Not-So-Welcome Visitors

Our birdfeeders hang over the upper deck railing so seeds often drop to the ground below.  We bring the feeders into the garage at night so as not to tempt the bears and raccoons to climb up for a snack.  The other evening my husband called me out to see some visitors.

They were not really visitors since they reside nearby, but there were three unwelcome striped skunks gleaning the fallen seeds below the deck.  "Polecat," is the southern way of naming these little critters.  (I did not know until I started school that other people called them skunks.)  We occasionally catch a whiff of their scent when we are hiking in the forests and our neighbor's dog was sprayed not too long ago, the wind carrying the scent over toward us.  (We keep a skunk-cleaning emergency kit equipped and at the ready but fortunately we have not had to use it.)

The three skunks were obviously a family but all three had very distinct patterns of black and white.  I was quite surprised at the variation.  I took the photographs from the deck so the camera is aimed directly at the tops of the skunks.  And no, I did not once think of sneaking outside and around the house to get you better photographs!

The stinky trio

Gobbling up the fallen seeds

I'd rather have three little birds on my doorstep than three little skunks below my deck

At least twice a week my husband takes a leaf blower and blows the leftover seeds deeper into the woods.  This keeps down the number of little critters coming near.  I really don't want them to decide our house might be a good place to hunker down for the winter.  There are much better places for them in the woods.

And so we try to leave with peace among these animals.  After all, it is we who invaded their territory.

Welcome Visitors

One of our favorite things about Autumn (and there are MANY favorite things), is the fall migration.  While we love all of our transients, our favorite by far is the Rose-breasted Grosbeak.  Each year brings a challenge between my husband and me to spy the first traveler.  This year my husband won.  And for a brief while we will be thrilled to see these lovely birds.

The males arrive here first.  In Autumn they are not quite as brilliantly colored as they are in the Spring but they are beautiful nonetheless.

My husband saw the first one this fall.

The males will be here about a week before the females arrive.  The females are brown and lack the white and rose coloring but they are still lovely birds.

Another lovely male.

Shortly after the females arrive, the males will leave for parts to the south and the females will remain here another week or so.  Then they too will depart and we will not see either sex again until spring when they are robed in their more brilliant summer plumage.

Some migrating seasons pass without our spotting the males in our yard, but we have received quite a treat this year.  We envy those of you fortunate enough to live in their breeding range.  We would love to see them all summer long but if it's to be only twice a year we will appreciate them as they travel through.

Don't you just love the bird visitors?

Fridays are Still Golden

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it?  Actually, I had planned to take another week of blogging break since we were going on vacation next week.  Note that I used the past tense.

The problem started with a routine visit to the veterinarian.  Ellie and Lucy get physicals, including blood work and immunizations in September every year.  So we took them in and they were pronounced to be in excellent health.

A few days later Lucy started coughing and she didn't seem to feel well.  We didn't think too much of it since she is often a bit tired after her yearly immunizations.  The cough wasn't all THAT bad, but it was definitely very different.  We did a bit of research and found that every reference popped up "kennel cough."  We immediately dismissed that.  She gets an immunization yearly, and she has just gotten a new one.  Besides, kennel cough is so highly contagious Ellie would certainly get infected.  And Ellie was perfectly fine.  So we went with the notion that she had picked up a virus or something.

The cough decreased dramatically but she still coughed when she got excited.  So we decided to take her to the doctor just to make certain she was fine.  After all, we didn't want to leave her if she was getting sick.  She coughed only once at the doctor's office.  And that was enough.  Lucy was recovering from kennel cough.  The doctor said they had a patient who had infected several dogs, including his own.  (To his credit, he did not charge us for the visit.)  So a few lessons learned: 1) vaccinations are not 100%; 2) the efficacy of this vaccine wanes over nine months or so even if it is called a "yearly" vaccination; and 3) dogs and kids will get sick at the most inconvenient times.

Lucy was not in much danger of transmitting the cough but that could not be guaranteed until at least two weeks.  So to be 100% sure, she should not be around other dogs.

Great timing, Lucy.

But I don't feel too good.

I'll just lie here in the sun.

Or rest on the chair rung.

So we called our doggie camp to tell them and canceled our hotel reservations.  We could have delayed our trip for two weeks, but who wants to leave the mountains in the middle of October?  Certainly not us.  So we will take the vacation next spring.

We are among the five "battleground" states in this Presidential election.  We have a race for governor and a heated congressional race.  The television stations in our area have no air time available to sell.  None.  It's all been sold.  So one would think I would have had enough politics.  Nope.  Not me.  I get invigorated by it all because it is more important this year than ever for every single one of us to vote.  So my quotes for Friday will wax political though I will try not to insult anyone.

Today's quote is from the late Edward R. Murrow:

A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves.

I hope all of you are well on this last weekend in September.  And I hope that you are looking at all the candidates for all elected offices.  If you are voting for judges, PLEASE take the time to find out more about each of them.  It amazes me that so few people actually research the candidates for courts of appeals and justices for the State Supreme Court.  These people make a huge difference in our lives.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND EVERYONE!!!

Blogging Break

I am taking a break.  It might be for several weeks.  I will try to catch some of your posts and I will be back before too long.  I've turned off the comments for this post.

Enjoy these photographs of our mountains.

And stay safe, everyone.

Fridays Are Golden

In the interest of equal time, I decided to give Lucy another post of her own, since I did two posts for Ellie's birthday.  So here are some more glimpses into the daily life of Lemonade Lucy.

She loves to lie on the deck watching birds and animals.

She rests her head on the lower railing and puts two paws between the slats.

She is so smart that she knows which bed says "Lucy."

(I strongly suspect that for some reason this bed is the more comfortable, 

but my husband insists Lucy can read her name.)

It took quite a while for her to learn "down/stay," but she does know the command and follow it.

In fact, both dogs run to the door and put themselves in a down/stay whenever the doorbell rings.

They may look so well behaved but don't kid yourself.  After they have been released they run to the fridge for their little piece of cheddar cheese.

While Lucy is very active, she can sleep better than anyone I know.

Another week has ended.  We have seen some respite from the high temperatures but are having rather severe thunderstorms almost every day.  Our thoughts go out to those suffering from nature's wrath.  And to those who suffer at the hands of their fellow man.

Today's quote is attributed to several different people, most consistently to Helen Keller, so I will go with that.  It seems very appropriate amid all the problems that make us feel so small and insignificant.  In an era in which large corporations are considered "individuals" who can buy our electoral process, we sometimes think we don't matter much.  But we do...each one of us.

I am only one,

But still I am one.

I cannot do everything

But still I can do something;

And because I cannot do everything

I will not refuse to do the something I can.

You likely have heard variations of the story of an old man frantically trying to save starfish stranded on the shore.  The shore was littered with starfish, most of whom would surely perish when the sun rose.  The task seemed impossible.  So many starfish and so little time.  A man approached the old man and asked what he was doing.  When the man told him, the younger man responded, "Why?  There are too many of them.  This won't make a difference."  The older man threw another starfish to safety in the ocean.  "It will to that one," he replied.  Then continued his work.

We all have to believe that little things we do will make a difference.  I reflect on the starfish story often in these confusing days when every detail of our lives seem politicized.  And for a while I feel a little bit better.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND, EVERYONE!  DO THE SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN DO.

Celebrate by Serving

The Nelson Mandela Foundation and the United Nations have declared today "Nelson Mandela International Day."  Born on July 18, 1918, today is Mandela's birthday.  According to the UN declaration, Nelson Mandela gave sixty-seven years of his life to bring much-needed change in South Africa.

To honor him, people all over the world are being asked to give a mere sixty-seven minutes today in service to others.  One minute of your time for every year of Mandela's service to mankind.

Photograph from the Internet, not credited.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon encourages all of us to take action on Mandela's ninety-fourth birthday.  What better way to honor such a man than to give to others?

So join me today in giving an hour and seven minutes to do something kind for someone else.  Make this a better day.  It's a small thing to do and may mean so much to someone.  We affect the lives of others in ways we may never know.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NELSON MANDELA!

AND THANK YOU...

Really Easy Fruit Cobbler

I don't usually share recipes here.  Goodness knows, there are many far better resources for cooking than this blog. But I do love to cook.  I subscribe to several cooking magazines and love to try new recipes.  I watch several cooking shows when I have the chance.  One more perk of being retired is that I can cook complex dishes that take all day to prepare.

Sometimes I go back to the simple tried and true.  There is one recipe I received very early in my married life that is so easy and so delicious that we continue to have it every year when the berries and peaches are ripe.  It may be the easiest fruit cobbler I've ever seen and our family loves it.

Baked in a three-quart baking dish it looks like this.

Spoon a serving into a dish while the cobbler is warm from the oven.

Top it with your favorite ice cream.

In our house it is vanilla-with-the-bean.

Recipe:
1 stick butter or margarine
1 cup sugar plus extra for fruit and top
1 cup milk
1 cup self-rising flour
2 cups fresh berries or diced fruit

Preheat oven to 400.  Put stick of butter in 3-quart baking dish and place in heating oven to melt.  (Or put dish in microwave to melt the butter.)  Remove the dish and set aside.

Put fruit in saucepan and add sufficient sugar to sweeten to taste.  Warm the mixture until sugar melts.

Mix together the sugar and flour in a small bowl.  (If using unsalted butter you might want to add a dash of salt.)  Add the milk and whisk until mixture is smooth.  Pour the mixture evenly over the melted butter in the baking dish.  Do not stir.  Spoon the heated berries evenly over the mixture.  Do not stir.

Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes until crust is lightly browned.  Sprinkle top with sugar and bake another 5 minutes.

I'll never forget my first experience with this cobbler.  We were living in a farm house out in the country while our home was under construction.  A neighbor invited me over for coffee and served this cobbler.  I asked for the recipe which she gladly shared from memory.  I excitedly bought some blackberries and made the recipe for my husband.  It was a soggy mess of dough and fruit.

When I visited the neighbor again, I told her I must have written down the recipe wrong.  In our discussion the problem became clear.  She had assumed that I would know to use "self-rising" flour even though she said only "flour" when giving the recipe.  "How did you think the dough would rise?" she asked, not in a condescending way.  What seemed self-evident to an experienced cook was not so clear to a novice.

So every year I make this cobbler several times as various berries ripen.  And my husband and I never fail to laugh as we recall the doughy mess of my first attempt.

Give this simple recipe a try.  I think you will enjoy it.