[LIVING LAB] Northwestern Alligator Lizard

Is it just me, or do you think hot, temperate, tropical destinations when you envision where a lizard would live (in other words, the opposite of here). While, apparently that is not so, as we have our own species of lizard right here on Bowen Island. Allow me to introduce (or re-introduce) to you, the Northwestern Alligator Lizard.

I remember having these little guys in our cliff side garden, when we lived in Queen Charlotte Heights, and have sneaked a peak at a few since moving back here, as they are pretty private, and scurry away from their basking rock as soon as they sense you near. So never have I had a chance to really look at one up close and study their behaviours...

...until now! A couple weeks ago, my friend Tia, discovered one of these little characters in her living room! We are guessing him/her and it's siblings, ventured out of hibernation when the temperatures warmed and when they suddenly dropped again, these poor little critters were left exposed to the elements. We were lucky enough to save two.

And so starts our 2014 Living Lab - HOORAY!!!!!!

We got a nice, fresh, clear plastic bin from the Irly Bird, cut a hole in the top and covered it with cheesecloth. We then filled it with dirt, lichen, moss, sticks and stones from Cape Roger Curtis, which is the perfect environment for them to live in (and where we've seen them in the past). We added a cave, by turning a plastic bath toy on it's side and filling the bottom with dirt, and the outside top and sides with moss. The smooth, flat stones are slices of slate that we scavenged, and the branch is from an arbutus tree.

We added some water by using the lid of a spice jar and filling the base with smooth aquarium stones so it's not too deep. We researched Northern Alligator Lizards in captivity and learned that they eat crickets...and yup, they were correct. Watching this little guy hunt, and chomp down on an insect of this size, is pretty cool to watch.

We have also noted, that he uses his tongue to smell his surroundings, much like a snake. In fact, his body and movements are very snake like. He slithers his way through his habitat - so cool! We will let this little guy go, once the temperature is steadily warmer. Until then, we will continue to document and share his progression with you.

To learn more about the reptiles that call Beautiful British Columbia their home, visit bcreptiles.ca

[CHICKENS] Hello Handsome

We've been ruffling some feathers in our coop. Meet 'Ruby' our beautiful Light Sussex rooster. He came free with a dozen eggs from our local farm...gotta love living in the country!

Our neighbour's cat has taken quite an interest in our hens and has started stocking and trying to attack them. So to save our hens (and the cat) from being injured, we decided to add a 'man' to the flock. So far the girls have been less than enthused and have been downright mean to him - especially my little fire ball, Blacky, who seems to feel she's the cock of the walk.

Well girlies, get used to it as there will be four more gals joining our family this spring. So excited to be raising some little fluff bums again. Now if only I can convince my husband that ducks are a good idea...

Left to Right: Blue Cochin, Amerecauna, Welsummer, Buff Brahma

Once everyone is laying, this will be the array of colours we can expect. So excited...it's like Easter every day!

[EXPLORE] Headwaters Trail

Headwaters Park is located off Cowan Point Road directly across the street from Quarry Park. Turn left onto Sunset Road from Adams Road and continue towards the golf course. Turn right at the crosswalk which is the entrance to Quarry Park - park and cross the street to Headwaters trailhead.

The trail encircles a marshy wetlands with a beautiful series of raised boardwalks through the centre. It's a level walk, which is stroller friendly for the majority (if choosing to cut through the centre onto the boardwalks, the narrow entrance through the forest is tricky with a stroller) and is filled with beautiful vegetation unique to this area.

In the summertime, you can find many different species of ferns, moss, wild violets and sundews (a carnivorous plant native to our marshlands) as well as, hundreds of beautiful mushrooms in the fall.

The backside of the trail connects with the Josephine Ridge trail, which is another mid island treasure.

For more information please visit Bowen Island Conservancy

[TUTORIAL] Leaf Portraits

November crafts are all about preserving the last of our fall leaves before the rains and snow hit our coast. A good idea is to get out there now and collect these lovelies and press them so they're ready and at your fingertips all winter long.

Our first ode to fall are these fun leaf portraits. We used scrapbooking paper, however any kind of paper will work. Try newsprint, ledger paper, magazines...the sky's the limit.

SUPPLIES:

• Fresh or pressed leaves
• Decorative paper
• Cardboard or heavy card stock
• White glue
• Foam brush
• Google eyes
• Wax paper
• Heavy book (for pressing)

STEP ONE Cut cardboard and decorative paper to desired size. We used a 5" x 5" square.

STEP TWO Cut 'frame' out of complimentary decorative paper (a solid colour would work well too) same size as in STEP ONE with opening - we used a 3/4" border.

STEP THREE Pat leaves dry if damp and create your character. When happy with arrangement, use a foam brush to spread an even layer of glue to the leaf. Press well in place. Continue with all leaves.

STEP FOUR Sandwich leaf portrait between wax paper and place inside a heavy book to help dry flat.

STEP FIVE Once piece is dry, adhere the leaf portrait to cardboard backing by once again applying an even coat of glue with foam brush. Adhere border and glue eyes and other facial features...admire your new portrait.

MORE IDEAS Rather than a paper border, try twigs or popsicle sticks. Add other natural elements to leaf portrait such as feathers, acorn caps, seashells...get creative and have fun!

[EXPLORE] Mike's Lorg

For many, Adams Roads' only use is to get from point A to point B. But for those of us that live in this valley, we know that Adams Road has much more to offer than what meets the eye.

Our first exploration of mid-island is Mike's Lorg Trail. We LOVE this trail all year round - especially since it's stroller and kid friendly. The trail head is located on Buchanen Road, after crossing over Explosive Creek on your right side. The trail dips rather steeply into a beautiful, wooded valley with massive trees, and a rushing creek. The first bridge you cross, has steps that lead you to a little sitting area. In the spring, it is filled with bright green and yellow skunk cabbage, frogs, salamanders...a real nature explorers delight.

The second bridge, leads you out of the forest and follows the back side of Donna and Pat Buchanen's Highland farm. The gently rolling pastures and rustic outbuildings make a beautiful back drop on this stretch of the walk. We love visiting with the donkeys and horse. They're very friendly, and will follow you along the trail from their side of the fence.

When the trail ends, you will find yourself on Grafton Road and the entrace to Highland. If open, Donna always has farm fresh eggs for sale, along with her homemade preseves and fresh produce from the garden depending on the season. Continue along Grafton and turn right onto Adams to complete the loop.

[FAMILY] Canoeing + Beach Exploring

The thick October fog has rolled in on our coast. The foghorns echo through the valley, and the mountains have all but disappeared. That's the thing with living by the water - the weather can change in the blink of an eye...so if you see sunshine, you better get out there and enjoy it.

That's exactly what we did this past weekend. Monday morning we woke up to beautiful sun. It was a rare full day that Geoff would be able to spend time with us, and I didn't want to waste a single second. My first thought was to go into town and visit the zoo, or Stanley Park, maybe take a walk in Lighthouse Park...but after commuting all week, the thought of having to go into town on his only day off, did not appeal to him at all. Feeling defleated (and bored), I racked my brain to come up with something semi-exciting to do on this island. The best I could come up with...the beach. Snoar...not the beach again...how many tide pools can I make exciting, how many rocks can I turn over to find the biggest catch of crabs...I'll let Geoff take the lead this time (you know, show him how tough my isolated little world can be sometimes).

Well, that backfired. It just so happens that it was one of the BEST BEACH DAYS EVER! We found fish, crabs, starfish, hermit crabs and snails. We explored caves, made a beach fort out of logs and driftwood, and disected a crab (Logan was fascinated - in a scientific way...not creepy future serial killer).

After we went home to grab some lunch. We were getting ready to walk one of our beautiful lakes, when Geoff had the brilliant idea to canoe around the lake instead. The kids, and I, loved it! Was so wonderful to see the lake from a different perspective.

So happy we took the time to enjoy this beautiful weather, as right now, I can't see the trees infront of our house...feeling a little claustrophobic!!

[HOMESTEAD] Harvest

Well, our little veggie patch is finished for the season. We harvested everything that was still left (other than the kale...it's still going strong!), and let the chickens have free range in the beds. The poor girlies look straight out onto the garden - must have been driving them crazy all summer (didn't even think of that).

Logan LOVED helping Geoff dig up all the potatoes. It was like a treasure hunt, finding all those little spuds burried deep in the soil. So rewarding.

Chloe found some teeny tiny carrots, which she was pretty happy with.

Our accidental pumpkin patch gave us some nice jack-o-lantern candidates.

Lots of beets were still left, and a few straggling zucchinnis, as well as, beans. Speaking of beans...what the heck should I do with them all. Dry them? Freeze them?

All in all, a pretty good harvest from our little patch.

[MAMA MADE] Making for ME

Drop Thing Number One off - rush rush rush - Drop Thing Number Two off - drive drive drive - Clear off sewing table, unpack fabrics, load up sewing machine, set up ironing board, layout, cut, pin...dammit....drive drive drive - pick up Thing Number Two - make lunch, walk dog - pick up Thing Number One - snack, clean house, dinner, dishes, home reading, story time - Things in bed - pack up ironing board, fold away fabric, clean up pins - husband in bed. Sewing sitting until the following week. Stress.

Why...why am I doing this?? Wellll, I'm not. Not this year. I have decided to shelf the Christmas Craft Fair after a six year stretch. And, [hooray] it feels GREAT! I thought I'd be disappointed, but I'm not. This year is all about my little ones, my family. So excited to make handmade goods for them for a change.

Speaking of handmade - here's a little skirt I just finished for my Chloe. It was a super simple pattern, that I knitted up in a few days. I blocked my knits (never done that before....wow, what a difference!) and made an i-cord for the drawsting (never done that either...thank you YouTube).

I LOVE it. It hangs beautifully, is super duper soft and looks beautiful on my munchkin.

And best of all, it has passed a day of wear and tear from the Bird.

[HOMESTEAD] Playstation

Hello! Is it just me, or is anyone else finding it difficult to get back in the groove of the school year? Packing lunches, keeping up with laundry, home reading, adjusting to a new grade level and teacher, new routines...whew! Slowly, we're settling into the fall, and with that, comes a new chapter for my littlest...pre-school! Chloe has started at our local Montessori school and is getting used to the idea of being on her own for a few hours a week. Today, there were no tears when Mommy said goodbye - hooray!!

I have taken advantage of the empty house, and have been doing some purging, re-organizing and cleaning. I have found that since starting school again, both my littles are really enjoying making artwork. I had a space set up for them upstairs, but found that I was constantly bringing the supplies down to the kitchen for supervision. So I have cleared our shelving unit and have created an area for supplies and toys.

The shelving unit is set up to create a visual separation between the living room and kitchen, as our plan is very open with high ceilings.

Puzzles, blocks and animals are being kept in baskets - simple organization and makes it easy to get the kids in the habit of putting away their toys.

[MAMA MADE] Knit + Purl

There is a definite change in season happening here on the coast - the days are getting noticably shorter, the air damp and cool and soon our little island will be filled with the scent of cedar and smoke from our wood stoves.

Fall is coming in fast, and with it brings the warmth and coziness this beautiful season has to offer. My favourite way to welcome fall - dig out my yarn and needles and start knitting. I LOVE KNITTING. Here we are at the end of August, and I have already completed my first project for Chloe. A little knitted cowl that can be worn over her shoulders or bunched around her neck. I started it last week, hoping to have it finished by Thanksgiving (I'm not very fast)...and here it is...DONE! Pretty impressed with this pattern - not only is it super cute, but it's also easy, fast, and the garment will last for more than just one season.

[MAMA MADE] Summer Market

Well, after the driest summer on record, I decided to choose yesterday (Sunday) to participate in our local summer market. Of course, it POURED!! Oh that silly Murphy and his law (what's Murphy's Law anyways??). So, my sales totalled a whopping $2.00 after purchasing the table and buying a hamburger - sigh. BUT, the good news...my display turned out GREAT and there's still a few weeks left to sell.

With the lack of sewing space, time and a (very) limited budget, I had to get creative with my craft of choice - so I turned to this beautiful island for inspiration. My table consisted of terrariums collected from different areas of Bowen, driftwood sailboats, floating glass necklaces filled with bits and pieces of nature and little specimen boxes of curiosities.

The labels are inspired by scientific specimen and vintage luggage tags, and the curio boxes remind me of pretty soap packaging...I love how they turned out. Unfortunately, most of them got a bit wet during our stormy start, so I'll have to re-do them (grrrrrrrr).

The table was so much fun to set up. I used an old little side table that I found in our basement, an upside down crate to display the terrariums, and an antique window became a pretty raised platform. Doily bowls displayed seashells and necklaces, and some cool pieces of driftwood with lettering on them, became my jewellry display. Starfish and sandollars added some under the sea pizazz and my barn board mirror from the bathroom added some pretty, reflective sparkle. All very simple pieces that packed a big punch.

Okay, time to check the weather forecast for next weekend...and if all else fails, my new home decor will be nautical...!