On the Trail

Rick and I had a poignant, interesting and fun day recently. We headed to Kalamazoo, Michigan (where he used to live) for the memorial service of a friend of Rick's. As longtime readers of this blog know, Rick is an avid cyclist, with a racing past and a present that includes a passion for lengthy bike hikes. But he considers his greatest life accomplishment as being the "Father of the Kal-Haven Trail," a cycling trail that goes from Kalamazoo to South Haven, Michigan and the first rail trail in the state.

 

His friend who passed, Mike, was one of his colleagues when working on the trail. As Rick often says, "the trail was built on the shoulders of many" and Mike was one of them.

Close Encounters of the Nicest Kind!

I've shared a lot of nature in recent posts, but those visits (and life in general) have included some delightful "close encounters" with some lovely people, a road trip, dining out, and even a critter or two! So, a look at life in general! 

 

Life in general includes blog friends and one real treat for this month of May was a meet-up with blogger Anno, who came to Lansing for lunch. (Do check out her "Artifacts and Annotations" HERE.) We had such a good long talk at lunch and on our walk to the ditch -- and yet, we both realized there was so much we didn't even get to during that time. Another meet-up is definitely in the offing.

Nature -- It's for the Birds! (And Us, too!)

Every now and then, one has an experience that is unexpectedly wonderful. That's what happened for Rick and me recently when we joined the Nature Conservancy for a nature walk at Erie Marsh Preserve, a nature preserve located in Erie, Michigan, not far from the Ohio Border.

 

Early Days at the Flower Market

The redbuds are still blooming here, but soon to be replaced by green leaves. Despite cool days (though getting a bit warmer!) and (very) cold nights, spring is here!

 

My friend Jan and I went to our favorite flower/plant nursery and market to check out the plants and prices.

The Moms in My Life

Happy Mother's Day to the moms, grandmas, stepmoms, step-grans and pet moms! Here are a few of my favorites.

One of my earliest photo shoots with Mom.

April Reads

For a person who doesn't read a lot of fiction (in the form of novels, not mysteries) two of the best books I read this month fall into that category. Of the three mysteries were solid too, including one by one of my favorite authors, two were excellent or very good; one just OK.

 

Birds, Squirrels and Local Color at the Ditch

Alas, Harry the Heron hasn't shown up yet this spring, but I've had some other lovely sightings as the Ditch begins to awaken.

 

Slightly (emphasis on the "slightly") warmer weather and plenty of rain has helped the Ditch color to burst, and while it's still filling in, it's looking awfully good! (And yes, we dipped below freezing last night.)

A Birthday Lunch!

My pal Barb had a birthday this week, so friend Kate and I decided to throw her a birthday lunch! After all, we need a good reason to celebrate something and what could be better that honoring the day that a special friend was born?

 

I got the table set the night before, using a vintage tablecloth as a base and a smaller cloth over that as a topper. (Rita -- do you recognize the smaller cloth topper? You should!) As the salad was the main course, we dispensed with salad plates or bowls. Mom's silver came out, along with the some Depression glass tumblers. My Mikasa "Just Flowers" pattern seemed to be the right one for spring.

Let the Sun Shine!

Let the sun shine! It's been a lovely week here, warmish (not hot, which is perfect) and sunny. It's awfully nice to see the rain take a little break! Rick's flowering bush is out, so I know spring is really here!

 

By now, the Ditch is more "filled in" but when I took these photos a few days ago, it looked just as I love it -- that symphony of chartreuse and yellow-green, hanging like a soft scrim over branches and bushes. 

 

This beautiful state of affairs only lasts a few days and I was grateful that those days were lovely ones, good for a walk!

Missing Mom

April 21 is always a tough day for me. My mom died on that date, in 1977. You'd think I'd be over it by now. I am. And I'm not. I don't think we ever are.

I was one of the weird, lucky kids who had a great childhood. Two parents who loved each other and who loved me all the more. Financial security -- not wealthy, but comfortable. I was never spoiled but I was aware that we had all we needed and much of what we wanted. 

Thank You

I just wanted to thank you all for such heartfelt comments on my recent post. You can't imagine what that support means to me right now. I wish I could reply to each of you individually (those for whom I have email info, at least), but that lack of response has no connection to how grateful I am for wise words and understanding. 

 

So many of you have had similar experiences or periods in life when things aren't going well, whether it is physical or emotional stress or just an overload. You shared much encouragement, many positive thoughts and ideas, and perhaps most of all, helped validate the mix of feelings and frustration I'm experiencing. For those of you who periodically or still are in the "dark zone," I encourage you to read the comments on that post. And, I extend my own hopes that should you be in that spot now, your shadows soon lift.

 

I will be back soon with a new post. Meanwhile, visiting when I can and enjoying seeing spring come to life in your worlds.  

 

Thank you.

Thinking About Spring, Thinking About Things

Spring certainly seems to be dragging its feet here in mid-Michigan. Or, maybe it just feels like it was so long ago that we had our last spring that I've just forgotten the frustration and the fact that maybe this is the way it always feels. Still-bare branches with barely a touch of budding, fierce winds (and I don't remember winds nearly so strong as they are this year, and actually have been ever since last summer), and lots of rain. 

 

But there are buds. And even a bit of green is beginning to show. And a surprising high-60s, sunny day.

The Books of March

March ended up being a surprisingly good -- and diverse -- reading month. How i managed eight books last month is a mystery to me! There were, of course, mysteries, but I also read two fiction novels, a biography and a delightful humor book. Or, was it political satire? Or an animal behavior book? I'll let you decide! 

(And thank you all for lovely comments and support! Surgery went well, and not as miserable as the previous two times! YAY!) Now, onward to books!

Happy Easter

I was going to my last post stand for Easter, and it does for the sacred side -- but I couldn't resist adding a vintage element or two! 

Sacred Art for the Season

 Last Christmas Eve, Rick and I enjoyed a remarkable art experience when we visited St. John the Evangelist Church in Jackson, Michigan, a small city about 30 miles away from Lansing. It was a temptation to write about it immediately, but the art itself was better fitted to explain during Holy Week, so I held off on this post till now.

 

Christmas Eve was the official "opening" of a magnificent mural at the church's altar. It's enormous -- 32 feet tall and 21 feet wide and was created by local artist Joseph Macklin. Father Chas Canoy told us that it took a year to complete. Jackson is part of Lansing's Archdiocese and its St. John the Evangelist is its oldest church, built in the 1850s and Gothic in style. The mural is a perfect addition, with the style of art and the painting's subject matter fitting the setting.

We Are Exhausted! And It Was Great!

We had a lovely and fun pre-Easter, birthday weekend with the grandboys -- and boy, did they tire us out! To be fair, both of us were running on limited sleep. But it was a fun weekend so no complaints!

 

Our weekend started off watching Michigan State lose to UConn in the Sweet Sixteen. The first half was grim and the boys were in bed by the second. The game ended up much closer than expected from "Act One" and if MSU had played as they did in the second half, they would have made it to at least the Elite Eight. Alas. 

Spring, Maybe? The Bunnies are Back!

The calendar tells us it is officially spring. I've got to go with that because otherwise, it's just too depressing! 

 

So, on a remarkably warm (60 degree) day, I headed down to the Ditch for a look around, For the most part, nothing had changed much since my last visit, but I did notice this unique pine. I'm guessing it survived the tornado but with definite scoliosis to its trunk. Still, it looks healthy, just odd. (NOTE: I stand corrected! Tom, who knows such things, says this is a spruce, not a pine!)

Finding Old Travel Photos: Japan Edition

Once again, life is a bit slow. Rick just returned from Florida this week, where he spent time with his dad and saw old friends. He got to travel -- now I am armchair traveling! It's time to share long-ago travel photos from the archive!

Lots more than 1,000 cranes -- taken in Hiroshima's peace park.

Belated Christmas and an Update!

My friend Suzanne, who lives in London, Ontario, came to visit this week. We were celebrating Belated Christmas. (And belated birthdays, too.) We decided to give up on presents for birthdays (being of an age where we really don't need anything and are or will be downsizing!) But we still like to shop for each other, so doing one big bash a year is perfect.

 

I was changing sheets on Suzanne's bed and on mine. I had an assistant. 

Princess Summerfall Winterspring

Our schizophrenic weather brought to mind a character from an old children's television show I watched as a child,  "The Howdy Doody Show." Princess Summerfall Winterspring was first played by actress Judy Tyler, then after her early death, by a marionette.  The character was one of Howdy's dear friends.

 

Summerfall Winterspring. That's what March is like in Michigan. When the temperature hits 60, drive by any fraternity house near the campus that has a sun roof and you'll see loads of young men in shorts. As for the women, on their way to the bar on a Friday night, tube tops and short skirts are in vogue -- often with no coat or a skimpy jacket. It is summer to them.

Reading in February

Three books this month. Is it the headaches that stopped me from doing more? Maybe. And I'm half through another that I'm not sure I can bring myself to finish. So, onward, to two mysteries and a truly delightful novel based on the life of a woman as remarkable as her fictional counterpart.

 

So Much for Spring!

In the last post I hopefully pointed to signs of spring -- melted snow, being the biggie. Well, I knew it would be back, and it was. Not a lot, so I'm not really complaining. I've seen what those in the East are going through. At least the sun has been out (sometimes!) so that's a plus. (And let's be honest -- since I started this post, it has pretty much melted again -- at this moment, it is 54, light snow predicted for today! February and March are always so erratic!)

So, What Else Is New?

It's been quite a couple of weeks. To be honest, I'm getting a little tired of it all! But the best part was Valentine's Day! Rick pulled out all the stops -- a terrific gift and a dinner to die for with wonderful wine!

 

The main course? My all-time favorite, shrimp and grits! He knows me well!

Great Grandpa Wood's Receipts

My great grandfather (my mother's maternal grandfather), William S. Wood, was born at sea in 1850 and raised in Buffalo, NY. By the 1880s he had cut out a career for himself in the booming confectionery business in the city.

 

Because of Buffalo's location and the advent of the Erie Canal, the city was known for its confectioneries, with more than 126 retailers and 13 wholesalers by 1888. William S. Wood started at the bottom in the 1870s and worked his way into a factory management position at Sibley and Holmwood. 

February -- The Longest Short Month of the Year

It's still mid February and while I don't want to wish time away, boy -- it seems like a long month! At least we've had some fun -- and fun things to look forward to! 

 

Rick was so desperate for good skiing that he headed north to spend some time with Greg, then kept going up to Sault Ste. Marie Canada, (aka The Soo). He found a spot he thought was heaven on earth.

Cork Poppers: Where Do YOU Want to Be?

It's time for another Cork Poppers post! This time we met at my house and our theme was "Where in the World Would You Like to Be Right Now." That opened up a lot of options for wines from about every country you could imagine and we had a few -- New Zealand, Spain and Italy!

January Books

I had high hopes for January reading and ended up with four books, three mysteries and one novel. I did clock in a lot of pages -- most were pretty big. But more important, they were good, too. 

Still Cold, But Who Isn't These Days?

It's been a full week, mostly good, and capped off on Saturday with a Cork Poppers gathering. More on that one later, but we had a wonderful afternoon sampling wines and devouring terrific food from places we'd rather be!

 

The Portrait Challenge

Today is Nicole's Friday Face-Off portrait challenge, in which we share portraits we have done of another. Now, if I was really doing this right, it would be something more recent than these. But, as they say, "it's been a month" (or two). So a couple of oldies. I'll kick it off with Rick. (All of these were done in watercolor on paper.)

Polar Vortex!

Greetings from the Polar Vortex. Chances are if you live most places in the US, you are in it, too. 

 

We are in the midst of a deep freeze here -- definitely not my favorite kind of weather but when you live in Michigan, you have to experience this now and then. But this is pretty extreme! When I was a kid, I don't remember them ever closing school because it was too cold. Even snow days were rare and it seemed we had more then than now.