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Winding Pathways encourages you to create a wonderous yard, whether that yard is an expansive acreage, a suburban lot or a condominium balcony. Go outside and play!
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Backpacker Meals and Car Travel
We Bring Along Backpacker Meals* We don’t do wilderness backpacking anymore but we are never far from backpacker meals at home and when we travel. Last May we drove to Casper, Wyoming, with plans to set our tent up at Nebraska’s Smith Falls State Park the first night...
Battery-Powered Chainsaws
Are battery-powered chainsaws worth the money? We decided to find out. * Gas chainsaws have been around for decades. Rich wondered if newer electric battery-powered chainsaws would be as functional and easier to use. So, he acquired a Milwaukee saw with a 16-inch bar...
Meet The Confusing Tree Sparrows
Tree Sparrows. Two species. What could be more confusing? Well, there’s more. Both look like common House Sparrows (formerly known as English Sparrows. Meet the American Tree Sparrows Marion glanced at our feeders recently and noticed what looked like a Chipping...
Can You Tell History from Syrup Tap Scars?
Scars in a tree at the Indian Creek Nature Center reveal maple syruping history. Back in 1979 Rich Patterson and volunteers approached a husky Box Elder tree, armed with a drill, spile, and buckets. It was early March. Nights were cold and frosty, followed by warm...
Winter Travel – Foiled By Blue Northers – Almost
What Do You Need to Know About Winter Travel? Guest Bloggers, Nancy Sauerman and Bruce Bachmann I have gone to conferences in the winter but that involves flights, motels, and schedules arranged by someone else. I have had my share of winter travel within the state...
Amusing Winter Squirrels
Winter squirrels are amusing as they scout out food resources, navigate high wires to cross the road, and forage at local feeders. Diane and Frank Olsen feed birds, and squirrels, daily and enjoy the antics and dexterity of the neighborhood...
Vrieze and Geese!
"Yes," to Geese If You Please Guest blog by Jody Vrieze When we lived in Plymouth, Iowa, my husband and I realized there is more to a home than just a house. We embraced our love of nature and animals by creating a retreat in our yard featuring natural diversity and...
Disappearing Ash Trees
Disappearing Ash Trees Ash trees are fast disappearing from American forests and towns. It’s tragic. There are several ash species, including white, green, blue, and black. A Chinese native insect, the Emerald Ash Borer, is killing them all quickly. It’s awful. Years...
Reflecting on 2022
Several people have sourly said, “Good riddance to 2022.” This day, swaddled in dense fog that muffles sound and limits sight, I’m reflecting on 2022. As we noted in the Gratitude jar on the shelf, the year before, “Good things DID happen (in 2021).” Below are some...
What to Do BEFORE Power Outages
Power outages. They happen in an instant. Most are only a flicker but some can last for hours when the wind’s whistling and the temperature’s dropping outside. Or in summer when the heat rises. What’s the best thing to do in power outages? Well, it’s best to...
Winter Trees
Winter trees. We love ‘em even though they don’t sport their cooling green summer leaves or October’s color. When autumn leaves fall, trees look wonderfully different. Their nakedness reveals sights that are difficult to notice during summer. Here are some of the...
Harvesting Snow
A raging blizzard roaring over Winding Pathways just before Christmas showed us the power of HARVESTING SNOW. We love catching it. Well, we didn’t really catch the snow, but our prairie did. It has a talent for harvesting snow and other forms of moisture. It taught us...
Do You Know a 99-Year-Old Teacher?
Henry is still a teacher. Our feature today is different. It's about an amazing teacher. Winding Pathways blogs are normally about yards, backyard chickens, labyrinths, and occasional touches of home care and energy efficiency. It’s about a 99-year-old who retired...
2022 Labyrinths – Walks and Experiences
2022 Labyrinths What about labyrinths draws us? The unique patterns? The locations? The need to center? Perhaps all. Labyrinth walks of 2022 varied from ordinary to recognizing the structure needed attention and Love, to being “surprised by Joy!” Home The Phoenix...
Why Do You Band Birds?
On an early, warm, bright November day, several Coe and Mt. Mercy University Students with their professors arrived at Winding Pathways to band birds. They stood mesmerized as one cradled a diminutive bird in his hand. This long-distance traveler had met a temporary...
Have Your Seen a Calf Being Birthed?
watch a calf being born.
