Category Archives: My World

My World ~ Wildlife You Might See in my Neighborhood

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First, I must tell you that I did not take any of these photos. I received them in an e-mail from a friend with no indication of the source of the images. I saw these and I thought of a couple of my friends that live here in Michigan. Folks that you may know, and that you might enjoy meeting if you don’t know them.
 
 
This should remind you of Ratty. He has a thing for black squirrels.
 
 
You might even say that Ratty is a squirrel nut. He writes about a lot of other interesting creatures that he finds on his daily adventures.
 
 
Looks like the Red-Tail Hawk is going to have headache! Yes, Red-Wing Blackbirds are very feisty. While both of these species are found here in my neighborhood in their season, I did not take this picture. I have seen similar scenes, but never where the smaller bird seems to be a passenger. Notice the furled wings.
 
This shot reminds me of another outdoor-loving friend, Sharkbytes. She recently posted a picture of a Red-Tail. So immediately thought of her when I saw this fascinating image.

My World ~ Meghan’s Critters

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We recently had company from the other side of the state. It was our former pastor and his wife. We took a walk around the corner to Beacon Bay Farm. The farm is operated by our neighbors, Curt and Meghan. I’ve taken you there before, but it is always a good place to visit. We didn’t see the human folks but did visit with some of the critters.


The sheep are an important part of Beacon Bay Farm. We have one of their lambs, well part of one in our freezer. Grace, the llama, was in another part of the complex, so we didn’t get to visit with her.


Then there are the chickens. They grow some for meat.


Others are kept for egg production. After the our short visit we walked on back to the house with our friends. They enjoy visiting us where they encounter different sights, sounds and smells then they find in their urban environment.

My World ~ Around Home

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Here’s my back door.

My antennas — click for larger photo.


Look at all those antennas. The near dish is for Starband satellite Internet service. I put a lot of money into that, and then found that uploads were at dial-up speed and stormy weather shut the connection down. The white area near the top of the tall tower is the antenna for high-speed wireless Internet from Reliable Internet, LLC (my ISP). The TV dish is next to the back door. (Easier to clear snow away.) Amateur Radio antennas decorate the two towers.


Behind me, in the corner of the formal garden is our monogram rock. I used an engraving tool to outline the letter in the rock. Then I used a rotary tool with a diamond tip to remove material within the outline. When I had finished, Sylvia painted it with exterior enamel.

High overhead, a passing jet reminds me how quickly we spend our lives. In the morning stillness comes the sound of vehicles on the expressway a mile and a half away. More hustle and bustle. I take a moment to reflect on the blessing of not being on the expressway and not being on the fast-flying jet. Time for a second cup of coffee before checking e-mail and visiting blog buds.

Today

A power outage slowed me a bit this morning. Then a friend called looking for a tractor manual. It took a couple of hours, but I think he is hot on the trail now.

My World ~ Crosby Cottage

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Sylvia’s great-grandfather Crosby needed to escape summer heat. His plan was to build a summer cottage in Leelanau County, Michigan on beautiful Glen Lake. He found a spot on the lake that rose quickly to a very high spot above the lake. From there you can see Big Glen, Little Glen, Fisher and Little Fisher Lakes. You can also see Lake Michigan and part of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. He couldn’t have picked a better location.


This is the cottage today. It is well shaded. This shot was taken from out by the road, facing west. The privet hedge provides some privacy. Bikers and hikers come by regularly, and you can hear them suck in their breath and proclaim the beauty of the scene. To the east (behind the camera) the hill continues to rise steeply. The result is that the morning sun doesn’t reach this location til nearly noon, and than it’s shaded by the large oak and pine trees. It’s a great place to vacation and unwind.


The shot above was taken from beside the cottage looking west. On the far side of Glen Lake is Alligator Hill. It sort of looks like one — at least it does to a Michiganian.


Zoom the camera in and see the kids tubing on the lake.


Now pan right and see the north end of Glen Lake. On the horizon in the center, you can see part of the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes. Wouldn’t you love to be there?

My World ~ More on the Irving House

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This story started last Friday (July 31) when I included a picture of the house where my father-in-law lives. Yesterday (August 3) I reported that my friend, Vanilla, had steered me to the Sears online archive that held details on that model and on other homes sold by Sears between 1908 and 1940. They report 70,000 to 75,000 homes (in 447 different styles) sold in that 32-year period. From large multi-story dwellings to simple cottages without a bathroom (you could buy a separate outhouse from Sears). Others have commented on homes from Sears.

George and Rachel (Crosby) Irving and their children Leona and Elouise


Sylvia’s mother, Elouise, was born in January 1920. Her father, George Irving, built the house from Sears later that year or in 1921. As reported earlier, materials cost $753 and finished price would have been around $2,000. Some of you thought that was a real bargain, but you need to realize that a skilled tradesman earned about $1 per hour. Everything needed to build the house was shipped by rail from Chicago. (Lin, you could have hooked up the horse and wagon and picked it up direct! Well, you’d probably send Joe.)


The above photo was taken in the 1920s. the lack of flowers and shrubs around the house suggests it was shortly after the house was built. Dirt around the foundations is not disturbed, so it was at least a matter of weeks after the house was completed. That is probably grandmother Rachel standing in front of the porch, and it may be grandfather George at work in the barn.


This final photo was taken in 1935. Rachel had died four years earlier. Just one day after giving birth to a son, who passed away the following day. The child is buried in his mother’s arms. George hired a woman, Florence, to help him care for his three daughters. They were married a couple of years later. Florence is the woman that Sylvia knew as Grandmother Irving.

Nearly 90 years have passed since this house shipped from Sears on a rail car and built by Sylvia’s grandfather was built. It still stands in good condition today. A testament to the quality of the original product and the care that has been taken to keep it maintained.

My World ~ Looking West From Here

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Sunday evening was quiet around here. I was returning to the house from the barn when I saw a sun dog (also called a parhelion, meaning “beside the sun”). Unlike a rainbow they appear in the sky near the sun — usually about 22 degrees from it and at the same altitude. This phenomenon is caused by ice crystals high in cirrus clouds that refract sunlight and, like tiny prisms, break the light up into colors. Red is closest to the sun, blue and violet are away from the sun. The colors are not clearly defined, nor are they vivid.


I walked quickly to the house to retrieve the camera. I was concerned that the sun dog would not be visible when I had returned. It turned out I had good reason. That’s the sun behind the weeping willow tree.


The bright spot above is not the sun. It is just a thin spot in the clouds. A minute or two earlier the sun dog was clearly visible just to the right of the bright spot. When I shot this I could barely see the fading color. Unfortunately the CCD of the digital camera is not as sensitive as my eyes.


Before returning to the house, I noticed the neighbors cattle grazing in the pasture across the road.


Is it any wonder that our visitors quickly fall in love with this place? We love nature, but we also feel blessed to live in this agricultural community where productive people do their part to feed our nation. This mob is turning grass into steaks and burgers.


Monday morning we went to visit Sylvia’s dad. (Our niece and her boy friend from South Carolina were there for a visit.) These were some of the geese that had spent the night in the same cow pasture. We saw them as we were leaving, stopped and took this shot. (The cattle are out of the frame to the right.)

My World ~ Sylvia’s Family

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Both Sylvia and I come from close families. We love to get together with our siblings and Sylvia’s dad. Last week, my sisters were here as I reported yesterday. On Friday, Sylvia met her father and they joined her sister, Joyce, and her hubby, Paul. They drove toward Cadillac and a visit with sister, Karen, and her hubby, Al.


Karen and Al have a nice deck on the back of their house. Here Dad is sitting with them enjoying the warmth of the sun.


Paul, MacAlister and Joyce sat on the other side of Dad.


Family gatherings call for family meals, and last weekend was no exception. Looks like Sylvia cleaned her plate before she took time to shoot this photo.


Out on the deck, the geraniums continued to bloom.


Down on the lawn, a robin enjoyed a leisurely bath. What? No rubber ducky?

My World ~ Foggy, Dewy, Morning

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Life has been crazy for me since my computer became infected last week. Windows didn’t work and my backups failed to restore. I am able to restore data files manually, and that’s something to be grateful about.

I woke the other morning to a foggy day. Dew covered the lawn. With my morning coffee in hand I stepped onto the front deck to see and feel the day. (That certainly would be better than battling the computer. Right?


I stepped out and looked back over the house at the sun, which was obscured by the haze. Our Amateur Radio antenna tower appears in the photo. I use the big antenna at the top for my activities. Sylvia uses the wire antenna that is supported by the horizontal boom that extends from the tower. Above that there is a box with a rod extending up from it. That is the radio that connects us to our high-speed wireless Internet service provider. The rod is an antenna that connects some of our neighbors to the Internet. (I’m late posting this today, because I was working with our ISP on changes to his Website .)


Then I walked to the edge of the deck and looked out on the yard. Dew revealed the presence of myriad spider webs that normally remain invisible to my eyes. I love those moments. The world is different. It looks different and it sounds different. It’s magic!


Here is a closeup of one of the webs. I lingered for several minutes as I enjoyed the view. In the distance the sounds of traffic on the expressway (a mile and a half away) could be heard. This only happens on “special” days. All too soon, I went back in the house to enter once again into the computer battles.

My World ~ Clarksville, Michigan, USA

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Sylvia took these pictures in Clarksville, Michigan on Memorial Day. She stood on the east side of the street, so all the pictures are taken while the camera was facing west.


Veterans led the parade south on Main Street. That’s my friend, Roy, in the middle of the first row.


The scouts came along next. Since this post is about Clarksville and not about the parade, I’ll not show you more of the latter.


Turning slightly left to see south of the bank, we find the Village Hall.


North of the bank (you can see it behind the flag pole) is the library, a (closed) restaurant, a (closed) inn and another closed business. The town has not done well in recent years as people travel a half hour into Grand Rapids or twenty minutes to Ionia to shop in the big stores.


Further north and through the main intersection, is this cluster. Here we find a property management company, and a pizza restaurant (it occupies the two store fronts on the right). And yes, Papa C’s Pizza makes an excellent pie. You can also get a good sandwich. When you’ve eaten, why not have some hand-scooped ice cream? Yum yum!


As we head north and pass the parsonage, we come to the Gateway Church. There is a large parking lot on the other side.

There are a few houses on the west side of Main St before you leave town. It’s a small town, but a nice place with good people. It’s only four and a half miles from our house to the center of the Village. I hope you enjoyed this brief visit.