Tree Decorating

My outing with Little this past weekend was brief. We’re allowed to ride in the car together with the windows cracked, but outings are outdoors only. As much as I hate the zoo (thank goodness she hasn’t requested it yet!) I thought the Stone Zoo Lights would be fun. Alas they are long sold out (#poorplanning!). Decorating my tree came to mind but of course – that’s inside, so not an option.

So when I was at Michael’s the other day I found pine cones. I brought them home, slathered them with peanut butter and rolled them in birdseed. I then took some cooking twine and separated it to make really thin twine (hoping it will biodegrade easier) which I then tied onto the pinecones to make loops.

Little and I went over to Wright’s pond for a hike and when we found a nice tree we decorated it with our pinecones! We had a lovely little hike, and I taught her about “quitters” (socks that don’t stay up), and we did some sleuthing about the snow stuck to only one side of the trees (Wind!).

She told me all about the pollination lesson she learned last week, and we talked about all the yummy things we ate for Thanksgiving. She also told me something that made me so happy! “Remember the book you gave me for me birthday last year?” Yes, I do! Remarkable Women Through History “Well, I’m reading it for the fourth time!”

This made me so happy because I wasn’t sure if she liked it. She went on to tell me that she cuts out little pieces of colorful paper, glues them to the inside front cover and writes down her favorite parts of the book.

It was great to spend time with her and curiously, these days, aside from occasional visits with my parents at their home, she’s the only person I actually do things with. Is it weird that a ten year old is my social life right now, albeit only every two or three weeks?

(click to enlarge)