Shivering Hummingbird

I was rushing out of the house Tuesday morning, on my way to Zumba and cutting my time very close because of course I had spent too much time on the internet, when I saw a teeny bird on the windowsill.

This is the first time I have ever seen a hummingbird sitting still. It was a chilly morning and he was shivering.

I didn't know what to do. Homer was eyeing him, but Homer's robustness does not allow him to jump quite that high. I would have mixed up some nectar but as I said, I was short of time.  So I went on my way.  When I got home, the bird was gone.  I checked around and could find no evidence that Homer was responsible for any mischief.

I was greatly relieved the next morning when I saw a hummer flitting around the peach tree.

Today's task:   Clean windowsill.

Bye Mom Again

Ernest dressed up for an event, so I felt I simply HAD to have a picture of him.  To be extra sure we got a good one, I handed the big camera to my husband.  He got a picture (but I cropped it down to this because he didn't know about the zoom lens).  I like my hands and phone in there!

Then I grabbed the big camera myself.  But it was already too late, he was all Bye Mom, I Gotta Go.  We could retitle it Catch Me If You Can.  Gone in 60 Seconds.  Gone With The Wind.

See ya.  Whoosh.  The tail of the trench coat flowing around the corner.

The next day he packed up for a 5-day climbing/backpacking trip with his class.

Time Warp Tuesday: Face Painting

Thanks as always to Jenn for hosting Time Warp Tuesdays.  She gave me the idea last week, with her Danger Boy's cute painted face.

Painted face pictures!  Oh my!  Frank had so many!  His pre-school was obsessed with painting faces, and pretty soon Frank was too.  I never knew if he would come home as a lion, a tiger, a bear, or a frog.  He wanted painted faces on weekends and vacation, too.  Batman, Two-Face,  a monkey and hyena.

So cute, right!  But all the face washing afterwards!

Yesterday at Dusk

While Homer sniffed around outside yesterday at dusk,

the moon rose.

And the cranes landed.

Lovely birds, aren't they.  I won't disillusion you today with a picture of the mess they leave.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

We had a big taco fest last weekend which left us with quite a bit of leftover chicken....hmmmm.....soup? Frank felt that my traditional chicken soup is rather bland, so I said, "How about chicken tortilla soup?" It was a winner.  Holy guacamole, was it good!

(I think I need to search for some unchipped bowls.)

Thanks to the leftovers and pantry items, I didn't have to shop for anything! I love it when that happens.

Saute onion and garlic.
Add chicken
Chicken broth
pinto or kidney beans
corn
tomatoes
cilantro
salsa
chili powder

Tortillas - cut into strips and fry until lightly golden. Sprinkle with salt.

Simmer for 1/2 hour. Ladle into bowls. Top with crumbled cheese, avocado, and the tortilla strips.

The fresh crispy tortilla strips make all the difference.  I have tried crumbling chips on top but it is NOT THE SAME!

Not Your Ordinary Bow-Tie Pasta

Oh, my Handy Husband and his sense of humor. I had made lasagne for dinner on Sunday and he started playing around with the leftover pasta.

O

Signs of Spring 2013

I freely admit I am not much of a gardener.

Fortunately for me, some plants reliably come back every year.

Vinca minor groundcover.

Some type of tazetta daffodils (several blossoms per stem).

I hope we'll get a few peaches this year.

I haven't found any volunteer tomatoes but I have volunteer something growing in this little pot.

Homer's dandelion has reached proportions almost as vast as Homer himself, growing as it does next to his outdoor lavatory.  (Homer uses the area to the right of the tiny fence.)

Time Warp Tuesday: I Love Mom Frame

Doesn't every mom have one of these frames?  It used to sit in a place of honor on my desk, when I worked in an office.

Frank is 3 here.  The year of Batman shirts was over and I was able to convince him to wear this adorable Aladdin costume for Halloween.  I was Princess Jasmine, of course.  I love his printed pectoral muscles!  But Batman was not abandoned completely.  I daresay that touch of black around his neckline is a Batman shirt.  

I was curious to see if there was an older picture underneath...  Jackpot!  Frank cruising the furniture just before he learned to walk.

Cat rain haiku

As the rain falls down,
House cats are happy inside.
Homer hates wet fur.

Please share your pet or weather haiku, too.

Daily Patrol

You may think Homer's a lazy fellow who spends all his time sleeping, eating, shedding and pooping soiling the litter box.

But in his position as man cat of the house, he is responsible for home security.

Each day, he faithfully patrols the perimeter.

Nothing out here.

But wait!

Bird alert!

Cheez it, I better scram, thinks the bird.

All photos taken from the safety of my dining room window.

I'm a little jealous of Aunt Snow today.  The chicken is back!

Time Warp Tuesday: The Grumpy Reindeer

I only have to look up from the computer to find inspiration for Time Warp Tuesday, hosted by Jenn at Juggling Life.  I'm posting this early because I have to appear for jury duty at noon today.  I'm a little grumpy too!

Ernest came home from school one day, shortly before Christmas in 1999, wearing the cutest antlers and a spot of red on his nose.  I took a series of adorable photos, but he got annoyed partway through.

Here's the whole set.

Love and Hate on Facebook

I love Facebook for many reasons, mostly because I am nosy and like to know what everyone else is doing.  I like to know what Jen on the Edge is cooking for dinner, the cute things your kids and pets have done, when the Skipping Club will meet next, and the love poem my son wrote to his girl.

But where there is love, there is also hate.  Besides politics, I really hate the sharing of things that aren't true.   It only takes a few moments to do an internet search on these warnings and reminders to see if there is truth or some doubt.

The latest ones that have been bugging me...

• Don't call 112 in the US.  (A mother tagged her daughter on this.  Tell her to call 911!!!)
• Denzel Washington did not whip out his checkbook. 
• There are no free Southwest Airline Tickets.
• There' s no free Starbucks gift card, either.  The 40th anniversary was in 2011.
• The heat from a barbecue will not melt your contacts.  And I can vouch for that...my husband has barbecued for close to 30 years with contacts with no problems whatsoever other than a little smoke irritation.  And his barbecue was so hot it melted a hole in itself.  

I don't like to see misinformation spread but I also feel like a bitch if I point it out.   What would you do?

Skipping Club

I love Humans of New York.  One day, they featured Michelle Joni, who started a skipping club!

“I started a skipping club, and today is our first meeting!”
Photo from Humans of New York.

A skipping club!  You know I love to skip! I doubt I could keep up with the younglings but what an awesome way to have fun and exercise too!

Skip away, darlings!

Time Warp Tuesday: Peter Rabbit

Thanks always to Jenn, for hosting Time Warp Tuesday.

A nearby natural history museum usually hosts a traveling exhibit during the summer; often it has been animatronic dinosaurs.

Once, when Frank was very small, it was Peter Rabbit. As a Beatrix Potter fan, I probably loved it more than Frank did! Why didn't I take pictures inside? It was the cutest thing, with displays of original art and interactive gardens and fir trees where the wee ones could pretend they were rabbits.

And there were rabbit costumes to wear whilst posing in front of a giant cabbage.

At home, the picture sits on a shelf in front of this rabbit statue.

I'm not showing the whole shelf because 1) that would require more dusting than I want to do tonight and 2) there are great pictures for future time warps.

Pie Shake

This menu item recently caught my eye:

Pie shake?  PIE shake?  PIE SHAKE!!!  You know we had to try this at home, right?

The verdict:  If you like pie a la mode and you like shakes, you'll like this.  Pie in a glass!  Very useful if one is on a liquid diet.  Myself, I prefer my pie plain.

Apparently, so does Homer.

Saturday PhotoHunt: Upper

This week's Saturday PhotoHunt theme is Upper.  Here's the upper portion of the "Christmas tree" at my father's house.  One Christmas in the 60s, our tree was a foot tall redwood in a pot.  After Christmas he planted it and now look at it 45 or so years later.

And the lower portion...

The Daily Drive: Looming Clouds

I don't really have a daily drive anymore now that Ernest is mobile (edit - I mean since he's had a drivers license, not that he hasn't been able to move around!), but I do go out on a random basis.

Yesterday morning started off sunny, which was quite disappointing to the Handy Husband because rain was predicted and he had hustled to put the important things like his barbecue under cover.

By 10:00 the incoming clouds were ominous, so I sent him this picture to make him feel better.

It took until late afternoon to get the predicted rain.  I guess he's a happy camper now.  Or a wet driver.  Or whatever.

Wednesday has arrived with a perfectly clear sky.  Today's activities will include helping Ernest pack up the junk toys stuff he is purging from his room, taking him for another set of finger x-rays, and going to the farmer's market for pistachios.

What's happening on your Wednesday?

Perspective

This was from Frank's perspective.  Nothing better than a cat on your lap on a cloudy afternoon.

Thematic Photographic: Letters, Numbers and Other Characters

This week's theme is Letters, Numbers and Other Characters.

I've been away for a week but happened to get a quick shot which fits the theme.  The perfect bike rack at a library.

Calzone

Calzone and Catzone, photos and humor courtesy of the Handy Husband. Calzone preparation courtesy of Frank.

Hearts to You

Happy Valentine's Day!

One of my little projects, same process as the recession wreath.

It's Like That

Someone that wasn't me loaded the washer so full that it wouldn't run. Sigh.

Hobbled This Week

I woke up a week ago Saturday and could barely walk, having strange pains and soreness in my left foot.  Several years ago I woke up with a wobble in my ankle, but this time it's somewhere completely different.  As I have an blame my mother for that inherited fear of doctor's appointments, I am going to wait it out a bit longer. If I gut it out and actually move for a while, it starts to feel better.  Yay, Zumba.  I should really try Barb's golf ball thing.  Does anyone near me have a golf ball?  I could use the cat's toy lighty-uppy ball if I could find it under the couch.

Frank has been exceptionally kind and in addition to making dinner last night using leftovers, oh that boy of mine does shine, he has also entertained me this week with a marathon of Star Wars videotapes.  Yes, the tapes.  The tapes that are now collectors items since George Lucas changed his stories. Frank and I are of the HAN SHOT FIRST school and we saw it.  Must archive those tapes!

Ernest came home from a bike ride today, also hobbled after a fall on his right side.  The damage was largely to his middle finger, which has a small chip fracture.  He's splinted and looks like he's flipping the bird.  We do have the greatest ER here. We have a small town wait (almost none!) but it's a branch of a big town hospital so we get those advantages too.

He's hoping that the bushes he plowed through were raspberry rather than poison oak.  I think that's wishful thinking; he'd be a lot more scratched if they were berries. I know nothing about poison oak except to wash the clothing right away.  He says it's best to shower in cooler water.  Hot water spreads it more.  Brrrrrrr.

He's also hoping he's not splinted too long as it will interfere with the sax.  Frank tried to console him with, "you could probably still play guitar" but Ernest said "I play sax way better than I play guitar."

Um...I don't have a video of him playing guitar.  Which he plays just fine, by the way. But I do have the sax video which I shall re-embed here again BECAUSE I CAN!  And I'm too lazy to wait another 90 minutes to upload a different one. Besides, this is my favorite.




Well, we'll know more about the finger after another appointment this coming week.