NAN SANDERS POKERWINSKI
  • Home
  • Media
  • About
  • Contact
  • Atrocity (Novel)
  • MANGO RASH (Memoir)
  • Photography
  • Collages
  • Buy Books
  • Blog
  • EVENTS
  • Journalism

HeartWood
A blog about cultivating
creativity, connection and contentment
wherever you are

Last Wednesday Wisdom for May

5/25/2016

16 Comments

 
On the last Wednesday of every month, I serve up a potpourri of advice, inspiration and other tidbits I've come across in recent weeks. 

If you read through to the end (no fair skipping ahead!), you'll get a treat: a visual recap of a fun event from the past month.
Picture
Such things . . . as the grasp of a child's hand in your own, the flavor of an apple, the embrace of a friend or a lover, the silk of a girl's thigh, the sunlight on rock and leaves, the feel of music, the bark of a tree, the abrasion of granite and sand, the plunge of clear water into a pool, the face of the wind—what else is there? What else do we need?
​--Edward Abbey, author, essayist and environmentalist
Picture
Will you ever bring a better gift for the world than the breathing respect that you carry wherever you go right now?
--William Stafford, American poet and pacifist
Picture
I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find that I have lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.
​--Diane Ackerman, author, poet and naturalist
Picture
I value the friend who for me finds time on his calendar, but I cherish the friend who for me does not consult his calendar.
--Robert Brault, blogger
Picture
Passion is one great force that unleashes creativity, because if you're passionate about something, then you're more willing to take risks.
​--Yo-Yo Ma, cellist
Picture
I love the sutra sthira sukham asanam: "Effort without tension, relaxation without dullness." It reminds me that energy should not be confused with anxiety and stress.
--Renee Loux, author, chef and green-living expert, interviewed in Yoga Journal, May, 2016
Picture
To achieve greatness, start where you are, use what you have, do what you can.
​--Arthur Ashe, the first African-American man to win Wimbledon
Picture
And now, as promised, a virtual visit to Tulip Time, an annual Holland, Michigan event that took place earlier this month. Put on your wooden shoes and come along!
Picture
A view at Windmill Island Gardens, a 36-acre municipal park
Picture
"De Zwaan," a 250-year-old, working windmill brought from the Netherlands in 1964
Picture
Picture
Picture
More than 115,000 tulips grace Windmill Island Gardens in the spring
Picture
Picture
Picture
Guaranteed not to wilt!
Picture
Picture
The Kinderparade (Children's Parade), one of several parades during Tulip Time
Picture
Picture
Kids in the parade carry handmade props related to Dutch culture
Picture
Someone is having a good time on this float, and someone is not
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

​So, readers, where has life taken you, and what wisdom have you gleaned in the past month?
16 Comments

Getaway!

5/18/2016

15 Comments

 
If you see a whole thing—it seems that it's always beautiful. Planets, lives . . . But up close a world's all dirt and rocks. And day to day, life's a hard job, you get tired, you lose the pattern.
 
—Ursula  K. Le Guin
​
Picture
​I could not have agreed more with that sentiment a couple of weeks ago. Life was feeling messy and overloaded with too many appointments, meetings and projects pulling me in different directions.
 
I had definitely lost the pattern.
Picture
​I went for a walk to clear my mind, and as I walked, a voice in my head kept saying, Time out!
 
I thought I was taking a time-out, but apparently a half-hour hike through the woods wasn't enough. I needed a getaway. Ray, too. He'd been feeling burdened with his own set of stressors.
 
Yes, I realize we live in the kind of place people come to for a getaway. But no matter where you live, everyday life has a way of making your haven feel like a workplace, and the only way to hit reset—to find the pattern again—is to go away for a spell.

​Fortunately, Ray and I already had been planning (in the loosest sense of the word) a getaway for later that week. The idea was to pick a not-too-distant destination, head in that direction and follow our whims along the way.
Picture
​Our chosen destination: Bay City, Michigan. I know what you're thinking. Bay City? Why drive two hours east to a sleepy little town on a river when we've got Lake Michigan's splendid shoreline and charming beach towns just a Petoskey stone's throw away? But we've been to all those beaches and towns, some of them many times, and while we never tire of them, we know exactly what we'll find there.  

PictureBay City Antiques Center


​​We'd never been to Bay City and had no idea what it had to offer except, according to a flyer I'd saved from somewhere, Michigan's largest antique mall. 

​So we packed a bag and set off—a straight shot across mid-Michigan that ended at Bay City's Water Street. The street runs along the east side of the Saginaw River and boasts not only the acclaimed antique mall, but other shops, an arts center, and Bay City Motor Company, where you can buy a beautifully restored Corvette, Thunderbird or other classic ride if you happen to have a whole lot more cash than we were willing to part with.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
We whiled away the afternoon browsing in shops and late-lunching at Tavern 101. Then, as evening spangled the waterfront, we strolled along the river toward Wenonah Park, where we soon would get a glimpse of what may be Bay City's greatest asset. And I'm not talking about the park itself, though it's lovely. 
Picture
Table decor at Tavern 101
Picture
Ray takes in the view
Picture
Evening on the river
​As we walked, we noticed a few bicyclists headed in the same direction. Then a few more . . .and more . . . and more. By the time we reached the park, it was full of cyclists—not the hardcore variety in tight jerseys and funny-looking shoes, but regular riders of all ages, all seemingly waiting for something to begin.
Picture
Picture
Picture
Apparently, exceptions are made
Picture
That something, it turned out, was a group ride—the first of the season's weekly rides. As we watched a hundred or more riders take off en masse at the designated time, I was heartened by sight of so many people enjoying a fine evening together (and—let's be real here—most likely stopping for beer along the ride route).

​What a treasure, I thought, more valuable than anything for sale in that colossal antique shop!​

PictureA spring day on Riverwalk
​We found more evidence of Bay City's community spirit the next day, when we explored the Riverwalk on the west side of the river. Riverwalk got its start thirty years ago, when the Bay Area Community Foundation raised $1.5 million for its initial phase: a pier built over concrete abutments left from a 1911 railroad bridge, and the first part of the walkway that now stretches north to Bay City State Recreation Area.

Picture
The pier built on railroad bridge abutments
PictureBay City's arboretum
​The walking/bike path—well-traveled on the day of our visit—passes through a twelve-acre arboretum that bears the name of the late Leopold Kantzler, a businessman and philanthropist who established a foundation in his will to enhance the community and support charitable programs for the people of Bay City.

PictureA pocket garden in the arboretum
Small gardens dot the arboretum's rolling landscape. Businesses, community groups and individuals adopt plots, choosing their sites and designing, planting and tending their gardens year round.

In one garden, we spotted a plaque inscribed with this quote from Margaret Mead (a girlhood idol since my days in Samoa, by the way):

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it's the only thing that ever has.

I can't vouch for the whole world, but thoughtful, committed citizens surely have made a difference in Bay City's riverfront.



PictureRudder of the steamship Sacramento



​The arboretum and gardens occupy the spot where a world-class shipyard once stood. Workers built and repaired wooden vessels at the dry dock until the early 1930s, when steel ships made their wooden counterparts obsolete. The dry dock slip and the rudder of the steamship Sacramento are preserved in the park as reminders of Bay City's shipbuilding heritage.

PictureTrombley Centre House, a historic home at the edge of the arboretum

Those aren't the only links to the past. Along the Riverwalk are historic buildings with signs telling their stories--more evidence of a community working together to honor the past while giving new life to a once forsaken area. As we walked, I felt connection and gratitude toward the people of Bay City who created the place that was bringing me so much peace. 

On the drive back to Newaygo, I felt renewed, lighter. Home, when we arrived, felt like a haven again. Even as I plunged back into projects, I didn't see drudgery and mess any more. I saw possibilities. And yes, a trace of the pattern I'd lost.
​
​When do you feel like you're losing the pattern? What do you do to get it back?
15 Comments

Slow-Mo: Not a No-No

5/11/2016

12 Comments

 
​This is perhaps not the best thing to admit in print, but lately I've found myself—dare I say it?—slo-o-o-o-o-o-w-w-w-w-ing down. And even though I've always been something of a go-go-go-getter, I think this new pace is a good thing.
​

PictureOne of the more leisurely desk lunches of my newspaper career
For most of my working life, I toiled in a profession—journalism—where speed was not only valued, but required. At my newspaper job, editors handed out daily assignments in mid-morning, and stories were due by mid- to late-afternoon. The short span in between was a mad scramble of gathering and absorbing background information, lining up sources, conducting interviews and writing fast. All of this fueled by caffeine, adrenaline and—if there was time—a lunch hastily gobbled at my desk.
 
It was stressful, but thrilling—something like riding a motorcycle through a series of hairpin turns. Both undertakings require skill and extreme focus, and at the end, both result in the sublime satisfaction of pulling off the feat. Still, there are times when you just want to sit back in the saddle, put your feet up on the highway pegs and savor the ride.

Picture
Just as I used to enjoy a leisurely cruise down country roads on my motorcycle, I found myself yearning for more slow-moving days in my whole life. Yet when I finally was able to step away from my fast-paced career and turn my attention to book-writing, collage-making, picture-taking and other gentler pursuits, I found it surprisingly hard to let myself slow down. Conditioned to keep an eye on the clock, I tried to impose time limits and deadlines on myself. Some days I still whipped through pages with newsroom-paced efficiency, but on days when I labored for hours on a single page—or paragraph, or sentence, or phrase—I beat myself up for being such a slug.
 
Finally, I realized my whip-cracking and artificial deadlines were doing me—and my creative work—no good. Writing and revising words, collecting and assembling images, composing and shooting photographs are all endeavors that sometimes just take as long as they need to take. Hurrying up may make me feel more productive, but it rarely makes the end result better. 

​Or so I kept telling myself for quite some time before I fully accepted it as truth. Only now, four years after swerving out of the fast lane, am I starting to settle into a more measured pace. Sometimes I still have to check the impulse to scold myself when I dawdle over a chore I used to speed through in seconds. But more often now, I allow myself to stand at the window and stare at the trees for as long as I want, to sink onto the couch and read a magazine after completing a task instead of racing on to the next thing on my list, to take a walk and stop to examine a wildflower or chat with a neighbor.
Picture
As so often happens, now that I'm thinking about this subject, I'm stumbling across related articles everywhere. In an interview in The Writer's Chronicle, author William Least Heat-Moon had this to say about speed in creative undertakings:
         
In large part, excessive speed is likely an aspect of the current instant-gratification syndrome, and unwillingness to delay reward; but speed can also be a way of cutting down on the arduousness of the creative process. I don't believe that excellent writing comes easily to anyone. To draw out one's best means first demanding the best of one's abilities and then answering that demand for the time it requires.
​
PictureWhat's the rush?
​And in her blog, The Tangled Nest, author Lyanda Lynn Haupt muses on being more tortoise than hare. Rather than paraphrase her beautiful language, I encourage you to read the original.
 
However, I will share Haupt's bottom line:
 

The Pace of Creation is a mystery. It is different for all of us. And that's just fine.

 
Yes, it is. What's more, even the process of discovering one's true and rightful pace can be a lengthy process. So take your time. Or hurry up. Whichever suits you. But do it in your own time.

12 Comments

Exploring the Enchanted Forest

5/4/2016

9 Comments

 
Picture


​​Skies were dreary and drippy, but last Saturday and Sunday were fine days in Fairyland (also known as Camp Newaygo), as droves of visitors wandered through woods and wetlands in search of fairy houses. 

PictureFoster Arts and Crafts Lodge
​The occasion was the camp's Enchanted Forest event, two afternoons of fun and fundraising to support improvements to the camp's Foster Arts and Crafts Lodge. Generations of campers have explored painting, pottery, dark room photography, nature crafts, jewelry making, tie dye design, wood burning and other activities in that building. But the crafts lodge, built in 1949, is no longer adequate for the camp's growing number of campers and programs.

Picture
"Marcia's Gnome-acile" by Marcia Holcomb
​




When Camp Newaygo put out the call to artists and craftspeople, asking them to create and donate fairy houses, event organizers hoped to get twenty-five to thirty houses. They received forty-two little dwellings fashioned from logs, twigs, stones, clay, glass, felt, feathers, acorn caps, pine cones, moss and generous amounts of imagination.


"We want to send a big thank you to all of the artists who took the time and consideration to donate all of the beautiful houses," said Jane Vitek, Camp Newaygo's Executive Director. "Without them, the event couldn't have been possible."
Picture
"Pebble Cottage" by Mary Beth Cooper
Picture"Fairy Chateau" by Linda Cudworth
​




​Camp staff and volunteers hid the fairy houses, gnome homes, pixie palaces and elf abodes in the woods for visitors of all ages to discover (with the help of trail maps, helpful guides and a display showing photos of all the houses to be found).


Picture
A trail map pointed out the routes to follow
Picture
A photo display showed forest explorers what to look for
Picture
Guides Morgan Pope and Jennifer Bell helped visitors navigate the trails
PictureI know it's in there somewhere!
​

​Ray and I had an edge, having helped hide some of the houses Saturday morning. But even we had to look closely to spot some of them. And once guests began arriving—many sporting fairy wings and other whimsical garb—we had fun watching them search and then react with delight when they spied a tiny house nestled in the leaves or in the hollow of a tree stump. 

Picture
Violet Jenerou had the look!
Picture
Calla Casler wore fairy frou-frou
Picture
Emery and Isla Casler flitted in for the afternoon
Picture
Fairy Godmother Brenda Huckins Bonter spread magic all around
Picture
It's an imp! It's a leprechaun! No, it's an enchanted Mark Kane!
Picture
Could a house be hidden here?
Picture
Here's one!
Picture
Look at this one!
Picture
A young visitor pauses to read Sally's poem
​

Two houses offered extra surprises. Alongside Sally Kane's "Wee One's Stone Abode" was a poem Sally wrote about the house, and Ray's "Rustic Retreat" featured a story he wrote about its inhabitants.
Picture
Brenda reads Sally's poem to another forest explorer
​Some fledgling fairies made wands or gnome hats at the crafts station and enjoyed a tea party of punch and cookies. Other visitors browsed the garden plants and accessories offered for sale by local shops.
Picture
Picture
Olivia Jenerou made a happy wand!
Picture
Did I hear tea party?
Picture
Zoe Hance approved of the cookies
​Over the two days, a total of 627 visitors toured the Enchanted Forest.
"We were ecstatic about the positive responses we got about the event on social media, and we were so happy with the turnout," said Christa Smalligan, Director of Events and Operations. "It was wonderful to see families and friends outside exploring and enjoying themselves in nature."
​Wish you'd been there? Or wish you could visit again? Then come along for a walk through the pictures below or a virtual stroll with WOTV4's Maranda.
​If a fanciful creation catches your eye, drop by eBay to bid on one or more of the fairy houses. The auction runs until 11 a.m., Monday, May 9, and proceeds go to the Foster Arts and Crafts Lodge renovation project.
The houses will also be on display at Camp Newaygo, 5333 Centerline Rd., Newaygo, during the Mother's Day Brunch, Sunday, May 8. Between now and then, the public is welcome to view them during business hours,  Monday-Friday 8am-5pm.  
Ready for that walk in the woods? Let's go!
Picture
Picture
"Woodland Whimsy" by Amy Gallmeyer
Picture
"Sue's Cabin" by Sue Barthold
Picture
"Eric's Abode" by Eric LeMire
Picture
"Green Glass Cottage" by Eileen Kent
Picture
"Pixie Twist" by Dawn Campbell
Picture
"Woodland Hollow" by Christina Sutherland
Picture
Entry to "Will-o-Wisp" by Diane Sack
Picture
"Fairies of the Three Fires" by Connie Harrison
Picture
"Stew Stump House" by Sue Monterusso
Picture
"Ladybug Chalet" by Marcia Holcomb
Picture
"Kendra's Cob House" by Kendra McKimmy
Picture
"Unicorn and Fairy Dream House" by Linda Kilmer
Picture
"Shelby's Hide-Away" by Shelby Prickett
Picture
"Blueberry Hacienda" by Maureen Roslanic
Picture
"Wee One's Stone Abode" by Sally Kane
Picture
"Gnome Sweet Gnome" by Eileen Chamberlin
Picture
"Rustic Retreat" by Ray Pokerwinski
Picture
"Glass Cathedral" by Ellen Chamberlin
Picture
"Flying Fairy House" by Lindy Columbini
Picture
THE END
9 Comments
    Picture
    Written from the heart,
    from the heart of the woods
    Read the introduction to HeartWood here.

    Subscribe to HeartWood

    Available now!

    Picture
    Check with your favorite bookseller or order from the BUY BOOKS page on this website.
    Get updates on Mango Rash
    BUY MANGO RASH

    Author

    Nan Sanders Pokerwinski, a former journalist, writes memoir and personal essays, makes collages and likes to play outside. She lives in West Michigan with her husband, Ray.

    Archives

    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    April 2022
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016

    Categories

    All
    52 Frames
    Art
    Better Living
    Books
    Community
    Creativity
    Events
    Explorations
    Food
    Gardens
    Guest Posts
    Health
    Inspiration
    Last Wednesday Wisdom
    Local Artists
    Mecosta County
    Montcalm County
    Music
    Muskegon County
    Nature
    Newaygo County
    Oceana County
    People
    Photography
    Pure Michigan
    Reflection
    Return To Paradise
    Samoa
    Writing

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Home
  • Media
  • About
  • Contact
  • Atrocity (Novel)
  • MANGO RASH (Memoir)
  • Photography
  • Collages
  • Buy Books
  • Blog
  • EVENTS
  • Journalism