The Birds

I awoke this morning to a strange whooshing noise outside the house.  At first I thought it might be the wind, but that didn't quite sound right.

Later, I saw shadows passing the window and I looked outside to see thousands of birds in the backyard.

I grabbed my iPhone and went outside.

 The strange sound was soon explained: the whoosh was the sound of their wings when the entire flock would take to flight at once.

 It was a magnificent sight.

After a bit they left the neighborhood, but not before eating all the berries on my dogwoods and leaving a mess on the deck and the Foodie Daughter's car.

Oddly enough, I later caught up with that same flock up in town.

After all, it's not that difficult to miss a flock that large.

The Birds

While sitting in my library this afternoon

I became aware of a ruckus outside the window.

A flock of blackbirds and starlings had descended upon

my bird feeder and were chattering away in

the two nearby dogwood trees.

They don't seem to be the patient sort.

Alfred Hitchcock had it right:

beware when the birds come around.

Snow Days

The National Weather Service warned of a major snow event headed our way

and I sprang into action:

heading to the grocery store to stock up on food and wine

(what's up with people stocking up on milk and bread before storms?

Is there some law that one must have those particular items on hand in case of emergency?),

filling the gas tank of my car,

filling the bird feeders on the back deck

and making sure that we had enough salt on hand for the driveway and front walk.

Then the only thing left to do was to sit back and wait for the storm to hit.

The storm arrived,

first with rain,

then with snow,

then back to rain

before turning back to snow.

The snow finally started to accumulate after dark on Friday evening.

I woke up Saturday morning to find that we had gotten perhaps 2 to 3 inches of snow.

Much better than the 4 to 9 inches they had forecast.

And certainly better than the snowfall amounts that the Eastern seaboard is getting.

The birds visit the bird feeder at the table.

How many cardinals can you find in the tree?

(Click on the photo to enlarge.)

Snow "cushions" on the chairs.

A male cardinal visits another bird feeder.

Snowscapes.

The snow covers tables and chairs on the front porch.

Many thanks to the dear husband for fixing my computer problems

so I can once again upload photos.

After all, a blog without pictures isn't nearly as nice.

Life and Death

This has truly been a difficult time in the Foodie household. Our beloved kitty, who took ill at Christmas time, has passed from this world. It got to the point that he could barely stand and the vet informed us that his heart had been moved to the right side of his chest, probably due to a tumor. After assuring us that there wasn't anything that we could do except to prolong his suffering, we made the very difficult decision to put him to sleep yesterday. Fortunately, my husband took the day off to be there with us and to help take care of the details.

For twelve and a half years this dear cat has been my companion and my lap-warmer. Midnight, you will be missed and you will always be cherished in our hearts.

Midnight 'plays' with his faux mouse one last time.

Midnight Shadow

April 1996 - March 2009

And yet, life goes on, ignoring our pain.

My chives have started to sprout.


The thyme has kept on growing even during the cold of winter.

And the surprise lilies have emerged from the ground.

My darling daughter IM'd me from her class this afternoon to tell me to go outside and enjoy the warm weather. "Yes, dear," I responded. So, being a good mom, I went out on the deck and listened to the birds sing. Perhaps one day I will be able to feel the joy again.

A Special Gift to You

Knowing just how much some of my readers love snow, I braved the elements to take these pictures and video for you. Enjoy.

After a brief period of rain this morning, the snow began to fall.

Meanwhile, the blackbirds are fighting over the bird feeder on the front porch.

The snow is falling more heavily now.

My daughter's red car is now white.

This is a wet, 'sticky' snow.

Happy snowy Saturday to you!

The Great Backyard Bird Count

Birders start your counting! The Great Backyard Bird Count starts today and runs through Monday.

It's simple to do: The Great Backyard Bird Count is an annual four-day event that engages bird watchers of all ages in counting birds to create a real-time snapshot of where the birds are across the continent. Anyone can participate, from beginning bird watchers to experts. It takes as little as 15 minutes on one day, or you can count for as long as you like each day of the event. It’s free, fun, and easy—and it helps the birds. We'll be adding updated 2009 GBBC materials as they become available.*

*From the GBBC web site.

So join in on the fun and do your part to help our feathered friends.

Visiting Midnight

After yet another cat-less night at home, I decided to visit my dear cat at the vet.

Midnight is being cared for at Combs Veterinary Clinic.

Midnight is glad to see his mommy, if not her camera.

Poor Middy is hooked up to an IV. He doesn't know what he has done to deserve such ignominy.



I miss my kitty. But I want him to get better before he comes back home. Bye, Middy.

Well, there are animals around the house. I don't think those are cats, though.

The birds are back in the neighborhood.

You'll have to click on the picture to see what I had to drive through in order to get back home after visiting with my dear cat.

A Field Trip, Time Out and a Dinner

Since I had to go out today for my allergy shots and it was a warm, beautiful day, I decided to take my camera with me and head down the road to the lake.

Down at the lake.

Hey, where did the road go? I'm not driving through that. No way.

Road Ends in Water - you don't say.

Midnight is paying attention to the birds today.

Purple Peruvian Potatoes. Purple people plant Peruvian potatoes perfectly.



I admit it, I've never had purple potatoes before and just had to try these.

I cut these up, tossed them with a bit of bacon joos and olive oil, seasoned with kosher salt and black pepper and baked in a 350 degree oven for one hour. Here's a handy tip for you. Heat the empty baking sheet in the oven before adding the cold potatoes. This simple step helps to prevent a lot of the sticking that usually ensues when baking potatoes.

Meanwhile, I had taken blanched green beans, and saute them with cooked bacon and minced onion. Toss with a bit of olive oil and season with kosher salt and black pepper.

The cooked Peruvian potatoes. In case you are wondering, they taste just like regular potatoes.

I had marinated a turkey breast loin in a mixture of whisky, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, brown sugar and grated garlic for several hours. I then seared it on the stove top and then placed in a 350 degree oven until the internal temperature reached 165 degrees. Allow to rest before carving. My family was hungry, so I rushed this step.

The beauty shot. I also made a quick whisky teriyaki sauce to accompany the turkey.

Yes, I have my bacon grease, er joos stored in the fridge and properly labeled.