Jim’s Community Bench
The bench features red poppies, which were [Jim] Huegerich’s favorite flowers. The flowers, bench, and tubing have a “whisper” function: people sitting on the bench can whisper into one flower and listen on the other as the piping carries the sound. The bench was created by nationally known sculptor Jim Gallucci, based on input from the Huegerich family.
~ Triangle Blog Blog
Although I have been diligent about walking on my treadmill, due to weather and plans cancelled by winter illnesses, I had not walked outside in over a month! It rained Saturday morning and things didn’t look too hopeful for a weekend walk. But, the weather app promised a dry time slot at 2 pm and my friend Susan was willing to take advantage of it with me. The sun even came out!
I suggested Bolin Creek Trail, a paved greenway, so we didn’t have to get our shoes muddy. Paved trails might be a good idea in the summer, too, as a strategy for avoiding seed ticks. Maybe. We found lots of pretty little weeds along the way, passed by lots of other people enjoying the day, and saw lots of art work painted on concrete pipes and bridge underpasses.
by Mike Waller & Leah Foushee Waller
(bronze, concrete, aluminum)
In spite of the gentle, dreary rains we’ve been getting lately after the snow and ice storms, we are still in a severe draught. The weeds seem to be all right, though, but Bolin Creek isn’t very full.
(these shrubs like to grow along creek banks)
Alder Catkins
Male Catkins: Long, slender, and dangling (pendulous), these are initially reddish but turn yellow as they mature, reaching 2–10 cm in length. They produce large amounts of pollen, which is wind-dispersed.
Female Catkins: Smaller and initially reddish-purple, these are located on the same twigs as the male catkins. After pollination, they mature into woody, dark brown or black, cone-like structures that persist on the tree through the winter.
~ AI
There remains a hole in my world, a hole that my being futilely tries to fill in with memory flashes and pangs of heartache. Tim & I started to follow this trail the first year we moved down here, but we didn’t get as far along it as Susan and I did this day. Walking on the smooth pavement was too painful for him and thereafter we focused on trails with uneven terrain. It felt a little strange going past the point where Tim & I had turned around. At the time I was disappointed that we couldn’t continue down the path. Now I could. Part of me didn’t want to go on without him. Maybe all of me. Nevertheless, I did enjoy myself, even without him. It’s weird how both things can be true.
A lovely walk and a lovely post. I think you’re someone who knows well how to hold two contradictory things as true at the same time. I call that a dialectic. Today I heard it called a polarity. And I call the weeds wildflowers. Hugs!
I am a big fan of dialectic thinking as the most helpful approach to understanding complex feelings. And I am so grateful to have your comforting and encouraging presence in my life! When I was identifying those little flowers my sources labeled them as invasive weeds, but they’re awfully pretty. (The smooth alder shrub is native.)
I love the benches, Barbara, and the growth of Spring beginning. Such a beautiful place to revisit, both in memory and in finding life in a new chapter. I am so happy you have Susan to venture nature with as you. ❤️
Thank you so much for your kind words, Donna. ❤️ We didn’t see any birds but pulled out the Merlin Bird ID app to identify the ones we could hear. Tim put that app on my phone for me and I use it a lot more often now.
It is nice to see spring beginning in your part of the world, Barbara. Aren’t you glad you missed this recent nor’easter? Your old town got a dumping!
Bittersweet memories of Tim as you move forward without him by your side, but at least you can still carry him in your heart… a place he will always be. 💕
I think I’m glad I missed the nor’easter, although my feelings are pretty mixed. I do miss the excitement, but not the cold. My friend in Colchester got 20 inches and my sister in Mansfield got so much drifting that she couldn’t make a good guess. It’s true, Tim will always be in my heart and I will always long to share my thoughts and experiences with him. 💕
Barbara, that’s good you waited out the bad weather and look what you got for your patience – a lovely and peaceful walk. You are lucky to see the beginnings of Spring along with some creativity. I have not gone over to see if the Snow Drops are out yet in the next block. For sure the snow that is falling as I write this will coat the flowers and bend them down. Sigh.
Yes, that weather app comes in so handy when making last minute plans. 🙂 The next day we returned to winter with cold temps so I’m glad we made the most of that small window of sunshine. In the meantime I’ve been riveted to the news about that nor-easter in New England. Providence, RI broke a snowfall record at 37.9 inches!!! For them it was worse than the infamous Blizzard of 1978, which I remember so well.
I’ve been watching a lot of coverage of the blizzard on social media and yes, Rhode Island takes the prize for snowfall, a prize I’m sure they would rather have not received. I remember the Blizzard of 1978 as it impacted us here as well. It was two or three days off school, my last year of college, so that was a nice treat, although I believe I worked at the diner several of the days because I was only a 1/2 mile away and my boss came to pick me up and drop me off. My school was in Detroit and in those days, it took weeks after a heavy snowfall in Detroit to get the streets plowed – they did the bus routes first and the main roads – everyone else had to hoof it. Now they have a contingent of snow plow drivers and it is way more timely.
It’s funny, I can’t remember how long we lost power for that blizzard, or if we did. I remember Tim & I took the boys to the playground the day before and talked about what a nice day it was and how hard it was to believe that such a big storm was due the next day. Jon was only 2 months old so I didn’t get outside for any snow shoveling but I do have pictures of Tim and Nat, who was 2 years old, out there with their snow shovels, taken from where I stood in the open front doorway. It’s so strange I don’t remember how long we were stuck at home but from reading accounts the roads in Connecticut were closed for days.
I love the sculptures and the pretty brook, Barbara! I’m glad you’re finding a way to get back outdoors. I know Mother Nature has healing power, and it’s great you’re taking advantage of that. Yes, of course, there’s still a gaping hole in your heart. You miss your best friend/hubby! But if Tim was able to, I’ll bet he was right there with you and enjoying the scenery and pretty day.
I’m smiling because you called the water a pretty brook. There are no brooks down here, only creeks!!! It’s taking me a while to get used to the dialect down here – faucet/spigot, woolly bear/woolly worm, etc. It is doing me a world of good to get outside. There was one very difficult week when I never got out there at all, so I’m making sure that doesn’t happen again. I do feel like Tim is still there with me, as you say.
Have you run across the buggy/shopping cart yet? How about the sack/paper bag? Or the soda/pop? So many delightful things to learn!!
No, I haven’t heard buggy or sack yet – I will have to keep my ears open! 🙂
What a lovely, although bittersweet, post. The benches are beautiful. Do you ever read ML Creations? He’s one of my blogging friends. He’s a photographer originally from upstate NY, now relocated to Georgia, and he has a fondness for benches in a nature setting.
I love your little signs of spring – so nice to see the little wildflowers in bloom. We still have quite a lot of snow that needs to melt! Got a little start on it yesterday when it got up to 50 degrees!
I had not heard of ML Creations before – thank you for the tip! I think I will subscribe to his photography blog – it’s always fun seeing the things different people like to take pictures of.
All those little wildflowers are actually invasive weeds, but I agree, they are awfully pretty and fill in the barren patches of ground quite nicely. Do you know how much snow you got? I imagine it will take Providence quite a while for their piles of snow to melt!
I think we ended up with about 16″ of snow. It was almost 50 degrees yesterday so at least it is starting to melt.
That’s not an insignificant amount. I heard they got 27″ in Groton. The most I ever saw when I lived there was 24″ in 2013. Not sure if I’m sorry or happy that I missed this one!