Meet my new little friend...

While looking at the big tree in front of our cabin this weekend, I noticed a little head peeking out of one the holes.....







Apparently I'm the proud mama of a baby red squirrel!






I'm a sucker for babies!







It was sweet to see him so gingerly exploring his world outside his safe little nest.






And now I'm sure he's headed in for a nap and to dream about all the peanuts he's going to get off my bird feeders this year.

Guess who's invited to Thanksgiving Dinner?

No, just kidding! We wouldn't have a squirrel for Thanksgiving. Well, unless he offered to bring a pumpkin pie or something.....

No thank you.....

My stepson offered me a present......



...but after seeing it pee all over the road and almost on him, I said no thank you!

*P.S. No turtles were harmed in the posting of this blog. Stepson saved the turtle from certain car death in a middle of a rural road and set his course on a creek nearby. I'm still scratching my head wondering how turtles are able to pee that much!!

Cabin Surprises

If we are strong, and have faith in life and its richness of surprises, and hold the rudder steadily in our hands. I am sure we will sail into quiet and pleasant waters for our old age.
-Freya Stark

First surprise - seeing a fox for the 1st time in my life. She had a few kits with her too. We definitely locked eyes through my cabin window. I bet she could see me smiling....







2nd surprise was having baby Robins hatch in the eaves of our log cabin. Anytime I made a sound on the deck, 3 little heads would pop up looking for food.







And my best surprise........was my Loons coming back to our lake. I believe they are going to try to nest again. And I'm going to do whatever is in my power to help them. I am looking into getting an artificial nesting raft for my Loons as well as buoys to protect them. More on that later......but can you hear my heart singing once again? :-)

Adventures of the Red Squirrel

Time to lighten things up on my blog!

So how did this Red Squirrel end up exhausted and laying down on my deck railings? To get the answer to that, we have to go back in time....





Here he is munching on some peanuts. Now where did he get those.....






Oh yeah, by cramming his plump little body into my tiny little bird feeder! One thing I do have to say, he was pretty neat. Notice how he placed the empty seed shells outside the feeder.

Loon family, mallard family and a winner

George was right! I have a Loon's nest at my cabin! They are building a nest right at the end of our unfinished dock. What's ironic is that Greg and I named our cabin the "Loon's Nest." No, not because I wear crazy pajamas and he sings Mexican polka songs all the time, but I'd understand why you would think that! (P.S. George, I believe I have your address so I will send out your Loon card!)

This photo was taken far away because during nesting season, a Loon will abandon its nest if you disturb them. They are finicky little duckies! But, I will be getting out my tripod for my mac daddy lens as well as a video camera. I'm about to be a Loon mama!


Also, Mrs. Mallard has a big brood. She had 11 babies! I think I'm going to call them the Duggar family....

A common sight

This is a common sight we see when we drive I-75 north to our cabin. If it's early in the morning or dusk, the deer are plentiful on the side of the road. You have to be careful of them crossing the road which reminds me of a funny story....

Our family had just finished eating at a polish restaurant up north. My mom took home a big platter of sauerkraut. All of us kids piled into the van and continued heading up the interstate to our cabin. Lo and behold a deer crosses the road and my dad decides to swerve to miss it. The van rolls on its side and my mom's sauerkraut has splattered all of us. We were okay but as we stepped out of the van, we had sauerkraut in our hair, clothes, everywhere. Gawkers were pointing and laughing at us. Till this day, I will never eat sauerkraut!

I'm just saying.....

...somebody needs a manicure!



P.S. I'm crossing my fingers my computer virus is gone but I need to take it back to be reformatted. I took it home so I could pull some more photos off of it. Hope you are all doing well - I'll be making my rounds!

It's almost time....

My Loons should be back within the next 30 days. I'm so excited! I have to get ready. Get the kayak geared up. Another memory card for my camera. And a bull horn so I can yell at all those boaters and jet skiers who get too close to my Loon babies!



Here's a video so you can hear how beautiful the Loons sound.

Quick Question!

Do you think I need to throw this bird feeder away?



Some updates: School is going well! I was recently inducted into Phi Theta Kappa which is an honors program for community colleges. Greg is joking now he's married to a sorority girl! Okay - then on spring break, he better take me to Florida!

Also, I've been volunteering at a local hospital and just love it. The highlight of my week last week is when this angry man was yelling and swearing at a fellow volunteer next to me because he felt like she gave him inadequate directions. When he left, I asked the woman "Who is that?" She replied "The pastor!" LOL!!!!

I miss all of you and will be around to visit. (I miss your humor Suz & Jen, I miss your stories and history Betsy, I miss your decorating Penny, I miss your comments Wendy a.k.a. little sis, I miss your projects Sandi, I miss all your interesting tidbits Mildred - and so much more!) Please let me know if I've missed anything!

Birds at the Log Cabin

Some of you already know that I'm a birdwatching enthusiast (okay - I'll say it - I'm a bird nerd!) Winters at the log cabin bring some of the best birding opportunities. Last year I had an abundance of Pine Siskins and Common Redpolls that passed through and ate out of my hands. (Can you imagine what my neighbors think when I'm outside in my sheep pjs, holding out my hand and talking to the little birdies?) Anyways, I've notice the bird activity has increased at my feeders. Come meet some of my friends!

Can you see the Downy Woodpecker storing his food supply?




Here's the Tufted Titmouse. He likes to hang with the Black-capped Chickadees. His bird call sounds like a strangled duck in my opinion - but I still like him!




Here's the Dark-eyed Junco - a sure sign winter is on its way! (I know the only people happy about this is me and Betsy!)




Okay, Scout is not a bird, but I just have to show you how big she is getting. I love this dog so much. She is a big cuddler and still crawls onto my lap whenever she can. Marvin kitty still gets jealous but they are playing well together - i.e. Scout goes to give Marvin a kiss and then Marvin slaps her 10 times in a row.

Making friends on the kayak

It's time for me to take you on another kayak ride. The sun is out, a little warm at 80 degrees but we'll feel cooler once we're out on the lake. Are you ready?


Let's paddle at a leisurely pace and see what we can find.






Here is one of the many water lilies that float on our lake.







Look up ahead! Do you see something in that tall birch tree? Let's get a little closer.








Well it's Harry the Blue Heron! He thinks we can't see him and I'm glad. It allows us enough time to admire his beauty and snap a few shots.





Whoops - looks like he has an itch! We'll just give him some privacy and keep paddling.






Look - there's a family of ducks up ahead. Let's paddle over there.







Well aren't they a fine looking family! They're quacking now, so I'm going to leave them be. Now I hear something else across the lake....






Scout is barking at us from the deck of the log cabin. We better head back and give her a biscuit. Hope you enjoyed today's kayak ride. Scout said next time she would like to ride in the kayak with one of you. Any takers?

I'm going to have Loon babies too!

If you've been a long time reader of my log cabin blog, then you know a few things that I am obsessed about:

1. Log homes (duh!)
2. Kitties and Bernese Mountain Dogs
3. Tree Hugging & nature loving
4. And LOONS!!!

The above photo is of my mama Loon laying on her nest! Her babies will probably hatch this weekend - I am so excited! This nesting raft she is on was crafted by Loon Rangers (and nice friends of mine) to protect them from predators. They typically have 2 babies and when they hatch- they only stay in the nest for one day and then they're off and swimming!

My brood of kids is getting large. Move over Jon & Kate + 8. I propose a new show - Shelley and Greg and their wildlife kingdom! (Greg, I really think we need to add a goat to the mix - what do you think??)

Psst! I pick up Scout tomorrow morning! I'll be sure to post photos tomorrow night!!

Chipmunk Love

Escuse me Chip, that orange feeder is for the Orioles!



We have a chipmunk that has claimed our log cabin as his territory. Whenever I put out a new bird feeder, he has to go investigate it and then take a taste test. He's gotten pretty friendly and will come up to me on the deck to beg for food. (I have to remember to get Greg to snap a photo of me with my buddy.)

This guy has a series of tunnels / holes on our property. Did you know that a Chipmunk has different uses for each tunnel? One is used for his toilet, one is used for storing food, one for sleeping, etc. Here's one of his holes - this is the one he likes to pop out of when I walk by to chirp at me.


P.S. I'm getting ready for my craft show in Gaylord this Saturday. So if you're in the area, please stop by! The show runs from 8 - 4 in the downtown area. I will be selling items from my Nature Store.

Log Cabin Tip

Want to know how to keep a chipmunk off the bird feeder? Bribe him!

Bald Eagle

On my drive up to our log cabin on Friday, I was really sad to see a dead Bald Eagle crumbled on the side of the Interstate. He must have been hit by a car. I called our local DNR (Department of Natural Resources) to report my finding as they are federally protected birds and you are suppose to contact them if you see one in trouble or dead. The rest of the day my heart just hung heavy.

The next morning I was looking out from our deck and could see a "muddy bird" on a little island that's on our lake. I was so happy when I pulled my camera out and realized it was a juvenile Bald Eagle. I felt exhilarated and reborn. It was going to be a great day.



Eagles get their notorious white feathered head and beautiful yellow beak when they are 3-4 years old.

Bird Symphony

Morning is one of the best times at the log cabin. The birds are the most active at this time of day in visiting the feeders and singing their morning songs. One morning it sounded like a symphony. I could hear the Red Winged Blackbird with its baritone song, the Chickadee singing "fee bee" which mean's "this is my territory", the Goldfinches with their sweet little "zweet", and the Loons with their beautiful haunting call across the lake.






The Chickadee voices his approval on the peanuts...



A Bald Eagle flies over the lake in search of fish for breakfast....






And the geese are honking their pleasure at gathering around together.

Nature's Miracle

"I once had a sparrow alight upon my shoulder for a moment, while I was hoeing in a village garden, and I felt that I was more distinguished by that circumstance that I should have been by any epaulet I could have worn."

~Henry David Thoreau




This female Redpoll ate thistle out of my hand this morning at the log cabin(as did several Pine Siskin birds.) Feeling her tiny little bird claws grip my finger while she looked at my face was just one of the most thrilling moments of my life.