Visits with the Wells

Sundays usually meant drives to the parks.  We also went to church, but respect for nature was just as important as attending church to Mom.  She felt she worshipped God both "inside" and  "outside", so to speak, and her comments about "feeling closer to God  out in nature" and "being inspired for her art" were very important to her.
Each Sunday we drove to the park, and at some point Tyll and Mr. Wells met.  I believe it was at the Sharon Woods Nature Center, where his love of Taxidermy became a subject of conversation.  From then on he was given all the road kills and dead animals to stuff for the park's museum.  He kept any disasters or extras, and then, as mentioned in another blog, he also rescued some animals to return to the wild.  Mr. and Mrs. Wells and their family became a part of our family, with my Grandmother taking a real interest in Mary, and teaching her crocheting at one time.  Tyll would go on the nature walks, I would go on a riding trail, and then later Mrs. Wells would sometimes invite us to supper, where Mr. Wells and Tyll would disappear into the basement or back room to discuss weighty matters.  He had traveled all over the world, and knew how to speak Chinese, and was a very learned man.   Tyll was fascinated by all he had to say, and  Mom was thrilled that Tyll had someone as a "Father" image to look up to.  She idolized their "intact and working" family.  It was a tragedy when their young son Jimmy was hit on his way walking home by a car.  It became even more of a weekly trip after that for our family, Sundays to their house, as Tyll really felt like their son,  with that untimely death.

There is a sign in Winton Woods, Warren Wells Preserve, in Honor of Mr. Wells, but I think not many people know what a  wonderful person he was.  He was a soft spoken person with a wonderful sense of humor. Educated in so many fields, he was an encyclopedia of knowledge.  I think he was the original "Librarian".  He made a tasty homemade wine from different fruits and enjoyed it when you sampled them.  He took thousands of people on nature hikes for too many years to remember, but had the patience to wait until everyone caught up.   He could "see" whatever was "hidden" or beneath the evident to reveal something we would not have known if he had not told us, revealed it, or surprised us.  He showed us not only how to open our ears and ears, but how to EXPECT there to be a surprise awaiting.     He tasted something we would NEVER have eaten, popped a   bug into his mouth, or warned us strongly about the "blueberries" that were NOT really "blueberries" at all, but a strong laxative.  In other words, we learned, without ever being in a classroom, without being at a computer, no books in front of us, walking a trail the sky above, sun shining, wind whistling, and the birds?  Aha, Mrs. Wells, Binoculars at hand would mention she heard something in the woods, and off she went.  I never saw anything  while she already had several birds identified.  She must have been blessed with eyes like a hawk- I still have to see birds at the feeder in the open, but she could spot them darting among the branches, in and out of thickets, and be able to see what colors were, sizes and all.
Mrs. Wells was adamant about Mary being in the hearing world, as she was always lip-reading and using speech with her, and not using ASL exclusively.  I think she might have been very shy because she was deaf, she often just stayed in her room, but after a while she was more comfortable around us, and Mom made a plan for her to take ballet lessons.  She came to my classes on Glenway Avenue, as a teenager, and participated in a few recitals, proving again, whatever you want to do is quite possible, regardless of what some people think you might be limited to do.   I have not found those recital photos or I would include them- I recall she danced quite beautifully in one  long gown in one ballet.