Not as Warm as You Would Think...
Hey, Stuffie Friends!
It’s Ranger Rita here, checking in from snowy, cold Minnesota. I had a few days off from my job at the MN DNR. And our new friend Ferdinand was really getting restless. He heard that it was officially Spring last week and we had 3 very sunny days in a row. And yet, the friends were not too interested in going outside. They kept trying to convince him it was cold out there. Can you blame him for thinking it should be nice out already? He’s from Spain, after all.
We started out on our walk by stopping by Mr. Moose. He likes to welcome everyone to the “Camp” (really just a house). It’s always nice to see Mr. Moose!
Next, we started looking for a cave to maybe camp out. The friends said it was really fun last year and Ferdinand and I were excited to try out snow camping. We were very excited and busy planning. Then, Flicker said he heard a big noise last night and saw a herd of 10 deer outside near the deck. There was NO WAY we are staying outside at night without a big campfire! Unfortunately, we know where they keep the marshmallows but not where they keep the matches.
Our next discovery was a set of tracks. Some of you might remember one of Scottie’s adventures several winters ago when he followed some tracks out onto the lake. Ferdinand was very interesting in pursuing the tracks of these mysterious wild creatures. (I didn’t have the heart to tell him that I knew they were deer tracks- probably from the herd Flicker saw. And also Scottie tracks.)
Pretty soon, some friends complained of being hungry. So we went in search of snacks instead.
We headed straight for the bird feeder. Scottie demonstrated how his squirrel friends steal food from Flicker’s friends. It started quite an argument, I can tell you. I had to warn Scottie and told him to inform his fellow squirrels that I could report them to MN DNR. That food is for the birds!
Next, we went to the top of the ski hill by the driveway. We were hoping to go down a run or two. However, we couldn’t find the sets of skis from last year. It seems that someone (we have an idea who but we won’t share) apparently left the skis out a couple of weeks ago. They must be buried under all this snow. That was fine with Ferdinand- it will give him a chance to take some lessons before next year.
We took a look at the snow-covered lake and just sighed, knowing it’s going to be at least another month before Amelia and Loonie’s friends and relatives can return. We are going to start to plan a very, very big party and campfire! We just have to find where they keep the matches…. So long for now!
-Ranger Rita and friends
