Earth Day 2023 - Arbor Update!

Last evening I made a discovery while back under the arbor.

A tiny pale broken egg was on the ground under the arch. As I was

 looking at it, a noisy squawking House finch flew out above my head!

Within a few minutes I was balancing on a step stool trying to get a

 clear photo of the contents of a rather lovely nest of woven twigs

and grasses. How amazing little birds are when it comes to home

building with just a beak.

Inside there were three eggs, two pale blue-green finch eggs

 and what I'm certain is a Brown-headed cowbird's spotted egg!

Arrow marks the finch nest location

Female Brown-headed cowbird . . . . . . .

. . . . the only parasitic bird found in the Carolinas, she lays all eggs

in host birds' nests, leaving others to raise her young. Some birds 

reject cowbird eggs, but most raise them, even to the exclusion

of their own young at times!

This is a Female House finch, one of many, including males,

I've chased off of my hanging ferns on the porch. As mentioned in

the previous post we do not put out the FOR RENT sign as they

are messy and we like to sit on the porch. The arbor location is

fine, the birds picked a good place, and hopefully I can get more

 photos later - I really would like to see if the egg count increases.

Enjoy the lovely moments of this special day when we are

surrounded by our planet Earth's beauty and Nature's bounty.

Eggs Up - Heads up!

Eggs of all descriptions are becoming a big part of my life whilst living

 through the pandemic!  Later I will share with you the eggs we are eating. 

Because I'm a non-meat eating, lover of cooking and baking person, I do 

use a lot of eggs each week.

But today it's back to the front porch where, despite sadness, concern and bad

news from every continent being strewn across television screens and 

newspapers, there are small beacons of hope for the future.

Did you see the New York healthcare workers, doctors and nurses, are now having

 to resort to wearing black plastic garbage bags as personal protective 

equipment - for lack of gowns? The Big Apple is now our major hotspot for 

the virus in the USA? 

It's news like this which touch a nerve regarding how, when, will we really be

able to tame this raging virus that seems to have the planet in its grip.

Be steadfast in your self-isolation, keep your personal space, only go out

to stores remaining open for true necessities. This is where we learn to 

cut back. . . . . perhaps even go without!

Yes, there are also some small wonderful happenings in the fight against COVID-19.

  Today I've learned one is happening right here in North Carolina, and I'll share at the end of this post.

As for the other eggs, Mrs. Finch laid her first yesterday around noon. 

Later I managed to get this photo when she flew to the fig tree for a break, 

which she does every time we open the front door. When she returns, 

Mr. Finch comes with her and hangs about until she's comfortable 

on the nest. He is in charge of 'carry out' and will be bringing her

 meals during incubation. . . . . . a busy boy for a couple of weeks.

 . . . . . . and now this morning there are two - things are looking good.

House finches lay 4-5 blueish eggs (and have two broods per year), 
so I'll be watching the nest for the next couple of days and updating!

Mrs. Finch seems to keep her eye on us!  

Mr. Finch bringing a teeny weeny green bug to his wife, one of the House finch's 

favorite morsels, along with seeds and fruit.

Good luck little family.

Meanwhile, some good news. . . . . . .

At Duke University Health in Durham, North Carolina, just a hop and a skip from

here, there is this great news today, partially reprinted from our local newspaper below.

I applaud Duke - which is also part of the new clinical trial underway in the 

USA to find medicines to fight this, the most vicious virus ever.

Duke Health says it will stretch its supply of specialized masks used by health care workers treating coronavirus patients by decontaminating and reusing them.

Duke will use aerosolized hydrogen peroxide to treat N95 masks at its three hospitals in Durham and Raleigh. The gas permeates the masks to kill germs, including viruses, without harming the material, Duke says.

N95 masks are one type of personal protective equipment that hospitals are trying desperately to stockpile as the COVID-19 outbreak intensifies. Also known as the N95 respirator, the mask offers more protection than a standard surgical mask. It gets its name because it prevents at least 95% of airborne particles from entering the wearer’s mouth and nose, if worn properly.

“The ability to reuse the crucial N95 masks will boost the hospitals’ ability to protect frontline health care workers during this time of critical shortages of N95 masks,” Dr. Cameron Wolfe, an associate professor of medicine and infectious disease specialist, said in a written statement.

Before it could reliably use hydrogen peroxide to treat the masks, Duke Health says it had to do something the earlier researchers hadn’t: make sure the masks would still fit properly when the process was finished. That has been done, Duke said in announcing the new process Thursday.

. . . . . . . The News & Observer, Raleigh, NC - March 26, 2020

 Cheers dear readers - please take care, and keep blogging.

Saturday, a foodie day and post -

Good fresh food, a necessity of life, is something we all enjoy, right?

Sadly, sometimes it's not healthy, and now and then it's downright dangerous!

The latest scares here in the USA are about eggs and Romaine lettuce.

Below you will see why I'm not at all concerned about my eggs. . . . . but

Romaine, probably my favorite leaf lettuce because I'm addicted to Cesar 

salads, will be missing from my refrigerator for some time. Salmonella (the 

egg scare) and E. coli (now covering all Romaine including whole heads as

 well as pre-chopped in bags) are both illnesses nobody wants to have - the

 latter of course being life-threatening in severe cases.

So, here's to ways of solving food contamination - we need to be sure what we

 eat is safe. Probably the only way to be 100% regarding veggies and fruits is to

 go back to growing our own - possible for some people, not so for others.

Today I'm looking for Romaine lettuce seeds and may give growing some

a try - I do have garden space so no excuses for me.

 Meanwhile, imagine my joy at finding these yesterday - freshly picked 

local North Carolina strawberries from just south of Raleigh. . . . . . .

. . . . . . and how delicious compared to the long distance ones transported 

and chilled for days before arriving at the grocery store.

The farmer selling these shows up each Spring at his 'patch' next to a 

nearby gas station. . . . . . and he told us this year's crop, despite a chilly

March, is going to be great and he will have fruits until early June.

Note he uses recyclable paper punnets, not those awful plastic clamshells.

Bob and I are back on a Muesli kick. I prepare it the night before with 2% milk

and a dash of orange juice and refrigerate.

We always enjoy this type of cereal on board ships - they seem to make the

 best (perhaps as the chefs are usually European where people love Muesli) - and

 we feel we are getting our daily does of goodness in this morning bowl. 

I usually add other things to my boxed mix (currently an excellent German one

with almonds, hazelnuts and raisins - purchased from Aldi), such as chopped

 dried apricots or prunes, oat bran, turmeric, chia seeds. . . . . and of course today 

the strawberries that taste like strawberries should, and Bob will always add fresh blueberries. 

A small dash of heavy cream just prior to eating makes it rich,

 but I never add sugar!

The beautiful eggs - oh how I absolutely love these.

Joan, a member of my Tai Chi class (and yes, I've just graduated from 

Beginners class and am now in Continuing) has chickens and sells 

these perfectly healthy eggs.  She brings them to class 'unwashed' but they

 are this clean so she must keep a fastidious chicken coop, and says 

this way allows you to use them for up to 2 months even if kept unrefrigerated.

One should always rinse eggs just prior to using, but of course you know the 

store-bought ones are washed as most people don't want dirty looking eggs,

something we've been brain-washed about in modern life.

Joan also told me the names of which chicken laid which color egg - and I

have to say they are the best tasting eggs I've had in a long time. 

Last but by no means least - pots of fresh basil are now coming into stores,

  I found this pot at Lidl on Thursday.  I've already cut several pieces and put into

 water to root on the kitchen window sill, later I will transfer them to a pot.

Soon I'll be planting basil seeds in large pots for my own harvest later in

 Summer. . . . .tomatoes, pasta, pizza, soups and salads all need to be

 enhanced by this wonderful Mediterranean herb. . . . . . and who can live

 without homemade pesto!!!

Here's to a wonderful weekend.

Anything special to share from your Spring kitchen today?

Frittata - the easy Italian egg dish . . . . . . . . .

The frittata is an Italian omelette. Unlike its soft and creamy French cousin, 

it is cooked more slowly than other eggy things, always over very low heat, and

 on both sides. 

This means that any additions to the basic mixture can be slightly larger giving this

 substantial dish a certain rusticity. Like an omelette, it can be filled with almost

 anything that takes your fancy.

With a lot of extra eggs on hand, plus a bowl of oven-roasted veggies waiting

 to be used up - eggplant, sliced small new potatoes, red onion, crimini and

 shitake mushrooms - I made this one a few nights back. 

It made 4 generous servings so for the two of us we had a hot meal with a salad, 

and extra for the following day at room temperature with ratatouille - which I make

 weekly now through the summer months when veggies are soooo good!

Here's my basic recipe for a frittata for 4 servings ~

6 large eggs
salt
freshly ground black pepper
a large handful of grated Parmesan or Gruyére cheese
2 oz of butter

Beat the eggs in a bowl with a fork for 20 seconds or so, along with the salt, pepper and cheese, until just mixed (longer will cause frittata to blow up and then fall into a heavy dense layer). Meanwhile add butter to a large skillet at least 10" in diameter, and when the butter froths add any additions, such as already roasted veggies. Tip in the egg mixture and immediately reduce heat to as low as your burner will go. Leave the eggs to cook gently for 15 minutes, or until the underneath is set ~ topside should still be a little runny.
Have a hot grill ready - I use my oven set on broil - place skillet under, about 6" from the heat (I wrap my silicone handle in tinfoil to protect it) for just 1-2 minutes to set - do not allow to brown.
Remove from oven, slide a palette knife under the frittata to loosen it and slide on to a warm plate. Cut into wedges and serve.

***********

I also added arugula dressed with just a little olive oil, sea salt and pepper, and some
 chopped fresh parsley from the garden.

Enjoy!

Eastertime. . . . . . .

I'm not doing a lot of Easter decor around the cottage this year.

As we're getting ready for a big trip in a few weeks I'm just trying to keep 

my head above water with so many things on the calendar . . . . . such as the 

garden in need of much TLC; doctor, hospital and physio appointments; and of 

course deciding on what to take to wear in Europe where the weather is always 

somewhat unpredictable, going from cold to hot in no time depending on which 

country you happen to step ashore on.

Meanwhile, the white rabbits did hop out of storage in the attic.

The daffodils bloomed and the tulips are coming along well, although

the azaleas are so late this year.

A couple of girlies are getting Easter baskets - and there

will be eggs enjoyed in some type of disguise, whether soft-boiled

for breakfast, hidden in a cake, or scattered about the front lawn 

for a little hunt.

May Easter be a very special time for you and your family.

Don't forget, one post back you can enter my GIVEAWAY for a 

free beautiful large canvas print of your favorite photo.