Read In September 2019

The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty was an accidental read, but one I enjoyed.

Nine Perfect Strangers by Liane Moriarty is a book recommended by a Facebook friend. It is also the reason I read The Chaperone. When I took Liane's book off the shelf I noticed another Moriarty book next to it and thought, "Oh, she has two books, I'll get them both." Not noticing the other was Laura, not Liane. But both turned out to be good reads.

The Pact is one of Jodi Picoult's older books. All the way through it I had the feeling I had read it before - but before I started keeping track of my reads, so I'm not sure.

Julia's Chocolates by Cathy Lamb is about a bride running away from an abusive fiance on the day of the wedding.

The Crossing Places and The Janus Stone are books one and two in Elly Griffiths Ruth Galloway mystery series. She is a forensic archaeologist brought in to help police investigators when human remains are found.
I really like British mysteries and will read my way right through this series. My favorite reads this month.
  

Another Saturday Morning At Green Valley

Today was the third Saturday in a row for HD and me to walk together at Green Valley. It is beginning to feel like a regularly scheduled date. There was only one section of the paved trails we hadn't yet walked, so I stopped at the boat ramp parking lot....

....the only car among all those pickups. Bud noticed that the trucks were all Chevy's (including one GMC) except for that lone white Dodge Ram. I noticed the license plates - they were all from Lee County which is in the very Southeast corner of Iowa. Why would they all come to SW Iowa to fish? A fishing contest of some sort? But there weren't any other vehicles from any other parts of Iowa. A mystery.

It was a cloudy, rainy looking morning. It didn't look like we were going to see too much of interest at which to point the cameras.

Spoke to soon - there around the first corner, standing out in the lake several feet from shore, was a Big Blue Heron.

There were still a couple Monarch butterflies about, but most of the flowers are done for the year.

I didn't count how many of these we saw on the path, but there were quite a few. Do you call them daddy longlegs or granddaddy longlegs? I think we always called them granddaddy longlegs and wrongly thought they were spiders. They are opiliones, commonly called harvestmen because harvest season is the time of year they're most oftenly seen. Well, now I know why I saw so many today.

There was another heron where we were about to turn around and start back to the car. It flew across the lake and landed among the rocks. I had to zoom in to see it. I think this photo looks like a watercolor painting.

And this one, too. It's another shot of that first heron we saw.

I was so excited when I saw these tiny, bright orange berries. I haven't seen Bittersweet growing since I saw it on the fence at Rose Hill Church/Cemetery North of Clarinda several years ago. Before that, I used to find it along the Old Quincy Road and on the fence at Oakland (Quincy) Cemetery.

Autumn arrives in a couple days. Our Saturday morning walks at Green Valley may be limited to only a few more. I look forward to them.

A Quiet Place To Walk

A few days ago I thought of another place for my morning walk. I gave it a try this morning and found it perfect.
Some of the alleys are graveled, but the wider avenues are smoothly paved.
There are hills, but none too steep. And it is so quiet and peaceful here.

There is a small pond to the North.....

....and a larger one on the South.

Many beautiful old pines and other trees are scattered throughout.

Graceland is the large cemetery south of Creston.
A stylized bird is the gnomon on a large sundial.

From a distance I saw only a big round stone something and wondered if it was a well; a wishing well maybe? Closer I saw it was the base for a sundial. The words under the pointer are Companion Garden and around the bottom Through Cloud And Sunshine Together.

Many gravesites are decorated for Autumn. This was the first one I noticed, and one of the prettiest.

I took photos of a couple intriguing markers. This one because of its shape and that it is a natural stone not the usual polished markers.

And this one because there is a note or letter inside a plastic sleeve attached to the flowers and stone.

So curious was I to know what words and thoughts it contained - but left it undisturbed.

There are many benches around the cemetery. Some like this one are the grave markers. In this case, the husband is deceased, but the wife is alive. The wording on the seat is "Take A Seat In The Shade There Lady". I wonder if that is something he used to say to her.

This very large marker is not a grave stone, but a gift from a woman in memory of her family.
"All to myself I think of you, think of the things we used to do. Think of the things we used to say, think of each happy bygone day. Sometimes I smile, and sometimes I sigh, but I keep each olden golden while all to myself." (Wilbur D. Nesbit) 

I doubt you could walk here without getting a peaceful easy feeling. I couldn't.

Using A Letter Opener

I've used a lot of different letter openers in my life, starting with my first office job when I was 17. There were 19 or 20 different offices in my working span of 47 years. I'm sure most of the letter openers I used were those standard 9" stainless steel ones, though somewhere in my memory banks there was one with a green marble handle. It seems like it was part of a desk set, so maybe one of my bosses had it and I used it on occasion.

In this day and age, there are many fewer letters to open, especially when you are retired. Generally I just rip the envelopes open, but I do have a letter opener by my chair in the living room and one on my desk in the office. I remember my Mom using a paring knife to carefully open her envelopes.

This is the letter opener next to my chair. There is enough print left on the handle to read 'Stitzel Electric'. A search returns Stitzel Electric as a company in Des Moines, so I assume this opener was one I used at one of my jobs in the Capitol City.

I suppose I was so attracted to that knife blade in the handle that I 'accidentally' included this letter opener when I packed up my stuff at the end of whichever job it was I was leaving. And just what is that knife for anyway? Maybe to open boxes? Or for self defence? I don't know where it came from, but I have had this letter opener for many years.

Though not as long as I've had this one, my favorite. I bought this letter opener at an antiques show in Des Moines in 1969. I can't remember the exact location, but I do remember the large open area of a building along Merle Hay Road or Harding Road and 'Armory' sticks in my mind. But it could also have been in the gymnasium of a school. I know I was pregnant with Kari and it was her Dad and my son Doug with me looking through all the different booths.

I was first drawn to this letter opener because it was/is 'my color'. But it was the woman's head at the end that made me buy it for sure. It may have been my grandmother Lynam's collection of lady head vases that got me interested in collecting anything with women's heads, or maybe it was my passion for the Women's Liberation Movement, but collect them I did.

Yesterday I had some mail to open here at my desk. I used this letter opener, thought about how long I've had it, and for the first time wondered about the words in the inset on the handle - INLAND MFG. DIV. GMC.

An online search turned up information that really surprised me. Inland Mfg. Div. GMC was the only division of General Motors Company created within the company and not acquired by purchase. It used the buildings and technology of the defunct Dayton Wright Airplane Company and was organized in 1922 for the manufacture of wood wrapped steering wheels.

During World War II, the Inland Division was tooled up to produce M-1 Carbines and a pistol called the Little Monster designed to be air-dropped to reisistance fighters in Europe. They also manufactured many other items for the war effort including tank tracks for both American and Great Britain tank manufacturers, helmet liners, gun sights, shoulder rests, fire extinguisher horns and many other small parts needed for the war effort.

An image search shows the letter opener also in colors of red, blue-green and pink. One site describes the handle as Femme Art Deco. In others it is referenced as based on the hood ornaments found on Pontiac automobiles which were named after the Ottawa Indian Chief Pontiac.

I prefer to think of the face on my letter opener as being feminine. It has been interesting to me to learn more about the Inland Mfg. Div. GMC.

Finding A Way To Survive

You may think from the first photo that this blog post is going to be about Creston surviving for 150 years. It is not, though they did celebrate their sesquicentennial this summer.

The sign is in the parking lot of the Historical Village at McKinley Park. It is where I parked this morning to begin my morning walk. I was using it when I got back to my car to try taking a picture of the nice feather I found down by the lake.

It wasn't until I was almost done with my walk before I found anything I felt like taking photos of.

I was walking the semi-circular driveway at one of the shelter houses when I noticed the lovely moss growing in one of the posts placed to keep cars out of the grass.

Of course then I had to check the others - grass in this one.

Some weeds and a tree, mulberry, I think, growing in this one.

And in the last one, among the pieces of gravel some little kid put in there (I'm guessing), the sprout of another little mulberry tree. Wonder how trees get started in places like these? Birds eat mulberries. Birds perch on the sides of the posts and ...... think about it. 😉

I was thinking about the moss, grass, weeds and trees and how they had found a place, a way, to survive when some bright yellow caught my eye. Now how did these flowers survive in this roadside ditch when it is mowed regularly? I dunno.

Back at the car and one final picture with thoughts of survival. Near the pioneer cabin - which brings up its own thoughts about survival - there is a figure of a pioneer woman holding a baby. It was carved from the trunk of one of the many park trees that did not survive, but still lives on......

Green Valley Grass Paths

When we discovered those grassy paths at Green Valley last week we planned to come back today and hike some of them. But there was a lot of dew this morning, so we decided to stay on the paved paths. We also talked about bringing a picnic and some fishing poles, but the weather looked a little iffy for that.
That's my car in the background. The first time we ever walked one of the G-V trails was two years ago and we parked in this same spot. That time we followed the trail left, this time we followed it right. It ran next to the road where a lot of rock had been used to make a base for the path. (Or maybe to keep the lake from eating away the road?) Anyway, it was just a short distance before the path turned back and followed the shoreline.

Undoubtably, much of the rock used around the shoreline was broken up concrete. I noticed wire still sticking out of one large piece.

First flowers to photograph, these 'twin' wild morning glories. I know they are a weed, unwanted in most spots, but I love their pink-tinged white flowers. Another name for them is Hedge Bindweed.






They must have mowed yesterday because there was such a lovely aroma of new-mown grass.

And then we saw this path leading up the hill. This photo is from the top looking back toward the lake.

At the top of the hill was a picnic table and fire pit. To me it looked like a perfect tent-camping spot, though I don't think camping is allowed except in the designated camping area.

Most of the trees here are Cottonwoods so if you were camping out, their rustling would either keep you awake or shush-sh-sh you to sleep.

Up here was where there was also a swarm (or kaleidoscope) of Monarch butterflies. They were beautiful floating around, settling, lifting off again, but very hard to get a good photo of.

Back to the path and what happened here?! Some overnight drama from the looks of this patch of fur!

My only other flower photo, these purple asters.

The sky got darker and more ominous, though it didn't rain on us. Another lovely morning walk at Green Valley Lake and Park.

H-o-omid Walk

After a couple rainy days of walking and biking inside, I got back to McKinley Park for my walk this morning. But, boy was it humid! For something different, I walked across the dam and over to the west side of the lake.

The first thing I saw was this paved trail. "Wow"! I thought, "wonder how far this goes?

Only up to this shelter built two or three years ago and down the other side to another parking area. It does make for easier access for anyone wanting to use the shelter.

Mainly I went that way to see how much water was going over the spillway. Still some, but not much considering the way it rained yesterday. (One and a quarter inch.) I like the way the water swirls around and into this drain....

....before gushing out down below.

This is the same Platte River I showed in yesterday's blog. Here it is at the beginning. Yesterday's photo was one I took a few years ago of the Platte near the small town of Rochester, MO. It is sometimes referred to as 'the Little Platte' to distinguish it from Nebraska's Platte River.

This green glen is so close to the city and yet has the quiet and solitude of the countryside. The sumac and the walnut trees are beginning to show some color.

I have noticed this flowering, bushy weed several places during my walks and have had no idea what it is. I do not remember seeing this growing up on the farm. Thanks to Google - it is White Snakeroot, a 'poisonous perennial herb'. If cattle eat it, it can be passed on to humans through their milk and is known as 'milk sickness'. The Wikipedia entry mentions it is thought this might be what killed Abe Lincoln's mother. Yikes! I'm glad all I did was take pictures. Other names are 'richweed' and 'white sanicle'.
When I first tried to identify this plant a couple weeks ago, I thought it was Boneset, aka, Feverwort, which was a medicinal plant used by Native Americans and pioneers. The flowers of both plants are similar. You would certainly want to be sure you knew which was which!

One final picture from this morning's walk - a weed we did have on the farm and which I immediately recognized - Buttonweed. (Also known as Velvetleaf.) The park has lost many trees the last few years. Every spot where a tree has been removed now is growing buttonweeds. They seem to be the first things to grow where soil has been disturbed.

I believe I have acknowledged one of the reasons I enjoy walking outside so much is incorporating it with my love of photography. I just realized I am also enjoying learning about plants I'm not familiar with. All kinds of benefits! 😍