warm breeze

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

Blowing Towels 2

 

Saturday felt like Summer and it is only mid spring. Ohio is like that. It is always hard to predict the weather in the spring. Could be chilly and wet. Could be hot and humid. Saturday was hot and breezy. Perfect weather for drying on the line.

Clothes lines are a source of nostalgia for me. My mother had a clothes line in the back yard when we lived outside of Boston as kids. The clothes pins were stored in a bag that hung permanently from one of the lines. I am tickled that they are making a comeback as people try to reduce their energy consumption. Sometimes going back to older and simpler ways is a good choice. 

Have a great day folks.

 

truth be told

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

Morning Lions

 

Each year, I spray, mow down, and dig up dandelions in a never ending attempt to eradicate them from our yard. I do this primarily for the sake of our neighbors. I know they don't appreciate when the seeds fly into their yard and take hold in their new home.

In truth, I don't mind them at all. I like the little yellow flowers and seeing the seeds take to the sky, drifting on the wind. Every time I head into the yard to work on them, I feel like I am giving into the Man. Conforming. But, that's just me.

Have a great day.

 

the dog woods are blooming

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

Columns and Dogwood

 

They are not the first signs of spring. There are a lot of flowering trees that show off their color long before the dogwoods. The fruit trees are flowering. The red bud has long given us its purpleish petals.  However, the flowering dogwood is one of my favorites. The whites are now in full bloom and the pinks are not far behind. Dogwoods are here to tell us that the winter is now behind us and warmer weather is here to stay.

This well groomed specimen from the Dayton Art Institute is one of my favorite examples. It is airy and the blooms are spectacular.

Have a great day.

 

what a wet week it has been

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

Wet Leaves

 

Here in Ohio, it's been a cold wet week. We are in that transitional period of early spring when we are teased by a day or two of warmth and sunshine, just to be brought back to reality by cold and chilly wind borne rain. 

Still, winter's freezes and snow are behind us. The spring flowers and flowering trees are doing their best to lift our spirits with the hope of a warm summer to come.

Today promises to be a sunnier and warmer day. I hope yours is spectacular. 

Have a great week ahead.

 

a walk in the spring woods

Posted on by Tim McMurdo
 
Virginia Bluebell
Virginia Bluebell
 
Dutchman's Breeches
Dutchman's Breeches
 
 
 
In yesterday's post, I mentioned that Thursday included a long hike in Clifton Gorge. The gorge was carved out by the Little Miami river, whose banks are heavily wooded. This time of year, the leaves on the trees and bushes have barely begun to emerge, leaving the spring flowers exposed for the eye to see.
 
The Trillium (both white and red) is just beginning to bloom along with the Virginia Bluebell. It won't be long before the woods are carpeted with white and blue. For two weeks or so, the gorge will be full of color.
 
One of my favorites is Dutchman's Breeches, a plant that lives on the side of the limestone boulders and displays small drop like white flowers that have the shape of….well, they are shaped like a Dutchman's breeches.
 
There are many thousands of species of flowering wild flowers and plants in the gorge. I can identify many of them. However, I've included two of my favorites in hopes that you can identify them. You can view them in the last two photos. The small bamboo like plant grows to about 18 inches tall and grows under the trees near the river banks.
 
I hope all of you have a great day. I'll bring more photos of the gorge's wild flowers the next time that I visit.
 

 

 

fallen tree

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

 

Thursday, I had a long walk in Clifton Gorge, a state nature preserve located about twenty minutes south of me. It's one of the rights of spring that help to get me out of the winter funk that weighs on me during the long dark months.

During my walk, I came across this fallen tree with its broken branches radiating outwards like the pins on the cylinder inside of a music box. In its day, the tree's branches were full of the music of birds, squirrels, and the sound to the wind whipping through its branches. Perhaps the staccato sound of a wood pecker looking for a meal echoed from its trunk.

This tree's music is silent. Not everything emerges from the long winter unscathed. Time demands its due. I emerged from my winter a bit worn and ragged, but I get to embrace the spring with my senses tingling and that is good enough for me.

 

memorial day, 2014

Posted on by Tim McMurdo

Memorial 2

 

National Cemetery - Dayton 1

 

National Cemetery - Dayton 3

 

Every year, I get up early and take along quiet walk in the national cemetery here in Springfield, Ohio. It's a time for me to spend some time thinking about the sacrifice of others and to put my own service into some perspective.

This year, I decided to head over to the larger national cemetery in Dayton. Seeing the rows  upon rows of head stones brings the impact to an even greater scale. I thought about the many thousands of headstones, all in their neat rows, every one of them lovingly given it's own American flag.

I think about my grandfather, my father, my uncle, and all of my ancestors that served and I am proud.

In today's society, I don't often find cause to be proud of being an American. To much political finger-pointing, social division, and a general attitude of selfishness. However, when I find myself surrounded by the quiet ghosts of these brave men and women, I am proud that some American's sons and daughters knew what real sacrifice meant and were proud to do their part for our nation.

I feel humbled.

Tim