didn’t succumb to flipping that switch and instead dug out a fleece hoodie and my flannel shirts and turtleneck sweaters.

Flannel shirts for Fall are a long-standing tradition for me.

Last month I had to give up my 10-year-old Windows 7 laptop and jump ahead three operating systems. Yikes! The laptop was working well, except the Firefox browser was freezing up occasionally, but patience is a virtue and after I gave it a few minutes, everything was okey-dokey again. But then WordPress introduced some AI features, upgraded their platform and those changes did NOT play nice with my old laptop. While I could comment and read posts, I could no longer create a post.

So, while getting acclimated to this new device, when logging onto MSN’s homepage, I was constantly bombarded with snippets of things people did/ate/wore/listened or danced to in the 60s, 70s and beyond. I admit I watched those slideshows and yes, I remembered most, if not all of those things, especially some of my own questionable clothing choices in the mid-70s, like when I often dressed like the Brawny Man, Brawny Paper Towels’ mascot.

I know I have taken a few trips down Memory Lane lately, but here is still-another remembrance and coincidentally, it is from exactly 50 years ago, September 1974, just as I embarked on my junior year of college and, when I abruptly changed my wardrobe from the polished look the previous year, to what my parents referred to as my “Brawny Man” phase. Personally, I preferred to call it my “mad-about-plaid” phase, but who wanted to rush from class to class, or chase down a story for the college newspaper, clear across campus in impractical garb like a miniskirt and heels, or a pantsuit?

The similarity to the Brawny Man likely coincided with the introduction of the Brawny Man line of heavy-duty paper towels, a product still in use today.

I laughed to myself when I Googled to get photos of the Brawny Man and the paper towels bearing his likeness for this post and soon found myself down a rabbit hole for the next half hour or so. This handsome, rugged guy in his red plaid flannel shirt and Timberland work boots actually DID debut in 1974, at the same time I was debuting my new look.

I remember Mom being horrified that I wore a long-sleeved thermal undershirt that peeked out of the flannel shirt and on my feet were work boots, but not the over-the-ankle-Timberland-style work boots (or I’d have really heard about that). Those construction-type boots were paired with heavy socks and sometimes I tucked my long hair under a wool hat, in what became my new signature look. Sometimes I’d pacify Mom and get “a bit girly” with a cotton turtleneck sweater instead. She even told me that one day I’d look back on my college days’ wardrobe and wonder why? I do wonder why … why no one ever took my picture so I could include it with this post? 🙂

So, when we had those nippy days a few weeks ago, around Labor Day weekend, I dug out my flannel shirts and turtlenecks, a look I never stopped embracing for Fall’s cooler days.