We have been busy like the bumble bees preparing our space to run family programs. (Check them out here: ClearWater Farm Family Experiences )
All the while, nature and the land has grown with an abundance of greenery. We have tended to several plants in our new garden beds and it has been a joy watching many of the beans and tomatoes flower. We harvested our first zucchini the other day! Part of caring for these garden beds has included setting up watering systems for them made up of interconnected hoses and sprinklers. We are quite grateful for the amount of water that the well provides for us. We have also added many new design features, such as a pirate wheel on the top of our mountain, and a labyrinth in the field all in excitement to have children and adults play here.
There have been numerous wildlife sightings! There have been several sightings of a furry creature that has black fur all over with white stripes on its back. Any guesses who our furry friend might be? Here’s an additional hint, it is notoriously known to have a defense mechanism, one that many people would agree is very smelly. A skunk! Snappy watched one exploring the vegetable garden one late evening when the sun was just starting to set. She was curious and had many questions. What is the skunk doing? Why do skunks have stripes on their backs? What do skunks eat? So Snappy decided to watch and follow the skunk (keeping a safe distance, and being extra mindful of not scaring them by accident.) The skunk moved swiftly in and around the garden beds and then into the forest and then out of the forest. It was a fun adventure. Snappy learned that skunks have long claws and that they like to dig for bugs and later spent many hours reading more about skunks in nature books.
We have been tending to lots including the wildflowers. On one occasion Chickadee and Snappy were transplanting some catnip plants and as they were digging these plants out of the ground, they discovered a red wing blackbird’s nest. Realising that there were new born baby birds in them, Chickadee and Snappy decided to stay away from this nest area so that the redwing black bird parents did not feel too stressed. It has been wonderful watching the blossoms of wildflowers and these baby birds grow. We are always in awe of nature, there is never a dull moment!
