Frogs in the Pool (and a Crayfish)

Daughter Alice took some funny pictures of frogs in the pool yesterday and we always have plenty - especially after a rain. She posted the photos along with a poem I wrote a few years ago celebrating the froggy rescue efforts of two of her siblings.

We still get frogs in the pool, but sometimes other more exotic creatures as well. (And sometimes a drowned chipmunk or mouse, I'm sad to say.) This week a monster crayfish went for a swim. He was a happy snappy fella and we all kept our fingers away from his claws.

Hospitality and Feeding the Multitudes

Today is about multiplication. The Gospel at Mass was the story of Jusus blessing five loaves and two fishes to feed a huge crowd. Larry and I may have to try that later. Alice and her family are returning from the beach this evening and we don't know whether they will be here for dinner. We aren't planning on them since it's about a seven hour drive and with little ones and multiple stops we figure they'll probably arrive around bedtime.

But if they turn up for supper the challenge will be to transform dinner for two into dinner for nine. Can it be done? I am the ultimate optimist. Besides, I have a bag of chicken dumplings in the freezer and that old kid crowd pleaser, mac and cheese. So if the multitudes arrive we'll practice multiplication of the loaves and fishes to feed the hungry crowd. My can-opener is always ready for extra company too. As my mom used to say, "Add another can of water to the soup." That's hospitality!

Enjoy your Sunday and don't forget to thank the Lord for all His blessings.

Quote for the Day

"Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon." The Dalai Lama

This quote made me laugh. My kids consider me the expert at opening the refrigerator, perusing its contents, and throwing dinner together from its miscellaneous contents in thirty minutes or less. Doesn't everybody do that?

The other night I made a great seafood bisque with a can of mushroom soup, several ounces of leftover grilled Tilapia cut into chunks, a dozen frozen cooked shrimp (all that was left in the bag) and two teaspoons of Old Bay seasoning. A little sherry would have made it perfect but I didn't have any. Next time maybe I'll try a little white wine and some chives from my garden.

I served the soup with a tossed salad and crackers. Yum! It looked a lot like the photo above, but was all eaten before I thought of taking a picture.

Black Bear Sighting!

Day before yesterday I was sitting at my computer which faces a window on the side of the house when who should lumber into my field of vision but a big black bear. Not an adolescent, mind you, but a full grown bear walking across our field and past our bonfire circle as if he owned the place. I ran to get the camera but when I got back he was already nosing into the lot next door which is covered with shrubs and tall grass so I missed him. I mostly got a side view of him walking. Black bears range in size from 200-600 pounds and I'd say this one was toward the heavier end.

It's been a year since we had the young bear in the tree down the street and this is my first sighting of a full grown black bear. What a thrill!

Have I mentioned how much I love living in the country? We are less than two miles from the George Washington National Forest which has a significant black bear population. I called the police department to report seeing the bear and they said it isn't unusual for them to migrate down from the mountain this time of year. In late summer and early fall they are packing on the pounds for their long winter's nap (although they aren't true hibernators). I wouldn't mind if this one migrates back across my yard on his way home.

For more on black bears go here.

Cake Decorating - for fun and more fun!

I'm not the greatest baker in the world, but I'm always pleased when the kids ask me to make a cake for a special occasion. Here are a few samples from special family events.

For Tara's surprise 3oth birthday party, I made a princess cake which, of course, included Tara's prince charming, her husband Lawrence trumpeting the event.



I also decorated some cupcakes which are much easier and quicker. I considered making different flowers but that would have required more colors which would mean more frosting bags and more tips and I have a limited supply.



One of my favorite cakes is a lamb cake for Easter. The children always enjoy eating a piece of that fluffy little lamb, the part with the most icing of course! And the chicks and jelly beans are also in demand.



Cupcake decorating is a fun activity for a gramma and her little flock. A project I plan to do with the young uns is an alligator. note the chocolate scales - are they peppermint pattie halves? Yum! Since we have an alligator cookie jar they can be friends. Or is it a crocodile? I never can remember which is which.

Do it Yourself Wedding Flowers: A Glorious Display that's Good for the Budget!

Larry and I recently attended the wedding of friend's son and one of the most enjoyable aspects was admiring the flower arrangements at the church and the reception, not to mention the glorious bouquets carried by the bride and her attendants. I would love to see the gardens tended by the bride's mom because most of the posies were home grown. One of my favorite flowers is hydrangea and they were there in brilliant profusion.

Flowers are one of the big items in the wedding budget, often running a thousand dollars or more. I suspect that this clever and green-thumbed mom saved a bundle by doing these and I'll bet the arranging was a fun joint activity for all the ladies the day before the wedding. You can see for yourself the beautiful results! Even the cake was a flower-bedecked wonder!

Walking for Fun and Fitness

I'm reading an interesting book on walking that I picked up at the Green Valley Book Fair for a measly $4.00. (What a bargain!) It's called Walk Away the Pounds by Leslie Sansone who developed a walking system that requires no special equipment except a good pair of walking shoes and can be done outside or in your own living room. When the weather is fine outside walking is the best as far as I'm concerned. I walk with my head in the clouds literally -- they are so beautiful. Today I saw three goldfinch on the telephone wire and a small plane flying below big puffy cumulus clouds.

But when it rains or is bitter cold and windy I have an alternative now. Leslie's system is based on a method of walking in place that you can do in your own living room while you watch a movie or the morning news. It includes some variations like side stepping and a kick step. You can use one of Leslie's DVDs or you can do it on your own at your own pace. Leslie offers different levels of walking workouts that include a six-mile an hour clip -- Yikes! I don't think that's for me, but that's the beauty of it. Whatever your pace, walking works.

I've done aerobics and one of the discouraging things was feeling like a total klutz trying to follow the moves, but with this walking system, everything is so fundamental. The basic step is walking in place. Hey, who doesn't know how to walk? You've been doing it since you took your first steps.

Leslie encourages people to "Make walking your sport for life." Try it online. Visit Leslie's site and click on the five minute workout on the right. You'll see how easy it is. In fact, it's so easy, a caveman can do it.


Since I did the 100 miles in 100 days I've been committed to keeping it up, and this makes it really possible because when bad weather comes I can still walk. Yippee! Thanks, Leslie, for a great system that anyone can do no matter their level of fitness or athletic ability. I don't plan to purchase the exercise videos because I'd rather walk and listen to the radio or watch an episode of one of my favorite series, like All Creatures Great and Small. But I'm just loving my walking, and reading Leslie's book gives me more motivation to keep it up!