Day 91 ❦ Make it Simple and Give

Day 91 ❦ Make it Simple and Give

The Gift: Wood Carving to Nature Center

We are so fortunate in our community to have as many opportunities for recreation here. Moving from Boulder, I was not sure how the outdoors would compare, but Minnesota has held her own...albeit in different ways. The dense lush pine forests, the rolling waves of the large lakes that make you feel like you are near the ocean and the crystal clear creeks and brooks that house some of the best fish in the world - all surround us here. Except that I moved to the only County in Minnesota without a naturally occurring lake...really??? Funny. But we do get to the lakes and campgrounds all over the state and have enjoyed the beauty and magnitude of Mother Nature.

As if to make up for the lack of lakes in my community, we have parks, parks, parks and we have the J.C. Hormel Nature Center which is a little utopia. Deer, turkey and birds of all kind are plentiful and the prairie mixes with the woods and the river running through it. The Nature Center offers cross-country skiing in the winter, canoeing in the summer, butterfly tagging in the spring and tapping trees for maple syrup in the fall. School groups come out for educational lessons and during the time of Halloween, the Nature Center partners with Matchbox Children’s Theater and hosts an evening “walk in the woods” complete with skits and spooky characters and wacky animals running around teaching us all something.

Several years ago, I brought some visitors from Bangladesh to the Nature Center for a walk and they were so taken by the beauty, peace and expanse of the Nature Center, they turned an hour respite into an all day experience when they refused to leave after their time was done. Apparently, they decided that their time was not done and they spent six hours wandering and absorbing everything they could to bring back home to share with their friends and family. It’s just that kind of place. So needless to say, when I received a phone call from a volunteer at the Nature Center soliciting gifts for the upcoming auction - I was in. It took me only a moment to look through my African box of goodies to settle on a beautify wood carving. Sometimes giving is just that easy.

❦ Make it Simple and Give