About Battle Creek's Piper Park

I do a lot of photography as part of my work as a Realtor in Southwest Michigan. For that reason alone, I am always carrying my camera around with me and have it to hand for any given time I need it. In fact, on the occasion that I forget to take it with me, I feel at a loss. Thankfully, there is always the smart phone to use when I do not have my camera.

Anyway, this past summer I did a great deal of photography, and I wanted to share with you some of my favorite shots from my collection on baseball. The Detroit Tigers have won the American League Central Division, and having been inspired by their success, I thought I would share some photos of some future all-stars. Some of these are timing shots, and others are just things I found interesting. I hope you enjoy them.

To me baseball is a perfect game, and we are all kids when we play it no matter what age. Who knows? Someday we may even pay to see these kids play the game...

Every spring and summer, in the park across the street from my house, there are little league baseball games. From our home you can see the baseball diamond and backstop, and one only need walk a short distance to be standing on the sidelines of the field of dreams.

I love baseball, so for me you might say this is a distraction. Nonetheless, I still find myself pausing my work as a Realtor for an evening and wandering across the street to see the action. In Piper Park, there are several age groups that play, but last night it was the age range of 9-12 it seemed. I took my camera and began snapping photos, as any blogger will do nowadays.

Baseball is such a fun game, and adults play if with a lot of energy. When it comes to kids, however, they play it with passion. You can see it in their faces, as they work their little bodies trying to accomplish greatness for their team. When takin photos, it is all about the timing to capture the moment, on and off their field.

I was lucky enough to get some really good shots, so I thought I would share them with you in this post that I call 'The faces of little league baseball'. They say every picture tells a story, and when you look at these, they seem to tell their own story about the kid or the moment or both. It kind of captures the joy of being a kid when you see them play America's pastime. I hope you enjoy them.

I live across from Piper Park in Battle Creek, Michigan. It has its benefits, as it is a wonderfully kept city park here in Battle Creek. In the park during the warmer months, there are frequent baseball and softball games.

In the last few weeks, I have observed a lot of teams showing up and using the field for practice. In short order games will start to be held, but right now it seems mainly to be a time of year for working the kinks out of your batting swing, and loosing up the old throwing arm.

People of all ages use the park for baseball and softball, so I never really know from day to day whether I will see adults, teenagers or children playing ball.

To me softball and baseball games in Piper Park are the real indicator of spring being here. Sure you have other wonderous signs in nature, such as budding leaves on trees, and tulips and daffodils. However, when you live across from a place like Piper Park in Battle Creek, Michigan, spring does not feel complete until you hear the crack of the bat and the occasional shout of 'Catch it! Catch it!' or 'Throw home!' or 'Run! Run! Run!' from the coaches, parents and bystanders that watch.

One of my most favorite authors, W.P. Kinsella, in the book 'Shoeless Joe' wrote: "Baseball is the most perfect of games, solid, true, pure and precious as diamonds. If only life were so simple. Within the baselines anything can happen. Tides can reverse; oceans can open. That's why they say, 'the game is never over until the last man is out.' Colors can change, lives can alter, anything is possible in this gentle, flawless, loving game."

Spring is finally here in Battle Creek, Michigan and the city seems to be waking up from a long winter slumber. Bats, gloves, uniforms, etc. are finding their way out of closets from winter storage and making their way again onto the baseball diamonds. This weekend they are practicing for games on the green grass speckled with yellow dandelions, which is quite an interesting contrast.

If you are looking at moving into the area, and want to find out more about the Battle Creek parks, contact the Battle Creek Parks and Recreation department and ask them about their baseball and softball programs. Their number is: (269) 966-3431 of check out their website at: www.bcparks.org.

For information about Battle Creek area real estate, and homes in the Piper Park area, contact me through my website at: www.michaeldelaware.com or give me a call at: (269) 441-8182. I am a Battle Creek area Realtor, and I would be happy to help you with your relocation to the area.

My personal greenhouse in Michigan is my favorite place to escape to.

About 5 years ago I built my greenhouse from a kit I purchased from California. I researched online all kinds of personal greenhouses, and finally decided on a redwood greenhouse kit. When the big freight arrived I was suddenly overwhelmed with boxes of parts, instructions and a huge assembly project. The ultimate test of an assembly project, believe me!

At one point I began to despair, thinking maybe I had taken on too much. I finally called a contractor friend of mine and he helped me get the project off the ground. I built my personal greenhouse foundation with pressure treated 4 X 4's that were sunk 3 feet down into the earth, 4 to each side. The base board was also built of pressure treated lumber. This gave us a level solid base to anchor the greenhouse frame to.

On the inside of my personal greenhouse, we filled it in with about 8 inches deep in pea gravel, and I assembled a brick walking path up the middle. I then installed the benches and doors.

About a year later I had electrical run out to my personal greenhouse. To do this I ran it underground by means of a deep trench to keep it below the frost line. I did not want wires strung in the air between my house and the greenhouse.

I delayed for a few years, but eventually ran a water line out there and now have an automated watering misting system on a timer. So all I have to do now in my personal greenhouse is to play in the dirt and tend to plants for the most part.

The greenhouse waters the plants and with lighting I can go out there and work at night during the summer, or any time I want. I have my radio, and often schedule my greenhouse time to when there is a Detroit Tigers game on, or some other sports game.

In my personal greenhouse, I mainly grow herbs and vegetables. I sometimes grow flowers to, especially Sunflowers. My wife likes me to grow a batch of Basil each year, along with Coriander, Mint, Thyme, Tarragon, peppers, etc. It is easy to go crazy and plant stuff in pots, and having the automated watering system in place it makes it possible to grow lots of stuff without it being a problem to maintain.

Around the outside of my personal greenhouse I planted a perennial herb garden, which has Lemon Balm, Sage, French tarragon, Horehound, Lady's Mantle, Sweet Woodruff, Yarrow, Bee Balm, Cone Flower, Sweet Rocket, and Lavender. I usually spend about two or three Saturday mornings a year taking care of the herb garden around my personal greenhouse, and the rest of the year it takes care of itself and attracts butterflies.

My wife and I make all kinds of tea from our herbs, and it is a great attraction when friends stop by to visit. My wife particularly likes to have me turn the greenhouse lights on at night when we have guests, as I have installed some exterior lighting as well to light up the herb garden.

It is fun to have your own personal greenhouse, and if you like to grow things, it is the best! I hope you have enjoyed the pictures in this post about my personal greenhouse. If you ever call for me and my wife says ‘He is in the Greenhouse' now you know where I am. You might have to wait until after the ball game is done, before I call you back. The only time of year I can't really doing anything in the greenhouse is winter...

How is that for a headline: The Secret Rule of Abundant Peppers Revealed!

I have been gardening for about 7 years now, and although some years I have not planted as much, I always grow some peppers. Up until last summer I did not know the secret rule of abundant peppers, and it was a fellow gardener that passed along the tip to me.

I used to plant my peppers much like I did my tomato plants, wide with room to grow. Although this works, and you will get peppers from what you plant, I was never satisfied. I tried to find the secret rule of abundant peppers on my own, but had no success.

I tried fertilizer changes, lots of additional watering, shade, full sun, partial sun, etc. Never got the results I wanted. You see, my wife and I love to make salsa every year. I grow the tomotoes, and the peppers, and the herbs, and she and I chop it all up and cook and can it.

Can you imagine getting into the perfect salsa, and having chopped up all your peppers, and finding you need more for the 'fire-breathing' salsa? It is troubling, I can tell you.

Anyway, I was talking to a fellow gardener last Spring and mentioned my pepper frustrations. He then revealed to me the secret rule of abundant peppers! Are you ready?

Here is the secret rule of abundant peppers: PEPPERS LIKE TO BE CROWDED!

"That's it?" You might ask. Yes, my dear Watson, it is so simple, it hurts.

Instead of spreading out your peppers with space in between, crowd them! Whereas I used to buy 30 large pepper plants and spread them out like tomato plants, I now buy 100 tiny ones in early Spring for the same amount and plant 20 to 25 each inside 5 whiskey barrels. The results are amazing!

If you look at these pictures, you might say, well that's a nice batch of peppers, but you know... I have seen more... Not if you know that I was pulling a basket of peppers like this about 3 times a week from my barrels throughout the summer. Also if you pick them about 2 to 3 times a week during the summer, it promotes more growth of peppers, and the plants just continue to produce.

So there is my secret rule of abundant peppers revealed. Warning: You have to love peppers to fully appreciate this one, or you better have friends that do.

I have found it works for pretty much all varieties of peppers. I have successfully grown Jalapeno, Cayenne, Chili, Bell, Hungarian Wax, Bannana, and Habenero Peppers this way so far. Also the crowding pretty much handles weed control once the plants get tall enough, so it just becomes water and pick for most of the summer.

I hope you enjoyed my secret rule of abundant peppers!

P.S.: If you are nice, maybe I will share my salsa recipe in a later post!