Category: Walking
Tonight, while on our family walk, we discovered some mutant dandelions. We had the perfect combination of the school not mowing the lawn, and the dandelions going to seed. We noticed the stem of one of the dandelions was actually a fusion of two.
When the temperature drops, I tend to fall back on some of my “classics” outerwear. Some of these things, like my 25 year old Carhartt Jacket, have been around for awhile. I do have a new one in the closet, I still fall back to the old one that is almost bleached white, and has frayed cuffs. I have a plethora of jackets, vests, hoodies, sweaters laying around. This last year I decided to change up my cold weather gear a little. I wanted to clean out the closet, and replace them with some quality wool items.
On today’s walk the kids found a Garter snake. First, I was proud of the kids for seeing it on their own. Second, I was proud that they kept their distance while looking at it, while not reacting with fear. It is nice to know that they actually listen. We got a great view of this cool reptile. After we gave it a little room, it went from the lawn to the woods. The kids really wanted to follow, but they restrained themselves.
There is an old saying, “April showers, bring May flowers.” Often, the spring flowers don’t want to wait until May. Bloodroot, Spring beauty, Marsh marigold, bittercress and Skunk Cabbage are poking their heads through the soil. I hope Yellow trout lily, and White Trillium will not not be far behind. Most of these plants just peek out in ones and twos. They are more stunning because of their rarity.
My wife and I try to get our children out in nature as often as possible. Sometimes to explore. Sometime just to play. They always have fun, and they are always learning something. One of the tools that we have for the kids is a little explorer kit that we have made for each kid.
I have always liked the idea of a walking stick. Hikers use them. Pilgrims used them. 18th century gentleman used them. Even Robinhood and Little John used them, though theirs were a little different. Unfortunately they have fallen out of fashion. Even so, this summer I decided to start walking with a cane (or walking stick) whenever I take the kids out for a walk.
The weather is starting to break, and it is starting to feel a lot like spring here in Michigan. Not only is it warming up, but the birds are coming back, and baby animals are starting to be born. We were lucky enough to see a few lambs this past week. It made a pretty big impression on the kids. So much so, that the boys were lambs for a day instead of dinosaurs.
A few days ago I said in a post that the turkeys kept a respectful distance while we were walking. Today we went on a walk and the turkeys go up and close. This was exciting because they are one of my boys favorite birds. While this might sound silly if your only reference is the bird on your plate at Thanksgiving, in person they are amazing. They are large, and there feathers have iridescent blues, reds and yellows.
My children love birds. My love of birds has probably helped that along. While I have never tested them, my guess is that all three (aged 3, 4 and 6) know many more than your average adult. It actually surprises me how many times they can spot something on the wing, and how often they can identify it.
We are lucky enough to live minutes away from a 4,481 acres park that not only offers wooded trails to walk on, but also a little farm. Now that the weather has broken, we try to go there as often as we can. One day this week my daughter only had a half day at school, so we took the opportunity to pack as much adventure into the day as possible.
