Beavers

Here is an exerpt from the book by Audrey Tourney and the Aspen Valley Beavers:
Beaver Tales

Over the years I have known many beavers.  Some have come to the Sanctuary as very small kits, orphaned and cold and hungry.  Some have come as adults, injured, often angry. Mine has been the privilege of giving them the care they have required, and then, in most cases, returning them to the wild where they can live free, natural lives.  These are the experiences I would like to share with you. (p. 9)

Beavers play among themselves. They wrestle, arms on each other's shoulders, feet against the other's chest, they push. The objet seems to be to topple your adversary backwards, sidewards or simply down.  The escape is to dodge under the other fellow's arm when you can.  The teeth, which could be dangerous weapons if the fight were serious, do not come into play at all.  (p.77)

 I have always had a special concern for beavers.  Because I was raised on a farm , their presence was a constant preoccupation.  Although they were wonderful animals, they had to be managed so as not to spoil the spring of pure water that was our source of drinking water.  They had to be kept at bay so they did not flood the cultivated fields.  But, they presence brought joy when we spotted then doing their daily activities.  They were part of our entourage.

I want to recommend to you a children story that my husband wrote about beavers for our grandchildren.  We hope you will like it as much as they have.  It is one of many on his site:

www.pedagrowfun.blogspot.com

Fun Mural with Scraps

Materials:

1. About 20 feet of brown wrapping paper.
2. Wheat paste mixed in small containers (one for each child).
3. Newspapers.
4. Big and little scraps of color paper, tissue paper, bits of cloth, photos, pictures from magazines, string, etc...

Organization:

1. On the floor, place newspaper under the edge of the mural paper. Have ample space so children can walk around mural.
2. Children spread paste with their hands on the mural (brown wrapping paper).
3. All children, with a bunch of scraps, walk around the mural laying contrasting colors, shapes and materials down here and there.
4. More paste is added to mural and the laying of new scraps in done until the entire area has been pleasingly covered.
5. The whole mural is abstract in accidental design.

Time: 30 minutes

6. Let dry thoroughly before varnishing

A Rabbit or a Hare

This morning I saw a rabbit underneath my window.
He was hopping from shrub to shrub with great precaution
I guess he feared for his safety…. It was dog walking time!
I watched as he did his morning rounds. I kept hoping no dog or cat would disturb his outing.
It was a brown rabbit. My Daddy told me it was a hare… a wild rabbit.
These cute little furry animals live in the woods or near civilization , but are not household pets.
In wintertime, my Daddy said, these hares change from brown to white.








BUT! I replied, it’s wintertime now.
OOPS … Since we are in Florida and not in Canada or Northern USA, I guess that rule does not apply.
Soon it will be Easter. The time of the year when white rabbits are very popular.













I feel special this time… I have a little brown bunny who visits me every morning during my holiday in Florida.
It is now asleep underneath a shrub. I will keep watch over it from afar. MY NEW FRIEND.

The Olympics

Vancouver 2010!




At long last, after years of waiting and months of preparation , the time has finally come.

Historically, the Olympics were a most important event. Athletic festivals under the name of "Olympic games", named in imitation of the original festival at Olympia, were established over time in various places all over the Greek world. Records indicate that they began in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece. They were celebrated until 393 AD. when an earthquake destroyed Olympia.[1] The Games were usually held every four years, or olympiad, as the unit of time came to be known. During a celebration of the Games, an Olympic Truce was enacted so that athletes could travel from their countries to Olympia in safety. The prizes for the victors were olive wreaths or crowns.

Modern Olympics:

The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. It was the first Olympic Games held in the Modern era. Ancient Greece was the birthplace of the Olympic Games, consequently Athens was perceived to be an appropriate choice to stage the inaugural modern Games. It was unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin, a French pedagogue and historian, in Paris, on June 23, 1894. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was also established during this congress.

The Olympic Symbol:

The Olympic symbol, better known as the Olympic rings, consists of five intertwined rings and represents the unity of the five inhabited continents (considering North and South America as a single continent). The colored version of the rings—blue, yellow, black, green, and red—over a white field forms the Olympic flag. These colors were chosen because every nation had at least one of them on its national flag.
Months before each Games, the Olympic flame is lit in Olympia in a ceremony that reflects ancient Greek rituals. A female performer, acting as a priestess, ignites a torch by placing it inside a parabolic mirror which focuses the sun's rays; she then lights the torch of the first relay bearer, thus initiating the Olympic torch relay that will carry the flame to the host city's Olympic stadium, where it plays an important role in the opening ceremony.




Winter Games:

The Winter Olympic Games are a winter multi-sport event held every four years. They feature winter sports held on snow or ice, such as Alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, figure skating, bobsledding and ice hockey. Cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping, and speed skating have been competed at every Winter Olympics since 1924. Other athletic events have been added as the Games have progressed. Some of these events, such as luge, short track speed skating, and freestyle skiing have earned a permanent spot on the Olympic programme. Others, like speed skiing, bandy, and skijöring have been demonstration sports but never incorporated officially as an Olympic sport.

Vancouver 2010:

The Mascots:




Let the games begin!

Please send your comments on the Winter Olympic Games of Vancouver 2010.

What do they mean to you?