McDowell Nature Preserve

Today the kids and I were at the end of our ropes following a week of a cold, very little sleep each night, really whiny kids all day, a sick mom who doesn't have extra patience to deal well with said whiny children, and mama now in full laryngitis. On a spur this morning, I decided we had to get out of the house, or bad things were going to happen. I threw together a backpack and dashed out the door, intending to visit some botanical gardens where we have never been, but I figured we would not expose many people to our cold. On the drive, about 20 minutes from the house, I saw a sign for McDowell nature preserve, so I decided to turn in to the preserve to check it out.

What a fun place to visit! And free--our tax dollars at work!

The visitors' center was designed beautifully for children. It had fish, turtles, and snakes on display. I did not take a photo of this but there was a beautiful display of backpack kits to borrow, so neat and clean it looked like a display at a camping store. Each backpack contained a kit, such as one used to explore a creek: a little net to fish for minnows, a tiny plastic container to put the minnows in to study them, and so forth.

This determined little turtle kept trying to climb up the walls, only to crash down into the water bowl, which greatly concerned John until I explained that turtles like water. (Alongside his current developing sense of justice, he is continually assembling "rules" of "how things are" in his head. He asks many questions, such as, "Do foxes bite?" "Do turtles like peanut butter?" Then he informs me of the way things are, by telling me, "Bunnies don't bite. Bunnies are okay." And, "Wolves bite. Every day! Wolves are very scary." And, "It's okay, turtles like water.")

There was a craft table with crayons and colored pencils (all perfectly sharpened) and pictures to color.

There was a delightful puppet show area. The children crawl through a tube to get into the darkened area, lit by black lights and filled with puppets. There was also a bookshelf filled with books and games, a rock climbing wall, and various displays with buttons to push that caused animal noises to emit.

Mary joined right in with the big kids, repeatedly climbing up with ease onto this bench to view the terrariums.

We took a quarter-mile hike, which thrilled John. He was in charge of the map and learned all about being careful when running not to trip on tree roots. After doing it a few times, he became his increasingly familiar role--the expert--and would call over his shoulder, "Be careful here, Mama."

Despite his somber expression, John was fascinated that there were tiny little benches along the path, just his size. He informed me that I was too big for them.

"Let me just check the map, Mama."

John enjoyed learning about the numbers on the trail markers. "What number is this, Mama?" and then he'd trace it.

Then, the highlight of our four-hour visit! As we were preparing to leave, we heard the staff and some visitors talking about how Animal Control had been called. I inquired about the problem and learned that there was a sick possum in the parking lot, but I was told it was safe to go out to my van. As I walked out there, I ran into a staff member who told me the story: This injured possum had been hiding under my very own van for a long time, going in endless circles, bumping into things. Finally the staff had lured it into a cage using a jar of peanut butter. (John: "It's okay. Possums like peanut butter. Possums are awake when the sun is down. Do bugs like peanut butter?") By the time I got there, the cage was right next to my van, waiting for Animal Control to arrive, and there was already a crowd of kids huddled around it, watching the hungry animal. John was thrilled, especially when I found an old chicken nugget (from last night) on the floor of my van (see, I was well-prepared, not slovenly!) and we gave that to the possum too.

What a relief that we got out of the house. Four glorious hours without shouting (even "laryngitis shouting," which is really pathetic). Four hours without John asking to watch TV even once. Just happiness and fun! I look forward to going back many times.