SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER AND HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I received Ann's happy mail a few days ago, but with Valentine's Day coming up soon, I decided to keep it for today, on the 14th. Always a happy day to get one of your cards in the mail Ann. Thank you so much! 

I wish you and everyone out there A Very Happy Valentine's Day! 

I'm sure you'll all agree, this is a beautiful card. I have quite a collection of them now, and it will be going into my special box of Ann's treasured keepsake cards after having it on display for a week or so.

Now onto what's been going on around here at the Bird Feeder. Those birds have been all of a dither with the latest news. Please enlarge to read all the photos for a closer look if needed.

(WD-40 explained below)

Now they smell to high heaven of peppermint every time they get out of the car! There are some very strange looks in their direction. The car will be getting some cosmetic maintenance very soon.

And that's how it's going on a Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder!

Thanks for visiting and 

I hope you all have a great weekend.

                

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

Photo 1:

"Did you hear about the ruckus? A mouse got in the house.

"I heard it was the car."

"It chewed a big hole in the boot that holds the gear shift."

"Uh-oh!"

"It was me. It gets very cold out there. I need a warm place to nest."

Photo 2:

"Mouse, what are you doing down there. You're not chewing a hole in our feeder are you?"

"Errr...no, Of course I'm not."

"He's telling a lie. I know about these things."

Photo 3:

"I read that WD-40 works great for keeping mice out of a car. It didn't work, he's still here."

"At least he's not squeaking any more."

Photo 4:

"Camera Lady's husband put peppermint spray on cotton wool balls."

(WD-40 is a versatile, petroleum-based spray famous for its ability to displace water, prevent rust, lubricate moving parts, penetrate stuck components and clean surfaces. It also takes those sticky labels off your cups and saucers and anything similar. It is essentially a “toolkit in a can” designed for a wide array of maintenance tasks. For our overseas friends you probably have your equivalent. I got this little bit of info from Google.)

Added note: I found this information from the company’s website.

In 1953, a fledgling company called Rocket Chemical Company and its staff of three, set out to create a line of rust-prevention solvents and degreasers for use in the aerospace industry. Working in a small lab in San Diego, California, it took them 40 attempts to get the water displacing formula worked out. But they must have been really good, because the original secret formula for WD-40 Multi-Use Product - which stands for Water Displacement perfected on the 40th try - is still in use today.

WHEN THE ENGLISH...

 Here is an interesting poem I found on Pinterest recently. 

When the English tongue we speak

Why is break not rhymed with weak?

Won't you tell me why it's true

We say sew, but also few?

And the maker of a verse

Cannot rhyme his horse with worse?

Beard is not the same as heard,

Cord is different from word,

Cow is cow, low is low,

Shoe is never rhymed with foe.

Think of hose and dose and lose,

And think of goose and yet of choose,

Think of comb and tomb and bomb,

Doll and roll and home and some.

And since pay is rhymed with say,

Why not paid with said I pray?

Think of blood and food and good;

Mould is not pronounced like could.

Why is done, but gone and lone -

Is there any reason known?

To sum it up, it seems to me

That sounds and letters don't agree.

"When the English Tongue we Speak"

by

~Evelyn Baring~

The author is Evelyn Baring, 1st Earl of Cromer. You can read more about him if you click on his name underneath the poem. I haven't read all the way through his biography yet, as I wanted to get this published for my blog post. He seems to be a very interesting person.

His poem, often titled "Our Strange Lingo" or "Our Queer Language", was written by him and first published in the London magazine, The Spectator, on August 9th, 1902. 

The verses are frequently used by English teachers and language enthusiasts to illustrate the frustrating inconsistencies between English spelling and pronunciation. 

While Lord Cromer wrote this specific version, it is often confused with a much longer and more complex poem titled "The Chaos," written by Dutch traveler, writer and teacher, Gerard Nolst Trenité in 1920, which follows a similar theme.

RANDOM PHOTO - THE 'HUSH BABY' CHERUBS

A few years ago, I found this at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden, a place I would dearly love to go back to. It is a two-hour plus drive away and we thought it would be nice to stay overnight somewhere. Maybe in the Springtime.

I checked Google and found more information about this urn. It is called a Lead Cherub Urn or Putti Lead Finial, typically used as a decorative garden focal point. It features a central neoclassical-style urn garnished with floral garlands and two seated cherubs (or putti) on either side.

These specific figures are sometimes referred to as "hush baby" cherubs due to their finger-to-mouth pose.

Thanks for visiting and wherever you are, I hope you are having a great week.

A FEW FLOWERS FOR YOU TODAY -

With many of us still having a lot of snow on the ground, I thought it would be nice to share these today. They were all taken a few summers ago.

Double Coneflower

Echinaceae purpurea

'Pink Double Delight'

Asteraceae

Sunflower

Helianthus annuus

Water Lilies

Nymphaea odorata

Milk Thistle

Carduus Marianus

Gaura

Gaura lindheimeri

'Sikou Pink'

Onagraceae

Lily

Lilium regale

'Album'

Liliaceae

I hope you have enjoyed this little bit of warmth and sunshine.

Thanks for dropping in. 

I hope your day is a great one.

BEACH SCENE AND A POEM

There's times you'll be 

A sinking boat

Left adrift at sea,

And times you'll be 

The ocean tide

Breaking wild and free.

There's times you'll be

A jellyfish

And other times a seal,

And times you'll be

The great white shark

And times you'll be the meal.

There's times you'll feel

Like giving up

And sinking to the floor,

And times you'll float

Upon your back

And wash up on the shore.

But know these times

Will come and go,

And just like tides

Will ebb and flow,

And though you won't

Know which you'll be,

You're still a part

Of that mighty sea.

by Dallas Clayton

As often happens when I read poetry online, I will come across something that stays with me. This is one such poem by Dallas Clayton who is an American author and motivational speaker. This poem is a well-known piece often shared online for its inspirational message about life's challenges and the enduring nature of what a person can do if their choice is to persevere and keep putting that one step forward. 

The photo is from my archives. We were on a road trip driving around Florida in January 2014.

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - CREAMY POTSTICKER SOUP - 6 TO 8 SERVINGS

On Friday (2/6/26) it was a bitterly cold day and it just called for soup. I found this one at allrecipes a while ago and the original recipe by Natalie Gravois can be found here. There are lots of other great recipes, and I highly recommend a look. We both gave this a thumb’s up, and it is another we will be making again. Gregg said he would like to try it with noodles next time. I am all for that though I am a big fan of potstickers. It isn’t mentioned but this to me is a Thai-inspired dish and all the ingredients used is what we have made in other Thai dishes, with most ingredients already in our supplies. 

Creamy Potsticker Soup - serves 6 to 8

1 tablespoon avocado oil

1 bunch green onions, sliced (white and green parts separated)

1 quart of chicken broth

1 clove garlic, smashed

1 inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons red curry paste

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 (14 ounce) cans coconut milk

1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms 

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 (18.2 ounce) bag frozen potstickers, such as P. F. Chang’s Chicken dumplings

Garnish:

Sliced green onions

Chili Crisp

Heat avocado oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the white parts from the onions and sauté until softened.

Add chicken broth, garlic, ginger, curry paste and sesame oil. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, remove the garlic and ginger. Add coconut milk, shiitake mushrooms and carrots. Bring to a boil.

Add frozen potstickers and cook until heated through! 6 to 8 minutes. 

Serve with green parts of green onions and chili crisp. We also added a few splashes of sriracha hot sauce. If you are not keen on anything hot, then leave the chili crisp and the hot sauce off. On the other hand, a little goes a long way.

 

I read the comments from people.  Someone added snow peas and collard greens. Maybe you could add your favorite vegetable. As Gregg would like to try noodles next time, he suggested using the meat off a rotisserie chicken. Another suggestion of his was to add rice.

I didn’t have fresh garlic or ginger so used the frozen cubes that we keep in the freezer. It has several different ones which you can see at this link. You can also scroll down and they have recipes.

We buy ours from Trader Joe's but checking online I saw Harris Teeters, Safeway, Whole Foods and Kroger also sold them. They are very convenient when we run out of fresh. That cut out our step for removing both of these fresh ingredients in the third paragraph of the instructions. We put them into the liquid straight out of the freezer, and they dissolve as we stir them in, adding to all that goodness.

We had leftovers for the next day and as always happens, it tasted even better. Those flavors had a chance to work their magic.

One addition we added to our next day meal, was a cooked Jasmine rice. We don’t usually add two starches but this was requested by my dear other half. It was a great choice and took it up a notch.

I am a big fan of chili crisp and below is the kind I enjoy best. I have tried others but always come back to this one.

Here is the full address where you can find the recipe. This is for those of you who prefer to copy and paste rather than use the link at the beginning. 

https://www.allrecipes.com/creamy-potsticker-soup-11873308

If you have any questions or suggestions, you can leave them in the comment section, and I'll do my best to answer them.

That's all for now. 

Always appreciate you dropping by. 

Thanks so much and have 

a wonderful day!

HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - REVISITING A TRIP TO FLORIDA TAKEN IN JANUARY 2013

 We woke up this morning to wind chill warning as low as 10 below zero. Can cause hypothermia if you are out in this too long. Temperature is 12 degrees F.  People east of us have worst conditions than we do, and probably further north. Please stay safe out there. Gregg just sent me this from his cell phone. Neither of us remember experiencing this before.

Now back to my ‘warm weather’ post.

The information below was found years ago, so may not be up to date, though I have checked and fixed the links when needed for this redo post. They do over the years keep changing. What you read below was done in 2013.

Today I thought I would share some photos I took when we were on vacation in Florida a while back. It was a fun experience taking photos of birds we don’t get in our state, definitely a bird-lover’s paradise. Some of these were taken in the Everglades and others at a bird rehabilitation centre found while driving down to Key West.

We found this beautiful Green Heron when looking around a Marina.

The Stork was having fish for lunch under a pier in Sebastian. A fishing boat had just pulled in and one of the men from the boat tossed a bucket of leftover fish bait to the birds.

A Brown Pelican found also in Sebastian.

We found these pelicans at the Florida Keys Wild Bird Rehabilitation Center in Tavernier.

As we did the Great Egret.

I have included a couple of maps showing Florida in the first map, and the Keys in the second. You can see the location of the rehabilitation center. It's very much worth a visit.

I was surprised to see all the restaurants pinpointed too. If you travel down Rt. 1, you can see the sanctuary approximately two-thirds of the way down. You can enlarge any of the photos for better details by clicking on them. I sometimes forget to do that when I am visiting blogging friends.

But now we are in the Everglades where there were many, many photo opportunities to take photos of Cormorants close up without using a zoom. It was an incredible experience. They must be very used to visitors and they should be. The Everglades typically welcome 1 million visitors per year (I added this information on Sunday, 2/7/26)

I saw several with outspread wings, drying them in the warm sun after diving and swimming for fish.

This pretty little bird is a Palm Warbler. 

And now for the bugs we found on the palm trees. These are the Eastern Lubber Grasshopper, young nymph (Romalea microptera).

2-7-26: thank goodness for old photos when the well is running dry, so to speak. I have been trying to take photos of bird out back and am not very successful at capturing them. My reflexes are definitely slowing down and the camera with our zoom is getting heavier it seems. Still, I never give up, says I smiling.

Thanks for looking everyone.

Have a great day.

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - SPIKE IS BACK

One spoiled little bird said "Nuh-uh!"

Unlike my little friend here who loves his birdseed.

and true to her word...

You never know birdies!

Not sure how long the snow is going to last. There will be 60 mile per hour winds so I hear, sometime in the middle of the night. Stay safe everyone!

Of course, putting the kettle on right now. And the mixing bowl is out. Just put the oven on to bake those cookies you like. Come on in, pull up a chair!

on a Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder.

Thanks for visiting and 

I wish you all a great weekend.

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

Photo 1:

"I am a happy little bird. The snow melted a bit and there is fresh birdseed. No more frosty birdseed frappes."

Photo 2:

"No more frosty frapes?  Disappointing!"

Photo 3:

I am not hanging out for just birdseed. I am out of here."

Photo 4:

"Hello! I am Spike. The black box lady worries about me because I have no fur on my tail."

Photo 5:

"I am going to make sure you are taken care of my little friend."

Photo 6:

"I am a little embarrassed but she means well."

Photo 7:

"Will she get an outfit for us or are we safe?"

Photo 8:

"It has started to snow again and it is going to get very windy. I think we ought to get back to our nests."

Photo 9:

"We will be okay."

"Yes we know, you've got your love to keep you warm. Cue role of eyes"

Photo 10:
"All I need is a hot cup of tea, and can you make me some acorn cookies? You can have this one. I will share."

Photo 11:

"That's how it goes..."

RANDOM PHOTO - THE FAMOUS 1932 STUDEBAKER ON RT. 66 - AUGUST 2013 - ARIZONA

 on Rt. 66 inside The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. Rt. 66 is also called 'The Mother Road', so called because author John Steinbeck coined the term in his 1939 novel, The Grapes of Wrath, to describe its role as the primary, nurturing lifeline for hundreds of thousands of migrant families fleeing the Dust Bowl for California during the 1930s, when over 200,000 people used this specific route to escape the environmental and economic devastation in the Great Plains. It served as a maternal path of refuge and opportunity for those displaced by the Depression.

I remember seeing this old car like it was yesterday. We were on a roadtrip from the East to West Coast. I have shared it several times but enjoy revisiting favorites, this being one of them. 

The car is a famous abandoned 1932 Studebaker located on the original alignment of Route 66, within The Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona. It actually was donated as an art piece to the National Park Service by Frank and Rhonda Dobell. It serves to mark the path of the historic “Mother Road” as it once cut through this section of The Painted Desert. The park is the only national Park that preserves a section of the historic Route 66. Despite its appearance, the car was intentionally placed there and has spent a significant amount of time exposed to the elements as a permanent exhibit.  

I read all my information online, and also finally finding out a whole lot more about that old car I took photos of all those years ago. There is an over-abundance of historical information out there. I have also added a few links above in case you want to see more.  

Thanks for looking and 

may your day be a great one.