Photo Challenge: Nature

One of the message boards I frequent has a fun 'Shutterbug Challenge" every Wednesday - someone picks a topic and people post pics relating to that subject. Some are easy to do, some are. . . .a challenge. I'm going to try and include my pics in my blog every week from now on - so we shall see my progress! This week's challenge just happens to be nature.

This first pic I took years ago, but it's one of my favorites - in the Davis Mountains of Texas. It's a prominant part of the horizon when we're in our cabin.
A rose by any other name. . . . . . .

Birdsong Blog - Part 1

I just started taking a birdsong course specifically designed for visually impaired people. Since about 80% of birdwatchers identify birds by hearing, as opposed to actually seeing them, what better group of people to tailor a birding class for, right? I'm so excited about it - especially with it being early spring. The birds I hear chirping every day now have always fascinated me, wondering what birds they are. Since this course is self-paced, I essentially have all the time I need in order to complete it. There are four assignments for the course, and I thought it would be fun to include them in this blog as I go along.

My first assignment was to go for a walk and describe the birds I hear along the way. With that in mind, I put Sadie on leash, and we went for a stoll in our local park. Since I live in suburbia, I get a mix of the suburban birds plus some of the ones more commonly found further into the city. I was able to recognize a mourning dove or two on our walk, but also a few wrens. I swear I heard an indigo bunting, but I'm going to have to investigate - I am not positive they would be hanging out in my area or not. They aren't one of the types I hear about a lot around Austin. Finches and sparrows seem to congregate around my apartment complex, because I hear them constantly! It's like constant background music. :) I'm actually waiting to hear a mockingbird - it's our state bird - surely they live around the state capitol, right?

Knitting: A work in progress!

I've just finished yet another scarf - I love this color, and the fringe I added as well. This is one of several scarves I've made, all of them strangely in some hue of purple. I just realized that they all seeom to be in that range - I don't have a preferrence for purple, but I just happen to have picked up a few skeens that I really liked. :)

My next project is learning to knit hats. If I can figure out how to use circular needles, hopefully I'll start cranking out hats in no time. My ultimate goal is to donate hats, scarves, blankets to charities. There are so many groups of people that need this sort of thing, and yet the majority of what's donated are to premies (mostly hospitals) and underdeveloped countries. What so many people don't consider is the vast amount of people here in the United States that desperately need our help too. Look at any of the Indian reservations, Appalachia, and even the homeless in our own cities , etc and you will find people living in unimaginable poverty. It would be nice if more would be done for these people. So, with that in mind, I shall attempt to use my knitting to help in some way. :)

New Blog Name??

At first, this blog's title was intended to be cute, funny - a friend's nickname for me modified a bit to make it interesting. Now, however. . . .I would like to change it. Any ideas? my blog is just for fun, no one subject matter - just whatever subject happens to cross my mind. So, I'm open to all ideas! Anybody got any? ;) Send 'em my way!

Banana Muffins - Yum!

I made thse this morning and tried out a new recipe. They we4rere really good! They are an Allreicpes.com find - and a great one at that!


I have NEVER put muffins in the paper cups, and now I think I'm a convert. It certainly makes cleanup a LOT easier. :)

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 large bananas, mashed
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
  

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat muffin pans with non-stick spray, or use paper liners. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. Combine bananas, sugar, egg, and melted butter in a large bowl. Fold in flour mixture, and mix until smooth. Scoop into muffin pans.
3. Bake in preheated oven. Bake mini muffins for 10 to 15 minutes, and large muffins for 25 to 30 minutes. Muffins will spring back when lightly tapped.

Lemon Chiffon Pie - lemony heaven!

I made this today - it was supposed to be for Easter, but I got too excited about it. ;) What can I say - it's the foodie in me! This is a recipe Samantha got from the Fannie Farmer cookbook - so thanks to her for giving it to me!

Lemon Chiffon Pie*

1 graham cracker crust
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/4 C cold water
4 eggs, separated
3/4 C sugar
1/2 C lemon juice (juice of 2 lemons)
2 T grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp salt

*Lemon can easily be replaced by lime, orange, or grapefruit!


Don't these look wonderful? The picture came out a bit darker - my kitchen lights and the white cutting board confuse the camera, I think.

Sprinkle gelatin over cold water in small bowl. Stir and let soften for several minutes.
Put yolks in heavy saucepan and beat well.
Add 1/2 C sugar, lemon juice, rind, and salt.
Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture thickens.
Remove from heat and stir in gelatin, stirring until dissolved.
Pour mixture into bowl and chill, stirring occasionally until mounds slightly when dropped from spoon.
Beat egg whites til soft peaks form and add 1/4 C sugar til peaks are shiny and stiff.
Fold whites into lemon mixture til blended well.
Spoon filling into pie shell.
Chill several hours or until set.

Here is the result:

Yep, I cheated and bought a premade graham cracker crust. They're so easy to make, and they taste exactly the same. So. . . .why not? ;) It's SO YUMMY! I hope I'll be able to make it till after dinner before I cut into it. ;)

Oh, please excuse the browning bananas in the upper left corner - they will become banana muffins shortly, so stay tuned!

Aaaaah, spring is in the air!

Yep, it's that time of year. What with our current 90 degree temps here in Austin, it forces me to get my brain in gear and start thinking about what plants to put on my balcony. Granted, it usually doesn't result in too many plants in residence on the porch, but I do love looking through seed catalogs. :)
http://www.jungseed.com/ is one of my favorite seed websites. Thanks to Samantha (Green Acres) for telling me about it!! In fact, it's where I got these johnny jump ups:

So this year, some of the things I am planning for the moment are:

• turk's caps
• herb garden
• potted cherry tomatoes
  
• cactus planter

Maybe not all of these things, but I love the way the Turks caps pop out with their redness, and in a terra cota pot they should look stunning. They shall be my first order of business!