Dark-eyed Junco

We get to enjoy the Dark-eyed Junco during the winter months. In fact, they’re usually the first bird of winter that we see. Out of all the Sparrows I like the Junco the best… with a close second being the Lark Sparrow.

The photo above was taken yesterday at our local lake. There were a dozen, or so, Juncos in a tree. The birds were gathering to roost for the night. They all took off ( like they do) with their high-pitched call and this is the image I caught. We have such great birds here and are on the pathway of fall and spring migration.

More photos to come….

Christmas 2016 and a dream…

My plans, like ever Christmas, is to cook, cook, cook. To create a variety of cookies, candies, and other treats of the season is my goal. I made these gingerbread men one evening. They were gone before the icing hit their cute little bodies. Yes, I know they are a bit unusual, but they are soooo cool. A dia de los Muertos cookie cutter was used. I also made apple empanadas and enchiladas for our Christmas Day dinner. For our dinner we do SW Mexican food, we’ve  done it for years.

While cooking I also made two small blueberry pies and an apple tart. My goal was to make a lot of treats… It just didn’t happen this year. Not even my traditional english toffee was made. There’s always next year.

My sister-in-law and I were talking, as we do often, about farms and B&Bs. The dream of owning one (of each) and running of them. The animals we’d have, the products from, the gift shop, the organic and GMO free veggie stand, and the food we would cook.  I went on-line and scoured cook books to come up with a list of foods to offer in the B&B. I have to admit, this is so much fun! I even found gluten free and vegan recipes that I want to try out. I looked for dishes that would also work with what I would be growing on the farm. Oh what a dream. I printed out the recipes that I’m going to try out in the months to come. When my garden is active again and I start getting the produce, I will try other recipes. Nothing is as good as fresh!

Like I said, this is just a dream… but it’s fun to try new things.

My Mom

Her memory is starting to fade. Names, events, and people, are a few of the things that are harder for her to remember. She is aware of what is happening and at times is very frustrated. There is nothing I can do to restore those memories.We did a lot of traveling this year. We were on the road more than we were at home. I took many photos on our trips. We look at them to help her remember the places we’ve been and the people we’ve met. Some she remembers, some she doesn’t and some she says she does but I know she doesn’t.It’s one of the toughest things to watch, the decline of one of the strongest female role models in my life. We have switched roles now. I cook, clean, drive, and do all the things she use to do for me. I enjoy all that we do together and that I can now do things for her. Her memory may be fading but I am there for her as she was for me.