Banded WoollyBear caterpillars                                Linda Traxler, October 5, 2021

 

I want to solve the “old wives tale” about the black and orange caterpillars.  I am volunteering at the Sandy Library- Friends of the Library now.   My job is to clean children’s books and ready them for sale.  Imagine that, being a lover of children’s books, the books might make the shelf or will I be bringing home more great books for the collection?  I am trying to keep my “hands in my pockets”.   However, my very first time at the job I found a wonderful illustrated book, “Fun with Nature: take-along guide”.  Needless to say, my first purchase, $2.00. 

 

Here’s the thing, (I think I have talked of this before) my Gramma B. told us kids that the caterpillar tells us of the possible winters.  Now I see this quote from the book:  “some people say the woollybear can forecast the weather.   The more black it has, legend says, the colder the winter will be.  But scientists say it grows less black as it gets older.  So a woollybear with more black is really just a younger caterpillar.”

I drew a picture of it in my journal last year with the size of the black and orange and I don’t think we had any colder of a winter.  So I might agree with the scientists. 

 

However, as I am walking through our yard these days I am seeing soooooo many of them that I am leaning on the possible that there will be a change of some kind.  I am going to make note in my journal and watch the weather and winter unfold.  You never know, maybe it is the thought that they are saving up for some kind of different winter.   And just so you know, I also save them on the road.  When I am walking I continue to rescue them from the hard surface and toss them into the grasses!  Just my thing.  I know I am strange.  “Gotta love me!” Don’t ask me about the worms in the spring!

 

I do continue to get my walks in and am enjoying the fall season.  Larry and I are fishing- not catching so much- but are on the river anyway.  Tomorrow I am going to the local grands to make applesauce with them.   I am heading to Everett on Thursday to spend some days with two of our grands there.  I will be taking the train and I know this is a good time for the fall to be showing its colors on the track.  Sunday we may have our 6^th granddaughter visiting us.  I will get my fix in with our joys.  All our family is doing well, working too hard but hey, someone has to do it.

Hope this finds you well and please know I think of you often.

 

 Linda Traxler on May 24, 2021

 Twice last week I was able to share where I live.  It is always a joy to be able to share my family and circumstances coming from generations of growing up in the same place all my life. One of the persons I was sharing with said, “So you really have some roots!” 

So where is that?  Our grandparents settled in the Aims area in 1920, close to Corbett, on the bluffs above the Sandy River. They built their home, raised their children, enjoyed their grandchildren and eventually great grandchildren.  They had a dairy farm, community garden, chickens, a logging company and much more.  

There is so much I am grateful for, getting to stay on this place.  I remember the great times we had growing up and only hope that our grands will continue to enjoy the homestead.  I think of stories I can share and have written some of them down. There were 4 biological children plus three foster children, 18 grandchildren. Seven grandchildren, 5 great grandchildren, and 4 great great grandchildren are currently livning on "the hill".  

Pretty great legacy!  We are truly blessed.   I love hiking the back property and driving the tractor to clear the old logging roads, keeping the stickers/scotch bloom down (that will be an “always” chore!).