Outdoor Mom's Journal - May 2019

During our outdoor time this week we went...to the backyard to rescue a nest of baby bunnies that Cooper discovered.

Unfortunately, he got a couple of them. The remaining five bunnies we brought to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Roseville since Sophia thought they appeared a bit dehydrated. (She pulled their skin a little and let it go. The skin went back slowly towards the bunnies' bodies indicating they were dehydrated.)

Sure enough, when we bought them in, they were dehydrated. However, there was milk in their stomachs so the mother was around.

They encouraged us to bring them back home since they would have a higher chance at survival. So we did. The girls put them back in the underground nest and covered the nest with a laundry basket and rock during the day.

Each day in the evening, we would remove the laundry basket and leave the nest open at night. The mother  would feed the babies once in the evening and once in the morning. In the morning, we would put the basket over the nest to protect them again.

When they were still very young and their eyes had not opened yet, the girls did check on them to make sure they were okay. Check out the tiny paw and ears of the bunny below.

Another bunny had cute little back paws. They were not nervous at this stage because they didn't know who we were or what we were doing. The fluid that the vet gave each bunny gave them the energy and electrolytes it needed.

We were so happy to see the bunnies growing during the month; and eventually getting brave and old enough to leave the nest. They have multiple places to hide and are very quick - which is an asset when there are four dogs living in the home.

The most inspiring thing we experienced was...asking for a "gift of service" for Mother's Day and receiving it. Sophia and Olivia planted flower container gardens by the driveway and entry way to the backyard (essentially our front door).

They are matching planters that belonged to my parents; and we've been planting flowers in them since we inherited them.

Paige cleaned the grill so I could make smoked barbecue ribs for dinner.

The girls also brought loads of compost to various holes and bare spots in the front- and backyards. They spread it out and then put grass seed on top.

This was  a huge timesaver for me so I could focus on other outdoor projects. We have about a month and a half before Sophia's graduation party...and there's a lot left to do.

Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)...how old are bunnies before their eyes open? 

We found out that baby rabbits, or kits, usually open their eyes about 10-12 days after birth. They are born blind, furless, and deaf. They typically start to grow fur after about three days.

In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting...a variety of things. We are removing the raised beds because some were damaged in the fire last year and others are getting worn out. They were made out of some type of heavy-duty outdoor fabric; and they only lasted a few growing seasons.

So, we are not planting any vegetables or herbs this year. There isn't enough sunlight where the gardens have been in the past and there isn't enough interest from everyone to do vegetable gardening.

What we are doing is working on the flower and hosta gardens that have been neglected over the past few years. There's a lot of weeding that we've been doing as well as planting some new perennials. I'm excited to see how the gardens will look during the summer.

I added nature journal pages...in my Nature Observer - A Guided Journal book. I am really enjoying this journal. I write down something I observed in nature on the calendar; set goals on the "Activity or Intention" page about a variety of things; write daily reflections about nature; and am including pictures from magazines of nature images.

At some point, I'll add some photos I've taken of the outdoors and birds to further personalize it. 

I am reading...nothing related to nature. I've been doing a lot to get ready for Sophia's graduation day (May 21st) and party (June 29th). 

I am dreaming about…when the pond in the pasture will go down. This is what it looked like on May 16th:

It was high enough for geese and ducks to land and swim around in it. It has been very high this year and was extremely challenging for the horses to access it. They were choosing to go through almost knee-high muck to get to the pasture.

So, the girls and I cut an opening in the fence at a higher elevation and created a new path for them to use. It is much better for them now.

A photo I would like to share...Sophia's graduation day was very windy in the afternoon, and then it ended up raining. So, we couldn't get any decent outdoor photos which was disappointing. The next day, we went to Jax Café and had lunch to celebrate her graduation. This is a family photo of us on the patio at Jax.

Friday Foto Friends

Breathing In Grace

Today I'm joining Deb for Friday Foto Friends. Come join us and share your photos!

Earlier this week, the weather was beautiful - in the upper 50s. Some places nearby hit 60. We were pretty close to that.

The weather this weekend, however, is supposed to drop about 30 degrees and there's a significant amount of snow forecasted.

Thought I'd capture some of the early spring signs before they are covered up with snow. Who knows, with the warm temperatures, the snow may not be around for very long.

I put out some birdseed on Wednesday morning after seeing a male cardinal at the feeder. Much to my surprise, later in the day there were honeybees at the feeder. I've never seen that before.

I'm not sure what the honeybees were finding in the bird seed.

In the backyard, the apple tree has some buds on it. It's a blurry picture, but many of the buds are starting to emerge. This is way too early in Minnesota.

Near the pine trees on the east side of the backyard, there are patches of moss.

The lilacs are starting to bud. Again, this is way too early in the season for this to be happening.

Bailey, looks out from the barn. It's rather muddy out there. Yet, this weather is perfect for her to gallop around the pasture and kick up her legs. She and her companion, Hoss, even roll in the mud sometimes.

Interestingly, the strawberries didn't all turn brown this winter. I'm not sure why - or how - the leaves could remain green in sub-zero weather.

The Northern Magnolia Tree is even further along with its buds. In the spring, this shrub/tree is covered with white blossoms that are very fragrant.

Looking west, the pond is completely open now. No more ice or snow cover. Am hoping that ducks or geese spend more time in the pond this spring...perhaps even raise a family here.

In the front yard, next to the culvert, a tiny bit of snow remains.

More typically seen now are grass and patches of mud...often with dog prints in them.

The birds perch in the trees. This one is in the other apple tree in the backyard.

The black-capped chickadees are frequent visitors to the bird feeder.

Four of the gardens are waiting to be planted. One has some strawberries in it. Otherwise, the gardens are planted with transplants and seeds.

There are three more gardens. These are the closest spots to the house that still get full sunlight. The longer we've lived here, the taller the trees have become. What used to be sunny, now is shady. There isn't as much space near by that we can use for gardening.

The squirrels have been busy this winter de-barking some of the limbs of the trees. This one - for some reason - they chose to de-bark the entire trunk of the tree.

The east part of the backyard has pine trees that we planted. The first one - to the far left of the photo - was one that was already here in 1995 - when we moved into the home. It was probably no more than a couple of feet high...three at the most.

It now towers high above us and is as tall as the other pine trees that we had transplanted around 1999 or 2000. Those evergreens were about 10-12 feet tall at the time. They are easily double that in height now.

A few years ago, we planted some 1' tall seedlings in the front yard with the goal of eventually blocking the view of the road. These type of trees grow more like cylinders than Christmas-tree shaped, so they can be planted closer together.

The west pasture has limited growth at this point in the year. Nonetheless, the horses go out and look for food to eat. They also are fed hay and grain.

At this point, there are no flowers blooming yet. Next month some of the early flowers may start to emerge.

It definitely feels like spring even though we are still in the middle of winter. Never in my life would I imagine that February would look like this. Gone are the winters when snow would be drifted high and be tall enough to make snow caves out of - complete with rooms and tunnels that my sister, brother, and I used to make in the backyard off the lake.

At least I have those memories which I hold onto dearly and enjoy revisiting every now and then.

Outdoor Mom's Journal - June

During our outdoor time in early-June, we went....

The latter part of May and beginning of June was spent outdoors planting. This year I planted blueberries and raspberries in the pumpkin patch that's near the bees.

Spending time with the bees takes about an hour each time we check on them. Each of the hives is doing well; and we've already added the second box so the queen has more room to lay eggs.

I still have strawberries and more raspberry bushes to plant. However, the latter still hasn't arrived from the seed/plant company. Looks like I may have to cancel that order since it's so late for planting this year.

We'll also be doing some staggered plantings of carrots, beans, and other crops so that we have produce throughout the late summer and fall.

•The most inspiring thing we experienced was...

My sister and I visited the Chihuly Garden and Glass in Seattle. There was both an indoor museum of some of Chihuly's pieces as well as an outdoor garden that integrated his work with nature. One of my favorite sections was one that was done in purple.

There were tall, slender purple glass sculptures along the back of the garden. In front, there were ferns, driftwood, and flowers.

I saw flowers that I had never seen before. It was almost as if someone painted them to match the glass sculptures. The flowers below are African Daisies.

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

We were able to see the Columbia River on this trip. This particular section of it was so interesting because the cliffs on the other side showed layers of rock of various colors.

The terrain was rugged and dotted with fragrant sagebrush. At the bottom of the hill, near the river, were the original roads that were used to deliver mail from one town to the other.

At the International Test Rose Garden, I saw a hydrangea bush that was blue. I have white hydrangeas and have always wanted to have a blue one.

Somewhere it was written that you can change the white flowers to blue by making the soil more acidic. I'm wondering if that's possible, and if it would work on some of the flowers at our farm.

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

Last week when I left for Seattle, all the garden-in-a-box kits were planted. Also had three flower gardens completely done and covered with mulch. What a difference the mulch makes in terms of finishing it off.

I still have quite a few gardens left that I want to plant this year with perennials (bulbs and native wildflowers), vegetables, and fruit. This summer will be a work-in-progress...a kind of "catch up" time after nine years of caregiving.

One of the things I kept seeing in Seattle were mass plantings of lavender.

At first I thought perhaps it was some other type of decorative perennial. Nope...it was lavender that smelled incredibly good when it was touched. I wish lavender would grow like that in Minnesota.

•I added nature journal pages about....

Although I didn't add any pages to my nature journal, I do have a couple of topics to write about. When I was in the Pacific Northwest this past week, I saw two birds that I want to write about:
- yellow-headed blackbird. Saw one on the side of the road in Washington.
- killdeer. Saw quite a few in Idaho. Reminded me of the ones we saw when we moved out to Plymouth when I was a child.

I also want to write about the eco-region we saw that was east of the Cascade Mountains: shrub-steppe.

There were plants that I have never seen before:
- sagebrush
- hedgehog cactus

I could add a section about farm animals since I haven't written about them. My sister and I stayed at an alpaca ranch in Idaho; and had the opportunity to see these animals up close.

They were inquisitive and wanted a closer view of us...but not so close that we could touch them.

I also could add a section in the nature journal about wild animals that I saw while on the trip. In addition to the nine wild turkeys in Idaho at the alpaca ranch, I saw this deer on the way back to Seattle. We stopped the car to watch it eat. The young buck, with velvet still on his antlers, seemed unbothered by us watching him.

While we were on the train going from Seattle to Portland, we saw five deer as we headed into Portland. Three of them were young bucks, their antlers still developing.

•I am reading...

During the trip, I read two books about Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy and how to apply that to a homeschool setting. There were many ideas that I'm already doing. However, there were ideas that I want to start incorporating starting next year.

With the girls starting tenth and eighth grades, the time is going by so quickly. I want to make sure that we all are getting the most out of our time together...which is equally as important as the time spent with the academic work we do together.

•I am dreaming about…

One of the things I enjoyed about traveling to the Pacific Northwest was seeing things that we don't see in Minnesota.

On June 4th, when my sister and I arrived in Seattle, we drove to Des Moines (southwest of Seattle) and spent time at a farmers market there.

In the distance, we could see the Olympic Mountain Range. Most of the mountains are in Olympic National Park. Some day I'd like to go there...it was just a bit too far for this trip.

Driving from Seattle to Idaho, we stopped at Snoqualmie Falls. There's a hydroelectric dam at the top of the falls.

On the way from Seattle to Idaho, we stopped at almost every state park. There were beautiful lakes, trees, and/or mountains at each one.

• Some photos I would like to share...

The last stop that we made on the trip was to the International Rose Test Garden in Portland.

The roses were in full bloom. There had to be tens of thousands of flowers and buds on the rose bushes.

Although it was raining on and off, it made for some interesting photos.

The rain drops sat in random patterns on the rose petals.

We saw roses in such a wide range of colors and color combinations. Many times, there were multiple roses blooming on each stem.

There were roses that I didn't even know existed - like the ones that had variegated leaves with yellows, pinks, reds, and whites.

One of the things that intrigued me was that on one rose bush there could be bouquets of flowers that varied substantially in color. They were so beautiful.

 

Every inch of space was used - even the hills and slopes were covered with roses.

There were unique ways that the roses were displayed - including a triple arch.

At first we went row by row to see each rose.

We would smell them, I would take a photograph of the name plate so I knew which ones were fragrant. I like roses that have a heavy scent.

Other flowers I enjoyed seeing because there were just so many together. I especially liked the single blooming flower surrounded by buds in various stages.

It was difficult to choose a favorite rose. There were so many that I saw that I liked.

I spent some time today looking up the names of the roses I liked and to see if they were available.

With the exception of a couple of roses, all them are available for purchase from either Heirloom Roses or White Flower Farm. Although I know we don't have the same climate as Portland has which lends itself well to helping the roses grow so tall and prolifically, it still would be nice to see which roses would grow here and be able to withstand the frigid winter weather.