HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - INTERESTING STORY ABOUT THE DOG

 This is another from my archives. We are all of different faiths and beliefs. However, I hope all dog lovers will enjoy this story. The dog I mentioned below has long since moved on with his humans.

This is dedicated to my sweet four-legged neighbor across the street, with his cold, wet nose often pressed against the glass door, who always barks a welcome when I return home from a trip be it long or short. I wave and he wags his tail.

How the Dog Got a Cold, Wet Nose.

When a man named Noah started building a boat in the middle of the desert, everybody laughed. They thought he was daft. But Noah wasn't listening to them, he was listening to the God of the Hebrews, who said to build a boat.

So Noah built a boat. Noah called his boat an ark. When he finished it, he rounded up all the animals, two by two, to travel on his ark. People laughed at Noah's opossums and panthers and penguins. They laughed at his cheetahs and chinchillas, giraffes and gazelles, and rhinoceroses and hippopotamuses. Into the ark went all the animals, two by two.

Pretty soon, it started to rain. It rained, and it poured, and it rained some more. People stopped laughing and the ark started floating. Noah and his family and all the animals, two by two, rode safely on the waters.They sailed for 40 days and 40 nights. When the rains stopped, out of the ark came Noah and his family and all of the animals, two by two. Except one.

No one could find the little dog. Noah searched everywhere. He looked on the first deck. He looked on the second deck, then the third deck. Finally, in the farthest corner in the lowest deck, he found the little dog. The dog was shivering and standing with his nose pressed hard against the side of the boat. "Come here, little dog!" called Noah. "It's time to come out! Here, doggie, doggie!"

The little dog wouldn't move. Noah gently pulled him away. "What's this?" said Noah. "A hole in the ark! The ark might have sunk! Little dog! You kept us safe - me, my family, and all of the animals, two by two! With your little nose!"

The little dog was proud. But mostly, he was hungry. "Little dog," said Noah, as he pulled out a juicy bone, "so all the world and all the generations will know your great deed, your nose will always be cold and wet, just as it is today."

That's how the dog got his cold, wet nose. When you feel it, remember the little dog who used his nose to protect Noah, his family, and all of the animals, two by two.

~Stanley Coren~

Thanks for visiting and 

Happy Sunday Everyone.

Enjoy your day!

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - BIRDWATCHING?

 

The pair of Tufted Titmice had their own opinions on the matter.

That's how it goes on a Saturday Morning at the Birdfeeder, where imagination is a fine thing, and being away with the fairies is a fun place to be. The inner child will thank us. 

I hope my latest touch of whimsy gave you a smile.

Thanks for flying in and 

may your weekend be a great one, 

whichever planet you are living on.

For our international friends to translate using the widget on my sidebar.

Photo 1:

"He's birdwatching."

Photo 2: 

"We have a visitor."

"???"

"Does anyone think he looks a bit like us, maybe a little more green?"

Photo 3:

"Thank you for making me welcome. The scone was very nice."

"You come in peace. You will always be very welcome."

Photo 4:

"I think the Mrs is away with the fairies again."

RED BUDS AND A POEM

 

Look, the trees

are turning their own bodies 

into pillars

of light, 

are giving off the rich 

fragrance of cinnamon

and fulfillment,

the long tapers 

of cattails

are bursting and floating away over

the blue shoulders

of the ponds,

and every pond,

no matter what its

name is, is

nameless now.

Every year 

everything

I have ever learned

in my lifetime

leads back to this: the fires

and the black river of loss

whose other side

is salvation, 

whose meaning 

none of us will ever know.

To live in this world

you must be able

to do three things:

to love what is mortal;

to hold it

against your bones knowing

your own life depends on it;

and, when the time comes to let it go,

to let it go.

~Mary Oliver~

(9-10-35 - 1-17-19)

One of my all-time favorite poets. This photo was taken at Meadowlark Gardens in Vienna, Virginia in May 2009. Probably not the same time of the year that the poem is describing but this is also a favorite photo I wanted to reshare. 

Our weather over the last few days showing the highs is below.

Tuesday, May 19th - 99°F / 37°C

Wednesday, May 20th - 81°F / 27°C

Thursday, May 21st - 73°F / 23°C

Friday, May 22nd - 57°F / 14°C

Saturday, May 23rd - 55°F / 13°C

Sunday, May 24th - 69°F / 21°C

As of 5-24-26 it has been raining for the last two days, with more to follow, so no walkies for us until the sun shines again. It won't keep us inside though. I am sure we will find something to do.  

What has the weather been like in your area?

DID YOU KNOW…

 You can click on to enlarge each image if you would like a clearer view.

The word animal is derived from the Ancient Greek 

word Anima. It simply means soul.

I found these at Pinterest and enjoyed learning about the birds.

Did you know: the Chipping Sparrow’s song is one of the longest sustained trills 

in North American birdsong - a rapid, mechanical chip-chip-chip that can last 4 to 8

seconds without pause. It sounds almost like an insect. But here’s the remarkable 

part: researchers have found that neighboring male Chipping Sparrows match each

other’s trill rates over time. They learn to sound like their neighbors. The local dialect 

is real and it shifts with each generation.

My apologies to our international friends. I completely forgot to write down what was in the image so that you could translate it. My mind and my eyes were extra tired tonight and I rushed through to get this published. Racing brain-tired body, not a good combination, lol! I will add the words as I have the time.

Hello. I am the Dark-eyed Junco. Order: Passeriformes, Family: Passerellidae,

Genus: Junco, Species: hyemalis. You called me a ‘snowbird’ all winter. You were 

charmed by my slate-gray back and white outer tail feathers. You kept the feeder full.

I appreciate this. But now it is late April. I am heading north to breed in boreal forests

and mountain slopes. I did not come to say goodbye. I just…left one morning. That is

how I do things. See you in October (around the bird little arrows from left down point

to slate hood, pink bill, white tail feathers. On the other side white belly. In the box on 

the right: Common name: Dark-eyed Junco. Scientific name: Junco hyemalis. 

Length: 5.5 - 6.7 inches (14 - 17 cm), Wingspan: 7.5 - 9.8 inches (19 - 25 cm),

Diet: seeds, insects, berries. Habitat: forests, woodlands, fields and backyard feeders. 

On the right: sunflower seed, millet, corn, white proso millet.

What nesting costs her body. 8 species the bill nobody sees.The bird is an American Robin. 

The arrows on the right say, Immunity - suppressed during nesting. More vulnerable to 

disease. Flight Speed - slower when carrying forming egg. Hawk vulnerability. 

Lifespan - breeders live shorter lived than non-breeders. Reproduction costs.  The arrows 

on the left say Skeleton - calcium extracted for eggshells. Bones weaker by egg 3-4. 

Feathers - brood patch: bare skin, pulled out for heat transfer. Flight Speed - slower when 

carrying forming egg. Hawk vulnerability. What helps: Eggshell station = less calcium from her 

bones. Nesting material station = less energy searching. Food near nests = fewer trips, less 

predator exposure. Other species mentioned top left: Goose - body weight -25%. Raccoon:

weight loss while nursing. Top right: Cottontail: fur for nest lining. Fox: chest fur pulled for nest.

This is a replacement to the one that I had here before, and more accurate. 

Can you tell the males from the females at your feeder. Most people can’t and

You might be surprised which is which. The left side of the panel: Male Ruby-throated 

Hummingbird. Iridescent green crown. Brilliant iridescent red throat (gorget). White 

breast. Right-side panel: side now. Female Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Green 

crown (less iridescent). White throat (no red gorget). Green back (softer).

Square tail. Underneath the branch, in the first box - both sexes have: long,

slender bill. Rapid wings (blur when in flight). Tiny feet for perching.  The 

next box: Ruby-throated Hummingbird - Archilochus colubris - arrives in

Spring. Loves flower nectar and small insects. The diagram of the Hummingbird

feeder on the left shows what we should give them - clear sugar water, never red.

In Native American culture, Hummingbirds are seen as healers and bringers of love, good luck and joy. 

A Duck can…eliminate 200 slugs per day on 100 square feet, walk between vegetables 

without scratching the soil, lay 200 to 300 eggs per year - larger and richer, control up to

500 mosquito larvae per day, fertilize 65 to 75 square feet of ground per month, produce

13 to 18 lbs. of manure per month, handle cold, rain and wet better than chickens.

THE BACKYARD SECRET EVERY BIRD WISHES YOU KNEW.

Your kitchen can save an entire nesting season. An eggshell is 95 percent calcium. Most 

females can’t find enough. A simple natural homemade shallow dish. Why birds need your help: 

 calcium in forest soils down to 70 percent since the 1970s. Fewer snails, fewer natural calcium 

sources. Modern yards = lower mineral availability. The eggshell station steps: save shells.

Bake at 250 degrees F. for 20 minutes. Crush to rice or pea size. Add to shallow dish. Refill weekly 

February to July. Zero cost, huge environmental impact. Who benefits: Robin, Chickadee, Bluebird,

Finch. Mothers seek calcium 2 to 3 weeks before laying. Impact: 12 eggshells a week can mean five chicks instead of none. Human relatables: this goes to waste in most homes. This becomes strong 

eggshells and healthy hatchlings. A tiny dish on your feeder can save a family of birds.

This  is a Brown Thrasher

‘The mockingbird gets all the  credit. But I know 1,100 different songs. MORE than 

any other North American bird.  I sing each one twice, and then move on. I never

Repeat a sequence. My concert lasts hours. And I wrote every song myself - I don’t 

copy anyone. But no one writes articles about me. Because I am brown. The most 

talented bird in America.’

Your Birdbath Has Different Rules. Here’s Who Bathes How - and Who Just Wades

Tier 1 - Robin: The bath bully. Full immersion 20 - 30 seconds. Splashes everything off the 

rim, even juveniles. Tier 2 - Mourning Dove: Doesn’t bathe. Wades belly-deep for 10+ 

minutes. Holds bath by occupation, not aggression. Tier 3 - Blue Jay/Grackle/Starling: 

Progressive bathers. Step in, sink lower, splash retreat, repeat. Tier 4 - House Sparrow

Flock: Pile in 6-10 at a time. Dominate by mass for 2-3 minutes. Tier 5 - Chickadee/Wren/

Warbler: Darters. One-second full submersion. Repeat 4-5 times from a nearby branch.

Did you know? The Baltimore Oriole can taste the difference between natural grape

jelly and artificially flavored substitutes - and will abandon a feeder that uses imitation

flavoring - it has taste receptors tuned to specific sugars found in ripe fruit - This is why

real grape jelly works and 'grape-flavored' products often don't - The bird is not being

picky. It is being correct.

Did you know? The tufted titmouse is one of the few backyard birds that caches foods - 

carrying seeds one at a time from your feeder and hiding them in tree bark, crevices or

soil up to 130 feet away - it can remember hundreds of cache locations - and he's the

surprising part: it picks the best seeds first - Sunflower seeds before millet. Larger

kernels before small ones - It is running a quality-controlled pantry in your yard.

~Baeolophus bicolor~

I Am Not A Bully - Look Closer: Hawk Mimic: Copies Red-shouldered Hawk to warn

other Jays - Oak Planter: Caches up to 4,500 acorns per Autumn. Forgets enough to

grow forests - Structural Blue: Feathers scatter light. No blue pigment exists - Face

Memory: Recognizes individual humans. Remembers for years - I am loud. I am also

planting your woods.

He sings while sitting on his nest. The grosbeak ignores the rule. Most male songbirds

Never do this. The grosbeak ignores the rule. Male. Female - often mistaken for a large 

sparrow. Bill - heavy, pale, conical - built for cracking seeds. Shift Schedule - both

Parents incubate: female at night, male during the day. He sings the entire shift. The 

song gives away his nest. He sings anyway.

WHO’S AT YOUR FEEDER - AND WHAT THEY ACTUALLY EAT

I will start on the left hand side of the page first, going down. 

Cardinal: Black oil sunflower. Platform or hopper feeder. Blue Jay: Peanuts

in shell. Platform. Also eats acorns (plants 4,000 oaks/year). House Finches:

Nyjer (thistle) seed. Tube feeder. The red comes from diet. Downy Woodpecker:

Suet. Smallest woodpecker. Black and white. Mourning Dove: Cracked corn,

millet. Ground feeder. Won’t use a tube. (I am switching over to the top right now.)

Chickadee: Sunflower, suet, peanuts. Tube feeder. Caches food for later. Nuthatch: 

Suet, sunflower, peanut butter (please check on that as I was once told peanut butter 

could be a choking hazard for birds and needed to be carefully mixed with

seed). Walks DOWN the trunk headfirst. Tufted Titmouse: Sunflower, peanuts,

suet. Takes one seed, flies to branch, hammers it open. Goldfinch: Nyjer seed.

Tube feeder with small ports. Bright yellow in summer. Fightwreck (never heard of 

that one before and wonder if it should be Wryneck, a unique group of Old World

birds in the woodpecker family known for their ability to twist their heads almost

180 degrees when threatened: Nych (do they mean Nyjer?) primarily reside in

Europe, Asia and Africa. However, they are considered rare vagrants and have been

 spotted on very rare occasions in Western Alaska and sporadically elsewhere in North 

America (such as in the Aleutian Islands on the Bering Sea) as lost migrants.) won’t 

use a tube. Hummingbird: sugar 4 to 1 ratio. Red feeder. NO Red dye. Change every 

2 to 3 days. Quick tips: summer switch suet to mealworms. Winter add peanut butter +

Suet (please research this as heard it had to be carefully mixed with seed as though 

nutritious, it could be a choking hazard as mentioned earlier). I noticed a few 

discrepancies in this one so have tried to correct where I can.

6 Babies on the Ground - All of them are probably fine. 1. Robin - spotted breast,

Short tail. “Most common. Most rescued. Doesn’t need it.” 2. Cardinal - brown, streaky.

“Looks nothing like dad. That’s her.” 3. Bluebird - dull blue-gray, spotted. “Leaves

The box as a group.” 4. Wren - tiny, brown, active. “Already knows what she’s doing.”

5. Sparrow - streaky, ground level. “She blends in. Check before you step.” 

6. Starling - gray-brown. “The most obnoxious fledgeling. Parents look exhausted.”

Feathered and alert = leave it.

I slipped in a jigsaw puzzle from my iPad to finished off with.

ON MONDAY...

we were out bright and early that morning and were off to Costco to pick up my prescription (prism) glasses, which will fix my double vision. I went to the ophthalmologist a few weeks ago, which I mentioned on here at the time. I was told I had an astigmatism. 

We had momentarily forgotten that it was Memorial Day and Costco was closed. No matter, we decided to go shopping. Driving out of the neighborhood we saw a few houses decorated with flags and banners. This was one of them. On the way to the supermarket, we stopped at a traffic light and this dog very kindly posed for me.

He was definitely showing me his best side.

and was momentarily curious about us.

A few days ago we had glorious skies and I was interested in this cloud formation...to me it looks like someone is lying back on a deck chair.

But the skies have been more like this lately.

For years we used to pass this old house, and it had been empty for as far back as I can remember. It had seen better days. One day when we drove by, there was fencing all around. We realized its days were numbered. Not long after that it was bulldozed.

They have been building this ever since. It's for people to rent personal storage spaces. There are another two similarly designed buildings nearby, one right next to it and another not too far behind. We are still in our decluttering stage at home, and this place always reminds me, we need to get cracking on that again. 

Gregg got his linguiça (pronounced "leen-GWEE-sah) from Harris Teeters on our shopping expedition. We don't have it all the time, but I found a recipe for smoked sausage, cabbage and potato cooked in a slow cooker. I asked him if he would like to try it, as a potato and cabbage combo are a favorite dish of his. His mom used to cook it for his birthday meal when he was young, but with a boiled ham. He's not a big fan of smoked sausage and the only time we ever go to this particular supermarket is when he gets a yen for linguiça. I will use it in this recipe. We can't find it anywhere else around here.

It's a Portuguese sausage that is a real nostalgia item for him. He remembers when he visited relatives in New England. His mother's family used to fix it - very popular up there - and when relatives from that area visited, they would always bring a batch for the family. Gregg's step-grandfather was of Portuguese heritage. I only met him once, not too long after we were married. He passed away and I didn't get the chance to meet him again. I took to him right away, a dear man. Wonderfully gracious and kind in nature. He was a true gentleman, everyone loved him including me.

Added this the next day (26th). Up early again and were at Costco’s at opening time. We were still third in line to see the lady at the eye-glass department. After 20 minutes she handed me my eye glasses that I had ordered. I didn’t want bifocals/trifocals as the last time I was never able to get used to them, and as at this stage I am worried about falling, I splurged and bought three pair. I now have reading, distance and sunglasses, all prescription and prisms. 

I was very nervous but she gave me the long distance ones first. I put them on and my double vision disappeared immediately. I just about clapped my hands. It sounds dreadful but I have been living with this double vision for a year. At first I was waiting for it to get better. It took a while for me to go to my doctor, but eventually admitted to myself it definitely wasn’t going away. I did have my eyes checked by another ophthalmologist in the beginning,  as I already had a regular appointment. I can’t remember what he said about my double vision, after just getting the usual things done. Everything else was tested. He suggested going to my regular doctor if it didn’t get any better. 

Many appointments at the doctor afterwards, it was off to an ophthalmologist who was more local. She was amazing, looked so very young, was incredibly thorough, softly spoken and the kind of professional who puts you at your ease immediately (you can see the post about that visit here). She diagnosed the astigmatism after looking at all the results. 

I will take photos of the new glasses soon. They have boring frames and maybe I should have spent more time with frame designs, but I didn’t hang around and wanted out of there.

Anyway, a little bit of a ramble today.

Thanks for visiting and I hope

your day is a great one.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST ON A TUESDAY - MONGOLIAN BEEF NOODLES

As it was Memorial Day yesterday, I left this recipe until today.

Here is another one for Mongolian Beef, this time with ground beef and noodles. You can find the other one at this link. I have had this saved for a while and don’t have a link to the original recipe. If I find it, I will add later. It was another excellent choice, a 10 out of 10 from both of us and there are enough for seconds tomorrow. Definitely another keeper. We actually liked this sauce better, even though that last one was excellent, and if you compare the ingredients, you will see the difference. We changed the noodles to what we already had in the pantry, but we had all the other ingredients on hand. Along with the sliced green onions for the garnish, we sprinkled a few drops of Siracha over the top of our individual servings at the table, but this is entirely optional.

Mongolian Ground Beef Noodles 

1 pound ground beef 

5 cloves garlic, minced 

1/3 cup brown sugar 

1/4 cup beef broth 

1/3 cup soy sauce 

3 tablespoons hoisin sauce 

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

Pinch of red pepper flakes, also optional if you like a spicy kick

10 ounces linguine 

1 tablespoon cornstarch 

2 tablespoons water 

4 green onions, sliced for garnish

Cook the linguini according to package instructions in a large pot of boiling water. Carefully drain and set aside. 

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat. 

Next, add the minced garlic to the beef and cook for 1 minute until garlic becomes fragrant.

Pour in soy sauce, beef broth, brown sugar, hoisin sauce, ground ginger, black pepper and red pepper flakes (if using). Stir well to combine.

In a small bowl mix the cornstarch with the 2 tablespoons cold water and blend until smooth. Stir this mixture into the skillet with the beef and sauce.

Allow to simmer gently until the sauce thickens to how you like it.

Add the noodles to the skillet with the beef and sauce. Toss together until the noodles are fully coated with the sauce.

Let them simmer together for a few minutes to absorb the flavors.

Serve with the sliced green onions. As I mentioned earlier, I also used Siracha because we both enjoy a little heat. 

These are the noodles we used.  They are described as a wide-ribbon egg pasta, and are made in Italy under Wegman’s brandname. Lots of other brands with the same type of noodles I’m sure (it is the first time we have used papardelle). Wegman’s is hubby’s favorite supermarket, though we shop at several others. Living in this busy area there are many to choose from. Hubby picked them up a couple of shopping trips ago. They were very good and we still have half left in the packet. 

It would have been nice to add a little chopped cilantro over the top for a bit more color. Not everyone likes cilantro I know, but maybe Thai basil or even chopped parsley.

If I have missed anything out or you have any questions or suggestions, let me know in the comments and I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for visiting and have a great day!

MEMORIAL DAY 2026

No words of gratitude will ever be enough, but thank you to our Veterans, past and present. To the Fallen and to their Families, you are not forgotten.  

"Our debt to the heroic men and valiant women in the service of our country can never be repaid. They have earned our undying gratitude."

~Harry S. Truman~

(Comments are off for today)