It rained most of the day, though the temperatures were mild, and that part was nice. I puttered around the kitchen this morning, cooking and cleaning, and keeping an eye out for the birds. When it rains, the turnout is always sparse. I saw a couple of morning doves, a bunch of starlings, a couple of house finches, and three crows. It was while I watched the crows strut around under the willows checking for spilled corn, that I suddenly noticed a new bird on the scene. I thought I was seeing things, till it moved, then I yelped, and George came out to see what the excitement was about. A ring-necked pheasant in our backyard! We have seen them in fields, and alongside the road, but never in our little suburban development. We have no idea what drew him to our willow trees. George headed out with the camera, and caught a photo just before he stepped out of view and into a neighboring yard. Pretty exciting for a slow bird day.
We ran some errands, and George picked up the ingredients for his chili while we were at the grocery store. While that cooked, I remembered that I had jotted down a whole-grain cracker recipe earlier in the week, and this would be the perfect time to try it. This recipe came from Kathie on a blog she contributes to called Women Not Dabbling in Normal. I enjoy her posts and hearing about her time in the kitchen. She inspires me to try new things. I substituted buckwheat flour for the rye since I had the one and not the other, and we thought they were really good. This recipe will have a home in my file.
It was a quiet afternoon, watching our Netflix movie. As that ended, the skies cleared, so I headed out back to fill the feeders and hang a bird treat that my brother-in-law gave us last weekend.
He actually gave us two boxes full, but we’ll hang one at a time, and see how it goes. They are shaped like Christmas trees, with sunflower seed, nyjer, peanuts, safflower, and papaya as the decoration.
