Welcome to Winding Pathways
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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Autumn – Changing of the Guard
Take in the autumnal changes and delight in nature’s variety.
Railroad Lanterns & Kate Shelley
In October Rich held a lighted match to an antique railroad lantern’s wick. In seconds the lantern gave its first light in over 80 years but couldn't hold a candle to a modern-day lantern. “My grandfather, Harry Patterson, was an engineer on the Pennsylvania Railroad....
Why Buy An Induction Stove?
In midsummer we made a major cooking change at Winding Pathways when we bought an induction stove. For 50 years we’d been cooking on a gas kitchen range, so we faced a learning curve. Induction stoves work by creating an electromagnetic field below a smooth glass...
How Do Ponds Attract Wildlife?
Our tiny pond attracts all sorts of wildlife from tiny insects to larger mammals.
Death By High Wires
Consecutive Walks Turned Somber While on different hot September morning walks my day was saddened by the death of a warbler, a nighthawk and pelican. I (Rich) often walk around Cedar Rapids’, (Iowa) Cedar Lake. It’s near downtown, an interstate highway, and train...
Happy Yards
Happy yards lighten up all our moods as we walk and drive. We thank businesses, colleges and schools, hospitals, and homeowners for their work in beautifying our world.
Bobcat Family In Neighborhood
Bobcats are amazing and intriguing mammals. They adapt well to suburbia eating pesky squirrels, rabbits and mice. They are NO threat to people.
Maximillian Sunflowers – Summer’s Goodbye
An autumn pleasure is sitting on our front porch watching Maxmillian Sunflowers - Summer's Goodbye wave as they dance in September’s breeze. Our yard is a seasonal progression of color from spring’s delightful dandelions that grace our mowed yards to Maxmillion’s...
Chicken Companions
Do chickens like each other? Is there such a thing as chicken companions? We have found this so.
Bear Commotion
Blog by guest authors, Peg and Angus! Our dog, Angus, and I were sitting on the deck one summer afternoon. I was reading and Angus just looking around. Suddenly, I heard a commotion. Angus got all excited and started barking. It turns out, a bear commotion! I looked...
Shelf Spider Lawn Lace
Early one humid summer morning we discovered lawn lace in the yard. Dozens of laces were scattered on the grass and mulch we’d put around trees. Dew drops on their tiny filaments sparkled in the early morning sunshine. What had we found? Who made them? As kids we...
The Joy of A Quiet Yard
Quiet yards reduce stress and enhance the quality of life all around.
What is Chicken of the Woods?
We were astonished to discover a chicken of the woods close to our home at Winding Pathways. We have about a dozen laying hens in our backyard coop, but what we found wasn’t an escaped chicken. Fungus It was an amazing fungus. We’d not seen one before and think our...
The Year of Crabgrass
What is crabgrass and how did it get to the North American continent? What use is it?
Surrounded By Wrens
Every summer, we are surrounded by wrens. When we sit on our back deck, the loud call of the Carolina Wren serenades us. It’s a tiny bird that stays back in the woods and vines. It’s hard to spot. It’s surprising how such a smidgen of a bird can sing at high volume....
White Mulberry – Trickster Tree
The white mulberry is a trickster tree. We match wits with it often at Winding Pathways. “All Around the Mulberry Bush” may be a kid’s jingle but the tree is an ecological pest with some positive traits. Our front hedge is an example. It’s a dense growth of privet....