While sitting on my screen porch yesterday, I heard a raucous loud sound. Over and over again this sound pierced the still air til finally a wing flutter could be heard. Looking towards the sound, I could hear two wing flutters. And there they were! Two majestic looking hawks — male chasing female.
I quickly looked through my binoculars to get a good look at these two giant birds. Oops! I was looking at two mating birds. Sheeplishly I put my binoculars down. Hmmm … I never knew that … Well, I had never seen birds mate before.
Today, the cardinal that’s been flitting around our yard had brought his mate with him.
Minnesota Cardinal
Chasing each other through the trees, over and under, they sure looked like they were having a good time.
Yes — mating season has begun. I wonder why I have never noticed this time of year before.
With all the hoopla recently regarding Google and how it uses my search history, I decided to see if there was a way to turn off my history searches in Google. Sure enough, there is a little known workaround to stop Google from tracking our history. You have to “opt-in” though and I wish they would tell people about the option instead of us having to stumble upon it.
Here are the simple steps to follow:
Go to google.com
Go to “Account Settings.” (Mine was found by clicking on my name which gave me a drop-down menu)
Scroll down to “Services”
Next to the tab “View, enable, or disable web history,” click on “Go to web history”
Click on “Pause” at the top of the page
That’s it! There is also an option to remove all your web history.
This isn’t something new but something new to me. And the funny thing is that I don’t “see” most of the personal ads that are supposed to be geared towards me. Perhaps it’s because I’m focused too much on what I’m doing.
Quinoa? What is quinoa? After buying a large bag of it (I like to try new things) I had better find out, eh?
Quinoa
Quinoa is sometimes considered a grain but it is actually a seed. It has a slightly nutty flavor and can be prepared like rice or barley. The texture is soft — almost like couscous. A nutritionist I know called it “the perfect food” and says it is filled with vitamins, proteins, amino acids, minerals, and fiber. It also contains the essential omega-3 fatty acids which provides benefits to the heart. Sounds pretty close to a perfect food, eh?
I like the texture of quinoa — it feels soft in my mouth and doesn’t taste heavy in my belly.
Ingredients
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups quinoa, well rinsed
Salt
1 1/2 cups cooked or 1 (15.5 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 ripe plum tomatoes, chopped but not too small
1/2 cup minced red onion
1/2 cup basil
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Add the water to a large saucepan and bring it to a boil over high heat
Add the quinoa, salt the water and return to a boil
When it’s simmering, reduce the heat, cover the saucepan and allow the quinoa to cook through (until the water is absorbed) for about 20 minutes
Once cooked, transfer the quinoa to a large bowl
Add the black beans, tomatoes, onion, basil then stir it all together
In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, vinegar, salt (to your taste) and pepper — this will be the dressing
Pour 1/2 of the dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Taste and see if the flavor is right for you
Continue adding the dressing until you feel comfortable with the taste and the consistency, ie, not too oily tasting
Serves approximately 10 as a side dish.
The recipe is from the cookbook I received as a gift, 1000 Vegan Recipes.
I made the following changes to the original recipe:
Used basil instead of parsley
Use red wine vinegar instead of sherry vinegar
The recipe says it feeds 4 but you have to eat a LOT of this salad for it to feed four. I used it as a side dish so had lots left over. I covered the leftovers with plastic and the next day the salad still tasted fine. However, like other salads I’ve made that have a dressing, my preference would be make the salad and add the dressing a few minutes before you’re ready to serve it. I find it tastes fresher that way.
They are here! The birds are back thanks to the warmer weather we’ve been experiencing.
While driving home, I noticed that the neighbor dog was a little agitated pacing back and forth while looking up at a tree on our property. Looking up, I noticed a huge yellow looking bird. Hmmm … I wonder if the falcon is back.
Running to get my camera from inside the house, I took many shots of this large bird. He stood perfectly still as I got as close as I could without disturbing him. At first, I thought it was an owl as it was so round and puffy-like. But, what a surprise I had when I looked at the pictures and found that my treasure for the day was spotting a red-shouldered hawk. I understood the concern of my furry dog friend as these hawks are carnivorous and its diet mainly consist of small mammals.
Red Shouldered Hawk
She looks a tad bit fat to me and I believe I probably took this picture shortly after she had grabbed something to eat.
Red Shouldered Hawk
While I was outside, I spotted a smaller version of this hawk which I’m pretty sure was the male. Unfortunately, the light wasn’t conducive to taking a picture of it but it sure was making a racket!
Today is quite different weather-wise from yesterday. Actually, it’s quite different mood-wise also. Reading yesterday’s post, one would have thought that I was on the verge of depression. Not so. A series of disappointing events occurred that brought my tenacity to an almost screeching halt. I’ve since recovered.
I don’t know what’s going on in Minnesota this year. Our winter has been so mild and this week they anticipate having 4-5 days of 70 degree temperatures. I’m certainly enjoying the warmth but my mind thinks forward to the summer with the concern being an onslaught of bugs that didn’t get killed over the winter.
The neighbors small marshland that sits behind the back of our lot has water in it already. Gone is the snow and ice that the deer walked on. This, I believe, is where most of our mosquitoes come from. The dragonflies have not yet appeared so the mosquito population has not yet started hatching.
The “plan” now is to get some Mosquito Dunks which are pellets that can be dropped in standing water. The pellets contain a bacteria that feed on the larvae and kill those blood-sucking … oh, sorry, almost got carried away there. (laughing)
The area lakes are thawing rather quickly but unless we get a lot of spring rain, the water levels will be very low which can affect summer activities. Perhaps I won’t be able to learn to fish this year. A neighbor I met this past weekend told me that the fish in the nearby lake are desperate for food so I can even use corn as bait. I found that so funny! Being naive about fishing though, I will probably try it to see if it works.
I never dreamed that I would be strategizing on how to rid the area around us of mosquitoes and ticks nor of competing with neighbors to see who can make the best woodpile. (It will be me of course but I’ll let them learn that on their own.)
With 2 beautiful record-setting warm days in Minnesota, today I woke to a downpour of rain, darkness and fog. A true reflection of life.
Driving through the fog I could hardly see 15 feet in front of me. I prayed that no deer were out this early although this is their usual morning feeding time. With a mist of rain gently splattering on the windshield, I couldn’t help but think about the realities of life.
One minute, the sun is out. People are walking, biking, talking and enjoying life. Everything seems right. But the realities are that most of the time things aren’t right and the sun only causes a false sense of security.
Betrayed by the sun, clouds hovering above pummel their incessant drops of wet tears that don’t cease. Splattering on one’s life, they bring the fog of blindness to one’s heart leaving one with only themselves in focus.
Minnesota Fog
What is this about? One day things appeared as it should, or at least the way I thought. Everything clear, bright and bringing with it an energy of life that could overtake the largest obstacle. The next day, realizations arise that cause the heart to recoil as darkness sets in.
Alone. I am alone. The people around me who I had thought comprised part of my being have chipped themselves away. The saying “I came into this world alone and I will leave it alone” comes to mind.
I try to shake the feeling of meaninglessness that so suddenly has appeared on my doorstop. “You’re not welcome here,” I say to him. But as he did to Solomon of old , he continues to stand at the door seeking entrance into a heart that is overwhelmed by fog. Not being able to see 15 feet ahead, meaninglessness offers me his hand. “No, I don’t want you,” I say.
And as he stands there at the door believing that he’ll gain entrance simply because I sit in darkness on the other side, I wonder if this is why people choose to live their lives away from others.
Disappointment, grief, sadness — none of these will keep meaninglessness away. And yet, he will not receive an invitation to enter my heart. He has no place here and is not welcome. He’s come close enough for me to smell his lurid breath and to see his beady little eyes trying to peer into my soul. But no door will be open for him here.
The minute I make up my mind that I can only trust myself and not sunshine, people or events in life, disappointment starts to ebb. But it is not entirely gone. Always on the fringes and working with meaninglessness as its best friend, entrance to my heart has to be guarded.
And when the darkness, the pellets of rain and the fog encompass and blind me, I lift up my eyes to the only One I know I can trust. I’ve been shown reality and it knocked me to the ground. But I am standing again – shaking but standing nonetheless. Thank you Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit for pulling me out of this fog-encased time in my life.
March is supposed to be the snowiest month in Minnesota. So far, we’ve seen drizzle and sun.
Yesterday reminded me of Seattle. Cold, damp, drizzly, foggy and windy. A typical Seattle day. I even started to feel blah.
This morning I looked out the window and a cardinal was sitting on a branch. The beginning of spring has arrived albeit a little earlier than the date suggests it should.
The weather is supposed to be in the 40’s, 50’s then 60’s next week. I don’t know if I’m ready for spring yet. I’ve enjoyed the winter even though it was quite mild. Our snow plower didn’t make much money off of us this year.
Spring projects include: removing wallpaper from the main bathroom, painting the guest room and laundry room on the main floor, painting the his and her closets in the master bedroom and lastly, landscaping the yard.
I still haven’t figured out what to do with our backyard. Once the trees are in full bloom, the only sunlight we get is when the sun is directly above our house and there are too many trees hovering over our property to allow the sun to beam down in a way to provide much light to plants. Quite a challenge — a shade and deer tolerant yard.
I wonder if there’s a landscaping show similar to HDTV for houses that will come and do it for me. Hmmm … I’ll have to check that out. Unless someone already knows???
A few years ago, I watched a movie called My Big Fat Greek Wedding. It’s a comedy and, although I don’t find comedy funny most of the time, this movie made me think about things that, as a Puerto Rican, my family used to (term used loosely) do.
In the movie, the father uses Windex as a cure for everything. Pimple? Windex. Rash? Windex. One would think that the story was made up but idiosyncrasies like this are a reality in a lot of cultures. Mine is one of them although it’s not Windex that we use.
Growing up, our cure-all was Vicks VapoRub. Much to my dismay, it has recently changed.
On a recent trip to visit relatives (who shall remain anonymous for reasons known) I had a wrist splint on because of pain that I was experiencing due to a fall on vacation. When a person is injured or sick, friends and family all seem to become doctors. I was now the patient of well-meaning relatives.
Sitting around watching TV, the family member told me they had something that would help my pain. My first thought was “Oh, Vicks Vaporub” but I mistaken. Â A large clear jar of blue “gel” was pulled out, the top was opened and a large amount of the gel was slathered on my arm and wrist.
Hmmm … I thought. It has a menthol smell. The pain was starting to go away and for about an hour I was pain free. “This stuff seems to work, at least temporarily,” I told myself.
For the next couple of days, I thought nothing of the “gel” that was now being used on me every time I visited. Until, that is, I went to use the bathroom. While cleaning my hands, I noticed a huge tub of this gel sitting on the vanity and like a cat whose curiosity is piqued by trailing yarn, I picked up the large tub to see what was in this miracle cure. The large label read “Mineral Ice.” Oh, mineral ice, that sounds “natural.”
Hmmm … “Mane and Tail” — what a strange name. As I continued to read, my heart almost stopped. “Horses In Training:Â Use regularly before and after workouts.”
Oh no! What is this????!!!!!!! I couldn’t believe it.
“After Strenuous Competition:
To temporarily relieve minor soreness or stiffness after racing, polo, hunting, jumping, roping, cutting, gated performances and dressage. Promotes faster, safer cool outs.”
I almost fell to the floor with uncontrollable laugher. The new cure-all is meant for animals.
I left the bathroom feeling foolish. “You should have known,” I told myself. “You should have checked. You know some people in your family have odd ideas.”
Quite honestly, I don’t believe my relative even read the label. Another relative had given them a clear jar of the gel and since it worked they continued to use it. Then this “other” relative gave them the large tub of “Mane and Tail” and they continued filling the large clear jar every time it was empty.
Upon leaving, I was presented with my very own clear jar of Mane and Tail.
Mane and Tail Mineral Ice
Once I arrived at home, I looked up the ingredients. The main ingredient is menthol. I haven’t checked each of the other ingredients to see if they are okay for “human use.”
But, I just don’t think I can use it. My brain just can’t wrap itself around using a concoction that’s meant for horses. Â Especially since the warning tells you to see a veterinarian if you have problems.
At first glance, the name of this recipe sounded a little odd to me but since I have lots of red lentils (that I bought very inexpensively, by the way) I decided to try it. One of my goals this year is to try more vegan recipes from the cookbook, 1000 Vegan Recipes, that I was given for Christmas.
What a wonderful surprise this soup turned out to be! It was delicious. I had my doubts in the beginning because when I added the can of crushed tomatoes the soup looked red and tasted too much like tomatoes. But the longer it cooked, the more the sweet butternut flavors came through.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon mild curry powder
1 (14.5 ounce) can unsalted crushed tomatoes
1 cup red lentils, picked over, rinsed and drained
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup water
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 cups finely chopped stemmed red Swiss chard
Directions
In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
Add the onion, squash and garlic then cover and cook until the vegetables are softened, 10-15 minutes.
Stir in the ginger and curry powder.
Add the tomatoes, lentils, broth, water, and the salt and pepper to taste.
Bring the soup to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until the lentils and vegetables are tender, about 45 minutes.
Stir occasionally.
About 15 minutes before serving, stir in the chard.
Adjust the seasonings if necessary and then serve.
I made the following changes to this recipe to suit my family’s taste:
First, instead of chopping the onion (which means they’d be larger) I diced it since one of my son’s doesn’t like onions. This helps the onion to cook more thoroughly so the soup doesn’t taste too much like onion.
Second,I used 2 cloves of garlic instead of one.
Third, I used only 1/2 teaspoon curry powder instead of the 1 tablespoon that the original recipe calls for. The original recipe also says you can use hot curry powder but since we don’t like a strong curry flavor I toned it down.
Fourth, I used 4 cups of broth and one cup of water instead of 5 cups of broth. In the past, I have found that when I use too much broth the soup tastes more like the broth than anything else. I wanted to make sure that the other flavors were enhanced.
Really and truly, this was a great tasting soup. I served it with a pear, pecan, blue cheese salad and Naan bread. I wasn’t trying to have a vegan meal — just try a new vegan recipe. I hardly noticed that this soup had red lentils in it.
Ingredients
Dice the Onions
Peel the Butternut Squash
Dice the Butternut Squash
Clean the Red Lentils
Rinse the Red Lentils
Red Swiss Chard
Add the Garlic, Onion and the Butternut Squash
Add the Canned Tomatoes, Ginger, and Curry
Curried Butternut and Red Lentil Soup with Red Swiss Chard
Curried Butternut and Red Lentil Soup with Chard
This soup is now on my favorites list. If you try it, please let me know how you like it and what other variations you try.
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