Thursday, May 21, 2009 at 10:11AM 
Their childhood is now…
They may not know all the latest TV shows, the hot new toys or the current fashion trends, but those things are fluid, changing, subject to the whims of society…
The things they know… the memories they are creating… are things that will remain tangible, real, and vital to life…
Read more at Dawn’s blog: Spring at Lily Pad Pond
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 10:01PM “can you seee me?”
First, you have to find them.
Then you have to identify them.
“is that me?! you really do gain weight on camera.”
amphibians Tuesday, May 12, 2009 at 10:14AM
It was Mothers Day in America this weekend and we spent it at the botanical garden (bit of a redundant term?) enjoying the perfect weather.
We did a little sketching and a little walking — a great day! Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, too.
Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 10:42PM photo by D. Gordon E. Robertson via Creative Commons
click to read more about wild turkeysI would love to upload a photo of the turkeys who are gobbling and gobbling in our woods right now, but unfortunately all I have are photos of dark blobs.
It is harder than you’d think to photograph wildlife from your living room and get National Geographic-quality results. Usually the amount of time it takes me to grab the camera and run to the window is the same amount of time it takes said wildlife to melt into the woods.
It doesn’t help that I’m usually yelping to family members to come see — often the last thing I see is an expression of “what was that?!” as I realize how far my voice carries (through walls, no less!).
If you aren’t used to it, it is very shocking to look outside and see a traditional Thanksgiving turkey standing in your yard, looking for all the world like a Hallmark dinner table ornament.
Click here to hear the gobbling that’s filling our woods right now!
Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 09:59PM
Nancy’s boys built a bluebird house with their grandfather over at Emerald Lane.
Everyone wants to attract these beautiful birds to nest in their yards — and they’re quite choosy about where they build their nests, right down to the size of the entrance hole. So they need specially built nesting boxes.
In the past, bluebirds relied on woodpeckers and other cavity-dwellers to provide the majority of their nesting places. They'd select abandoned cavities in dead trees or rotten fence posts to raise their families. As development wiped out many of these natural nesting sites, the bluebird population declined dramatically.
But man-made nesting boxes have played a vital role in reviving the beloved bluebird. — Birds&Blooms
Here are the directions in case you want to build your own bluebird nesting box!
birds, things to make, wildlife Thursday, May 7, 2009 at 08:47AM
I was once told that every behavior stems from a need.
If that need is to experience the sensory delight that comes from things slimy, creepy, crawly, and prickly…
Then I say…
Go forth and hunt little one.
For those things that will slime their way through your little fingers…
Tickle your arms with their many legs…
And take flight from the palm of your hand…
Wednesday, May 6, 2009 at 09:52PM
The summer I learned to draw wasn’t anything special at all, it was just the first summer I ever really saw. — Hannah Hinchman
art, inspiring, quotations 
