Monthly Archives: March 2021

A day at the zoo

Posted on March 28, 2021 | 5 comments

Building anticipation at the zoo entrance. As you can see, it was quite chilly when we began our tour.

It was spring break around here this week so grandma and grandpa decided to take the grandkids to the zoo for the day. We selected Monday as it was supposed to be overcast, mild and no rain. (Rain was predicted for most of the rest of the week but didn’t really happen.)

Due to COVID, the zoo has limited visitation so we bought our tickets online. They were timed to allow only a certain amount of people in at a time. It’s been several years since we’ve been to the zoo and one of the grandkids had never been. He was really excited.

The drive to Louisville was as much fun as the visit. Our conversation went like this:

Boy (age 5) I can’t wait to get to the zoo! I want to see the zebras! His normal speaking tone is about 90 decibels.

B I stared at the sun and it didn’t blind me.

G (grandparents) Don’t do that. You could hurt your eyes.

A little while later

B I just stared at it for like ten minutes and I’m still not blind!

G DON’T DO THAT!

The conversation proceeded along those lines until we began counting water towers and cell phone towers. The grandson is a very chatty child so when we were talking, his response was, Be quiet! I’m trying to talk here! Which threw us into more fits of laughter.

Meanwhile, big sister (age 11), Stop talking. I’m trying to read.

We finally made it to the zoo. Parking was fine but no one was leaving alternate spaces. As we waited a few minutes to go in, I realized that everyone else in the area seemed to have the same idea to visit the zoo. Whole carloads of parents and kids poured out. I have never seen so many strollers and wagons in one place.

These giant birds were part of the Wild Lights exhibit which appeared throughout the zoo. There were dragons and penguins, giant shrimp and flowers of every kind. There must have been a few hundred of these on exhibit.

Entry was organized and we were off. I didn’t realize until we got there that they were hosting a Wild Lights event which featured giant creatures, imaginary and real, and plants, in beautiful colors of every kind. Unfortunately, the lighted parts were only for evening tours but it was still pretty spectacular.

I’m not quite sure what this imaginary creature was supposed to be but it was still neat to see.

The route for guests is about a mile and a half, downhill the first half and uphill the second half. It thinned out a bit but not much. Unfortunately, several of the animal exhibits were closed which was disappointing. No snakes, lizards or porpoises.

These beautiful pink flamingos made quite a splash.

We stopped for a break about half way through with snacks and drinks we’d brought. Then started heading back on the second half of the route. Grandpa got tired and took a shortcut to the top to wait for us. The clouds never did appear so the day really warmed up.

I felt rather sorry for this jaguar but wouldn’t want to meet him outside the fence.

At last! The zebras! Someone was soooo excited! (And you can see that we’ve peeled off our jackets.)

The second half had loads more animals (those that weren’t hiding). Snowy owls and snow leopards. Lions, zebras, giraffes, gorillas, rhinoceros, and lots more. Saw the seals and a manatee. B I dropped my toy in the tank by accident. It was my favorite.

The beautiful carousel had an amazing variety of animals to ride. Most went up and down but the outside animals were stationary. A good way to end the day at the zoo.

We finally made it to the top and found grandpa sitting by the carousel. The kids both had to have a ride. Then for the requisite visit to the gift shop and looking for the “cheap toys” as the grandma behind me remarked.

B I LOVE THIS ZOO!

We didn’t even make it to the highway, about seven minutes, before he was fast asleep. The whole day – beautiful sunshine, fresh air, LOTS of walking – tuckered us all out. Early bedtimes for all.

5 Comments

Posted in animals

Tagged giraffes, lions, Louisville, spring break, wild lights, zebras, zoo

Trees in the neighborhood

Posted on March 21, 2021 | 6 comments

Spring is in the air down here in Southern Indiana. The temperatures are warming. The spring flowers are blooming. Our yard and fields are showcasing daffodils and spring beauties.

Earlier this week I was in the woods planting some small saplings of native trees. These are free from the state DNR. As I was locating the new plants, I looked around at all the other trees in the area. In the many years of living here, my boys grew up knowing how to identify trees by bark, leaves, the wood and even the smell of the wood. But I realize that many people have never had the opportunity to explore the woods with some knowledge. So here are some of the trees in our own woods with names that will be familiar to you. By just the bark.

Let’s see how good you are at identification.

Sycamores are an extraordinarily beautiful tree, especially in winter. The upper limbs show bright white against the rest of the drab forest but the lower trunk has a shaggy, peeling bark. They have very large leaves and little fuzzy seed balls. I can never see sycamores without breaking into our state song, Back Home Again In Indiana…. Now you can’t get that out of your head, can you?

This is a very large sugar maple in our front yard. In autumn, it hosts a beautiful display of reddish leaves. Actually, there were several of these trees on the property when we moved here. As you can see, the poor tree is nearly done with interior rot. We have never sugared but I imagine it was popular in the day. It was the host to a pretty neat tree house when the kids were young.

We were delighted to find a whole little grove of shagbark hickory in our woods when we moved here many years ago. It has a very distinctive shaggy bark. (Thus the name.) The nuts taste like pecans. If you can get any. The squirrels and other critters usually harvest everything.

Young locust on the left and mature locust on the right. A rather shaggy bark, these elegant trees can be found on most old homesteads. The wood was often used as fence posts as they seem to be resistant to rot. They have a small leaf so there isn’t anything to rake in the fall. They also have the most beautiful creamy white racemes of flowers with a heady perfume in the spring. The bees love them. They’re the tallest trees in our yard towering over 80 feet. They also propagate by underground runners so they might appear anywhere nearby. I don’t know if these are black locusts or honey locusts but I still love their stateliness.

This hackberry tree was a real puzzle to us when we first moved here many years ago. It has a very knobby bark and tiny whitish/green blossoms. It seems to reseed well but I don’t know if that’s an advantage. The young one on the left has more pronounced knobs but the mature one on the right is also still knobby. A good shade tree, it stands about 60 feet high in our yard.

The native dogwood tree bark reminds me of a puzzle with many interlocking pieces. These days they’re under attack from an imported disease but so far, they’re holding their own. A beautiful understory tree with large white blossoms in spring, they go unnoticed the rest of the year.

This crab apple was given to me as my first Mother’s day gift many years ago. It has a glorious display of pink flowers each spring. It’s progeny has been shared with many people. As you can see, the woodpeckers have been having a go at it as well but it’s still hanging on.

The cedar tree is often thought of as a trash tree but they are quite handy to have. We have used them as fence posts, bird feeder posts, and built an arbor out of cedar logs. We even had some milled to use as benches. They have a lovely red variegated color inside and a wonderful smell.

Wild Cherry with some problems. These trees have a very dark bark and are messy. These are not cherries to eat but contain cyanide so they can be poison to livestock and animals.

These are just a few varieties of trees on our property. I haven’t included the red and white oaks, river birch, ironwood, hazel (a bush, really), sweet gum, pines and more. What is native to your area?

6 Comments

Posted in country living, old house

Tagged bark, dogwood, hackberry, locust, shagbark hickory, sycamore, tree identification, trees

How to improve your art skills

Posted on March 7, 2021 | Comments Off

One of Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings. Many artists explore a subject in a series of paintings of the same subject. Van Gogh did at least twelve paintings of sunflowers.

I’m often asked, “How do I get better at my art?” Hummmm….well, I have several suggestions. They aren’t anything new but maybe they’re new to you. In no particular order.

Make a LOT of art! Studies have shown that students who create a lot of art eventually get better, especially compared to those who seek to create one perfect painting or poem or story or pot. Like almost anything else, the more you do, the better you get. This is the time to explore. Try new things, new styles, new subjects, new mediums. Just make a whole lot of it. Don’t worry if it’s any good yet. Just do it. The old adage that practice makes perfect applies here. While you are testing new things, your mind will begin to make connections and build on what you have done before.

Make it easy. Make it easy to make art. Do you have to clear the children’s homework from the dining table? Drag out all your equipment and easel every time you want to paint? Find a space where you can keep your materials at hand. Set up a corner in the bedroom to work. Use a portable screen if the clutter annoys you. Keep a sketchbook next to your TV chair. Or in your purse or pocket. I’ve often drawn mini-sketches while waiting for dinner or in the theater. If your materials are nearby, you’ll be more likely to use them.

Don’t worry if it’s any good. So many people worry about if their work is any good. Stop that right now! Refer to the first suggestion. Just do it. Do a lot of it. ALL artists make some really bad paintings. That’s Okay! That is what preliminary work is for. Try it out. Maybe it will be brilliant. Maybe it won’t. But you will have learned what works and what doesn’t.

Copy other artists. Yes, I recommend studying other artists, your favorites perhaps. Go to the museums or the library or even review their work online. What do you like about their work? What don’t you like? Try making a few copies in the style of the artist. How does that feel to you? Does it feel natural or awkward? Look at what attracts you most. Their subject matter? Style? Brushwork? But do NOT EVER try to pass off someone else’s work as your own. That is dishonest and plagerism. You won’t feel comfortable about it and you’ll be found out eventually.

Do a series. A series is a group of artwork of, perhaps, the same subject or style or theme. This helps you to dig deeper. Find out what attracts you to this subject. Van Gogh painted twelve sunflower paintings. I’ll bet that he got better at them towards the end. Monet painted thirty haystacks, 250 waterlillies, and over thirty of the Rouen Cathedral. Different angles, different times of day.

My concluding advice is just keep at it. Don’t let anyone discourage you. Only you know what you are learning. If you have tried it before, try it again. You’re in a different place and time. Perhaps you have more skills and knowledge now. Just keep moving forward. Good luck!