Our Pond Has Its First Residents…

*My first sighting of Pacific tree frog eggs…the first of many!*

Once the weeks-long freeze ended, the Pacific tree frogs came down out of the woods to our wet areas to call out to each other and breed. This has been going on every year since we moved here, and their nightly croaking is music to my ears.

But this is the first year I was moving slow enough to notice frog eggs. Sure, I’ve seen the tadpoles. I go looking for them. But this year I spotted eggs and, once that happened, I found them all over…including along the shoreline of the new pond.

These are the first residents at this fledgling pond, although they won’t live there long. Once the tadpoles morph into frogs, they will make their way back to the woods. And next winter, they will return to our wetlands to start the cycle all over again.

And now these eggs are morphing into teeny tiny tadpoles. I hope you can see that in the photo.

Pacific tree frog eggs and tadpoles — *The white specks are the eggs and the black squiggly lines are the teeny tiny starts of tadpoles. How amazing is that??*

I’m 60 years old and only just figuring out something that has been going on around me almost my whole life. What else have I been missing out on? Whatever it is, I hope I discover it soon. Because I heart nature!

And that’s it for now.

Photo of Pacific tree frog on a glove was taken by a conservation district worker out here planting trees.

March 17, 2025 0

Why the Sight of These Swallows Filled Me With Awe

It’s mid-March and the annual bird migration has begun. Around here, the robins returned in February, and I thought I saw a turkey vulture. As the weeks go by, I will hear plenty of different types of birdsong in the woods, letting me know the seasonal residents have returned and are ready to breed.

But this migration took on new meaning yesterday. Here’s why…

After feeding the cows, I happened to catch a glimpse of movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked up and I saw about a dozen barn swallows flying overhead. At first, I was excited because I thought it was “our” barn swallows returning for the summer. But they just kept flying and I realized, “Oh my gosh. They’re still migrating. They are headed somewhere farther north than our farm.”

All of a sudden it hit me and I was awestruck: Those birds are exhausted and hungry and anxious to be home. They had already travelled thousands of miles to get to where I was standing and they had farther to go. I was watching the wonder of nature play out before my very eyes.

I spent some time pondering why this sighting caused such awe in me. I’ve watched geese migrate. I’ve watched Turkey vultures meander south. I’ve seen the swallows gathering to head south in the fall.

But I’ve never before seen a flock of migrating birds near the end of their journey. It gives me chills even thinking about it now because this wonder of nature goes on around us all the time. This migration has been going on long before we were here and I hope and pray it goes on after we’re gone.

Seeing that those birds working so hard to fulfill their destiny despite everything makes me that much more committed to doing what I can do to help by fighting light pollution, planting native plants, and choosing organic (because pesticide use kills off the insects the birds like the barn swallows eat)…just to name a few.

And seeing that wonder reminds me once again just how much beauty there is to be seen all around us if we slow down and pay attention.

May you also witness a wonder today.

That’s all for now.

Barn swallow photo by Mike Kit: https://www.pexels.com/photo/barn-swallow-on-wooden-stick-17326952/

March 14, 2025 0

Reminding Myself Where We Started…and How Nice It Is Now

our farmhouse living room with Christmas tree

I love Advent and Christmas. I love the buildup of Advent. I love the Christmas season. And I love how are living room seems perfectly suited for this time of year.

I was taking this picture of the farmhouse living room and it struck me how far we’ve come. The renovation sort of ended a few years ago, although we still have projects to do in the house as part of that renovation…but let’s not talk about that.

This was our living room from the outside during the renovation…when the walls literally came tumbling down.

east living room wall during renovation of farmhouse — This is the east wall in the living room during the renovation. Nice, huh?

After the south wall fell off the house — Here’s our living room. Really airy, don’t you think? After the wall came tumbling down and Bob pushed the pieces the rest of the way off, this is what we had at the end of the day: Nothing. This living room wall was completely open to the outside. Did I mention starlings nested in the house during all of this? No? Well, they did. And I can’t stand starlings on a good day!

Let’s talk about how years ago when I was active on Facebook and I would post photos of the renovation and people would ask for “After” photos and I didn’t offer any for all kinds of reasons and now I look at our charming little farmhouse living room all decked out for Christmas and I think “yes, now this is an after picture!”

Our farmhouse is small–tiny really. It’s 1,293 square feet, to be exact. But it’s laid out well. We have two bedrooms, one bathroom, an office, a mudroom, a living room, a dining room and a kitchen. Yes, the front door opens straight into the dining room, but does one really need an entry way? I think not. (Not that I wouldn’t mind having an entry way, mind you…)

Plenty of people would balk at the idea of living in such a small house. We only have two closets, after all. But it’s not that hard once you realize you simply can’t have much stuff…and that’s a good thing!

We do struggle with clutter and with two dogs and three indoor-only cats, we struggle with pet hair and dirt. On the other hand, I only have the 1,293 square feet to keep clean, so maybe all those animals in a tiny farmhouse is easier to manage than in a huge house?

As I type this, it’s January 2nd. We have three more days of Christmas, and then the tree and decorations and lights will be put away on January 6 (Epiphany). Until then, I hope to spend as much time as possible in our adorable farmhouse living room.

And then? Even after the Christmas decor is tucked away until next year, I’ll still enjoy sitting in our tiny farmhouse living room in our tiny farmhouse project while I think about how far we’ve come.

January 2, 2023 0

Christmas Green: ‘Tis the Season to Say “No” to Waste…and Here’s How We Do It

Merry Christmas!! We hope you and yours are having a wonderful holiday season! As empty nesters, the holidays are still evolving for us, but one thing is certain: We are trying reeeeeaaallly hard not to create extra waste!

I remember when my kids were little, the shame I felt as we filled the garbage with wrapping paper and ribbons and plastic packaging. Ugh! How I wish I could go back and undo those days! I was ignorant and in a hurry and acting like everyone else, but still…

These days I have the luxury of time to be green, plus more smarts, but it’s not easy! Because it does take time! And you have to retrain your family too. Otherwise you’re fighting two battles: one against the status quo and the other against your family!

Going Green: It’s a Wrap
These days, our holidays are much greener than they used to be, although it’s a process. I started with the way we wrap. We use plain paper, twine and decor from nature. This year we also added scraps of scrapbook paper left over after putting photos in scrapbooks, and strips of burlap that we can easily keep and reuse. The family grumbled last year, but this year they have voluntarily followed suit.

We also use brown paper lunch bags, and we reuse gift bags. Once you get into the habit of NOT having wrapping paper and ribbons and bows around, it’s easy to get into the green habit of wrapping sustainably. (And yes, we keep the twine and reuse it. The paper that’s too small to keep we use to start fires…because when your house was built in 1890, you don’t have central heating and your woodstove is it, requiring lots of paper for starting fires every morning!)

Here’s a picture from last year when we were just getting started on this new approach…

Getting Centered: The Centerpiece
OK, I will admit there is another driving force behind our green Christmases: lack of storage. So our centerpieces are usually something scrounged out of natural ingredients. This year it’s branches clipped from the Christmas tree, oranges dried in the dehydrator, pinecones I keep from year to year, and cinnamon sticks. Oh, and a vintage beaded garland that I bought 15 years ago at an antique store.

As we work our way through the Christmas season, I will slowly deconstruct the centerpiece, putting the cinnamon sticks back in the spice drawer, the oranges in potpourri on the stovetop, the pinecones and beaded garland in my one box of Christmas decorations, and the branches outside where mulch is needed.

A Green Christmas: Gift Giving
Our green approach also means thoughtful giving that avoids buying online or buying anything made in China. We save money all year for Christmas spending, then pull out the cash in December and that’s what we spend. Occasionally we buy online because it’s the only way to get a particular gift, but for the most part, it’s cash and it’s spent in our local community.

Plus we make a lot of gifts–something else that slowly takes root in the kids as they get older, I’ve learned. This year, I’m giving homemade cordials and candles and body scrubs and bookmarks (tucked into books found at the used bookstore), plus gift certificates for time-related gifts. The Youngest went to the thrift store for frames to make reusable to-do lists. And the Oldest made 18th-century “catsup” as gifts. (Once we have a garage and Bob has a shop, I hope to see a lot more homemade gifts…hint, hint, hint.)

Here’s the pear cordial on the first day of the three weeks it takes because I love how this photo turned out…

Our green approach is not for everyone, I get it. Aesthetically, there might be very few people who even like the look. A lot of people lack the time to make anything, or to shop anywhere but online. But for us, we save money, we reduce waste, we spend our money locally, we stay on budget, and we really truly appreciate the effort and love and creativity that go into make the homemade gifts.

And we hope it inspires at least a few people to also say “no” to waste at this time of year.

December 25, 2019 0