Happy Birthday, Dad!

I was making a phone call at 12:30 AM this morning and saw on my cell phone it was May 31st, my Dad’s birthday. A date that has always been special, just like my Mom’s birthdate. And even though he’s not around anymore on earth, I’m still celebrating the life that he did have here!

My Dad as a little boy.  Check out the size of that chopped down tree!

I’ve shown you a little boy at work that I absolutely adore, and my Dad’s little boy hands remind me of the little boy at work’s hands. The little boy at work had a fever of 103 this week and it was just about naptime so I brought up to my office, wrapped him up in his blanket and held him tight and while holding him I held his freezing little hands to warm them up. He was asleep in my arms when his mother arrived. This little boy just gets to my heart, just as little boy photos of my Dad get to my heart.  My Dad was born at home, which was usual for that time.

Very Cool (Little) Spider

After mowing and weed whacking my Mom’s yard, I was resting when I spied a little spider on the side of her house. I had my camera in my pocket and grabbed some macro shots. This is one cool spider!

How pretty! And hairy!

Ohhh, spiders are really cool!

Yowsa! How many eyeballs do you have?

Memorial Day, 2008

Year the second, without my Dad. Word has it they finally have his military plaque installed on his monument. SALUTE! I’ll see it in a couple of weeks when we go back to visit. And hopefully they’ll have an American flag for him, too.

My Dad in the Navy during The Korean Conflict.

In April I found war monuments within the cemetery where my Dad is. Here’s the one for The Korean Conflict.

At LaFayette Rural Cemetery

I really wanted to see & photograph my Dad’s flag, but I don’t know where my Mom has it, so instead I took a photo of the flag he used to hang outside every day.

I leave you with some words from Taps, as we celebrate this Memorial Day, remembering all of those who served to make this country free.

“Day is done, gone the sun,
From the hills, from the lake,
From the sky.
All is well, safely rest,
God is nigh. . .”

Mildred Faust Woodland Trail at Clark Reservation State Park

One of the many beautiful views from the trail. I use this as my desktop on my work computer.

Yellow Violet (Viola pubescans)

Dry Lake

You can see the dry lake to the left of the plunge pool on this model of the park. I talk about the plunge pool here.

Juvenal’s Duskywing (Erynnis juvenalis) - not a very good photo because it wasn’t hanging around for very long!

Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)

About Mildred Faust

This park is teeming with such a wide variety of plant life. I have old books listing the plants located within this park and Onondaga County. I have to go back and follow another trail because I am still looking for an specific fern, one that is exploitably vulnerable in this state, and once I find it, you’ll be the first to know about it!

Pussy’s-Toes

I love coming across wildflowers that I don’t see around my area very much. Such was the case when I was hiking with my Mom and I said happily “Pussy’s Toes!” And she says “WHAT?” My response was, “you know, as in kitty cat’s toes.”

Pussy’s-toes (Antennaria neglecta)

I love this little wildflower, because they do look just like kitty cat’s toes, and they’re soft, too.

Knickers

My Dad used to call all pants “Knickers.” Pants he wore, pants I wore, pants anyone wore. An example would be “what do you have on your knickers?” or “those are nice knickers.” I always knew he was referring to pants.

My Dad was raised during the depression and knickers were in style for boys then. And he hated them.

My Dad in knickers with his Mom. Photo is poor quality because it is taken from a home video.

I’ve been reading Victoria Thompson’s gaslight mysteries (can’t put them down, love the mysteries and the history) and come to find out in these books and with some research of my own, the term “knickers” comes from the Knickerbocker family name. There was a Knickerbocker family that settled in New York (then New Amsterdam) in the 1600’s and Washington Irving used the family name in his History of New York. Knickerbockers ended up referring to Dutch families that settled in New York who wore knee-length Dutch breeches.

I wish I could tell my Dad the history of those knickers he so hated! Hmmm, now that I think of it, knickers kind of remind me of capris which *I* refuse to wear. Not knocking them for everyone else, but to me, if I wore capris, I would feel like I’m missing the rest of my pants.  Maybe that’s the way my Dad felt, too.

A Lesson From a Dog

Remember Coraggio, this little cutie cockapoo that I work with (such a heartbreak to *have* to work with a dog and kids, too, huh)?

Well, the poor thing went in for his summer hair cut, and ended up getting the worst hair cut I have ever seen on anything. They shaved down to his skin on his chest, his back fur was so uneven it looked like a two year old got ahold of him, they shaved his hair up his neck to near the top of his head to make it look like he has a toupee, and his tail was a wreck. The owner was so sick about it she couldn’t even look at him.

And you know what? That dog doesn’t give a hoot what his fur looks like! He is still one very cheery little dog, bouncing around like life is the best thing. A very good example for us humans, I would say!

Maidenhair Spleenwort

One of my most favorite ferns, okay, well, I love all ferns, so I don’t really have a favorite, but this one is really cool, Maidenhair Spleenwort (Asplenium trichomanes)

which is exploitably vulnerable in New York State. Many fine examples were seen in rock crevices in one of my favorite NY state parks this past weekend.

Do you find Maidenhair Spleenwort around your area, too?

Happy Mother’s Day!

To all of the Mothers - Happy Mother’s Day! The lilac festival is going on now, but that’s not what we’ll be doing today! More on that later!

Lilacs at Wave Hill, April 30, 2006.

Have a happy day!

No Herbicides Used Here

I hate to mow my “lawn” because the “weed” flowers are so pretty, even though I’m sure my herbicide, insecticide, pesticide loving neighbors highly disagree. I don’t c*a*r*e how they feel, I really don’t. I’ve paid for this patch of land, what are they gonna do? While they’re mowing their lawns to an inch of its’ life and it turns brown in the heat of the summer, I’m here mowing mine at 3″ and enjoying a green “lawn” all spring/summer/fall.

I took turf in college (so yes, I know *how* to have the perfect lawn) to try to gain an appreciation for lawns (it didn’t work) and ended up learning and appreciating the turf “weeds” the best. I do have some plants in my “lawn” that aren’t typical turf “weeds” must be from previous owners or real tenacious wildflowers.

Daisies are about to burst forth:

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) that I don’t mind at all:

It’s very hairy, but doesn’t sting like nettle:

Closer view of the henbit flower:

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale). Now I’m really sorry to those that *hate* dandelions, but I *love* dandelions. Really. I do.

And someday I’ll tell you all of the reasons why I do, besides it being a really cool flower.

Tons of common blue violets (Viola papilionacea) are blossoming:

I love violet leaves:

Wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana), mmm, except I never get to eat them because the lawnmower doesn’t ever allow them to mature.

Mmmm, if I could just hold out mowing until they ripen so I could eat these! Or at least the animals could eat them.

Tons of yarrow (Achillea millefolium), mmmm, makes for a soft, nice smelling “lawn” when mowed, and doesn’t mind being cut:

And this little flower, which is all of a 1/4″ across, is making me have to get out my Weeds of the Northeast book, which I had purchased at Cornell Plantations, and then it ended up being one of our turf textbooks. Slender speedwell (Veronica filiformis).

Don’t be sad that this is ending, I have tons of other “weeds” in my “lawn” that I’ll be sharing later! And if you look closely at some of my “weed” photos, you’ll notice there are blades of grass. Hope I didn’t give any lawn affectinados a heart attack with my “lawn.”