February Hike

As much as I dearly love our books, some days it's just as educative to ditch them and go outside. Like February days when it's 57 degrees. And it's going to be 12 in the upcoming weekend. 

These snails were making good use of the warm weather, too. ;) The boys said, "Mom!, give them some privacy!" 

These two trees were fused together. I've never seen that. I wonder if they will grow together over the years like an old married couple.  I will watch as long as I can and see. 

We hiked four miles. My repeated ankle injuries have really messed up my hiking. It's been depressing. Before the second sprain? break? I was hiking 8m day hikes twice a week. I hiked once in December. Once in January. This was my first February hike and 4m maxes me out. I'm having weird pain still in my ankle and also my hips. But I'm determined.

 My first sprain was in October and on my driveway. I was hiking 9 days later. But that second one in November did me in. I'm too stubborn to go to the doctor so I'm trying not to complain. And it is getting better. It's just taking SO long. But it is healing. I'll get my groove back. The stubbornness is good for that. 

Hope

The three little boys and I weeded the lettuce bed. It's 64 today!! We usually get a run of days in January that get up to the 60-70 degree range. I call that Hope. By the middle of January, this Florida native is done with what I know to some is a mild NC winter. So this day, with my little lettuces thriving, my daffodils sprouting and the discovery of some forgotten little onions is so cheering. 

 

Even still, this stack will be gone in less than a week. My lumberjack will be splitting more wood after school today, because we still have at least 2 1/2 wood months left. Sigh. 

Good old Sadie. She's 12 now, grey and her hips hurt. She has bouts of barely being  able to get up to then chasing the garbage man (for the treats he throws out to her) and trying to play with Atticus, our new puppy. 

Who really is an absolute doll. As Grace has demonstrated. I'm so glad our Christmas pound puppy has turned out so well. He's growing fast and is going to be big so his doll clothes wearing day are almost over. 

Winter Nature Walk

We had a warm winter day! Sunny and 60. The week previous set a record here, we got down to 3 degrees. We quickly decided to finish independent school work and skip our morning time in favor of a nature walk. 

I've been terrible about nature study this winter. Winter is very hard for me, I'm still a Floridian at heart. I love the change of seasons but after Christmas, I'm so done with winter. I know I know, at that point it's barely begun!

This lovely quote is spurring me on to better habits. 

". . . what we desire, who have the question of the right guiding and training of the young eager mind so much at heart, is, above all things, to make this power of wonder, this spirit of enquiry, a durable and life-long possession, so that whatever else may fail the children in the course of years, the love and healing of Nature may be a priceless treasure to them for ever."

Francis Blogg

Ms. Blogg became the wife of G. K. Chesterson. I love connections. I found this nugget in a Parents Review article about Natural History Clubs. Which I am soon to start with my CM boon companion Sara. I'm very excited about this but I digress. 

You may think nature doesn't have much to offer in January but we have learned there is always something to see, if we have Eyes. 

And of course there are rocks to climb. 

And sticks. 

What we found were the mosses and fungus and lichen were thriving. We had a lot of rain the day previous so they were bright and hydrated, just gorgeous!

I did find this fuzzy plant under some leaves. I've not identified it yet. I didn't realize I'd also captured a centipede as well until hubs pointed it out!

We found dinosaurs of one kind...

And another. 

I love moss!

Here we took a break to enter our finds in our nature journals. The littlest boys were throwing sand so my attempt at journaling moss was a disaster. I had to take them on a lizard hunt so the older children could paint and sketch in peace. 

Maura chose loblolly pine. 

Curtiss, holly. 

It was a good day. I'm grateful to live somewhere that I can enjoy a 60 degree winter day, although rare. But I do not doubt that even my friends in Minnesota have days where there is something creation offers, as long as we have eyes. 

Regardless, there are always kisses to steal.