HAPPY SUNDAY EVERYONE - THE LOTUS

We are still early to see our lotus bloom at our favorite garden, but I chose these to share today. They are from a few summers back.

Thanks for visiting today 

and I wish you all a great week ahead.

TEACHING THE LITTLE ONE YOGA...

 and being ignored.

Recently we returned to Green Spring Gardens to walk around the ponds. We were surprised to see the green algae covering the first pond, but the turtles were out and about. 

I have seen the stretched-out leg pose several other times. I read that it is how they regulate their body temperature and absorb essential nutrients from the sun. It's called basking, where a turtle climbs out of the water onto a log or rock to soak up heat and light. It has been called 'turtle yoga'. 

By spreading their legs and widening their feet, turtles increase the amount of skin exposed to the sun, allowing them to absorb heat more quickly and efficiently. Sunlight also provides vital UVB rays that help turtles produce Vitamin D3. It is necessary for them to process calcium, which maintains a strong and healthy shell. 

As ectotherms (cold-blooded animals), turtles rely on external heat to fuel their metabolism, support their immune system, and aid in digestion. Stretching helps the turtle's skin and shell dry completely, which is necessary for proper shedding and helps eliminate external parasites. When a turtle feels safe and comfortable in its environment, it will "sploot" or fully extend its limbs as a sign of complete relaxation.

I am very thankful to be able to find all this information online. I have always enjoyed seeing turtles my whole life, another wonderful part of nature.

I am wondering how green algae affects them? I will be finding out about that soon and in the meantime, if any of you have any knowledge of such things, I would be very happy if you care to share.

Thanks for looking and 

I hope your day is a great one.

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER ON 4-25-26 - NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH

Yes, Froggies3 are the new co-Captains of the Neighborhood Watch. They stood in line to volunteer and look out for the safety of all the birds that visit our garden and beyond. A big thank you to Froggies3, and all the volunteers out there who help their communities. 

And that's how it goes on 

a Saturday Morning at the Bird Feeder. 

Wishing you all a great weekend.

and thanks for stopping by!

For our international friends to translate using the translation widget on my sidebar (3 widgets down).

Photo conversation:

"Any dog visitors lately?"

"Any cats?"

"No, no and no! We are the neighborhood watch."

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!

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - THERE ARE TIMES WHEN...

 

Not exactly word of the day but an expression that comes to my mind right now. 

Thank you for visiting everyone and I hope your weekend goes well. 

DUCKS AND TORTOISE AND A POEM

A duck with a dream and a makeshift raft,  

Set off on a journey that made others laugh.  

"Tortoises aboard!" the duck did declare,  

"Across this grand pond, I’ll get you there!"  

The tortoises climbed, with patience galore,  

Each slower than the one just before.  

"Can we go yet?" quacked the duck in dismay,  

"At this rate, we’ll leave by the end of the day!"  

With a flap of her wings, she gave the raft a pull,  

While the tortoises chuckled, their shells looking full.  

"This is quite nice," said one with a yawn,  

"I could sit here till the break of dawn!"  

The duck rolled her eyes but kept pulling strong,  

While the tortoises hummed their own little song.  

Across the pond, through ripples and weeds,  

She tugged her slow crew with admirable speed.  

When they reached the far bank, the tortoises beamed,  

"A duck with such grit, we never dreamed!"  

But the duck just sighed, her feathers askew,  

"Next time, I’ll stick to just paddling for two!"  

Have a great day!

MONDAY MORNING RECIPE POST - KEY LIME DESSERT WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE RECIPE

Key Lime Dessert with Raspberry Sauce Recipe

This is a recipe a friend gave me years ago and it is an excellent dessert. I have been looking through some of my old recipes to serve up for when our company arrives next month.

Filling

2 (3-oz.) pkg. lime flavor gelatin

2 cups boiling water

1 cup Key lime juice

2 (14-oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)

1 pint (2 cups) whipping cream

Crust

45 graham cracker squares

2 tablespoons Key lime juice

2 tablespoons water

Raspberry Sauce

1 (18-oz.) jar (1 1/2 cups) seedless raspberry jam

2 tablespoons water

Garnish, if desired

Fresh raspberries

Grated lime peel or fresh mint leaves

In very large bowl, combine gelatin and boiling water; stir 2 to 3 minutes or until dissolved. Add 1 cup lime juice and the sweetened condensed milk; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Set aside.

In medium bowl, beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream into gelatin mixture just until combined.

Grease 13x9-inch pan. Arrange 5 cracker squares down length of greased pan; repeat forming 2 additional rows and using a total of 15 cracker squares to cover bottom of pan. Set aside.

In small bowl, combine 2 tablespoons lime juice and 2 tablespoons water. Brush juice mixture onto each cracker square in pan just until moistened. Carefully pour 3 1/3 cups filling over cracker crust; spread evenly. Repeat cracker and filling layers 2 times. Gently tap pan on hard surface and push down any crackers that are close to surface. Cover with foil; refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

Meanwhile, in medium microwave-safe bowl, mix jam and 2 tablespoons water. Microwave on Medium for about 30 seconds or until jam is melted, stirring twice. Cover; refrigerate until serving time.

Cut dessert into squares. Spoon 1 tablespoon raspberry sauce onto each individual dessert plate. Place dessert squares on plates. Garnish with raspberries and lime peel. Store in refrigerator.

No more notes on this recipe. I just remember it being very good at the time and everyone enjoyed it. I served it up at a potluck and there were no slices left.

SATURDAY MORNING AT THE BIRD FEEDER - ANOTHER PARROT JOKE?

 

You don't have to yell in such BIG LETTERS!

Word of the day: polygon (geometry) a plain figure with at least three straight sides and angles and typically five or more. And if you would like a visual, you can go here.

I don't think anyone else will either. 

And that's how it goes on a Saturday Morning at the Birdfeeder. You win some, you lose some, and Poor Polly took the huff and is gone.

If another post popped up today, please ignore. It is something I have in mind to publish later and I accidentally posted it on this blog. I do these things occasionally.

OLD FAMILY PHOTOS FROM A TRIP TO NORWAY BACK IN THE SUMMER OF 1987

Rooting through my archives I found these old photos of our trip to Norway in 1987. My dear husband had put out to sea for six months and I used the opportunity to visit my family. The first part of our holiday was with my parents in England, and the second half of our time we visited my sister, brother-in-law and niece. They lived in Norway for a few years. Son was eight years' old.  

On one of our daytrips we were out and about with my family. You never knew what you were going to see around the next bend of the road.

We had a longish journey to see the sights and stopped to look at the views. I had turned my back to look in another direction for a few moments. You can see son climbing on all these logs left for pick up. I had my camera in hand when I turned around and this gave me a start, but even as I was walking quickly towards him, I snapped a picture. A moment in time captured. I was heading over to tell him to come down, but he was already getting ready to jump to the ground after his little climbing adventure. My son was a climber, just like his mum I might add. One memory is of me at three years' old climbing to the top of the window-cleaner's ladder to the upstairs window. Mum was paying him she said years later, and turned her back for a moment. I frightened both of them apparently, but still remember that adventure on my ladder. As for son and his climbing all those logs, I suppose I was a bit of a nervous mum myself.

One young kid making friends with another young kid. We were at an outdoor living museum but I can't remember the name of it. Great place for all ages.

He is with a much larger one this time and they were both looking in my direction which I found amusing.

He loved the goats, as did I. There were dozens of them. On the back of one of the photos I had written: When we got out of this enclosure, my brother-in-law read a sign that said, 'Don't run around the goats, don't approach the goats at break-neck speed, don't make loud noises.'  Son was so excited he had done all of these but fortunately was not head-butted once.

This little one was quite at home climbing on the side of the rock wall.

In the following we were at Norway's Folk Museum in Oslo. It is a marvelous place. You can click on the name to see great photos and info. If you are ever visiting Oslo, I can highly recommend it. Years later Gregg and I went there. Son was an adult by this time and long out of the house. But, here you can see him with a young lady who was very nice to him and patiently answered all his questions. She was bilingual and spoke perfect English.

A sign in Norwegian. We were visiting a silver mine, (though I have no recollection of this place). 

Another one of him walking by these lovely boats, a sign on the first one read, 'Drive the Viking Way'. This is a marina in Kristiansand, Norway. 'Kristiansand is a city in southern Norway that's known for its beaches, parks, museums and festivals. It is also a major industrial center and a popular summer destination.' I found all this online. 

Here are two maps the second showing Kristiansand's red location marker in Norway, and the surrounding countries.

Below he is taking care of his cousin with us not too far away, following behind them. We were at one of the many lakes we visited. At the time our son was eight and our niece was 20 months' old. 

Probably my favorite photos from our time there.

I may have put one of these photos on this blog somewhere. 

Enjoy your day and thanks for stopping by.