Life With The Crew

Make Way For Busy Babes (and Ducklings)

She ran...

and she ran...

and she ran...

and finally she stopped.

And she watched.

And then she ran some more.

I counted 10 ducklings with their Momma.  We also saw a lone male Mallard and a group of three male Mallards.  We followed them from the boardwalk as they floated down the stream.  We sat patiently at this viewing spot for 10 minutes waiting for them to float by.  I am so thankful for my active, inquisitive, nature loving little babe.

What are you thankful for?

*Check back on Thursday for more duckling excitement!

 

Kahbahbloom!

We visited Longwood Gardens last week.  The tulip display was in full bloom and I could not figure out how best to capture the kaleidoscope of colors, so I didn't try that hard.  Now that the little babe is cognizant of how much time her Momma spends taking pictures, I am trying to limit my time behind the lens.  The point of the trip was to have a wonderful relaxing day in a beautiful location with my husband and little babe, and that is exactly what we did.  It was a fantastic day.

Water splashing, bird watching, dandelion picking, hopping over heating vents, looking for trolls, feeding Canadian geese, eating ice cream, walking on balance beams, buying a new book, and going home happy, sweaty, and tired.

Life is good.

*For those of you unfamiliar with children's books, the title of this post, Kahbahbloom, is the last word in the book Drummer Hoff by Ed and Barbara Emberley.  I thought it was appropriate because of the seemingly overnight explosion of flowers that has occurred just in the past week.  This article offers some interesting background information about the story.

A World of Pink Confetti

 

It is looking festive around here!  There have been birthday parties with pink confetti (cherry tree blossoms) and pretty painted gourds.  (The birthday parties are mainly for Mrs. Ribby - Beatrix Potter's The Tale of Tom Kitten is a favorite around here right now.)

We have Japanese Maple seedlings that were salvaged/saved from a downtown apartment building.  (Ruby will let us know if the college kids try to take them back.)  

We have two types of apple trees that are flowering right now, with petals swirling through the air.  May's version of a snow storm - beautiful and no shoveling needed.  Six strawberry plants that I transplanted from the old garden patch actually have flowers on them -  yeah!  But the most exciting thing going on?  Wheat!!  Real wheat that I will hopefully be able to harvest, thresh, mill, and bake with!  At first I only planted half of a raised bed, but after seeing that the wheat actually germinated, I decided to plant the whole bed.  So maybe I'll have enough wheat to bake a whopping two dozen muffins!  It is growing like crazy now and I don't think groundhogs eat wheat, so I have high hopes.

Hope things are blossoming in your world!

Shared on The HomeAcre Hop.

Marcescent

Holding on through the winds and snow, not yet ready to let go.

In the Winter they were quite the sight, shining forth a golden light.

These leaves have hung, withered and dry, now they're ready to say good-bye.

Drifting slowly to the ground, landing softly without a sound.

 

Marcescent:  withering, but not falling off

This article provides an explanation for why beech trees retain their leaves during the Winter.

 

Joining Chrisy at Living A Good North Coast Life for Reconnecting With Nature.

 

 

 

 

Thankful Tuesday - 5.5.15

Today I am thankful for...

-sunset walks in the woods.  We are fortunate to have close access to safe natural areas.

-tiny forces of nature.

-a new stage in my little babe's life.  It seems that all of a sudden my little babe has become a little big girl.  Now as we head out the door for walks, I hear, "No Boba Momma."  (The Boba is her carrier.)  She is actually able to keep up with us and the dogs on a real walk in the woods for up to two miles.  Because she isn't strapped in, she can do all kinds of fun things.

-good things going on in the kitchen.  My husband has a rye sourdough starter in the works, we have a new closer and cheaper source for raw milk (look at that cream line!), and I think the little babe now loves her kombucha almost as much as her booby milk!

What are you thankful for?

 

 

 

Spunky As A Sparrow

Busy as a bee, the saying goes.

But have you ever seen a House Sparrow in the Spring?

Flying here, flying there.

Looking for that perfect piece to complete their nest.

Last year's dried plant material, small twigs, chicken feathers.

Pulling, pulling with all of their might.

Why won't that old Morning Glory vine come loose?  

They are trying so hard to build a safe shelter for their young.

They might not be doing it for emotional reasons, but it still tugs at my heartstrings when that big nasty Starling comes around, causing chaos, making mayhem, nothing but destruction and distress.

The beautiful nest, a work of art, so sturdy, so much time and effort involved - ruined.  Knocked out of the rafters, falling in bits and pieces onto the rose bush.  At least it received that much dignity - it didn't fall all the way onto the ground.

Luckily that was the only carnage, there was no loss of life.  Do their little bird brains just say "Oh, well, time to start over?"  Or do they feel a bit of frustration or hopelessness?  

I pointed out the nest to my little babe.  What lesson do I teach?  The tragedy of something beautiful being destroyed, the waste of so much hard work?  Or the reality of the natural world:  sad stuff happens in nature and it isn't our duty to interfere?  The strong persevere.  The definition of spunky is "courageous and determined."

Spunky as a sparrow.  It's a catchy little saying, right?