Daily Prompt: The Natural World
Describe your first memorable experience exploring and spending time in nature.
Were you in awe? Or were you not impressed?
Would you rather spend time in the forest or the city?
My little brother, Steve, and I grew up with nature and we didn’t even know it. We lived in a tropical paradise where the backyard was ever-green punctuated by the vivid colors of hibiscus, orange blossoms and gardenias. And multi-hued birds were not just summer visitors either. We were always barefoot and playing, even in the rain, with almost every-day visits to the beach.
But our favorite place in the world was the jungle. At least we called it that because to small children, a lot of vegetation looks dark and mysterious.
Our Jungle was actually a small area (probably no larger than my living room) of narrow paths among trees and shrubs. It was designed as a fascinating place for children to explore and it was in the middle of a big green downtown park.
And it was also the favorite hangout for thousands and thousands of pigeons!
“Mom, let’s go feed the pigeons!” we would cry. And our mother would usually comply. We prepared by packing peanuts and bread crumbs (for the birds – not for us) and during the 20 minute drive downtown we could hardly wait to get there.
So, even though I lived with nature in a kind of Eden, the downtown jungle was where I first became acutely aware of the natural world. I wonder if my little brother feels the same way.
We fed the gulls at the beach too of course, reveling in their antics, and watching the sand crabs. We learned of the sea and its creatures, the weather and the tides.
I didn’t really recognize all that as nature, but took such things for granted – except for our special jungle.
So, it is the jungle I recall of my childhood days, when I first recognized the beauty and the joys of nature.
Where do I prefer to spend time now?
At home.
Because on the edge of my home is a forest (well, almost a jungle). We are regularly visited by deer, fox, turkeys, rabbits, ground hogs, bears, and every manner of avian life in all seasons, and yes – doves!
They call them doves here, but I secretly know they are just pigeons.
I love them best for they recall my earliest days with Mom smiling nearby and my little brother and I happily playing in the wilds of a downtown jungle!
Note: Both doves and pigeons are classified in the order Columbiformes and the family Columbidae.
They are very similar and some species may be called doves or pigeons interchangeably.
[…] Nature in the City | Virginia Views […]
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What a beautiful blog post, Dor. While you told stories of your jungle and early-life experiences I started remembering early encounters with nature, too. It is true that nature can be found even downtown, even in the midst of a city. I went to a wilderness survival class once in which the teacher told of the wild animals he had stalked in the heart of some of the nation’s largest cities.
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[…] Nature in the City | Virginia Views […]
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Our family rented a bungalow and spent the summers in the mountains. That’s where I first tasted watercress, growing wild along the stream, and loved the mile walks to the candy story to buy ice cream in the evenings. We children loved berry picking; we gave blueberries to grandma, who made her own wine with them. She served that wine at holiday time the following spring.
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Hmm. . since I grew up on a farm, I’ve explored nature for as long as I can remember. I like to take vacations where I can hike in the mountains, but the suburb where I live has some wonderful parks and open spaces that are fun to explore.
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[…] Nature in the City (countryliving4beginners.wordpress.com) […]
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[…] Nature in the City | Virginia Views […]
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What wonderful summers you had Ronnie!
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Wild people animals? I know there are many. Or really truly “wild animals” in the city? Loose from the zoo perhaps? Negligent pet owners? Glad you enjoyed the post about my own city jungle. 🙂
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The wilderness guy said there were coyotes and wolves and raccoons and all sorts of wild animals in the city and people don’t even know they’re there.
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Love the photo of you 🙂
I am glad you had that secret little garden to play in life was grand back then kids hardly leave their rooms these days they do not know what they are missing
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This is a great post! Truly enjoyed reading about your jungle and appreciation of nature – don’t you just love it!
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Because I am spending the weekend at my parents’ house in Kingston, Ontario, this was an easy question for me to answer. If you Google Kingston and the 1000 Islands you will find pictures of some of the most beautiful scenery and wonders of nature around. The 1,864 islands range in size from over 40 square miles to smaller islands occupied by a single residence, or uninhabited outcroppings of rocks that are only home to migratory waterfowl. I grew up in Toronto, but every summer we would spend 3 weeks on our sailboat travelling down to the 1000 Islands for our vacation, and these trips left me with some of the most wonderful memories of my childhood. Nothing gave me more pleasure than exploring these wonderful islands with a child’s imagination. I would wander through the woods, climb the rocks and sit overlooking the St. Lawrence River for hours reading a book, and then search for blueberries to put on our cereal at breakfast. Most of the time we would sleep on the boat, but sometimes the kids would set up a tent on the island to sleep overnight. I was definitely awed by these amazing islands!!
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Oh, what wonderful vacations you had! No wonder you love nature so!
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🙂 Thanks Eunice… it was our secret garden for sure and lots of room to run.
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I can’t even imagine wolves and other woodland creatures in the city. They must be really clever! I saw a show once that was about when the human population disappears, the skyscrapers in NY would be taken over by cats!
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I always loved the nature surrounding me, growing up on a farm. Makes me wonder why I ever left. wANDERLUST DERIVED FROM REBELLION AND HORMONES, i SUSPECT. bUT ….hate caplock!!!)………. Your childhood environmnet as well as the one you have now sound so delightful.
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🙂
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Growing up on a farm! What could be better?
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Oh Dor, look at your cute little 12 year self surrounded by pigeons. I have to ask, do you still like them so? My connection to your post is that my brother-in-law is a ‘pigeon fancier.’ In other words, he breeds and raises pigeons and races them. It’s quite an interesting hobby.
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Wow! A “pigeon fancier” in your family! What a fascinating hobby. Yes, I still do love them, although I haven’t had a chance to feed the pigeons in many years. I love the sounds they make and the sounds of the doves here where we live too. I think they are beautiful.
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Hello. Love your childhood stories about the Forests and Hurricanes.I think I would have been terrified, but then again I was an evacuee WWll and thought going down the air raid shelter where my mom had sweeties and biscuits to eat and chewing gum to chew and musicians playing the mouth organ while we had a good old sing song was exciting. So Dor as you say our parents made it so. I also like the history of pigeons and birds in general. We have an aviary .I am going to read more of your posts now.
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Thank you Rita! I am so pleased that you are enjoying my blog. And vice-versa. I am a bit slow in commenting or even writing now because I have an old friend here for an extended visit. Janet is also English and a WWII evacuee. As a child, she was sent to Lincolnshire to friends and then came back to London in 1943 at age 7, for the B1’s and B2’s (missed the blitz). I wish you were here to share stories.
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Hi Dora, Its always interesting to hear of another evacuee. There are some great stories to be told .Gillian Mawson has recently published a book called Guernsey Evacuees. Great read for us evacuees. Talk again soon.
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That must have been a very special jungle in the park.
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