Tucked away behind the home of longtime Waukee resident Roger Schlaefer, is a three-acre habitat called Songbird Park.
Roger, a retired Lutheran minister, spends a healthy portion of his days tending the wildlife habitat that’s certified by The National Wildlife Federation. “I have no idea what I’m doing,” he jokes, although the beauty of his backyard refuge contradicts his modesty.
When the city of Waukee bought the pie-shaped piece of land 27 years ago, the plot was hard to use at the time, so they allowed Roger to tend to it. “When I started, you could see straight to the school,” Roger says. There were just three trees on the property, and the city provided the industrial mower to tend to it.
Now the park is abundant with trees, and birds flit in and out of birdhouses hanging from branches and tucked among the leaves. Flowers of all kinds bloom in beds scattered around the land. “It takes four or five hours to mow, and I have to do it at least once a week,” he explains.
All of his hard work pays off. Apple, peach, and pear trees grow close to the house, while Elm and Ash trees flank the back edge. Deer, rabbits, opossum, and all sorts of winged creatures are frequent visitors to the park. A couple of years ago, Roger even found a white-winged dove, a rarity in these parts, that stayed for a few days after a big storm. Visitors come to enjoy the peaceful scenery, or hunt for the three geocache spots in the area.
Songbird Park is located behind Roger’s residence at 1070 1st Place, in Waukee. Visitors can access the park by finding the concrete steps on the north side of the residence.
Read about more parks and trails in the Waukee area in our story “Parks & Recommendations”.
More often than not, once Connor crosses his arms like that, a tantrum of epic proportions is what follows. For the past couple of weeks, however, my husband and I have been working on a different approach with Connor. When I saw him start to get angry, I asked him, “Are you angry right now?” This by itself is an approach – helping him to label the emotion he is experiencing before he’s too caught up in the midst of it to think and listen. With his arms still crossed and his lower lip stuck out in a distinctive pout, Connor shook his head to indicate “yes.” Then, I said to him, “What should we do when we’re angry?” He looked at me as though contemplating the question, and then slowly took in a breath through his nose. He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and continued taking in deep breaths – in through the nose, out through the mouth. With a few additional re-directing statements from my husband and I, Connor was on his way to the bathroom to get ready for bed. NO TANTRUM!
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Sandquist spends his days teaching physical education at Waukee Middle School, and he makes sure that his classes are fun. “I looked forward to P.E. because of him,” said Anderson. For this reason, Anderson felt compelled to nominate Sandquist for recognition in myWaukee.
