Project Feeder Watch Update

Saturday - 2 black capped chickadees

Sunday - 2 slate colored juncos, 2 black capped chickadees

Woot! Woot!

Not to brag, but . . . no wait, yes to brag - I got the second "bingo" in scrabble in my entire life yesterday. The word was "astound." Yes! 50 bonus points and a high five for me!!!!

What The Snow Reveals

Last night I went to bed with the doors locked and bolted; the house all secured for the night. But the snow reveals we had nocturnal visitors. Some 4 legged creature, I'm guessing a domestic cat, snuck around the corner of the house fitting into the small space between the garbage can and the corner of the garage, ambled across the driveway, followed the driveway edge, crossed the driveway again by the mailbox and continued across the street. Another set of tracks revealed a deer ran across the grass and stopped in the driveway, stopped to paw up (hoof up?) the grassy area between the car treads, urinated on the ground, and then followed the driveway out to the street, heading west on 164th.

We Put Up The Tree Today

Today Offspring #2 and I went to Frattalone's Hardware store to buy a Christmas tree. The weather was warm and pleasant. Another tree shopping couple were eating ice cream cones while selecting their tree. Our tree is up and looks awesomely handsome against the red walls. We listened to Anoka High School Christmas music while we adorned the tree with lights and ornaments. We do not have a fashionable tree with matching ornaments. Our ornaments were given as gifts, home made, or purchased while on vacation. Each souvenir ornaments takes me back on the trip. I have a goldfish from Hawaii, a Queen's guard with bearskin hat from London, a St. Charles Streetcar from New Orleans, a little copper man from Arizona, a wooden gavel from the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., a sailboat from Virginia, a moose on a wooden plaque from Glacier National Park, and this year I added a little Pilgrim Monument from Cape Cod. (I forgot to get an ornament from Africa? I'll have to make one because that trip needs to be commemorated). Offspring #1 has many ornaments on the tree that he made in Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts. He received some from teachers as well. We have a good number of Girl Scout ornaments too - stick pins and sequins stuck into a foam ball, leather shapes with fabric paint decorations, jigsaw puzzle pieces glued onto a tree shape and spray painted in gold. I found one ornament that I remember getting in a cereal box in 1983 (the date is on it but the name of the cereal is gone, I doubt it's made anymore). I have an ornament marking the Minnesota Twins success in 1987. I have a baby's first Christmas ornament from 1984. I have one marking my first Christmas as part of a married couple from 1980. The marriage is over but I still got the ornament - yeah! Several of the ornaments I made myself. There are the needle point pair of mittens and a purple needlepoint outhouse complete with toilet paper roll and bear perched on the seat (we left the door closed this year so he could have some privacy). We have several ornaments fashioned out of the tree cookies formed when we cut off the bottom of the trunk. One of our tree cookie ornaments looks either like a fried egg or a English muffin with a pat of butter in the middle. Another tree cookie has a star carved into one side and the other side lists the names of the people and the pets at the time including a zebra finch by the name of Slim Shady. As we hung the gift ornaments we remember the people who gave us the ornaments including family, teachers, friends, customers, Girl Scouts, Boy Scout leaders, and neighbors. Putting up the tree is a real trip down memory lane.

Why We Are Grateful - A Collaborative Effort

This year we decided to go with the letters of the alphabet and the numbers 1-12. Somehow 9 and 11 got left empty. Here goes: angels, Barack Obama, cops, diplomacy, everything, friends, Gary, home and health, ice, job, kind people, love and Legos, Mother Nature, no narcs, opinions, politics, Queen Mom, rain, Sarah Palin, trees and turkeys, unicorns, ventilation, water, xray specs, yo-yo's, and the zoo. 1-family, 2-eyes, 3-legs, 4-me, 5-golden rings, 6-times fun, 7-bananas, 8-food, 9, 10-my rating, 11, 12-children.

Cranberry Chutney

Cranberry Chutney

Ingredients: 1 orange peeled and chopped, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries, 1 3/4 cups sugar, 1 large Haralson apple peeled and seeded and diced, 1 snack sized box of raisins, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, 1 TB vinegar, 1/2 tsp. ground ginger, 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon. Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes or until cranberries are bursting. Chill until serving time. Makes about 4 cups. Can be frozen.

Postsecret Exhibit at the Minneapolis Library

The other thing we saw on Nicollet mall yesterday was the Postsecret Exhibit at the new Minneapolis Public Library. I love the Postsecret.blogspot.com website. I check it every Monday to see the new secrets. Some of the postcards are remarkable for their art. Some card are haunting. Some I can identify with. Some are funny. Many are sad. Was it worth walking 5 blocks down Nicollet Mall? No, not with my gimpish gait. Viewing the website will be enough for me. I believe Frank, the Postsecret webmaster, does an incredible community service to many, many people.