Welcome to the last Friday before Santa Paws arrives for this week’s edition of Nature Friday. Elsa here, joining our furry friends from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what others have posted. Since photos of nature photos have been a bit slim these days, I’m gonna do things a little different today and think it’ll also help put our Mom in the proper holiday spirit. Thankfully, there won’t be any tacky Christmas inflatables and don’t know about you, but I’m so over the way-over-the-top displays. I keep wondering whatever happened to subtle and tasteful Christmas decor? So today, I’m going to tell you how outdoor Christmas lights originated, and as it turns out, there’s a Denver connection to the story.

David Dwight Sturgeon, a local electrician, whose home just happened to be not that far from the Ranch, wanted to brighten his ill son’s spirits so he hand dipped light bulbs in red and green paint and strung them around a tree in the yard so his son could see them from his bed.

Sturgeon had no idea how his efforts would change the way that people celebrate Christmas all over the world. Although Sturgeon did not invent indoor Christmas lights (that was Thomas Edison, back in the 1800s), according to Sturgeon Electric’s Marketing Director Erin Stromberg — his innovation spread like wildfire throughout early 20th-century Denver.

“People went past the house and saw it and liked the look of it,” Jason Hansen, History Colorado’s director of interpretation and research said. “And we then as now knew that they had to keep up with their neighbors. “And so, the next year, there were a few more houses with Christmas lights, (and) after that even more houses had Christmas lights, and it spread really rapidly throughout Denver,” Hansen continued. As the outdoor lights became more widespread, an intrepid reporter from the Denver Post took note. Francis “Pinky” Wayne picked up the story and wrote several articles on Sturgeon’s invention, according to local freelance writer and historian Rosemary Fetter. The idea’s popularity spurred Wayne to organize the first outdoor Christmas lighting contest — which drew hundreds of participants. Soon after, the tradition had gained a foothold across the front range.

Wilson: Whoa, that’s pretty interesting info. Who knew?!

Elsa: I know, right? What a brilliant idea by Sturgeon, all in his quest to make his son feel better. ‘Course, we’ve whistled past those humble beginnings as lights tend to be mass produced and imported from China these days. Still, you gotta tip your hat to that loving Dad for his efforts.

Wilson:  Well, I’m quite happy to that actually since Mum’s been ‘decorating’ me once again. When I was less than enthusiastic, she told me not to get my tinsel in a tangle. I’m sorry, don’t see any tangled tinsel here, do you?

Elsa: Dude, it’s a figure of speech. Why do you have to take everything so literally?

Wilson: Well, I’m from the “show-me” state where we expect people to mean what they say.

Elsa: {eyes rolling} You gotta lighten up and stop being so serious. Hey…wait a minute, I thought you were a British dog?

Wilson: I am, but I grew up in Missouri.

Elsa: You just can’t help yourself, can you?

Wilson: What do you mean? I just think everyone should mean what they say.

Elsa: {moving along} So, do you have anything else? I know Mom’s activity has been curtailed with her bizzaro injury. Leave it to our Mom to figure out how to fracture her sternum.

Wilson: She’s been pretty wiped out from it and hasn’t been able to get outside as much as she normally would. She got pretty exhausted after our hospital visits and has been trying to keep a low profile when it comes to being out and about. She can’t take deep breaths without a whole lot of pain so I’m doing my best keeping her pinned down by laying on her by making sure she doesn’t hurt herself while trying to find interesting scenes to photograph.

Elsa: Yeah, she’s been extra careful on the walks. I walk pretty slowly these days and she hasn’t tried to hurry me along. She’s hoping she will get better soon to be able to keep up with her scheduled commitments.

Wilson: Apart from her injury, there really hasn’t been all that much to photograph anyway. The landscape has been drab and brown, so we decided to share some interesting Christmas wreaths from around the ‘Hood. They sure beat those tacky inflatables.

Elsa: Wreaths, huh? Ok, I’m in. Waddu got, House Pony?

Wilson: We looked around our neighborhood and tried to find the prettiest, most unusual and even one odd one that’s not really a wreath but Mum just couldn’t resist taking a picture of it. So what’s a wreath anyway you ask? Wreaths were originally constructed of evergreens to represent everlasting life brought through Jesus and the circular shape of the wreath represents God, with no beginning and no end. We’ve come a long way since ancient times.

Elsa: Well here’s a pretty traditional wreath. Put me down as liking this one. It’s tasteful and subtle on a second story balcony.

Wilson: Wreaths are a lovely way to welcome holiday guests. Check out these four wreaths. They’re all so diverse and just really lovely, colorful and welcoming. Mum likes those colorful ornament wreaths.

Elsa: I really like that last one. It’s so wintery looking, even though our temps have been in the 60’sF this week. Yeah, you read that right, s-i-x-t-i-e-s! Here are a couple more. Mom liked the jingle bells wreaths and just couldn’t resist that guitar…which isn’t a wreath at all…it’s just a single ornament, but how cute is it??

Wilson: Pretty adorable I say, Ninja. Well that’s all I have for this last week before Christmas. We hope you have a festive weekend and are able to get outside to see some nature. Be safe and don’t break anything. I’m booked solid for the next several weeks providing therapy to my Mum.

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Another Friday and you know what that means. Hiya…Elsa here. Welcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday. As always, we’re joining our pals from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Don’t forget to click on the link to see what others have posted.

Elsa: What the dog? Can you see what my Mom did to me yesterday afternoon? I think this has something to do with it being Christmas time and her wanting to take pictures, I just know it.

Wilson: Hey little sister, looks like you went to that amazing doggo spa, Lily’s Bath & Biscuits in our neighborhood. I don’t like baths either, but LBB has one of the nicest places I’ve ever been to and she provides buffalo crunchy treats.

Elsa: I don’t care if she provided crypto shares. You know how I feel about baths! This is just all wrong.

Wilson: I’m sorry, little one. I know you don’t like baths. I wasn’t going to say anything but you were getting to be a bit funky smelling and now you’re a breath of lovely.

Elsa: Like I said before…

Wilson: Aww, come on, Ninja…the lady who owns Lily’s is so kind and serene…the soft music is very soothing and it’s the cleanest place I’ve ever been to…

Elsa: {interrupting} You came from a barnyard. What would you know about clean places?

Wilson: Well being a therapy dog has opened by eyes to the importance of cleanliness and I’ve figured out that when you smell and look good, people can’t begin to shower you enough with praise, attention and TREATS. No pun intended.

Elsa: Grrr…well aren’t you clever?

Wilson: Just being pragmatic. It’s done with, you survived and now let’s get on with sharing slices of Nature from this week, shall we?

Elsa: Harumph. Whatev.

Wilson: While many places around the country have been dumped on from a weather phenomena called the ‘lake effect,’ we’ve been basking in delightful sunny and dry weather. Mum had an holiday event for the hospital and afterward, she strolled on the grounds of the golf club where it was held. She told me all about the pond with its frozen edges and birds dropping in to break through the crystals around the edge of it. She said it was very cool.

Elsa: Lake effect? What is this sorcery of which you speak?

Wilson: Well…I learned that it’s a kind of weather phenomenon where cold air moves in over a relatively warm lake picking up moisture, which rises and then condenses into clouds, often producing loads of snow on the downwind side of the lake, particularly when the air is cold enough for the moisture to fall as snow. Remember when we watched that football game in Buffalo last Sunday night? Boy was I glad to be sitting next to Mum cuddled up on the sofa. It looked miserably cold and all that snow would have stuck to us like glue and formed ice balls.

Elsa: Well I will say this week has been quite lovely which is no doubt why Mom betrayed decided to ambush me with a bath.

Wilson: Now, now, you know we dogs don’t live in the past. We live in the present where the weather is nice, we have yummy treats and our Mum loves us with all her heart.

Elsa: Yeah, yeah, yeah…there you go being all philosophical again.

Wilson: It’s called living in the moment and being a dog.

Elsa: Whatever…let’s move this train wreck forward.

Wilson: Not sure how a train wreck factors in but check out the photo Mum took of the lake facing the foothills. It was so serene and lovely and she had a nice walk about that pond and she lingered watching some Canadian geese circle and then land in the water.

Elsa: {yawn} Wake me up when you’re done droning on.

Wilson: You really are in a mood today. Well I chose to be positive. Despite knowing I’ll be on the grooming table after a bath on Monday. {humming a snappy tune} I’m going to the hospital where I’ll bring loads of joy to folks and oh, did I mention, I’ll get loads of dehydrated liver bits? Yum, I can practically taste those yummy morsels.

Elsa: Wow, you sure have gone all Dale Carnegie on me. What else you got this week?

Wilson: The garden may be full of dried leaves but on cue, Mum’s Christmas cactus has begun it’s annual show of beauty. She started to notice tiny little buds Thanksgiving weekend and now it’s beginning to explode with vivid, hot pink blooms.

Elsa: They are pretty and their blooms brighten Mom’s mood considerably this time of year which is always hard on her. Lots of people suffer from depression during the holidays so bright spots of nature like this can help them cope better. Maybe Mom should take me to the botanical gardens conservatory to boost my mood?

Wilson: If they allowed dogs, I’d have suggested it to her. You’ll just have to do with my cheerful personality and the fact that we’ll have a few more days of warm sunny days and clear blue skies. You think walking around the neighborhood checking out all the Christmas decorations might make you feel a bit better?

Elsa: {ugh} there you go again, being all positive.

Wilson: I just want you to be happy, little sister. When you’re happy the world is a better place and you can enjoy Nature and all it has to offer. I heard we’re going to get some snow soon, so we might as well be happy campers until then.

Elsa: Oh for dog’s sake…my brother now thinks he’s Jimmy Kimmel! Well let me just dispel any silly notion you have of me being your Guillermo, got it House Pony? Whatever you do, in the words of the resident optimist, have a great weekend and find something in Nature to be impressed with. Not inflatables mind you, but real life nature. I can’t help but wonder if the big guy will be as sanguine after his grooming appointment. Have a great weekend. {snickering}

Live, love, bark! 🐾

Welcome to Friday where we share small slices of Nature, urban style with our friends, Rosy and Sunny from Adventures of the LLB Gang. Be sure to click the link to see what else was shared. Elsa here, so let’s get right to it, shall we?

Elsa: {whispering} Hey everyone, thought I’d start before the Kraken wakes up. This week…

Wilson: Huh, wha…who goes there?

Elsa: Dang it, I was this close to setting the tempo for this show and now I’ll have to share the spotlight with the land hippo. Sigh.

Wilson: {stretching} Yawn…top o’the morning, mate. You starting without me?

Elsa: What, me? Nah…erm…you know me…I was just getting things ready so we can share some stuff together.

Wilson: Uh-huh. Ok, for a moment I thought maybe you were going to start without me. Well let’s get this train moving, shall we?

Elsa: Yeah, whatever. This week was pretty doggone decent as far as temperatures go but from what I understand, Mother Nature has decided enough of being nice and has decided to go back into pizza oven mode. Ugh. We even received a couple of small showers which were so very welcomed but I guess that ship has sailed.

Wilson: Well you have to admit nature sure made things look good. The veggie gardens are bursting with some yummy looking produce. What’s this gigantic thing called? It just seemed to pop up overnight.

Elsa: That my friend is a called a jack-o’-lantern pumpkin. Humans will carve it up into a scary face for Halloween, which for those of you who love that holiday, is just 76 days away.

Wilson: You don’t say, mate? So I guess that means there’ll be kids ringing the doorbell and being offered treats? I love those kinds of days.

Elsa: {eyes rolling} There you go again…thinking with your 27 stomachs. Dude you gotta get a hobby or something and stop thinking about food all the time. Besides, candy is what will be dished out to kiddos and that’s forbidden for us dogs.

Wilson: Crikey…Mum sure like to torture us dogs with all the treats that we can’t have.

Elsa: Meh…Mom is just trying to keep us healthy. We just need someone to watch her. Since she started learning how to decorate cakes, she’s been doing a bit too much ‘quality control’ if you know what I mean.

Wilson:  She told me she just wanted to make sure that last batch of cupcakes was suitable to serve the family when they came for a visit. You know…pretty AND tasty. I kind of suspected something was not quite kosher.

Elsa: She tries, really she does but it’s hard to give up sweets. Maybe I should tell her Lent has been extended. She always gives sweets up for Lent. {pondering} I wonder if she’ll buy it?

Wilson: Probably not, She’s pretty clever. What she needs is to keep extra busy. I’ll see if I can convince her to take me out in public so I can get used to crowds for when I make my debut at the new hospital later this month-I do hope I do well.

Elsa: Time will tell, dude. What else you got from the veggie garden. I heard she saw an artichoke plant in bloom. It’s not yet ready to be eaten but no doubt after the next few days of sunny, hot conditions, will get there quickly. It’s actually kind of pretty.

Wilson: Mum was pretty excited to see it at her son’s veggie plot where things were ripening all over the place.  Some people think artichokes are a veggie but they’re actually the bud of a large thistle, before it blooms. When you cut an artichoke in half you’ll can see the thistle part inside. Here’s the anatomy of one cut in half.

Wilson: The outer petals are hard and somewhat tough but edible when you strip off the meaty part from the petal. The inner petals aren’t as tough and can be cut up and served with the heart. Then you get to the thistle part (the ‘choke’) which is inedible and is discarded. Then you reach the heart, where all the tasty goodness lies.The stem is also edible but is kind of stringy like celery.

Elsa: Seems like a lot of work when you can just buy them in a jar but I know how people can be.

Wilson: Well there is a lot of satisfaction in growing your own food so I get it. Sometimes it just tastes better. I know Mum feels that way about her tomatoes. This week she put up a couple of jars of sun dried tomatoes to enjoy over the winter. She never buys tomatoes in the winter-she says they always taste like cardboard so she’s looking forward to using them in pasta dishes once the weather turns cool. It will turn cool, right?

Elsa: Your guess is as good as mine but I think so. It’s a El Nińo year and is supposed to be colder but with the crazy way the weather has been, I wouldn’t be surprised with anything that happens. It’s best just to roll with the punches and do the best we can.

Wilson: You’re so right. Approach each day like us dogs and you’ll be a whole lot happier. Kind of like these guys from Mount Saint Vincent Behavioral Health facility that Mum walks past frequently. She thought the zinnias surrounding the statutes added to the joy of the scene.

Elsa: The first time I walked past those guys, I wasn’t sure what to make of them but realized real quick they weren’t going to bother me.

Wilson: Well I hope you know I’d protect you if anyone tried to bother you.

Elsa: Pfft. I’m a Ninja…I can take care of myself but appreciate your willingness. Maybe you’re not such a…what do you call it…bloke?

Wilson: You can always count on me-just say the word and I’ll be there Johnny-on-the-spot.

Elsa: Thanks, House Pony. Appreciate that. So what else you find around the ‘Hood? Anything unusual?

Wilson: Well, we all know Mum loves sunflowers but she goes completely mental whenever she sees the bronze or red ones. This one is near a busy street we were going to cross before traffic ramped up so I was prepared to hustle across but then she stops, turns around and says “I HAVE to have a photo of that sunflower!”

Elsa: I can see why. It’s quite pretty. Bet the birds are enjoying it too.

Wilson: Oh yes, indeed they were. Much like the hummingbirds enjoy this trumpet vine which has been in full glory lately. Between the ‘hummers, assorted bees, flies, and ants, they all seem to enjoy feeding on the nectar of these vigorous plants. You can’t help but wonder if all the nectar isn’t completely drained before the summer is over.

Elsa: It does make wonder if there’s enough to go around. But like all good things, including this post, things have to come to an end. Because it’s going to be so bloody hot, we plan to stay close to home this weekend. How about you? Whatever you plan, we hope it’s enjoyable with a bit of nature to take in as well. Stay safe, stay hydrated.

Wilson: Righto, friends. Make it a great weekend.

Live, love, bark! 🐾