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The Pond of Mystery

 I had a different idea of what we would do today, but alas, the kids and the weather had me outnumbered. When you have an 80 degree day in the early spring, you've just got to get outside. We always like to take mini-adventures and seek out new parks or local natural areas and I had heard of the mysterious area called Foley's Pond that is quietly tucked away in a relatively populated area. Tonight we took a drive to seek out our mini-adventure and ended up getting a little lost. Of course, when I couldn't find it, Lilia really ramped up the idea of it being the "pond of mystery." Finally, on a normal side street, we came across a sign in front of what appeared to be a long path. After walking away back off the street we came across an open clearing and a beautiful pond. We first noticed the viewing deck that the kids immediately ran to just in time to see two Mallard ducks swimming by. We took a well maintained path around the entire pond, which probably took longer than usual due to Franky's ever pulling desire to throw things into the water. I reminded him that if stopped throwing things, the ducks might swim a little closer. He considered it for a moment, shrugged his shoulders and threw a borderline log into the pond. Because we got to the pond close to dusk, we saw and heard all sorts of birds including Mourning Doves and Red-winged Blackbirds. We even saw a Great Blue Heron take flight overhead. Foley's Pond really turned out to be quite the little treasure.

Landmark Oriental Theatre: Michael Pollan

Tonight I'm going to see Michael Pollan at the Landmark Oriental Theatre in Milwaukee, WI. You might know Michael Pollan from movies such as Food, Inc.(you can watch the trailer here) or his novels including The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. He's written a new book called Cooked, which describes apprenticing cooks to learn how they use air, water, fire and earth to cook everything from bread to beer. I'm excited not only to see Michael Pollan, but also intrigued by his new book (which I'll be receiving tonight at the show.) Updated story and photos to come later tonight!

Edit: It's been a long night and I've made the drive back from Milwaukee to Chicago. I not only have my signed copy of Cooked, but I had the pleasure of actually meeting Mr. Pollan himself. His discussion about how simply cooking at home can change our lives was as always, insightful and entertaining. Now I should be getting to sleep, but I think I might sneak in some reading...

Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

Today we visited the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park. This was a new experience for all four of us and it was definitely worth the trip. The Nature Museum is located across the street from Lincoln Park Zoo so I had seen it several times and had always wanted to go. The first section we walked through housed all sorts of amphibians and reptiles that are native to the Midwest including snakes, toads, frogs and turtles. They also have a River Works area that describes locks, canals and details about the Chicago River. Here you can put your boat in the water and watch it sail "downstream" or try to make a river into a lake by building your own dam. In addition to the live animals on the first floor, there were many preserved animals that are also native to the Midwest and could be seen on mini "nature walks" displayed as savannahs, prairies and forests. The second floor included the Extreme Green House which is set up like a real house with interactive displays and facts about being environmentally friendly in your own home. The Hands-On-Habitat is for children seven and under and had both Lilia and Franky running into the mock beaver dam, playing on a boat, climbing up a spider web and coming right back down on a slide. I would say our favorite part of the museum was the Judy Istock Butterfly Haven. I've been in butterfly sanctuaries before and while they are all nice, this one has the others beat. At one point, other than employees, we were alone to view the butterflies galore, beautiful flowers, birds and a koi pond with turtles and a waterfall. I could have spent all day in there, but it was time to move outdoors to to see the ducks, geese, more turtles and the daffodils in bloom. The museum also has a rooftop garden, but it being the end of April, there wasn't an abundance of green plants or blooming flowers. I'm actually looking forward to going back this summer to check out new exhibits and to see how lush everything will be. Lilia just asked me if we could go back next weekend. In my family if the kids are already asking to go back, you know it was a hit.

The Birds and the Seeds

 When it starts to warm up in the Midwest, you can feel it in the air and see it in your neighborhood. Kids were riding bikes today, playing basketball and there were a lot of people at the garden center getting ready for the warm months to come. Lilia and Franky love seeing all of the birds in our backyard so I thought, what better way to bird watch than to get a bird feeder? I couldn't help but laugh at all of the "anti-squirrel" feeders at the garden center including a disc that would shoot any squirrel that tried to get on the feeder clear across the yard. It reminded me of our own squirrel corn cob spinner that we had attached to an oak tree growing up. That thing provided hours of entertainment that included flying gray fur balls soaring across the yard. Squirrels are pretty smart though and soon enough, they figured out how to eat the corn without flipping themselves into oblivion. Today we bought a very simple feeder so hopefully we aren't just feeding squirrels, but birds too. Otherwise, I see a corn cob spinner in my near future.

Happy Planting, it's Arbor Day!

Today, Franky and I found the perfect little tree to plant for Arbor Day. We wanted something that wouldn't grow to be too big (we don't have a lot of space) and something that needed only part sun. We decided to plant a Red Dragon Japanese Maple, which is slow growing and will have a mature height of about 6 feet. Fran did most of the digging, but the kids were happy to surround the tree with soil once we got it in. I took a couple of other pictures of the kids standing next the tree. I think it will have to be a yearly tradition to compare their height to our new, leafy addition. On another note, we got our first CSA box today from Fresh Picks. It was delivered in a cooler which you leave out the next time a delivery is made for return. I was home during the delivery so I just pulled the bag out and gave the deliveryman the cooler. Simple as that. Fresh Picks delivers whatever is in season so later this summer we'll get different items, such as tomatoes. Today we got spinach, beets, cauliflower, gold potatoes, red leaf lettuce, artichokes, scallions, cucumber and cilantro. I was very happy with the freshness and overall quality. Can't wait to see what we get next week!

Woldhuis Farms Sunrise Greenhouse

In keeping with what seems to be a plant themed week, I took another mini road trip to see the Woldhuis Farms 
Sunrise Greenhouse in Grant Park, IL. To say this greenhouse is huge would be an understatement. It is in fact, 7 acres of trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, herbs, garden ornaments and pretty much anything garden related you can imagine. Sunrise even provides their customers with a map to help you find your way. Each aisle genuinely has its own "street" name such as Elm, Oak and Pear. At first, we got a little turned around (Yes, even with a map. Don't judge me.) However, the staff was extremely friendly and happy to point, or even walk, us in the right direction. Just when I thought the amount of beautiful plants was shocking, I saw the herb section. They have all of your typical herbs, but many which I had never even heard of. Root beer plant, basil amethyst and pineapple mint to name a few. One of the employees even demonstrated how to use some of the herbs as a natural mosquito repellent. Unfortunately, we were a little pressed for time so we didn't get to see every bit of the greenhouse. I did end up leaving with three pots of beautiful red dahlias as well as a turtle and a dragonfly ornament. Rest assured, I will definitely be back with more time and a lot of cargo space.