Holiday Bazaar & Science On a Sphere
Portrait Sale, December 9th

The season of giving is upon us, and we have just the thing for that special someone in your life! Visit the Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Holiday Bazaar & Science On a Sphere Portrait Sale! With over 20 different vendors, and the chance to pose in front of our Science on a Sphere globe, you are bound to find the perfect gift! Plus, all proceeds will support hands-on educational programs at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center!

Some Participating Vendors Include:
 • An Original jem/Jane Moorman - Nature-inspired jewelry
 • Audra Ferreira - Egg art
 • Bruce Chevis - Color photographs of people, landscapes, street scenes, etc.
 • Diana Popowski - 15" & 18" doll clothes & accessories
 • Jenn Jackson/The Sugar Kitchen - Holidays gifts - baked sweets and candies
 • Michelle Marx Designs/Michelle Marx - Handmade jewelry
 • Nature Connections - Nature photos & greeting cards, etc.
 • Sabrina Ringquist/Scentsy - fragrances, candles, greeting cards, etc.
 • Terri Klawitter/Stampin Up! - Hand stamped cards and crafts
 • And many more!
Check out our website for a full list of vendors: naturenet.com/alnc/holidaybazaar.htm

The gift shop at Aldo Leopold Nature Center has even more fun gift ideas. Some of the items you can find include:
 • Adorable Owl Puffs
 • A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold
 • Hand-made walking sticks
 • Night sky projection kits
 • Science Magic kits
 • Pocket tornadoes
 • Glow in the dark shark tooth fossil excavation kit
 • Solar print art kits
 • Wisconsin garden journal
 • Nature photography cards
 • ALNC T-shirts
 • Gift memberships and more!

Location: Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Monona Campus, 300 Femrite Drive, Monona
Date/Time: Sunday, December 9, 11 am – 4 pm
Fee: FREE
Information/Register: www.naturenet.com/alnc or (608) 216-9371

Reconnecting Post Turkey

After the last gravy-soaked bite has been enjoyed and the dishes are finally clean following the big Thanksgiving feast, it's easy to sit back and veg for the rest of the holiday--letting your kids amuse themselves with the tv or computers as you recuperate from the day's hectic bustle.

I often find myself in the same predicament, but for the past few years my family has tried something a little bit different and it has made the holiday a much more rewarding one.

Don't worry, this is not where I tell you we forgo stuffing our faces with exorbitant portions of food or run a family marathon right after the meal. Instead, we do something very simple--we go for a short family walk and talk to each other as we enjoy the sights and sounds of nature.

I have a rather large family that rarely gets all together and when we do, more often than not our get togethers are planned to the minute, leaving little if any time to actually *dare I say* bond together as a family.

Taken just once a year after the Thanksgiving dinner, for us, these short walks have helped us reconnect as a family and to the world around us.  We take in the fall sunshine, talk about where our lives have taken us in the past year and let the call of the wild take over for a bit.

Before long, cousins that haven't seen each other in years recount stories from their childhoods sending them into fits of giggling;  young children, girlfriends, boyfriends and other new additions to the family feel at home and everyone winds up leaving Thanksgiving with a memory to share again the next year.

As I said, it is about as simple as it gets, but this tradition has become essential to our Thanksgivings and I urge you to try it this year. The outdoors is calling--what are you waiting for?

Best wishes for a  very Happy Thanksgiving,

Miss Alanna