The Lilacs Are Blooming

Last year our lilac bush hardly bloomed at all. It's old. Well, our house is probably 40 years old and I'd bet that these lilacs were planted when the house was built. So we've never really expected much from that lilac bush.

Well, let me tell you...this year it is almost entirely covered with blossoms. And the fragrance is beautiful. Lots of people don't like the scent of lilacs but I do. I think that most people take lilacs for granted. I decided to hunt up information about lilacs just to satisfy my own curiosity.

Did you know that there are more than 1,000 varieties of lilacs? And that they can live for hundreds of years? I didn't.

They say that if you want them to bloom longer in the springtime, you should plant more than one variety. Makes sense.

While looking for information, I learned that Rochester, N.Y. is the Lilac Capital of the World. In 1892 twenty varieties of lilacs were planted in Highland Park and almost everyone in Rochester has at least one lilac bush.

A Lilac Festival is held every year that draws more than a half million people!

Now there are more than 500 varieties and 1,200 bushes planted on 155 acres in that park!

However long our lilacs survive they certainly can't compete with that!

Find-How.com

Photo used through Creative Commons by Oberazzi

Here's a website that you should really check out. Anything you could possibly want to know "how to do" is listed on this website. It's amazing. I saw the link in the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
Just a smattering of the links are:

How to make a paper airplane
How to stake a gold mining claim on federal land
How to identify wild birds
How to fly like a squirrel
How to make a marketing plan
How to make Irish Soda Bread

There's an index of categories, too. Food, Sports, Careers, Travel, Writing & Speaking, Hobbies. There's a Wild and Wacky category, as well.

So if that doesn't pique your interest, I give up! Check it out at findhow.com.

Memorial Day Weekend

It's generally accepted, I think, that peonies bloom by Memorial Day. Not our peonies. On the upside, these dark purple irises are blooming like the dickens.

We've got lots happening this weekend. Since we're smack in the middle of Lake country, the city folks are swarming all over the place. Bringing their boats and kids, friends, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc.

The weather is sublime. This morning, after watering all the gardens, I'm going to head to the nursery for some annuals to plant. Marigolds, for sure, but I'll decide on the other varieties after I see what's available and healthy looking.

Sunday we're sharing in a barbecue picnic with neighbors. It'll be fun. I'm bringing a new potato salad recipe. Got it from one of my Squidoo friends. If it's as food as is looks I'll post the link.

But I'm not forgetting the reason for the weekend, either. I'll be thinking of all the servicemen and women who have sacrificed their lives for our country. I'll be thinking of our parents, brother and friends who are no longer with us.

Each man is a hero and an oracle to somebody.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

A New Occupant in the Wren House

Just a quick post, today, to share this photo of a cardinal that I took a day or so ago. He perched in a tree for the longest time just observing all the comings and goings of the other birds and creatures that were bustling around the yard. I was lucky enough to snap several photos that show him turning his head at each sound that he heard. The others are on my Flickr photostream.

Also, I am very pleased to report that we have a family in the wren house. Well, not a family, yet. I watched as Mr. and Mrs. Wren decided that the wren house was a fine place to nest. A couple of weeks ago a chickadee was looking it over - she actually poked her head inside a couple of times - but we hadn't cleaned the nest out from last year so she turned her nose (beak) up at it. Probably thought she was dealing with slum lords - ha!

Jack has since cleaned it out. He said it was just stuffed. That's typical of a wren, I think. Nancy, you will correct me if I'm wrong, I hope.

In any case, the wrens spent quite some time in the cranberry bush. They'd hop around the branches and then fly away. And then return. Several trips. Now they're busy getting settled in. It's not in the best of positions so I'm a little concerned whether or not I'll be able to get photos. I will if I can.

On another note, I have nine new Squidoo lenses. I've got four more in the works. I really think I'll be able to reach 50 by June 30th.

It's going to be a beautiful day. The sun is shining. The lake is as blue as it can be. There's a little breeze but it's supposed to reach 79 degrees F.

I'll take it.

Five Simple Money-Saving Kitchen Tips

I've been thinking about some of the little ways I'm saving energy and there are five items that we use that have become second nature. The best part is that they're also money-saving tips.

Wire Whisks - I've pretty much quit using my electric mixer. I've got a series of wire whisks that I just love and use almost all of the time. Different sizes and shapes. Great little tools.

I use whisks for beating batters, eggs, sauces & gravies. Just about anything that has to be mixed can be done as easily with a whisk as an electric mixer. Whisks combined with rubber scrapers and wooden (preferably bamboo) spoons are just as slick as can be.

Reusable Microwave Cover - I bought one of these in California while we were housesitting this past winter because I saw it at a shop and thought it was a great idea as an alternative to using wax paper or paper towels. It worked great. I gave it to Jen when we left but picked up another one when we got home. I love it. The microwave stays cleaner, the food heats up better and I just throw it in the dishwasher.

Reusable Refrigerator Bowl Covers - My very clever sister-in-law gave me some of these last year and I've saved a ton of money by not buying plastic wrap. They're plastic covers with elastic around the edge and they come in a bunch of different sizes. You do have to wash them but that's a small price to may, in my humble opinion.

I've seen a little wooden gadget made just for drying them - little posts attached to a base that you just hang the covers on while they're drying. I'm going to buy one of those.

Another alternative is to use waxed paper and a rubber band. I use rubber bands all the time, anyway. They're terrific for holding spaghetti boxes closed after you've opened them. Or bags of snacks...all kinds of uses for rubber bands.

Cloth Napkins - I don't remember the last time we purchased paper napkins for use at home. We've got lots of cloth napkins that we use every day. They're better than paper and you can just throw them in the laundry. I haven't any idea how much money we've saved using cloth napkins but I know it's significant. That's a no-brainer.

Real Dishes instead of Paper Plates & Cups - We don't buy paper plates or paper cups, either. I mostly use our everyday dishes even if we're eating on the deck but we do have a couple of sets of unbreakable dishes, too.

Sure, you have to wash them instead of just throwing them out but with dishwashers it's just not all that hard to do. You're always going to have a few things that have to be washed, anyway, and the dishwasher is much more efficient when it's full, so...another no-brainer.

That's it. Nothing too expensive or fancy involved. Just plain old common sense tools. If it was good enough for Grandma, it's good enough for me. What do you think?

The Birds of Lake Mary

I have accomplished precious little today. The bird feeder and cranberry bush outside the kitchen windows were teeming with wildlife and there were many different birds out there within a three hour span of time.

I just couldn't tear myself away. Got a few photos but as usual I was shooting through the window so they're not great. They are proof, however, that I actually did see these guys. So here they are...birds from our own little habitat. Armed with my camera and Jack's "Birds of Minnesota" book, I was prepared for anything.

One note: These are pretty much all male birds. In fact, that's the only way I could figure out what they are. For some reason, the males are always more colorful than the females. Not fair, of course, but that's just the way it is.

This is a Chipping Sparrow. At first I thought it was an American Tree Sparrow but there's a subtle difference. The Chipping Sparrow has a dark streak from its beak and on past its eye. The Tree Sparrow's streak is brown like the top of it's head.

This rascally bird is a Rose-breasted Grosbeak. I took many pictures of him because he had no intentions of leaving that bird feeder any time soon. And as you can see he's big. The little guys didn't stand a chance.

I have to say that although he is definitely more colorful than the female (which apparently looks like a large sparrow) he is not much of a beauty. Well, you have to agree that beak is not dainty.

I didn't get a very good picture of this White Breasted Nuthatch. The angle was awkward and he wouldn't sit still. But that's what it is. They have a habit of hopping head first down a tree trunk. It enables them to see bugs & insects that other birds miss on the way up! Clever.

There are several Goldfinches here, this year. They're happy to share the feeder with anyone who shows up. They're so pretty. They're also called "wild canary".

This bird is a White Crowned Sparrow. There are so many types of sparrows and you can't always tell that's what they are. They can vary in color and markings and even size. These White Crowned Sparrows apparently don't nest in Minnesota. Guess they're just traveling through.

Today I also saw and photographed Mourning Doves, House Finch, Robin, and House Sparrows. They're posted on my Flickr photostream. Blogger only allows five photos to be posted at a time and it's not easy arranging them. I keep forgetting that the last photo that I upload appears first in the post. That's usually not how I want them. Wish they'd work on that

Anyway, there were a few beauties that got away. For example, there was a Baltimore Oriole. I almost fell over myself trying to get to the camera. Didn't get to it in time, though. Gorgeous, gorgeous bird. And I saw a Brown-headed Cowbird a couple of days ago.

We usually have several Chickadees as you all know from past years but haven't spotted a chickadee for a few days. There were also red-winged blackbirds...two of them.

I'm hoping they all return tomorrow. I'll be ready.

Baking With Bisquik

I just tried a new recipe for chocolate chip cookies. I stumbled across an old cookbook that I've had for at least 30 years. It's Betty Crocker's New Cooking For Two Cookbook . Holy Cow, I just checked the copyright date and it was published in 1964! I have definitely not had it that long. No way. I'm waaaay too young.

I checked the Bisquik website and couldn't find the recipe. It's not a very good website, I must tell you. Lots of links to advertising stuff.

The recipe was included in the Outdoor Entertaining chapter. I baked a batch & shared it with two other couples when we played cards last night and they were a huge hit.

So here's the recipe. It's so simple even a guy could pull it off - heh.

1/2 cup soft butter

(don't even think of using margarine)

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

( I used dark brown)

1 egg

2 cups Bisquik

1/2 cup chopped nuts

(I used walnuts but pecans would be even better, IMHO)

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

(or milk chocolate if that's your bailiwick)

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

(none of that artificial stuff, please)

(The vanilla is my addition to the recipe and I think it is key to the "deliciousness".)

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix butter, sugar and egg well. Stir in Bisquik, nuts and chocolate pieces. Drop by teaspoonfuls about 2" apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake about 10 minutes until lightly browned. Makes 3 - 4 dozen.

That's it. I'm making them, again, to take to a friend whose mother passed away day before yesterday. A decidedly sad occasion but the beauty of it is that I could whip them out in nothing flat. A good recipe to have at the ready.

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. Jack & our good friend Terry are making brunch for Karen & me on Sunday. No clue as to the menu but I will be sure to post a report.

The Giant Squidoo Challenge

Well, I'm off and running in the Giant Squid Challenge. The competition started on May 1st and ends June 15th. I'm not convinced that I'll finish with 50 pages/lenses (the goal) but it's worth a try. The Squidoo powers-that-be have made this next competition fun by recruiting lensmasters into teams and the team that ends with the most new pages wins!

I was recruited by a very cool team leader named "kab". You can read about our team at this link: www.squidoo.com/Squid-Squad. Kab has more than 200 Squidoo lenses with more topics than you can shake a fist at...She has written pages on everything from Jello Recipes to Shakespeare's Oxymorons to Guatemalan Worry Dolls.

So I started with 17 lenses and so far I've added 3 more. I've got three more in the works and I'm going to finish at least one more, today. It's fun, it's addicting, and it's worthwhile.

It's going to be a challenge for me, for sure, since I'm also about to throw my hat in the ring and start the medical transcription phase of my life. I'm applying for a position as a contract worker for a medical transcription company. I'm a little nervous but I'm also excited about that. It's sink or swim time, I'm afraid.

Go Kab's Fab Squid Squad! Wish us luck! Wish ME luck!

The Kentucky Derby - 2009

Yesterday we watched the Kentucky Derby with some good friends from Nebraska. It was especially enjoyable because it was the first time we've seen them in almost six months and we had a blast remembering the years that we lived next door to each other in Omaha.

Jack & Terry loved going to "the track" which meant Aksarben...the racetrack in Omaha. Incidentally, Aksarben is Nebraska spelled backwards. Yeah, it really is.

They remembered a lot of the trainers and owners and horses that they followed. They had a burning desire to buy a race horse in a claiming race. I think back then you could claim a horse for about $500 so we're not talking Derby material here. But those two rascals REALLY wanted a race horse. Luckily, both were just a shade too sensible to actually do it.

Yesterday, we were pulling for a horse named General Quarters, a gray horse with a heartwarming story.

Tom McCarthy, a 75 year old former high school principal purchased General Quarters for $20,000 in a claiming race which was also General Quarter's very fist race. Obviously you can't get a horse for $500, anymore!

Tom McCarthy only has the one horse and he and General Quarters travel the racing circuit. He's won more than $600,000, so far which is a pretty darned good ROI, if you think about it. Just the one horse...amazing!

General Quarters was a 20 to 1 shot, yesterday and those really aren't awful odds. We were hopeful.

Well, Mine That Bird (at 50 to 1 odds) came flying from behind to win the Derby. It was amazing to watch him sail past all of the other horses on the inside of the track. And jockey Calvin Borel, a colorful character in his own right, was ecstatic! It was fun watching him ride to the winner's circle.

Seems that it's another rags to riches story. The owner, a cowboy named Chip Woolley, bought Mine That Bird for $9,500. The purse for the Kentucky Derby was more than 2 million dollars. I don't know how they divey that up between the four top horses but it's certainly not peanuts.

Do you know how many horses have won the Triple Crown? The answer to that and more great horsey trivia is documented at this Squidoo lens. Including how horses were brought to the Americas and man's first (creepy) relationship with horses.