Life Happens Outdoors...Our Year in Pictures

January - Mike and Layla, Long Island Sound
February - Ryan cross country skiing in Connecticut
March - Ryan and Jim, Central Park, New York City
April - Ryan, Washington D.C.
May - All of us, Indiana University graduation
June - Ryan with our new puppy Dakota
July - Mike and I celebrating our 25th anniversary, Bar Harbor Maine
August - visiting family in Michigan
September - visiting Jimmy in Indiana
October - Ryan and Dakota at home
November - Ryan and Jimmy at home

December - Ryan and Dakota at home

Three Gifts I Cherish from 2010...

1) A SENSE OF PLACE

For those that know me, they understand how hard it has been for me to move every 2-5 years over the last 25 years whenever my husband received a job transfer. While it has been nice to experience new places and meet new friends over the years, in my heart I have always wanted a place to call home. A place that reminds my husband of his boyhood home of New Hampshire and me of my native Michigan. Surprisingly, Pennsylvania accomplishes that. It has the progressive attitude of the Northeast, the laid back friendly vibe of the Midwest, and the beautiful hardwood forests of both. Unlike anywhere else I have lived since meeting my husband, this place fits me and everything has clicked here for us. Finally...home...

2) AN EDUCATIONAL MODEL THAT WORKS FOR MY SON

After struggling with public schools and all that is broken with that system for 4 years, and then dealing with a radical unschooling group whose members had different personal and educational values than myself, I have finally found the perfect educational fit for my son. Located on 30 acres, my son's "school" offers up experiential natural learning with the freedom he needs, in a group setting with 20 of his peers. My son attends three full days a week which allows ample time outside of school to explore his other interests.
3) STRONGER RELATIONSHIPS WITH MY SIBLINGS

Like many families today I am sure, my siblings and I went our separate ways when we left home. One of my brothers stayed in Michigan while my other brother and sister left for points west, making it tough to spend much time together. This year, my son Ryan and I were able to visit my brother Kirk and that time together went a long way toward renewing our relationship for me. Since that time, we have had the opportunity to talk via phone on a regular basis which I love! My sister and I are also starting to take the time needed to become closer as well and I hope we can get together sometime in the next year.

I have a huge sense of gratitude for everything that has come my way this year and I hope 2010 has brought you some special gifts as well...

Turning Back the Years

I have spent many hours the last several days in my backyard with my 14 year old son Ryan and dog Dakota, sledding and snow boarding down the hill toward the pond below. While I may not be as nimble and coordinated as I once was, I certainly have not forgotten how much fun one can have enjoying something as simple as a hill covered in snow.

Recycle Your Christmas Tree for Wildlife

Rather than putting our used Christmas tree at the curb after the holiday, we recycled it by placing it in our yard to be used as habitat for wildlife. The tree will provide cover for birds, chipmunks, raccoons and other small animals, protecting them from predators and shielding them from harsh weather.
After seeing a red fox in the brambles along the side of our yard, we decided this would be a good place to put the tree, enabling smaller animals to have somewhere to duck into. As we tucked the tree into a nook filled with low hanging branches, I envisioned small animals taking refuge there, sheltered from cold winter winds and just out of reach of the fox.

Discovering a Deer Bed

Jennifer Schlick's post about white tailed deer on her blog "A Passion for Nature", intrigued me and encouraged me to get out and make my own deer discoveries this morning. With a fresh snowfall providing me with a roadmap, I was able to follow the tracks of my local white tailed deer family and essentially walk right into their bedroom. The picture above shows the area of brambles where I discovered the deer sleeping area. Just yards from my house, but worlds apart.
The picture above shows the entrance to the deer sleeping area. I had to stoop way over and brush up against many brambles and thorns to gain access.
The sleeping area was comprised of a clearing surrounded by brambles on four sides- a very protected spot! From what I could tell, there were two places within this clearing where deer had slept.
The picture above shows the deer bed itself, a slight depression in the snow with cover overhead comprised of bent branches growing close together. I felt a bit uncomfortable spending much time in what obviously was a great place for deer to sleep and worried that my scent would keep them away. I took a few shots and then quickly departed.

Had I not read Jennifer's post this morning, I may never have known to look for a deer bed. That is what I love most about blogging. Learning from others and letting that knowledge guide you into making new discoveries of your own.

Michigan "Winter Wonderland" Memories

The snow falling upon the woods in my backyard today remind me of my native Michigan and the words "Winter Wonderland" come to mind. Winter Wonderland is a slogan Michigan is known for and as a child I found the state lived up to its name as I spent many winters sledding, ice skating, building snow forts and skiing with my siblings. Due to those early experiences, winter, unlike any other time of year, brings back special memories and makes me feel like a kid again.
Nightfall is upon us now and there is a driveway to be shoveled. But tomorrow with a fresh snowfall on the ground, I will look forward to spending some time outdoors and letting the years fall away.

Is the Branching Pattern of Trees Species Specific?

Glancing out my window this morning, I couldn't help but notice the different types of branching patterns found in the trees in my backyard. Just as every human has a different fingerprint, I wondered if the branching patterns of trees were like fingerprints, helping to determine one tree species from another.
As I looked skyward, I wasn't considering if the branches were alternate or opposite, a common way to differentiate tree species, but rather how the branches in the crown looked. Were the branches straight or crooked? Were they fuzzy or more feathered looking, suggesting many small twigs rather than just a few as the branches came to an end? After doing some research on branch density, I discovered the term bifurcation ratio, which is the ratio of numbers of distal to proximal branches and is a quantity which can be used in conjunction with other parameters in order to understand branching strategies. Additional research determined that bifurcation ratios are indeed species specific with some exceptions.
It seems certain species, such as Acer, will have higher bifurcation ratios when grown in open areas with lots of light and less competition, compared to those found growing closer together in forests. Bifurcation ratios for Quercus and Fraxinus don't show variability when grown in different environments, for some reason still yet to be understood.
Of course I found all of this information fascinating and was amazed at what one can learn when a simple question is asked. Now I just need to put a face or name to each different branching pattern.

For sources used in this post, click here or here.

Happy Yuletide!

While most trees appear to be dying, having lost their leaves at this time of year, the evergreen tree stands as a symbol of hope as it lives on cloaked in its beautiful green leaves. Carry this symbol of hope inside and decorate it in celebration of the return of the sun. Feast and exchange gifts, sing and dance, the Yuletide is upon us!

After My Own Heart...

I was gone all day today, leaving my 14 year old son home alone to do whatever struck his fancy. At dinner he told me he had read some and worked on his novel some. It wasn't until later when I rounded a corner and happened upon the above scene that I realized how much he is like me. Next to the chair he had piled up his favorite books, the laptop resided on the ottoman, a music player was atop the kitchen counter and the dog bed had been pulled in close. All of his favorite things gathered round, making for a cozy spot to attend to his interests.

Creating Peace...

My minister at my local UU church has been doing a series of sermons on peacemaking to coincide with the UUA's recent adoption of peacemaking as a UU Statement of Conscience. Last Sunday's sermon was on interpersonal peacemaking. How to be peaceful at the local level, with those people in our lives we come in contact with regularly- our family, our friends, our neighbors. My minister suggested that we come to know our neighbors as we know ourselves and that this would heal many of the problems that arise between folks. For when you know someone more intimately, you see their humanness and are able to find common ground.

I agree with my minister on his idea of finding common ground and understanding as a way to strive toward peace with others. What came to mind for me as he was delivering his sermon though is I don't think finding common ground is so simple. Many people carry around their personal agendas like a badge of honor and it is usually the first thing you notice or find out about someone after meeting them. It may be a political affiliation or an environmental stance. The way they believe their children should be educated, a gender or race bias, or a religious belief. These agendas get in the way of dialogue. It can be hard to have meaningful dialogue when each party continually falls back on their agenda rather than looking for common ground.

I feel peace can be created if folks check their agendas when first meeting others and allow a relationship based on the common ground of being human to develop with the focus on living and loving. It then becomes possible to bridge the gap through authentic and caring conversations. This can be a difficult task I know when the person you are coming to know refuses to step back from their positions for just a moment to give peace a chance. Trying to stay present and see the humanness of someone who is pushing their agenda at you while you try and have dialogue or see the good in them can test your will. But this effort is worth it. Putting aside your agenda long enough by example, may cause the other person to do the same and thus cause a bond to form, leading to true peace and compassion. Once this bond is formed, people can then begin to slowly open up and let their true selves be known surrounded with the spirit of love.

I have many friends whom care about me even though we have huge political or religious differences. These friendships were borne out of care for one another first and then respect and understanding as we revealed our true selves to one another. Because we respected one another, we were allowed our differences without an expectation of needing to mend those differences. It can be hard to come to hate someone you have loved just because you later find out they have a different way of seeing the world. Just as we love our children for how they are different from us, this to we can do with our friends and neighbors.

Create peace in your relationships, create peace in this world.

If there is to be peace in the world, there must be peace in the nations.

If there is to be peace in the nations, there must be peace in the cities.

If there is to be peace in the cities, there must be peace between neighbors.

If there is to be peace between neighbors, there must be peace in the home.

If there is to be peace in the home, there must be peace in the hearts.

-From the UU hymnal