What's in a name? A complicated story

In addition to L.'s pigs, she also has had two lambs to name this spring. It's been an interesting time to bear witness to L.'s biggest challenge in life - making a decision.

Now I have to admit that I can find making decisions a challenge at times. When naming my children my husband and I debated (somewhat heatedly) for months before settling on names for each of our girls. When all was said and done, not only did the girls end up with namesake first names because that was easier to find common ground than trying to find a non-family name we could agree upon, they each ended up with two middle names as well (one has both her grandmother's names, the other has both her great-grandmother's names). I justify this mouthful of names being in the spirit of maintaining their Latin heritage.

But then there are the nicknames, of which each of my kids has one.

So I really should not wonder why my child has such a hard time settling on a single name for her animals each spring. I have not set the best example for her in that department.

But she does have some basic criteria when choosing an animal name.

1.) She has to come up with it on her own. Suggestions are not (generally) welcome.
2.) It has to "mean something."

And although I'm not sure she's actually aware of this last item, I have noticed (as well as some close friends and family members) it seems to be part of the decision making process...

3.) It has to be a name that requires explanation.

Last year's pigs, Pulchra and Titus, were named after characters from the Roman Mysteries book series.

Then came the chance to name her first lamb, Midnight Minette, whose moniker was chosen for yet another book series (this one about horses, although I can't remember which one as she has read so many in this genre).

So when this year's pigs arrived, it was harder for L. to come up with more names, hence the Facebook voting before she settled on Petunia and Groovy Smoothie.

Now there is only one animal left without a name, L.'s second lamb. For the past few weeks the little ewe has been known as "317" (her ear tag number).

On Monday L. finally settled on a name.

"Symphony"

Now you might think this is because L. plays the clarinet in the school band - and you would be partly correct. There is however more to it than that (refer to #3 in the naming selection criteria).

Symphony is dark chocolate brown with a couple of lighter patches of brown on her back and neck (which has been very handy when trying to pick her out of the flock of Romney lambs). This coloring prompted L. to think the lighter spots looked like the toffee chips in her favorite chocolate candy, Hershey's Symphony Bar.

So because this name had multiple meanings to her, she decided it was the perfect one.

There are many things I love about L. but the one that's at the forefront of my mind right now is that she is a great, blogger's daughter.


Oh and in case you were wondering, Symphony was introduced to the halter on Monday and didn't like it any better than Minette did initially.

Symphony did a lot of throwing herself on the ground too.

Minette is still vocal about the halter (lots of loud baaahhhs and maaahhs) but walks much better with it now. I wonder what she was thinking when she gazed down at Symphony while she was at the height of her anger and defiance with the halter.

Care to caption the photo?

The Swine Queen (of Chow)

L. has been enjoying her piglets and they already know she's THE most important human in their life. She's the one who feeds them and makes sure their pen is relatively poop-free twice a day.

Groovy Smoothie and Petunia are paparazzi-like in their adoration of L. and follow closely on her heels whenever she's nearby, hoping she'll offer a scrap in her wake.

She has become the Swine Queen of Chow in less than two weeks.

But she always offers a kind word, or scratch, to her subjects whenever she's in their (pen) realm.

But that saying about not biting the hand that feeds you? That's a little lost on Groovy Smoothie and Petunia. They just can't help but try to take a nibble of their Queen's coat, pants or boots when the opportunity presents itself. Our swine friends last year had the same inclination, hence the duct tape on L.'s boots.

Petunia is trying to take a nibble out of the top of L.'s boots in this photo. The black duct tape covers Pulchra's (nearly successful) attempt at eating the boots last year. Wearing the boots and moving around does not always deter the pigs from nibbling, especially as they get larger.

Of course they seem to like to nibble on the Queen's mother as well. But such is life with swine adoration. It's all about checking out everything to see if it's edible.

This year though, L.'s determined to provide more exercise with that chow. Video to come later on that.

Vernal pool research weekend: Year 2

The girls and I were doing some more field research for the UMaine vernal pool research project this past weekend. Last year during our late-April research outings, we found frog and salamander egg masses at the vernal pools we visited. This year spring came early and when we went out this weekend (the same weekend as last year), we found fairy shrimp, a vernal pool indicator species that doesn't usually make an appearance until May.

So although not great for the research project overall (we should have anticipated we'd need to be out earlier in the month to count egg masses), finding fairy shrimp was great fun for us since we didn't find any last year.

And to prove the point that we're new to this type of scientific research and identification, we initially thought that these creatures were fairy shrimp.

But when we saw the real thing...

Fairy shrimp are the larger orange-ish creatures.



... we realized that those smaller black creatures were something else.

After a bit of research at home with some help from the UMaine vernal pool research website, we discovered that the thousands of little black invertebrates we found were actually mosquito larvae.

From UMaine's vernal pool website

Based on the thousands we saw in several different pools we visited, we're in for a biting good time this summer.

We did find a bit of frog activity evidence with tiny little tadpoles we're hoping (but will have to let the UMaine folks verify for certain) are the wood frogs (vernal indicator species) we had originally set out to find. They were in the same pools we found fairy shrimp in so it's a hopeful (somewhat educated) guess. We're also thinking that the egg masses may have just recently hatched given how small they were.

The small round creatures are tadpoles, the longer thin ones are mosquito larvae.

Like last year, we were mucking around in the water and trekking through mud and were reminded again that in-the-field research is not for the faint-of-nature heart.

And even though bug spray was part of our research gear, we still had to put our jacket hoods up a couple of times because the black flies were out in such force Saturday morning.

And poor G., our team's research photographer, had a hard time getting video of the area because the flying insects kept getting in her way.



But there were a lot of other very interesting discoveries during our research that did not necessarily have to do with vernal pool identification but were exciting finds none the less.

Lots 'o deer tracks seen through the wetlands (not vernal we don't think) at one location.

Raccoon tracks

The mama duck actually scared the bejesus out of us when she took flight less than three feet from us. L. was quite indignant when we found this nest afterward, "What kind of mama duck is she leaving her eggs like that!"

Fiddleheads

Like a lot of scientific research, we found a little of what we hoped to and a lot more that we hadn't anticipated, but were happy to have made all the varied discoveries.

Preview: Have fun catching what fishermen do

The Fishermen's Festival in Boothbay Harbor is all about celebrating the working fishermen of Maine. Activities and competitions during the three-day event will demonstrate skills and offer some great entertainment for spectators and participants.

"Come and join us and have a good time. I guarantee you'll have a lot of laughs," said Brenda Blackman, co-chair of this year's event.

The 37-year-old festival has featured the trap-hauling competition since the beginning. It's interesting to watch, but hard work for the competitors.

"With a captain and stern man, they race down the ramp and untie their boats and go to the string of traps," Blackman explained. "Then they haul the traps, bait and reset them, and then return to the dock and race back up the ramp.

"This event really opens your eyes into what lobstermen do on a daily basis. They go out to haul and bait up to 700 traps every week."

According to Blackman, the best place to watch is by the park at Fisherman's Wharf.

Lobster-crate running, which starts at 9:45 a.m. Saturday, is sure to prompt some giggles.

It is an all-ages competition that requires running over as many traps, strung in the water between two docks, as possible in three minutes without falling. As spectators have seen in years past, the older contestants are not always as successful as the younger ones.

"The youngest (competitor) was 6 years old and didn't fall. Some kids are willing and able and just go for it. The oldest person was in his mid-50s, I think, but he had an oops moment and didn't make it," Blackman said.

For artistic types, a pot buoy decorating contest will be held Saturday. Artists of any age can purchase a buoy for $5 at First Bank in Boothbay Harbor this week. Entrants can drop off their artistically styled buoy (decorating to be done at home) at the waterfront on Saturday morning for judging. There is a $1 donation required to vote, with all proceeds going to the Fishermen's Memorial Fund. Winners will be announced at noon Saturday.

Other events to benefit the memorial fund include the Shrimp Princess Pageant at 7 p.m. Friday at Boothbay Regional High School and the fish fry lunch at noon Saturday at the Boothbay Lobster Wharf.

"After the fish fry people hang out to talk and listen to stories from the fishermen. You can meet a lot of fishermen at the dock at that time to listen to their stories," Blackman said.

There's plenty more on Saturday, including a dory bailing competition at 10:30 a.m. and a tug of war at 11:15.

On Sunday, a memorial service and blessing of the fleet will be held at Fisherman's Memorial Park. Participating boats will gather at Harbor Island. While the bells are ringing, a minister will bless each vessel as it approaches the docks.

FISHERMEN’S FESTIVAL
WHEN: April 23-25
WHERE: Boothbay Harbor
HOW MUCH: Some events free, fee charged at others.
FOOD OPTIONS: On Saturday, a pancake breakfast starting at 6 a.m. at the Boothbay Region Lions Club Hall, Lakeview Road, West Boothbay Harbor; coffee and doughnuts sold on the waterfront; the fish fry at noon; a supper at the Congregational Church on Townsend Avenue with seatings at 5 and 6 p.m.
PARKING: There are three large town parking lots at Townsend Avenue and Oak Street.
DON’T MISS: Trap-hauling competition at 8:45 a.m. Saturday.
KID-FRIENDLY FACTOR: There are many events kids can participate in but pre-registration is required for most. All entertainment at the festival is kid-friendly.
BENEFITS: The Fishermen’s Memorial Fund.
IN CASE OF BAD WEATHER: All events will be held rain or shine.
MORE INFO: www.boothbayharbor.com

Originally published in the Maine Sunday Telegram April 18, 2010

Gem show gets rock hounds excited

Yesterday we went to the Gem and Mineral Show at USM (Sullivan Gym in Portland - it continues thru today) and it was fab. Lots of interesting geological finds from all over the world to admire.

L. left with a lot of loot from the event. She dug in the mini-mine and came out with some rocks she really liked (it's $1 for 1 minute of digging - more than enough time to find some great stuff worth more than that).

There were other games to play (including panning for gold) as well as grab bags (one free for all kids at the event, another she paid $1) that included some great finds. But the highlight for her was the silent auction. She had $5 left and found a bracelet she really liked on the auction table.

By staying close to the table and out-bidding in 25 cent increments (this was an easy addition computation for her on the fly within her budget) she managed to win the bracelet for $4.25. She was pleased as punch and chattered all the way home about it.

This show is great for people who make their own jewelry as well as kids who love rocks. Everything is labeled to identify the type of rock/gem it is, and where it came from. If you've ever wondered about a rock you've found, the people at the show are more than happy to help you identify it if you bring it.

The show continues today from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. It's the biggest gem/mineral show in Maine, but don't let that change your mind if you're not a crowds person. The show is low-key and kids will leave with plenty of new items to add to their collection... likely for less than a couple of dollars.

And there are plenty of choices for mom to add to her jewelry collection. G. picked out a pair of fab stone earrings for me and she left with a small stone necklace. Combined we paid under $10.

The kids are now inspired to do some mining on their own, which is in the works to do soon.

Lots of interesting pieces on exhibit to learn about at the show.

Piglets are in the house

L. got her new 4H piglets on Tuesday and she is thrilled. The 9-week-old swine are super friendly and very cute.

They are a mix of the Hampshire and Yorkshire breeds and although siblings, they look really different (they probably have a mix of some other breed as well but we're not sure).

The male is black with the white band of a Hampshire (like L.'s pigs from last year). The female however is a lop-eared, all black pig.

As for their names, L. had a hard time making a decision this year (last year's Roman Mystery series book inspiration couldn't be used again). At her suggestion, I posted a query to my friends and family on Facebook to help her narrow down her choices.

After some input and L. doing a lot of hemming and hawing (i.e., code words for driving me crazy with her indecision, which is nothing new for us) she settled on...

Petunia for the all black female
Groovy Smoothie for the white banded male

And for anyone wondering, yes, Groovy Smoothie was named after the 4H Mini Forum Groovy Smoothie class. L. is quite pleased as she came up with the idea on her own. I would guess there will be a few chuckles from 4H friends at the Cumberland fairgrounds in September when they read that name over the loud speakers during the swine auction.

Groovy Smoothie and Petunia are snuggled up in a warm dry shelter for the weekend. When the sun makes a re-appearance in Maine, hopefully before the end to the long holiday weekend, the piglets will be out and about in their pen. That's when G. plans to get some better pictures of the little guys.

Wildlife: all about perspective, education

During our trip to Florida we went paddling at Alexander Springs in Ocala National Forest. The recommendation to visit this place came from a ranger at Juniper Springs (also in the national forest). We had planned to paddle at Juniper per a suggestion from some cousins who loved the canoe trips they've taken there. It's a 7-mile one-way, paddle down river with lots of wildlife sighting possibilities.

But after a short conversation with the ranger about the paddle not being for "beginners" (even though we're not new to paddling, I wanted something easy because I'm not familiar with Florida waters) and mentioning to the ranger that it would just be the girls and I paddling, she suggested Alexander Springs. She said Juniper Springs was better done with at least two (or more) canoes in a group with a couple of experienced paddlers.

After her description of Alexander I agreed it sounded like a better plan for me and the girls.

My mother, the not-so-keen-on-nature type, was relieved we decided to skip Juniper Springs. In the ranger's description of that river she said many paddlers, even ones with some experience, tend to dump their canoes around the first two bends in the river.

Oh, did I mention part of the appeal of this paddle was to see alligators?

Yeah, grandma didn't mind driving the extra mileage to Alexander Springs.

And truth be told, I thought it a better plan as well since I was the solo parent on the adventure.

When we got to Alexander Springs the canoe rental coordinator took some time to explain to me what the river was like and a landmark turn-around location he thought offered an easy paddle that wouldn't take more than an hour and a half.

My mother liked the sound of this place much better but she was still not keen on renting a canoe with her husband to join us though.

Then the canoe guy explained it was the start of alligator mating season so we would likely hear some alligator bellowing (to attract mates and declare territory - learn more here) and see some of them along the riverbank during our paddle. He advised we stay in the middle of the river to avoid territory disputes among gators at this time of year. And although alligators are not aggressive toward humans and generally want nothing to do with us, the males sometimes get a bit territorial during this season.

Then he mentioned that the forest rangers had taken a male alligator out of the river to relocate just a couple of hours before we got there because he was more than 10 feet long. The rangers don't like gators that big in the waters at the national forest we were told (they manage the population to stay under 9 feet long) so we didn't need to worry we'd see anything "too big" in the river.

This did not scare the girls or I off the paddle. We were eager to see, and hear, some gators along the way while maintaining a healthy respect (and reasonable distance) for the wild creatures that live in and around the river. And being told the rangers remove the larger males (they're the most likely to get aggressive if provoked in some way) sounded perfectly reasonable to me. Grandma did not offer an opinion on the matter.

It always takes the girls and I a few minutes to get in to a paddling rhythm and this ride was no exception (i.e., glad we skipped Juniper this time and will try it next time when Fino is with us).

But the river was very calm (we were told it was less than a 1-knot current) and was just as described by the ranger - a super easy paddle.

We saw a lot of turtles and fish swimming in the clear blue water...

many different kinds of birds...

turtles sunning themselves on logs....

and yes, alligators by the shore (we heard a lot more than we saw though).

Had we not been to Silver Springs (yes, everything seems to be named 'spring' in Ocala) the day before to learn about alligators and attend an educational workshop about the reptiles, maybe I would not have been as comfortable with the paddle.

Grandma played off her comfort with our river adventure well as we launched the canoe. But she did send us a text to check in about 15 minutes in to the paddle just to make sure we were doing OK.

It was an AWESOME paddle that took us about a hour and a half, just as the canoe rental guy had said, which confirmed something we have known for quite some time - take advice from the rangers because they KNOW what they're talking about (many people I know have their own ideas about things and don't always listen).

We were so jazzed about the adventure and all our wildlife sightings that we decided once the rental was returned, to hike the park's short trail through the woods along the river bank we had just paddled by.

There were some interpretive signs to explain the trees and plants along the trail and was a super easy 1.5 mile round trip hike on a board walk trail.

This was a gem of a place and a nice easy nature trail introduction to the Ocala National Forest.

Hiking at Alexandar Springs in Ocala NF

And no, we didn't see any alligators on the nature trail. But the flying bugs, whooo boy, there were plenty of those around!

L.'s assessment of the bug situation, which was manageable after an application of bug spray, focused on the bees when sharing our hiking story with Fino.

"Daddy, they have bees the size of thumbs in Florida!"

As far as L. was concerned, the "thumb bees" were much more scary than the "cool alligators" on our Florida outdoor adventures.

In a debate between which would be more likely to actually hurt us - an alligator or a bee - I'd have to say L. might be on to something.

After a quick web search, I found bee stings kill approximately 50 people each year. Since 1948, only 17 humans have been confirmed killed by alligators (according to Time Magazine).

I think a little time in a new place, some education about wildlife and perspective is all that's really needed to enjoy, appreciate and respect the natural world.

A supply of bug spray doesn't hurt either.

Kid Tracks Column: Bradbury offers ideal spring hike

Bradbury Mountain State Park’s Summit Trail is a short, enjoyable hike for families to explore in spring. With less than a quarter-mile to the summit and a manageable elevation gain for little ones, the rocky trail makes for a not-so-muddy hike after a spring rainstorm. And the view from the top of the mountain shows plenty of signs that spring is here.

It’s a short and fairly easy tromp to the summit of Bradbury even for little ones, with a total elevation gain of about 200 feet. Another plus for families with young children: There are picnic tables as well as a large playground at the trail head.

But the warm sunshine? There’s nothing like taking it in at the top of a mountain, especially this time of year.

The girls and I soaked up the sun after our short hike to the summit and watched some serious birders set up their large telescope to watch all the feathered action in the skies around the mountain. Birders report that this time of year offers good views of the hawk migration. We didn’t spot any while we were there, but had our small Bird Identiflyer. As usual, that electronic device kept my young bird-watchers entertained trying to identify all the bird songs we heard.

My 12-year-old also enjoyed exploring the caves around the summit. She didn’t care to crawl too far inside, but the caves did prompt some interesting discussions about the types of animals that might seek shelter there.

With all the recent rain and reports of overflowing rivers, it’s a given you’re going to find mud on a lot of trails in southern and central Maine this month. We found several patches of mud along the Northern Loop Trail, but nothing that was impassable. The kids and I had on all-terrain hiking boots and although they were covered in mud by the time we returned to the trail head, the mess was manageable and our socks stayed dry.

There is more than mud on the trails right now. We saw several butterflies and heard quite a symphony of frog calls on the Northern Loop Trail. Spring is a great time to hike with children and challenge them to find signs of the season. There are plenty emerging this month.

The day we visited, we had just a couple of hours to enjoy an outdoor adventure before our usual weekday schedule pulled us in a different direction. Our hike up the Summit Trail and then down the Northern Loop Trail only added up to about 1 1⁄2 miles of hiking. So if you’re a family with time constraints but want to get outside for a short time to soak up some springtime sun and sights, this is a great little Maine mountain to do just that.

THE HIKE
WHERE: Bradbury Mountain State Park
LOCATION: 528 Hallowell Road, Pownal
ELEVATION GAIN: Approximately 200 feet
TERRAIN: Packed dirt
BATHROOMS: Yes
PARKING: Large parking area at the trail head
HOURS: 9 a.m. to sunset year-round
FEE: Park admission fee is $3 for adults, $1 for children. Bring exact change as the fee is deposited in metal tube at entrance if no attendant is on duty.
TRAIL CONDITIONS: Biking and horses are not permitted on any trails at the park right now. Trail conditions are updated regularly at: www.bradburymountain.com/updated-trail-conditions.html
CAMPING: There are 41 campsites available at the park.
OTHER: There is also a large playground at the trail head with picnic tables.
DIRECTIONS: From I-295 in Portland, take Route 9 toward Cumberland Center and Pownal. Signs on Route 9/Hallowell Road in Pownal lead to the park.

Bradbury Mountain State Park

Originally published in The Maine Sunday Telegram April 11, 2010

Nature theme park adventure at Silver Springs

We took a glass bottom boat ride at Florida's Silver Springs during our vacation and the kids absolutely loved it.

The ride was a history and geology lesson wrapped up in to an entertaining 40-minute ride on the Silver River. We saw lots of fish and turtles under the water but they were tricky to photograph so G. took some video of the underwater sights.



The glass bottom boat...

I didn't know that the Silver River has been an underwater set location for quite a few movies, including the 007 movie "Moonraker." My phone camera wasn't so great but if you look closely, you can see the statues used in that movie. Those same statues have been used in several other movies as well.

  We did catch plenty of sights above the water too...




Silver Springs is a theme park but it is small and does not feature rides other than the glass bottom boat and a slow moving horizontal Ferris wheel that takes you above the treeline to get a bird's eye view of the park.



This place is really all about the animals and wildlife of Florida. It reminded me a bit of the Wildlife Park in Gray because it featured mostly creatures native to its state (although it's not a wildlife rehab center).

G. was in her glory with a camera during our visit so I'll let her share her pictures as she explored the park.





 

 

We saw live white alligators. They are like the blue lobsters of Maine, rare and unusual. According to National Geographic News, "Albino alligators do not survive long in the wild because their white skin makes them susceptible to sunburn and makes them easy targets for predators. Out of an estimated 5 million American alligators living worldwide, only 30 are known to be true albinos."

Silver Springs held a contest to name these gators (a female and male) and the plaque identified the final choices - Casper and Ivory.

 

 

 

G. took some video around the park as well...



Many of the birds at the park were not caged but there were a few that were. This little Houdini wanna-be made us laugh, but also made us a bit sad because clearly he was smart enough to understand how to get out. Trouble was, he just couldn't open the lock on his own. He put in a good effort trying though...