Birds, Blooms, Books, etc

Winter Neighbors

2012-02-13T16:45:00.000-05:00

We have neighbors who live very close by but only in the winter time. They reside under our deck which is just a step off the ground. Sometimes, like this afternoon, they can be quite noisy. It started with squeals and then two raccoons came out from under the deck one chasing the other. The first one made it up the oak tree on the edge of the glen and the other half-heartedly started to

Agatha Christie

2012-02-10T08:59:00.000-05:00

In January I came upon a new paperback of one of Agatha Christie's mysteries featuring Miss Marple. I hadn't read one of these in years so checked it out. As I began to read I realized it was a familiar story, but an interesting thing happened. I was forming pictures in my mind of the characters and the setting but once I realized I had read it before I also remembered how I had pictured it

Wordless Wednesday - Why Won't They Just Stay Still?

2012-02-08T08:56:00.000-05:00

Linking to World Bird Wednesday:

Mexican Pie

2012-02-03T19:32:00.000-05:00

I started out this evening planning to make enchiladas from a recipe I came across on a blog, but then when I thought about the assembly I was reminded of the Mexican pie I used to make. And though I didn't have the right sized tortillas I went ahead and made the pie instead of the enchiladas. Here are the ingredients: 1 onion chopped 1 red pepper chopped 1 16 oz can black beans, drained and

Wordless Wednesday - A Winter Walk on Sugarloaf Mountain

2012-02-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-25T08:48:00.001-05:00

Zucchini & Tomato Pasta Sauce

2012-01-19T07:28:00.000-05:00

From my freezer this week I pulled out a bag of frozen zucchini spears and a bag of frozen tomatoes to make a sauce for pasta. I sauteed an onion first then added the frozen items. Once they were cooked down I added a piece of my frozen chopped basil (not pictured), a teaspoon of sugar, salt and pepper. Using the stick blender I pureed the whole thingand served it over

Wordless Wednesday - New Camera Captures Birds Better

2012-01-11T09:38:00.001-05:00

GPOD

2012-01-10T08:41:00.000-05:00

Know what GPOD is? Garden Photo of the Day sponsored by Fine Gardening magazine. A long time ago they requested that readers send in photos to be included so I did. I heard nothing until I got an email from Michelle last week that they planned to feature my garden today! Yes, my photos are there! Here's the Link and please comment there, too. Garden Photo of the Day One of my goals in

75

2012-01-05T13:09:00.000-05:00

That's the number of books I read in 2011. I didn't make the 100 goal but I enjoyed trying. Here's the list of books in case you need some reading suggestions: 1. "Finders Keepers: A Tale of Archaeological Plunder & Obsession" by Craig Childs 2. "The Thirteenth Tale" by Dianne Setterfield (great book!) 3. "The Riddle of the River" by Catherine Shaw 4. "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton (

Harvest Monday - Happy New Year!

2012-01-02T14:45:00.000-05:00

I'm back from my self-imposed hiatus from blogging. Still not sure how committed I am to continuing to do this as a routine, so if you are a follower here's the caveat: I won't be regular! I'm amazed and pleased that I do have a harvest to share on this first Harvest Monday hosted by Daphne's Dandelions each Monday. Sarah made dinner for us on New Year's Eve and it required bok choy which we

Sarah's Home for Christmas ...

2011-12-21T15:40:00.001-05:00

... all the way from China. Life is good. Merry Christmas!

December Hiatus

2011-11-22T08:28:00.001-05:00

Since I've been MIA in recent weeks I think it's best that I take a December hiatus. Look for me to return in January. Why? Too many other things to do. Plus there's not much happening in the garden, the birds are happy, and though I'm reading I don't feel like commenting on them right now. Enjoy the holidays with your family and friends. I know I will especially because it will be the first

Harvest Monday

2011-11-13T15:52:00.001-05:00

One night last week after reading about Daphne's greens I harvested some tatsoi and some baby bok choy for dinner. Daphne described making soup with the tatsoi by using bouillon. I used beef bouillon and added some soy sauce. I sliced up the tatsoi and divided it between two bowls. I poured the hot bouillon over the tatosi, sprinkled on a bit of grated fresh ginger,

Looking for a Good Read

2011-11-12T16:17:00.001-05:00

I am very particular about the books I read. Bottom line: they have to be good. But good for me may not be good for you. A good read for me is usually an historical fiction that is believable. Case in point and one of the best: "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". That is one of my all time favorites and I have read it twice already and will likely read it again. I do enjoy

Addendum To Thursday's Post

2011-11-11T13:32:00.001-05:00

The chicken chili was so good last night. I didn't need to add any additional salt. I froze a good portion of it to thaw at holiday time for lunch when there are more people here to serve and kept 4 cups to have for lunch tomorrow and next week.

White Chicken Chili

2011-11-10T14:21:00.001-05:00

I made up this recipe after a friend shared hers with me. For today's post I've modified it to use vegetables from my garden preserved by freezing. Ingredients: Chicken - I had the leftovers from cooking a whole chicken in the crock pot on Monday. Canned cannelli beans - I used two cans drained. Cream of Chicken soup - 1 can Frozen zucchini Frozen green peppers Onion chopped Chilis - 1 small

The State of the Garden After Frost

2011-11-08T13:52:00.000-05:00

The garden has a different look these days. Instead of flowers the interest points are seed pods and the promise of growth in the Spring. These ferns have the most interesting formations left after their leaves have dried up and almost disappeared. The hibiscus leaves behind an interesting pod. I wonder where the seeds will show up next spring? The Autumn Joy sedum has turned

Thursday's Kitchen Cupboard

2011-11-03T07:30:00.000-04:00

I raided the freezer to make a pasta sauce this week. I pulled out frozen red peppers, frozen zucchini and a bag of frozen tomatoes. First I sauteed an onion in olive oil, then added the frozen vegetables. I cooked down the vegetables until they softened. I added pepper flakes, salt and pepper and 2 tablespoons of molasses. For a change from basil I added fresh oregano. Once

Wordless Wednesday

2011-11-02T08:49:00.002-04:00

Minimal Harvest

2011-10-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

I haven't posted on the harvest because there have been none. But Sunday I picked these two kinds of green leaf lettuces for salad for dinner. There's not much else out there because the spinach which is usually a prolific fall crop has done nothing. There are some small bok choy plants that may be usable once they get bigger if they can do that with the light failing and temps falling.

Close Encounters of the Bird Kind (sans camera)

2011-10-29T08:49:00.001-04:00

Sometimes you just have to be satisfied with seeing something and not sticking up a camera to capture the scene for all to see later. That happened to me yesterday on four different occasions. No. 1 At breakfast there was a thump at the window and I looked up just in time to see a bird fly back to the beech tree and sit there stunned. Now I have decals on my south facing windows that are

Thank You, HolleyGarden!

2011-10-27T07:22:00.000-04:00

HolleyGarden is a gardener in Texas with a marvelously green thumb especially with roses. She's transforming her land as an artist creates a painting. Earlier this year I sent her some irises and she returned the favor by sending pavonia. Then this fall I sent her orange day lilies and in lieu of plants she sent me canned goodies. They arrived yesterday while I was gone. I found the box in

Leaf Composting

2011-10-22T16:55:00.002-04:00

Do you remember that pallet of stone I got in September? After I emptied it I thought I'd re-purpose it as a leaf composter. I rolled it to a spot along the glen that was clear of plantings and started to fill it last weekend with leaves. Now the only part of my yard that I consider lawn is on the southside of the house between the deck and the glen garden, not more than 20 feet wide.

Thursday Kitchen Cupboard

2011-10-20T06:30:00.000-04:00

I came across a recipe for curry recently at Rock Recipes and filed it in the recesses of my brain to try some day. Well, Wednesday was the day, except I didn't follow his recipe I went to this great book and found a crock pot recipe that required less preparation time. I had on hand tomato seconds from the farmers market, sweet potatoes, and these potatoes from the store purchased I