Just because...

Our neighbor's pig had piglets, and they are too cute not to share.

Let the Sun Shine!

We are all quite excited to have the sun shining.  It seems like spring is finally here to stay.  Even Mr. Bumps, the turtle, has partially emerged from hibernation and my son advised us that we should trust the turtle more than any weather man - (smart kid) - so we are trusting spring has truly arrived.

Momentary Lapse of Reason and Bees

Ok, so I was going to quit this blog and even posted about it (which I've deleted). I thought it would make me feel like one less thing to cross off my list, but the fact is I really like this little space.  It made me feel sad and empty - not the relieved feeling I was going for at all.  So, what does one do when they feel like their "to do" list is unattainable? I guess I should just prioritize and stop putting pressure on myself, which is self induced anyway.  Type A personality here. Does anyone else do this to themselves? I'm blaming this on hormones, cold weather, and a third thing, which I can't come up with at the moment.

So moving on....

Last night, we got the most exciting news.  Our local beekeepers association has a scholarship program.  My son applied and was chosen.  What does this mean? We will be taking 6 sessions on beekeeping and then given two hives of our very own along with a mentor for two years to assist us in establishing our hive.  I've always wanted bees!  

The average beekeeper is 60 years of age.  The association wants to bring in a younger crowd so the art of beekeeping doesn't become a lost art. Last Christmas I was given this lovely book my a friend.  I've read it, but now I'm going to read it again with a different perspective.

This is so good on so many levels.  We can attend classes as a family. I can add this to next year's curriculum as part of our Science studies. Oh, and we get to keep bees!


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Oh Deer!

On the farm

We recently went to a local farm to meet some animals and assisted in feeding and watering them. 

 This is a baby miniature pony. It was the size of a large stuffed animal, only this guy was real and oh so cute!

You don't normally find camels on farms, but this farm doubles as a petting zoo, so they have a few unconventional animals they've rescued along the way. 

We held bunnies and scratched goats behind their ears.  We fed snakes, lizards, guinea pigs, and chickens. We pet cows, horses, pigs and donkeys.  It was so much fun.  It was like being at the county fair, minus the crowds and funnel cake. 

Coming Home

You may remember Bumps our turtle.  About ten months ago he went on a great adventure. In desperation to calm my son I told him Bumps would most likely return after he had seen the world.  I had zero hopes of that really happening.  Little did I know that he really would return to us!

Well, this may not be the original Bumps, we really have no way of knowing.  On Mother's Day, my husband was hiking about 2 miles from our house and found this little guy and brought him home.  He is the correct size for an almost 3 year old box turtle.  My son is 100% convinced it is him and without hesitation he recreated his habitat, dug up some worms, and placed Mr. Bumps in old home.

Even though I have my doubts, it still feels like a miracle. I felt elated and excited at the possibility that this really could be him.  It's silly, I know, but I can't help it.

Letting Go

Sometimes life makes you deal with things whether you want to or not.  Sometimes you have no time to prepare.  Things happen, you react, and life goes on.

We recently had to say goodbye to Mr. Bumps the turtle.  He is well and healthy as far as we know.  After a particularly hard rainstorm, we went to check on him.  His habitat was flooded, overflowing with water.  We searched all through it to make sure he wasn't drowned.  He was no where to be found.  He must have escaped.  My son was in pieces.  He knew we were going to eventually let him go, but on our terms, with a farewell and good luck to send him on his way.

We were lucky enough to have raised him for 2 years.  He is old enough to be on his own.  He just started eating plants in addition to worms and slugs.  He is off on an adventure.  Off to see the world.  Box turtles are known to return to the place where they were born, which happens to be our back yard.  We will be looking for you Mr. Bumps and hope that one day we shall meet again.

Until then, happy trails!

Summer Deer

"...This mother-month of Summer holds her place
              Not only by the grace
Attending on her many winsome ways-
               Her flower-gits, her bird-lays,
               Her bridal form and face,-..."

Summer - Richard Burton (From the Nature Lover's Knapsack - Edwin O Grover.  1927)

Backyard Reptiles

My son found this little guy when we were at Home Depot.  He caught it and brought it back to our house.

After naming him: Trevor the Toad, he put him in with our turtle for a couple days...but eventually he hopped out and went free.  He was so tiny!

This is Bumps the Turtle.  We rescued him in the Fall of 2011. This Fall he will be 2 yrs old.  He has grown a lot since we first found him.  You can see from my son's finger how big he is today.  Box turtles have a very low survival rate in the wild.  We are hoping to better his chances of becoming an adult.  So far he is thriving.

I really enjoy keeping up with his habitat.  He has mud, sand, moss, and ferns.  We change things around so he doesn't get bored.    He mainly eats worms and slugs but will turn to a vegetable based diet once he is an adult.

And this baby ring neck was found in our yard and caught for observation only.  It was soon released after this picture was taken.