The Bird Feeder

As I sit here with a cup of tea, I'm watching the birds at the feeder.  Following the rush of Christmas, I'm enjoying watching the birds and looking at the winter woods.  Today there are at least 20 cardinals at the feeder.  I've seen purple finches, chickadees, gold finches, titmouse, downy woodpeckers, and yellow bellied sapsuckers/woodpeckers, blue jays and a few sparrows.  Earlier I heard the scream of a hawk.  I think he might have been eyeing the gathering of song birds at the feeder and considering them for his lunch!

One of the most disconcerting things I've seen at the feeder happened in just such a setting.  I was watching the birds enjoy their seeds when a dark shadow passed over the feeder.  Most of the birds scattered, but one or two stayed.  Suddenly, a small hawk, probably a sharp-shinned hawk- came screaming in from the west and without missing a beat of his wings he snatched a cardinal right off the bird feeder.  The poor cardinal screamed and struggled, but it was the last time he would cry out.  The last I saw of him was his struggling in the hawks talons as the hawk flapped up over the trees and headed into the woods.

But today is bright and sunny, and so far the birds have been unmolested.  I hope the hawk found a mouse or snake to eat today and will leave the birds alone!

If you want to attact birds to your yard, try this recipe for bird seed cakes http://www.pallensmith.com/articles/bird-seed-cakes

Moonlight

It was a full moon last night; I think it might have been the most beautiful moon I've ever seen.  Even as it rose, it remained golden and bright.  Not only that, it seemed to be close enough to touch.  Crossing the river on our way home, the moonlight just poured over the water like shining golden puddles.  There was just something about the moonlight and the December night that was peaceful and bright.  How does the Christmas carol go?  All is calm, all is bright.  That was what it was last night.  Hallowed light coming from the heavens and spilling itself on the earth.  Peace to all.

Wild Turkey

Grandpa and I were up early this morning to walk a trail along one of our local creeks.  To reach the trail we first have to drive eight miles along meandering country roads through the woods and by neighboring farms.  It is always a beautiful drive, but we had a special treat this morning.  Rounding a curve near a pond, five or six enormous birds flew out of the trees right in front of our car.  Big dark forms that even from the car were intimidating as they passed in front of the windshield. Wild turkey.  Now, these are not graceful birds when they fly.  They are heavy and generally they fly more like chickens - rather low to the ground, but they can fly fast.  Swooping across our path these birds were flying like it was the day before Thanksgiving and their lives depended on their escape.  Most flew on across the field and disappeared into the far woods, but one bird just couldn't keep herself air born.  She came down in the field and than ran to catch up with the rest of the flock her strong legs pumping her across the field.  A turkey can run up to 25 mph, so it didn't take her long to disappear into the woods with the others.  You never know what you will see when you go for a morning walk.

Soothing and Reassuring

It's been raining all day.  It's a light rain, the kind one thinks of when one thinks of the weather in Seattle.  It is a beautiful fine mist.  You can stand in it and not realize you are slowly becoming soaked.  You know it is raining, but you don't notice that you are getting wet until suddenly a small rivulet of water begins to run down your collar.

It is the kind of day where staying by the fire and reading is a joy. It is a soft day - soothing and reassuring.  Of course, Grandpa Swift says that his snoring is soothing and reassuring too!  He says that it is reassuring because I know he is alive, and it is soothing because it is steady and constant every night.  I think I prefer the soft patter of rain on the windows.

Persimmon Bread

The spoons just keep coming in  the ripe persimmon seeds!  Just in case the persimmon prognosticator is correct and we are in for a winter with lots of snow, Grandpa and I have the wood cut and piled and covered.  We even had a good portion of it split and ready for the wood stove.  What is the old saying?  Wood heats you twice:  once when you split it and again when you burn it.

So while you are sitting next to that crackling fire and enjoying a snug room on a cold day, bake some persimmon bread!  This recipe came from the book Foxfire 3. Garden City, NY: Anchor Press, 1975. 

1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp soda
1 cup mashed persimmons
1/2 cup walnuts

Cream shortening, add sugar and eggs; beat well. Sift dry ingredients, add to creamed mixture alternately with persimmons and nuts. Pour in a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

(note: if the batter is a bit thick, add a small amount of buttermilk to make it the consistency of banana bread.)

Persimmons: Sweet and Puckery Prognosticators

The first frosts have come and with them the wild persimmons have ripened.  Those of us who like to forage in the woods for wild things to eat have a veritable treasure of sweet goodness from the persimmon just waiting for us.  You can tell if a native persimmon is ripe because it will be soft and a bit on the brown side.  But don't let the brownish color of these plum sized  fruits fool you; they are sweet when ripe.  Persimmons must be picked and eaten at just the right time.  If picked and eaten too early, the astringent tannins in the fruit will make you pucker and will lock your jaw.  But if you wait a day or two the fruit is tasty and sweet.  You only have to eat a green persimmon once to learn to tell when the fruit is ripe!  Soft is ripe.

Captain John Smith had this to say about the native persimmon, Diospyros Virginiana, " If it be not ripe it will drawe a mans mouth awrie with much torment; but when it is ripe, it is as delicious as an apricook."  The first settlers at Jamestown not only ate the fruit but also drank it.  The seeds could be used as a substitute coffee and the fruit itself was used for making beer.  Native Americans used the astringent qualities of the fruit and the bark of the tree to treat burns and would make a kind of gargle from it to use for infections in the throat and mouth.

Today we not only eat these delicious native fruits, but we "old timers" use them to predict the weather.  If you cut open one of the brown seeds inside the fruit, you will see an image of a knife, a fork or a spoon.  If you see a fork, the winter will be mild and dry.  The image of a knife prognosticates a cold, sharp winter with winds that "cut through you like a knife."  However, if you see a spoon, expect plenty of snow.  You will have to shovel it all winter long.  I don't know if the legend holds true, but our family living in Christian County said they saw spoons in the persimmons there. Just in case it is, I think I'll  find the snow shovel and get the ice melt ready!

Tips for Aches and Pains

With leaf raking and wood cutting and splitting beginning to be a part of the routine, it is time to make a new rice bag.  This is our old fashioned pain reliever, but it works better than anything more modern to soothe aching muscles.

To make the bag, I prefer flannel, but any tightly woven material will work.  I have a variety of sizes, but my favorite size is a 5x7 bag.  Cut two pieces of flannel that are 6x8 inches big.  With right sides together, stitch them on three sides about 1/2 inch from the edge.  I usually do this twice to make the seams very tight.  On the fourth side, stitch the opening only about half way closed leaving enough space to put in the rice.  Turn the bag right side out and fill 3/4 full with whole grained rice.  You can also add a bit of herb to it if you like.  With the rice in place, finish stitching the fourth side closed. I do this as close to the edge as I can to keep the seam line even.

Now you can put your rice bag in the microwave and heat it up.  I usually heat mine for about 3 minutes, but this will vary depending on the size of the bag and the microwave.  It is better to have to reheat it than to get it too hot initially.  Be careful when you take the bag out - it will be hot.  Wrap it in a towel to protect you skin and place it on the aching muscle.

These work even if the electricity is off.  During an ice storm we were without electricity for almost two weeks.  I simply put a cookie sheet on top of the wood stove and put the bag on the cookie sheet to warm  Worked like a charm!