the other day while out for a walk on a cold and crisp afternoon we were hoping that we might spot a faerie or two but instead to our surprise we came across a tree trunk that must have housed some pretty tasty bugs.

with having three resident woodpeckers in the neighbourhood and after comparing their beads to the size of the hole it was quite easy to figure out that a Pileated woodpecker had come to visit us.

after coming home to a cup of steaming hot cocoa we decided that even though there ether was not hide nor hair of a faerie to be found, we did have a great afternoon of excising and birdwatching.

please note:
woodpecker photos courtesy of Cornell Lab of Ornithology - All About Birds website.

​it must either be a stab in the dark or possibly a well laid out plan that hasn't gone awry when it comes to the creation of property division lines be it for countries, provinces, cities, townships and then let's not forget to exclude our own backyard. 
 
even national parks and reserves seem to have no rhyme or reason as to how they are separated by roads and highways. i wonder if it comes down to the migration of wildlife or possibly the weather might have been taken into equation. for whatever the reason be though, even an odd one, is that these lines are travelled on day in and day out with no one being the wiser.
 
where the nursery is located we must pass through 10+ road signs informing us that 'you are now entering Wood Buffalo National Park and then 'you are now leaving Wood Buffalo National Park. strange as it seems though is when you can spot the next the sign just down the road from where you standing right now.
 
but don't get me wrong though as i do find the information essential to my travels, but at the same time you must admit though that it's quite comical to be entering and leaving (unless of course that there is a surcharge for the comings and goings) that many times when just driving on this one particular stretch of road but actually all i can think about are the people that have had to go out to erect all of those signs just so i can know. 

​when my monsters were old enough to grasp and understand through demonstrations, the world of teaching opened up far beyond their store bought toys. life itself when growing up is all about learning while playing, and in truth the accomplishment of mastering something new is what drives each of us to success today. 
 
bringing home massive tractor tires and filling them with dirt was the first step in the art of creating life as it's one thing to play in the sandbox or down at the beach with your shovels and pails but when using those same tools for in a different manner is how a garden grows.   
 
being handed a packet and opening it up to reveal what still looks like specks of dust, planting them with stubby little fingers and then carrying sand pails full of water back and forth from the kitchen sink all to bring the look of awe and amazement when that first little green shoot poked its head above the dirt. after the whole neighbourhood not only heard about all of the goings-on but were given the whole tour of their garden began the process of learning something new, whether it be for gardening or perhaps not, as not everyone has what is called a 'green thumb'.  
 
looking back upon that time shows us our own growth, as at first one methodically follows the instructions written on the back of the seed packet to now, winging it to see what can happen when you experiment while doing something like this or like that. 
 
this is how my nursery does things as it's hard to play by the rules when there are no rules to be followed. it's something like having a whole handful of seeds, placing them into that same sand pail and then scattering them all across the garden. my guess is that this is how faeries are made.