Life – Page 2 – Natural Musings

Some Things Old, Some Things New III

(Musings on our trip to the Bay State- Part III)

By Betty McCreary

We just came out of an insane election time and I hope this did not put a damper on your sharing a Thanksgiving table with family and/or friends. And if you were alone, I hope you treated yourself well and found some things to smile about.

My husband and I listened to the music from Hamilton while we prepared our big meal. Just us this year, but we made our homemade mashed potatoes and I made my special spicy cranberry sauce. While I am nostalgic for the Thanksgivings of years past at my grandma’s table and later my mother’s table, those days can not be recreated. Our holiday celebrations morph a bit each year. I am thankful for getting to spend the holiday with my husband. I am also thankful for calls and texts from family and friends we could not be with.

As I get older I am working on a daily gratitude practice, which simply calls me to find small joys each day and share them with others. This practice has really helped me get past the anger and sadness I felt at the election.

And I am so thankful for the big trip to Massachusetts that we took in July to visit our family members there.

Because of a resurgence of Covid, we tried to find things we could all do together outdoors. The whole group of 7 of us met at the New England Botanical Gardens at Tower Hill, west of Boston, at Boylston, Mass. We ate lunch at the little cafe there. It has an outdoor seating option. Then we hiked around the grounds. It was hot and humid trekking, but was fun being together and sharing the joys of this beautiful outdoor space. First we walked down a hill to a pond. There was a pavilion for sitting and looking for birds and pond critters. Then we continued on through tall trees until we came to several interesting structures and statues. Here is one of them:

Temple In The Woods

Then we headed up hill to the more landscaped part of the gardens.

Saw some plants I was familiar with like this milkweed:

Monarch On Milkweed

And some others that were new to me:

Anyone Know What These Are?

There were a couple more ponds:

Frog On Lily Pad

And some interesting landscape choices:

Plants Planted In A Pattern On A Vertical Wall

The next day we headed to another outdoor spot, minus one of our party. Mirror Lake is on the old grounds of Ft. Devens, north west of Boston. Ft. Devens was an old army base from 1917-1996. Part of it now serves as a training center for the Army reserve and National Guard. A small township has evolved there.

Mirror Lake

We parked and walked down a hill to the entrance station and paid our fee. After staking out a spot for our chairs, we all went swimming. The water was perfect for a hot day. My husband was experiencing a bit of nostalgia at being here. When he was in the Army, he did his Individual Advanced Training (AIT) at Ft. Devens. The 4 months he spent here training was in the winter and so he had not been swimming here before. This is a family friendly area with life guards and boat rentals. One of our group was a regular there this summer, getting his exercise after work. We splashed around and laughed and looked at fish in the clear water.

And then this happened:

On Our Youngest Member’s Finger

A little dragonfly took turns perching on our fingers. Dragonflies can be symbols of change and transformation. I think our family bonds changed a bit and got stronger on this trip. I am thankful for that.

I hope you enjoyed this little personal trip report and maybe will visit some of the places I did. And I hope you find some small joys each day.

For More On The New England Botanical Garden:

http://www.nebg.org

(Photos by Betty McCreary)

Some Things Old, Some Things New

(Musings On Our Trip To The Bay State – Part 1)

In July, my husband and I flew north 1,963 miles to Boston, Massachusetts to visit family. We have been there before and seen most of the historical sights related to the birth of our nation. This trip would be a little bit different. Here are a few highlights:

One of our resident family members suggested going to the Paul S. Russell, MD Museum of Medical History and Innovation in Boston (russellmuseum.org) at 2N. Grove St. We saw all sorts of interesting things such as an iron lung and early medical instruments.

Mosher Coin and Button Tube (for removal of foreign objects)

Foreign Objects Removed After Accidental Swallowing

Fascinating and disgusting!

Glass Eyes

It is a small museum with a nice roof top garden with a city view. And admission to the museum is free!

Our family member guide had been wanting to try a Uyghur (pronounced weegur) restaurant in Cambridge (west side of Boston). Neither my husband or I had ever tried Uyghur food or even knew what kind of food it might be. It turned out to be pretty good. All of us ordered noodle dishes.

The menu has lots of noodle dishes. The meats range from lamb to chicken to shrimp.

Check out Silk Road Uyghur Cuisine at 645 Cambridge st., Cambridge, MA.

Silk Road Restaurant Window Curtains

Hopeful Graffiti Spotted In Cambridge

We chose to stay in Somerville, Mass. (northwest of Boston) in an area called Assembly Row. An old Ford factory used to be at that location. Now it is a mixed use area with hotels, shops, restaurants, and sports grounds. One tourist highlight is the LEGO Discovery Center (legodiscoverycenter.com/boston/). Lots of Lego displays and kid friendly activities. And, of course, you can buy Legos there. We didn’t actually go in, but I shot this Lego giraffe outside the place.

And last, but not least, we visited the New England Aquarium (https://www.neaq.org.We) had been here before, but this time our family member guide happened to volunteer there and gave us a personalized tour. The aquarium is a must see. Only draw back to me was how crowded it was.

The Large

Sea Lions

Myrtle The Turtle

The Small

Penguin

The Tiny

Sea Horses

The Secretive

Octopus Leg (the creature was hiding)

The Other

In Your Face Fish (don’t know species)

Just a few Summer Trip Tidbits….

Photos by B. McCreary

Images On A Green Umbrella

I spend as much time as possible sitting on my porch observing the wild life that goes on in my backyard. It is usually a peaceful time with the trilling of wrens and the soft gurgles of the doves. Sometimes my neighbor plunks happy tunes on his guitar. The only thing that will drive me back in the house is the sound of leaf blowers close by, or more often, the heat. The large umbrella keeps the sun off, but in the afternoon sitting under it is like being in an oven.

Once in a while, if I look up, reality is obscured.

Silhouette of the nearby crepe myrtle

Cicada#2

My Nemesis, The Summer Sun

Stay cool my friends! And keep looking up…

Photos by B. McCreary

Some More Spring Families

In April and May I shared with you a Great Horned Owl family’s behavior and the development of two chicks. For this month’s blog I want to share some more families.

Some families feed and nurture their young.

Grackle Parents With Fledgling Grackle Begging For Food In Background

Some families lead their young.

Some parents hide the young to protect them from predators.

This Doe And Fawn Could Not Be Seen From A Nearby Trail. (This shot was through a window up above the area)

Some parents protect their young in other ways.

Killdeer Parent Distracting A Possible Predator (Me) By Feigning An Injury

Who are they protecting?

Baby Killdeer Chick In Marsh Below Boardwalk

And let’s not forget the sibling relationships. Some siblings irritate each other.

Some siblings get along with each other.

(Bird photos were taken at Aransas Pass; the Doe and Fawn photo was taken at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center; Squirrel photos were taken in my back yard)

They Grow Up So Fast

Last month’s blog told of the Great Horned Owl Family that took up residence at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin and my obsession with them. My obsession continued into May. Most mornings I would tune in to the live owl camera (courtesy of the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology) to see how the two owlets were doing. And in the evening, while watching t.v., I would set up my iPad nearby so I could check on them periodically. I learned to take screen shots off the iPad.

I also volunteer at the Wildflower Center. When I was out there I made it a point to go look at them in person, roosting in their nest in a nook up above the archway that leads into the central courtyard.

Back in March the question was whether or not Athena, the mother owl, would return to nest at the Wildflower Center as she had since 2012. Fast forward to May and everyone is anticipating the eventual fledging (leaving the nest) of the owlets. The big question was “when would they leave?” “Would it be tonight”?

It was a waiting game, but not boring. The chicks continued to grow and behave in new ways. I was amused by their cuteness and concerned about their well being.

May 1st- Wet Chicks

May 4th-Waiting For A Meal

Sometimes the nights would be peaceful and the sounds of frogs and chuck will’s widows (night bird) could be heard along with the burble of the nearby water feature and the gentle cheeping of the younger chick.

But, at other times, event noise would keep the little ones alert. Sometimes the owlets appeared alarmed at the sudden shouts of wedding guests cheering on the newly weds after the reception.

I am old enough to remember when rice was thrown at the bride and groom as they left the guests. Later, rice became birdseed. And now, the guests blow bubbles at the lucky couple.

May 4th- One Chick Seen Behind Plant As Bubbles Float Upward Past The Nest Area (the bubbles are the little x shapes)

The parents were most excellent owl parents and continued to feed the chicks and watch over them.

May 7th- Parent Bird Has Just Fed The Chicks

The owlets would move around in the nest between parent visits. They would groom themselves.

They would jump, and flap their now mostly feathered wings. They would chew on old carcasses.

They would wait.

May 12-Mama Can You Hear Me? (the younger bird was often cheeping)

May 13- Where Is Our Food?

They flapped more and more and got closer to the edge of the nest area…usually staying on the plant side of the stone ledge. But, sometimes sitting just on the lip of the ledge. And then it happened.

May 14th- Older Chick Loses Balance. Tries To Grip Ledge And Disappears Downward. Junior Is Looking Elsewhere.

The Senior Chick has accidently fledged. Some of us were watching live as this happened. I saw the bird practicing flapping and I think I even said out loud “Watch out! You are going to fall!”

May 14-Junior Dozes By Himself After Other Chick “Fledged”

May 15- All Alone The Next Morning

The Senior Chick was spotted in a nearby tree the next morning and was being fed and attended to by adult birds. That was a relief to hear.

There was a lot of activity on May 15th. The remaining chick was peeping and moving around in the nest and flapping. In the evening the parent birds were returning to the nest every few minutes with small bits of food (maybe crickets?). It is thought that they were encouraging the younger owlet to go ahead and fledge. It would be easier to continue to feed the youngsters if they were in the same location. At one point I saw the owlet flapping on the edge and then he backed up as if he realized how close he was to the ledge. But, then went to the ledge again! It was like he was trying to get up his courage.

May 15- Camera Goes Wide Angle In Anticipation Of Fledging- Athena and youngster

May 16- I visit the Wildflower Center for a volunteer shift and see the owlet up in the nest on the left side of the plant, on the ledge and cheeping.

May 17-Junior Flapping On The Edge

I start to wonder if anyone is taking bets on when the remaining owlet will fledge. He looks ready, but apparently he is not. There is an event that night. It is the evening “Members Only” opening of the animatronic dinosaur exhibit (Dinosaurs Around The World, May 17-July 17). The roar of a nearby dinosaur can be heard periodically, as well as a toad croaking in the pond.

May 18-In the evening there is a party event (probably a wedding) and the little owl was panting some and moving around nest area. Music and toads could be heard. At 10:54 p.m. the owl was sitting on the left side of the nest area, waiting. All of a sudden a loud human yelling began and photo flashes illuminated the area, including the nest area. The startled owl moved behind the plant as the wedding party finished their business. He was back out a half an hour later and I captured this photo.

May 18- My Last Shot Of Junior (taken 11:28 p.m.)

May 19- 7:20 a.m. He fledged! The camera was again at wide angle. He flew to a wall by the nearby pond and then went into some plants behind the pond. Then a parent bird showed up on the edge of the pond and flew off with a carcass in it’s talons, as if it was saying “Follow me!”

See the video clip at :

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/cams/wildflower-great-horned-owls

I missed them immediately! I am grateful that I got to witness this part of a life cycle. One of the wedding songs I heard played in the background one time was Louis Armstrong singing “What A Wonderful World” and that pretty much says it all.

Others have spotted the birds in trees on the property and they are well cared for by the parent birds as they learn to fend for themselves. Only time will tell if we get to witness this miracle of life next year.

Check out the Cornell Website at :

Allaboutbirds.org

And the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at:

Wildflower.org

And for some excellent photos of Athena and her chicks and other life at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower center check out photographer Bill Boyd’s photos at:

My Visit To Memphis-PartII-If I Can Dream

Our tour bus parked on a side street. We got off the bus and headed up the hill, The Lorraine Motel sign as our beacon.

I got to the top of the slope and looked to my right. The sudden view of the hotel balcony was like a gentle gut punch. In my mind’s eye I could see the iconic image of Reverend Martin Luther King lying dead on the balcony, one man kneeling at his side and others pointing across the street.

Balcony of the Lorraine Motel-White Wreath in Front of Area MLK Was Murdered

I began to sob. I don’t like people seeing me cry and moved away a bit from our group and guide, my husband comforting me. I put my camera between me and the scene before me. I recorded the building and the bricks below my feet.

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered April 4th, 1968.

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. was murdered two months later on June 6th, 1968.

Elvis Presley was preparing to film his Comeback Special for NBC in June of 1968. Since it would air in December of that year there was some suggestion of the special being a Christmas special and that the final song would be a Christmas song. Elvis was upset enough about the murders of MLK and RFK that he asked one of his writers, Walter Earl Brown to write a song. He patterned it on MLK’s I Have A Dream speech and it was titled If I Can Dream. It was the last song in the Comeback Special. Over 40 million people watched the special.

Background for Comeback Special (aired December 1968)

Link to You Tube video of Elvis singing “If I Can Dream”:

https://www.google.com/search?gs_ssp=eJzj4tVP1zc0TEmriK8wTEk2YPQSyUxTyFRITsxTSClKTcxVSM0pyywGANcUC_U&q=if+i+can+dream+elvis&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS886US886&oq=if+i&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUqDAgBEC4YQxiABBiKBTIGCAAQRRg7MgwIARAuGEMYgAQYigUyCggCEC4YsQMYgAQyBggDEEUYQDIOCAQQRRgnGDsYgAQYigUyBggFEEUYPDIGCAYQRRg8MgYIBxBFGDzSAQgzNjA5ajBqN6gCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:e0365a52,vid:xA142IsjQiE,st:0

(If link does not work, the video can be found by searching for Elvis If I Can Dream)

Link to article about Elvis supposed Racism:

https://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/question/2006/march.htm

Other Sources: Wikipedia.org, Graceland.com, youtube.com

Photos by B. McCreary

My Visit To Memphis-Part I-Graceland

“There’s some part of me wants to see Graceland”-line from Paul Simon’s Graceland.

Graceland has not been on my bucket list, nor has Memphis, Tennessee. Not that I had anything against the city or the home. I always enjoyed Elvis as a singer and entertainer, but did not really appreciate him until I was an adult. I remember as a kid looking for something to watch on t.v. and when one of the few channels we got was showing an Elvis movie, we were not too happy. We did watch them, but I remember most of them being not very good, if mildly entertaining.

But, when my husband and I found ourselves in Memphis for a few days in early March, we saw the sights. And there must have been a little part of me that had always wanted to go to Graceland, because I enjoyed the whole Elvis experience.

First we toured the large museum devoted to all things Elvis. One room had his cars. One room had info on his Army years. Other rooms covered his first records, his movie career, his outfits, and the other singers that influenced him and those that he influenced.

Then we visited Graceland across the street from the museum. The furnishings in each room were amazing. He seemed to have a t.v. in every room.

And we walked the grounds. There are 3 horses there (said to be rescue horses). It had been raining earlier and we didn’t see the horses at first. But, then they must have been released from the barn and we got to see them (all with braided manes).

Visitors Have Left Their Mark On Wall In Front Of Graceland

Almost a month later I still hear snippets of Elvis songs in my head.

The next day we took a bus tour of Memphis with several stops: Sun Recording studio where Elvis and others recorded their early records; The Memphis Welcome Center that has statues of both B. B. King (the King of the Blues) and Elvis (the King of Rock and Roll) and exhibits on other entertainers with a Memphis connection; the Peabody Hotel where live ducks parade in and swim in the lobby pond twice a day; and the Lorraine Motel where the Reverend Martin Luther King was murdered. It is 7. 6 miles from Graceland.

Photos by B. McCreary

Embracing Spring

Last month I was expecting Spring and actively looking for signs of the early anemones. I looked for them everyday in my front yard. On February 18th I saw the first ones!

A Host of Anemones At The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (February 2024)

The first day of Spring is celebrated in North America on the Spring Equinox, I am celebrating Spring now because so much fresh life is emerging all around. Green shoots are coming up from the ground and sprouting from tree branches. And there is the blooming of flowers…from the pinky purple buds on my redbud tree to the purple spiderwort blossoms popping out every day. The days are getting longer and warmer. Birds are becoming more vocal and active. Some will soon leave to breed farther North (white throated sparrow seen below), while we welcome other species home from their wintering grounds in the South. I am guessing some of you have already seen some purple martins (early Spring arrivals). Other critters are emerging on sunny days (lizards, snakes, insects)

White Throated Sparrow At Wildflower Center (ready to fly North to spend the warmer months)

Carolina Wren Wondering What Their Significant Other Is Up To

Significant Other Taking A Dust Bath In Potting Soil In Our Raised Garden Bed

I am embracing them all in my heart and soul, these little joys of Spring.

And, No, I didn’t forget! The Blue bonnets are starting to bloom!

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (February 2024)

(all photos taken by B. McCreary)

Expecting Spring

I am getting old. I have seen many Springs, but these days I often wonder how many more I will see before I pass from this life and dissolve into the great mystery. I push these thoughts away before I move into despair and fear. I am determined to concentrate on the joy to be found every day…especially the abundant little joys found in the Spring. Some of these little joys are the early flowers. Specifically, I am talking about the little anemone flowers that bloom before most other flowers. I have looked in my front yard and in the nearby greenbelt, but no luck so far.

Here is what I am searching for:

They can be white, pink, purple, or blue. The flower heads are on a tall, slender stalk up to a foot high. Anemones are perennials and are in the family Ranunculaceae (Buttercup). They occur in prairies and woodlands from January through April.

Flower Fly On Anemone

We have at least 4 species in Texas and I don’t know if the ones I have seen in past years are the Carolina Anemone (Anemone caroliniana) or the Ten-Petal Anemone (Anemone berlandieri).

Fun Facts:

What look like the petals are actually sepals…don’t ask…I need to learn more.
The “petals” close up at night or during low light days.
Although Indigenous peoples used parts of the plant as medicine in healing wounds and others made a tea from it, the plant is considered toxic (neurotoxin).
The word anemone is from a Greek word meaning wind. Some say the spring breezes cause the flowers to open. Others noticed them swaying in the wind.
There are about 150 species of related anemones in the world in both the southern and northern hemispheres.
Folklore associated with the plants range from those who say anemones are the “lilies of the field” in the New Testament to them representing blood in Greek mythology. In China there is an anemone that is associated with death. My favorite story is that when it rains, fairies sleep in the closed up petals.

I will keep looking every day and when I see my first anemone, I will smile and welcome another Spring.

Sources-

Wildflowers of Texas by Geyata Ajilvsgi

Legends of Texas Wildflowers by Elizabeth Silverthorne

Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country by Marshall Enquist

Heralds of Spring in Texas by Roland H. Wauer

Wildflower.org

Photos by B. McCreary

Surviving An Eclipse

I remember my mother’s matter of fact voice as she quoted Robert Burns to me:

“The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men

Gang aft agley,

An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,

For promis’d joy!”

My usual words to myself are “When Life hands you lemons, make lemonade.” But, these words usually come to me later, after my initial anger at the thwarting of my well laid plans. I am still learning how to muddle my way through disappointment. Recently, my significant other and I embarked on a long anticipated vacation. Well, Life events eclipsed my plans…or in this case it was Death (more about that later). I thought I would share some things I learned during the recent thwarting.

When the normal 20 minute drive to the airport takes more than 3 hours through unusual routes and gridlocked traffic:

Enjoy learning how to take the toll road the long, long, way around town to the airport. And be glad that you are driving and that your cell phone savvy spouse is navigating.
Be happy you are not alone. You have someone to talk to in your car. You have a radio to tell you that you are in a traffic jam and what caused the jam. Everyone else on the road is with you, a bonding experience with your sister and fellow travelers.
Be grateful for drivers that let you merge when your lane ends. Don’t curse too much at the ones cutting you off. And pat yourself on the back for pushing your way in front of other cars when needed, and for letting others move in front of you. No one is getting anywhere fast anyway.
Enjoy learning about the neighborhoods that you usually speed past without seeing. There are taquerias, tire repair shops, and convenience stores with bathrooms for a needed pee break during this long commute. And again, be thankful for the car that lets you back onto the road after the pee break.
Take advantage of the slow, slog to bird watch as you move only 6 feet every 2 minutes past an undeveloped field. There is time to dig out the binoculars and watch hawks hunting, little sparrows foraging in the grass, and a shrike at the top of a tree. You can focus on Nature and calm your “I am going to miss my flight!” agitation. Pretend you are one of the Monarch butterflies fluttering over the freeway towards the airport.
Admire the gumption of the young travelers wheeling their suitcases the last mile and a half to the terminal after ditching their ride shares.

When you finally get to your car park and are on the shuttle to the terminal:

Enjoy competing with the other riders in one-upping each other in how long the commute took.
Enjoy your shuttle driver telling you that this hours long road shutdown is not as bad as the 8 hour road shutdown that happened a few months ago.

Once you get to the airport terminal:

Once again, enjoy bonding with the thousands of other people who missed their flights and with whom you will be in line with for at least the next hour.
Be proud you asserted yourself when a woman with an angry face cuts in line in front of you. She will back off and yell at you, “Well, move it then!” She will not apologize. A sister passenger in line supports you in your assertiveness and points out that the angry face attempted line cutter is wearing an airline uniform. “They are supposed to be courteous!” she says in a British accent. Be thankful you didn’t miss an international flight like the sister passenger did. Don’t report the angry face lady to the airline she represents. After all, she missed her flight too. You have that bond.
Enjoy people watching. There are people from all walks of life and nationalities and most of them are being civil to each other. Smile at the antics of the bored little kids in line and be glad that you are not trying to get out of town with a family of 6.
When you get a flight that leaves 7 hours later and will get you to your destination after midnight, enjoy more people watching and maybe a really good sandwich (airport prices be damned!). And be thankful that you and your traveling companion find a place to sit down. At your age, sitting on the floor like the younger travelers might be an option, but getting up off the floor will be much harder.
Accept that not all plans work out. Let go of trying to continue on despite your exhaustion.
Be thankful that it is just your trip that has been snuffed out and not your life. The roads had been closed and traffic rerouted because a person on a motorcycle died in a collision that morning, before sunrise.

(Eclipse photo was a screen shot from an online live stream of the October 14, 2023 solar eclipse over Albuquerque, New Mexico from NASA)

(Poem excerpt from To a Mouse by Robert Burns; from wwwlpoetryfoundation.org)