Tag: Ducks

Posted on by Ellen Seaton - No Comments on Hermann Park Prepares for Earth Day

Hermann Park Prepares for Earth Day

Here is your first warning sign that you should notice when going to Hermann Park in the second half of April. It’s close enough to Earth Day that all the schools from all over everywhere bring gaggles of children to appreciate nature. Yellow buses line the streets.

It appears as though the children gather in packs. Each group is identified by their colors. Is this similar to a bunch of gangs? I did not get close enough to find out. The group in this picture is heading for Miller Theater. I could hear music playing until all the munchkins got seated for some type of program.

Another batch of gaggles also were observed heading into the Museum of Natural Science. This picture was taken from the top of a hill in the park. I made sure to keep my distance, in order to ensure my safety. I did not venture anywhere near either the theater or museum. Fearless adults communicated with all of the multicolored T‑shirts by bullhorns. That was very brave of them and I think worthy of combat medals.

This is the mountain I climbed up to view the hordes while staying out of harm’s way. There were even safety rules for this vantage point. They included: No bicycles. No swinging from the rails. Please stay off the plants, and most important for today situation: Mind children and dogs. On the way up, I did not see many other people so when I reached the top, I could bask in the fact that it was a cloudy day, and did not swelter in bright sunshine. I didn’t even need to wear my sunglasses.

Walking the trail that wound around this mountain was quite pleasant and since there was a waterfall on one side, much of the noise of the school-age gremlins was literally “drowned out”. This worked for some time until some other grownups discovered my sanctuary. It was at that point that lots of people showed up who actually had the audacity to enjoy a fun-filled conversation amongst themselves. How rude. My silent haven then turned into a party venue and I decided it was time to move on back down the hill. More and more people were heading up to the top of the hill and I apparently made my escape just in time.

There was one last sign that should have clued me in. Even the ducks were aware of what was going on today. These two are far from their normal pond habitat. I found them trying to hide amongst the bushes and trees so the children would not find them and chase them.

In the end, I escaped safely and am able to write this blog. I wonder if my next ghost story will include groups of ghost children in matching t‑shirts marauding around the park at midnight under a full moon. That’s a story idea with possibilities.

Until next time.….….

Posted on by Ellen Seaton - No Comments on 3 Days, 3 Roads, 3 Adventures

3 Days, 3 Roads, 3 Adventures

Tuesday. Drove to Hermann Park with Dear Friend (DF). We wanted to spend some time outside on a beautiful cool day with art, squirrels and ducks. This particular park is a wonderful place to go for a walk. There are concrete paths, gravel paths, and lots of grass to walk on. There are also many trees, benches and picnic tables. DF and I walked and sat and walked and sat some more. We absorbed as much of the park as we could and committed it to memory. I took pictures with a real camera (as opposed to the camera on my phone).

This particular sculpture was a topic of discussion last year when I took the Women In Art class at the Glassell. The artist who created this piece was sculptor, Hannah Stewart. The title of the work is Atropos Key and is located on top of the hill at Miller Theater.

Since it was a weekday, there were not too many people. Foot traffic did pick up during the lunch hour with several people escaping an office setting to commune with nature. Some folks just walked and others sat on benches and visited with the ducks. Some folks walked alone, some in pairs and others in small groups. The squirrels kept an eye on everyone who wandered through.

Wednesday. DF was in the hospital getting ready for some surgery. Nothing major or life threatening, but necessary. Sometimes a road trip involves being wheeled around a hospital (or accompanying someone who is being wheeled around a hospital). From admitting room, to pre-op holding room, to operating room, to recovery room, to hospital bedroom. I spent the day either by his bedside or sitting in the waiting room. Surgery was scheduled for 11:30 a.m., but he was not wheeled into the operating room until 1:00 p.m. He pulled through the surgery like a champ. Only a 5 hour wait in the recovery room before DF is moved to a private room. Once I was assured he was comfortable in his room and tucked in for the night, I left with the promise to return the next day to transport him home. Nurses checked on him every hour.

Both before and after surgery, we spent time in curtained cubicles where we caught some strange snippets of conversations.

A doctor said, “Your wound is safe. You could put WD40 on it and it still wouldn’t get infected. You won’t have any problem with a shower.”

A nurse said to a co-worker, “No, it’s an hour and a half. Do not try to add another 1/2 hour to my life.”

A nurse said towards the end of the shift to someone we could not see,“I don’t like coffee. I don’t like the way it looks. I don’t like the way it smells. I don’t like the way it tastes. I don’t even like the look of coffee beans. Coffee is not my friend.”

Thursday. DF and I had hoped for a hospital discharge by 11:00 a.m. No such luck. There were no more road trips around the hospital. Lots of waiting in the room. The nurse continued to visit every hour. Finally by 3:00 p.m. DF was sitting in a wheelchair on his way to the front door of the hospital.

Once out in the sunshine, we drove off in my car. We went to a drug store for meds and then to Brasil’s for an early dinner. I drove slowly through tree lined neighborhoods. Classical music played on the radio. Now life began to return to what can be considered normal.

Until next week.….