Mad About Magnolias

Today is Pink Saturday!

Join me on a journey through the land of fleeting magnolia blooms!

Flowers on each tree. Mad about magnolias. Pink, perfect blossoms.

Spring finally arrives. Magnolias are in flower. I'm so filled with joy.

Blue sky. Pink blooms. Sun. Springtime days are beautiful. How brief it will be.

One day on the tree. The next, they rest on the ground. Gently falling. Gone.

Shooting photos rocks! A dark, dramatic background. With the help of Picassa.

Please visit Beverly's site to link to more posts filled with pink! I'm sure there are some flowers there, too!

(And by the way, if you enjoy books, stop by my other blog, Chopsticks and String, for a look at "Americans In Paris: Life and Death Under Nazi Occupation." Not really a light, magnolia-sort of book, but excellent.)

Walking the "Ouch" Out

A sunny weekend. A messy garden. If the weeds don't get out before everything grows in, it will be a terrible mess and one that will never get done well.

And the next day -- ouch!

I remember those muscles -- I haven't noticed them in a long while! So, at noon I decided to walk the "ouch" out and see what was in bloom on campus.

Much of the color was already turning to green.

It amazes me that we can wait so very long and then in almost a heartbeat the color is on its way out!

Even the geese seem muted!

But that didn't mean there was abundant color.

The tulip garden behind the old intramural building was in full bloom.

Tulips -- another short-lived flower. I couldn't stop taking pictures to savor in the future -- which the way things are going could be a week or two away!

The campus takes on a different atmosphere when the students are gone -- the banks are quiet, with only a few enjoying the sun.

And they are probably employees on lunch break! But not these folks -- they're working hard to make it beautiful.

I was rather fond of this lovely tree with a carpet of purple flowers. Alas, not enough time to take a break!

Of course, there are dog walkers by the river -- and more than a few flowers there, too.

It seemed as though the only noise was that of construction...

...and the squeals of children on a field trip!

Campus surprise for the day?

A cookie club! Who knew?

My walk isn't over -- but that's for another day!

Snow!

I feel a tad sheepish talking about snow when I know so many of you have even more than we do -- which, for Michigan -- isn't all that much.

I can't say it's my favorite site, yet when the sky is this blue, the snow so white -- who can resist sharing a few photos.

These were taken on the Michigan State University campus.

The older part of campus has wonderful brick dorms, ivy covered in summer. In the winter, they're a bit different!

Looking across Landon Field, you can see how they cover a good deal of territory in the central part of campus.

This grotto is near the music building. During the summer months, it's not unusual to see students sitting on the grass, studying or perhaps just enjoying the day. It's a grand spot for a picnic, too -- but not today!

If you read The Marmelade Gypsy last spring and followed me on my campus walks, you might remember Beaumont Tower, one of the campus landmarks. Here it is in winter!

Yes, it is a winter wonderland!

(You can see photos from earlier this winter at Chopsticks and String. I hope to post more from a warmer climate later this week!)

Quieter Colors

Nothing like a bracing walk on a cold, gloomy day to bring the colors from vibrant to pensive.

So walk with me at one of MSU's hidden gems -- the water garden behind the MRI building.

Small waterfalls tumble over smooth rocks, wrapped into a landscape of reeds and grasses,

Only the fish seem to have the requisite orange garb of autumn!

I discovered this spot one day after having an MRI in the adjacent building. It was a quiet, pleasant place to walk after spending more time than one would like laying in a tube, senses having been assaulted by a cacaphony of excruciatingly loud sounds.

With each passing season, the garden takes on different colors and different moods.

When I first discovered this garden, it was a gray, cold, snowy day and the colors of this water garden were monochromatic -- white snow, gray rocks, skeletons of black branches from the trees and bushes at water's edge. Right now, the colors are warmer...

But not for long.

(You didn't really think I'd leave you without any color, did you?)

Of course not!

Enjoy these last fleeting days of autumn with a walk in your special place.

The Road to Recovery

The square of the hypotenuse is equal to the squares of the two supporting sides.

Remember that from geometry class? (It’s about the only thing I can remember!)

It’s an intuitive lesson for those of us who look for the quickest way across a field or parking lot.

And it’s one I think of every day on my walk to the bus!

Since driving has been forbidden since my surgery, I’ve been enjoying a combination of rides from kind friends (generally on appointment days or bad weather!) and taking the bus.

Taking the bus involves about a mile-long walk to the first stop, then after getting off, another mile (if I take the “walk” way) or a short walk to a transfer point that delivers me to the door.

(Although today I found a quicker route that is bus all the way – which has its good and bad points.)

Since the weather has been nice, walking has been both good exercise, just as efficient time-wise (both routes are the same – about an hour – compared to the 10-minute car ride!), and I consider it boot camp for Paris!

There are things I note on these walks – not the least of which is the number of steps, which I count faithfully. (Let’s just say there are thousands. Literally.)

One is that once I’m out of the subdivision – about three blocks – I’m in the asphalt jungle and in more ways than one. Crossing involves the four lanes of two busy streets and crossing over the expressway on a narrow sidewalk. (Probably not so narrow – it just feels it was crazy drivers beside and below you!).

(I’m not even going to show you pix of this part of the trip – too boring!)

It means going through a parking lot of a once vibrant shopping center called Frandor, where my mother shopped when I was a child. Now it’s more desolate, and with recent closings of the Linens ‘n’ Things and Comp USA stores, along with a bookstore, shoe store and toy store, it’s a little sad.

(Having said that, the JoAnn’s and World Market doors automatically open when I come by, as though they expect I’ll take my normal route and step in!)

The Panera is good for a quick stop if I just miss the bus and have to wait 10 minutes (like today!)

When I decide to take the “walk-way” (which I tend to do most often), the bus drops me at the Student Union, where there is another 3,000 step walk to my building. It is this walk I look forward to. I enjoy passing by the older dormitories and classroom buildings.

For as much asphalt and cement as I experience on the first half of the walk, this part is beautiful, cutting through the oldest part of MSU’s campus and along its river bank.

During the spring, the campus is at its most beautiful. Right now it is just waking up.

I enjoy seeing the trees change with every day, as forsythia begin to blossom and the fat buds of magnolias are barely contained.

Birds and squirrels dart about in mad chases and Beaumont Tower often chimes as I pass by. I am simply wild about the architecture.

Students pass, plugged into iPods or on the phone, barely acknowledging another walker. (This is much different from my school days on this campus where one nodded, smiled or said hello to just about anyone.)

On my quest for the perfect hypotenuse, I have tramped through damp grass, bits of mud, across parking lots and through buildings. Every day I notice something new. Including graffiti with the university pres!

As I pass through the library, I realize that much of the reference department has gone do-it-yourself, with computers everywhere. They didn’t do that in the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Then it’s a walk along the river. I know that soon, the ducks will be all over the place, begging for treats.

Students will also be all over the place – in tank tops or less, sunning themselves between classes on the banks of the Red Cedar.

Soon I’ll post an update with the campus’ beautiful flowering trees. Stay tuned – it’s a colorful shocker of apple and cherry blossoms, red buds, magnolias and more!

Driving privileges should be restored next week and in light of time, I will probably drive more. But I’ve really been enjoying my walks and you can count on them continuing – with or without the bus!