Josiah's Birthday Fun

We recently celebrated Josiah's 10th birthday, with friends and later with family, and in between with some "wild" animals.
Here's a Smilebox as proof.

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What a Lot of Butterflies Go Flying By!

 

 

All of these pictures were taken on the same day. It seemed we just kept seeing them. And not just butterflies, but caterpillars, too. Josiah even got "stuck" by a Saddleback that just dropped onto his hand. It did hurt, but none of the stickers stayed in his skin. We put ice and then a baking soda paste and it started feeling better.

An Animal Surprise

On our ride home from vacation last Friday, it was cloudy and rainy. It would have been a dismal day if we had not had some surprises along the way. Our favorite was a little petting zoo just off the interstate that we had never noticed before. Shortly after going through Macon, we were in need of a stretch break and saw a sign. The rain had stopped, so we pulled up by the gas station, paid a $1.00 entry fee, got food for the animals and took some time to enjoy more of God's creation.

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Mousy Monday

 

Hey Petunia! I have an idea.

 

 

What is it?

 

Let's go out in the yacht?

I'll be right there.

 

Here we go!

 

. . .

(later)

 

 

 

That was a nice ride.

 

 

 

 

Oh no! Our home has been invaded by mice. 

 

 

 

Yep! And they're eating our food, too.

 

 

 

Don't worry, Dear. I'll take care of them.

Now, they're gone.

All is well.

Home Sweet Home.

No Baby Birds but, . . .

After some time, we noticed that Lancelot and Mist were not sitting on the eggs, so we took them out and candled them. We found them to be infertile as we suspected.
The plan is to give them some time without a nest box and then we'll try again later.
For now, what's the next exciting thing?
Josiah has been wanting a small pet that he can handle and train. After much talk of guinea pigs and other possible rodents, we decided on a mouse. They are small, don't make much noise, and from my experience are pleasant pets to have.
By the time we did our research and started gathering supplies, everyone in the family wanted a mouse. We learned that they are very social and enjoy being with other mice. So what started out as a pet for Josiah has become a family project. We planned to get all female mice, because they produce less odor, so we bought them from a store that sells ONLY FEMALE mice.
We got home with them and opened the box to transfer them to their cages. We have two ten gallon tanks with screen covers with plans to keep two mouse in each.

"Aren't they cute?"

I got mine out first and noticed something almost immediately as "he" crawled up my arm. Yes, I said "he". Not sure how this happened. I certainly did not notice in the store and was not even looking since it was an ALL FEMALE MICE store.

 

Needless to say, I had to keep mine seperate until we could do an exchange. There is also the possibility that any one of our females could be pregnant. We'll have to wait and see.

Theron had picked out a mouse similar in color to mine and named it PIRATE PETE, even though we are pretty sure it is a female. What other name could you give a mouse with a black spot over one eye?

"Hi ya, mateys!"

Hannah picked out a mouse that looks like the one I had when I was younger. Mine was called "May", probably because I got it in the month of May. Hannah calls hers JEMIMA.

"I'm a natural!"

Josiah got the sweetest mouse yet. It's fur is so silky and its name is SQUEEK.

 

We've had the mice one week and I exchanged my male for a female. Her name is PETUNIA and she shares a cage with PIRATE PETE. She was very shy at first, but the other mice drew her out and before we knew it Josiah had her on his hand.

 

Here's a close up of her thinking about coming out to play.

Vacation 2012 - Part Six

I'm getting to relive my vacation with each post and each Smilebox. I hope you are enjoying it as much as I am.
This next one includes the Turtle Center that we visited the same day as our Sapelo Island Tour. I did not get many pictures. I guess I was tired.
It also includes part of the next day at Skidaway Island Park. We went there to explore and do some geocaching.

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Eastern Fence Lizard

Thanks to my adventurous boy, I am learning more about nature up close than I ever thought I would. Actually, I thought I knew alot, but he is proving me wrong.
Today was one of those days. He discovered something that he was sure was a baby bearded dragon. One of those cute little things at the pet shop that he would love to have. Not so sure, we searched the internet and quickly found it's true identity.



Eastern Fence Lizard

It is most likely a female. Males have a blue underbelly. It will probably grow to around 4 inches. It is arboreal (likes to live in trees and bushes). For dinner, she likes crickets, grasshoppers, or gnats. They are non-agressive and make good pets, according to the website I read.

She was found in Lawrenceville and we brought her home to research. She seems very calm and does not mind Josiah holding her. Right now she is kept in a rather small container as our larger containers now house a bullfrog and tadpoles (seperately, of course). We will have to look for something larger for her.

At the Library

We go to the library every week. Hannah picks out some fiction books (although since watching and reading the Guardians of Gahool, she has been reading some factual books about owls), Josiah usually selects books about animals, and I pick up books and DVDs that I ordered online that go along with our studies.
Today was a bit unusual at the library. There was an opposum at the library.

Opposum

Then, would you believe? . . . an owl!

"Look Out, behind you!" (Don't worry, it's just a cut-out)

Barred Owl

And last, but not least . . . a . . . ssssssssnake!

Florida Pine Snake

All courtesy of the Chattahoochee Nature Center. Some things we learned are:

• It is not proper to call an opposum a "possum". That is something totally different.
• The barred owl likes to eat things out of the water and will wade into the water.
• The only venomous (do not say poisonous) snake found in Georgia is the copperhead.

Boy Fun

This is what's fun for a boy. Racing your remote control mud-slinger. . .

and swimming with snakes.

What?! Did you say SNAKES? Well, one snake did get in the pool with us today. It was a little one. I think it was more afraid of us, than we were of it. He was focused on getting out of the water.

After rescuing him from the pool, we identified him as a brown snake, which is very common and nonvenomous.

Isn't he cute? Yes, I think the boy is cute. The boy thinks the snake is cute. Eventually, the snake will have to go back to his natural habitat and the boy will have to go back to his math and reading. Enough science for one day.

The Cat's Meow

Grandmother's beautiful garden.

A new addition.

"Wanna play?"



Guess Who?

Ready for a little game?
Play the video and see if you can tell me what animal makes this sound.

One of the noises you heard was a little boy, but what was the other one? Can you guess?

Okay, did you guess?


It was a . . .

FROG!!!!!

But, you knew that, didn't you? Josiah is good at catching all kinds of critters. That's why we got him another habitat for his birthday. Froggy enjoyed his stay.

Eyeing the fire-bellied toads (above) and here under the green light.

Then Josiah was kind and released him.

What do you see?

Eyes look out into pollen filled day. Chatter of excitement coming from their lips.

What could be so fascinating? Their gaze is held as she downs Ibuprofen and nurses a stubbed toe.
My curiosity won't let me wait another minute.

With camera in hand, I come closer and see that the window is open a bit at the bottom to allow for exchange of conversation, . . . but with whom?

"Oh, it's just a squirrel", I think. Yet to them, it seems an old friend. He even has a name. Is this why some refuse to eat the crust of their bread, so that I will put it on the railing to wait for a moment like this?

To see nature up close. Wild eyes looking at you. Studying each other. Fascinating creatures God has made. Looking at us in our house with windows. Taking what we offer without complaint.

Help me to see with fresh eyes, Lord, what you have for me today.