On my home page, I have the icons for the regional non-profit conservation groups that I support. I volunteer for them, promote them and give them my time and effort.

But last week, Lenny and I went to see Jacob Marley’s Christmas Carol at the North Carolina Stage Company. Beyond promoting their own fund-raising efforts, NC Stage was partnering with Children First of Buncombe County to fill a Bedtime in a Bag for children in need. You were given a bright blue shopping bag with a list of items to fill it with. Now that’s something that I could do that went beyond dropping some money in a collection box or writing a check.

Since I was going to host my two granddaughters, I got two bags. The list included toothpaste and toothbrush,  a towel, underwear and pajamas and a book. But what age should we aim these items to?

I figured that the easiest thing was to have the two girls pick out stuff for their gender and age. I tried to explain to Isa, my four-year old granddaughter, that we were going to get stuff for a little girl that didn’t have as much as she did. This girl didn’t have books, toys or even fluffy pajamas.

“But who?” she asked. “Can I see her?”

“Well, no. The little girl lives in Asheville but we’re not going to meet her.”

The questions continued until I gave this child a name. “Her name is Maria,” I said. That made all the difference. “We’ll buy her stuff that you might like because she’s your age.”

Yesterday, the day after Christmas, we went to Target to buy all the items except the books. Isa took her time picking out the toothbrush and toothpaste, the pajamas and even the underwear. “Maria will like this,” she shouted throughout the store. “Who is Hannah buying for?”

Hannah, the ten-year old, picked up on this quickly. “My girl’s name is Amber.”

Next stop, Malaprop’s bookstore, to buy books for Maria and Amber. We could have stayed there all day, as they went through appropriate books for a four-year old and ten-year old.

Even adults need to feel that their contributions make a personal difference. They want to be shown the land that was protected, the trail that they helped rehabilitate, the plants that were saved from extinction. Fundraisers know that and work hard to create events that show the effect of donors’ gifts.

Finally, we brought all our purchases to the lobby of NC Stage. We took out the items, removed the price tags, and put them in the blue bags. They had put a decorated Christmas tree and all the blue bags around it. The staff member working in the lobby took the picture above.

OK, so it wasn’t an outdoor hiking day, more like an Asheville day while helping Maria and Amber as a goal. Will Isa remember that she helped Maria? Probably not. Today is a new day.

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The sun was shining in Asheville. It was warm for Christmas Day and we’d just finished baking cookies. It was time for a walk with my two granddaughters.

We went down to Beaver Lake Bird Sanctuary and started on the boardwalk. Isa, the four-year old, was holding a whistle.

“Not a great idea in a bird sanctuary,” I said. “You’ll scare the birds.” But instead of blowing full-force like she’s been doing in the living room, she just “whispered” through the whistle. It sounded like a bird call and actually attracted some songbird.

At the overlook, we saw a coot and a duck in the lake. “A ruddy duck,” said a voice behind us. We didn’t know who the guy was but he was holding a pair of expensive binoculars. Vin, the serious birder, also led us to a screech owl that had parked itself in a birdhouse. The bird was half out of the birdhouse because it was really too big for it but it wasn’t moving.

A woman with equally serious binoculars came up to us.

“Santa Claus was good to us. There’s a Ross goose across the street in the pond.” Vin was impressed. “It’s very rare around here,” he said.

Rare? I called Lenny and told him of our find. Unlike songbirds, a goose by the lake is unlikely to fly away immediately.

We met up and walked by the pond at the golf course. It was easy to distinguish the one Ross goose, small and white, from the many Canada geese around the water. The Ross goose had insinuated itself into the gaggle of Canada geese. Hannah took my camera and shot lots of photos, including the picture above. Not a great picture but pretty good with my point and shoot.

Bird in hand, I continued my walk, this time without kids and discovered a Little Free Library box in our neighborhood.

As if there aren’t enough free books in public libraries, this latest movement encourages residents to set up a box on their property and fill it with about a dozen books.

The idea is that you’ll be walking along and feel a need for a book. Then you take a book and then return with another book.

This was a high-class book box. No romance or Readers Digest in this offering. Only the kind of books reviewed on NPR. I took Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, a bestseller, which sounded like a fun novel. Now I have to put in a book on my next walk.

The rest of the day was not as highbrow. At dusk, we all piled in the car and went to the light show at the WNC Agricultural Center. You drive through a set of lights, flashing to music. Hannah kept saying that it was fantastic. Isa was quiet and mesmerized.

Even Lenny said that “it was amazing.” It was a merry Christmas, indeed.

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