-
Skimming the Parks
We took a walk on the Hickory Hill Park short Loop and the James Alan McPherson Park. We’ve lived in Iowa City for 34 years and walked only one other Hickory Hill Park trail. That was several years ago. Just before you start the short Loop, you can read a poem, The Morning by W.S.…
-
Be Kind
We went for a walk on the Terry Trueblood Trail yesterday. It was a nice break from reading the news. Sena wore her shirt which has printed on it, “be kind, be nice, be love.” She got a compliment about it. We saw a lot of birds, including Tree Swallow nestlings in the nest boxes…
-
How the Feathered Half Lives
We were out on the Terry Trueblood Trail and saw a lot of different kinds of birds doing the things that birds—and humans do. Looking for mates, mating, nesting, hunting, feeding. We’re a little more romantic about it, at least sometimes. Often, I wonder. Who are the real bird brains around here?
-
The Park
It’s balmy for December. Sena and I went for a walk on the Terry Trueblood Trail and ran into our neighbors doing the same thing! Seabirds were diving headlong into the lake. We’ve never seen them do that. Maybe they were fishing for minnows. About a week ago we saw a hawk. It might have…
-
Stretching Our Legs on the Terry Trueblood Trail
We got out on the Terry Trueblood Trail today to stretch our legs, feel the breeze, and free our minds of the daily news, which is usually bad. It’s nice to just listen to the wind and the birds on the lake. We see something interesting every time we walk the trail. Caterpillars were pretty…
-
Pelican on the Lake
Sena and I went for a walk on the Terry Trueblood Trail yesterday. We saw a huge apple tree on the trail. We’ve never noticed it before. The boughs were bent and broken from the load of apples. There were a lot of buzzing insects, maybe some annual cicadas among them. We saw a lone…
-
Go Baby Robins!
We have a robin’s nest in our back yard with 3 nestlings. I can hear Momma robin nearby, nervous about me and my camera. I’m careful not to disturb them too much, not to stay too long. I hope they make it. I hope for a lot of things like civility, peace, love, acceptance. It…
-
Wind and Wings
A couple of days ago we were at the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area and it was pretty windy. The birds were challenged just hanging on in the trees. Eastern Kingbirds didn’t hardly ruffle a feather. The Tree Swallows seemed to be pretty good acrobats high up in the trees. The Cowbirds, not so much.
-
Let Nature Speak
While we were out for a walk on the Terry Trueblood Trail today, for a change, my wife gave me the idea that we should just let nature speak. The frogs were in full voice. It was impressive. As we walk, we usually start off by talking a lot. We point out interesting birds and…
-
Let Happiness Leak
This is just a post to offset the grumpy one from a couple of days ago. Sena and I took a walk on the Clear Creek Trail and she broke me up with her shenanigans. Along the way, we found a painted rock in a tree which had the word “corridor rocks” printed on it.…
Go Retire Psychiatrist 