Bumpy Squash?

I'm hoping that this is a certain type of squash that just grows bumpy, and not some weird fungus or poisoned soil that caused these bumps! But my tomatoes are starting to come in, there are hundreds of green ones on the vine, just waiting for them to ripen up. I only have 2 of the large tomatoes so far, not sure how many of those I'll get. But my tomato plants are HUGE this time. They have outgrown their cages and have covered up everything else in the garden. I have gotten a few serrano peppers, and a few of the small yellow tomatoes, which are delicious. I have several more squash on the vine but the bottoms are starting to get eaten by doodle bugs, and I'm not sure what to do about that.

Forestry Try It

Regan's Girl Scout troop learned about forestry, and earned the Forestry Try It. The girls had a list of items to find in the woods, like an animal's home, scat, different kinds of leaves, animal tracks, etc. They had fun down by the creek looking for everything on their list, and making art with the leaves they collected.

Bunny Update

I called the Austin Wildlife Rescue to check on the bunny, and he made it through the night so his chances are great! They had to remove his ear, and he will be with them for a while so his head can heal completely and they can make sure he doesn't get an infection, can hop and eat normally, and then they will release him somewhere they say is "safe" for rabbits. The kids were so happy to hear that, and I think Riley will actually mow again, just much more slowly next time.

Earth Day!

Well, it turned out to be a big coincidence, but I finally got my garden in today, on Earth Day. I have been planning forever, but had to get the cinder blocks, the soil, the plants, all loaded in the back of the truck, back the truck into the backyard to unload, mow the grass, go back to Home Depot to get all the stuff I forgot the first time, come back, and assemble in the rain. Well, it was drizzling, but not full on raining.

I'm excited to try it this way though, I have peppers that I've heard you shouldn't plant next to other things so they don't contaminate them, they are in their own separate holes, and I have 3 different types of tomato plants (if it were up to me, we would have ONLY tomatoes, and every variety of them, I just LOVE garden fresh tomatoes). We also are trying watermelon for the first time, and I got several herbs, stevia, mint and basil. Oh, and we're trying arugula, since one of the kids most favorite meals of all time is Chicken Arugula Pita Pockets. At least I can grow half of that!

Riley did really well helping out, he sampled each of the herbs, really liked the cilantro, and the stevia! He can't wait for the tomatoes, like me, he's a major tomato lover, and I think he will help out a lot with this.

But, the sad news, Riley got to mow the lawn for the first time ever, and he accidentally mowed over a baby bunny. It chopped one ear almost all the way off, and the other ear it cut the tip off. I about gagged, and realized I may not know my true calling in life, but it certainly isn't to be a vet, or a doctor or nurse of any kind. I called Austin Wildlife Rescue and they said to bring it in, since it was still alive, and somewhat dazed, poor thing. It was very bloody, and you could kind of see the scalp. Believe it or not, I did get pictures, but I will spare you here.

We rushed him down to the rescue center and are praying that he makes it. They said we could call tomorrow and check up on him. Riley is traumatized and never wants to mow again. Poor guy, he's so sensitive to these things.

But anyway, we came home, and finished up the garden, just in time for a good rain, and I grabbed some buckets out of the garage and made my own little white trash rain collection system. We have a leaky gutter, so I just put the buckets under it and voila! In about 30 minutes I had 2 buckets full of water for the garden! Next up is a compost pile and worm bin. This is science class in real life!

Barton Springs

The kids had their last science class today and instead of the usual place, the Nature Center, today it was held at the Splash! exhibit at Barton Springs, home of the Barton Creek Salamander! The kids loved it, they were told to wear something they could get wet, and that's all they need to hear to ensure a good time! They went down to the creek, took water samples, checked the water temperature, caught some bugs, went back to the lab and tested the water for bacteria and looked at their bugs under a microscope.

They had a lot of fun, and when I picked them up, we got a snow cone, then headed back to the over flow part of Barton Springs, and the kids had fun playing in the run off. There was a pretty good flow of water, so they would go up to the waterfall and sit down and let the current slide them down the creek. They saw some turtles but a man was nice enough to bring one over, Riley held it, and as soon as Regan held it, it peed right on her!

All of this was accompanied by a man on the Didgeridoo. Gotta love Austin! Keeping it weird today for sure! Then we headed to the play scape to run around and hopefully dry off before getting back in the car. They came home dirty, tired, and happy, exactly how a kid should be!

Wonder How Round Rock Got Its Name?

We've taken people here and shown them where Round Rock really did get its name from, and people generally don't believe that it was indeed named after a large, round rock! But it really was, and today, the kids made their mark on the round rock. After going to an early movie to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid, we met some friends and a home school group at this park which we haven't been to in a while, but is usually good for watching the ducks. But today that wasn't good enough for the kids! They wanted to get IN the water and swim around and climb on the round rock. Well what's it gonna hurt, right? They jumped in, Riley came prepared with his bathing suit, but Regan didn't, so she ended up getting completely and totally soaked before we left. They had a great time, Riley found some tadpoles and they both caught some minnows, they fed the ducks, climbed the rocks, slipped around on the mud and basically enjoyed being kids! Regan came home naked, wrapped in my girl scout cookie tablecloth that I keep in the back of the truck during cookie season, and Riley had to go to gymnastics smelling like pond water. I'm sure Coach Gene loves me today.

So now you know, and have photographic proof of the actual Round Rock that our town was named after!

ANSC Science Class

I was really wanting to stay in Houston one more night and take the kids to the San Jacinto Monument and the Battleship of Texas. You know me and my love affair with Texas History. But, we had science class today and it seems like every time we have science class, it rains. It's so muggy and wet and nasty there when it gets damp, but that doesn't stop the kids from trekking around all over the place. They have really been enjoying the science classes, and of course, I am enjoying them too as it means an hour and a half to myself to go meet David for lunch at Chuy's! Today they learned about Texas Plants. Regan even got a landscaping book with all the flowers, plants and trees that are native to our area. She can't wait to get to gardening!

Feeding the Ducks

When Alex brought all the food over to make sandwiches to feed the homeless a few weeks back, I saved all the bread ends to feed the ducks. Well, we had been so busy that we forgot about it, so the bread was nice and crusty when we did make it to the pond. I went back to where we saw the mama and baby ducks, there is a small fishing pond nearby, and I thought that might be where they lived and sure enough, we saw the mama and a TON of babies there, and got to feed them and pet them. They were very friendly and ate the bread right out of our hands. Regan reached out and picked one up, he was very vocal about that, and then Riley wasn't going to be happy until he managed to grab one too. They were so cute and fluffy looking though! It was really hard not to bring one home with us!

Ducks in a Row

We went with some friends to a park for the day, after being cooped up inside for a while due to the cold. It started out a nice warm day, but a cold front blew in again, and although the kids could care less, I was starting to lose my voice, so me and the other mom ended up sitting in her van watching the kids run around and play. They had a great time, got good and worn out, some fresh air, and when it was time to head home, we were driving by a pond and saw this:



We turned around, pulled over, and watched this little mama try to get her chicks up a curb, and then she gave up on that, and tried to get them to cross the street, which made me nervous, and then she gave up on that, and got them up the driveway to the yard, and they were just so stinking cute! She waddled so much that if they got too close to her, her tail feathers knocked them over! Regan and I really just wanted to go snatch one up and cuddle it, they are so soft and fuzzy looking! But it was so cute to see them, and the kids enjoyed this rare peek into nature.

Brownie Campout

Regan had a Girl Scout campout just for 2nd graders, and it was at the Girl Scout Cabin in Zilker Park. This was supposed to be our introduction to Girl Scout Camping, not quite as primitive as real camping. They have a nice cabin in Zilker Park that I never knew was back there. We arrived Friday night around 5, made name tags, played a name game, had hot dogs for dinner. Oh, and it rained the whole time, so we were stuck INSIDE the cabin, where we got to make microwave s'mores.

There were two rather nasty bathrooms where we were, and 2 equally nasty bathrooms downstairs, with 2 nasty showers. So, the whole time there was a line for the bathroom. Also, it was wood floors, and most of these girls must not have wood floors, cause they sure thought it was fun to clomp around on that floor to get to the bathroom. Which just so happened to be near my air mattress. All night long, every 5 minutes there was someone clomp clomp clomping to the bathroom.

Then Saturday morning (bright and early) we got up, had breakfast, did some arts and crafts, learned about hiking and camping, earned 2 Try-Its, and then the girls got to make lunch on a Coleman Stove outside. They really enjoyed that part, browning hamburger meat and onions, adding some vegetable soup and water, and mixing it all up. After lunch we went on a short hike around Zilker Park, saw a lot of plants that we couldn't identify, and then cleaned up the cabin and headed home. The girls had a blast, which was good, I was just cold and tired.

ANSC Science Class

It was time for the home school science class again at the Nature Center. Riley got in to all of the classes, Regan was waitlisted, but I checked today and managed to get her bumped into ALL the classes for the rest of the year, I'm so excited. They always have so much fun out there, and I get to go meet David for lunch, a nice, quiet, adult-conversation filled lunch! (I don't get out much).

ANSC Science Class

I had been hearing a lot of good things about the Austin Nature and Science Center Home School classes, so I tried to register as soon as they opened up this year. Unfortunately, Regan only made it to the wait list for most of the classes, but Riley made it into all of them. The first one was called "Many Legs" where they got to study animals with...you guessed it, many legs! They first spent some time outside with nets looking for bugs they could get a closer look at with the microscopes. Then they went around to the creek and used some nets to look in the water, and then went to the classroom where they got to see tarantula's, Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches and other creepy crawlies. Regan was able to make it in, I guess with flu season in full force, and we were there with Riley anyway, they had an opening for her. She wasn't too thrilled at first, but they both had an awesome time. They will have one class each month, and they can't wait for the next one.

Nature Walk and Splash Exhibit

Nature Walk

We joined a Nature Explorers group to go on hikes and learn about nature and animals. This week we were going to learn about animal tracks and see if we could identify animals by their footprints or "scat" which the kids were thrilled about. But, the location for this week was WAY on the other side of town, way farther than I thought, so we got there late, and did our own nature walk. The kids had a great time, but I think the only scat we saw was of the dog variety. But we sat on some rocks, the kids sketched some birds, trees, and other animals, they saw several beetles, admired the view, and just sat quietly and enjoyed nature for a while. It was a nice alternative to the chatty-Regan that I usually have!

After that, we headed to Zilker Park, I saw a Splash Exhibit that honestly I've never even noticed before! We went in there and learned about the Edwards Aquifer and the Barton Springs Salamander. For such a small space, they had some neat exhibits and hands on experiments that the kids enjoyed doing. And of course, we headed to the playscape for a bit before Regan begged for lunch at TacoDeli. And who am I to refuse TacoDeli! I love this homeschooling stuff...

Bunny Update

We've been doing a lot of bunny research lately. After Spike-Junie died, and the trauma that it's death caused, I wanted to make sure we were doing all that needed to be done for Cooper and Leslie. Here is the grave marker that Riley made:


We learned about a way to check and see if the Mama Bunny was coming to check on her baby bunnies at night, put a criss-cross shape of grass or dental floss over the nest and if it is disturbed in the morning, that means she visited them. We did that a few nights and sure enough, Mama was coming. But on Monday morning, when I checked, the nest was wide open and the bunny on top looked nice and robust, fluffy fur, eyes starting to open, plump little bunny-tummy. I got this picture of the little guy (already much bigger than the first picture I had taken a few days earlier):


But the bunny underneath him wasn't doing so well. I checked the way I learned online, and no round tummy, in fact, it was very skinny. His skin and fur weren't looking too well, and he was very dehydrated. I hoped Mama would come back that night and feed him extra. But yesterday, when I checked, no Mama, no brother bunny, but there was a partial skeleton of the sick bunny. The bunnies only stay in the nest for about 2 weeks, so I can only hope the other bunny was old enough and healthy enough to join his mother in the wild. Riley did find the bones in the nest and was very distraught, again. He just adored these rabbits and tried so hard to take good care of them. I think he did a great job watching over the nest, making sure they were protected everyday, and he even wanted to put a Mother's Day card out for the Mama Bunny. I have such a sweet boy!

A Very Sad Day

We had a house full of company, people over, David grilling burgers and smoking prime rib in the backyard, kids in and out, jumping on the trampoline, people eating on the deck in the back, slightly organized chaos. Well, in all the chaos, one of the cousins yells, "What's that in Bailey's mouth?" Crap. One of the bunnies, Bailey finally poked his head in the right place and thought he was bringing home a treat or something. Riley made him drop it, he grabbed the bunny and rushed it back to the nest, there was some blood coming out of the bunnies mouth though. I've never seen Riley so distraught. He collapsed beside the nest in tears, balling his eyes out, poor thing. He kept saying over and over that he didn't want the baby to die.

We checked to make sure, and sure enough, it was dead, and ants were getting all over it, and we didn't want the other bunnies to get bit by the ants, so we took him out of the nest, used the garden shovel and dug a hole in the yard to bury the poor little bunny that Regan named "Junie." Riley cried almost all evening, he was so worried about that poor Mama bunny, losing one of her babies on Mother's Day, and if she would be mad at him for taking the dead one out, and all kinds of questions.

These kinds of things are so hard on kids, and hard for me to explain. The circle of life crap just doesn't cut it when your sensitive kid is thinking he is somehow responsible for the death. I told him he wasn't, he did everything right. We checked on the babies just to make sure they weren't abandoned, and we tried to make sure Bailey left them alone, there wasn't much we could do, it was a tragic accident. These things happen. But, it put a damper on the day.

I checked again today, the other two are doing well, getting bigger. I have googled baby bunnies for hours and found out they are cottontails, less than 10 days old, and will only stay around 2 weeks, so they could be gone soon. Regan has dubbed them, "Leslie" and "Cooper."

I gave the kids popsicles yesterday, and Riley got the sticks and made a grave marker for the one we buried. He's already been out there checking the grave and making sure that the bunny didn't come back to life and try to push up the dirt. Poor kid, he's such a rough and tumble boy it's easy to forget just how sensitive he really is.

Our New Pets

While David was out working in the backyard, he came across this:


It doesn't look like much, just a small patch of fur and grass clippings, but then, it moved. So upon further inspection, we moved the fur around a bit, and found this:


It's a rabbit nest with three of the tiniest, cutest baby bunnies in it! That is Regan's finger next to them, so you can see how tiny they are. The eyes aren't even open yet.


This is Uncle Matt holding one of the babies, to make sure it was still okay. They hop very well already, and we could tell the mom has been back to check on them and cover them with more fur. I've been researching baby bunnies to make sure we don't need to do anything, but from what I've read, the mom only feeds them once at night, and then she leaves them so as not to attract predators to the nest. Baby bunnies do not do well in captivity, so I'm hoping mom sticks around and takes good care of the triplets! They're too cute, and turning into a great animal science lesson.

The Outdoor School

The Outdoor School

Well, unfortunately I can't tell you much about this trip because David went with Riley as a chaperone, and getting info out of either one of them is like pulling teeth. It was bad enough that I sent my camera with explicit instructions for David to take pictures of EVERYTHING. He took me up on that, begrudgingly.

The trip was an overnight study trip, to Marble Falls, for all 4th and 5th grade students, to study nature and science in a hands on setting. I know Riley got to learn and study about snakes (and hold a couple) and they caught some minnows in the pond. The talked about waste and had a contest to see which bunk had the least waste after every meal. I know David froze in the cabins because we don't own a sleeping bag that's a proper adult size. Riley climbed the rock wall and made it to the very top. And that's about all the info I got. But, you can look through the pictures and tell they had a pretty good time. They were in groups with their classmates, and played games together and learned about a lot of plants, wildlife, nature, and how to take care of what we've got. I've heard from the 5th graders how much they love this trip, so I knew it would be great.

Thankfully, Riley was feeling well enough to go also, after having the flu for several days before, he was still pretty run down, and I guess they did a lot of walking there, because he came home exhausted and saying his legs hurt, not something I hear from him that often!

Texas Parks & Wildlife Expo

TX Wildlife Expo

Let me start off by saying one weekend is NOT enough time to do all the fun things they have at the Expo. This was our first year to go, and it was awesome! David is out of town for work, so I took the kids (plus Tristan) after church/Luby's and we caught the shuttle from Highland Mall, which the kids liked as much as the Expo, and so did I since it saved a ton of gas.

When you first get there, they gave out these "Outdoor Kids Challenge" cards to all the kids, with the instructions to check off two activities from each section (the sections being Recreation, Nature and History). Then turn your completed cards in as you leave and be entered into a drawing to win some cool stuff like a lifetime hunting license, camping gear for a family of 4, a fishing trip, etc. So armed with our little orange cards, we set out to do as much as possible, not knowing just how much stuff they have there to do!

We started off in the shooting range, the kids had to do a shooting orientation to learn safety rules, then they got to shoot a rifle at some targets. They also had bow and arrow, crossbow, shotgun, and muzzleloader, but we didn't make it to those.

Then we went to an area called Wildlife CSI where we learned about different kinds of "scat" (poop) and the difference between certain animal tracks, saw a lot of animal furs and skulls. We dug for dinosaur bones, went "fishing" and caught a magnetic fish and they took it to a board to identify what they caught. We went under a red tent (thus the red pictures) and saw a lot of odd fish on ice that they got to touch and hold (ick, it smelled bad!).

There was a Birds of Prey show with Hawks and Falcons, we watched part of that, then learned how to use a compass. They had cones marking certain spots and the kids had to turn the compass to a certain degree and write on the clipboard what cone they were pointing to. The got to ride a giant fake buffalo, and the boys practiced roping a fake steer while Regan checked out the horses.

Regan then ground some corn while Tristan made rope, and Riley learned about some historical artifacts. Then we met a real Buffalo Soldier and he explained to us how they came to be known as "Buffalo Soldiers" and a little about their past. They had a lot of stuffed (as in taxidermy) animals around, so of course the kids were having fun playing and posing with those.

Then we went back to the fishing area and got to fish for catfish (no luck today) and by that time it was closing time and we had a LONG walk back to the shuttle! We were exhausted but had such a great time, we've decided next year, hopefully dad will be in town and come with us, but we are going first thing on Saturday so we can spend the WHOLE day there and get more stuff done, like, plucking a game bird, scuba diving, or paddling a kayak!!

Squirrel Thief

Regan made a bird feeder in Daisy Scouts, it was a small coke bottle, turned upside down, filled with birdseed, it was so cute, and she was so proud. We hung it on our pitiful little Magnolia tree out front, and it lasted a couple of days before the Squirrel Thief came...he knocked it down off the tree and had his way the bottle. He ate ALL the birdseed, and when I picked the bottle up later, there was a ginormous hole that his little squirrel teeth gnawed right in the bottle. I managed to get pretty close for a picture, cause no way was this greedy gut going anywhere!

Crowe's Nest Farm

Crowe's Nest Farm

Today I went on a study trip with Regan's class to Crowe's Nest Farm. It's such a great place and we've been many times on several other study trips and birthday parties, but Regan didn't really remember much, so she had a blast today. First was a picnic lunch, then a short video about all the animals they have at the farm. Then we got to tour inside the barn, see all the snakes, geckos, turtles, spiders, and creepy crawlies (ick).

Hay ride time!! We had a fun hay ride, got to see some ostriches get fed and see some huge ostrich eggs and then we watched a mama cow get milked first by a machine, then by her baby. Then we walked around the farm and saw all kinds of other animals, turkeys, huge pigs, prairie dogs, goats, llamas and many other animals. They have a children's garden, a Fairy Wood and a Butterfly Garden, it's so neat out there and perfect weather this time of year!