Needed: hard workers
Duties: fly, wander, buzz, sip
Pollinate: thank you
Help Wanted by Angie Quantrell
Welcome to my Happy Hump Day Haiku Challenge! Have you ever applied for a job? Followed a help wanted sign? What would it be like if bees had to fill out applications before they got to work on our flowering plants?
Tiny little pens and papers. Background check. Chat with references.
You’re hired!
sunflower forest
shadowing minions below,
giant bird fodder
sunflower forest by Angie Quantrell
This year, another garden experiment. Last season, giant birds (to the minions living below) messily (and carelessly) tossed seeds as they gobbled from sunflower trees. This season, let’s see what grows.
A forest!
cotton candy clouds
effervescence, bees’ delight
pink blossom carpet
cotton candy by Angie Quantrell
I love spring blossoms and the buzz of happy bees. Welcome, pink!
lollipop curl road
dancing, growing, reaching high;
what flavor opens?
forest lollipop by Angie Quantrell
Don’t these fern swirls look exactly like fuzzy lollipops? Of course, I don’t want to lick treats containing fuzz, but my imagination considers what interesting tastes live in forest lollipops.
Happy Haiku Day!
Happy Earth Day, neighbors!
I love this old earth. It’s the only one I’ve got, so I suppose I should help take care of it. Earth Day reminds me to do something, not just talk about it or ignore the problems I see.
For example:
~Yesterday and today, I planted thyme and basil, both edible yumminess for humans and flowering treats for bees.
~I’m trying to convince my pasture mowers to leave the dandelions as is for bee food.
~We avoid spray unless absolutely necessary and spend more time hand weeding.
~I keep planting baby trees from the Arbor Society to create habitat for birds and small animals.
~I always have water out for the cats, but wildlife benefits from the source of hydration.
~I’ve been noticing lots of trash along roads and paths, so it’s time to carry along a trash bag and pick up as I go on walks.
~We pay extra in our valley to allow us to recycle trash items like cans, cardboard, and certain plastics.
I know there are many ways to help Planet Earth. These are only a few ideas to be good stewards of the beautiful environment God created for us to enjoy and care for. Spend some time outside today and pay special attention to how awesome our Earth is.
How about you? I’d love to hear what you do, especially if you have fresh ideas!
Astronaut-Aquanaut: How Space Science and Sea Science Interact
Written by Jennifer Swanson
Published by National Geographic Partners, LLC; 2018
I received two copies of Astronaut-Aquanaut by Jennifer Swanson, one to keep and one to give to my grandson’s school. We made the delivery in January, giving the book to his teacher. Thanks so much to Jennifer!
You can learn more about Jennifer and her books by visiting her web site.
AMAZON BLURB:
Journey from the deepest trenches in the oceans to the farthest humans have ventured into space and learn what it takes to explore the extremes. You might just be surprised by how similar the domains of ASTRONAUTS and AQUANAUTS really are.
Space and the ocean. If you don’t think they go together, think again! Both deep-sea and space explorers have to worry about pressure, temperature, climate, and most importantly, how to survive in a remote and hostile environment. Join us on an amazing journey as we go up in space with astronauts and dive deep down in the ocean with aquanauts to explore the far-off places of our planet and the solar system.
With a strong tie into STEM topics–such as making connections, making comparisons, and recognizing patterns across content areas–readers will discover the amazing science and incredible innovations that allow humans (and sometimes only machines) to survive in these harsh environments.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THIS BOOK:
Astronaut-Aquanaut is a gorgeous book! Colorful illustrations, photos, graphs, and detailed information fill the pages. Despite ample pictures to look at, the text is skillfully written and explains so many space and ocean concepts! I learned many new ideas and information. I had no idea how similar deep sea science and deep space science are to each other.
This book really is an excellent resource for anyone who wants to learn about becoming an astronaut or an aquanaut. The pages are filled with so many cool tidbits, factoids, and real life experiences of those individuals who have pursued careers in both fields.
STEM based, Astronaut-Aquanaut is primed for leading young explorers to delve far and wide and learn more about both areas.
This nonfiction picture book, geared for older readers, is an excellent example of a text that instructs, entertains and informs.
Way to go, Jennifer Swanson!
spring rain brings party,
water-logged crawlers become
salad of dead worms
worm salad by Angie Quantrell
I hate walking outside after a rain, afraid of stepping on and squishing the lovely gardeners who struggle to escape overwhelming water in their aerating holes. I never have enough time to rescue all the big ones, tossing them into garden boxes and grassy resorts. Instead, when I return home, after the rain has headed east, I find piles of worm salad.
First we had February. Snowmageddon and all of that. The season of snow.
Next we had the melt. Flooding, slush, and slippery ice. The season of melt.
Now we have rainy April days and plentiful water. The season of mud.
Does mud bother my grands? Not in the slightest. Nearly all the kids I know love getting dirty, playing in the mud. From what I’ve observed, most of the problem with mud comes from the adults. The ones who have to do laundry, wipe mud trails off of floors, wash boots, and repair muddy landscapes.
Forget all of that worry. It’s time for the season of play!
Enter mud play. A fine mist was falling, water stood in the wagon and various items strewn about from building fairy houses, and mud was plentiful.
They dug, scooped, buried, and transported mud, rocks, and sticks. They gathered water, poured it around, and put a dead worm in the mud in case he wanted to wake up.
They painted small pieces of logs by using a stick as a paintbrush, using the stick to smear mud across the flat surfaces. And then they decorated the wagon and fairy gardens with mud-encrusted artwork.
I love it when I see preschoolers and children (and even adults) use their creativity and imagination. I love it even more when nature and messes are involved!
I’m not sure if the parents agree, but playing in mud is excellent for sensory engagement and exploration of nature.
So…put on some old clothes, just in case, plop on the wellies, and head out for some messy fun.
there you are, my heart,
stone captured, frozen mid-beat
how to get you out?
stone heart by Angie Quantrell
Join the Haiku Challenge. Write and share a Haiku poem about stones or hearts. Thanks!
Feline host of ‘straw’
***Gross alert.
No. I’m not talking about the trail of mangled body parts, a bit of liver, a tiny furless skull, a cluster of feathers. Though walking through a feline hunting graveyard is not for the weak of heart. Quick steps and eagle-eyes are necessities.
I’m also not talking about the catch and release program of yesterdays when we had a kitty door. Catch a rat? Bring it inside and let it go. Find a rat in a trap? Bring in the decapitated corpse and play toss and catch in our bedroom in the middle of the night. Live bird? Shall we see the damage we can cause by releasing it in the living room. Not those downsides, though they are quite entertaining. One particular birthday will always be quite memorable because we all screamed, stood on the couch, and simultaneously hunted a terrified rat. With kitty help.
No, this downside I’m shuddering about today is what happens after a feline hunter is successful. I’m not sure about the total timeline, but a week or three after eating wild mice, mysteriously little bits of straw appear. No big, UNLESS they happen to be beneath the tail of said hunters. Or along back haunches. Then we have a problem.
Let’s all take a moment to scream EWWWW!
Can tapeworms be any more gross? I mean, sure, dead stuff is gross. But for the most part, they are not in my bed, on my couch, on the cat tree, littering blankets. Ick.
Miss Monet, resident exterminator and feline hunter extraordinaire, is a repeat offender. Last summer was our first encounter with ‘straw.’ I think I’ll call tapeworms ‘straw’ from now on. It’s less offensive. Straw sounds nice and cozy, like in chicken coups or horse stalls.
Last summer, I noticed straw on Monet’s backside. We scheduled a vet visit, particularly after some straw was moving. Once confirmed by the vet, Monet was duly treated for a straw infestation. And a nice little vet bill we received from that visit. Cha-ching.
The silver lining of this mouse and cat game, the coup de grace of being a hunter of mice, is the benefit of repeat offenders getting a free pass from visiting the vet. Little did I realize how this law would line the pockets of my wallet with a lower bill for removing a straw infestation.
December. Again with the straw. AGAIN.
We called in and they advised us to come on over and get a dose of straw medicine.
End of January, beginning of February, we saw warm spring-like weather. And mice. Oh, mighty huntress Monet was witnessed gobbling some poor hapless rodent. We thought nothing of it. She had just been treated for straw.
And then. Snowmageddon. Everything was snow and ice locked. No hunting, no fun runs through the pasture, no live prey of any type. Until this week.
I kid you not. This week. We still have piles of snow! But plenty of open range greening up areas RIPE with straw infested rodents. Opening day for Monet included 2 voles, 1 mouse, and 2 birds.
You can guess, can’t you? Today I welcomed Monet into the house and noticed straw on her backside. Noooooooooo…
Yes……. Back to the vet I went for straw medicine. Which, apparently, only lasts 30 days. Is there not something that lasts LONGER than 30 days? This is going to get expensive, this live rodent extermination.
The answer was no.
So, if you need some rodent control, let’s make a bargain. $25 bucks a pop for the good stuff. Maybe needed once a month. Rent-a-cat for one month will cost you. And me.
Back to vacuuming and washing blankets. Which I just did last week before we discovered straw.
And you? Do you have a problem with straw infestations?
