Spring, spring everywhere…. June 6, 2012

I heard this little chirping the other day…ground level chirping…looked thru the bushes…and I saw this….

Oh no, baby Robin!

Yep, a little baby Robin, out of the nest just a little early. OK, I flip out, and immediately start googling how to save baby Robins. Answers, mush up worms and berries, and feed them to baby. So I do.

Yeah, I know. And in a pretty green bowl, too.

Then I read further. That you should feed them every 15 minutes(who can do that?)…and even further….that you should leave them alone and let the parents take care of them….that they won’t come around with you dithering about. So…I stopped. I don’t know what happened after his initial meal of worms and berries…but he was gone the next day. Fingers crossed for you, little buddy.

Isn’t this pretty? Totally unplanned…

And nature is at her very best this time of year….this picture above is just outside my house. Absolutely none of it was planned…it just….happened. OK, this was planned…

Who doesn’t love the sound of water…

I made a water feature for the front garden from  a fire pit, a pump, some stones, and one water plant. And surrounded by ferns and hostas, it’s just the most soothing noise when you’re leaving or returning home. And the birds adore it too. SO dead easy.

So Original!

And how cute is this in the garden…using a vintage toy as a planter. Just adored this when I saw it the other day(and wished I had that kind of imagination)…And this past weekend I was in Talbot County( Tilghman Island), for the Heritage Garden Tour. Saw some really kick butt gardens that made me feel pretty guilty about some weeds I left growing at home….here are some things I loved.

Look closely…see the chandelier over the chair?

In the same garden…using bushel baskets as chandeliers…
brilliant, and so perfect for the Eastern Shore!

Perfect use of old barnacled buoys by a front door….

But my fav view was when I got back home, over the Bay Bridge Sunday afternoon…Yeah.

A perfect G & T with Hendrick’s Gin…cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

Pork Two Ways….and Culinary Sins… January 21, 2011

Why do people leave these all over the newsroom????? WHY?

I know it’s Restaurant Week in Baltimore-check it out here…great deals at wonderful dining establishments( and trust me I’ll be checking them out next week), so it feels it a little Grinch-like to be eating at home this weekend. And it doubly shaming, after admitting in a post yesterday on Facebook, about my crumbling Nacho Cheese Doritos on top of  my healthy salmon lunch…that amused people(one person commented “Take heart, this is but a minor gastronomical infraction–a culinary misdemeanor rather than a felony.”  Funny….if co-workers would just stop bringing them into the newsroom! They’re so addicting. I had one and…you know.

But we have some friends coming over this weekend from the Eastern Shore to pick up Maryland honey that I bought for them at the Farmer’s Market this summer….(we got together one night at a restaurant and who forgot to bring the honey? you guessed it…). She says local honey got rid of her allergies, believe it or not.

Pork Shoulder...an under-appreciated cut...

So I feel like I owe them some good  grub…and we’re eating in. I think I will do Pork Two Ways from  Highlands Bar and Grill in Birmingham…it’s a slow cooked pork shoulder and pork belly, with some turnips, carrots and onions thrown in for good measure(and maybe some bourbon, I can’t remember). But let me tell you it is fabulous eating.

Love love love beets and cheese in a salad!

I’ll roast some beets for a beet and blue cheese salad…made some orange marmalade vinaigrette this morning(it’s really good too)….maybe some risotto to snuggle alongside the pork and we’ll call it dinner. Yes?

On the meantime, I have to get a new ice scraper…I found my self using a WBAL baseball cap to scrape the snow off my windshield this morning, and a couple of weeks ago, I used a coat hanger. I know, I know. Anyway, have a lovely weekend, stay warm, do something nice for a friend, and come home safe…’cause we miss you!

Scary text PSA and Meatloaf Monday August 25, 2009

Stop your darn texting right now!!

If you haven’t seen this British public service annnouncement (from Wales of all places)about what can happen on the road when you text and drive, I have provided the above easy link. It really will make you think about this dangerous activity, that makes you 23 time more likely to be involved in an accident. I’ll be honest, I have texted while driving a few times, but I’m not doing it again, and I hope you share the link with teens and young people you know who are the most likely to TWD(texting while driving).

You may wonder, ok, how on earth are police enforcing a law against a not easily noticed activity here in Maryland(and it is now against the law to TWD)…..let me share a story. A co-worker of mine that you would know, has a teenage daughter who was stopped for speeding. Already frightened to death by the stop, the officer saw her phone and asked , “Have you been texting?” She shook her head no, and he demanded to see her phone. Luckily for her, she had not texted since a couple of hours before…so he took a look, and handed her phone back, saying something like, “Lucky for you“….but she still got the speeding ticket, of course. There are two things she will think twice about…speeding and texting.  Me too. My daughter too.

It was more red than this, but you get the idea....she puts it together the night before.

And speaking of the girl who is now on WEEK TWO OF ON THE JOB,  she has declared the first day of the workday….Meatloaf Monday…and she makes it!! She found a recipe on Whole Foods website that uses grass fed ground beef(of course), beef broth, chopped spinach…I gotta tell you, it is the best meatloaf I’ve ever eaten, super moist, extremely flavorful. It’s a great recipe.

 

One of St. Brigid's "mootiful" grassfed cows....

And this weekend I’m off to the Eastern Shore for a crabfeast, courtesy of  my friend Elise who publishes Chespeake Foodie…(it’s Foodie’s 3rd birthday)a terrific website about local foods, restaurants, and recipies…and in this month’s issue in the link above, I found tips about cooking grassfed beef, which is different and more lean than regular beef. They also link to

St. Brigid’s Farm website and blog, in Kennedyville MD, which sells grassfed beef and veal, and homemade mozzarella at their farm store…we will definitely make a stop, cooler in hand, to take some grassfed ground beef home for next week’s “Meatloaf Monday” . Some very cool cow pictures on the site.

A tale of mice, and lamb… May 13, 2009

Spotted: Spotnips!!

I have finally found Baby Girl’s favorite mice…not real ones, though I think she loves these because they remind her of the real thing. And yes, she has seen one, close up. So these little toy mice, while expensive in my book…about 7 bucks for a bag…they provide her with so much unmitigated joy, that it’s worth the splurge.

What’s so special about these? For starters, they have feathers for tails! And they are covered in real fur! And they rattle when you shake them! I can only imagine that they sell a lot of these in France….because on the back it says….”Vous avez fait le choix par-r-r-fait!” And a lot of other French stuff, like “pour le securite’“….oh just let me say it in English…to ensure safety,  your pet should be supervised when playing with toys.  They’re kidding, right?  Maybe not, but once this sucker gets on the floor…you try to take it away from B to the G(Baby Girl’s rock star name). I will be her favorite person tonight.

Lamb headed my way....

And I started to buy some lamb chops…I love lamb, but then I remembered …a bushel basket of lamb(no kidding) is headed my way from the Eastern Shore. A good friend has a neighbor who raises lamb for…well, you know. To eat.  My friend wrote that if it mattered to me, they are raised very happily and healthily, which only makes me feel worse, but yes, it does matter to me.  I will for certain have to find someone to share the lamb, as I don’t have that much room in my freezer. lamb chops, anyone?

Two great animal stories…. February 27, 2008

I love stories about animals…most people do. Especially if they’re about an animal doing something really funny or special or cute..or about an animal being saved. I have one of each…..The first I found on a website called Cheapeake Foodie. It’s run by a friend of mine, so I check it out frequently for good recipes(which you will find there), restaurant reviews, and I always read Skeeter’s Corner.
This time, Skeeter( and I don’t know who Skeeter is), was writing about the plight of a white tailed deer, spotted at least a mile from shore, swimming determinedly for nowhere, in an obviously weakened condition…must have gotten off course, and forgotten where land was. What do you do when you’re in a boat and see an animal in such distress? I’ll let you check the ending out for yourself….
The other was about a lifesaving Labrador named Mackenzie….Now I’ll admit I love labs. I probably seem like a cat person, and I am…but we had a mixed lab named Scout for about 15 lovely years. Best dog EVER. I still miss him. And just look at Mackenzie’s face…look at it!! Soooooo sweet. Anyway, owner Debbie who lives in Annapolis, suffered a pulmonary embolism….and kept losing consciousness, but Mackenzie kept nudging her awake..enough so she could call 911 and get help. Good Dog!! You can see Lowell Melser’s story right here on the WBAL website. Check out both stories and you’ll feel better about man and beast, guaranteed.