I Love To Go A Gardening
Growing Our Life in Northern Michigan
On Our Walk….
We have had some warm days, but the weather has a hint of autumn in it now. Some of the leaves on the trees are getting edged with color. I love every season of the year, but I think autumn is my favorite. I like the vivid color of autumn and the crisp cool air. I love the dark dramatic clouds as well as sunshine that sets the trees ablaze. Winter is a close favorite. I enjoy wrapping myself in a warm quilt on cold winter days, enjoying a blazing fire in the wood stove while the snow swirls outside, sipping cups of hot coffee, cuddling with cats. This afternoon it rained quite hard for a while. I enjoy rainy days for many of the same reasons that I enjoy wintry days: They make me feel cozy and cuddly.
Ever since EJ’s doctor appointment last week, we have been walking Danny together each morning. EJ has only missed two days of walking–the first was on a day he had to leave for work at 10:30 a.m. for a 12 hour shift, and the second was the day after his 12 hour shift when he was exhausted.
Sometimes it’s difficult for EJ to get started because he is stiff with pain, but once he gets started he enjoys the walks. I think the hardest part of a walk is the beginning. One reason I love to walk a dog is that my dog gets me past the initial “I don’t really feel like going today.” Without a dog, it would be easy to not walk because it’s too hot, too cold, too rainy, too snowy, or I just don’t feel like walking. However, it’s difficult to ignore my dog’s hopeful anticipation so I always go….and then I love the walk. Both EJ and I have always been interested in small curiosities and wonders, so we enjoy flowers, interesting insects, and people watching.
I thought I’d share a few pictures I took on a walk a few days ago–on one of the days EJ didn’t go with me. When he is with me, we usually talk instead of take pictures. We usually take the same route. I used to walk a mile into the country and a mile back, but one hot summer day several years ago, Danny got hot and lay down and I couldn’t get him to move on. So for the rest of the summer I took him on shorter walks which got set in routine. Danny loves his route and he gets upset if I deviate from it too much.
Our Village is very small–only a few blocks long and wide. Two blocks away from home we walk past a lovely little field. The owners let the grass and wildflowers grow long and then they cut it for hay….or straw. I can never tell the difference between hay and straw except that one is used for eating and the other for the stall floor–or hay rides. It’s interesting seeing huge round hay (or straw) bales dotting the field within the Village limits. In the picture above, the field is on the left. We pass the field twice–once on the east side of the field and then on the west side. Here are pictures of the field. You can click on them to enlarge them.
At the end of the street in the first picture is a park that the Village has been developing. The village has been working on it for a couple of years now. There are nature trails along the perimeter of the park. Several Boy Scouts have done their Eagle Scout projects at this park–including JJ. An Eagle Scout project involves planning the community service, arranging funding, getting together supplies and tools, finding volunteers, scheduling work days, and documenting all the work in a notebook, which has to be approved by an Eagle Scout counselor. In front of the trees in the middle of the picture of the park is a small pond that JJ beautified for his Eagle Scout project. He had to clean out the pond, move all the rocks and boulders surrounding the pond, take out the old liner, put in a new liner, and then put all the rocks back and fill the pond with water. Here are a few pictures of his project:
After JJ finished his project, the Village put a pretty fence around the pond to keep little children from falling in.
After we pass the field for the second time on our daily walk, we are back in among houses. Sometimes we say hi to neighbors we meet along the way. Then we are home!
I don’t know if you have ever seen videos of cats riding on Roombas? If you haven’t seen any, click here to watch one of many that are available on Youtube: Cat on Roomba. For some odd reason, cats seem to love to ride on Roombas. I mention this because after EJ, Danny, and I returned home from our walk this morning, I went out in the kitchen and found Kee-Kee sitting on my food dehydrator, which I had recently used to dry hot peppers from our garden. He looked very much like a cat sitting on a Roomba. I wondered if he was trying to hint to me that he wanted a Roomba? Silly cat.
I Love To Go A Gardening 
I enjoyed the pictures of your walk. I understand your dog’s love of routine, I was like that when I walked. Hay or straw, growing up on a farm I took that for granted. You are correct, hay is for eating, it comes from grasses. Straw is for bedding and is the stalk of the grain that is kicked out when the combine tresses out the grain. Mini farm lesson. Just wanted to share. I have learned much from your blog and so enjoy reading it.
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EJ also grew up on a farm (while I grew up in a small town) so he knows the differences between straw and hay. He seems to be able to looks at what is growing in a field and tell whether it will become straw or hay. He keeps trying to teach me, but I just see a wonderful field filled with grass and wildflowers. LOL.
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Teri I’m with you I don’t know the difference either only the one you mentioned. And what a beautiful surroundings you live in. I loved the pictures about the pond. JJ did a really wonderful job here. Hope the autumn days will begin soon over here we have a autumn week and I;m enjoying it to the fullest. Next week it will be more like summer again. I just enjoy every cloud wind and rain and colder temp. But our favorite time of the year is quickly coming I hope…..Love you ❤
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My area is actually just a small village with “nothing special” about it, but I see beauty in everything, even the most “common” things. One of my favorite poems is by Elizabeth Barrett Browning:
“Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God; But only he who sees, takes off his shoes – The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries…”
JJ really worked hard on his Eagle Scout project and it turned out very well.
I am so excited about autumn approaching. I hope yours comes quickly as well!!!
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