The Raptor Center

Today, Evie and I took a field trip to The Raptor Center, a facility on the University of Minnesota Saint Paul campus. They help rehabilitate injured and sick birds, as well as house some that are unable to return to the wild. We were given a tour through part of the facility where we were able to get a close view of eagles, red-tailed hawks, peregrine falcons, a turkey vulture, kestrels, a large owl, and small owls.

We followed up the visit with some coloring pages of the birds we had seen. Well, Evie colored while I talked to her about our trip.

For the rest of the afternoon, Evie pretended to be a turkey vulture, eating "dead stuff." I think one of the more memorable moments during our tour was watching the turkey vulture tear apart and eat a piece of chicken (meat, feathers, bones and all).

Music Under Glass

We made an attempt to escape the cold.

We made it as far Como Park Zoo and Conservatory for their last "Music Under Glass" performance.

Every Sunday night from early January to the first of March, local musicians perform in the sunken garden room at the conservatory. Using overhead speakers, the music can be heard in other parts of the conservatory, as well. Except, for this performance, we could hardly hear the musicians anywhere other than the room where they played. 

We would have liked to hear more of the music, but we still enjoyed walking around the warm gardens.

Evie especially liked visiting the koi pond. It is her favorite part of the conservatory.

Too soon it was time to leave and head back out into the windy, below zero temperatures. We reached our 50th day this winter with a below zero temperature reading.

Woo hoo.

Valentine Exchange

The advantage to having a child still oblivious to the calendar and which days holidays actually fall on is that it's easy to "move" a holiday to another day without any grief or disappointment. Between illnesses going around and bad weather, a flexible schedule is necessary this winter. Also necessary is the resolve to drive despite the forecast because road conditions are just not going to get better soon enough.

Today, I managed to get Evie to a friend's house for a play date Valentine exchange. Evie appreciated the opportunity to play with other kids her age, as well as the opportunity to stock up on some candy. I appreciated the opportunity to be somewhere other than my house for a while.

Learning to Sew

As a teenager, I wished for the ability to make my own clothes.

Fifteen years later, I am finally learning how to sew. I am also learning how to draw patterns. All of this so I can now make clothes for my daughter. Hopefully, eventually, I'll be able to make some for myself, but it's more fun making clothes for Evie. She can rock bright colors and crazy patterns far better than me.

So, with the return of sub-zero temperatures, the inability to breathe outside, and the disinclination to see how many intersections my car can slide into before there's an accident, I busied myself at home this week with making my first shirt from my own patterns. I think it's not half bad for my first try. And, hey, it fits.

If You Can't Beat It...

Three days of above freezing temperatures have ended with a snowstorm. The last I checked, we are supposed to get 6-10" of snow. And it appears we are not leaving behind deep freezing temperatures just yet. In the 10-day forecast, it's predicted that we will have a couple of days with sub-zero highs. There's just no real break with this winter.

At least with the warm up, I was able to get outside with Evie. We took walks and played in the snow. She was really happy to spend time outside.

With the snowstorm beginning today in the early afternoon, and the temperatures remaining in the 30s, I thought it would be fun to get out Evie's rain umbrella and take some pictures, some pictures with color in them. Evie loves walking around with her umbrella.

Fun in the Snow

I had to go out today to shovel snow from the car and our walkways. Before shoveling, though, I brought the camera outside to capture a few images of Evie playing in the snow.

Art Shanty Project

There is an art festival of sorts (I cannot think of what else to call it) called the Art Shanty Projects going on this month in White Bear. It is actually held on White Bear Lake. Various warming houses have been converted into artistic displays that are open on the weekends. It has been dubbed "The Burning Man of the Midwest" ... Although I think that is a bit of a misrepresentation. There seemed to be fewer costumes, fewer dreadlocks, and much more clothing than in pictures I've seen of Burning Man. 

Anyway, we decided to go check out the Art Shanty Projects today. It was a balmy 20 degrees with a nice 10 mph breeze. At least the sun was shining. And because this weather is an improvement, there were SO many people on the lake today. There's only so many people you can fit into a warming house... and with lines waiting outside of pretty much every one of them, only one tiny door to get in and out, and an energy-filled 4-year-old in tow... we ended up only checking out a few of the art projects. Still, it was fun, and I would definitely return another year. 

Evie liked finding the spots on the lake where the snow was completely worn away, revealing the ice, so she could go "skating" (slipping) across the ice. But I think the best part was when we found the Dance Shanty. Evie walked right in, made her way into the center of the room, and became the center of attention, showing off her dance skills and not even considering that everyone else around her was 2 - 3 feet taller than she is. It was crowded enough in the Dance Shanty that I didn't think I could get a picture... Still, I wish I had have tried anyway.