Outdoor Mom's Journal - January 2017

During our outdoor time this week we went....

around the yard one day before another snowfall. I spent time noticing the flowers that were still on the plants, the milkweed seeds still clinging to some of the pods, and seed scattered on the snow for the birds that prefer to feed on the ground.

I stood by the Austrian Pine that my Dad and brother planted many years ago. It towers above me now. At the time they planted it, it could fit in the wheelbarrow.

The Austrian Pine has lots of pinecones on it. It's interesting to see how these pinecones differ from the ones on other pines here at the farm. Each tree seems to have a different type of cone.

Today, Sophia and Olivia went snow tubing which they enjoyed.

The weather was beautiful - in the 20s. It was over 35 degrees warmer than it was last week. Later this week, it will be near 40 degrees...or 55 degrees warmer. Such a wide swing in temperatures in a relatively short period of time.

The most inspiring thing we experienced was...

watching the birds. We have all the feeders filled now and there is a constant stream of birds at the feeders and sitting in the trees and bushes waiting for their turns.

The most common birds are black-capped chickadees, juncos, woodpeckers (different types), and blue jays. Occasionally, the male and female cardinals are making their appearances at the feeders.

Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)...

how much longer the beautiful oak tree by the driveway will survive. There are significant cracks and holes in it - some made by wildlife and other from age and the impact of nature.

I'm not sure how old the tree is...probably two or three hundred years old, I would guess. The width is impressive. It's a favorite landing spot of bald eagles.

In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting....

nothing at this point. However, I did go through copies and clippings that I had pulled out last year about gardening and flowers. In it were sketches of all the gardens I had planted - filled with perennials, bulbs, annuals, and wildflowers. It will be interesting to see what comes up this year.

With a very cold winter and many days with temperatures and wind chills below zero, I'm hoping that the strawberries come up this year. They were spreading a lot throughout the summer and well into the fall thanks to very warm temperatures. If they survive, we should get quite a few strawberries this year!

I added nature journal pages about....

nothing yet. My goal is to do a page tomorrow and then another by the end of the month. Two pages a month would seem to be a reasonable goal.

I am reading...

Adrift by Steven Callahan. It's a true story about a man who is lost at sea for 76 days. It's a very interesting book. I can't even begin to imagine what he went through. It's a fascinating look at the power of nature, the ocean, and sea life.

There are fish the author calls Dorados which I never heard of before reading this book. Looked them up online and they also are called Mahi-Mahi (which I've heard of). They can get up to 90 pounds and are colorful fish. However, once they are caught they change colors.

I am dreaming about…

warmer weather later this week. Am looking forward to hopefully seeing some of the ice melt around the barn so we can chip it away and open the doors again. Right now doing chores is a bit challenging.

A photo I would like to share...

is one that Sophia took with my camera. It's a woodpecker sitting on the line by the driveway. It's waiting in line to eat at the feeder.

The birds have gone through almost a whole big bag of bird seed in less than a week. They've been working on the multiple suet cakes that are out too. Clearly, they are dependent on the feed we're providing for them. Hopefully we'll continue to see the variety of birds that we've enjoyed seeing.
Thank you to Barb the Outdoor Hour Challenge for the idea of doing an Outdoor Mom's Journal.

101 Days of Summer Fun - Update #14

This is the final week of 101 Days of Summer Fun. This is what we did:

Saturday, August 23 - We relaxed during the day and chose to do whatever we wanted to do. It's been nice to have free time and choose to spend our time how we want to spend it.

Sophia and Paige went out in the evening for their monthly activity.

Sunday, August 24 - Sophia, Olivia, and I took my mom to the church festival at St. Anne's in Hamel. We had a very generous and delicious meal of chicken, dressing, gravy, coleslaw, rolls, beans, and apple crisp.

After we ate, we went to their garage sale and ended up finding tennis rackets and covers for only $5 each. The girls also found hard-cover books for only $1. Great deals!

We played a game of Bingo, and then it was time to head back home. We all had a nice time together.

Monday and Tuesday, August 25-26 - These were days of clean up and repair. The dumpster that has been sitting in the front yard along the driveway for what seemed like most of the summer thanks to multiple home reconstruction projects is finally gone. What a relief!

The soft-water system was repaired and the old system hauled off on Tuesday. Now we have soft water again plus a reverse-osmosis system in the kitchen since our water has tested with a too-high of a nitrate level for drinking because of being surrounded by farmland that is being traditionally farmed with lots of chemicals.

Wednesday, August 27 - Mary B. came over to spend the afternoon with Sophia and Olivia. They made a chocolate zucchini cake that had a ganache filling in it. It was one of the best cakes we've ever tasted - super moist and lots of flavor.

Thursday, August 28  - Sophia spent time preparing for her presentation at the State Fair tomorrow while Olivia finished reading a book that she's been working on for a while now.

Friday, August 29 - Sophia and I headed to the Minnesota State Fair early in the morning so she could be at the information session by 8:30 a.m. She was in the first judging group for food preservation which was nice.

Both of us were surprised that the other youth in her group were all boys. One did jam, another jelly, and a third pineapple salsa. Sophia did a project on drying fruit.

After her judging, she changed from wearing a dress to more comfortable clothes. We went around the fair and looked a natural playground exhibit.

We spent some time in the Eco-Experience building and learned about a variety of things related to preserving the environment. We even raced little cars that had vegetables attached to them down a racetrack.

Around lunch time, we went back to the 4-H so Sophia could get her t-shirt that they give out each year (this year the color was purple). After that, we enjoyed a healthy and well-balanced lunch.

There were chicken fajitas filled with grilled vegetables, rice, and beans. You could add salsa and sour cream if you wanted to on top of that. They also had a plate of nacho chips with cheese. There was homemade salsa on the side which was delicious. There were two types of bread with butter; key lime cake or Rice Krispie bars; watermelon, cantaloupe, or fruit bowl; and chocolate or white milk.

After lunch, we went down to see the judges' decision about who won the grand champion award for food preservation.

When we found Sophia's project, I noticed the purple sticker next to her blue ribbon sticker. Sophia won the grand champion award!

Needles to say, she was SO happy! She had her picture taken by the 4-H representative who was taking photographs of all purple-ribbon winners at the state level.

Afterwards, we went to the butterfly house where we spent a lot of time enjoying the butterflies that flew onto us and/or we placed on us.

It had been a long day, so Sophia just wanted to spend time at the butterfly exhibit. As we walked out, we saw Lee at the KOOL-108 booth and stopped by to say "hi" to her.

We got a Icee on the way out to enjoy on the ride home. 

Saturday, August 30 - We were going to do monarch tagging today, but we all decided that with it being so cold and rainy that it wouldn't be as enjoyable walking through wet grass and trying to catch monarchs. Perhaps next year.

Sunday, August 31 - Both of the monarch caterpillars we found in our backyard and that we have been feeding milkweed leaves, are now in their chrysalises. Now we wait as the caterpillars transform themselves into butterflies over the next couple of weeks.

We'll release the butterflies as soon as their wings dry and are strong.

Monday, September 1 - We took the dogs and went to Chuck and Don's Pet Food Outlet so we could use the gift card that Aspen won in the Northwoods Humane Society Summertime Foto Fling contest.

We got a special bowl with deep groves in it (patterned like a flower) to put Aspen's food in it. It helps dogs who eat very fast slow down. Getting their food is a bit more work - kind of like it is in the wild.

Also bought some food with bison in it (which they love to eat!), a harness for Aspen for walks since she's strong and pulls which is not a good combination on her neck and trachea, and some treats.  Even with all those items, we still have $35 leftover to spend on more items!

When we came home, Olivia made a recipe from her Five in a Row cookbook that she's been working on since third grade. She has about one-fourth of the recipes left in the book to make.

With each of the recipes, I take pictures and we've put them into her cookbook (it's like a scrapbook/cookbook) so she knows what the food looked like and the process she went through to make some of the recipes.

Today's recipe was red, white, and blue shortcakes.

Aspen found a great spot to lay down right at Olivia's feet. She was hoping that Olivia would accidentally drop some fruit or dough.

We had the shortcakes after dinner. They were delicious! You can't go wrong with fresh fruit and homemade shortcakes...not to mention real whipped cream.

So, as I look back on the summer, it is very different than what I envisioned. Although I had anticipated doing a fun activity each day of the week during the summer, that is far from how it played it.

At the beginning of the summer and about mid-way through it we were doing different activities each day. Some were ones I planned, and others were ones that simply came up and we did those instead.

By the middle of the summer, however, we were undergoing a major and unexpected reconstruction project on our upstairs bathroom and the duct work throughout the home. That greatly changed what we were able to do - both in terms of leaving our house (since construction workers were here daily for over a month) and financially (since it was a major investment that we had not planned on undertaking this summer).

We found that some of our most enjoyable time this summer was simply relaxing. With our homeschool schedule and activities, many days during the majority of the year have some sort of activity going on. To have a block of time where we didn't have to go anywhere or do anything that was deemed "educational" or related to homeschooling was a pleasant and well-needed respite.

101 Days of Summer Fun - Update #13

As I look back on this week, I realized that we did all of our fun activities on Saturday and Sunday for the 101 Days of Summer Fun, and simply relaxed for the remainder of the week. It's been a needed break after a busy summer; and will be good to have this time to do whatever we want without trying to cram planned and educational activities into each day.

Saturday, August 16 - We learned how to do stand up paddleboarding on the St. Croix River.

Although the girls were registered for the event, several people didn't show up at 9:00 a.m. on a Saturday morning, so I was able to go as well which was nice.

We left from a small bay off the main part of the river at William O'Brien State Park and then went onto the main part of the river.

It was a great workout and used muscles that we normally don't use.

Would we do stand up paddleboarding again? Probably not. I, at least, prefer to be sitting down in a kayak and paddling. There's more of a sense of stability that you don't have when you're standing up on a board.

At least we can say that we tried something new this summer.

Sunday, August 17 - We visited Gammelgarden where there were outdoor activities and music. We stayed for a while to listen to a few songs and then continued on.

We went to Northwoods Humane Society where we adopted Gretel, Cooper, and Aspen. Aspen won a $100 gift card to Chuck and Don's Pet Food Outlet, so we picked up the gift card there.

Brenda, the executive director, was there so we talked a while with her. She's watched the girls grow up from when they were about 5-7 years old to now (11 and 13 years old).

Monday, August 18 through Friday, August 22 - The girls spent a lot of time reading books of their choice, swinging on the swings in the backyard, seeing Mary B. on Wednesday and going to the library and swimming, and just taking it easy. It's been an enjoyable and relaxing week!

101 Days of Summer Fun - Update #12

This week was focused on decluttering and preparing for winter. Although it's hot outside now, within a matter of a couple of months we'll be looking at much colder weather.

It is forecasted that it will be equally as cold and snowy as it was last year. For that reason, getting everything fixed and organized before that time is critical.

So, although not really "Summer Fun" as I had hoped and planned at the beginning of the summer, it is reality and proper preparation which is important.

Saturday, August 9 - We've been enjoying have a break from construction crews in our home since March. It feels like it has been back-to-back reconstruction projects - first from the ice dam that resulting in gutting and reconstructing three rooms; and then the bathtub leaking and the resulting water damage in July and August.

At least we're able to enjoy having an updated bathroom with things in working order.

The in-floor heating which we invested in due to the frigidly-cold weather for a significant part of the year, and how uncomfortable ceramic tile feels in the winter, has been enjoyable.

Sunday, August 10 - Sophia, Olivia, and I went to the Harvest Festival at St. Vincent de Paul. This is something we've been doing since 2010 - when my dad was still alive.

He and my mom used to go to this chicken dinner each year. When he became unable to drive, I offered to take them.

We did that for a couple of year until he died. Then we continued the tradition with my mom. After we ate, the girls played some games. Sophia likes the ring toss because she won a couple bottles of pop. She knows that I won't buy pop, so this was a special treat.

Olivia played Plinko and enjoyed watching the coin travel down the huge board.

There were a couple more games that the girls played - a dart game and milk bottle toss.

For each game, the girls won prizes. It was a fun afternoon!

The girls had equine vaulting from 4:30-6:00 p.m. It was the last session of the summer.

Monday, August 11 - With the dumpster here for only a few more days, we wanted to finish cleaning the hobby shed and barn. It was SO hot, so we got the shed done and one-third of the barn cleaned.

I don't think I've seen it this empty since we moved in. The majority of items that are left are empty bins, wool, and a few teaching resources.

For the most part, everything is gone now that related to the youth camp program that I ran for many years in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Tuesday, August 12 - The homeschool co-op had its annual open house. We registered the girls for classes. Sophia is taking piano lessons, ceramics, and knitting. Olivia is taking piano lessons, ceramics, and drawing.

It was nice to see familiar faces again - teachers and students. They'll start classes in less than a month.

Wednesday, August 13 - Today was a busy day. Sophia had her annual check up for allergies at 8:30 a.m. We went to Petco, Half-Priced Books, the library, Joann Fabrics, and Lakeshore Learning.

In the afternoon, the girls enjoyed spending time with Mary B.

In the evening, I took Sophia to her State Fair meeting regarding her 4-H project on dried fruit.

Thursday, August 14 - We took it easy today. Did some reading and homeschool planning. The girls played on the swings since it was a beautiful day outdoors.

Friday, August 15 - We did cat visits at the nursing home in the morning. The girls visited quite a few residents - including some who they normally don't see.

Around lunch, we went to the local plaza which was having an open house. There was free pizza and ice cream at the pizza shop, bottled water and chips at the bank, and other freebies.

The pizza place was very crowded - all the tables were filled with people enjoying lunch.

This was such a fun way to spend the middle of the day. We saw a lot of people who we normally don't see, and enjoyed reconnecting with them.

101 Days of Summer Fun - Update #10

Saturday, July 26 - Today we did a lot of errands: the bank, Houles to get items for the horses, Home Depot to get tile for the bathroom, the grocery store, and post office.

Sunday, July 27 - We worked on decluttering some of the hobby shed today. Since it gets humid and none of us enjoy that type of weather, we tried to get the majority of the work done before noon.

After reading and relaxing in the early afternoon, Sophia and Olivia had equine vaulting in the afternoon.

They spent the first part of the lesson practicing on some skills.

Both are working on standing up on the horse. It takes a lot of balance to stand up while the horse is moving.

At 5:30 p.m., the parents and families came to watch the youth in the class show what they have been working on. They demonstrated practicing on the barrel.

This step is necessary before trying these moves on the back of a horse.

They also showed some of the skills they have been improving at the level that are at. For the girls, they are at the trot level.

The next level up is the canter. It is significantly quicker than the trot.

After the class was done, they posed for a picture.

There will be two additional classes for girls who want to keep doing vaulting.

Monday, July 28 - Olivia got her braces on at 11:10 a.m. We stopped and got some sherbet since her teeth are sore. The girls continued to work on their projects for the fair.

Tuesday, July 29 - We brought the projects to the fair in the late morning. It was a beautiful day - one of the coolest ones compared to some years that we've brought projects in.

In the afternoon, we brought the dogs in for a shot that they need to get before going to the kennel tomorrow.

Wednesday, July 30 - We dropped the dogs off at the kennel so we could spend the day volunteering at the Washington County Fair. The dogs are getting groomed and they are experiencing time in a kennel to see how they do.

We met some of the seniors from the nursing home at the fair around 10:15 a.m. After helping unload them from their van and getting them in wheelchairs (if needed), we took them around to look at different parts of the fair.

After looking at the flowers, one of the first stops they wanted to do was get a malt. 

We looked at another building of exhibits and then they were hungry for lunch. They all enjoyed dining in the 4-H building where we could sit down and have a meal together.

We looked at more exhibits and saw how we placed on our projects. Sophia received quite a few Grand Champion and Reserve Champion ribbons.

Olivia received a Reserve Champion on her etching of a wolf. The display case she is standing by held her project alone which was a nice honor!

We spent some time feeding the animals. The goats were particularly eager to be fed.

There was even a camel that Olivia and Bonnie fed.

After the fair, we went to pick up the dogs. They looked so nice after their baths and brush-outs.

They even had small bows attached to their collars. Cooper had a blue one and Aspen had a pink one.

It was a long, but very fun day.

Thursday, July 31 - Today was a day to relax and take it easy. My sister came over and spent some time talking with Sophia about her trip up north. Both she and Sophia have to write a final report and submit it to the Ann Bancroft Foundation which partially paid for some of the activities that Sophia did.

Friday, August 1 - We spent part of the morning doing a presentation about Australia for the seniors at the nursing home.

Sophia and Olivia worked with the seniors to make pavlova - a meringue topped with fresh fruit and whipped cream.

The seniors enjoyed the special treat.

We also played a DVD that featured beautiful scenes, animals, and information about Australia. Many of the seniors watched that while they were eating.

I did a presentation about Australia and we showed photographs from a trip taken there back in the mid-1990s.

We had things for the seniors to taste, look at, touch (like a ginger root and ginger plant - which is grown in Australia), and smell (like eucalyptus and tea tree oils - oils from two types of trees that grown in Australia).

I was told by the wife of one of the senior residents that it was nice to have such strong scents because the sense of smell is one of the things that goes when a person has Parkinson's Disease. Knowing that, it may be good to explore other strongly-scented activities for those with P.D. who live at the nursing home.