Live and Learn-Toss and Turn: 11/01/2011

Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Squirrel update

As you may know, we have been waging a war trying to keep the squirrels off of our bird feeder. Here is a reminder and update of our trials.

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First, there was the "squirrel proof" bird feeder with its weight sensitive lever.

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Next, there were more squirrels using the bird feeder than there were actual birds as the squirrels figured out how to balance on the pole to eat and not trip the lever.

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Then there was the bowl that was supposed to stop the squirrels from reaching the feeder. It made a nice seat for them.

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After a few days, they just pushed it out of the way and it became an umbrella to protect them from the rain and sun.

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Next, there was the Slinky that was supposed to stop them from climbing the pole. They unlatched one end of it and used it as a dining chair after they climbed up the pole with no problem.

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Then there was the new metal baffle that actually baffled them. They fixed the problem of not being able to climb around it by chewing the cable tie that was holding the feeder pole and stabilizing pole together.

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This produced desired results. They didn't have to worry about climbing or going around the baffle at all.

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Presently, the pole has been fixed and the squirrel has not made it past the new baffle cone. However, it's just a matter of time, I'm afraid, until they figure this one out. That's what happens when you put brains, agility, and cravings into one animal.

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I'll never understand why they just can't be satisfied with the peanuts we put out?

Second Look--November 30, 2011

The ground is still wet from all of the rain we had last week, but that rain coupled with some warm weather has tricked a few things into thinking that it's Spring. Otherwise, the landscape is getting browner and grayer with weeds providing most of the color. Here is what I found on my Second Look around the yard this week.

The leaves are off of the sweet gum tree but the balls (seed pods) remain.

One lone bloom on the forsythia bush. These usually bloom in early spring.

A deer track that shows the deer skidded on the still wet ground from last week's rain.

Red berries on an unknown bush.

Even though they turn brown, oak leaves are often the last to fall. Some don't fall until the following spring when the new growth pushes them off.

Seed pods on Asiatic bittersweet vine

A daffodil bulb that somehow made it to the surface and sprouted during the warm weather.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Food Waste Friday--November 25, 2011

It's time for Food Waste Friday, when the Frugalgirl encourages us to post pictures from the previous week of wasted food from our household. This accountability hopefully will help us to be more careful with our food and maybe save some money.

Here it goes for this week.

What a shame that these strawberries we got for smoothies didn't make it. However, I did manage to rescue the rest of the container by cutting them up to have with cereal yesterday morning.

Also, yesterday was Thanksgiving and we had a great time at my sister-in-law's house. There were more than 20 people and plenty of delicious food. Here is a sampling of some of it. The leftovers were easy to divide up, so none of us should have to worry about them going to waste this week.

A Thanksgiving Feast

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

This is the time of year we are reminded to give thanks for all that we have. It goes without saying (but I'm going to say it) that I am thankful for my family, friends, health, and the dawning of a new day. But I'm also thankful for a few other things.

I'm thankful for:

1. Trixie Belden books. I've loved these books when I was growing up because Trixie, the main character, had to do chores like I did before she went out to solve mysteries. After my chores, I didn't go out and solve many mysteries, but I did spend time looking for secret passageways in my attic.

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2. This pencil. Clever Ward attached a magnet to this pencil so it would always stay by the list pad on the refrigerator. No more frustrating searches for something to write with when I need to add to the list.

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3. This computer game. Miss Landers introduced Flip Words to our family that is a cross between hangman and boggle. The whole family has gotten a lot of enjoyment out of it. And when I say the whole family I mean mostly me.

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4. This mended remote. Luckily, this remote could be fixed easily with a rubber band after the back fell off. I don't want to say that I don't know how to work the TV without it, but I don't.

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5. This rice cooker. We have had this for several years and I have not burnt any rice since we got it. Thanks to Miss Landers who recommended it after her stay in Japan.

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4. This clean lawn chair. We borrowed a power washer and look what it did for this lawn chair. Not only do we have a chair that we can use now, Wally and I had a lot of fun blasting the dirt away.

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5. A rechargeable battery for my camera.

(Picture to follow when the battery finishes charging.)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

A Second Look--November 23, 2011

It has been cold and rainy the last few days, so I haven't had much of a chance to get out and do a Second Look. When I did, most of what I saw was wet and surrounded by oak leaves. They are from the large oak tree in the front yard that seems to send its copious amount of leaves everywhere. I did manage to get a picture of the sun setting at dusk the day before all of the rain started.

The last little bit of sunset before dark

Raindrops on a Lady's Mantle leaf

The rain this week brought down all of the leaves from this maple tree.


Fungus among oak leaves.

A rhododendron bud that will bloom next spring.

Yes, it was a cold and rainy day when I did my second look.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Rutabagas

I've always been curious about rutabagas. Well, actually, I've never been curious about rutabagas and have never given them much thought until recently when Miss Landers brought some over from her garden for us to try. This was her first time growing them and she was curious about how they compared with turnips, so she also brought turnips that she had grown.

A bit of research revealed that rutabagas are a natural cross between turnips and wild cabbage. They are a relatively new plant in that the first time they are mentioned in literature is in the early 1600's. They go by many names including yellow turnips and swedes because Sweden is a top producer. (Can you guess they like to grow in colder weather?) The name “rutabaga” is derived from an old Swedish word meaning “root bag.”


Notice the multiple roots and yellow tint of the rutabaga.

How about our turnip vs. rutabaga comparison? This is what we observed. Miss Landers said that as she was pulling them (both root vegetables) that the rutabagas seemed to have more roots and root hairs. Both were pungent when raw and smelled like a cross between cabbage and radishes. The rutabaga had a yellow tint to it that intensified when cooked while the turnip remained white.

We were able to convince Ward and Theodore to participate in a taste test after the vegetables were cooked--which was pretty remarkable considering neither one of them like turnips.They weren't too sure that they wanted to sample anything called yellow turnips. However, they did sample them right along with Miss Landers and me.

We all agreed that the rutabaga had a definite potato taste. Theodore said that the rutabaga tasted as if it were a cross between potatoes and brussel sprouts. A fairly apt description. Theodore and I liked the turnips better with their more peppery taste while Ward and Miss Landers liked the rutabagas better with their milder taste and creamier texture.

In conclusion, will I start adding rutabagas to my grocery list on a regular basis? No. But will I now have something new to talk about when there is a lull in the conversation? Yes. :)

Notice they white color of the cooked turnips and the yellow color of the rutabaga.

More sources:

Rutabaga overview--http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rutabaga
Rutabaga recipes--http://allrecipes.com/recipes/everyday-cooking/seasonal/winter/rutabaga/top.aspx
Rutabaga nutrition--http://www.produceoasis.com/Items_folder/Vegetables/Rutabaga.html
How to grow rutabagas http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-26.html
A serious and not so serious blog about rutabagas--http://rutablogger.blogspot.com/2011/04/breakthrough-photosnynthesis-stimulate.html

Friday, November 18, 2011

Food Waste Friday--November 18, 2011

Here it goes for this week.

We had no weekly waste this week, so I cleaned another shelf in my pantry. There I found peanuts that were starting to get old. This kind of waste seems to happen a lot at our house. Someone will get interested in peanuts or some similar thing, and then are disinterested before they are all eaten. We need to learn to buy smaller bags even if the cost/ounce is a little more. I think that is called better planning. Not like the planning I did when I lined the peanuts up for the picture. Better planning would have left me enough room to get the "S" on the end of the word.

I guess I really don't consider the peanuts a big waste because they will go out for the squirrels and chipmunks and birds. We get a lot of entertainment from watching them. In fact Theodore said that we didn't need a TV since we started feeding them.

These guys are going to have a peanut treat soon.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

A Second Look- November 16, 2011

This week we had a lot of entertainment watching critters. We watched a chipmunk that was dashing back and forth across the patio driving our cats crazy. It would fill its cheeks with seeds I had scattered, scurry back to its hole to deposit them, and then come back for more. It's amazing how much those pouches held.

Also, we tried again to thwart the squirrels at our bird feeder. We got a tip from a very entertaining and informative PBS video called Squirrel Wars. One of the ways Squirrel Wars suggested to keep the squirrels from climbing a pole was to put a Slinky around it. Well, we tried it and our squirrels are smarter than the one we saw in the video. Our squirrels are using the Slinky to sit on as they eat. It was amusing, though, to watch them the first few times they tried to climb with it in place.

Otherwise, most of the leaves are down and every frost kills more plants. However, there are a few still hanging on and a few that are defying the odds and blooming. I love finding these surprises.

When the squirrels aren't there, we are seeing a lot of birds at the feeder such as this woodpecker.

Nandina berries

The groundhog hole filled with leaves. This is the first time in years that it hasn't been active.

A Geranium (Rozanne) that has escaped the frost and is blooming among the fallen oak leaves.

Notice in each picture how the chipmunk's cheeks are getting fatter and fatter.

The mums are still blooming.

Our ineffective Slinky treatment.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Food Waste Friday--November 11, 2011

Here it goes for this week.

We worked very hard and had two major successes this week. We had no food waste and we didn't eat out for any family meals. Yea! A big deal for us. I hope we can keep this momentum.

Food we didn't waste.