Adirondack Family Time™

Happy Mother’s Day! Mother’s Day is a special time to be able to show your appreciation for the person who gave you life. (That is what I frequently remind my children, in case they were to forget.)  There are many traditional ways to spend Mother’s Day with family such as a homemade breakfast in bed, brunch at a local restaurant or lovely bouquet of flowers. All are thoughtful gifts.  Sometimes children aren’t really involved in the Mother’s Day gift giving process. They become passive recipients. Here are a few ideas to get everyone involved.  1) Go for a nature walk and search for flowers on the trail. Create a “no-pick” bouquet by taking photos or drawing pictures of what was seen. Identify the flowers and trees and put it all in a memory book that will last forever.  2) Ask your mother or grandmother what her favorite game was growing up and ask her to share. Perhaps everyone will learn a new game.  3) Have children bridge the generation gap by a

Fruit Leather Trying to find a recipe for children's snacks can be challenging. Thankfully my kids and I have been able to make a fun fruit leather thanks to Chow.com . There are other options and recipes on how to make variations of this healthy version, but we liked the easy use of the applesauce lightly flavored with raspberries. Enjoy!  Difficulty:  Easy |  Total Time:   15 mins, plus at least 6 1/2 hrs baking and cooling time  | Makes:   6 to 8 servings Texture and flavor vary greatly among apple varieties, so we decided to use applesauce as a shortcut in this  DIY  fruit leather recipe. It delivers more consistent flavor and cuts out having to cook and purée the apples yourself. To get the fun, shockingly pink color, no fake dyes are necessary—we just added raspberries, which also give the fruit leather a nice tartness. Special equipment:  You will need a nonstick silicone baking mat. Time frame:   The fruit leather needs to slowly dehydrate so i

By Diane Chase I recently spent my Sunday in the Emergency Room due to a classic "target" shaped bite that showed up on my ankle after an Earth Day weekend of clearing trails and picking up roadside garbage near Westport, N.Y. Not only did I get to spend my leisure time with the ER staff but I, usually so diligent with tick searches, did everything wrong regarding my own health. So to save you a trip to the ER and a bothersome dose of antibiotics, here are some safety tips for tick prevention. I live in the northern sector of the Adirondack Park and did not take in consider that the above average warm temperatures in the southern Adirondacks would bring out ticks earlier than usual. I had dressed for the cold with dark pants and socks. I was on my knees clearing brush and digging out long forgotten garbage. I was careless and now have a 14-day round of antibiotics to show for it. By the time I noticed the classic bullseye tick bite indicator, I no longer had the tick to i

We thought we could use a bit of practice for the 9-Miler canoe race so when a friend asks to meet us at Lower St. Regis we quickly agree. We take the canoe and drive to the Lower St. Regis canoe launch, arming each child with a paddle. A Paul Smith’s College Watershed Steward greets us. He diligently checks the canoe for any invasive plant life, specifically Eurasian Water-milfoil. The Watershed Stewardship Program, among other duties, is responsible for helping to educate the public with ways to avoid the spreading and introduction of invasive species into the lakes. The canoe passes the test. My daughter and I sit in the center while my son practices his stroke in preparation of the big race. We head west about 1/4 –mile, looking out for the first carry. We have a contest on our boat to see who will view the DEC sign first. My son is the winner. The portage is about 200 yards, a quick jaunt. Bog Pond is aptly named. We traverse through a channel with grasses reaching over ou