Birding at my house

                                                                                    Goldfinch - winter plumage

"Did you know God wants us to be bird watchers?
He says to us:  Look at the sparrows;  they are not very important and yet I love them and know all about them.  How much more must I love you?" 

                                                                                         Harris sparrow


" ... Be like the birds who look to Me for what they need at the proper time - look to Me for everything!"  - Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing

Eurasian collared dove

I fill the bird feeders each morning early before the birds are ready for their breakfast.

 

I use deck food, except for the above feeder.  I use safflower to keep the starlings at bay.   Starlings do not like safflower seed.  But the shells end up on the deck.   My husband isn't too pleased with that.  But he knows it is my hobby so he is sweet about it and doesn't complain too much.

I told my granddaughter once that I was not fond of the starlings.

"But Nana!  God made them too!"

Nyjer or thistle for this feeder.  The finches love it!  

This feeder got knocked to the ground from the 2nd story deck and got just a little banged up! 

Recently, each day the flicker has come to eat.

A windy, cold day.

My bird guide friend told me that the red-shafted and yellow-shafted have cross bred and now we have flickers with orange streaks!

female downy woodpecker

I think the female cardinal is so very beautiful!




I love this picture of the male cardinal facing the snow.  The male is such a deep red!




 Little birdie tracks in the snow.  So cute!  However, this morning I saw kitty tracks among the birdie tracks!


There's enough for all!  No fighting!


House finch




Red-bellied woodpecker


Dark eyed junco


The Canada geese fly right by my window!


The lake is frozen right now.  A lone snow goose among the Canada geese.  (I used to call them Canadian geese but that isn't correct.  It is Canada goose.)

Great blue heron by our lake


Hide away, little birds!!


The hawks are ever searching.  They know the little birds come to the feeders.


One day I heard such a ruckus!  I looked outside and saw this hawk.   Our neighbor's pet chickens were my house and they flew into our pit.  I saw the eagle and chased him off.  But the next day, my neighbor told me it got one.  So sad.

Reminds me of 1 Peter 5:8 and how we need to be careful too:

Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.

Live it up!

What else happened when the family was here....

Hannah taught Staci and Emeri how to make a messy bun.

we helped Josh make an art project out of computer keyboard letters

Can you tell what it says?

"Our Father in heaven..."

We didn't get around to the black keys but they listed various vices;

jealousy, envy, hate, etc.

The kids wrote and performed a modern day Christmas story.

There were maids, innkeepers, and sewage workers.

President Harod and billionaires.

And Grandma, who tells the story.

While Adam's family went to visit friends, we went to Kaufman Museum to look at our forefather's history.

 While I read Golden Books to Claire,  Papa read classic literature to the older grand kids each day.

 The girls put together a rap they called "Live it Up"

We are on vacation so we got to live it up (2x)

Live it up, live it up!

Live it up yo live it up

Give them what they want

live it up (3x)

Feed them ice-cream, feed them chocolate chips

Feed them marshmallows and sugar

Especially sugar!

Live it up, live it up, live it up!

Not to be undone, the mom's made up their own:

Go to bed at 5 PM

and don't get up until 8 AM.

Live it up, live it up

Eat your vegetables without complaining

Do the dishes for your parents.

Live it up

Live if up!

Clean your room and never sass

And definitely please don't throw a fit.

Time was winding down and the families would all soon leave.  We decided to have the "muscle men" help put away our tree.  I took it all apart the last day when they were all out at the movies (Al and I decided not to go) and that evening the boys put it up for us.  That thing weighs almost 200 pounds I think!!

Some of our friends have given up on their big trees and have gone to the smaller ones.   It would be so much easier!  Yes, as we are getting older, we will need to be downsizing in various ways.



The children left early Sunday morning.  Good bye, Jill's family's!  Happy 12 hour driving!

Good bye, Josh's family!  Happy 5 1/2 hour driving!

Good bye with silly waves from Papa and Nana!

Feeding an army

When the kids all come home, I have to re-adjust in how I cook.  Since Al and I are used to just the two of us, it feels like we are feeding an army when they come!    Not complaining!  We love having the kids home!

I always ask for ideas from them.   

Mindy had asked for oyako donburi (earlier post).

Josh asked for sukiyaki! 

We put the sukiyaki on top of the rice, which is not the Japanese way of doing it.  But putting it in one bowl simplifies it.  It is SO delicious!

I also fixed home-made beef stew, super tacos (put toppings on tortilla chips), German rope sausage and waffles, pizza, mac and cheese and pigs'n' blankets.  Things the grandchildren like!

One evening, Josh fixed us a meal he concocted..  His kids call it "Daddy's special pasta".  It is chicken basil pesto with sun-dried tomatoes and proscuitto over spaghetti.  *recipe below

Fancy, fancy!   And oh so good!  I even dug out my china that we got when we were married in 1975.  In those days, almost everyone registered china but now we rarely use it.  When our kids were young, I used it every Sunday dinner so the kids would know how to use their manners in a nice restaurant when they grew up!

There were always LOTS of dishes!   Especially cups!!

We also did a Braum's trip!

Got some coffee at Norm's!

While Jill's family were off visiting friends, we went to Back Alley Pizza. 

There were plenty of Christmas goodies too.

Now it is back to cooking for just the two of us.

*Josh says:  I'm just guessing on amounts here, and often we make it using the left-over prosciutto and lemon zest from a salmon dish as well as extra grilled chicken from another meal. Usually I make grilled chicken with a coffee rub for a different meal and make extra to use in this, but sometimes I use kickin' chicken spices or a garlic herb spice blend on the chicken and just pan fry it. As far the prosciutto goes, I used to shred it by hand but that takes a long time, so now I just roll up a piece or two and use kitchen scissors to cut it into small pieces, the repeat.

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken (grilled or pan-fried, then cut into small pieces)

1 package prosciutto (6-8 oz - shredded or cut into small pieces)

1 can sun-dried tomatoes in oil (julienne cut)

1 or 2 jars basil pesto, depending on size (for the 8 oz jars I usually do 2)

Asiago cheese (grated to sprinkle in or on top - similar to Parmesan but with a little more flavor)

3-4 cloves minced garlic (or several Tablespoons)

1 lemon (zested)

1 package of pasta (usually we do angel hair spaghetti)

Instructions:

Grill or pan-fry chicken, cut into small pieces, set aside

Cook pasta as directed.

in a large skillet, pour out most or all of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes (not the tomatoes yet). Heat over medium heat.

When hot, add minced garlic, cook 1 minute, stirring.

Add prosciutto cook an additional 1-2 minutes.

Add sun-dried tomatoes and cook an additional 2-3 minutes.

Add basil pesto and chicken and continue cooking for a couple minutes.

Sprinkle in lemon zest and some of the Asiago cheese (leaving some for later) and mix well. Let simmer for a minute or two.

Fill bowls with pasta, then chicken-basil-pesto mixture, and top with a little Asiago cheese and serve.