Nature Connection

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Spring peeping around the corner

Although winter has not packed his bags ready to go on his March break trip just yet, he has decided to, go for an extended drive into the country. Of course, when the cat is away, the mice will play, and the starlings, the skunks, foxes, and of course the butterflies. Yes, the butterflies and bees are back. Butterflies are like last summer's wishes that have come back after a long winter snooze. While walking our trail with Beauty-dog, a curious Mourning Cloak butterfly gently graced my shoulder for a breath-taking moment, then flew off again in search of food and a place to lay her eggs. The tell-tale band of bright yellow that bordered her burnt umber wings told the story of today. Spring coming to visit us early and she seems to be sticking around. The bees have told us it's spring already, as have the birds, and the love struck squirrels running around in the yard. A dangerous proposition with a Beauty-dog around! But it was none of these things that brought spring home for me. No, it is the marshland lullaby that convinces me that spring is close on the heels of old man winter. I will be sung to sleep for the next few weeks. If the cold weather returns the song gets quiet, but it doesn't stop. Today's sunset brought about the spring-time song that I favour the most. Rising from the marsh just a few dozen feet away it came. A love song really. A love song about new beginnings and surviving the cold. The soft song of the Spring Peeper, a tiny, frog that sings like a giant. Their song drifted across the evening sky. It made me smile. Now it really felt like. Spring was here.

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A different perspective

This past summer we had a very unique and wonderful experience. Amy Whitney, of The Inspirational, Transformational Network came to see us. Amy has a blog that features people that are forging their own paths through life. If you need hit of "feeling good" this is the place to go. You can find people from all walks of life that have followed their hearts and dreams. It is an honour to be included in this group of people.

Not only did she want to see what we were doing on our small piece of the earth, but she wanted to film us as well. Frankly, it was frightening. We now have whole different perspective for those who regularly stand in front of a camera.

Amy was patient with us. We told our story to her and she captured it all on film. Of course it is a fairly long story. Amy patiently whittled it down to a wonderful short film. Even Beauty got into the story!

Thanks Amy, it has helped see ourselves through a different lens!

Click here to check it out: The Inspirational, Transformational Network Channel

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I ate crickets

A couple of weeks ago I ate crickets... and they were really good! Yup, Crickets, and a gall wasp larvae. Cool huh? I did this all at the Art of Mentoring Program in Norval, Ontario.

The Art of Mentoring (A.O.M.) is a multi-year program created by naturalist, tracker, and educator Jon Young. Now John Young isn't your average survivalist. His pedigree is excellent. He was trained by tom Brown Jr. from the age of about 10 years old.

Jon Young valued the method of teaching that Tom Brown showed him. So he began to create a nature education program based on traditional teaching method.

One of the programs to come out of this is called The Art of Mentoring. It is a way to help people deepen their connection to nature through community, experience, and being out in nature. In many ways it seems just like having fun...and it is. People came from far and wide to take part. All the way from the US and from out west.

Each year you go onto a new program. This year I was part of the Core Routines group. All of us were back for the second time so knew each other. We were to be out on the land for the week. No all the time, we checked in occasionally.

Now I don't want to give too much away. But I can say that it was a life changing experience. Remember the wonder of being outside exploring when you were a kid? That's the feeling you come home with. the world is a different place. At least that's how I felt and I am always outside doing stuff.

What is more exciting is the change that happens within. Nature therapy definitely works! What is even more exciting is that the age of people at the A.O.M. ranges form 5 months old to 80 years old. It is great to have such a diverse group of people to learn from. We are all teachers and we are all mentors; one of the core ideas of A.O.M.

Now I get to ruminate on all the experiences I had and what they mean to me. It made me a better person:)