We had a great time on our walk the other evening. I had downloaded a new app on my iPhone called “Picture This” and we were having fun experimenting with it.
The home page of the Picture This app.
It’s an app that identifies flowers and trees and bushes by taking a picture. It quickly identifies the plant and tells the name and characteristics of the plant, and how to care for it. It’s amazing and it’s very helpful, especially for someone like me who likes to know the names of all the plants I see.
I wondered if this was vinca and the app confirmed it was. Picture This calls it common periwinkle.
Hummingbird sage, found in a backyard garden.
We tried it on tree leaves too, and it was able to identify the trees we picked out. I love trees but I never took the time to learn their names, except for the obvious…oak, maple, birch etc… so this app will be helpful for me in this area too.
We tested the app knowing this was an oak tree, and indeed it told us it was a Bur oak.
A Tatarian honeysuckle.
This majestic, yet gnarly, old tree in a nearby cemetery was identified as a Norway spruce by the app.
I tried the app last summer, for thirty free pictures, but never pursued it further – until this spring – when there were several times I wished I had the app. So I finally downloaded it and this time I got a 7-day free trial period, and then will be charged $30 for one year. That’s a good deal for some good education.
Brazilian jasmine from Mandevilla genus.
If only I had had it installed when I went on my wild flower walk a few weeks ago!
We attended church yesterday… for the first time since March 0f 2020 when Covid-19 shut everything down. We wore our masks and social-distanced ourselves inside the sanctuary, but the energy was there…the Spirit of God was there… building us up, and it was good to be together again.
The welcome entrance to our church.
Since we’ve been gone some updates took place…the sanctuary was painted, the podium platform was raised 10″ for better viewing, we got new, more comfortable chairs and brand new carpet…it looks great! And seeing it filled with people was even greater.
Outside Emmaus Church in Northfield, Minnesota.
It will probably one of those first times, always remembered, as to what it was like – attending church for the first time after a pandemic.
Over the past few days our activities, unintentionally, took us to three major rivers.
Our first hike was at Ft. Snelling State Park. Gary and I have a long, but brief, history with this park. When we first met in 1976, Gary was in the habit of hiking in this park. At that time, he had taken an awesome photo of the Mendota Bridge from a unique perspective and had it printed and framed in a 8X10 format. He gave me a copy when we first met. And, then he took me to this unique park in the heart of the city.
Current view of the Mendota Bridge from Ft. Snelling State Park.
I don’t remember the trail but I remember the hike because we walked to the confluence of the mighty Mississippi River and the Minnesota River. This was years ago. There were a few times we stopped at the park since then, after we had children, to visit the beach area. And we’ve been to the historic Ft. Snelling itself, which is interesting, but we didn’t hike on Pike Island again until this day, 45 years later. (It’s kind of hard to wrap my head around that).
The confluence of the Mississippi (on left) and Minnesota rivers.
On Pike Island, one side of the trail leads you along the Mississippi River. You approach a point, with a sandy beach, which is the confluence of two major rivers: Mississippi and Minnesota. Then you turn and walk back on the other side of the island, along the Minnesota River. It’s a 3.7-mile loop.
The wildflower: Trillium, found at Ft. Snelling State Park.
It was interesting to be at Ft. Snelling state park a few days after my jaunt in Nerstrand Big Woods where I saw multitude of wildflowers. There were very few wildflowers on Pike island, although I did see a trillium, which I hadn’t seen at Nerstrand.
There were, however, many huge trees on the island, and many of them had hollow spots. It was an interesting trail.
Just a couple days later we were at Interstate State Park, near Taylors Falls. Again, drastically different from both Fort Snelling and Nerstrand Big Woods state parks. This park offered many glacier formations and a scenic view of the St. Croix River. We hiked along the St. Croix River for a couple of miles. The sandstone cliffs tend to make this area of the river very scenic.
The St. Croix River.
Another view of the beautiful St. Croix River from Interstate State Park.
As we entered Interstate state park there was an information sign that read, “Looking for Taylors Falls? There is none.” Although Taylor Falls is the name of the town, there are no falls there. However, the sign told of the nearest falls 10 miles away in Osceola Wisconsin, so we ventured there to explore. We had been to Interstate many times over the years and knew there were no falls in Taylors Falls, but we did not know about the Cascade Falls in Osceola.
Cascade Falls in Osceola, Wisconsin.
They were very pretty…full, wide and cascading. We walked down flights of stairs provided by the city of Osceola, to the falls and then proceeded to hike a quarter mile away to the St. Croix river to see the river from another perspective other than Interstate park. The falls and surrounding area was a fun discovery.
He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.
This angel sits in the corner on a shelf in my walk-in closet, visible everyday. It is special to me because it was my mother’s…and it highlight’s my favorite parenting verse.
My mother had a collection of angel figurines. I kept one from her collection (pictured above) but I didn’t want the others. An idea came to me to give them away at her funeral luncheon, held in the church basement.
I had not seen that done before (12 years ago now) so I asked a few others if it was a good idea to give away the angels at her funeral, and I got a lot of encouragement to do so. Since that time, I have seen collections given away at funerals.
I displayed her angel collection on two tables and made a sign inviting guests to take an angel home with them in remembrance of my mom. All the angels were taken that day, and it was comforting.
Years ago my friend and I went on several wildflower walks with a naturalist and learned the names of wildflowers. I still recognize many of the flowers, and remember some of names, but have forgotten many too. None-the-less, I love walking through the woods, looking at the spring wildflowers.
Buttercup
I qualify these walks as walks, not hikes, because it’s a slow, meandering pace. On this day, I took a lot of photos of the flowers in hopes of identifying the ones I didn’t remember, from my books at home. I think I identified most of these correctly. It was definitely a fun exercise.
Marsh Marigolds
Marsh marigold up close.
One of the flowers I’m always thrilled to see is the dwarf trout lily. I know a spot where one, yes – one, blooms and I look for it every year. Sometimes I miss seeing it in bloom, but I didn’t miss out this year. Dwarf trout lilies only bloom in three counties of Minnesota, and no where else on earth. That’s fascinating to me.
The dwarf trout lily…kind of hidden in this photo…bottom third, left of center…tiny bloom.
Putting my finger near the dwarf trout lily bloom, for perspective.
However, the white trout lily is prolific…and carpets the ground many places throughout the park.
White Trout Lily
The white trout lilies one of two wildflowers that was a ground cover in this park
My all time favorite wildflower is Spring Beauty. I love the delicate pink flowers.
Spring Beauty
Wild Blue Phlox
Some wildflower names seem sensible, others are odd and not very “flowery’…There is one called bloodroot, but I didn’t see it…I believe it’s done blooming.
Toothwort
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
According to lists from the park office there are many wildflowers in the park that, of course, bloom in different seasons. I have always focused on spring flowers.
Dutchman’s Breeches
Dutchman’s Breeches up close.
“There is poetry among the wildflowers.” (Rachel Irene Stevenson) I enjoyed the poetry of the wildflowers this day.
May Apples
The may apple bud..underneath the foliage…this is ready to bloom into a white flower. You have to look underneath the leaves to find the bloom.
A carpet of rue anemone covered several areas of the ground in the park.
Another quote: “Wildflowers aren’t meant to be cut & tamed. They’re meant to be loved & admired.” (Anthony T. Hincks) I do love and admire the wildflowers.
Bellwort
Purple Violet and White Anemone
Nerstrand Big Woods State Park is a wonderful place to look for wildflowers. I believe it’s one of the best parks, near Northfield, to see so many spring wildflowers in bloom. It sure showed off it’s finery the day I went for a wildflower walk there.
A few weeks ago, a friend dropped off a gift for my birthday. It was a bag of Turkish Delight. I have been reading the Chronicles of Narnia so I’m not sure if that is what prompted the idea for the gift. In the book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Edward is enticed to go with the wicked White Witch because she offers him Turkish Delight, which he cannot resist.
The Turkish Delight package.
I had never tasted Turkish Delight before. It’s good… sugar-covered nougat with pistachios. My train of thought from tasting the candy was as follows: it started with the gift, to the book series I’m reading, to nougat candy, to candy stores, to Apache Plaza where my friend Diane and I would go to the Fanny Farmer candy store and buy a quarter’s worth of almond bark! What a crazy thought pattern.
I grew up in northeast Minneapolis, in a wonderful neighborhood filled with a lot of kids to play together. My two best friends lived across the street: Donna & Diane. A few blocks away, past a section of woods where we would often play, then across a couple busy streets, Apache Plaza was built, in 1961. It was the second enclosed mall in Minnesota, Southdale Center being the first.
Photo off internet: apacheplaza.com
Our moms would let us girls walk up to Apache Plaza together (neighborhoods were safer back then). I remember the layout of Apache well. We usually entered through Murphy’s Department Store. After looking at all the trinkets we’d go into the plaza and walk around. JCPenney’s was an anchor store, as was Montgomery Ward.
In addition to buying a quarter’s worth of almond bark at Fanny Farmer, we would sometimes go to the soda fountain at Woolworth’s and order a coke and French fries (I’d like to do that again!) I bought records (45’s or albums) at Musicland and spent hours in Minnesota Fabrics looking at sewing patterns and fabric. There was Brown’s Photo where our family had film developed, a pet shop we always walked around in to see the animals, and downstairs was a bowling alley. Apache Plaza was damaged by a tornado in 1984 and demolished in 2004.
The Turkish Delight was a delightful, simple gift given, that brought back such fun and crazy memories, especially a quarter’s work of almond bark!
On a walk around the ponds in our neighborhood yesterday, I was treated to seeing several different types of waterfowl: ducks, Canadian geese, an egret and a great blue heron.
A great blue heron.
I stopped to watch the heron stealthily approach the egret. Canadian geese and ducks were swimming in the pond. It was a delight to stand and watch the birds, and take pictures of them.
The heron approaches the egret, with an image of a bird flying over the pond.
It reminded me of a time, years ago, while traveling with our sons, we had to wait a while for a train. There was a pond nearby. I told them nature can be very entertaining, and we went to sit near the pond to watch the birds and ducks.
The heron chases the egret away.
It was entertaining then, and it is today.
The heron, the egret and Canadian geese all together for the photo shoot. ha!
These birds did indeed entertain me, and bless me, this day.
Last month we went on a Sunday Drive down Highway 61 towards Winona, Minnesota. The sun was shining bright and we enjoyed the scenic views of the Mississippi River. Because it was late March, the trees had not budded out yet, and we saw a lot more of the water than driving the same route in summer or fall when the trees are full. It’s a beautiful drive anytime of the year, but I it was nice seeing more of the river this time.
The Mississippi River.
Our first stop was Lark Toys, a very unique and fun stop. Lark Toys is a toy museum, a retail store with a large selection of wooden toys, vintage-style toys and a fine book shop. The museum has glass enclosed displays with all sorts of games and toys from bygone years that prompt many memories and a delight to see. There is an indoor carousal you can ride, a candy store to buy old-fashion candies, and an ice cream shoppe.
Inside one of the glass enclosed display cases of antique toys in Lark’s Toy Museum.
Our next stop was the Marine Art Museum in Winona. It seems an unusual place for such a quality museum, but I assume it’s because of the two colleges in Winona, and probably a generous donor. It is on an inlet of the river, close to downtown but in a more industrial part of town. The tagline on their website is “Great art inspired by water.” I like that because I like water, and I like art.
MMAM: Minnesota Marine Art Museum.
The museum has permanent displays and changing exhibitions. Some works of Fred Somers, a talented and inspiring Northfield artist, were on display the day we were at the museum, and also an exhibition about the Titanic, with art pieces to go along with that tragic story.
Exhibitions change which provides new artworks to see, but the permanent displays are wonderful too. I don’t know much about art…I never took an art history class (but wish I had). I really enjoy admiring the artwork. I marvel at those who can paint. I often think, “this piece started out as a blank canvas!” A lot of the pieces (but not all) in the museum focus on marine art, thus the name.
There were two ship’s figureheads in the lobby of the Marine Art Museum, reminding us to wear our masks.
There are two permanent collections: American artists and European artists. The American collection is “historical works by American artist spanning the length of the nation’s history”. I don’t know many American artists, but I’m learning. The European collection had pieces by artists I recognized, such as; Monet, van Gogh, Degas, Renoir, Picasso and more.
Understandably photographs were not permitted (except in the lobby). There is a nice gift shop where I bought some postcards.
This is a post card I bought in the museum gift shop. I liked the colors and style of this Renoir painting, from the European collection.
It’s worth the drive to Winona to check out this interesting and amazing museum.
This is a fun poem I wrote for an assignment to write a personal poem with metaphorical meaning, and an animal as the central figure. Poetry stretches me. It is not my favorite writing style, but it is good to be challenged.
See me roar!
Mama Bear
Mama Bear is a nickname for my grandmother status.
It is fitting since I have always been the protective sort.
Don’t get between me and my offspring, and their offspring - my grandchildren,
For then I will get aggressive and grumpy.
I may look cute and cuddly but I can take a stand
And when I stand, I am very tall and noisy.
I do like honey and berries,
And I love rambling through the forest and mountains and by rivers.
I have learned to take life more slowly
But watch out, I still have what it takes to roar!
Derek Chauvin, the police officer that held his knee on George Floyd’s neck for over nine minutes almost a year ago, has been convicted of murder. Guilty…the verdict turned in from a jury of twelve, after a three week trial. This verdict stands for accountability of police officers, accountability of people in authority.
One black man, interviewed outside the courthouse after the verdict was read on Tuesday, April 20th said, “I had this much hope left” with a show of thumb and finger indicating a very small amount. Now he says he has a little more hope. I’m thinking that rang true for so many this historic day.
May we all move forward and continue to work for peace and justice… with a little more hope than we had a week ago.
