🍂 Hello everyone! 🍁

Hello everyone! Welcome to the November Station WIL Trail Roundup Newsletter. There’s lots going on and much to talk about in this newsletter. Station WIL~ What It’s Like to Find Your Way is still in the works, sigh, but the great news is that Abby of Abby’s Adventures has a great recipe for you to try this holiday season—yum!! And we’re going to try to figure out what all the little creatures under our feet do to stay toasty warm during the cold weather. Updates, trail tips, coloring activity, and haikus—who could ask for more?!

Still coming soon: The Ranger Station's newest book Station WIL~ What It’s Like to Find Your Way, invites readers to explore outdoor skills like orienteering, compass reading, and navigation — all wrapped in story-based adventure. It’s a little STEM thrown into the mix, showing how map skills can translate to making well-thought-out decisions in any circumstance. Join Ranger Jack and the team as we journey through stories, skills, and seasonal wonder
— and yes, we’re finishing the book together!

🍓 Welcome to the Strawberry Patch with Abby🍓 Hello there and hop right in! I’m Abby, and this cozy little corner is where I share curious tidbits, bunny-sized stories, and questions from my friends. It’s not a big advice column — more like a soft patch of clover where we can nibble on ideas together. Ready to dig into a yummy new recipe? 🍓

🍓 Abby’s Cozy Campfire Sundae & Sip

A treat for talking bunnies and journaling hearts alike!

Ingredients (Serves 2–4):

• 1 cup fresh strawberries, sliced

• Vanilla ice cream or strawberry swirl

• Graham crackers (crushed or whole)

• Marshmallow crème or mini marshmallows • Optional: whipped cream, chocolate drizzle

Assembly:

1. Layer the Base: Sprinkle crushed graham crackers into small bowls or cups.

2. Add Ice Cream: Scoop in your favorite creamy swirl.

3. Top with Strawberries: Let them tumble like autumn leaves.

4. Add Marshmallow Magic: A spoonful of marshmallow crème or a few mini marshmallows on top.

5. Optional Extras: A dollop of whipped cream or a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Sip on the Side:

• Make a warm mug of hot chocolate.

• Float a few marshmallows or a swirl of whipped cream.

• Add a cinnamon stick or peppermint stirrer for flair.

Abby's Little Note of Caution for All the Wonderful Bunny Caregivers:

Although Abby loves to eat strawberries, she must limit how often she eats them. This is true for all bunnies since too many tasty snacks can cause tummy problems or even weight gain. To keep her stylish bunny figure, Abby only eats strawberries a few times a week. Best to check with your vet before adding strawberries, or other special treats, to your bunny’s menu.

Abby's Haiku Trilogy (Just for you!)

1.​
Sweet and delicious
Strawberries like friendship found
Unconditional

2.​
Fur flies, my heart sings
Friendships made, adventures planned
Happy and thankful

3.​
Magical friendship
Dancing, laughing, pretending
Reaching for the stars

🌼 What’s on Your Mind?

Now it’s your turn! Got a question, a story, or a silly thought? Send it my way. The Strawberry Patch is always open — and there’s room for everyone under the leaves.
📬 Write to Abby: abby@abbyadventurebooks.com
​(Abby reads every message with a little help from Sofia.)

Loonsong Lake Dispatch 🌿 A nature note from Michael McBride Michael's feature brings the wild wonder of Loonsong Lake straight to your inbox. Whether it’s a story about the estuary’s tiniest octopus, a kid-friendly guide to building mobiles that dance in the wind, or a poetic reflection from the lodge porch, this dispatch will offer gentle adventure and naturalist charm for readers of all ages. Loonsong Lake Lodge

🪶 Fossil of Memory: Michael’s Trilobite

In the quiet heart of Loonsong Lake Lodge, Michael once shaped a trilobite from clam shells—each segment a whisper of ancient life, each curve a tribute to time’s slow artistry. Each clam was about 30 years old, and this playful model had a blue mussel shell as its head and tail. It hung in the sauna, where warmth met wonder, until fire swept through and took it from us.

Though the piece is gone, its spirit remains: a fossil of memory, a shell-bound story of care and curiosity. We honor it here, not as a loss, but as a legacy—one that reminds us that art, like trilobites, endures in layers we cannot always see.

To learn more about amazing trilobites see: What were trilobites?

"Creativity is the soul of adventure."

James Joyce reminded us that we make our lives a work of art.

Color at WIL Theme: "What’s being built above and below?” ✏️ Simple Step-by-Step Instructions for Crayon & Marker

“We burrow and tunnel and soften the ground you walk on. We're builders of the soil. What will you build today?” ​
—Builders Below

📸 Send us a photo of your "Sky, Horizon, and Builders Below" picture and we’ll add it to the
Kid-Made Gallery in the next TRU Newsletter!​
​

The Soil Builders

The Builders Beneath Our Feet

Theme: “The Builders Beneath Our Feet”

Explore Soil Layers

Topsoil: Rich in organic matter, where leaf litter and insects thrive.

Subsoil: Denser, home to roots and fungi threads.

Bedrock: Deep below, the foundation layer.

Meet the Builders

🪱​
​Earthworms: Nature’s tractors—mixing soil, creating air pockets, and helping plants grow.

🍂​
​Leaf Litter: Fallen leaves become food and shelter for insects and fungi.

🍄​
​Fungi Threads (Mycelium): Underground networks that help plants share nutrients.

🐜​
Insect Helpers: Beetles, ants, and pill bugs break down organic matter and aerate the soil.

Why We Need Them

They keep soil healthy and breathable so we can grow our crops and have food to eat.

They recycle nutrients and support plant life.

They build invisible bridges between above and below.

As we gather around tables this Thanksgiving, it’s a good time to pause to reflect on all the blessings that enrich our lives. Thanksgiving season with all it’s beautiful fall colors invites us to celebrate the bonds of family, friendship, and community that sustain us through every season. We hope your hearts are happy, your homes are warm, and your spirits lifted by the simple joys of gratitude and togetherness. Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at Station WIL!

Ranger Station WIL
Seasonal Note

🍂​ ​There's a chill in the air, and it's time for journaling... Grab a good book or your pencils, crayons, markers, watercolors, or whatever you love to paint with for perfect indoor activities. But if you're going outside to play, don't forget to...

...grab your mittens!

As the chill of winter approaches, remember to stay warm by layering clothes and keeping little extremities cozy. Especially for our young readers in northern climates, put on your mittens and winter cap. Make certain your feet stay warm and dry with warm, cozy socks, and waterproof boots—especially if there’s snow on the ground. And ask someone you trust to help you get set for the weather outside!

Trail Markers Gosh, they seem to be everywhere!

🧭📚 The Landing Page:

Dear TRU Friends,

Today we celebrate a milestone: The Landing Page is complete (for now). Like a trailhead, it welcomes wanderers into Station WIL’s world of true-life adventures, whimsical tales, and legacy voices. To mark the moment, we sealed it with a haiku:

Landing complete now,
stories ripple like bright streams,
every trail invites.

We invite you to explore, reflect, and join us on the journey.

🐾 Soft Paw Moments: Winston the turkey is not being served this Thanksgiving. He’s been promoted to “Gratitude Ambassador” and now patrols the porch with a ceremonial feather tucked behind one ear. Dottie the kitten has agreed to supervise, provided she gets extra chin scritches and no sunflower seeds in her bowl.

🕯️📚🕯️ Legacy Threads: All would be going well, but your editor is still napping. The nap is now officially part of the publishing schedule. Editing resumes after pie. Emotional wins include: a recovered file, a ceremonial crayon sketch, and a helper card that made someone cry (in a good way).

Sky lifts quiet beams—
soil builders hum underground.
The nap is sacred.

🌲Back at the Trailhead with Teo & Patty You're always welcome back here! Visit the WIL Bookshelf

Reader Invitation

✍️Have fun! Send us your latest poem or leave an epic haiku! Share your own adventure story with us—you never know how you might inspire us for our next story! • Haiku’s are like trail markers! Don’t forget to add a title and the date you wrote it. Short notes help, as well. We’re moving quickly into journaling now. • Walking a well-worn path or carving your own trail? Tell us: “What kind of trail will you trek today?”

End of the November Trail

🍃THANK YOU HAIKU ​
​I gave thanks today
For you came along with me
On this Roundup Trail. ​
​—By Ranger Jill, November 17, 2025, written with thanks in my heart just for you!

​
(Send your own haiku and you might see it here in the next Trail Roundup Newsletter! Yay!!)

🍂

🕯️Each new day is like a blank page in your journal ~ sketch it out or write something new and noteworthy before the day ends and you turn the tomorrow page.

🐾Don't forget to walk your dog! Your furry friend is counting on you!
...and, yes, furry-friend photos are always welcome here!!