Saturday morning I walked in one of Katie’s parks along with 10 other people and an expert guide, to see the wildflowers blooming and tour some of the projects the township is working on to make more of the area open to the public.
One of several steep hills we climbed.
It was two plus miles of hills and wetlands, lots of little things blooming, and a cold, sunny day. I was very glad I’d worn waterproof shoes, and three layers of shirts!
Our guide told us what this was, but I can’t remember the name of it now.
I had just driven back home Friday afternoon, after five days of camping near the Sleeping Bear Dunes in cold, sometimes rainy, weather. I was kind of tired and thought about skipping this guided walk. It would be so easy to sleep in.
Tiny little white lady’s slippers just beginning to bloom.
But we were going to explore parts of the park I’ve never been to and I didn’t want to miss that, so I went. And I’m glad I did.
A lone trillium.
There will soon be so much more of the park available to explore, and I think it will be nice to have areas of the park that are new, without memories of Katie, that can be Penny’s alone.
Wild germanium
I can’t wait to show it all to her. They say the bridge from the parking lot to the new sections should be ready this fall. I don’t know, it seems like there is still a lot of work to do. But our guide, who is in charge of all the township parklands, says he’s confident they’ll get it all done.
Lupine
Meanwhile I’ll probably take Penny over to walk the trails Katie and I used to wander. The last time Katie and I were there she had a really good walk. Where before she had often refused to walk down the big hills, on this last walk, in the fall of 2021, she was eager to go.
I don’t know what this is, but it was pretty!
She walked much further than I expected her to, and even jumped over a tree branch that had fallen over the trail.
How fun! We got to go down trails that were normally off limits!
So I have those good memories to ease me into sharing her park with her new little sister, Penny.
Remnant.
The guided walk helped me, too, to see the park without Katie, but to realize she’ll always be there with me, just like she is in so many places.
You can’t beat spring in Michigan. I used to tell my mother, who had moved along with my dad to Alabama in 1980, that she no longer appreciated spring like we who still lived in the north did.
That without the freezes and snow and frigid wind she didn’t have a true understanding of how wonderful spring can be.
She disagreed. She said she didn’t need to freeze to know warmth.
I suppose not, but I have to think that those of us living here in the north (and there is much more north north of me!) are much more grateful for those warm days than people living in the perpetually sunny south.
She used to say they had fall colors down there too. But that’s an entirely different post.
Anyway, this is just a long winded way to share the spring that is happening right this minute in my backyard.
For those of you living further to the north of me, this is what I’m sending to you as soon as I’m done with it.
But, to be honest, I might not be done with it for several more weeks.
At the grocery store this week I’ve noticed people buying flowers and cards with pink envelopes. In years past this might have made me sad, these days I’m just happy that people are celebrating moms all over.
Mom to be
Mine’s been gone many years now, but each spring I remember us tromping through the woods, digging up yellow cowslips to drag home in heavy buckets for mom.
They bloom every spring, for moms everywhere.
Last week I turned a corner on a trail through the woods and saw this…
A whole carpet of marsh marigolds made me smile.
…and immediately thought….
You can’t help but smile.
…”Hey mom, look at all the cowslips I found for you this year!”
May is my favorite month hands down. I wish more of the year could be just like May.
So much hope resides in May. The gardens are just waking up, there’s still time to dream about what might be planted and harvested, before the heat of summer bakes the earth and the weeds and insects take over.
Walks in the woods in May are comfortable, a light breeze and sun filtering through newly opening leaves.
Lots of birds come back to town.
Trees are blooming.
Skies are blue. There’s so much to look forward to and I can hardly wait for summer.
Katie visited me in my dreams last night. I can’t remember the entire conversation, but I remember some, and the comfort her visit provided:
“Hey mama, I love you.”
“I know you do, baby-girl.”
Yea, but it seemed like maybe you needed to hear it.”
“Yes, I’ve been missing you something terrible.”
“I’ve noticed, mama. You’ve got to stop thinking about the day I crossed the bridge.”
“I know. But everywhere I look I remember you.”
“I’d think you’d be too busy with the new kid to spend much time missing me.”
“You’d think, right?”
“She seems like an OK kid, mama, but you can’t let her break all the rules, you know?”
“Like I did with you, huh?”
“Well, yea. Like you did with me. You’ve noticed she’s really smart, right?”
“Oh yes, we’ve noticed.”
“Well, she’s going to want to do lots of stuff, and some of it will be stuff you did with me and you can’t be crying all the time, OK? It’s not fair to the kid.”
“You’re right. I can’t be doing that. She deserves more from her mom.”
“She doesn’t call you mama?”
Nope, you’re the only one that calls me that. She calls me mom. But I’ll always be your mama.”
“I know mama. Always.”
“Always and forever, baby girl.”
“OK mama, now get going on the training…I watched that yellow flower photo shoot and frankly she’s got a lot to learn.”
“Awww give her a break, sweetie. She’s only 5 months old. She’ll figure it out once she stops putting everything into her mouth..”
“I know, mama. Well, I just wanted to stop by and tell you I love you. And to remind you to do right by the kid. I’m watching.”
Thanks, Katie-girl, it sure was nice of you to stop by.”
Penny here. I know you’ve heard from me a lot this month, but honestly, I’m the best thing mom and dad have going on right now, so I’m going to take advantage of that and get all the screen exposure I can! Cause I know things can change in an instant.
Gotta keep an eye out behind me, you never know what might sneak up on us.
Like for example…one moment I was playing with all my sisters at Mama S’s house and the next minute I was in a mom and dad’s arms and then in their car and then in my very own home!
Being aware of your surroundings is very important when you’re out in the world like this.
Sometimes I get to visit Mama S and my sister and my dog mom. That’s a lot of fun, and we play a whole bunch, but lately my mom and dad are taking me more places to explore. They say they’re exposing me to different sounds and smells, but mostly I think they just want to play.
That’s a pretty tree, mom, but you should be focusing all your attention on me.
Why last week mom took me to three parks! Three! I think she was trying to wear me out but that’s not going to happen. She said she didn’t want to waste the good weather, so we needed to go, go GO!
Sometimes mom has good ideas!
There could be something scary in this water!
The first park we visited was Independence Oaks. I’ve been there before, when mom met a friend there and we all went for a walk. But this time it was just us, and we were in a different part of the park.
I’m gonna break up this dangerous stick, OK mom?
I was a little uncertain for some reason that morning, not at all sure I wanted to be there. My mom is pretty observant and we didn’t stay too long. She says we’ll try again on a day when the park isn’t so busy.
Then on another day we went to a park I’ve never been to before! Mom said it was one of Katie’s favorites and that they used to camp here a lot.
I don’t know what camping is. Mom says that’s OK, when I’m a little older she’ll show me.
Is that another dog down there?
There was a big lake and mom took me down so I could smell the water. I think maybe I like water, but she wouldn’t let me go in. She said it was too cold.
I want to play IN the water, mom!
Too cold for a sheltie? I don’t know mom, I think it might be fun. Promise me you’ll let me wade later this summer, OK?
The lake looks pretty from up here, mom!
Then she said we were going to walk in the woods! I wasn’t at all sure I wanted to go into the woods!
I don’t know, mom. Are you sure?
There could be scary things in there!
I guess it’s not so bad in the woods.
On the other hand, it turned out that there were lots of wonderful smells in there! And mom let me smell all of them.
I practiced my sit. I even did a little staying. But not much.
It took us forever to do just a little bit of the trail that Katie and she used to walk all the time.
This is pretty cool, mom.
Eventually I got pretty comfortable in the woods, but there sure were a lot of smells and crazy sounds! And there was a boardwalk I didn’t like at all!
Nope! Not walking on this, mom!
Luckily mom scooped me up and carried me off the boardwalk. I was OK after that, but I was still glad to get back out into the open where I could make sure to protect mom from any scary woodland monsters.
So this place is full of people in the summer? Interesting.
Then, on another day mom took me to Springfield Oaks! I’d been there before, so I was cool with this park. It has a giant sledding hill that we climbed last time.
What’s that over there?
We walked around behind the sledding hill this time, so I could spend some time smelling at the edge of the woods. Lots of people walk their dogs there, so there was quite a bit of pee-mail for me to read.
We’re going to go up this hill, right mom?
But what I really wanted to do was run up that hill!
Mom said we didn’t have to, but I think that was just her not really wanting to go up it. I told her we needed to go up there to see what there was to see on the other side! After all, I’m an adventure-girl!
I posed a bunch for mom. I’m figuring out the modeling business can be very lucrative with treats.
But of course first mom had to take like a bajillion pictures. Katie warned me about her.
I even got to lay down on the job!
I decided I didn’t mind too much. The treats were good. But finally I dragged her the rest of the way up the hill and guess what? We could see a school bus and a whole bunch of kids down there!
Well what do you know, that looks fun!
I thought that was very interesting. Mom thought we should avoid them and go down the other side of the hill. So we did. And on our way down mom found these yellow flowers and got all excited.
Yellow flowers, mom? Really??!
She said something about Katie getting her picture taken every spring in the yellow flowers and I should sit there for her so she could get more pictures.
I guess if I can lay down I’ll let you take some pictures of me in the flowers.
Whatever mom.
Nom, nom, nom.
But wait! These are quite tasty! Another perk to being a model!
Mom said that was enough and it was time to go.
If I hide down here you can’t see me, right mom?
Sometimes mom has no sense of humor.
Anyway, those were my adventures in three parks last week! I don’t know how many more parks there are out there. I think Katie should have left me a map or a list or something. I guess I’ll just have to stay flexible and see what the folks have lined up for me next.
Oh yea, I forgot to tell you,I got dirt on my nose when I was in the woods!
I’m in puppy school with daddy, and that’s been kind of fun. So far they’re just doing stuff I mostly already know how to do, but I get lots of treats, so whatever, right?!
Time to sign off, this is way too long and I need my beauty sleep!
Friday I took myself to see Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. I read the book more than 50 years ago, and I just had to see the movie. Like most people I usually like the books better than the movies that are made based on them.
So you may ask? What about this one?
First let me set the stage. The movie theater I went to is at a mall, and I haven’t been to the mall in a very long time. I used to go each morning and walk around and around, looking at the windows, watching people, hardly ever buying anything. In fact, I don’t remember the last time I bought anything at the mall. Which makes me wonder how they survive.
There’s a Leggo Land and a SeaWorld type thing and even something experiential that involves a pig named Pippa at the mall these days. I don’t get it.
It felt like a parallel universe when I walked inside on a Friday afternoon. Lots of people, most of them with little kids were walking around. It was noisy in a way I don’t remember. Teens wandering, which seemed odd on a school day. But frankly I have no sense of age, so maybe these were young adults, long out of high school.
I was early, so I walked part way around the mall, noting stores that were new, the loss of stores that used to be. OK. Let’s be honest. I walked part way around the mall to use the restroom.
I’m that age now.
Anyway, eventually I made my way back to the theater and stood in a short line to buy tickets. Everyone in line was an older woman. My age, actually.
The young man selling the tickets was slightly overweight, scraggly beard, a bit of a mustache, greasy hair. When I asked for a ticket to Are You There God, he smiled and said he remembered when he was a young girl growing up in the 70s always giggling with his friends about boys.
That set me back a moment.
I didn’t want to be judgmental, or reactionary, or inappropriate so I just smiled and nodded as I waited for my ticket. I took a second glance at him, trying to figure out if he was once a girl. Maybe. But then he started to laugh, and I was startled out of my musings. Just kidding he said, and I smiled and took my ticket and said, well, you never know…and he said no you don’t and I went to find my assigned seat.
And hours later I thought….You’re an idiot, he was much too young to be anything in the 70s! Why would you focus only on the fact he said he was a girl and not see how unreasonable the whole scenario was?
Anyway. The movie.
I thought the movie was marvelous. I don’t know how long it was because I never once checked my watch, which is something I almost always do in movies. I have such a short attention span. I smiled to myself through almost all of it. It was a gentle, sweet, thought provoking movie. I recommend it.
If you’re a woman of a certain age you probably read the book. Even if you haven’t, you should take yourself to this movie.
Tonight I watched a tape of an interview of Judy Blume on the Tonight Show. It’s short….take the time and see what she thinks about her book being made into a movie 50+ years after she wrote it.
I guess growing up in the 70s wasn’t so bad, even if the hairstyles and clothes were. Go see the movie and be reminded.
Change Is Hard 