April Showers Bring May Flowers

What do Mayflowers bring?  Pilgrims!  (sorry, I couldn't resist, I'm a sucker for jokes that were first funny in kindergarten)  We had rain yesterday, quite a bit of it actually, and while it was raining the warm temperatures were skulking away, now it's under 40 degrees, damp, and dreary.  Yeah.  I love Spring with all her mercurial mood swings-- reminds me of me.

To take a break from house tidying and get the smell of Swiffer out of my nose I went to Fleet Farm yesterday (in the rain) to get a bag of safflower seeds for the birdfeeders.  See, squirrels don't like safflower seeds, and I don't think grackles, starlings, or sparrows do either so I thought I'd stop buying the cracked corn with sunflowers seeds that they do like and switch over to a seed that thwarts the squirrels.  We shall see how that works.  I also decided to switch from the finch feed with sunflower bits and niger seed to all niger seed to see if that stops the squirrels from hanging on the finch feeder by their back legs and gnawing the holes bigger to get to the sunflower nuts.  Plus Durwood can always ping them in the heinie with his BB gun which serves two purposes it shoos away the squirrels and gives him a little target practice, er, exercise.

I knitted on the burp cloth after LC took her parents home after supper (which was delicious but didn't get pictured, I was too busy enjoying our guests to take pictures of them or the food) and got a few more inches added on.  I feel like I want to cast on ALL the things today.  Maybe I will and maybe I won't.  I do have to carry out my "When Art Attacks" idea today because Tuesday's the deadline and I've got all the parts assembled so I should do it, now that the Design-A-Thon is over and I have time.  Hmm, maybe that's why I want to cast on a bunch of things...

A couple of the Guild members asked for the recipe of the Carmel Mix I took to the meeting for a snack.  I asked permission of KT who had brought it in December 2012 and shared the recipe, so here it is:

Carmel Mix
In a paper bag put a mixture of Crispix cereal, pretzels, and popcorn, whatever you want, about 17-18 cups of mixture.  Put in less if you want everything coated in carmel.
 
Carmel:
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
Microwave 2 minutes in large Pyrex mixing cup (at least 4 cup size), stir, microwave 2 minutes more.

Add: 1 teaspoon vanilla
        1 teaspoon baking soda
Stir together well.

Pour carmel over the mixture in the bag and shake it up.  Microwave 90 seconds.  Shake.  Add M&M's. Spread out on wax paper to cool.  Break up to serve.  Store in airtight container.

April 13--France, Plaque with Censing Angels.  

Billowing incense smoke
the rustle of wings
real angels pace
down the aisle
sky blue vestments trailing
like fallen swaths of sky
Devotions wrapped
in fragrant smoke
carried to the rafters
and beyond 
on wings of incense
Halos of light beam
rays of promises
back to the devout
and afraid
~~~~~

Not exactly what I thought about on Friday night but I kind of like it so I'm keeping it.  You enjoy your Sunday.  I think I might go see if Durwood wants waffles.  Doesn't that sound good?
--Barbara