In Pursuit of Wonder

We kept going into the bulrushes, there were no longer any gaps through which to pass the canoe without considerable effort. Larry still stood in the back pushing with the pole and I was trying in vain to move us forward, changing between pushing and pulling. We had reached a…

Canoeing alongside the first few wild rice plants was fantastic, almost felt like a fairy tale, to be near the legendary plant. We know it exists in lakes of central and northern Minnesota but don’t expect to see it this far south. The plant is tall, rising out of the…

There were many ring-billed gulls dancing in the air in the distance. Some perched on tiny islands. Larry pointed them out. One was flying our direction, “A ring-billed gull is heading straight for us.” It swooped off to its right before it came too close to us. As soon as…

October 5, 2015 Larry and I had planned back in March to canoe down McCarthy Lake in May so I could get a feel for the lake in the spring, not just in winter. But when May came, we weren’t able to canoe. So we tried again for the middle…

Three days later, with temperatures around twenty below, I went skiing again in the tracks I made the week before, deciding I enjoyed both the skiing itself and the workout it provided. The subzero temperatures created ideal snow for skiing. Mom had instructed on the downhill and uphill, crouch lower…

Independently, both Mom and Jesse suggested I learn how to cross-country ski. Mom thought it would be an excellent form of exercise for me on slow winter days when there isn’t much physical work to be done. Also, she thoroughly enjoys it and thought if I gave it a chance…

Icicles are a stunning winter adornment on buildings, other such structures, rocks and even trees. Many people are fascinated by them; there are now icicle shaped Christmas ornaments, icicle candy, and icicles adorning t-shirts. Icicles are quite simply formed by the freezing of dripping water. An icicle grows by continued water…

Winter arrived late; December 31 was one of the first days that it truly felt like winter. Before going about my daily activities on the farm, I went for a short walk to soak in the brisk winter air. Yes, I went out into the cold to soak it in,…

Last Monday morning, January 5th, an ice fog settled in the area. As the sun burned through the fog, I was stunned by the beauty of frost covering the world. Driving home, before pulling in the farm driveway, I stopped to capture this beauty with my camera… Frost covered pine…

On December 10, I took a couple hour break from my extremely busy schedule and went to Whitewater State Park  to take care of the fox snake at the nature center (re-reading the blog https://bethanybenike.wordpress.com/2014/08/29/beauty-beyond-the-skin/ to refresh your memory and/or more details on the fox snake might be helpful).  The…