School For Us

We found this White-winged Dove in our pool earlier this week. We were hoping he had just fallen in and gotten his wings wet and would be fine after he dried off. We didn't see him again until the next afternoon when he was walking around the yard again. We ended up on watching him for 3 days, but he just couldn't fly. My daughter wanted me to call a wildlife rehab place but I didn't think they would take a dove. I finally called, and they took him!


When we got there, one of the volunteers said they thought his shoulder was messed up and he'd probably hit the window. When we got home I noticed a mark on our sliding glass doors where he definitely hit the window. We have a case number and can check to see how our bird is doing in a week or so.


The rehab center also housed other animals that are permanent residents for whatever reasons. They are used for educational purposes. There were a couple of squirrels, two opossums, some snakes, reptiles, and owl and probably a few other animals. It was nice and clean, and I think Alex & I will start volunteering there!!!

They have two seasons for 'baby' volunteers - September & October are for baby squirrels while March through August are for baby birds. This week there is a volunteer orientation to become a baby squirrel feeder. Alex is too young to volunteer on her own, but old enough to volunteer if I accompany her. So, we're going to give it a try! It's a commitment three 4-hour shifts per month for the two months. We're excited!

FACT: Egyptian pharaohs ate mushrooms and forbade anyone else to eat them. They believed the mushrooms had magical powers!

FACT: Roman warriors were fed mushrooms to give them "god-like strength"!

mushrooms in my backyard

I love mushrooms. Not to eat, but to look at and photograph! Alex is studying mushrooms at school and, as I was helping her with homework tonight, I came across a wonderful resourse for upper elementary/middle school students!

more mushrooms from our backyard

The resource is called "Mushroom Education Packet" and it is at the American mushroom site. The interesting facts I listed (above) were found in this packet. The packet includes these sections: A History of Mushrooms, Mushroom Farming in the Kennett Square Area, How Mushrooms Grow, The Parts of the Mushroom, and Recycling in the Mushroom Farming Industry.

Besides the short articles, the lesson packet also includes worksheets like fill-in-the-blanks, word searches, and true or false questions. There are even mushroom recipes, mushroom math, a mushroom science experiment, and more surprises!

our 'spore print' from 2008

When we did a quick, impromptu study of mushrooms in 2008, we made the above spore print from a mushroom. It was a neat exercise, and this study guide talks you through how to do it. It's a great activity to do a couple days after a rain!

If you use the packet, please let me know! I'm no longer homeschooling, but still have a heart & desire to teach!

I have seen them only a couple of times since, including in Tennessee this summer (above photo) while driving around a Civil War battle site. As much as I love nature, can you imagine how thrilled I was today when I heard someone had seen about 25 wild turkeys on our ranch in Oklahoma??? They were in our black walnut grove and my husband is going to see if he can spot them tonight. I did a little research and read they eat nuts, so maybe that is why they are hanging out by our walnut trees!


Everyone has heard that Ben Franklin wanted the wild turkey to be the national symbol instead of the bald eagle. But, I had never seen it in his own words before... this from a letter to his daughter:

I read another wonderful book! This one was a biography about author and animal-lover E. B. White. The book, The Story of Charlotte's Web: E. B. White's Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic by Michael Sims tells of White's childhood in Moutn Vernon, a suburb of New York,  with wonderful summers in Maine; his young adult life plagued with shyness around women and the beginnings of a literary career; and his discovery of a spider in his barn... that led to the creation of Charlotte's Web.

I loved reading about White's love of nature that started when he was very young. His early life included trips to the zoo, the circus, and month-long summer trips to Maine. White loved his time in Maine and would take a canoe out early in the morning, while the rest of the household slept, to watch the Great Blue Herons.

After marrying, he bought a small farm with his wife and started filling the barn with animals. One day, he noticed a spider on a web and he eventually spent a lot of time researching orb weavers. (I think it was over a year, but I read this book about a month ago and not I'm not sure I'm remembering that fact correctly.)

I loved learning more facts about spiders while reading this book, and just the fact the E. B. White was so meticulous with the accuracy of nature in his book. Charlotte's Web is one of my favorite books and this was a great look at the man behind the book... and a wonderful book about nature, too!

I just finished an incredibly moving book called Lone Wolf  by Jodi Picoult. This is her first book I've read, but I've seen the movie version of a book she wrote - My Sister's Keeper. I found that movie incredibly heart-wrenching, and Lone Wolf is the same.

One of the most beautiful places we visited while in France was a small town called Etretat in Normandy. We got there about 9 pm, which was more than an hour before the sun actually set. And, after checking in to our rooms, we spent at least an hour as we watched the sun set. It was possibly the most incredible sunset I've ever seen. And, Monet enjoyed this particular spot, too.

Monet's The Cliffs at Etretat from Wikipedia

I wasn't as familiar with these paintings, but Monet painted the cliffs many times. Etretat sits on part of the coast known as The Alabaster Coast. It encompasses 80 miles of sheer, white cliffs starting at Etretat. We only made it to Etretat, but it was an incredible night... and morning!


This was the first photo I took as we arrived at the beach. By now, it was close to 9:30 and I thought the sun would be down in minutes. The sun had been setting really late while in Europe, so I should have known better! But, my experience at the lake told me that when the sun is this low, it'll disappear fast. But, no! I bet we had another hour before the sun sank below the horizon.


Our hotel was about 3 blocks from the water. We were on the 3rd floor (without elevators and with several heavy suitcases!) and we could see this chapel on the cliff. We had meant to climb up either this side or the other (the town, in the middle where we are, is pretty flat), but my mom's foot was really bothering her. So, we didn't. But, just being on the beach was incredible. (Have I mentioned that already?)


I wish I could take you all with me to hear the sound of the water as the waves rolled out! The whole beach is pebbles and you have to get really close to the water to hear this, but... each time the water rolls out there is this incredible sound! I finally decided it sounded like a rain stick. It's really loud, too, though you have to be close to hear it. Amazing!

I was asked for more photos from Monet's gardens at Giverny, and I'm happy to share them with you all! Here goes...

I was standing beside 'the bridge' to take this shot. You can see the lesser known bridge (the one Alex was standing on earlier) at the back of the pond to the right.


I hope you enjoyed these (additional) photos! We also visited the cathedral that Monet painted so many times AND the cliffs that he painted! I wasn't familiar with them, but the evening we spent on the beach by the cliffs was incredible. I'll share those next, I think.

Yes, it's Monet's Garden! We had an incredible time visiting Giverny, the place of Monet's gardens, in Normandy, France. The weather this day was perfect and the gardens were more beautiful than I had imagined.


When you enter the gardens, you are first in a real garden area. It is HUGE! There are probably 8-12 rows that you can wander down. Unfortunately, I only took closeups so I can't really give you a good idea of what it looked like. We also saw quite a few gardeners busy pruning and doing other garden jobs.



Alex took lots of photos with my 'big' camera!

After leaving the regular gardens, you go through an underground tunnel. I believe the tunnel went under a road. Then, you go on a fairly long path that winds around different water features... until you arrive at the famous waterlily pond (1st photo). Wow! It's gorgeous!


It's very hard to get a photo of yourself alone on the famous bridge, though we did manage to get one of my mother. It was really crowded around the main pond, but there were other, quieter areas. Alex & I posed on this bridge that was behind the waterlily pond and were able to get a shot of just the two of us.

After our stop at Hemingway's home, we had a DELICIOUS lunch at an outside diner.

I had a DELICIOUS crab cake... so yummy!... followed by Key Lime pie. Key West is known for their Key Lime pie, and I was not disappointed!

We saw several roosters (& a few hens) and heard even more. Evidentally, the roosters were brought to Key West, an island that is only 2 by 4 miles, many years ago by early pioneers and Cuban Cock fighters. There is an ongoing debate with some residents wanting the roosters removed while others enjoy them.

My photo of nesting cormorants (& snowy egrets) May 2007

I guess I've never blogged about it, but last January we bought almost 400 acres in Oklahoma! We now have 97 mama cows - all of which have either already given birth or are getting ready to. Yesterday, my mom came to see the land for the first time. We went exploring with Alex and found lots of 'signs of spring'.....

A couple of months ago, my sister and niece were told me they saw a "Cheshire Cat moon". I was skeptical. I thought the crescent moon always was on the 'left' or 'right', not on the 'bottom'! But, last month, I took this photo...

from www.dailypictures.info/free-pictures