Nature Goals Update – 3rd Quarter 2018

Nature Goals 2018

As the third quarter of 2018 comes to a close, it’s time to evaluate my nature goals. I can rejoice in my achievements and set a plan in motion for the goals yet to be achieved. You can read my original goals here: Nature Goals 2018.

3rd Quarter 2018

1. Continue to use the Nature Observer journal to keep a record of my nature study experiences. Focus more on sketching. Accomplished
2. Keep a record of the wildflowers that grow in my local habitat. Note the day they start to bloom and where we see them for future reference. Accomplished
3. Visit the High Desert Museum each month, each time focusing on a different exhibit. Partially Accomplished
4. Visit the nature center at Sunriver.  Ask about volunteering. In addition, make note of their garden and the native plants they have growing there as a reference in planning our backyard garden. Postponed until next year
5. Take 3 new hikes.  Partially Accomplished
6. Get the kayaks out in a new place locally. Accomplished

My constant and daily routine of writing in my Nature Observer Guided Journal continues to help me see the beauty of the world around me, no matter the weather or circumstances. The value of this kind of daily journal is becoming clearer and clearer to me as I make my way through 2018. Even if I only jot down a sentence or two along with the weather, I can see patterns and season markers that give me insight into my local habitat.

I did continue to keep track of our wildflowers, recording a list in my Nature Observer Guided Journal. This is why I love this journal so much! I can adapt the pages to fit my current interests and very easily be reminded to add to the list.

These lists will be ongoing in my journal as a way of keeping track of bloom time and new flowers observed.

We visited the High Desert Museum in July with our daughter to see the History of Rock Climbing exhibit. Fabulous! It covered not only the history, but there was some actual climbing equipment to check out and my favorite part of it all was a portion of a John Muir journal describing his climb to the brink of Yosemite Falls.

In August we visited the museum with my sister and her husband.  We attended the Raptors of the Sky exhibition together because both of us absolutely love these large birds. The event is held outdoors and it allows the raptors to fly really close to you in the audience. A few times I thought they were going to actually brush my hair with their wings because they came so close! My favorite bird in the exhibition was the barn owl with his wings flying noiselessly through the air. I highly recommend working this into your schedule if you ever visit Central Oregon.

Our goal to hike this summer was hindered by the serious escalation of the arthritis in my hips. In a matter of months, I have gone from being able to hike 5-6 miles at a time with a moderate amount of pain to not being able to walk much more than a mile with a lot of pain and quite a bit of help from my husband.  I’m going to be having a bilateral hip replacement in October to relieve the pain and hopefully change my life for the better. But in the meantime, I’m not able to do very much in the way of hiking. Most of what I do now could be considered a moderate stroll.

Taking that into account, my son planned a short, fairly flat hike to Benham Falls one afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed the outing as we walked along the Deschutes River and ended up at the falls. We sat and took in the sights and sounds for a while before turning around and heading back.

We were also able to visit Crater Lake National Park as a day trip with our other son. He drove us there and we found a place to have a picnic lunch right on the rim of the lake. We walked along the rim for a little easy hike. In addition, we took the Castle Crest trail to look for wildflowers but because it’s really late in the season, we found just a few to enjoy. My slower pace really helps me see what is along the trail’s edge…trying to look at the positive.

We’ve had the kayaks out on the Little and Big Deschutes multiple times this summer, but we also made an effort to find a new place to paddle. My husband and I had an afternoon up at Little Lava Lake where we saw the headwaters of the Deschutes River, a new aquatic plant called water smartweed, and many of the local peaks: Mt. Bachelor, South Sister, and Broken Top.

 

 

Now for my 4^th Quarter Goals-taking into account my surgery in the middle of October

1. Finish up the year in my Nature Observer Guided Journal.
2. Participate in Project Feederwatch.
3. Walk as much as possible, allowing for healing from my hip surgery.
4. Read at least two nature related books from my personal library.

 

Here is a short list of books I am contemplating reading during my recovery (either on hold at the library or on my personal bookshelf):

• Nature Principle by Richard Louv
• Curiositree – Natural World by AJ Wood
• How to Raise a Wild Child by Scott Sampson
• National Geographic Book of Nature Poetry
• America’s Mountains – Guide to Plants and Animals by Marianne D. Wallace

Please note this entry includes Amazon affiliate links to books I own and/or love!

 

If you would like to see the previous quarters for 2018: 1^st Quarter Update and 2^nd Quarter Update.

Be inspired! Be Encouraged! Get Outdoors!