Channel Sam

13 Feb 2010 Great Backyard Bird Count

Feb 13, 2010

Sam and I are participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count this weekend. After two 15 minute watching sessions, in two different places, our tally so far is: 30 Juncos 30 American Tree Sparrows 29 Northern Cardinals 9 Blue Jays 5 Grackles 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker. Sam spotted the Red-bellied Woodpecker first. “Mom, …

12 Feb 2010 Tricky Tracks Props

Feb 12, 2010

Today was Sam’s second Tiny Trackers class at the Tyler Arboretum. The title was “Tricky Tracks”–how to find evidence of animals in winter. Things we looked for included: tracks, habitats, body parts, and scat. Before the kids trudged out into the snow, the teacher showed them some of the things on this table. The most …

11 Feb 2010 Too Much Snow

Feb 11, 2010

Sam climbs to the top of the snow mountain next to the house. This is before Mr. Plow came and cleared the driveway, so the mountain is even bigger now. When Sam saw the plow come up the drive, she came running to me with tears sparkling on her cheeks. “Mom, the plow is going to destroy my mountain!” “Oh no, sweetie,” …

9 Feb 2010 Garden Sprouts

Feb 9, 2010

Sam and a few other kids in the Garden Sprouts class at Tyler Arboretum watch as Miss Karen pries open a seed pod. The class today was about how winter plants provide food for animals and birds. After the walkabout through the Arboretum, the kids made bird feeders. Sadly, this project included peanut butter, so we had …

8 Feb 2010 Loo Roll Valentine Necklace

Feb 8, 2010

Basic idea from Filth Wizardry, a craft blog I quite like, especially because the author is British and her prose reminds me of terms like “loo” for “toilet.” Speaking of which, our original visa application for the UK has been flushed. Thanks to some eleventh hour immigration wizardry, we think we’re on track for …

7 Feb 2010 Sledding

Feb 7, 2010

5 Feb 2010 Waiting for the Snow

Feb 5, 2010

And tasting the first flakes. You can’t see them in the photo, but the first, tiny wet flakes were falling.

4 Feb 2010 Puddle Art

Feb 4, 2010

3 Feb 2010 Feeding Fowl

Feb 3, 2010

Watching Sam feed the ducks today eased the knot in my stomach a little bit. Yesterday we believed that we were 1-2 weeks away from emigrating to the UK. Today we learned that we could have still 2 MONTHS until the UK border agency approves the visas. What happened? I sure would like to know. For now we’re chalking it …

1 February 2010 Fallen Log

Feb 1, 2010

We braved the cold and went to Ridley Creek State Park today. Sam spent 30 minutes log hopping and flinging sawdust into her hat and hair.