Outdoor Mom's Journal Archives

Posted on March 23, 2020 by Barb — 3 Comments

Outdoor Mom – March 2020 Crossbills and Bluebirds!

Outdoor Mom – March 2020

Nature study and making daily nature observations is a fantastic way to take a break from the craziness of the COVID-19 situation. As long as you keep your social distancing, it’s recommended that we get outside and take a walk. I’m all in favor of that advice and hope that my outdoor experiences this month inspire you to get out and take that walk!

During our outdoor time this month we went…
We’ve taken several walks to our river to look at the river’s level, the condition of the banks with their muddy edges and animal tracks, and to listen to the spring birds that have returned to our neighborhood and make their nests in the river willows.

So far, the red-winged blackbirds, the robins, and the red crossbills have been the most numerous to return. Yes, I said crossbills! This is very early for them to make a stop at our birdfeeders. So early, that when I reported their numbers on my Project Feederwatch report last week, they wanted to know if I had a photo. Of course I had a photo!

The most inspiring thing we experienced was…

The green grass is peeking through the remaining brown winter grasses. I can’t tell you how hopeful that made us that we’ll soon see the return of the longer spring days. Even now as I write this entry, and the greenness is covered up with five inches of fresh snow, my mind’s eye can see it under there just waiting for the warm sun’s rays to wake it up again.

Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…

We observed that one of the ground squirrel holes in our backyard shows signs of activity. It seems a bit early for their appearance but we are wondering if it’s like with ground hogs. Do the ground squirrels take a peek outside once in awhile to determine if it’s time to come out of hibernation? My guess is they went back to sleep!

In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…

I was so anxious for some spring color that I went to Home Depot and purchased a few colorful indoor plants to enjoy until we can plant our seeds. I brought home a “spring cactus” which is really a rhipsalidopsis. Two African violets also found a home in my kitchen window. What a difference it makes having just a bit of happiness in the form of a pretty flower within view most of my day!

I am dreaming about…

The bluebirds have been checking out the nesting boxes in our yard, going in and out, sitting near the entrances on sunny afternoons. It reminds me of the summer days of bluebird babies poking their heads out of the box to have their mothers bring them a meal. Such a comforting image that I look forward to seeing again soon.

I am reading…

While it’s strictly not a nature related book, I thought I would share a title that gave me a little winter escape to a place I would like to visit in real life, Avonlea and Prince Edward Island. The book is titled, Marilla of Green Gables, and is the prequel to Anne of Green Gables, telling the story of Marilla Cuthbert.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

Answer all or just one of the prompts in a blog entry on your own blog or right here on my blog in a comment. If you answer on your blog, make sure to leave me a link in a comment so that I can pop over and read your responses.

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
One last image…

Posted on February 26, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Mom – February 2020

Outdoor Mom – February 2020

Hibernation, Bird Counts, and Garden Plans

During our outdoor time this month we went…
There have been no great trips out and about this month….spending most of my days inside, looking out at the wintery landscape. Don’t get me wrong. We have sunshine but it is COLD!

This winter I’ve been more of a hibernator than in years past.

Maybe it’s my age or the weight of the responsibility I’m under, taking care of elderly parents, but I enjoy the warmth and rejuvenating powers of sitting by a warm woodstove more than bundling up and going out in the freezing temperatures.

I don’t think I’ll always be this way; it’s just a season of something different for us here in Central Oregon.

The most inspiring thing we experienced was…

I have to admit that the most inspiring and interesting thing we’ve done is to participate in the Great Backyard Bird Count. The juncos took the prize for the most birds of any species. But the chickadees, nuthatches, and house finches have been the most consistent visitors to our feeders this season. The most surprising visitors we had were three red-winged blackbirds! They made an appearance one morning up on the tall bird feeder…I can’t believe how early they are this year, almost a full month before I expected them to arrive. We also had a few varied thrushes to count and flickers, downy woodpeckers, and hairy woodpeckers. Under the feeder we had mourning doves and collared doves that duked it out with the gray squirrels for the seeds on the ground.

Great Backyard Bird Count 2020

Northern flicker-1
Downy woodpecker-1
Hairy woodpecker-2
Mourning dove-6
Collared dove-2
Red-breasted nuthatch-1
Pygmy nuthatch-4
House finches-6
Dark-eyed juncos-30
American robin-2
Varied thrush-2
Mountain chickadee-5
California scrub jay-4
Red-winged blackbirds-3

In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…

It’s time for planning new garden beds to be filled with plants that will attract birds, bees, and butterflies. After our success in growing quite a few colorful and habitat friendly flowers, we’re going to expand our wildflower meadow and increase the number of sunflowers and bird/bee attractive plants.

I love Renee’s Garden seeds and each year I order some old favorites and a few new things to test out in our yard. I’ve long had a relationship with this awesome seed company and this year they are sending me the following seeds to try as part of their media partnership.

Beekeeper’s Mix – This is a mix we had last year under our sunflowers and they were so pretty!

Seeds for a Hummingbird Garden – This will be a new mix of flowers that will go in one of my garden boxes. I’m anxious to see if they flourish here in Central Oregon.

Seeds for a Butterfly Garden – Another new mix for us to experiment with this summer!

Butterfly Monarda – I’m going to add this packet to my wildflower garden to add a little height and color.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Posted on February 19, 2020 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Mom – January 2020

Outdoor Mom – January 2020

Somehow this post never made it to the blog in January. This doesn’t surprise me since my life has been so over the top busy and it just slipped through the cracks.

I hope you enjoy reading about my January adventures.

During our outdoor time this month we went…
We didn’t need to travel too far this month to have some outdoor time. By going through our backyard and then down to the river, we have the perfect place to take long walks in the snow. My favorite time to go out is when the sun is shining, making the snow all sparkly and glistening with snow crystals.

I also love to follow any tracks we find in the snow and imagine who made them.

Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…

I think about all of the life going on down under the snow and ice. We only see the tops of a few plants sticking out but I know from last year’s study of the subnivean zone (space between ground and bottom of the snow) that there is a whole habitat underneath where smaller creatures live. I imagine the Belding’s ground squirrels all snug in their burrows and the mice and pocket gophers keeping warm underground as well.

We also know the otters and beavers are active under the ice and along the river banks. Once we saw an otter jump out from a hole in the ice with a fish in his mouth. He ran along the ice a little way and then popped back under the water and ice. Such excitement!

The most inspiring thing we experienced was…

The elk are back traveling back and forth along the river in small herds. We need to get up very early to see them because it’s usually just as the sun is rising that we observe them on the move. There are young elk with the herd, sticking close to the adults as elk

I added nature journal pages about…

I’m back at my Nature Observer journal this year where I record the temperatures, daily thoughts, and any outstanding observations. Determined to keep up on my daily records, I try to work on it first thing in the morning. It’s interesting to me that I will quickly forget things we’ve noticed if I don’t get them down on paper each day.

I finally finished my journal page from Acadia National Park.

I’m also back to posting more regularly on Instagram. Join us over there if you want to be a part of that community.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Mom – December 2019

Outdoor Mom – December 2019

Winter Sets In

I’m not sure how it got to be the end of December already, but here we are with a new year staring us in the face. The year 2019 has been a year of family upheaval, interspersed with short stretches of calm and space where my husband and I could get outside to enjoy Central Oregon. We forced ourselves this month to go outdoors even when the temperatures were at freezing or a little below. The key to being outside in the cold air is to be properly attired. Over the last three winters we’ve learned how to layer up to keep out the freezing winds and snowflakes.

During our outdoor time this month we went…

This month our snow started falling and the winter landscape came into view. The mountains in the distance glistened on sunny days with their snow caps. Our back pasture leading down to the river was covered in snow with only the tallest summer grasses still visible with brown stalks and drooping seed heads.

The most inspiring thing we experienced was…

The river has started to ice over and we can see small animal tracks on top of the ice where they crossed from one side to the other.

I also really enjoy the sunrises at this time of the year because of the way the light creates deep shadows and the sky is a kaleidoscope of pastel colors.

I added nature journal pages about…

I’ve been working on catching up in my nature journal. I have several pages started but not completed that record things I want to remember. In my nature journal, I try to record the sweetness of each season by listing the birds we observe, the mammal visitors we encounter and the highlights of special hikes or our travels. I’m currently working on pages for my trip to Acadia National Park, the coyote we see frequently outside our back fence and the mushrooms from our local autumn hikes.

Plans for Winter 2020

I’m planning on a new nature journal for 2020 that will combine daily and monthly observations. I will share about that sometime in January.

Also, my husband and I both decided we need new snowshoes to inspire us to get out on the local trails this winter.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Posted on May 22, 2019 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Mom – May 2019

This post is LONG overdue. I’ve had such a crazy last few months that it was hard to put my “Outdoor Mom” thoughts together. I felt more like an indoor kind of mom because of my surgery, recovery, weather, and then having a mom who needed my care. Things just got pushed aside.

Although I never lost the desire to be outdoors, even in the thick of my recovery from double hip surgery, I kept my eyes outside on the birds and wildlife that came my way. Then when I was sitting in the hospital day after day with my mom, I would look out the window and take quick walks around the edges of the parking lot to find something refreshing to observe.

My nature journal has been neglected until the past few weeks when finally things have settled down a bit and I can take those few minutes a week to record my reflections and thoughts.

Outdoor Mom – May 2019

During our outdoor time this month we went…

While in California, my daughter and I took a long hike along the American River. It was very green and there were already many wildflowers along the trail. We must have seen a hundred butterflies as they fluttered across our path and landed on flowers.

It was warm and we were so glad we made the decision to hike early to beat the heat and the crowds. It makes my heart happy that my grown children enjoy a hike with their mama when we can make it happen.

Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…

We managed a kayak/canoe paddle down the river one afternoon in the bright sunshine. We didn’t encounter a single other person on the whole trip. Don’t get me wrong, we enjoy having the river to ourselves but it makes us wonder why we rarely see anyone on this section of the water. On this particular day, we were joined on our paddle by mallards, swallows, Canada goose, red-winged blackbirds, and a heron. All of us are hoping to get together for many more kayak trips over the next few months.

One last image…or two…or three…

I haven’t shared beautiful wildflower photos in a long time. So, to make up for that, here are some from our hike that I love!

lupine

Some variety of white lupine

Variety of pink allium

Fiddleneck

Indian pink

Chinese lanterns

Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. If you’d like me to take a look at one of your images on Instagram, use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Posted on September 10, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Mom – September Journal

Outdoor Mom

September 2018

Like much of the West Coast, we’ve been plagued with wildfire smoke off and on for the last month. It rolls in thickly, making it impossible to truly enjoy being outdoors for very long. But, the minute it clears out, we are trying to squeeze in the last of the late summer activities.

Creating memories of a summer spent outside with family and friends is high on our priority.

Sometimes we plan an outing and sometimes we get invited on a spur of the moment trip. This was the case with a day trip to Crater Lake National Park. Our son unexpectedly had the day off and he phoned us up and asked if we wanted to accompany him to see Crater Lake on a day that the skies were blue and clear. It took us about ½ a second to respond, “Yes!”

We try to eat outside on our patio as much as possible. The last Outdoor Hour Challenge in August was to have a late summer picnic. We’ve had several in the past few weeks but I haven’t taken a photo. The image above is our typical summer meal with a little grilled chicken, salad, and some beans. I’ve actually perfected my baked beans recipe this summer as the perfect accompaniment to any grilled dish.

We have a place we discovered this summer that’s very close to our house that offers a variety of nature experiences. It’s along the Fall River where we can hike, picnic, and just sit and enjoy an afternoon in the sunshine among the wildflowers. There’s also a nearby fish hatchery with amazing rainbow trout of all sizes to observe. These will be summer memories that will warm my heart during the long winter.

We are nearly finished building our bbq shed with the help of our sons. It’s the perfect spot to enjoy a summer evening playing cornhole or just watching the dark descend on the mountains in the distance.

Our main focus this summer was to landscape our backyard, or at least get the hardscape down and build a few berms. My husband has worked his little heart out creating a beautiful space for us to enjoy that far exceeded our summer goals. He surprised me at how much he has accomplished and even got an aspen planted in the far corner of the property. I’m going to love watching it change colors with the season.

There is so much more to share but I will end there in the hope that you will be inspired to get outside with your family during the next month. I invite you to follow me on Instagram to see more of our outdoor experiences here in Central Oregon.

Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. If you would like me to take a look at one of your images on Instagram, use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Barb — 2 Comments

Outdoor Mom – August 2018

Outdoor Mom

August 2018

We have pretty much enjoyed a “staycation” this past month as we explored a few new places and found refreshment in just being at HOME. We moved here because we used to vacation here, so why not just stay home, sleep in my own bed and take time to get to know the local area?

Works for us!

We had the added joy of having our daughter home from New York for a little over a week. We ended up spending a lot of time outdoors doing fun stuff with her and our boys too.

The very first day she was here we pulled the kayaks and canoe down to the river behind our house for a good long float. This is the Little Deschutes River, so it’s a slow moving and meandering experience. It was a perfect afternoon and we took a stop midway to swim in the refreshingly clear, cool water.

One of my favorite destinations here in Central Oregon is Sparks Lake on the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway. It’s a long narrow lake with lots of coves along its volcanic rock shore. We paddled all the way to the end and back. The bonus to this lake is the spectacular views of South Sister and Mt. Bachelor.

We’ve been building a shelter for our Traeger smoker out of local materials. We have a friend who has a portable lumber mill and he made us a large beam and live edge siding from trees he had on his property. The paver patio is finished but the structure is still a work in progress. We’ve already spent lots of evenings sitting on the patio watching the moon rise and the stars come out.

Our daughter wanted to see the Lava River Cave which is close to our town. It’s a long, dry, volcanic rock cave. You take your own flashlights and explore at your own pace. It was a chilly 42 degrees in there so we all got pretty cold…should have been better prepared!

My son had some friends up from California and they wanted to float the Deschutes River…a VERY Oregon thing to do. It was a very hot day and the water was COLD. I opted to kayak but they all enjoyed their lazy river float. Ah, to be young!

My sister and brother-in-law came for a visit and they wanted to try floating too, but we went on the much warmer Little Deschutes River. Another hot day, another great float down the river!

(Do you see a theme to our summer activities?)

Another activity we’ve been trying to squeeze in each week is to go listen to live music whether it’s here in La Pine, in Sunriver, or up in Bend. This time of year there are lots of options for music so that makes it easy. When my daughter was here, we had dinner at Sunriver and then listened to music out on the lawn behind the lodge….so much fun!

We’ve been working on our backyard landscaping since June and we’re finally seeing it come together. It’s still a challenge to know what the deer will eat and what they leave alone. The night after I took this photo of the heliotrope with the swallowtail on it, the deer ate it down to the roots. It has since grown back but I’m sure they’ll be eager to eat the blooms as soon as it blossoms again.

We’ve had a month of hot, dry weather until a few days ago when a thunderstorm rolled in very slowly. I could see it off in the distance when we started our walk down to the river after dinner. You could see the rain but the sun was shining over our heads. Then a rainbow appeared as the light shifted to a pinkish-orange glow. We could hear lots of thunder rumbling. In the end, we didn’t even get a drop of rain because the clouds just sort of dematerialized and blew away. It made for a great show as we had our daily walk.

I’ve slowed down with my hiking this summer because of my arthritis. I’m facing a double hip replacement in the fall….which will put me out of commission for a period of time, but then I’m hoping to be able to hit the trail without pain for the first time in years. My doctor assures me that it will be “rainbows and unicorns” after the surgery and then 4-6 weeks of recovery. I’m nervous about the actual surgery, but the hope of being much more able to get out and do things again motivates me to get it DONE!

The anticipation of surgery inspired me to get a whole year’s worth of nature study planned and up on the blog now. You can see the plan and find out more about a membership in this post:

Outdoor Hour Challenge 2018 – 2019 Plans

Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. If you’d like me to take a look at one of your images on Instagram, use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Posted on July 9, 2018 by Barb — 2 Comments

Outdoor Mom and Goal Update July 2018

Outdoor Mom – July 2018

And an Update of My Nature Study Goals 2018 for the Second Quarter

We’re finally doing a summertime dance as the temperatures climb and the skies are clear. It’s been a struggle for me personally because my husband and I made a commitment to each other to get the yard done during June and July. Making it a priority has meant we have to pass on some recreational opportunities.

We still try to fit in our daily river walks and a few short kayak excursions when we can.

Plus, we did take a week and go camping on the northern coast of Oregon. The beaches there are either rugged or sand dunes. The weather was pretty good and we found a couple of places to kayak, including Lake Coffinbury, where we saw bald eagles!

We took advantage of the negative tide and did some tide pooling. I spotted a purple sea star, the most colorful one I’ve ever seen. There were loads of anemones and barnacles.

We’ve had an abundance of wildlife right in our backyard. My son saw this coyote pup strolling through the back fence and I was able to capture an image or too.

We have 5 birds nesting in our yard- 2 tree swallows, a chickadee, a Pygmy nuthatch, and a mountain bluebird! What a fantastic thing for this bird loving girl! My husband built the nesting boxes last year, a little too late in the season so we weren’t sure what to expect this year. Happy surprises!

The nuthatch nest is in this crack in the pine tree, believe it or not. Amazing!

The cattle are back in the pasture behind our house and we’ve so enjoyed seeing all the newborn calves. They sure are curious little things!

Here is my June list of birds seen from our back window. I love keeping track and now my friends come over and check the board every time they visit to see what new birds have been added.

Life is good here in my little part of the world.

Now here’s an update on my nature study goals as a way of keeping me accountable.

Nature Study Goals 2018 – 2nd Quarter Update

1. Nature Observer journal – I’ve continued to journal my observations almost every day. I find if I don’t take a minute to note what happened during the day that I forget the little things; the things that when I look back mean the most.

There are very few prompts I haven’t filled in from the many nature-related page ideas. I adapt the ones that really don’t fit my style. I’m trying not to make excuses and just do my best to keep the journal full of thoughts and observations that show the picture of what it’s like living here in Central Oregon.

I’m still highly recommending this journal!

Edit to add an affiliate link: Nature Observer.

2. Keep a record of the wildflowers that grow in my local habitat. I narrowed this goal to include my yard and the grassland between my house and the river. I keep my list in my Nature Observer journal.

3. Visit the High Desert Museum each month. I have failed at this! They have a new exhibit featuring rocks and the history of rock climbing that I really want to see, so I’ve now put it on the plan. Plus, I want to go see the raptors again.

4. Visit Sunriver Nature Center and see the garden. We ended up going to the Sunriver Observatory instead with some friends. It was awe inspiring as always, to look up at the stars and the planets Venus and Jupiter.

5. Take 3 new hikes. Twin Lake hike, Smith Rock – not new.

6. Get the kayaks out in a new local spot. My oldest son bought a canoe and my middle son bought a kayak so we’re all able to get on the water and explore the local area. So far, we’ve kept to our familiar stretches of river but we have plans next week to go exploring.

Additional Goal Related Items

We purchased our National Parks pass and visited Lewis & Clark National Park, which is really a group of places centered around Astoria, Oregon. Visiting these places and then kayaking on the Lewis & Clark River were a highlight of our camping trip last month.

Our backyard landscape is coming together. We’ve discovered that we can transplant many grasses and wildflowers and even an aspen tree to fill in our garden spaces. It’s a very big learning process and we need to keep reminding ourselves that it will take many years to accomplish what we want to in this space.

Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. If you would like me to take a look at one of your images on Instagram, use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Posted on June 4, 2018 by Barb — Leave a comment

Outdoor Mom – May 2018

Outdoor Mom
May 2018

Our outdoor time made us wonder…..

We’ve been watching birds in our yard since we moved here a year ago. We’ve now seen the complete cycle of birds in each season. I’m thrilled every time a new kind of bird shows up at a feeder or within sight of our windows. Now, the nesting boxes are being occupied by a couple of bird families. The tree swallows are the most fascinating to watch as they bring the materials into the box for their nest. How do they fly with those long grasses in their mouth? How do they manage to get them through the little hole and into the box? Truly a miracle of life!

In our garden, we are building…..

Construction has begun on our new yard landscape. We picked the pavers for the walkways and patio so now all we need to do is make a plan for getting them laid. My husband is working part time at a landscaping and floral nursery down the road from us and this is how we’ll finance the bigger purchases of rock, sand, and the majority of the trees and shrubs. It’s been awesome to have an expert help us at least get started with this huge project. Now that we’re underway, I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

I’ve had to do quite a bit of research about native plants in anticipating the filling of our garden beds. I don’t want to spend a lot of money purchasing things that will not survive our harsh, long winters. Or as I’ve discovered from experience, plants that the deer will eat in one night. Instead, it makes sense to take the time to find out the best way to spend our money and energy and still end up with a yard that is beautiful and will stand the test of time.

I am dreaming about…..

The promise of another summer season here in Oregon is just about to be realized. I can feel the days getting longer and the landscape is filling up with green things and flowering things and life in general. The river is calling us to come and float on its cool clear water. The sun is warm on my face and shoulders when I’m out in the garden. I can’t wait to be in the middle of July when all my family is going to be around me for a big anniversary picnic!

One last image…..

This is just the start of something pretty outside my bedroom window for the birds, bees, and butterflies. It just makes me happy to think of the seasons to come where I will be able to look out my window and see a little nature looking back at me.

Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. If you would like me to take a look at one of your images on Instagram, use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Posted on April 18, 2018 by Barb — 1 Comment

Outdoor Mom – April 2018

Outdoor Mom

April 2018

I was born and raised in California and California spring is all I’ve ever experienced until this year. Central Oregon has rocked my conception of what March and April weather should be and how it should look. Usually by now, I’m in the thick of spring wildflower season, taking hikes to see the lupines and poppies. Not this year.

April has been a subtle changing of the season. Our landscape is just now starting to show some signs of green and I actually spotted my very first dandelion in my yard. Our temperatures are getting warmer and we had some rain this week rather than snow so maybe, just maybe, we are headed to spring.

This new version of spring has not stopped us from getting outdoors. In fact, my husband and I take a daily walk to check out our river and the changes that are happening there.

Changes in Our World

We’ve spotted more birds, including new ones for our life list like the Wilson’s snipe, the wood duck, and the common goldeneye. Also, we spied our very first rufous hummingbird scouting out our backyard. I had an inkling that they were around so I’d just hung our feeder and sure enough, they visited while I was watching. I’ve been super happy with the Merlin Bird ID app from Cornell. This is a free app that helps you identify a bird without the use of a field guide. I find it very easy to use and pretty much every time, I can use the app to find out a bird’s name.

We’ve been observing the Belding’s ground squirrels with binoculars. I’d noticed activity around the holes out back and one afternoon they made their appearance. They’re such busy little creatures as they scratch around on the ground looking for something to eat. They’re smaller than I thought they should be and their tails are much shorter than expected. But, there is something quite entertaining about these ground squirrels and I love their cinnamon color.

We’ve been talking about taking the kayaks out on the river and today it was so sunny and warm that we just did it!

We’ve started exploring our area some more and all of its many lakes. My son and I drove up to the Twin Lakes, stopping to hike completely around South Twin Lake. What an enjoyable mile or so hike! There are some gorgeous ponderosa pines along the trail and we saw quite a bit of green manzanita just starting to blossom. It’s great to have my hiking buddy living with us for now…hoping to find some more trails to explore soon with this guy.

I’m eagerly anticipating a great upcoming month of outdoor time as the spring weather really hits. It’s like awakening from a long winter’s nap to find a new world to observe with new plants, animals, birds, and insects to get to know.

How are you enjoying your spring?

Follow me here: Instagram – outdoorhourchallenge. If you’d like me to take a look at one of your images on Instagram, use the hashtag #outdoorhourchallenge.

Want to join in the Outdoor Mom post?

During our outdoor time this month we went…
The most inspiring thing we experienced was…
Our outdoor time made us ask (or wonder about)…
In the garden, we are planning/planting/harvesting…
I added nature journal pages about…
I am reading…
I am dreaming about…
One last image…

Tag: Outdoor Mom’s Journal

Outdoor Mom – March 2020 Crossbills and Bluebirds!

Outdoor Mom – February 2020

Outdoor Mom – January 2020

Outdoor Mom – December 2019

Outdoor Mom – May 2019

Outdoor Mom – May 2019

Outdoor Mom – September Journal

Outdoor Mom – August 2018

Outdoor Mom and Goal Update July 2018

Outdoor Mom – May 2018

Outdoor Mom
May 2018

Outdoor Mom – April 2018

How are you enjoying your spring?

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!

Outdoor Mom – May 2019

Outdoor Mom May 2018

How are you enjoying your spring?

Outdoor Hour Challenges for families since 2008!

Outdoor Mom
May 2018