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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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Urban Coyotes
At 2 a.m. one frigid February night we were startled awake by coyotes yipping and yapping right behind our house at Winding Pathways. The next morning, we discovered their tracks all around our snowy yard. It explains why we haven’t seen many cottontail rabbits in...
Walking the Labyrinth in the Snow
The subtleties of walking a labyrinth in fresh snow or in the dark have not been lost on me. Muscle memory, night vision, and simple observation help navigate the terrain when obvious landmarks are obscure. Before the snow fell, when I walk the labyrinth in the dark,...
Deer Entertainment in Our Backyard
Guest Blogger Nancy Garberson shares these observations and photos with Winding Pathways. This time of year, we call it “wild kingdom” in our backyard because we see deer every day. All kinds of birds and tracks in the snow from the nocturnal creatures dot the snow as...
Owls and “Mouseterious” Happenings
Guest Blogger, Sue Fehsinger of New Hampshire Mice got into the hybrid system of my Prius and destroyed it. They also got into our greenhouse and ate some important seeds my husband Bob was growing. These critters are a common problem, but we have always used live...
Polar Vortex Labyrinth Lessons
My daily labyrinth walk on Wednesday, January 30, 2019, in the middle of the Polar Vortex coughed up several lessons. In spite of the bitterly cold morning, the snowshoes strap that slipped off and glasses that fogged up, it was a great walk! Nothing I want to...
Screaming Down Pokagon State Park’s Toboggan Run
In December 2018 we spent a delightful two days in and around Pokagon State Park. It’s a great place to visit………..and scream like we did as we zipped down their famous toboggan run at nearly 40 miles an hour. Read about the Park and Steuben County in our travel...
2018 Gratitudes – Why They Matter
A look back at many gratitudes.
Keeping Binoculars Handy
We celebrated the first day of 2019 with a drive in the country. An inch of crusty snow had fallen a few nights earlier, and the countryside looked wintry. Wildlife seemed tucked in on this frosty morning, but as we rounded a gravel road’s bend, we spotted 20 huge...
Wood Stove Woes
When we bought our first home back in 1979, we soon installed a new wood stove. It was a Lange brand made in Denmark. The stove kept our home toasty warm the next 30 winters. When we moved to Winding Pathways, we had to leave our trusty Lange at the old...
How Do You Track Animals in Winter?
When the next soft snow falls, go tracking outside! A late December 2019 skiff of snow delighted us. There was not enough of the white stuff to shovel but the thin white blanket that covered our yard revealed who visited the night before. The dimples of deer tracks...
Chicken Treats: Delicious Tidbits Add Zest to a Flock’s Winter Diet
An outdoor run gives chickens more than fresh air and a place to exercise. Delicious tidbits are waiting to be discovered outside and break the monotony of daily mash or pellet meals. Hens find food in even the smallest runs. Unfortunately, they quickly consume green...
2018 Labyrinth Pilgrimages
Sunrise, sunset Sunrise, sunset Swiftly fly the years One season following another Laden with happiness and tears (Fiddler on the Roof) As 2018 draws to a close and different cultures celebrate traditions near and dear to their hearts, I take pause and reflect on this...
“Go Outside and Play!”
“Let’s play outside!” For baby boomers, that was something we said and did every day. Driving slowly through neighborhoods was a must in those days because the yards and streets were literally full of kids. We played outside after school and on weekends, 365 days a...
Boxelder Bugs
Lots of boxelder bugs are traipsing through homes this winter to the consternation of human occupants. We reluctantly share our home with a few during cold months. This amazingly common and crafty insect is a true bug named for common boxelder tree. You don't have to...
Three Critical Emergency Items
Note: Our comments are personal observations. We have not been paid by any company to review their products. Wildfires in California. Hurricanes along the coast. Blizzards and tornadoes everywhere. In this era of climate change every household should prepare for long...
Mice! Keeping them Out of the House
After a balmy fall, the television weather report promised near record cold and snow in three or four days. Mice don’t have televisions but somehow, they knew this because several of the tiny mammals successfully entered our house just before cold arrived. One...