Spring Sensitive

In the past couple weeks, 4 people have claimed that we're "Not going to have a spring this year." The first time I heard it, I smiled. The second time, no smile. The third time I felt resentful. The fourth time I argued, "We will have spring. It may be a wintry spring but there must be a spring between winter and summer." She smiled and said, "No, we're going right from winter into summer - no spring." This crazy talk is making me mad. Spring is my favorite season. We cannot skip any season, least of all my favorite season. Why does spring get no respect? Is spring the Rodney Dangerfield of seasons? I have never heard anyone talk that way about summer. "Oh, we're not having a summer this year, we're going right from spring to fall." Same thing for winter - no one in Minnesota discounts winter. Even fall gets more respect that spring. I look outside right now and it is snowing inches and inches. The snow is blowing down, right, left and even up - it's practically a blizzard. Even I have to admit it looks a lot like winter out there. Nevertheless, it is spring. This snow won't cover my driveway for weeks. This snow will soon be history. I think the problem is that I have not enjoyed winter this year. January and February and March have seemed so long. I believe my time in Africa thinned my blood. My office at work has been unusually cold. I had to wear long underwear for 6 weeks steady. So, I am insisting, despite the 7 inches of snow out there, it is spring.

It's Not Christmas but

It's not Christmas but my Christmas cactus is blooming. This cactus of an offshoot of the original cactus that I still have downstairs in a Red Wing Crock - the one my Grandparents helped me plant. And my Grandmother had hers for 50 years. This cactus has bloomed anywhere from Thanksgiving to Easter. And when it blooms I can feel the loving presence of my Grandmother in the house.

Pasty Pie

Here is my recipe for pasty pie, adapted from a recipe given to me by my MIL, Dorothy, who always said the secret to a good pasty pie is to cut the cubes all the same size.

Ingredients:

one two-layer pie crust

1 12 ounce package of Veggie breakfast patties, warmed and cubed

3 cups of cubed raw, peeled potatoes

1 1/2 cup of cubed, raw carrots

1/2 cup of diced onion

1 cup cubed, raw rutabaga (optional)

3 TB butter

salt and pepper to taste

Slap one pie crust in the pie plate. Mix the patties, potatoes, onions, carrots and rutabagas in a bowl. Move the mixture into the pie plate. Top with slices of butter. Add salt and pepper to taste. Slap the other crust on top and seal the edges together with a fork. Cut a cute design in the crust to vent the steam. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

You carnivores can substitute a pound or a pound and a half of flank steak for the veggie patties.

Enjoy!

Creek or Creek?

The man who teaches my Master Naturalist class is also the Parks Supervisor in my city. I asked him what the name of the creek is that runs near my house. He said the official name is Ditch 66 but he thinks Elmcrest Creek sounds better. He says creek with an I sound, not the long E sound. I think creek with an I sound rings more natural to the ear but Offspring #2 thinks it sounds like an Arkansonian. In any case, Ditch 66 is not, in my opinion, that pretty of a name for such a nice creek. The kids played in that creek when they were young. I used to take Ruby, my golden retriever, down there to let her off the leash and play in the water. As I went by on my many walks around the neighborhood I would admire that creek and pay attention to how the water level changed. One of my neighbors had constructed a garden next the creek with yellow flowers blooming all summer. She has a garden bench down there and some statues - it's absolutely gorgeous. I'm not sure where Ditch 66 starts but it flows along the south side of Elmcrest Park, under Hwy. 47 just north of the Boy Scout Camp, turns north again, flows under 160th heading northeast under Dysprosium and and then east until it joins the Rum between the Scout Camp and the doctor's house. I can see why they call it a ditch. Along Elmcrest Park the creek is artifically straight. No doubt the farmer who owned that land moved the creek to the edge of the property so he or she could get a few more rows of corn in. Offspring #2 disagrees. She thinks Ditch 66 has a nice ring to it. She says she can imagine an entire fashion line named Ditch 66. Ditch 66 jeans, Ditch 66 body spray, and Ditch 66 underwear.

Upset

In the past I would beat offspring #2 in Scrabble nearly all the time. But I was nice about it and we both enjoyed it. Then in the past couple years, we were about evenly skilled in Scrabble. But as was pounded into me in such a harsh fashion Tuesday night, I now suck at Scrabble compared to her. I lost by not 10, not 50, not 75, not even 100, but a miserable 129 points. Ouch, that hurt. I was humbled at Scrabble - scrumbled. Her best word was gazing (on a double word score, no less). But you gotta watch her because she tried to put gazingly and that was so not a word. She tried to put cess. I tell her it isn't a word. She says it is too, because there are pools of cess - cesspool. I challenge her. Cess in an Irish word, in the dictionary, and not capitalized that is short for success. How fitting. She's ruthless. She's rather ruin a spot for me than gain a few points. She's out to win. I comment on her Scrabbleocity (ferocity at winning Scrabble games) and question whether her attendance at St. Um Yah Yah, the private liberal arts college in Northfield, has improved her Scrabbleness. She says yes, because with her lap top and high speed Internet, she can play Scrabble on line in her dorm room. I am not daunted. My own Scrabbleocity will increase as I learn from my future mistakes.

Nightmare on 164th Lane Or You Don't Know What You've Got Till It's Gone

A nightmare woke me up before the sun rise this morning. I paid to have an outdoor swimming pool installed in my backyard. I came home to see that the contractors had removed the entire natural area on the northeast corner of my lot and butchered all the trees, including my favorite tree on my lot, the huge red oak. I have many trees in that corner and they were all felled and loaded up on a flatbed truck. The contractors had installed sod which I was expected to mow and to water. I was so upset. I got out of bed to look out my window to see if this disaster was true. It was too dark to see anything. Eventually my reasoning kicked in and I thought this was too bizarre to have really happened. I had never desired an in-ground swimming pool in the back yard anyway. I went back to sleep. But when I left for work, I looked to make sure those trees were still there. I believe there is a message in this dream for me. I had been toying with the idea of moving to a smaller place. I have a long driveway that needs shoveling or plowing and a big yard to mow. Sometimes it seems like too much for me. I question why I need such a large house and lot for one person. Why heat a huge house for myself? Shouldn't I reduce my carbon imprint on this earth by finding a smaller place closer to public transportation? I think the message in this dream is that if I get upset about my trees being felled in a dream, I'm not ready to give up this real estate yet.

When The Red Red Robin Goes Bob Bob Bobbing Along

A sign of spring was seen this morning. A tired, groggy and sluggish American robin, lacking in street safety skills, was seen and swerved around on my street this morning. I figure it was exhausted from migrating from Mexico, Florida, Texas or Louisiana. I read they can fly 200 miles in a day at a flight speed of 20-30 miles per hour. Their eggs are a strange color. Usually ground dwelling birds have camouflage colored eggs and cavity dwelling birds have white eggs. We Americans can only describe the color as robins egg blue. In Africa, that color would be called vervet monkey teste blue. In any case, what a welcome sight to my winter weary eyes.

Sapcicles

I am not sure if you can see the icicles hanging on this tree in the photo. As I walked the dog around the block yesterday, I noticed these icicles on this boxelder tree (member of the maple tree family). There are about 9 icicles hanging off the tips of various branches. Each branch that is tipped with an icicle was broken or trimmed. The sap has been running with the warmer weather and must have dripped out the end of these branches and froze, forming icicles. That is why I called them sapcicles.

Bunny Cake Anyone?

I made a bunny cake this weekend (see above). I made a chocolate cake in 2 9 inch round cake pans. I used one pan for the head. I sliced two ears off the other cake and used the left overs for the debonair striped bow tie. I used powdered sugar frosting except I ran out of powdered sugar and substituted with granulated sugar so the frosting was not as creamy. It tastes good though. I colored a small amount of frosting to created this fearful albino bunny look. A couples strands of twist and peel licorice make the sweet whiskers. Just look at the eyes on this bunny - do they suggest horror, worry or mournfulness to you? It just isn't a happy bunny.

To Fool Our Brains

I read an amazing story on the BBC website yesterday that addressed phantom pains. Phantom pains are excruciating painful for people who have had limbs amputated. The pain they feel is in a limb that has been surgically removed. When I worked at a nursing home in Roseville I had a patient who we called Frenchy. I think he preferred that nickname, at least I hope he did. He was a veteran and he had a strong French accent. His left leg was amputated below the knee. He had terrible itching and pain in his left foot. He would complain about it especially in the evenings. His left foot felt like it was being burned. His left foot itched terribly. He begged us to scratch his foot. During the day, Frenchy was a jovial gentleman but in the evening, around 8 or 9 p.m., Frenchy was in agony, night after night. He would moan and scream in pain. There was nothing we could do. There was no medication to give him and no foot to sooth. I'll never forget his misery. Now they have come up with a new and innovative treatment for phantom pains. Using mirrors, therapists massage the remaining limb while the patient watches. As the massage continues, the sensations and the relief goes to the phantom limb. The patient's brain is fooled into thinking the missing limb is being massaged. One person said their phantom pain disappeared for 10 to 15 minutes. This technique won't work on the skeptical. You have to be open to the possibility this might work to succeed. Isn't the human brain amazing?

Happy 50th Birthday

I was surprised to learn that the peace symbol has been around for 50 years, ever since 1958. I mistakenly thought the peace symbol was developed during the Vietnam War. The symbol is a combination of the semaphore sign for N (Nuclear) and D (Disarmament)

Spring, My Favorite Season

Oh, give us pleasure in the flowers to-day;

And give us not to think so far away

As the uncertain harvest; keep us here

All simply in the springing of the year.

Oh, give us pleasure in the orchard white,

Like nothing else by day, like ghosts by night;

And make us happy in the happy bees,

The swarm dilating round the perfect trees.

And make us happy in the darting bird

That suddenly above the bees is heard,

The meteor that thrusts in with needle bill,

And off a blossom in mid air stands still.

For this is love and nothing else is love,

The which it is reserved for God above

To sanctify to what far ends He will,

But which it only needs that we fulfil.

___Robert Frost

Across The Universe

Two Thumbs Up for the movie, "Across The Universe," a musical telling a story while incorporating songs from the Beatles. I watched it last night. All day today I've had the song, "Nothings Gonna Change My World" running most beautifully through my head. I was reminded how beautiful and poignant the old Beatles songs can be. While watching the movie, I saw a guy and thought, "Is that Joe Cocker?" Later I saw him again dressed as a pimp and thought again, "Could that be Joe Cocker?" Still later I saw him a third time and he flailed his arms like only Joe Cocker can do and I thought, "That's gotta be Joe Cocker." It was. If you see it, keep your eyes open for Joe Cocker. Bono is in it too, wearing sunglasses of course.

Unwanted Girdling

This week the weather has been nice enough so that when i walk my dog, I can hold my head up instead of tucking myself as deep into my coat as I possibly can to retain my body heat - like a turtle. So, with my head held up, I noticed that something has been girdling my sumac shrubs. Something has eaten all the bark from about 4 inches off the ground to a couple feet off the ground. The bark below 4 inches is still there and the bark above 24 inches is still there but the rest of the bark has been chewed off all the way around. I find this destruction not on one sumac shrub, not two, but 80% of my sumac shrubs. Only the tough, older, and thickest sumac shrubs are not girdled. I estimate I have 50+ girdled sumac shrubs. I noticed the neighbor across the street also has his sumac shrubs girdled. Who did this? Who girdled my sumac shrubs? The damage is too low to the ground to be a deer. Woodchucks hibernate so they are innocent. My theory is wascally wabbits! The lower inches of the shrub were protected by the snow cover. The height of the snow allowed the rabbits to eat up so high. I like sumac. I like their bright scarlet color in the fall. I am lucky that sumac grow like weeds and propagate by rhizomes (underground shoots) as well as seeds. Sumac grows like a weed so within a few years this damage will be negligible. But I am not happy about my girdled sumac.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all. Here is a photo of a crwth - an ancient Celtic instrument that is plucked or bowed. I suscribe to the Merriam Webster word of the day and this was today's word. Seeing this word brought me back to an incident in elementary school. I was in class and Sister Mary John was talking about words (always one of my favorite subjects) and she said there are no words without vowels. She asked if anyone could think of a word without a vowel. There I was sitting at my desk. My desk was open at the chair end with a wooden top and a hole in the upper right hand corner. Why the hole in the corner? I have no idea. Were ink wells that recent that we needed holes in our desks? I was wearing my brown plaid jumper, my short sleeved white shirt with the Peter Pan color, my brown oxford shoes with white anklets when suddenly my hand went up. I had a word without a vowel. Sister Mary John called on other kids who had ideas for words without vowels but they were wrong. All their words had vowels. But my word had no vowels. I was positively sure of it. My hand was up and waving like Horshak on Welcome Back Kotter. "Pick me! Pick me!" I was thinking. "Oh, pick me, I got the answer!" As soon as Sister Mary John says my name I realize, to my dismay and disappointment, my word does have a vowel. My word has a giant vowel, capitalized, right at the beginning. What was my word? Egypt. How could I have missed the vowel in Egypt? My hand went down and I meekly said, "Never mind." Ever since that day I have looked for a word without a vowel. So, Sister Mary John, check out today's word of the day - crwth. I may be 45 years late but I finally found one for you.

Eighteen Long Months

I've been working on the same knitting project for at least 18 months. I made my first sweater. I thought I was done before Christmas but I accidently sewed the sleeve together wrong and it has taken me almost 3 more months to fix that sleeve. As I made the sweater I thought, gee, this seems large. As you can see in the photo, it is large. And you can't see all the way down to the lower hem in the photo. It's almost a sweater dress large. But it is done (Yeah!) and now I am free to go on to something else. For my next project, I am thinking a bathroom rug in purple with gray trim would be nice. I was going to make it out of the 100% cotton yarn I usually use for dishcloths. I found a pattern on the Lion Brand website for bathroom rugs. Now I can use my Michael's gift card that I got for my birthday!

Dam

The Dam

This is an actual letter sent to a man named Ryan DeVries regarding a pond on his property. It was sent by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Quality, State of Pennsylvania . This guy's response is hilarious, but read State's letter before you get to the response letter.

SUBJECT: DEQ File No.97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County
Dear Mr. DeVries:
It has come to the attention of the Department of Environmental Quality that there has been recent unauthorized activity on the above referenced parcel of property. You have been certified as the legal landowner and/or contractor who did the following unauthorized activity:
Construction and maintenance of two wood debris dams across the outlet stream of Spring Pond.
A permit must be issued prior to the start of this type of activity. A review of the Department's files shows that no permits have been issued. Therefore, the Department has determined that this activity is in violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.
The Department has been informed that one or both of the dams partially failed during a recent rain event, causing debris and flooding at downstream locations. We find that dams of this nature are inherently hazardous and cannot be permitted. The Department therefore orders you to cease and desist all activities at this location, and to restore the stream to a free-flow condition by removing all wood and brush forming the dams from the stream channel. All restoration work shall be completed no later than January 31, 2009.
Please notify this office when the restoration has been completed so that a follow-up site inspection may be scheduled by our staff. Failure to comply with this request or any further unauthorized activity on the site may result in this case being referred for elevated enforcement action. We anticipate and would appreciate your full cooperation in this matter. Please feel free to contact me at this office if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
David L. Price
District Representative and Water Management Division.

Here is the actual response sent back by Mr. DeVries:
Re: DEQ File No. 97-59-0023; T11N; R10W, Sec. 20; Lycoming County
Dear Mr. Price,
Your certified letter dated 12/17/07 has been handed to me to respond to. I am the legal landowner but not the Contractor at 2088 Dagget Lane , Trout Run, Pennsylvania .
A couple of beavers are in the (State unauthorized) process of constructing and maintaining two wood 'debris' dams across the outlet stream of my Spring Pond. While I did not pay for, authorize, nor supervise their dam project, I think they would be highly offended that you call their skillful use of natures building materials 'debris.'
I would like to challenge your department to attempt to emulate their dam project any time and/or any place you choose. I believe I can safely state there is no way you could ever match their dam skills, their dam resourcefulness, their dam ingenuity, their dam persistence, their dam determination and/or their dam work ethic.

These are the beavers/contractors you are seeking. As to your request, I do not think the beavers are aware that they must first fill out a dam permit prior to the start of this type of dam activity.
My first dam question to you is:
(1) Are you trying to discriminate against my Spring Pond Beavers, or
(2) do you require all beavers throughout this State to conform to said dam request?
If you are not discriminating against these particular beavers, through the Freedom of Information Act, I request completed copies of all those other applicable beaver dam permits that have been issued.
(Perhaps we will see if there really is a dam violation of Part 301, Inland Lakes and Streams, of the Natural Resource and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of the Public Acts of 1994, being sections 324.30101 to 324.30113 of the Pennsylvania Compiled Laws, annotated.)
I have several concerns. My first concern is, aren't the beavers entitled to legal representation? The Spring Pond Beavers are financially destitute and are unable to pay for said representation -- so the State will have to provide them with a dam lawyer. The Department's dam concern that either one or both of the dams failed during a recent rain event, causing flooding, is proof that this is a natural occurrence, which the Department is required to protect. In other words, we should leave the Spring Pond Beavers alone rather than harassing them and calling them dam names.
If you want the stream 'restored' to a dam free-flow condition please contact the beavers -- but if you are going to arrest them, they obviously did not pay any attention to your dam letter, they being unable to read English.
In my humble opinion, the Spring Pond Beavers have a right to build their unauthorized dams as long as the sky is blue, the grass is green and water flows downstream. They have more dam rights than I do to live and enjoy Spring Pond. If the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection lives up to its name, it should protect the natural resources (Beavers) and the environment (Beavers' Dams).
So, as far as the beavers and I are concerned, this dam case can be referred for more elevated enforcement action right now. Why wait until 1/31/2009? The Spring Pond Beavers may be under the dam ice then and there will be no way for you or your dam staff to contact/harass them.
In conclusion, I would like to bring to your attention to a real environmental quality, health, problem in the area. It is the bears! Bears are actually defecating in our woods. I definitely believe you should be persecuting the defecating bears and leave the beavers alone. If you are going to investigate the beaver dam, watch your step! The bears are not careful where they dump!
Being unable to comply with your dam request, and being unable to contact you on your dam answering machine, I am sending this response to your dam office.
THANK YOU,
RYAN DEVRIES
& THE DAM BEAVERS

A Favorite Quote

I was reading a book the other day and they gave this quote, attribted to Robert Frost:

"Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length."

Hippity Hoppity!

Love Song for Bobby Long

Oh, I saw a good movie the other night called "A Love Song for Bobby Long." It was a heartbreaking dramatic story about love, mothers and daughters, alcoholism, failure and redemption. Plus, John Travolta did a dance called the Alabama shuffle. The camera panned in close on his upper back as he danced with Scarlet Johansson. Even when he plays an aging alcoholic with a gangrenous big toe, he is still hot when he dances. My first memory of John Travolta dancing goes back to the 1976 when I went on a date with a guy named Leon to the movie theater on Division Street in St. Cloud to see Saturday Night Fever. I loved him then and I love him now. (When I say him I mean his dancing). Did you see him dancing with Christopher Walker in "Hairspray"? OMG, the chemistry between the two men was absolutely magical. Even when dressed as as overweight matron, he is a great dancer. I heard he dances well in Pulp Fiction but I abhor gratuitous violence so I haven't seen it. But if you like drama, you will like "Love Song for Bobby Long".

What The Young Can Teach You or Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun

Yesterday, on the drive back to Northfield with Offspring #2, I was talking about opossum. Is it opossum or opossums? Anyway, we have been talking a lot about opossum in my Master Naturalist class ever since our teacher forwarded us this picture of an opossum in his yard. He found it on the deck. He banked on the fact that it would "play possum" if he grabbed it, which it did. So while the possum was in that unconscious state of being scared nearly to death, he posed it for pictures involving a piece of steak on the end of a fork. So I was telling her about how we never used to see possums around here except for the past 5 years or so. The fact that we do see possum is related to global warming and urban sprawl. I told her that with their naked ears, tail and fingers, this is about as far north as they can take it because their hairless parts gets so cold and frostbitten. Here I am thinking I am so smart about possum when she tells me they have two reproductive organs apiece. Huh? Yes, they have bifurcated (forked)sexual organs. I googled this to verify this strange sexual fact. Where, may I ask, did she learn this? From my sister (you know who you are). When did she learn this? At a bonfire - where else would you talk about such things?

Sunday Chore - Filling the Birdfeeder

This afternoon I filled my birdfeeder with black sunflower seeds like I do every Sunday. I hung it on the hook under the squirrel baffle. I was examining the teeth marks squirrels had left on the rim of the baffle when I heard the sound of wings, really close. Those chickadees must have been watching me carry the feeder out to the tree because as soon as I put it up, they were there, ready to partake. I tried to stand really still and see if they would eat while I stood within arms reach. Several winged past my head but wouldn't sit on the birdfeeder. Eventually one brave chickadee came, took a seed, and flew off lickety split. Nuthatches came and eyed me and left - too timid to eat in front of the human. I put my hands in my pockets to appear harmless. I watched in amazement as 4 chickadees came and ate before me. We were so close. If I tried and if they were really hungry, I bet I could have them eating out of my hand.

Ovenbirds

One of my classmates in my Master Naturalist class is a student. This summer he will be working on a research project studying ovenbirds in the Chippewa National Forest. His job will be to tromp through the forest looking for ovenbirds. They are not easy to find. Ovenbirds are nondescript brown with an orange racing stripe on the top of their tiny heads. They are in the warbler family - from the primitive branch of the warbler family tree. They are so primitive they nest on the ground. Their nests are hard to find and look like an upside down grassy dome. Each nest has about 8 eggs and the birds can lay two hatches if the first nest is disturbed and the eggs are destroyed. Only one out of every 72 eggs makes it to live long enough to migrate to central America in the winter. Ovenbirds survive only because they have so many offspring. The researchers put little telemetry backpacks on the birds - around their little legs and around their wings. Each backpack is the size of a battery watch with an antennae. The backpacks are designed to fall off after about 60 days. He has found the backpacks buried under the ground. The predator that eats most of the eggs hides the eggs and baby birds underground to come back and snack on later. And what is the largest predator of ovenbirds? Not what I expected. Not fox (although fox do eat them) and not snakes and not squirrels. The predator who eats the most ovenbirds is

That is right. A chipmunk. Look how innocent he is there with his red hooded sweatshirt with the big gold A. He's a predator. He eats more ovenbird eggs and ovenbird hatchlings than any other animal.
The student told a funny story about ovenbird research. They were tracking an ovenbird signal and it seemed to be flying at supersonic speeds. They couldn't figure how the ovenbird could fly that fast until they looked up and saw a hawk. The hawk had eaten an ovenbird, backpack and all. There is some concern about the danger of the battery to a hawk. I understand that hawks are like owls. They burp up the stuff they can't digest and spit it out.

Whales and Mohawks

This is a photo of a nearly mythic creature - a white killer whale spotted off the Aleutian Islands. Go to http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2008/03/07/white-killer-whale.html
for the full story.

On another note, I had my hair done last night at a new salon. I was lured in by a coupon. Usually I go to the same place and have no trouble communicating what I want. This time there was a communication gap. I tried to explain and my stylist got another woman over to help interpret. They said they understood but I had a sinking feeling they really didn't. Some of my hair turned out darker than usual. When I arrived at work I got lots of reactions. One client said I looked like a knock out. He has a special way of giving compliments. He doesn't give them often but his compliments feel very sincere. I work with another young man in his early 20's. He is the nicest guy and although he is young he is very comfortable talking to people of all ages. He said he loved my hair. He said it was outlandish. This young man has a spiked mohawk with shaved sides, spikes about 5 inches long, sometimes dyed blue or green or purple. Sometimes he wears mascara and black nail polish. He thinks my hair is outlandish? Have I gone too far?

Affirmative Action

Today I was working on our annual affirmative action report. My mind is filled with questions that I don't usually consider. Terms like these are running through my head: total employees, officials and managers, professional, technical, office/clerical, operatives male, female, american indian, alaskan native, asian, black or african american, hispanic or latino, native hawaiian or other pacific islander, disabled, total applicants, total hires applicants interviewed, applicants tested, employees promoted, employees transferred, employees demoted, employees trained, employees terminated, utilization numbers, number underutilized, annual goals, 2000 census, EEO data. I am not used to working with these kinds of classifications. I feel strange counting up all my coworkers (52!) and putting them into categories. Oh, look at Tom, he's a male, non-minority, non-disabled operative new hire. But this role as Affirmative Action Officer stretches my mind and that can only be good for me.

Ginger Snaps!

Ginger Snaps

about 10 dozen 2-inch cookies

Preheat oven to 325

Cream together:

3/4 C. butter

2 cups sugar

Stir in:

2 well-beaten eggs

1/2 cup molasses

2 tsp. vinegar

Stir and add:

3 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 to 3 (3 is better) heaping tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

Mix ingredients until blended. Form into 3/4 inch balls. Bake on a greased cookie sheet about 12 minutes. As the ball melts down during baking, the cookie develops the characteristic crinkled surface. Enjoy the heavenly aroma. When cool, ice to taste.

Inspiration

Every day I look at the BBC website. One of my favorite features is the "Pictures of the Day." One of today's pictures of a watermelon market inspired me to poetry.

Apples are good, in a crisp or a pie

Bananas for breakfast almost 7 days a week

Oranges are sweet and their color pleasing to my eye

But how I miss the fruits of summer.

The thought of a raspberry, I cannot lie

Makes me drool to think of the tasty treat

To take a big bite of a peach, oh my

How I miss the fruits of summer.

Repair Parts Returned

Have you ever brought in something to be repaired and when you went to retrieve your item, been given parts? Like if you have a fan belt replaced, they'll give you the old fan belt? Have you ever been given old spark plugs after a tune-up? Last month I brought my Kenmore upright vacuum cleaner in because it was clogged and snoring like a very old man with severe obstructive sleep apnea. I knew it wasn't broken - only clogged. They gave me back my clog. It must have been a 2 part clog because I got two plastic bags of clog. One clog was full of Christmas tree needles and a hunk of clear plastic. I knew needles were the like culprit. The other bag was full of ordinary vacuum dust - hair, dust, skin cells, dust mites, etc. That got me to thinking and feeling grateful for the things that I don't get back. Tomorrow is my dental cleaning appointment. I'm grateful the hygienist won't hand me a dirty bib with all my tooth scum, plaque, and popcorn hulls. I am grateful the pedicurist doesn't hand me back my toe jam, nail clippings and callous scrapings. I'm grateful the car wash doesn't give me back my road salt, flattened bugs and other highway debris. Dry cleaners don't give you back your stains. Lets not even think about the honey wagon - ewww!

Bird Research

Here is a tip I learned yesterday on my field trip. If you want to know where the birds in your yard make their nests, set out some brightly colored strands of string, yarn, or cloth. Set them near your bird feeder loosely. The birds will take your offering of string and weave them into their nests. If you use bright red, like I did, you'll be able to see their nests at a distance.

That Tree Is Freaking Out!

Today I went on a field trip, not as a chaperone but as a participant. We went to a field. Where else would a field trip go? We went to the Cedar Creek Natural Center which is in NE Anoka County and expands into southern Isanti County. I had never heard of this place but it actually emcompasses almost 6,000 acres. The nature center is owned by the U of M and is a significant center for environmental research. Telemetry was started here. They were the first to put electronic collars on animals and track their travels. Our first stop was a tamarack bog. I gotta say, I love being with people who are as curious as I am and who enjoy answering and asking questions. So after we toured the bog (a little difficult walking through the deep snow) and identified all the trees and many of the grasses and weeds and tracks, we were to summarize and talk about what we would present as a naturalist. My mind went blank beyond pointing and saying, "That is a cedar tree." One guy noticed that you could see the topography by looking at the trees on each hilly spot in the bog. Our instructor noticed what looked like pussy willows. I could have sworn it was a pussy willow tree. But it was an aspen tree. Aspen trees have little buds in the spring that look like pussy willows. Last week the power company went through the area and cut down trees under the power line. One small aspen, usually shaded by the trees around it, was given it's first bit of direct sunlight. Last week was warm. The unsuspecting tree put forth it's spring flowers thinking it was time. But today is only March 1. That is why he said, "That tree is freaking out!" We talk so scientifically in this group. We went back into the cars and traveled south to Fish Lake. Fish Lake usually has no fish in it because it's only 10 feet deep and some years it freezes to the bottom. We were hoping to find a red headed woodpecker. Red headed woodpeckers became rare after the energy crisis in the late 1970's. People started burning wood and removed the dead trees the woodpeckers need to survive. Dutch Elm disease made for more habitat for woodpeckers in the 1980's. The pileated woodpeckers are quite common but not the red headed woodpeckers. We didn't see one. But I did see an oriole nest. The U of M burns the area near Fish Lake and I saw an open pine cone on a jack pine. Jack pine cones only open with the heat of a fire so it is rare to see an open cone. Usually they're sealed up tight with resin. If I could plan an ideal day for myself, tromping through the woods with a naturalist would be part of the plan.