Tag Archives: animal planet

Bees

They’re everywhere, which is a good thing. Some have the yellow-and-black striped body I’m familiar with, but others are shiny black. Did a quick search and found a page describing all the different markings. Never realized there were so many.

The ones I’ve seen look solid black, which means they could be one of the Cuckoo varieties. But to be honest, they were all moving at the time of observation and I was reluctant to get too close because, well, BEE! They could also be part of Color Group 1. I’m just glad to see them buzzing around all the apple blossoms, the hanging basket petunias, the tiny holly flowers.

It is warm. Cool breeze, but the sun is making its presence felt. Last week, I wore a heavy sweatshirt when I took Gaby for her walk, and had to keep wiping my eyes because the chill breeze made them tear. Today, I wore a light t-shirt under a light jacket, and was glad I did because halfway through I took off said jacket and tied it around my waist. Even Gaby ran out of gas, which is a first. We made it as far as the lake. Saw a few boats, a yacht and a couple of smaller cabin cruisers. A speed boat. There was a haze over the water. Not much wave.

Out on the deck now, under the brollie, with iced lemon water close at hand. The hardwoods are finally starting to leaf out. The honey locust. After a short nap and some water, Gaby is alternating dashing about the yard and lying beside my chair and resting up in preparation for more dashing. A dog of her weight and approximate age–almost 6 1/2 we think–she is supposed to be around 42 in human years, but I don’t see it.

It’s the first summer without King. He hated buzzing–flies, bees–and would either try to snap the offending insect out of the air or tuck tail and seek shelter in the deck Dogloo. Once all was clear, he would lie by the gate and watch the street. The guardian.

Saturday

It’s going too fast, but that’s life in general, isn’t it?

The house smells good. I had dug some round and flank steak out of the freezer and threw together some not-quite-beef-bourguignon. Sort of followed this recipe–I just lacked carrots, button mushrooms, or pearl onions, and I was supposed to use chuck, not round or flank. But I did have dried porcini mushrooms. So I soaked them in beef broth and added them.

Verdict? To a complete lack of surprise to some of you, I’m sure, the meat came out dry. There’s a reason one needs a stew-friendly, fatty cut of beef for this recipe. Lesson learned. At least I have plenty of sauce left–if I mince the meat and add barley, I’ll have a decent soup.

Had it with some leftover not-quite-colcannon, which consisted of halved Brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes fried with lotsa onion and a little fresh thyme. That came out surprisingly well. Tasted good cold or warm, especially earlier this week when added to tuna, wilted spinach, and mustard-caper vinaigrette for a not-really-salad-nicoise.

Yes, I do often make it up as I go along. And sometimes, like today, I pay a price.

Sunny this morning, but chilly. High 30s. Long walk with Herself along the wooded trail. Signs of the week’s heavy rains abound. Mushy ground. Standing water. Grooves cut into the ground by fast-flowing water. Much of the water flowed east, toward the wetlands, which was a great place for it. Marsh life may do well this year as a result. I have seen cranes fly over. Heard them, too. Honk, honk.

There’s a different sort of goose hanging with the Canadas that congregate at the nearby park . Not a swan. Looked a little like these guys. Snow goose? Whatever it is, I hope that it finds some of its own. The Canadas seem to have accepted having it around, but come breeding time it may find life a little lonely.

On the way home, Gabster and I walked through the neighborhood. A couple of homes had deer figurines, large and tiny, in their front yards. Gaby would stiffen as soon as she saw one, and try to approach it until the stillness or lack of smell or something told her that they weren’t real deer. Such a huntress.

Looking forward to a long weekend in the city next week. I will drop by C2E2 for one day, my first comicon. A massage and tea at the Drake may also happen, though not at the same time. Got a little black dress for tea. Big girl shoes, which I will carry in my purse and put on in the lobby because they are about as stable as a toothpick bridge in a gale. They’re not even that high–kitten heels. 2 inches, maybe? It’s the style. Shoes made for sitting and sipping.

The Pets of Balloon Juice 2013 calendar

For the third year in a row, King and Gaby are among the pets featured in this great calendar (they’re shown in September). Balloon Juice is a political/current events blog run by John Cole, and we of the commentariat have submitted many a photo of many a dog/cat/occasional other for inclusion. Proceeds go to MARC, Marion Animal Resource Connection, which helps Marion County (TN) residents find safe places for strays, dumped, and unwanted animals.

If you are looking for a gift for the animal lover(s) on your list, or could use a 2013 calendar yourself, please consider this one. Many a critter will thank you.

Wall Calendar The Pets of Balloon Juice 2013 calendar Balloon Juice Online Store.

Dance, little sister

It’s the little legs that make me go awwwwwwwwww

Drive-by posting

Spam message of the day: Lofty bye, considerate friend . Sometimes the garbling takes it to new levels of internet incoherence.

Recipes of the weekend #1: Cheap cornbread mix, the small box that fills one 8×8-inch pan. Added one tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, two tablespoons chopped fresh chives, and a few twists of pepper from the mill. Sprinkled a spice blend on top–chili powder, ground rosemary, etc. Subtle. Thyme works well in cornbread.

Recipes of the weekend #2: grilled salmon that I marinated using the following:

For 2 4-6 oz steaks:

1/8 cup olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 scallions, chopped (2 green onions)
1/2 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped

Except…I didn’t have scallions, so I used a small shallot instead. And I didn’t have fresh ginger, so I used a half-teaspoon of the ground stuff. The trick to this was mounting the chopped garlic and shallot atop the salmon when it was on the grill, so that when I turned the salmon over for the last 4 minutes of cooking, the garlic and shallot cooked through until they became brown and crispy. The garlic was actually borderline burnt but still good, but the shallot tasted great. Went really well with the salmon.

Thunderstorms are moving through now, which means restless King which means not much else getting done. For various reasons, the Sunday afternoon crankies have struck early. A bottle of wine may be opened soon. And Season 2 of Sherlock begins on WTTW tonight, so I’ve that to look forward to. Ben Cumberbatch. My Favorite High-Functioning Sociopath.

I’m sick of the cold and the rain. We had that taste of early summer in March, and it’s been crap ever since. I do think I spotted birds I’d never seen before. Gray catbirds–slate gray with black caps. I didn’t see the red patches under their tails, but in other respects they looked just like the pictures.

Oh well, back to whatever else the day holds. Grumpgrumpgrump….

Clark Kent

Some time ago over on my LJ, I posted updates about Clark Kent, a cat that almost died due to the neglect, and who was rescued by a good Samaritan and the good folks at City Kitties and The Cat Doctor (Facebook links). But the last update didn’t contain the best news. Doctors found a slow-growing bone cancer in his mouth. Given his many other medical issues, the decision was made not to put Clark through another surgery and/or radiation. Instead (and here comes the good news!), Clark was placed in a new home where he could live out the rest of his days in peace and comfort.

Well, another update has been released, and Clark is doing great. His weight is steady, and his labs are more normal. He’s sleeping on the bed–human or kitty, not sure which–and runs through the house with his sisters–kitty, I assume.

Good news on a dreary day. Long may you wave, CK!

Friday

The thing is, I have suffered from cat allergies for much of my life. Asthma attacks. Red, itchy welts where the dander touched my skin.  But my allergies overall seem to have settled down a bit over the last few years, so I was hoping that I wouldn’t have much of a problem when I visited my friends D&D and their 2 pups and 6 cats.

I guess you could say I didn’t have a problem:

Singer is an Empathy Cat. I had a few rough moments related to some phone calls from back at the homestead, and was feeling a little tense. Worried. This was about the time that Singer decided that my lap was the place upon which to spend extended stretches of the evening and even parts of the afternoon. Stroking him made it all better.

My throat didn’t even itch. Didn’t sneeze. Sort of amazing, actually.

The Art of Swaddling Slippery Sloths

Dolphin stampede

This would be such a cool thing to see in person.

I used to see dolphins when I lived in Florida, but only one or two at a time. Nothing like this.

Miniature Chameleon Sits on the Head of a Match

Teeny tiny chameleons!

Teeny little buggers.

Miniature Chameleon Sits on the Head of a Match.