Trail Map: John Brown Farm State Historic Site Lake Placid

Looking for a pleasant place to relax for a few hours? Try John Brown Farm and Historic Site in Lake Placid.

As the final resting spot for abolitionist John Brown, the John Brown Farm and Gravesite encompasses the original 244 acres purchased by the Browns in 1849.  After Brown and his followers were executed for treason for the raid at Harper’s Ferry, WV John Brown’s name soon became synonymous with the anti-slavery movement. 

Gardening with Kids: Make Your Own Newspaper "Peat" Pots

by Diane Chase

A cost effective way to pot plants and recycle and reuse from your paper bin is to make newspaper "peat" pots that can be planted directly into the ground.

It is an easy process and children enjoy the activity. it can be done on a rainy day, if you need something to do or make a family night out of the activity. Then plants your seeds or seedlings, water and wait for your indoor garden to grow!

Continue for step-by-step directions

What To Do For Mother's Day?

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 asking Grandma or Great-Grandma what type of music she listened to when she was younger and share. Maybe learn a new dance that was popular when she was young. 

4) When was Grandma born? What was happening around the world when she was the same age as her grandchildren? Did she have an icebox or “Frigidaire?” Did she wear bellbottoms or a feather boa? Print out some pictures of popular items from her youth to connect children to an older generation.  

Recipe: Make Your Own Healthy Fruit "Roll-Ups"

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 if you don't have a dehydrator it will take   6- 7 hours in the oven.

Know About Ticks and Lyme Disease

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 identify.  Based on the shape of the rash and that I had been out in the woods, the doctor recommended that I take the course of antibiotics as a safety measure.

I could have been bitten by a wood tick, not a deer tick, but with no arachnid to identify, I erred on the side of caution.  If you are bitten, save the tick by extracting it (directions below) and putting in a glass jar.

As soon as I noticed the classic bullseye, I immediately went to the ER to be examined. The chance that I will contract Lyme Disease and suffer any permanent damage are slim. Not every tick bite carries Lyme Disease.
The eight-legged deer ticks are of the arachnid family, and even when full grown will be about the size of a sesame seed. Deer ticks are significantly smaller than the larger wood ticks the dog may bring home. (Dogs can also contract Lyme, so check your animals frequently.)

A deer tick must be attached to its host for at least 24 hours in order to transfer the disease. So remember to continue to check for ticks after every outing and wash all outside clothes.

Lyme Disease is not the only bacterial infection spread by deer ticks. Anaplasmosis, babesiosis, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever are the other less commonly known diseases. Each disease has some common symptoms such as fatigue, fever, chills and muscle ache. The symptoms won't start to materialize from anywhere from one week to eight weeks, which makes proper diagnosis difficult.

According to the New York State (NYS) Department of Health these simple procedures will help to avoid tick bites.
1) Wear light-colored clothing to spot ticks easily, tuck pants into socks and shirt into pants when in tick-infested habitats, including wooded and grassy areas.
2) Check for ticks on clothing or skin after every two to three hours outdoors. Brush off any ticks on clothing before they can attach to skin. Check children and pets regularly for ticks.
3) Check entire body for ticks at the end of the day.Pay particular attention to the back of the knees, behind the ears, the scalp, the armpits and your back.
4) Carefully read and follow instructions on insect repellent product labels. 5) Don't apply repellents directly to children. Apply to your own hands, using your hands to apply to the child.
6) Products containing permethrin should be applied to clothing, not skin, treating the clothing before putting it on.
7) Don't assume that repellents will provide complete protection from ticks.
8) Removing a tick within 36 hours after it begins feeding, reduces your risk of infection. To remove a tick: Use tweezers, grasping the tick near the mouthparts, as close to the skin as possible. Don't squeeze, crush or puncture the body of the tick, which may contain infectious fluids. Pull the tick in a steady, upward motion away from the skin.
9)After removing the tick, disinfect the bite site with soap, rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Wash your hands carefully. Record the date and location of the tick bite. If a rash appears or you experience flu-like symptoms over the next 30 days, contact your health care provider immediately.

Have fun in the woods, but be careful when you are there. Please check yourself and your children frequently for ticks.

Diane Chase is the author of Adirondack Family Time Lake Placid and the High Peaks. Her second Adirondack Family Time guidebook for the Champlain Valley: Plattsburgh to Ticonderoga will be in stores this summer 2012.