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.

Posted: October 25th, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: 8

George’s alarm went off before dawn this morning,  the alarm meant for last Saturday when we got up early and headed to New York.   This morning,  he turned it off,  and we slept on.    Even after the furnace kicked on,  I was happy to stay under the comforter for awhile,  half listening for the sound of birds outside the window.   It was a foggy morning,  so the backyard was still quiet when I finally got up for the day.   I had filled the feeders after work yesterday,  after neglecting them much of this week,  so I wondered if the birds would show up.

The fog lifted,  and soon they came - crows, titmice, house finches, a cardinal, chickadees,  mourning doves,  a brown-headed cowbird, house sparrows, blue jays,  and my first junco of the season!   You can see that these finches were hungry, and not taking for granted that I would be consistent with the feeders.

A tufted titmouse is still a rarity here,  so I kept taking shots till I finally got this photo.

As I watched birds from the kitchen,  I had many cooking projects going at once.   The crockpot was filled with a pot roast and vegetables for dinner,  I hard boiled some eggs,  and cooked up a big pot of chicken barley soup for lunches at work.

This afternoon I made up another dill casserole bread.   (Morgan told me last weekend that George said he really did like it.)

Part of our day was spent on errands,  including some Christmas shopping.   Our holidays will involve less expense (offspring,  take note!),  so I plan to be a little more creative and today was a day for working out some ideas.

George picked the last of the swiss chard,  and tackled the job of putting the cover over the rolled-up awning and cleaning up the deck for winter.

With my regular Saturday cleaning thrown in for good measure,  it was a full day.

Posted: October 18th, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: 3

Rebecca called tonight,  and asked how I was feeling.    “Very tired”  was my answer,  and she seemed to know it would be.   She hasn’t forgotten that I had major surgery just two months ago.   I think I go through my days trying to deny it.

At work,  everything is physical for the most part,  and that saps my energy for the rest of the day.  I feel that I have to pull my weight to be fair to my co-workers, but that means that,  at home,  things that I want to do keep getting set aside.  I couldn’t even stay awake long enough to watch a movie tonight with George.   It’s very frustrating,  and I get impatient with myself.

Thank you, Rebecca, for coming along with your reminder that I need to take it easy for a little while yet.   I went through quite an ordeal in August,  and my body is still healing.

Did I mention I was tired?   I will catch up eventually,  but for now,  I’m off to bed……

Posted: October 16th, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: 3

It has been an up and down week,  between financial news,  and my energy level,  as I entered my second week back at work.   Add to that the hot flashes that keep me awake at night,  and things in my life recently have been a little overwhelming.

This morning I looked out the front window as I got ready for work,  and saw the pink and gold sunrise,  and thought maybe things weren’t all that bad.    Things will  eventually even out and make sense.

Posted: October 8th, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: 4

I made it through the week,  and now I am thankful for the weekend.     My boss gave me a lighter assignment on Monday,  but Tuesday it was necessary to jump in and take up where I left off in August.    Surprisingly,  I was able to manage,  though my rested muscles rebelled,  and most nights this week I have needed to head to bed earlier than usual.

This morning George headed out on a bus trip,  and it was tempting to head back to bed after seeing the frost on the ground and feeling the chill in the air.   I didn’t want to waste any part of the day though,  so I stayed up and got things done.      Boxes of letters and photos were sorted,  laundry was done,  the bed linens changed,  and my weekly house cleanup accomplished.  I ran some errands,  and was unloading the groceries just as George arrived home - perfect timing.

This afternoon I took time to bake,  enjoying the yeasty smell of a fresh-cut loaf of bread,  and the warmth of the oven on a cold October day.   I tried a new recipe calling for dill and cottage cheese.    I thought it had a nice flavor,  but George raised his eyebrows and sounded a little noncommittal,  so I’ll see if he eats any more of it before I decide if I will make it again.

The weekend routine seems normal again,  trying to get so much done before the new workweek rolls around.    Come Monday I’ll wish I had more time to get things done.   I’m back where I started.

Posted: October 4th, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: 4

Autumn is definitely here,  with cooler days,  colorful trees,  and more bird and squirrel activity in the backyard.

With the change of the season,  comes a change for me,  too.   I am mentally preparing myself for a return to work on Monday.  It’s been six weeks,  during which,  I’ve developed a routine and sense of efficiency around home.   It’s going to be hard.

Posted: September 26th, 2008 under birding, day-to-day.
Comments: 2

On our way home  Sunday,  we made a stop in Montour Falls to walk the path along the inlet.     It was there that I dropped my camera.   It was just a short drop to the ground.  It slipped from my hands.   I reached down,  picked it up and we headed back down the path.   I was slow to realize that damage might have been done,  but something told me to try a picture,  which I did,  and the screen was blank…..

Going online,  we discovered that the estimate for repairs,  with tax and insurance and shipping,  would equal the cost of a new camera.     George convinced me to go shopping last evening.    We found a camera comparable to what I had been using,  but actually less expensive.    It was hard to spend money on something that could break with just a slip of the hand,  so I will be more careful!

Here are some pictures from around the place that I took to figure things out.

Posted: September 23rd, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: 5

A few years ago,  I happened to meet a little Italian lady named Lena.    She was in need of therapy,  but her only interest was cooking,  and making sure everyone knew what a great cook she was.     She insisted that,  more than any therapy we could offer,   she needed to make something for us.  So her therapy became cooking.

We brought in all the ingredients she asked for,  and she set to work,  explaining how things were done in her kitchen,  and in her mother’s and grandmother’s kitchens before that.   There was very little measuring,  just a handful of this,  a bit and a pinch of that.    It was a wonderful afternoon session, and we all learned more than she did,  I’m sure.

When she was done,  we were treated to the most delicious meal of spaghetti and meatballs.     She made sure that we wrote down her instructions, so we would always get it right,  and any failure would not be a reflection on her.

I’ve had Lena’s recipe for meatballs in my little flip-book for several years now.    It’s one of my favorites.  When I pull it out,   I remember that I must only buy freshly ground pork,  the meat and spices must be mixed with my hands,  and a handful of parmesan thrown in makes it perfect.

Posted: September 17th, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: 4

It started out a quiet weekend.    Besides grocery shopping, there was a trip to the library on Saturday.   I picked up one book to read (there is already a stack waiting for me here),  and a couple of cookbooks.  I don’t really bake much anymore since it’s just the two of us,   but I wanted to make up some breads while I have the time,  and put them in the freezer.      I started with this chocolate-chip banana bread,  using up some overripe bananas.

I worked on some house de-cluttering, finished some sewing projects, and picked some of our tomatoes that are finally ripening.

Yesterday was surprisingly hot and uncomfortably muggy.    We hadn’t been far from home in awhile,  so we picked up  chicken barbecue,  and headed up to Stewart Park in Ithaca to sit by the lake and enjoy our meal.

This ring-billed gull was quick to notice we had food,  and came begging with his friends.

Back home it was still hot and oppressive, till after dark when the winds started to pick up.   I thought to bring in the fuchsia,  which has been getting my tender loving care till it gives up to a frost.

We had to close all the windows down as things started to blow around.    That made the house stuffy and uncomfortable for sleeping,  and soon even that was impossible with the sound of the wind,  and the vision of the willows bending against the night sky.    Martha was very nervous and inconsolable,  so she gratefully trotted down to her cage in the basement to spend the night away from the noise.

This morning we found that the grill cover had been blown off,  the water in the birdbath had been blown away,  a few potted plants had overturned,  and a branch of the willow tree had broken off.   Considering what others have endured at the head of the storm,   we have no reason to complain.

Posted: September 15th, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: 2

I had a nice surprise in my mailbox today.    My swap partner,  Fiona,  from Dublin,  sent the needlebook and pincushion that she crafted for me.  I love the stitched butterfly,  and the colors of the cute little pincushion.   I appreciate every little stitch she made, and look forward to transferring my needles and pins into their new places.

She even tucked in a delicious piece of chocolate.    Thank you so much Fiona!

Posted: September 13th, 2008 under day-to-day.
Comments: 1