Nature Club

YES! We changed the day of Nature Club this week because Wednesday didn't look as nice and we hit the jackpot for weather! It was around zero with a bit of wind and the kids played for 2 hours non-stop (except for a brief lunch) What a fun day with lots of great friends.

Here some of the kids sneak up on a tree to see if it has a hibernating friend living inside. Notice the poking stick.

Sid using her new binoculars from Grandpa Bill. Thank you so much Grandpa, we got better with them as the day wore on.

Lunch break!

Playing in the cool fort. I think the scouts must come in the winter every year and make this lean two (too, to?). We found one just like it last summer and the kids played in it for hours until some "good" Samaritan took it down because children could get hurt (hmph!!!).

Some wonderful friends of the conservation area have put up a brilliant BIG bird feeder right next to the tree hut. It is so perfect because while the kids all play together, Magda and I could sit back against a couple of sun bathed trees and take pictures of the birds. Ooooooohhhh I can't wait for spring!!!!!

Male Downy Woodpecker (or juvenile female)

Female Downy

Female Downy

Common Red Pole with a chunk of ice on its beak.


Best friends say good-bye after an afternoon of woodland adventuring!

I have the CPAWS workshop at Wabi-Sabi this weekend. I made a skunk and a garter snake to donate but I wanted to create a proper sculpture for them to auction off. I finished it this morning.

I call it "Busy As..."

After the workshop on Saturday Sid has her very first Drama play. She is Miss Jackie, a bank owner in the wild, wild, west. I will try to take a video. I can't wait :)

Oh Deer!

My Lil' Tree Hugger :)


After a nice long Christmas and New Years break with family we got to reconnect with some of our friends this week with the first Nature Club meeting for 2011! We decided to meet at Old Quarry Trail where the deer are quite tame. We loaded our pockets and backpacks with apples and carrots and hit the trail. It was quite nice at only -2 but the wind was deceptively chilly. We had 5 families show up for a total of 7 kids and 6 adults.
Not exactly a small quiet group to entice deer, however, we did get them to come close enough to sample some carrots. There were at least three other people there separately trying to feed the deer with one photographer chasing them through the woods so they were really timid. Maybe we will go back alone with just one friend in a week or two and try our luck again. The company was fabulous and it was really nice to be out in the woods again.

These two deer were the brave ones that sampled our treats. We saw at least 4 others including a mom and fawn.

On the lookout for deer.

Bella decides this bush looks like a good spot for a snack.

Cool fort. Sabine climbed so high we lost her for a bit :)

Heading back to the car, after about an hour hands and feet were getting cold!

Back at home we have gone back to enjoying our woods now that there is snow again. Lots of fox, deer and cotton tail tracks to follow here. Due to the thaw there was a lot of ice in the low spots and in the ditch. Sid discovered that she could be pulled across the ice by the dogs. The pups weren't to pleased with the idea.

Once the holidays were over and we had no more guests dropping in I told Sid she could set up her Playmobile land. The first thing Monday the 3rd she got right to it!

Sid just loves playmobile and can play with it for hours. We have all the components for the vet clinic, and we have the zoo and horse wash. For Christmas Uncle Rick bought her the Dragon Castle and she was ecstatic with the new edition. The castle guards the town of course and it shoot rubber tipped arrows so she can keep the dangerous Bairedales from attacking the village.

Five is soooo funny. Sid is full of tales and stories and made up things here is one that she came up with the other day. I happened to be at the computer so started taking dictation. Now, keep in mind, this is soooo five year old......

Sid:
Have you ever heard of the country called Fartingparlour. It is this place where every two minutes people fart, every two minutes! So it is really stinky there. And there is rotten banana peels, rotten oranges and all sorts of stinky stuff and farting people. Even the governor general actually farts every two minutes. Every person in that country farts every two minutes unless they are from this country and that is just where their cottage is.

Kenny is working hard trying to lean 24 songs in 6 weeks. He has been asked to join 4Way Street, a Crosby Stills and Nash cover band. He has played with many of them in the past but they want to back him with his originals so they are going to do a few gigs together, the first is coming up on February 12th.

Here is another one of Ken's originals, written over 20 years ago called Sentimental sweetheart.

This next song has great potential to really rock with the full band and harmonies behind it. It is called How Low, totally different from the first two I have posted. Enjoy!