Beaver Dams and a Valentine Tree!

The Road to Willowbrook Manor ~

Penny (dog) walking down the Cascade trail.

Penny loves our walks down the Cascade trail, which runs adjacent to Willowbrook Manor. Gorgeous views and ample bird-watching make walking the trail a must-do for overnight guests.

Mom and Me ~

For those of you who are new to The Willowbrook Word, I’m Terry, owner and caretaker of Willowbrook Manor English Teahouse and Farm Stay. My mother, author Liz Adair, lives here as well. (The picture above is the two of us filming Red Falcon Road.) She has her own corner of this newsletter. We always have a giveaway, so make sure to read to the end.

Rodents of Unusual Size ~

The last couple of emails I have mentioned the challenges I’m having with beavers. Honestly, it is a love-hate relationship. I can’t help but be amazed at the ingenuity and tenacity of these creatures. They put several dams on the Coal Creek at the west end of my farm and plugged the culvert that runs under the Cascade Trail. The branches in the picture above are from one night of work. They successfully re-plugged the culvert just 12 hours after it had been cleaned out.

The Cascade trail acted as a dike, and the beaver dams caused water to back up, covering probably five acres.

The water finally flowed over the trail and those five acres began to drain right into Willowbrook’s front yard. The grounds and gardens became the new creek bed.

My barn, greenhouse, goose pen, raised beds, and garden paths flooded. Then an atmospheric river was forecasted, and I braced for even more water.

Gratefully, the county responded to my request for beaver-flood intervention and removed the beaver dam on the opposite side of the trail. The city provided U-fill sand bags, and I was able to prepare for the November storm (which eventually earned a natural disaster declaration for eight Washington State counties).

With saturated soil and high winds, I lost two trees. Two other trees had to be righted and staked. This picture was several days after the storm, when the water had subsided. We built the manor higher than flood level, but I was very worried about the garage flooding. We made it through the storm.

In January, I obtained a permit to remove the two beaver dams downstream on my property. Jim donned his hip waders, and with a friend, dismantled the hard work of those busy beavers. Coal Creek is flowing beautifully, for now.

Story to be continued.

$350 Raised for Homeless Children ~

Shifting the narrative into cozy indoors, I’m happy to report that the Valentine Tree at Willowbrook Manor has raised $350 so far. This is the first annual Hearts for Homeless Children fundraiser. The idea came to me from a Valentine Tree experience over a decade ago.

A Story from Valentine’s Past ~

It was 2014, and I was a single mom managing kids, work, the farm, and hospital visits with my wounded warrior son. February arrived and the Christmas tree was still standing, albeit bare. I didn’t have the oomph to get it out the door. But I did have the oomph to make cookies. I baked heart-shaped sugar cookies, added pink frosting, and hung them on the tree with those little wire hook hangers you use for Christmas ornaments.

I told the kids they could have as many heart-cookies as they wanted, but they had to replace each cookie on the tree with a love note. To make it easy, beside the tree was a basket of hearts with ribbons already attached. By Valentines Day the tree was covered with love notes.

March came and the love-laden tree was still standing. It was then that my Navy SEAL son came home for a brief stay. He had lost most of his dominant hand in an explosion and was in the process of a year-long reconstruction that would include over a dozen surgeries. It was St. Patricks day when we finally took the hearts down from the tree, the last day of my son’s visit. We passed out the hearts, and each kid took turns reading them aloud. Needless to say, it was a very tender time of sharing. Lots of love, and a time of healing. Then we took the tree out to the fire pit, stood it upright and lit it on fire. It was a spectacular sight, and a great way to celebrate St. Patricks Day.

Share the Love ~

Now you know where the idea for The Valentine Tree came from. Hearts for Homeless Children is a way to share love and lighten spirits long past Christmas giving. Will you donate to place a heart on the Valentine Tree and help a child in need? Click HERE to participate. 100% of the proceeds go to Skagit Family Promise. Thank you for your support.

Red Falcon Road ~

I’m trying my hand at claymation for the YouTube channel Red Falcon Road that my mom and I are working on. The tagline is: Two ladies, two cups of tea, the backroads and backstories of Skagit Valley and beyond. It will debut the end of March. The series will have touches of yesteryear including stop animation showing where our ’63 Ford Falcon Futura will take the two of us.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Time for Liz ~

This is where I usually turn the pen over to my mom, author Liz Adair. BUT, she is galavanting across the country as I write this newsletter.

She took a cross-country trip to visit kids and grandkids. The last part of the journey she was on the train! My brother Clay went along with and I must admit I’m a bit jealous.

So you will have to wait for our next newsletter to hear from Liz.

Here is where we have our monthly giveaway!

This Month’s Winners ~

Herbal Jahva Tea was last month’s giveaway and the winners are:

  • Mary Ann B from Williamsburg VA
  • Lysette L from Moorpark, CA
  • Michelle U from Hermitage TN

This Month’s Giveaway ~

This month’s giveaway is Willowbrook Manor’s monogramed tea infuser for loose-leaf tea. It works in a teapot or fits inside your favorite mug. There will be four lucky winners! Enter for the drawing HERE. Don’t forget to include a little note to let Mom and me know how you are doing.

That is All for Now ~

This past month Sedro Woolley Chamber of Commerce hosted Headshots and Happy Hour. I hopped off the tractor, threw on some respectable duds and hurried down to get my picture taken. Thanks to photographer Ben Bender for donating his time and making each person feel like a VIP.

And thank YOU for reading. I appreciate you being a part of our newsletter family.
Sending lots-n-lots-a luv.
-t

P.S.
Here are upcoming events at Willowbrook Manor. (Click on each picture for more information.)