Covid-19 Life: Books and Quilts and Flowers, Oh My!

Last week we went to Tenhave Woods in Royal Oak, Michigan. The woods is next to the high school I went to, just two miles down the road from where I live.

The woods is a wildflower preserve. They maintain a fence to keep the deer out.

We do have deer in the suburbs. In fact, this week a friend saw a wild turkey a few blocks away! And another friend saw a coyote in her yard. And I have seen hawk and falcon and skunk and opossum. My dad once looked over the edge of the hot tub to see a raccoon. And of course, squirrels and chipmunks abound.

wild violets under our apple trees

We have wild violets in our yard but sadly no trillium. So we go to the woods.

 These close ups were taken by my husband. Below is a Jack-in-the-Pulpit.

 There are sections of the woods blanketed by trillium!

Tenhave as a vernal pond.

There are some very old trees. The woods was a farmer's woodlot, a preserved forest he used for fuel.

On our daily walks around the neighborhood we enjoy seeing the flowering trees and flower gardens. At the end of our street is a park created by the Rotary Club with this lovely tree. A Facebook friend thinks it is a yellow tulip magnolia.

I bought a new sewing machine, a Bernina 570 QE (Quilter's Edition). The quilt shop owners brought it to my car trunk after I bought it over the phone. So far, I love it! First up--binding my Yellow Roses Sampler quilt, just back from the machine quilter! Maggie Smith did a marvelous job. Here are some details.

While I bind it off I have my Lilac Lanes quilt on the bed, made early in my quilting days.

I won another book on American Historical Novels Facebook group, Eldonna Edwards; debut novel This I Know. And a magnate of Queen of the Owls by Barbara Linn Probst. Every week an author hosts, talking about her book and asking discussion questions.

From Dover Publications came Jane Austen Embroidery. Look for my review soon!

New to my NetGalley shelf:

• Missionaries by Phil Kay about America's Forever Wars
• Empress Alexandra: The Special Relationship Between Russia's Last Tsarina and Queen Victoria by Melanie Clegg
• Other People's Pets by R. L.Maizes, whose short story collection We Love Anderson Cooper I reviewed

I am currently reading:

• Miracle Country by Kendra Atleework, a lovely memoir set in Eastern Sierra Nevada
• Perfume River Nights by Michael P. Maurer, a novel about a soldier's experience in Viet Nam. The author is a Twitter friend through David Abram's Sunday Sentence.
• The Splendid and the Vile by Eric Larson, Churchill and the Blitz

Our small city of 11,900 had several weeks without new COVID-19 cases or deaths. But in recent days, five new cases brought the count to 63 and two more deaths means 11 people have died. These figures are only for test confirmed cases.

Although the state is opening up, we will continue to social isolate. We order groceries and delivered food. And expect to continue for many weeks. 

Stay safe. 

Trillium and Other May Wildflowers at Tenhave Woods

We returned to a local wildflower sanctuary in Royal Oak, MI to see the Trillium. The woods is next to my Alma Mater (Kimball High, now the Royal Oak H.S.). The Royal Oak Nature Society has worked to keep the deer out of the woods and the local wildflowers are blooming in abundance--more Trillium than we have ever seen.

Marsh Marigold was also in bloom.

 I forgot this purple flower's name.

After several rainy days the vernal pond was full. There were 'ponds' all throughout the woods.

Chipmunks, woodpecker, Redwing Blackbirds, and some flutter-bys were also enjoying the sunny afternoon.

The woods is left natural and the downed trees provide interesting safe havens.

 

It is so wonderful to live in the 'burbs but have this little bit of nature just down a mile down the road!

Spring Comes to Michigan!

Today we took a wild flower nature walk in Royal Oak, MI a few blocks away from where I attended high school. Bloodroot was in full flower throughout the woods.

The Royal Oak Nature Society has made Tenhave Woods a protected natural area. It was originally a wood lot owned by early settler. High fences (try) to keep out the deer that love the wildflowers, too.

 A vernal pond has turtles and lots of liverwort and duckweed.

 Our naturalist guide explained that Liverwort is spore bearing, not seed creating like Duckweed.

High winds have knocked down trees, opening the canopy and leaving the woods with less protection. So more trees are toppling. The guide has known some of these tress for fifty years. He pointed out American Elm, Butternut, and Tulip trees. He remembers when Chestnut still grew in these woods.

Our guide found this patch of Dutchman's Breeches years ago and altered the path to allow it to flourish.

The woods has two kinds of Trout Lily: one has a red repel and the other yellow.

The May Apple will flower in another week.

The Trillium, both red and white, are not yet in flower either.

Flower nestled in the roots of trees.

We went from ice and snow to 70 degrees in a few weeks. This is Michigan.