Exploring Our Backyard

We went on a field trip last week with our Nature Club to an environmental park. We have been there numerous times and the fun thing about it is it is like exploring our own backyard except with guides that can answer all of our my questions. We enjoyed searching for nesting Bluebirds and Kestrels (a small hawk) with binoculars and Missy Blue was especially enamored to find that things were bigger when she looked through them. I was surprised that she was so interested and even answered a question or two in her quiet little voice but she is a bit more social than probably all of her brothers combined. We stopped and smelled Skunk cabbage and found other wildflowers like Bloodroot and Turtle lily just making their appearance. We ended our time at the pond where Tank found a granddaddy crawfish and Pete was able to catch it with his net. I found some the next day at the grocery store waiting to be eaten. :)

Bloodroot with a blurry Mayapple in the corner

 I have probably said it before but in my opinion we live in the most wonderful place to raise a family. I stand on our wrap-around porch and look out on our land and am blown away by the beauty of it, the smell of it, and the noises of nature all around (okay and quite a bit of noise from children too). I love the sound of the frogs mating calls from the spring down the road at dusk and know that when I hear it the warmth is on it's way. Oh, I am sure there are more beautiful places and definitely warmer places in the world but this is just right for us. Funny because growing up in the city I would never have thought I'd enjoy this as much as I do.

I so enjoy walking the paths in our fields or hiking the trails in the state forest right across our field to see what is all growing and to learn something new about God's amazing creation. Although lately my walking has gotten a lot slower and less frequent. The children enjoy exploring too. After our field trip we decided to see if we could find the same spring wildflowers growing here and sure enough, we did find a few. My favorite find was the wild leeks growing in the brush under trees. I would have never known what it was before as it looks a lot like a clump of ordinary grasses. But, now we know exactly what we are looking for so have dug them up a few times to add flavor to our meals.

Wild Leeks

Ah, now just to wait for the warm air so I can open the windows again and fall asleep to the crickets making sweet music and the lightly blowing breezes making everything smell fresh.

"When I bought my farm, I did not know what a bargain 

I had in the bluebirds, daffodils and thrushes;

 as little did I know what sublime mornings 

and sunsets I was buying."

 Ralph Waldo Emerson