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Archive for ‘Observations’

Find Our Feet

Stumbled across a fantastic young musician last night while scrolling the internet looking for something (as one does). If you haven’t heard the music of Mon Rovîa yet, look him up. Not only for his smooth voice, fun musicianship (rocking that ukulele), and powerful lyrics but his backstory is pretty darn inspiring, too (a refugee from war-torn Liberia, now living in Chattanooga, TN).

Heavy Foot is the song that caught my attention, I encourage you to take a listen (click on the song title which will take you to the official music video on YouTube).

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Boat Day

Lettered Olive on the Move
Studying is Tiring!
So Calm

I took advantage of a random day off and joined some friends on the water today. We couldn’t have asked for a better boat day, after the morning clouds burned off it was nothing but blue skies and calm seas.

The water temperature in the Gulf has been slowly dropping as a result of our shorter days and (slightly) cooler weather. All of which means fish (and their myriad of predators) are more active. It was a live nature show full of aquatic antics – mullets jumped, dolphins splashed and dashed, Black-tipped sharks skimmed the surface, and all manner of seabirds feasted nearby.

Such a wonderfully relaxing way to spend the day!
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So Stoned…

In an effort to make life as good as possible for my outside boys, I surprise them with something special every few days. Sometimes they get yummy treats, other times they get a good brushing (which they both actually prefer to the treats). And every once in awhile, I take advantage of a lazy Sunday afternoon and break out the bag of ‘nip.

I pour each of them a large pile of the stuff on my front stoop and hang out with them (to watch them play but also so they feel protected and can really enjoy themselves).

This is the after photo. After they’ve rolled in, drooled on, and lastly, eaten all the ‘nip they can handle. There’s plenty of time for them to rest and recover before nightfall when they’ll go back on full alert.

Note, not all cats react strongly to the ‘nip, my Westley isn’t the least bit impressed by the stuff. Silly boy! 😹
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Mrs. Hernbrode

While pulling weeds in my front yard yesterday I was pleased to discover this odd little lump. The roughly 2” long bundle of fur and bones immediately transported me back to 3rd grade…

We were learning about Great Horned Owls as part of our science and biology curriculum. Unlike raptors that tear their meals apart, big owls tend to swallow their food whole.

In order to learn about their place in the ecosystem, my teacher, Mrs. Hernbrode, brought in owl pellets for us to dissect (cast pellets are little balls of non-digestible parts that the owls cough up after eating).

Our task was to gently extricate all the bones and carefully reassemble the skeleton so we could identify the prey animal. Most of the girls in my class were grossed out, but the guys and I dug right in (newsflash, I was a bit of a tomboy – riding horses, climbing trees, and playing in the dirt were my main hobbies). In other words, I was an eager pellet detective!

I had always been fascinated by nature and wildlife, but I credit Mrs. H for encouraging my curiosity. That curiosity guided me through college and has led me to some incredible places over the years. For that, and other reasons, Mrs. H remains my absolute favorite elementary school teacher.

So imagine my excitement when we crossed paths again, some 30 years later. She had moved to Portal, a small town nestled in the heart of the Chiricahua Mountains of Southern Arizona (where my parents had moved decades earlier). I recognized her immediately and was touched when she remembered me (out of all those students over the years).

Finding this pellet pleases me because it’s a sign that my yard is welcoming to wildlife. In her honor, I’m naming the pair of Great Horned Owls in my neighborhood the Hernbrodes. As for the pellet, I’m still debating whether or not to dissect it…
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Fresh Isn’t Always Best

After being a water demanding prima donna all summer, the American Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) I planted this past Spring has bloomed and set on fruit. I’m growing elderberries for their renowned healing properties as the fruits are high in antioxidants and vitamin C.

Though paradoxically, the fresh fruits also contain cyanogenic glycosides which can break down into cyanide. So, proper preparation will be key to harnessing their power. I found a recipe for Elderberry Syrup that sounds tasty, looking forward to making some soon!

Elderberry Syrup Recipe:

  • 2 cups fresh or frozen elderberries
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried ground clove
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup agave nectar (or more to taste)

In a medium saucepan, combine fresh fruit (wash fruit well and pick out any leaves or stems) with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the liquid is reduced by about half. While the syrup reduces, sterilize a glass pint or quart jar by boiling the jar, fully submerged in water, for 10 minutes. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into the sterilized glass jar. Cool to room temperature and sweeten. Stir to combine. Apply lid and store in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or freeze for up to 8 months for best quality. Makes about 2 cups. (Adapted from Maine Cooperative Extension recipe.)
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Nevermind

Puff is one of the neighborhood boys that became “mine” after last year’s hurricanes flooded out their previous caretakers a block south of me.

He’s a sweet and gentle cat that somehow always manages to keep all his fluff in perfect order.

I feed Puff (and his more cantankerous brother Jack) every morning in my carport but they get their water from the various bird baths in my front yard.

They each have their favorite, Puff’s is on the ground, tucked in the bushes near the bird feeder. That bird bath is also quite popular with my local raccoon family- as Puff discovered the other night.

Watching my camera highlights, I wondered why he was in such a hurry to get out of there, a couple seconds later I saw the reason… 🦝🦝🦝
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What a Switch

While hurricane season has been unusually quiet over here on the Gulf Coast of Florida (thank goodness). Tucson (where I grew up) is in the path of a tropical storm.

After an extremely dry monsoon season Southern Arizona is set to receive heavy rainfall when Priscilla swoops in.

Initial models said over 10”, though many have downgraded the amount to around 4” of rain. It is still a substantial amount of precipitation for the Sonoran Desert, especially all at one time.

Flooding is definitely a concern and, like here, municipalities are opening sand bag locations to help low-lying households.

I still have family and friends out there so I’m hoping that the storm delivers a reasonable amount of much needed moisture…
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Anywhere But Here…

Drop Dead Dangerous Beach Bash is happening this weekend on a beach near me. Thank goodness someone reminded me because I missed the opening festivities last night.

Tonight, I zipped over after work just in time to catch Eric Erdman’s set. I know several people who would not have forgiven me if I had missed him – he has his own rabid fan club called the Erd Herd (and rightly so, as he’s quite talented).

As usual, he charmed us with his storytelling and had us singing along to his witty tunes. I have so many favorites from his vast catalog that it’s hard to choose but I’ll share this one because I like the humor of it (and I’m originally from Arizona).

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