This, That & The Other: Weather Shifts, A Softball Memory, Tunes On Tap & Butterflies Beckon2/20/2023  By Ken DeLaat 1. Here’s what I love about this patch of peninsular paradise we reside in. The picture above was taken on Saturday February 11th when a veritable armada of ice boats were cruising around in front of N3 World Headquarters & Winter Sowing Systems. My Lifetime Spousal Companion Lil took these shots. Directly below was taken 4 days later capturing a group of early arrivals enjoying the open water across the lake. How do you not love a place that does its best to keep us entertained with such meandering meteorological movement.  2. As I was posting the recent article in N3 about Tamarac’s newest fitness instructor Mckenze TerVeer it brought back memories of covering softball for the T-I back when she was striking out opponents and crushing the ball for the Packers. I had been making the rounds of local fields and had yet to take in the Fremont team. As per usual I settled in along the fence on the third base side a few steps beyond the base, camera in hand. Packer Coach Wendy St. Pierre eyed my position and strolled over with a bit of advice. “When McKenze (Supernaw) gets up you might want to move back some. If she gets in front of a ball it's going to get down here pretty quick.” The sincerity in her voice gave me caution and I paced off several more steps toward the outfield. It proved to be good advice as she indeed got in front of a pitch and sent an absolute screamer into the area I had just vacated that led me to leap for my safety as it ricocheted off the fence and zipped past me at an alarming rate. I looked over to the Coach’s box in time to see Ms. St. Pierre deliver a nod and a grin. 3. It looks to be a good week for music lovers hereabouts. We understand the Riverstop Cafe in downtown Newaygo has been bringing in live music on Thursdays, across the street on Friday, Flying Bear Books is home to Open Mike NIght and on Saturday Another Round will be at the Dogwood, delighting aficionados of a capella excellence. https://www.nearnorthnow.com/features-and-fun/a-capella-excellence 4. And are you ready for some butterflies? They are on their way to Meijer Gardens for the exquisite exhibit that provides an annual respite from winter along with a dollop of hope that spring is definitely destined to arrive. But these aren’t all your everyday monarchs and swallowtails my friends. We’re talking about beauties from tropical regions that never see ice boats, so if you want to get a glimpse at a blue common morpho or a zebra mosaic head for Meijer Gardens next month. If you know of someone (or are someone) who has never gone before, take them (or you) for the first time and watch the wonder that is likely to unfold. It starts March 1st and if you want to expedite your entry, get your tickets ahead of time online. MeijerGardens.org/tickets That’s it. Read up a bit on virtue signaling, be kind to each other and, as always, eschew obfuscation.  Blue Morpho- Photo courtesy of Meijer Gardens
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 Initiative at Grant Schools getting national attention
To The Editor: Margaret Mead is famously quoted as saying “ Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” Four people from Grant, Teresa Fetterly, Jamie Presler, Mary Suplinskas, and Kevin Akin are those people. They recognized that social media had become a huge problem for the young people in their school and that the students needed guidance on how to use it. All the different negative things from bullying, pornography, and all forms of human trafficking were exploding as everyone became connected to the internet without restraints. These people started looking for answers in order to protect our children. With a lot of hard work they found other people concerned with the issue and established the Newaygo County Human Trafficking Task Force last Spring. The group meets monthly and involves representatives from area schools, law enforcement the courts, and human service agencies. In a short time they have become true leaders at a national level by helping to gett these issues known and finding ways to address them. Their efforts are now starting to result in some real progress and we all need to recognize and applaud this effort. Dale Twing Mr. Twing serves on the NC RESA Board and is an member of the NC Human Trafficking Task Force.  Annabel Livermore's House of the Prophet (2004-2005) Somewhere on Angling Road. Newaygo County. Story by Donna Iverson February is a tough month for flower lovers, as few options are available. Of course, there are houseplants like African violets that bloom in winter. And seed catalogs arrive with photos of new offerings and old favorites. Then there are the local art museums where you can hunt down flower paintings. Most recently, I discovered flower paintings of Newaygo county born artist, Annabel Livermore. A native of West Michigan, Livermore’s flower paintings depict the fauna and flora in parks like Branstrom Park in Fremont, the road north from Newaygo to White Cloud, and Pickerel Lake. Her paintings have been described as dreamlike, otherworldly depictions of the natural world. And now for a plot twist. Annabel Livermore was born James Robert Magee in 1946 in Fremont. He attended Fremont schools and graduated from Albion College. After college, he hiked through West Africa then earned a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania (1971) Since then, he has lived most of his life in El Paso, Texas. He is both a sculptor and poet. In 1976, he suffered severe depression and his doctor suggested he take up painting. He chose watercolors and oils as his medium. During a trip back to Newaygo County, he began painting the flowers of his boyhood environment. It was about this time that Annabel Livermore was born. “With an emotional swelling in her transgender breast, Annabel came into being,” Magee is quoted as saying in a book, titled Remembering Newaygo County, the Symbolist Paintings of Annabel Livermore.” The book, published in 2010, accompanied an exhibit at the museum sponsored by the Fremont Area Community Foundation. Magee continues to paint as Livermore and calls her his “close companion.” Livermore is a pain-staking artist, often taking years to complete a work. Today, she paints from memories of the West Michigan landscape. Livermore’s paintings are presently in storage at the Muskegon Museum of Art. The museum is in the process of building an addition and may choose once again to exhibit this West Michigan local artist’s watercolors. For more pictures of Livermore’s art, visit http://www.kirkhopperfineart.com/livermore.html. |
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