Early this morning, as I made a loop around the Boston Public Garden, it became apparent that something had been added to Thomas Ball's statue of George Washington.
I didn't remember a feather in his cap. Had someone added one?
Not one but many feathers and those feathers were moving and watching me.
Or watching the squirrels and the smaller birds perhaps.
No one seemed to notice what I was busy photographing with my phone. Perhaps the morning commuters are so used to seeing people with phones out taking pictures of Washington that they don't look to see if anything is different. Today, for a little while, it was.
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Early this morning, as I made a loop around the Boston Public Garden, it became apparent that something had been added to Thomas Ball's statue of George Washington.
I didn't remember a feather in his cap. Had someone added one?
Not one but many feathers and those feathers were moving and watching me.
Or watching the squirrels and the smaller birds perhaps.
No one seemed to notice what I was busy photographing with my phone. Perhaps the morning commuters are so used to seeing people with phones out taking pictures of Washington that they don't look to see if anything is different. Today, for a little while, it was.
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If you collect historic postcards, you sometimes find the messages on the back more interesting than the illustration on the front. This card, mailed from Boston on September 12, 1954, had me looking up the date and the hurricane.
The message reads, "Dear Will, Just a line from Boston. We had to spend an extra day here because of the hurricane. We'll leave for Maine tomorrow."
The Hurricane was Edna which hit New England on the 11th. Wikipedia summarized the damage to our area.
"There were widespread evacuations in southern New England, after Hurricane Carol struck the same area only 11 days prior. Strong winds caused extensive power outages for 260,000 people, including nearly all of Cape Cod. Edna became the costliest hurricane in the history of Maine, where the hurricane caused flooding that washed out roads and rail lines. There were 21 deaths in New England, eight of whom in Maine due to drownings."
The Big Story from Hurricane Carol
Locally the news that the Old North Church steeple had collapsed during Hurricane Carol received coverage as far away as San Francisco, where they called it the "Paul Revere Steeple."
The Old North Foundation explained that this was the second time the steeple had fallen. It also came down in the “The Great Gale of Boston in 1804." They also noted how little damage there was to it saying, "In another remarkable piece of luck, our original weathervane, designed by Shem Drowne, has survived not one, but two, steeple falls."
Hurricane "Myths"
Does our hot summer and warm Atlantic waters portend a busy hurricane season? In June, Weather Underground clarified a number of so-called "hurricane myths" to explain which aspects of them are true and which are false. On this topic they say, "Sea-surface temperatures are only one factor affecting storm intensity."
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If you collect historic postcards, you sometimes find the messages on the back more interesting than the illustration on the front. This card, mailed from Boston on September 12, 1954, had me looking up the date and the hurricane.
The message reads, "Dear Will, Just a line from Boston. We had to spend an extra day here because of the hurricane. We'll leave for Maine tomorrow."
The Hurricane was Edna which hit New England on the 11th. Wikipedia summarized the damage to our area.
"There were widespread evacuations in southern New England, after Hurricane Carol struck the same area only 11 days prior. Strong winds caused extensive power outages for 260,000 people, including nearly all of Cape Cod. Edna became the costliest hurricane in the history of Maine, where the hurricane caused flooding that washed out roads and rail lines. There were 21 deaths in New England, eight of whom in Maine due to drownings."
The Big Story from Hurricane Carol
Locally the news that the Old North Church steeple had collapsed during Hurricane Carol received coverage as far away as San Francisco, where they called it the "Paul Revere Steeple."
The Old North Foundation explained that this was the second time the steeple had fallen. It also came down in the “The Great Gale of Boston in 1804." They also noted how little damage there was to it saying, "In another remarkable piece of luck, our original weathervane, designed by Shem Drowne, has survived not one, but two, steeple falls."
Hurricane "Myths"
Does our hot summer and warm Atlantic waters portend a busy hurricane season? In June, Weather Underground clarified a number of so-called "hurricane myths" to explain which aspects of them are true and which are false. On this topic they say, "Sea-surface temperatures are only one factor affecting storm intensity."
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The garden club post explained that they will be joining with others to help restore and protect pollinators' habitats, "… members will be providing food and habitat for pollinators in our home gardens (can even be a container on a deck or a condo window planter), as well as through public garden projects, youth garden projects, nursing homes, botanical gardens, business areas, and government offices."
If you have your own garden, all the resources you need to get underway are at this site. If you live in a rental or condominium, ask the management company or board of trustees to take a pollinator mindset when planning the common area gardens.
When you consider the importance of what pollinators do for us, learning more and taking action is the least we can do to help turn around this critical shortage.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
The garden club post explained that they will be joining with others to help restore and protect pollinators' habitats, "… members will be providing food and habitat for pollinators in our home gardens (can even be a container on a deck or a condo window planter), as well as through public garden projects, youth garden projects, nursing homes, botanical gardens, business areas, and government offices."
If you have your own garden, all the resources you need to get underway are at this site. If you live in a rental or condominium, ask the management company or board of trustees to take a pollinator mindset when planning the common area gardens.
When you consider the importance of what pollinators do for us, learning more and taking action is the least we can do to help turn around this critical shortage.
Do you have an Amazon Gift Certificate to use? Or do you need to buy one for a gift? Remember to click over to Amazon from here to support this site!
Dogs give us an excuse to seek out natural spaces. Walk the Esplanade early in the morning and you’ll see individuals and groups of friends walking their dogs in this closer-to-nature setting.
In an 1896 letter to the Boston Metropolitan Park Commission, Charles Eliot, landscape architect and champion of this park along the Charles River wrote, “Reservations of scenery are the cathedrals of the modern world.” While the beautiful, bucolic settings that were the original purpose of our parks have been sacrificed over the years, you can still find a few spots where you can feel the healthful effects of nature.
Learn from Your Dog
Watch your dog the next time the two of you visit a beautiful, leafy spot. Notice how he takes in the scene. Follow her lead as she explores the trees, listens to the sounds, and uses all her senses to fully experience the space.
I’m not suggesting you get down and sniff the ground, but rather that you try to pay attention to the sensory setting the way your dog does. Try to find a quiet place in the park, away from modern day distractions, and imagine our city’s natural spaces as they were when created by men like Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles Eliot, or Arthur Shurcliff.
What does the sun feel like on your back? What does the wind in the trees sound like? Try to pick up the slight difference in scent as you near a body of water. These were meant to be places where the city population could escape the crowded city and enjoy the benefits of nature.
Science Confirms
Today, study after study has proven that these men were wise in their instinct to provide spaces where dogs can take their people back to nature.
The University of Rochester reported this conclusion after reviewing a series of studies on the topic including one by Professor Richard Ryan who reported, “… people are more caring and generous when exposed to nature.” And, "The findings were particularly robust, being outside in nature for just 20 minutes in a day was enough to significantly boost vitality levels.”
“We have a natural connection with living things," said Ryan. "Nature is something within which we flourish, so having it be more a part of our lives is critical, especially when we live and work in built environments."
Get to know all of our Sunday Dogs at Boston Dogs.
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With our minds thirsting for color, we watch for the first leaves of what will soon be a display of tulips to poke through the ground. But we give little thought to the people who worked in the fall to plant those bulbs. In the Boston Public Garden that tradition of planting in the fall to give us beauty in the spring has gone on for years.
Here from photographer Leslie Jones is his picture titled, Public Garden Signs of Spring. (Date created: 1917 – 1934 approximate) (Courtesy of the Boston Public Library, Leslie Jones Collection.)
Notice the skyline with just the Custom House Tower showing on George Washington's right.
For the now version, here's a photo Penny took in November of 2012 for a newspaper assignment. Her caption was, "Bob Denn and Danny Mullins from the Boston Parks Department plant the bulbs that will burst into colorful beds next spring near the Public Garden’s Arlington Street entrance."
Of course city workers aren't the only ones who toil to bring us beauty. Here's another shot that was featured on the front page of the Back Bay Sun with the caption, "As temperatures dipped, gardener Susan Juretschke (right) and Violet Byrd spent their days planting bulbs in Back Bay gardens. A few months from now, their work will deliver the first sign of spring as snowdrops, crocus, tulips, daffodils, and more push their way through the earth and snow."
As the sprouts shoot up and the flowers pop, we say thanks to all those who labor to plant bulbs in the fall for us to enjoy in the spring.
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