Outdoor Mom's Journal - December 2018

During our outdoor time this month we went...to Osceola, Wisconsin, on December 1st to go on a tour of the new Discovery Center. As we were leaving, we saw a flock of swans fly overhead. There must be open water somewhere.

On December 6th, I enjoyed watching the birds at the feeder. This pileated woodpecker came right up to the window. Unfortunately, my camera focused on the berries on the tree rather than the woodpecker.

A few days later, on December 9th, we went to pick out a Christmas tree at a nearby tree farm. There were thousands of trees to choose from, so it was rather difficult making a choice.

The sun was shining, though, and it felt relatively warm.

We picked out a tree and then it went in the "shaking machine." Dead needles and weeds came off of it.

That night, there was a beautiful sunset.

The most inspiring thing we experienced was...the sunsets that we've been enjoying this month.

The beauty of the clouds and the various shades of lavender and pink are so amazing during this sunset on December 9th.

Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…are there certain times of the year when there are more purple and pink sunsets versus the orange and gold sunsets?

In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting...nothing. The ground is frozen and everything that could be brought indoors, is indoors.

We did do some outdoor decorating this year - like the wreath on the back door. On December 11th, it was looking pretty (and still is at the end of the month).

Olivia created two planters with evergreens, red berries, pinecones, and birch circles.

They decorate the entry way to the backyard.

I added nature journal pages about...nothing. This Fall and early-Winter has not been productive in terms of nature journaling.

For Christmas, though, I did get Nature Observer which is a nature journal with pre-printed pages, activities to do, places to log observations, and journal prompts. So, none of the pages need to be created from scratch like what I've done in the past. Hopefully, this upcoming year with Nature Observer it will be easier to record what I see and enjoy on a daily basis.

I am reading...nothing at the moment. I am, however, compiling a list of books about wildlife and nature that I would like to read in 2019:

- Being Caribou by Karsten Heuer
- The Elephant Whisperer by Lawrence Anthony

- Mixed-Media Nature Journals: New Techniques for Exploring Nature, Life, and Memory by L.K. Ludwig

- Animal Stories: Encounters with Alaska's Wildlife by Bill Sherwonit

- In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall

- Soul of a Lion by Barbara Bennett

- The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary by Andrew Westoll
- Beauty within the Beast by Stephen Stringham
- The Blue Bear: A True Story of Friendship and Discovery in the Alaskan Wild
by Lynn Schooler
- The Bluebird Effect: Uncommon Bonds with Common Birds by Julie Zickefoose
- Animals Matter: A Biologist Explains Why We Should Treat Animals with Compassion and Respect by Marc Bekoff
- Babylon's Ark: The Incredible Wartime Rescue of the Baghdad Zoo by Lawrence Anthony

I am dreaming about…how to decorate our yard and home next year. On Christmas Eve, we went to neighborhoods in Minneapolis near the Walker Art Center and Edina, and looked at the light displays.

There were trees that were wrapped in lights.

Other homes had luminaries. Some were done with white or brown bags.

Other luminaries were made from ice. We all liked the luminaries, especially the ice ones, and thought that would be nice to do that next year.

A photo I would like to share...on December 24th, there was a pretty sunset. This one was more light pastels in color. The horses were out in the west pasture eating grass.

Bailey is wearing her penguin-decorated horse blanket to keep warm. It really helps her get through the cold weather. Hoss doesn't need one. He seems to do well without one.