Garden Robbers

It’s impossible to grow a garden where I live because I’m too close to the desert where all the little critters live.  By that, I mean the whole desert is my backyard.  I have no neighbors behind me and the wildlife know it.

My neighbor has a nice garden, but she has houses around her and has the area fenced in to keep the rabbits out.  This doesn’t stop the gophers or the chipmunks, but they do have other places to go before they reach her house.

I don’t really have the time for a garden, but I do enjoy fresh veggies and I did try to have one for a while when we first moved here.  It became an adventure in futility.  I finally resorted to container gardening and then had to take drastic measures and wrap the containers in chicken wire.  This didn’t stop the chipmunks that wanted to eat my fresh veggies.

Chipmunks in the flower pots

Now they are cute little guys and I certainly would never do them any harm, but they’re determined and love anything green.  It’s a challenge to grow flowers and potted plants here.  With these critters thriving, I’m surprised anything alive survives.  They nibble off the green shots as soon as they appear.

Chipmunk tomato thief 

 

When the adults get too big to go after my tomatoes, they send in the little kids to bring them out where the adults are waiting just beyond the wire.  They must be more intelligent than I give them credit for, but I guess you’d have to have some kind of smarts to survive here.

Here’s a fruity dessert

I tell myself this isn’t that bad, even if it is cake, because I’m getting some fruit along with it.  Isn’t applesauce good for everyone?

This is easy to make and oh-so-delicious.  Enjoy.

Amish Applesauce Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

½ cup vegetable shortening

2 eggs

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. baking soda

½ t. salt

1 ½ cups applesauce

1 t. vanilla

½ cup of chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Coat a 9 X 13 inch baking pan with shortening or cooking spray

In a large bowl, cream sugar and shortening with electric mixer on low speed.  Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt.  Beat until well mixed.  Add applesauce and vanilla.  Mix well and then stir in the walnuts.  Pour batter into the prepared baking dish.

Bake 30-35 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cool.

For a fancier treat, drizzle with glaze that’s made by mixing ½ cup of confectioners sugar with 1-2 teaspoons of water.  I add 2-3 drops of vanilla to this also.  After you remove the cake, let cool for about 30 minutes before icing.  It should be warm, but not hot.

Email delivers jokes and some odd news

Sometimes opening email can be a blast.  I find, stuck among all the important email, some jokes and odd news sometimes.  I enjoy weird news, or things that make me smile.  You may have seen this before, but it’s still funny, so true, and worth another look.

DOG DIARY

8:00 am – Dog food!  My favorite thing!

9:30 am – A car ride!  My favorite thing!

9:40 am – A walk in the park!  My favorite thing!

10:30 am – Got rubbed and petted!  My favorite thing!

12:00 pm – Lunch!  My favorite thing!

1:00 pm – Played in the yard!  My favorite thing!

3:00 pm – Wagged my tail!  My favorite thing!

5:00 pm – Milk bones!  My favorite thing!

7:00 pm – Got to play ball!  My favorite thing!

8:00 pm – Wow!  Watched TV with my people!  My favorite thing!

11:00 pm – Sleeping on the bed!  My favorite thing!

CAT DIARY

Day 983 of my captivity.

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets.  Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.  The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape.

In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet.  I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of.  However, they merely made condescending comments about what a “good little hunter” I am.

Cretons!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight.  I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event.  However, I could hear the noises and smell the food.   I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of allergies.  I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking.  I must try this again tomorrow – but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches.  The dog receives special privileges.  He is regularly released – and seems to be more than willing to return.  He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant.  I observe him communicate with the guards regularly.  I am certain that he reports my every move.  My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe…

For now…

Desert Beauty

Sunrise in the desert behind my house

If you plan to visit the desert, the best month is April when all the wildflowers and cactus are blooming.  The temperature will also be great, but this situation won’t last long.  By the end of May, it’s already too hot to stay outside for extended periods.  You certainly wouldn’t want to be hiking at that time of year, or through the summer months, unless you have plenty of water on hand and can stand 115° temperatures.

 The western sky at sunset

The cliffs behind my house at sunset

 

The desert is a drastic place of extremes.  Carved rocky cliffs are here year round and have their own beauty caused by the wind and rain that have carved them into giant sentinels over the centuries.  They stand guard over the desert floor where wild sage and other drought tolerant plants grow in abundance.

 April flowers

April flowers in the desert behind my house

 

I’m always surprised at the beauty that displays itself every year.  Nothing beats the wildflowers that add a splash of dazzling color to the bleak landscape of sand, shrubs and rocks.  An assortment of bright pinks, purples, blues, yellows and whites, in varying shades, makes the desert softer and not so desolate.

More April flowers

Enjoy pictures from my backyard and areas nearby.

April flowers

October flowers are like a carpet among the lava rock

Cast Iron Cake

Everyone should have at least one cast iron frying pan in their cupboard.  Cast iron has so many uses and isn’t just for frying chicken.  I’m not sure exactly who used the first cast iron skillet, but I think it’s associated with the south and southern cooking.

You can use this type of skillet for defrosting meat and other things.  A cat iron pan becomes smooth (seasoned) from lots of use and then things never stick.  You can place it in the oven and not have to worry about burning or melting the handles.  It’s virtually indestructible and is one of those things that get better with age.

Besides main dishes, you can bake cornbread or cakes.  Here’s an easy cake recipe.

Blueberry Muffin Skillet Cake

Ingredients:

8 T. unsalted butter

1/3 cup of milk

1 large egg, plus 1 large egg yolk

1 t. vanilla

Zest of I lemon, divided

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup of sugar

1 ½ t. baking powder

3/4 t. salt

2 cups of fresh blueberries

For the topping:

3 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

½ cup of all-purpose flour

¼ cup of sugar

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F

Place the butter in a 9 or 10-inch cast iron skillet and heat over medium until the butter lightly browns.  Remove the skillet from the heat and pour the batter into a dish to cool.

In a large measuring cup, whisk together the milk, egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, whisk half of the lemon zest with the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add the milk mixture and browned butter.  Gently stir together until just combined.  Don’t over mix; a few streaks of flour are okay.  Fold in the blueberries and scrape the mixture into the cast iron skillet you used to brown the butter.

Make the topping:

Use your fingers to combine the butter, flour, remaining lemon zest and sugar until crumbly.  Sprinkle over the top of the batter.  Bake in the center of the oven for 30-35 minutes or until a wooden skewer or toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.  Cool on a rack for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.  May be stored at room temperature up to two days in an airtight container

Approx time: 45 minutes

Yield: One 9-inch cake

Bears and Blueberries

The only time I’ve ever come face-to-face with a bear was when I lived in Alaska.  It was summer, that wonderful short time between June and the middle of August. 

Fruits and veggies grow at a fast rate in Alaska because the growing season is so short and the days are extremely long.  Not far out of Anchorage, toward the Alyeska ski resort, there are hills of wild blueberries in the summers.  The path is marked by what is barely recognizable as a trail wondering off into the woods.  We had to park on the shoulder of the highway and hike about two miles.  Once we climbed the embankment, the whole area was covered with blueberry bushes.  It didn’t take long to fill the buckets we packed up the hill with the juicy, sweet berries. 

Photo by Nature Pics

As we discovered, black bears also loved this treat.  We stumbled upon a mama bear and her two cubs on one such outing.  I wish I had a camera with me, but of course, bears were the last thing on my mind. 

We slowly backtracked with not many berries that day.  She only looked at us and didn’t advance, but we kept our distance.  I wasn’t frightened at all, only awed at the scene before me. 

Every summer we made several trips to this same place and never saw another bear.

Have you ever come this close to wild animals?

Altitude and Ear Issues

I’ve always had issues with flying and ear pain.  In fact, this situation was so bad at one time that I didn’t fly again for twenty years.  I wasn’t only embarrassed and extremely sick, but I was on a business trip to a conference at the time when I worked for a big company years ago.

My ears ached so bad I wanted to scream.  Nothing I did would unstop them.  Imagine someone digging around in your ear with an ice pick.  To add to this, I was so dizzy I couldn’t walk.  The dizziness caused severe nausea.  Could things get any worse?

I went to the initial meeting and could hardly sit there in the conference room.  We broke for lunch and I stumbled around as if I’d been drinking.  I have no idea what my boss must have thought after paying for my airfare and room.  I couldn’t eat anything. Someone helped me to the elevator because I simply couldn’t walk there on my own and make it back to my room.

That was the most miserable four days of my life.  I didn’t attend any of the conference, had to sleep sitting up propped against the headboard because I was too nauseous to lie down.  I spent quite a bit of time in the bathroom throwing up.

 Altimeter

The last thing I wanted to do was get on another airplane.  I didn’t look forward to the flight home, but that was the only way home.  So dizzy and with stopped up painful ears, someone helped me board.  The barf bag was my best friend on that four-hour flight.  I was so glad to touch down and swore I’d never fly again.  It took about two weeks for my ears to finally pop.

When we had a cabin in the mountains many years later, I had the same ear problem driving there and back, minus the nausea.  I think I’m not one to live in high altitudes, or even visit them for prolonged periods.

Finally, I took the plunge again about four years ago when my nephew passed away unexpectedly.  The only way to get to Texas quick was to fly and my sister needed me.  So I was determined to make it somehow and hoped I could be of use once I got there and wouldn’t be too sick.

Well, guess what?  I made it and it wasn’t as gruesome.  My ears were stopped up and painful, but it subsided after a while.  I did take an allergy pill and had my nasal spray too.  The secret was buying a large orange juice after I got through security.  I nursed that all the way to Houston and it helped to swallow little sips for that three-plus hour flight.

I was ecstatic that I found a way to fly again.

Do any of you suffer from this problem, which I learned is barotraumas and not altitude sickness?  It’s caused by the changes in air pressure.