Snowy Monday Morning

OH DEAR, A DEER!

To all of the pundits that say Global Warming, I offer the one finger salute that I hope they think means "We're Number One" with the wrong finger elevated. Sometime before dawn, it started sleeting and only because the ground was still above freezing didn't turn commuting into a mess. I use the garage on days like this as the front and back porch are too icy to get down. As if to add insult to injury, it turned to snow and while pretty, it (thank God) didn't stick.


The turn in the weather means that the woodpeckers line up to get to the suet block. There aren't any empty perches on the finch feeder and there is one bird after another in the sunflower feeder. The ground is covered with the hopefuls that just want a little snack as it is dropped from one of the feeders. Those pesky woodpeckers just chop the suet up as they dig out the little pieces of corn. The guys on the ground ain't too proud to pick up the little pieces. In a little while, the squirrels will show up looking for their share of the bounty here at Rabbit Run. So what if it costs $5 to !10 dollars a week to feed the masses. As much as I have been known to profess a dislike for bushy tailed rats, I have been known to spill a few sunflower seeds on the ground.


Yesterday Barb and I went to Lawrence for breakfast and a little shopping. There is a "World Market" shop there that has that Kookaburra licorice that I love so much. It ain't cheap, but man is it great, soft and chewy. While there, I generally pick up some Ginger Peach tea for Barb. On a large display was this big red tin of Ginger Snaps. I found a small package of the same kind and bought the cheaper one's. Man do those Ginger Snaps hit the spot with a hot cup of coffee. Barb says they taste pretty darned good with the Ginger Peach tea too. Makes me wish I had gone for the $9.99 can. Barb's probably happy that I didn't cause you can't eat just one. Oh yes I "CAN". (as in a whole can)


Rabbit Run sits just southeast from Topeka and we are in the transition zone between the forest and the short grass prairie. We have a lot of trees and some open spaces that once were farming ground. The first time we saw this place the field where our orchard and garden are was a wheat field. Down by the well was a hay meadow now overgrown with trees. Some of the trees are trash trees but there is a good planting of Oaks starting to grow their way across the meadow. Each year, Barb has planted one or two more trees in our orchard. I think she has finally given up on the idea that peaches can grow here. We have pretty good luck with apples and those Asian Pears.


Oh well, enough of this travelogue. I would normally say that I need to get on with more important endeavors but today may be a good day to stay inside with a good book.

This weekend I cooked a bunch of meat on the grill and barb put a couple of burgers to good use as planned overs. They made the base for a chili bean soup that had a wonderful smoky flavor. While at the world Market I found a bar of chipotle Dark chocolate and added a square of it to a bowl of the soup. I can imagine how good it would be in a lot of other dishes. I left it our of the entire pan of soup to let barb have the flavor of the soup. Wonderful snowy day meal with the addition of cinnamon rolls there at the end. Kind of wish I had a Pepsi but hey you can't have everything.

MUD