Bird Day

 


This morning the bird feeders were very popular and the sun came out and made lovely shadows on the pristine snow--until the clouds rolled back in and the squirrels came to make tracks and mess it up.  We even had Mrs. Cardinal come visit the platform feeder.  Of course, she shyly kept her head behind the corner post but I assure you, that's a female cardinal.

The contents of this little cast iron skillet are why I am loving the new Weight Watchers Freestyle plan.  I will admit that I was quite peeved when they switched from SmartPoints but now that I've gotten into Freestyle I love it.  Back to the skillet.  This is one large egg, one egg's worth of egg whites, 1/4 cup each of chopped onions and bell peppers, and one WW turkey breakfast sausage patty (homemade) chopped up--all of that for zero points.  ZERO, people.  I added a toasted lite multigrain English muffin (3 points) with I Can't Believe It's Not Butter spray (0 points) and a prune (1 point) so I had this generous and filling breakfast for a total of 4 points which left 19 points for the rest of the day.  (Bragging alert!)  Since mid-November when I climbed back onto the WW bandwagon with both feet I have lost 26 lbs, and that's even through the holidays.  See why I'm loving this?  I'm sorry to keep showing you food but I'm reveling in cooking right now.

Years and years and years ago I bought Durwood a Pendleton wool bathrobe at an estate sale for ten bucks.  He's worn it day in and day out since then except in the dead of summer when we didn't have air conditioning, then he'd switch to the terry cloth one I sewed for him even longer ago.  All those years of use wore the sash threadbare, so threadbare that he stopped wearing it for fear the ends would part company.  I finally managed to get myself and it down to the sewing machine, search for some adequate suiting material, cut pieces to fit, put in a buttonhole (because in Pendleton robes there's a button under one of the belt loops to keep the sash in place [see the white thread on the underside on the left?]), turned it right side out, pressed it, threaded it into the loops, and returned it to its rightful and grateful owner.  It's not perfect and neither is the patch I sewed over the hole and thin place under the right arm but it isn't going to fall to pieces quite yet.

After finishing sewing the sash I came up and finished knitting the last strip on the first Log Cabin Mitt.  According to the directions I'm supposed to wash and block it all square and weave in the tails before knitting in the thumb.  Eh, I might do that or I might forge ahead and knit the second mitt, and do both of them together.  Doesn't that sound like a more efficient use of my time?  I think so and I'm glad you agree.  (I'm assuming here...)

March 7--Indian School, Tiger.  The sound was like the far away beating of a drum--pom, pom, pom.  Lily lay awake staring at the moths clinging to the mosquito netting, watching the gecko that lived in the corner stalk its nightly meal.  She wondered who was playing that drum, the sound steady and rhythmic.  She heard raspy breathing at her window and saw a dark shape fill the bottom pane.  The shape humped up at one end and dipped at the other end.  Like a cat stretching, she though as she drifted off to sleep.  The next morning the household buzzed with the story of the eight-foot-long tiger that had slept on the verandah scaring the houseboy when he pedaled his bicycle into the yard at dawn.

Bruce, the handyman, stopped over this afternoon to look at the countertop I want replaced on the rental side.  He also thinks he can fix the displaced garage door track.  So I get to spend some time searching through Home Depot and Menards for the countertop I want.  Oh goodie.  I really am not a fan of being a landlady and I'm not looking forward to interviewing prospective renters.
--Barbara