Mysterious and spooky. They’re all together ooky … those *&^# spiderwebs that cross my path every morning!
Yep, nothing rivals stepping right into those gossamer spiderwebs that have been spun between trees or bushes overnight. Due to the angle of the sun in late September and early October mornings, you don’t always see those icky strands before walking through them. Nothing creeps me out more; how I hate those nearly invisible threads that leave me pawing and clawing the air to ensure one did not settle onto my clothes, or worse yet … in my hair! Banish that thought as I’d likely have a heart attack if that happened!
The unsettling spiders and their mysterious webs will disappear after we have had a few hard freeze events (dipping below 28 F/-2C). But, in the meantime, it’s much morning angst for me.
We are having a lovely week of weather. Mother Nature gets an “atta girl” and it makes up for the past two seasons which have been less than stellar in my opinion. It’s been fun to stroll at the Park and just enjoy the sun on my head, coat flung open and no gloves, because who knows when the crummy weather will arrive and park itself on our doorstep until next April?
Last week I had a horrifying experience with a spider and it was inside the house! Well, horrifying for me anyway. Not all of us are spider lovers like fellow blogger and macro-photographer Tom Peace. I may enjoy looking at Tom’s extreme close-ups of spiders and their kin, with their buggy eyes and hairy legs, but in my domain, they are not welcome.
Last week I was doing laundry and pulled out the lint filter to ensure there was no lint before turning on the dryer. I usually wipe it clean with the spent dryer sheet when I take the items out of the dryer, but decided to check anyway. I saw something white on the side of the plastic edge around the filter, so I nudged it with my fingernail. I thought it was just a piece of paper. Big mistake! Suddenly, a long brown leg poked out of a half-formed cocoon and a spider began to stir. Well that was an OMG moment – how did he/she get in there and was it prepared to stow away over the Winter? It might have caused a fire? I almost dropped the filter gizmo but held it far away from me as I raced upstairs for a paper towel (okay, a wad of paper towels big enough to smoosh a tarantula). I am terrified of crawling insects and I never leave the dryer open longer than needed to take out the laundry. I’ll never reach in the dryer again without wearing cotton gloves (no judgement please).
I loved the TV show “The Addams Family” as a kid, and, when I Googled around to ensure I had the exact wording to the show’s theme song for this blog post, after many decades, I amazed myself that I knew all the words and even knew when to snap my fingers to the music. Then, for a little more nostalgia, I Googled “The Munsters” theme song. Nothing to sing to – just hum along and the latter left an ear worm the rest of the day.
Homeowners have been busy decorating their abodes in harvest and Halloween themes. Today’s photos with a nod to the witchin’ season were taken on September 21st when I was at Heritage Park. It was steamy hot that day as I stood there taking pictures of the Halloween decor at the house next to the entrance to the Park.
My parting shot is a blessing for this harvest season and an early Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Canadian bloggers.
The rain arrived right as I was ready to head out the door for my walk – nice timing Mother Nature! So, I had another cup of coffee and piddled around waiting for the rain to stop so I could head out. Since it was Sunday, I had some wiggle room for my walk and wasn’t just pegged into a drizzly morning trek, so I would get to stay dry. By mid-day the weather was just ducky – the sun was out and yesterday’s chill and breeze were gone. I headed out for my Sunday stroll in the ‘hood, because by mid-day the squirrels are kind of anti-social. They are not in hunting-and-gathering mode, but instead, they are back in their nests, having called it quits for the day.
I noticed a lot of people have their harvest and Halloween decor in place, but I didn’t take out the camera, as the scarecrows’ duds were a tad bedraggled from the rain and they were having a bad hair day as their straw was soggy. We do have a good week of weather ahead, so I hope to get a few squirrel shots as Council Point Park’s trees, reeds and bushes get their Autumn glow on.
I was at Heritage Park two weeks ago – it was a bright, beautiful and very hot day and by the time I left at 11:30 it was in the mid-80s. It was my last attempt at getting some photos of hummingbirds and butterflies before they head for warmer climes and I popped into the Community Gardens for one last peek as well. I’ll share those pictures in a future post, but today it is all about ducks.
Mr. and Mrs. Mallard.
As I mentioned in a recent post, I sure do miss the waterfowl at Council Point Park … I saw no ducks, geese or swans last Friday when I was there and, because I arrived fashionably late, there was no one to ask if they’d been around yet. I like going to Coan Lake at Heritage Park where the Mallards are everywhere – they are usually sleeping, preening, waddling about or paddling in this manmade lake and they are always good for a few photos. I liked this pair of Mallards who now have completed their moulting phase, so the male and female are easily distinguishable once again. Don’t they make a striking pair?
Their profile poses, in which they stood motionless for the longest time, suggested they were posing just for me; after all, I was the only human around. How I wished I had some corn or other treat to share with them, especially the longer they stayed looking like statues at the seawall. Often these Mallards plop into the water as soon as I approach them. The drake remained motionless as you see below and finally the hen pivoted around and gave me a shy glance as you see in the header image.
Birds of a feather flock together … some of the time.
I finally left my fine-feathered friends behind and moseyed to the other side of Coan Lake where I saw an interesting sight; in fact it was the first time I’d ever seen a turtle at this venue, but here were two of them, basking in the sun on some boulders, along with a female Mallard. If the Painted Turtle had not stuck out his neck, I’d have thought it was just boulders since they blended in.
They looked content, and, as I approached the trio from the other side to get some close-up photos, sunbathing seemed more important than dropping into the water for safety, so they stayed there, biding their time until I left.
I’ll be returning to this park again in a week or so, once the trees are ablaze in color. I follow Heritage Park Photo of the Day on Facebook, so I’ll be able to gauge the peak foliage hues at this quaint venue.
From flip-flops to flannel … just like that (snapping fingers)!
The weather has been wacky this week; yep, a real rollercoaster ride and it left me a wee bit frazzled on this Friday.
Earlier this week we broke a longstanding record by reaching 89 degrees F (32C); the old record from 1897 was 88 degrees F.
But we were warned the warmth would disappear, and it did – the next day we dropped 25 degrees.
And in between we had torrential rain and rumbles … in the morning, of course, when your Roving Reporter likes to walk.
Scrambled is not just for eggs.
I got up this morning and it was 68 degrees in the house. Nope, I was not going to succumb to the chilly temps and put on the heat, as it’s supposed to warm up a bit on the weekend. Or so they say. But, it was only 50 degrees F (10C) outside. I shivered while eating my oatmeal, then wrapped my fingers around my cuppa joe. But, I remained steadfast that the heat would not be turned on.
So, what do I wear on my walk? The immediate dilemma was that I took all my Spring/Fall and Winter coats, (all sporting big pockets), to the cleaners on Tuesday. “Did you want them the next day?” they asked. With a wave of my hand, I dismissed that suggestion – after all it was 80 degrees at 10:30 a.m., so “no I don’t need a coat anytime soon” was my reply. So, we settled on a Saturday pickup date. Of course I could have taken all these coats in during the Summer, but I was waiting on the October 25% off sale. Sigh.
So this morning, I sure wasn’t going to pass up a sunny (finally) trek to the Park to visit my furry pals who will surely forget my name if I don’t show up soon. I scrambled around mightily, looking for clothing for 50-degree weather. I grumbled and beat myself up saying “why are you not more organized – it’s October already!?” I have a few dress coats downstairs but their pockets won’t do for the camera and the peanuts, they are tiny slit pockets. I held up a hoodie – definitely not warm enough. Well maybe with a sweatshirt underneath – nope, too bulky. A turtleneck under a sweatshirt – no, it’s not that cold yet and besides, I need pockets! Maybe I even need a hat and gloves – where are they? I settled on a flannel shirt under a sweatshirt and threw on an old coat of my mom’s which fit like it belonged to my little sister.
The basement was chilly, so I decided the furnace really needed to be turned on after all. I yanked out the old filter and noticed the new filter that Flame Furnace had brought on their last visit was not the same brand. I took off the shrink wrap and went to slide it into the four-inch slot … it wouldn’t go in easily, so I had to go find another filter, but wait … I couldn’t pull this one out, so had to find a pair of pliers to wrest it out of the slot. Whew! I poured some clean water in the water pump and ran upstairs to put the furnace on so I could ensure it was running okay before I left and it would be toasty warm when I returned.
Finally, I bolted out the door and arrived fashionably late at the Park- how did I know? Well, all the regular walkers were already gone – they are all retirees, so off to run errands, or hang out at the donut shop for coffee and a cruller.
Luckily the contingent of squirrels were there waiting on me. To make up for my week-long absence, I brought along a brand-new, whole bag of peanuts to make it up to them. “Happy Fall guys!”
Yes, they were there alright, with Parker wearing a pained look on his face and paws crossed over his chest and tapping one foot, er … paw. “Yes, my little friend I’ll try not to be a stranger as I know you and your pals are struggling to get nuts stored for Winter.” I had to laugh at this picture of Parker I took last week. He reminds me of the memes of the distinguished-looking gentleman who says “I don’t always …, but (fill in the blank).” So I’ve entitled this picture:
I don’t always eat peanuts, but when I do they are Linda’s.
Time’s a tickin’ … it’s the last day of September and for squirrels and girls with agendas, it is time to seize the moment and gather all the peanuts and steps you can (if Mother Nature permits of course).
The funky weather this week will not bode well for the squirrels, nor me, i.e. getting nuts and steps done. Saturday was dismal and drizzly and yesterday I got a walk in, but just in the ‘hood as rain and storms threatened. So the Park squirrels missed out again. I will make it up to them after today’s sogfest.
Right now my furry pals are focused on hunting and gathering the peanuts tossed to them by the other walkers and me, as there are no nut-bearing trees in the Park.
I am not immune to the sweet antics of those squirrels who sit on haunches with pleading eyes, waiting for me to open up my Ziploc bag and toss them a few peanuts. Truth be told, I love interacting with them … but I think you knew that already.
I’m helping my furry friends bulk up their stash in advance of the Winter season. Needless to say there is a wee bit of expectation on my part too … a little quid pro quo which is a/k/a “posing for peanuts” – no worries, we’re both cool with this arrangement and there’s nothing hinky going on.
Right now the squirrels aren’t complying much though … they are focused on getting the goods and getting them buried … one peanut at a time. Sigh. So I may drop some peanuts at their paws and they are more likely to scurry away and the best I can do is get a shot of them perusing peanuts then taking off to hide them. That’s okay, they eventually return, but by then I’ve resumed my walk.
Playing hard to get?
Recently I had an odd encounter with this black squirrel. Like the gray squirrels, the black squirrels are somewhat skittish and not likely to come over to see me, instead watching from afar then timidly inching over or even waiting until I walk away to grab a peanut.
I was at Council Point Park last week and saw this black squirrel and offered her some peanuts. I put them on the grass. Would she come closer?
Nope, though she did glance at them, then me.
I tried again … even holding some more peanuts in my outstretched hand so she could see them while I spoke softly to her. Was she interested?
Nope, not even a nibble.
As I turned to go, I said “well it’s your loss dear, but Winter’s coming – just sayin’.” It seemed I could sweet talk her all I wanted, but she was not interested and instead she rebuffed me by turning around and scooting across busy River Drive to the neighborhood.
I did another lap on the perimeter path, then began to head home. I am still trying different options due to the construction since the adjacent street is very busy with the diverted traffic.
So guess who I ran into on the way home?
I must’ve passed muster and could be trusted.
I guess this lovely lady assumed I had followed her to coax her to have some peanuts, so she might as well warm up to me a little. She came close, hesitant at first, then went for the closest peanut.
She permitted herself to enjoy a peanut or two, secure in the knowledge that with no other squirrels around to abscond with her cache, she could take her time before dashing off to hide them.
Ah … peanut bliss.
I wonder if peanut bliss is akin to savoring a chocolate DOVE® Bar? I posed that question to her, but she had no opinion yea or nay.
I am gathering nuts too – Hampton Farms Jumbo Unsalted. Only the best for my furry pals and the occasional Jay or Cardinal that happens by.
I already have ten packages squirreled away, but will need to get more as Fall progresses.
I will also need to stash lots of steps to reach my goal, now just three months away. I have walked 939 miles of my 1,242 mile-goal (1,511 km/2,000 km) . I’m looking for good weather to gather as many steps as I may.
The early morning drizzle vanished on cue and the faint sun put a smile on my face and a little pep in my step. A gusty breeze stirred my straw, er … hair.
I’m doing a slow meander through this first week of Fall. It’s still warm here in Southeast Michigan and feels like this season should have the moniker of “Small Fall” – just a silly thought I guess. The pumpkins adorning homeowners’ porches had better be fake, otherwise they’ll resemble Libby’s canned pumpkin after our mini heat wave. This week is designated as “Michigan Trails Week” but since it’s kind of soggy the next few days, I’ll likely stay local and just pop down to Council Point Park to commemorate the event.
Meanwhile, at that Park, the first blush of Fall has arrived, with subtle changes that make you say “whoa – it looks like Mother Nature took out her Sharpie to add a few colors to the landscape.”
There are glimpses of the usual jewel-toned leaves, or oddities like this tree with the polka-dotted leaves … whatever disease it has, these spots emerge every year right as rain.
Late September dribs and drabs.
This is the Park’s first big tree to show a little color, though many reeds and bushes already have dribs and drabs of vibrant reds, deep plum or orangey-brown tones. I noticed the walker’s sweater exactly color coordinated with this tree.
I wondered why this one stem of leaves is totally red and none of the others are?
Mother Nature was a little haphazard where she put her splashes and dashes of color … for example:
This was a bit sad … a Cabbage White butterfly caught on a burr, forever hovering on top of this prickly plant, its wings snagged and trapped on the rough edges.
The hangers on.
As we near the end of September, our weather still feels more like August and the tinges of wildflower colors make you forget we’re almost through the first week of Fall. As mentioned earlier this week, some dandelions are still dotting the landscape. I have the occasional one in my lawn too – their tenacity is admirable, but they can take a hike anytime.
I noticed this metal yard ornament … it makes no difference if we pass Go, skip Fall and proceed right to Winter – this crazy daisy will still be doing its best to brighten up this homeowner’s front yard.
Are you pining for the upcoming Christmas holidays yet?
Pine trees and pine cones make me think of Christmas time.
When the cones were still soft and dripping with pine resin, the squirrels were climbing the trees and pulling them off to enjoy the pine nuts. I often pondered why the sticky resin did not glue their innards together? This soft cone was a dud … it had no resin, and never opened its “petals” and developed into a full-fledged, brown and hard pine cone.
As the sun gently filtered through the clouds, I decided to do a shadow selfie – hmm, just a girl and her pine tree. (Somehow the phrase does not have the same ring to it as “just a girl and her gull” or “just a girl and her butterfly” does it?)
It may seem that all crazy
squirrel antics happen at the Park, but that’s not true. The ‘hood squirrels sometimes are just as
rambunctious as their Park counterparts.
Squirrel shenanigans.
Mother Nature has begun switching
over to her Fall palette of rich hues and likewise the squirrels are
fine-tuning their own palates to include Indian corn. Now, how do I know this?
I mentioned in Sunday’s post that I now must detour to get to/from Council Point Park since Pagel Avenue has been all torn up this past six weeks. Because there is a schoolyard, I have to zigzag around. I’ve tried different routes going home and witnessed this amusing scenario playing out in a homeowner’s front yard while walking home Friday morning.
First, there was a Fox squirrel hunkered down chewing something almost as big as he was. When he saw me near him, he dropped the item like a hot potato and bolted up the nearest tree where he proceeded to glare at me.
After the dust settled, I saw the
half-eaten cob of Indian corn that the squirrel had been gnawing on.
He fixated a stare on me, positive I was going to enjoy that treat he so hastily left behind. I assured him he was good to return to ground level again with no fears, but he still wore a look of apprehension about my presence.
I figured that Indian corn had to come from the display on the next-door neighbor’s property, so I checked it out from my vantage point on the sidewalk. The décor was nice – a little bit of harvest; a little Halloween as well.
And suddenly I heard a rustling noise and the corn stalk to the left of the big crow came to life. I peered closely and saw a squirrel manipulating his way around behind the scenes, nibbling on something, most likely another cob of Indian corn. See his fuzzy tail which gives him away?
Of course that squirrel clearly knew he was trespassing inside that corn stalk, yet he shot me a look as if to say “Yep, I’m busted! So what are ya gonna do about it?”
He went so far as to even flaunt
his presence by sitting and leisurely eating his treat.
Of course I was clicking away taking his picture as he lollygagged amidst the harvest décor.
I may adore these furry little munchkins, but, in a nutshell … they are far from angelic and have made some mischief at my house over the years. Walking home I recalled a story from back in the late 80s about my new Holly Hobbie yard ornament that was destroyed over a long holiday weekend, thanks to a squirrel or squirrels. I wrote a post about it the first year I was blogging. I don’t have the picture we took posing next to that Holly Hobby, but I just updated the post by adding a likeness of her from Pinterest. It is amusing now, but not back when Holly’s fate was decided due to squirrel shenanigans. Click here if you’d like to read about it.
We’re about to embark on Autumn and I’m happy
to do so, since I’ve grown weary of Mother Nature’s continuous tweaks of this
Summer season, not to mention all her weather boo-boos for 2019 if you want to
be picky.
I sure hope I don’t regret wishing my life
away by kicking Summer to the curb, but the season has been nothing special – neither
was Spring for that matter. Incessant
rain in May and early June caused swampy conditions and lakeshore flooding in
most parks and we had an inordinate amount of mosquitoes – the pesky buggers
are still problematic. Despite taking
precautions yesterday and staying away from woodsy and swampy areas due to the
EEE virus, I still could play connect the dots with my mosquito bites on my
arms and legs – long pants and a long-sleeved shirt were out of the question
since it was 85 F/29 C and very humid.
Foul weather also made me miss some waterfowl
bucket list items I had planned for myself, like heading to Heritage Park to
see ducklings in a neat little row following their Mamas around Coan Lake, or the
Mute Swan with her cygnets riding on her back at Dingell Park. I missed these items in 2018 also due to the incessant rain every weekend
in Spring.
Sigh.
Yes, there will always be Mallards, Mute Swans and Mamas so I’ll try not
to sweat the small stuff.
But unfortunately that trend of missing out on the ordinary and extraordinary continued into Summer, especially at my favorite nature nook and while walking through the neighborhood.
Hit or Miss and MIAs.
We’ve had many predicted bouts of severe
weather – some happened, not so close to me, but the angst of waiting on the
next big storm, or conditions ripe for tornadoes, has filled me with a sense of
impending doom all this season. When we
had rain, it was never a gentle shower, but often a torrential downpour,
despite the weather forecasters’ predictions of
a “splash and dash” event. We
flip-flopped around with unseasonable temps – either heat and humidity off the charts
and then just like that … we’d have a slew of days where you needed long
sleeves. The weather wreaked havoc with
walking, despite my self-imposed new rule of walking in the rain. You may recall I even bought rain boots and
walking shoes made for slopping around in puddles.
But this Summer’s weather did more than
ruin many mornings – it also affected the ordinary occurrences at Council Point
Park and in the ‘hood. I’ve been keeping
a running list in my head of what I missed this Summer … all I can say is, if
this is the new norm for Summer, it just makes me sad.
Down at the Park the list has been growing …
No geese: The Canada geese reared their goslings and then one day they were gone. I told you how the City sprays the grass with some icky grape flavor to discourage the geese from grazing once they regain their flight feathers and can fly again after their annual moult. The geese usually return around Labor Day when the City no longer sprays – I saw them once, and no more.
No ducks: The Mallards were missing long before the algae bloom coated the Ecorse Creek, leaving a thick green slime, and, although this ghastly green stuff is abating somewhat, the ducks, long done with their annual moult, still remain at large.
No swans: Likewise the swans generally glide gracefully down the center of the Creek which runs parallel to the walking trail. I guess they don’t want to muck up their white feathers with the algae scum either.
No herons: I haven’t seen Harry or his kin for months. When I’d come around the corner by the cement landing, I’d peek through the bushes to see if Harry was fishing in the Creek and I’d have my camera ready. But the water level was so high from all the Spring rain, the cement landing was submerged and only recently has receded. It seems Harry is dining at another Park’s fishing hole now.
No butterflies: The milkweed was growing like a weed all along the Creek banks this year, so I was hoping to be treated to a flurry of beautiful butterflies on my daily walk. I checked for Monarch caterpillars munching on the milkweed leaves and found none. I’ve not seen a single Monarch so I’m lucky I got my “Monarch fix” at other larger parks.
No birds: I was lucky enough to find just one nest with a Mama robin sitting on the eggs. Then there were hatchlings and I captured a shot or two of Mama scavenging for grubs and worms then feeding her young and I shared them in a post. I had hoped to document their growth through fledging like last year, but suddenly one day when I returned to the Park after a couple days of rain, I checked them out, and the whole family was gone. I was also disappointed to see that the colorful and sturdy bird house that someone hung in a tree at the Park was never occupied and finally taken down a few weeks ago. There was one goldfinch this year, a real Summer bummer. It was such a treat to see the brightly colored goldfinches darting throughout the Park, alighting on thistle plants where they partake in seeds and make for some great photos. They would be so engrossed in eating they’d be oblivious to me clicking away with the camera.
No bullfrogs: Every morning I used to hear the deep base tones of the bullfrog that I called “Jeremiah” as I made my way along the perimeter path, but I’ve only heard him a couple of times this year.
No turtles: Just like clockwork, on sunny days the Creek turtles lined up in a row on a log. If you stepped close to the Creek bank, one by one they’d slide into the water. I’ve only seen them a handful of times this year.
Thank goodness for the squirrels or it would have been like a ghost town! There are not as many squirrels either and Parker is not present and accounted for every day like in the past. I wonder sometimes if they’ve simply relocated or live in fear of the Cooper’s Hawk contingent that circle overhead?
Well sadly, there were items amiss in the neighborhood as well …
No chalk art: Normally there are many chalk art discoveries in my morning walks, but this Summer there were just two instances and one was under the pavilion at the Park and the other was Brian Spicer’s handiwork on his patio.
No robins running through the sprinkler: We’ve received so much rain that lawn sprinklers were not being used as much this Summer. This meant less robins hanging out under the spray to wet their feathers to preen, or trying to wrest worms from the wet soil.
No Pagel access to the Park: Construction has
torn up my usual route to and from Council Point Park the last six weeks. For sure the potholes in the street and
uneven sidewalks need to be corrected but I must now go two blocks out of my
way going to and from the Park.
Enough whining – come take a virtual stroll with me anyway!
Notwithstanding the missing
highlights in my morning meander, there is still plenty to take in on my weekday
five-mile trek to my favorite nature nook.
Now that the sun is getting up later, on gray mornings, I’ve had to
reduce my walk to four miles, and yes, I still hope to attain my goal of walking
1,242 miles/2,000 kilometers by year end.
While pounding the pavement in
the neighborhoods, or along the perimeter path, my head is always swiveling … up,
down, all around. I guess I am nosy and
don’t want to miss anything as I wend my way through the ‘hood and to the Park.
To passersby or other walkers, I
am sure I resemble my favorite peanut pal Parker.
Parker scoping out the Park for treats.
I’m sharing a passel of photos I
call “tiny treasures” which memorialize many of my roundtrip morning treks from
home to Council Point Park.
There are birds …
A Northern Cardinal sings his heart out atop an electric pole. I always try to whistle back.
There are blooms …
Thank you Ruth for telling me this is a Hibiscus – it is gorgeous!
I wanted to pluck this Hibiscus and tuck it behind my ear.
Black-eyed Susans in the early morning sun.
The epitome of beauty – a perfect rose.
There are butterfly magnets …
Sustenance for Monarchs: Common Milkweed.
A close-up of Milkweed seed pods.
There are berries …
Snowberries.
There are burrs …
Thistles a/k/a Teasel.
There are bugs …
Unknown bug scattering pollen dust everywhere.
Queen Anne’s Lace and Ailanthus Webworm Moth.
Caterpillar nibbling a rose.
Fly on a Black-eyed Susan.
Slug trails are iridescent and glisten in the morning light like Mother of Pearl.
There are bunnies …
Bunnies’ pink ears are nearly translucent in the morning sun.
Bunnies munching down on clover.
Oh, there is more …
There are weeds …
These dandelions are still blooming under a huge Pine tree.
… and there are seeds.
Thistle seed pods make “Santa’s Whiskers” in late Summer.
Speaking of seeds … I flashed back to my youth when I saw these “Santa’s Whiskers” or “Santas” a/k/a Thistle seed pods, if you want to get technical. I remember them floating lazily in a gentle Summer breeze and we kids would grab one, make a quick wish, then blow on it to whisk it on its way. I snagged this one and made a wish on it.
A “Santa” escapes a Thistle seed pod.
Remember this … all you’ve got to do is look up, down and all around – there are always tiny treasures just waiting to be found. I’ll leave you with this quote.
Nature is man’s teacher. She unfolds her treasures to his
search, unseals his eye, illumes his mind, and purifies his heart; an influence
breathes from all the sights and sounds of her existence. ~Alfred Billings
Street
In a four-season state, unless you are a Winter sports enthusiast, are fearless of driving in the ice and snow, or think that frigid air is invigorating, the advent of Winter is not a welcome thought. In my mind, there are very few redeeming qualities of Winter, though our 2019 warm weather months were not seasons of joy, with Spring’s endless rain and Summer’s constant severe weather threats … not to mention the heat and humidity.
If I had to pick one redeeming factor of Winter, it would be going outside while the snow is softly falling, admiring that pristine snow already on the ground, which serves to muffle all the street noise that is usually present. It is especially delightful on a Sunday morning, a hushed feeling, while most of the world is still in slumber mode and the landscape resembles a Currier & Ives print from long ago.
Birds, bees, butterflies and … beans?
I much prefer the warmer months as most of my longer walks are enjoyed then. So, I would equate a walk on a quiet Winter morn to the peace and tranquility I found at the Taylor Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, which I visited a few weeks ago. It was quiet when I first arrived, the beginning of a very hot day. I looked around and saw a Black Swallowtail flitting about and bees hovering over all the beautiful blooms. I took some photos at the Conservatory, and then headed over to the Community Garden which is located between the Conservatory and Heritage Park. There is a long garden area, with many plots of land, which are tended by two different factions. First, there are the workers who are fulfilling community service hours for minor infractions and growing veggies to go directly to the local food bank. Then, there are the folks that simply enjoy sifting the dirt through their fingers, finding peace working in the garden and reaping the fruits of their labor.
Let’s visit the Good Will Garden.
Just swing open the high wooden gate to view the abundance of eye candy. There are colorful blooms, butterflies and bees and even a few feathered friends taking a dip in the birdbaths around the Garden.
Now take a deep breath and relax.
Immersing yourself in the beauty all around is sure to put a smile on your face!
Cabbage Whites, cabbages and more.
I’ve had flower gardens before, but never a vegetable garden. My father should have known after the squirrels dug up and ate every one of his tulip bulbs the first year we lived here, that the fate of a garden depended on how hungry or mischievous the neighborhood critters were. My mom’s pleas for beefsteak tomatoes were answered when he bought several plants. But we never saw a single slice of these beefsteak beauties on our dinner plates, because the squirrels yanked every tomato off the vine, took a big bite and cast it aside. What the squirrels missed, the birds would peck holes into. So, that was the first and last time we planted veggies at this house.
The dainty Cabbage White butterflies were ever present as they hovered over blooms and bean blossoms just a few feet away.
I was struck by the size of the cabbages in one garden.
Let me introduce you to Mike.
Mike and his wife each have a plot … oh no, this is not a dark post and not that type of plot! They own two plots in the Community Garden. Until I chitchatted with Mike, I was under the impression all the gardens were tended by the work force detail. Well I had a lot to learn.
Mike explained to me that large areas of the Community Garden are tended by people that love their plants – whether they bloom or end up on the dinner table. Mike’s wife loves flowers, and though they have a 50-foot long flower garden alongside their house, she wanted more flowers and they both wanted a vegetable garden. So, they lease two, side-by-side plots each year at the Community Garden. They pay $50.00 per year for each plot, but he said the benefits go far beyond that price … they both love tending these gardens and they get back their yearly investment in produce. Mike’s wife was away on vacation that upcoming week and he lamented in jest that he was “stuck” watering and tending the flowers at home and here, plus feeding their pets, but he added he was happy to do so. He praised his wife for helping him to see the beauty of the flowers in their two gardens.
They have created a natural habitat for the butterflies and bees with their beautiful blooms and after topping off the cobalt blue ceramic birdbath, (also seen at the top of this post), a couple of sparrows were quick to pay a visit.
It was a very warm morning and I said “yes, unfortunately no rain until Tuesday; three more hot days to get through” to which he kind of rolled his eyes and said “ya, tell me about it!”
Well both Mike and I obviously listened to the same weather station because we had a torrential rain and storm not three hours after we chatted. Before I moved along to check out the other gardens and take more pictures, Mike snaked his hand into some large leaves and produced a “just-picked, fresh-off-the-vine” cucumber for me to take home.
I hope to be back to check out the garden in its glory one more time before the first frost arrives, because where else can you watch flowers and produce growing companionably thanks to some TLC and Ol’ Sol too.
Today’s destination was Belanger Park in River Rouge,
which runs along the Detroit River. It
was the first time for me visiting this venue, although I’ve meandered along
the Detroit River boardwalks at Elizabeth Park, Bishop Park and Dingell Park plenty
of times. The primary reason for my
visit was to check out the Belanger Lighthouse.
Yes, it piqued my interest last week at the Grosse Ile Lighthouse tour,
and it was a beautiful day, so I headed over there. The boardwalk and lighthouse are pictured
above.
Yesterday was a stormy day and we had torrential rain multiple times. Three days of rain would likely have caused lakeshore flooding in most of the parks I frequent, so this excursion was a safe bet, though I did wonder if water would be slopping over the seawall like once at Bishop Park – it was fine. The sky and clouds were a myriad of colors; at times the clouds were dark and angry looking and sometimes the sky was bright blue with fluffy clouds that were like huge cotton balls. The wind was brisk at times; if you look closely, you can see the flag flapping in the breeze.
It was a great outing and I got in six miles while strolling the River boardwalk and around the grounds. Here’s what I saw on today’s trek.
Déjà vu – just look at the view!
Yep, this lighthouse looks very similar to the one I profiled last Sunday and I mused that I have gone my entire life without going anywhere near a lighthouse and suddenly I have visited two in six days! The Belanger Lighthouse may look similar in color, but it does not have the rich history of the Grosse Ile Lighthouse. You cannot tour inside, but you can get up close and you needn’t cross a long pier with no side rails – whew!!! (And with wobbly legs no less from that 51-steep-step climb up and down to the lantern room.) This is a functioning lighthouse and was built in 2003 as a memorial to the lost Great Lakes mariners. This is the front and rear view.
There were no facts or stats by the lighthouse, except a plaque and info showing the lighthouse was built in 2003 by volunteers and dedicated the following year and the info about the Edmund Fitzgerald.
So, I researched a little for some info and discovered that the Belanger Lighthouse has been certified by the U.S. Coast Guard as an aid to navigation, and, unlike the lighthouses requiring a “keeper” this lighthouse is automated. From its lantern room, it projects a continuous white light. It is a hexagonal wooden tower, topped with a weathervane and is 56 feet tall (the Grosse Ile Lighthouse was 40 feet tall).
As mentioned, the Belanger Lighthouse is a memorial to the men of the ill-fated freighter, the Edmund Fitzgerald, whose crew of 29 were lost in a storm the evening of November 10, 1975 and subsequently memorialized in Gordon Lightfoot’s song “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald“.
When the Edmund Fitzgerald was launched in 1958, it was the largest ship on North America’s Great Lakes and remains the largest ship to have sunk there. Its tie to River Rouge is that it was built in that City.
There are memory paver bricks, but
it is unclear if any names represent mariners lost in the Great Lakes or merely
donations for the lighthouse project.
Fishing, freighters and much more.
When I finished taking photos of the lighthouse, I
decided to explore the River’s edge where just a few fishermen were casting out
this morning – one was sitting on the picnic table with his fishing pole
propped up against the railing. I saw
this sign indicating the fishing was good and took a photo of it – you’ll
recall at Lower Huron Metropark last week, there were warnings about eating the
fish due to the PFAS contamination.
While admiring the view, I ran into Christy, who was seated on a park bench, similarly admiring the downtown Detroit skyline and Ambassador Bridge which connects the U.S. to Canada.
We chatted it up for a bit and I learned about the park and lighthouse. Christy’s uncle was one of the volunteers who helped build the lighthouse and her daughter was married on the lighthouse steps.
Christy was waiting on her husband to return to Belanger Park. He was in a small boat making a video for a PBS documentary about a group of kayakers who were paddling down the Detroit River on their annual Lower Industrial Rouge Tour. The kayakers are members of the Riverside Kayak Connection and they have partnered with the Friends of the Rouge since 2007 for this annual event. The kayakers began at the Melvindale boat ramp, went down the River, past the Ford Rouge Complex, and under the suspension bridges. After a two-hour trip, these kayakers were the first of the group to show up, along with Christy’s husband who is in the nearby boat.
While we chatted, we watched one freighter, from the
BigLift line, hauling oversized cargo.
It passed by going extremely fast for a ship of that size.
Another freighter was nearing the Ambassador Bridge and Detroit.
The BBC Leda, was waiting in the wings.
Pleasure boats dotted the waterway as well. Here are some other sights from along the Detroit River boardwalk.
The power plant was sending plumes of steam into the sky.
Just a gal and her gull.
I have an affinity for seagulls. Unlike the heron who bolts as soon as I start to take a picture, seagulls are more good-natured and will pose in place for a very long time. So, I’m sorry … I just could not help myself and took tons of seagull shots. This seagull, whom I’ll name Jonathan, was willing to let me stalk him as I walked along the boardwalk and I didn’t even have treats for him. He flew and landed every so often to keep pace with me.
It was a bit windy by the water and it kept ruffling his feathers. Jonathan let me get quite close – isn’t this a fine-looking feathered fellow?
Occasionally he got a little antsy and hopped down
on the other side of the barrier.
Jonathan appeared to be woolgathering while staring out to “sea” …
… alas, he grew tired of posing …
… and flew off, muttering, er, … screeching to himself. I don’t speak seagull so I’m not sure what Jonathan said, but he didn’t return and thankfully he did not fly over my car.
As if on cue …
I wandered around the grounds at Belanger Park,
which is just west of the River Rouge Power Plant. This Park is actually between two industrial
sites and I could hear the coal-carrying trains circling the plant and tooting
their horns while doing so. I was
reading the sign about how the site is slowly becoming a natural habitat.
As if on cue, while reading about the
new-and-improved area, a beautiful Monarch butterfly settled first onto the yellow
daisy.
Next, that winged creature dipped and swooped as the
breeze threatened to wreak havoc with its flight pattern over to the goldenrod. It made it over safely, but was hanging on
for dear life, opening and closing those beautiful wings often as it braced
itself to stay steady on the bright yellow flowers.
I’ve been blessed seeing butterflies lately – soon
they will begin their long journey to warmer climes as they kiss Summer in
Southeast Michigan goodbye.
After Labor Day, the unofficial end of Summer, it seems we just morph into the harvest and Halloween season and go with the flow. Mums have replaced weather-beaten petunias in porch pots and I’ve already seen the first Halloween décor in the ‘hood. The whole morning walk has changed dramatically the past few weeks. Not only must I detour two blocks over due to the significant construction on my regular route, but the angle of the sun is different – the sun is getting up later every day and it sure is starting to look like Fall at Council Point Park.
Here in southeast Michigan, this season has had absolutely no rhyme or reason to it and our Summer chugs along, with merely ten days left until Fall … on the calendar anyway.
We had about five days of below-average temps, so long sleeves, or even a light hoodie were welcome in the morning – yesterday it was 74 degrees F (23 C) and 94% humidity when I stepped out the door for my morning walk. Ugh! The homeowners who closed up their pools are wistful for making such a hasty decision. Because Fall kept stepping on Summer’s toes, Mother Nature punished Fall for doing so with some whopper storms last night and more are on the way today and tomorrow – that effectively shows Fall who’s boss!
It’s apple cider time! I popped into Meijer the other day and the harvest goodies take up almost as much space in the grocery store as the Halloween candy, costumes and décor. Pumpkin “everything” seems to compete with caramel apples and of course apple cider.
Speaking of apple cider …
The wasps are giddy at Council Point Park. The wormy apples are plentiful and gathering on the ground and across the perimeter path. They are either dropping off the tree on their own, or yanked off their stems by the squirrels. The squirrels and birds take a few bites, then leave the rest of the apple on the ground to turn brown and rot. Walkers step on them, squashing them nearly to a pulp, then the heat ferments those apples so walking under the tree is like opening a container of apple cider.
What apples the squirrels and birds choose to discard, the wasps are quick to hone in on, so any time you walk past this apple tree, the wasps are buzzing about … let’s just say that buzzed buzzers must be avoided if at all possible. A fellow walker told me his dog was stung by them a few years ago at this very location.
The squirrels’ mindset is “Winter is on the way. Must. Gather. Nuts. NOW!”
The squirrels scamper over to greet me and they do their usual begging routines …
… or perhaps act nonchalantly like “oh, were you going to favor me with some peanuts Linda?”
Sucker that I am, I soon drop nuts near their front paws like they are tiny princes.
Occasionally they’ll stop to munch a peanut …
… but mostly they scamper away to hide those nuts, and soon their paws are fast and furiously digging holes here, there and everywhere …
… so much so that nut gathering becomes a blur. So much for photo ops, huh?
And then there are dribs and drabs of color around Council Point Park.
I’ve been walking at this Park since 2013 and it has always amazed me that the raggedy bushes and spindly saplings that grow along the Ecorse Creek banks are the first to show their shades of Autumn.
I’ve already seen colorful Poplar and Maple leaves littering the pathway or pavilion area.
There are berries that the birds delight in eating.
Weeds and wildflowers provide a touch of color to otherwise blah greenery near the Creek banks.
I kind of like these delicate white wildflowers.
Even the algae bloom makes a colorful, but yucky statement.
The burrs aren’t as vibrant as the berries and blossoms, but make a stunning, late-Summer appearance. They remind us that days of “brrrrrrrrrr” are on the horizon.
Linda Schaub
WALKIN', WRITIN', WIT & WHIMSY 