Birds of Prey

We were sitting down to dinner on the deck tonight when I heard a loud ruckus coming from a bush in our neighbor's yard. The whole thing shook violently, then a huge bird flew out of the bush and into a nearby tree.

Twenty minutes later the bush started vibrating again, but after a few seconds the bird flew out of the bush and away from our house. I was able to get a glimpse of its dark body, large wings, and a large horizontally-striped striped tail. I knew it was some type of bird of prey, but since I don't know a whole lot about them, today I researched Missouri's raptors.

There was actually a great article about the subject in the Missouri Conservationist magazine earlier this year. I learned that:

"Cooper’s, merlins and sharp-shinned hawks have adapted to wooded suburbs and are attracted to concentrations of small birds, including those around bird feeders. These hawks are swift and agile, able to catch birds in flight."

However, I wanted to know specifically which bird I'd seen tonight and this article didn't have pictures of the different types of suburban raptors, so I kept researching. Another Webpage from the Missouri Department of Conservation called Eagles, Hawks, Kites and Osprey did. It also had great information about the habitats and diets of each bird.

After all my research, I concluded I'd seen a Sharp-shinned hawk. It was the bird's tail that helped me decide. The one I saw was definitely squared-off, which is a characteristic of the Sharp-shinned.

I know our neighborhood has a plethora of birds, bunnies, and squirrels, so I'm guessing the hawk is finding plenty to eat. You never know what's living in your neighborhood!

(Party Like It's) 1979

When I was in high school and college oh so long ago, my radio preset buttons were set to stations that played progressive rock and disco. It was a strange combination, but it took care of any type of music mood. Guitar-based rock was great for sitting and listening, and the thumping bass and beats of the disco music were great for when I wanted to move! Today my music repertoire has expanded. I listen to almost every type of music. However, I really enjoy going back to that first music.

All the way home from work today I was treated to a set of classic disco on the radio. First there was some Love Unlimited Orchestra, then "Car Wash". Next came "Good Times" by Chic, then the classic Boz Scaggs "Lowdown". As I was pulling into the garage the song "Tell Me That I'm Dreaming" by Was (Not Was) came on. This song came out a little later than the others, but it's still disco-worthy. When I got out of the car, I left the door open, turned the radio all the way up, and danced down to the mailbox. Then I came back and did a little dancing in the garage.

Here's the song, if you feel like getting your groove on, too:

Younger or Older?

“You are never too old to become younger!”~Mae West

Today I took the RealAge test.

The Tagline of the RealAge Website is "Live Life to the Youngest". The basic concept is that your biological age is not necessarily the same as your chronological age; it can be higher or lower depending on your family history and lifestyle.

The test has 132 questions divided into the categories of Health, Habits, Relationships, Diet, and Fitness. It took a little over 15 minutes to complete. When I was done, they sent me an e-mail with a link to the test results. I was amazed to find out that my RealAge was a little over four years younger than my calendar age! I guess my lack of bad habits pays off now and then.

My plan did suggest I should take more vitamins and eat more fish, but eat less red meat. I guess nobody's perfect...

Fine Dining

Tonight we went out for a fancy dress-up dinner at Mosaic Restaurant on Washington Street. It was one of the places that had a special menu for Downtown Restaurant Week. We've participated in the promotion a couple of times, because it's a great way to try places we wouldn't normally get to. Most of the restaurants offer a special menu of 3 courses for $25, but since Mosaic is a fusion restaurant that specializes in small plates, we got five courses for the same price!

Since parking on Washington on a Saturday night can be tough, the restaurant's complementary valet parking was a nice touch. We didn't have to wait for a table, and the waitress quickly appeared for a drink order. When she came back with the drinks, we were ready to place our dinner order; since we were ordering from a limited menu, there weren't a whole lot of choices!

Soon after the waitress left, a server came with the amuse bouche, which was served on a Oriental soup spoon. There was a small piece of scallop on top of a clear liquid that tasted like rhubarb. The scallop was topped with a tiny square of jalapeno, and a beautiful bit of orange flower petal crowned the whole thing. It was literally one wonderful bite.

The second course was soup. There were three on the menu--butternut squash soup, Asian style sweet and sour consomme, and cherry-tomato gazpacho. I chose the gazpacho and Tony went with the butternut squash soup. My soup was good, but the butternut squash (their signature soup) was one of the best I have ever tasted. We ended up trading cups halfway through.

After the soup came the salad; only two choices so we each picked one. My flatbread panzanella had less bread than I would have expected (it was more like croutons than a main ingredient), but the dish was very good. The flatbread was mixed with greens, Kalamata olives, cucumbers, and bacon, and dressed with a wonderful vinaigrette. Tony's fresh mozzarella caprese had layers of tomato and mozzarella and pieces of mango, cucumber, and toasted hazelnuts. The salad came with two droppers: one contained basil vinaigrette and the other balsamic reduction.

We got to choose from beef, salmon, or chicken for the main course. Tony chose a New York strip steak served with three large smoked corn and peekytoe crab ravioli. The meat was a bit rarer than he would have liked, but quite flavorful and tender. My achiote roast chicken came with butternut squash, candied sunflower seeds, and two cumin “tots”. The boneless breast of chicken had a small bit of crisp skin still attached. The exterior of the chicken was a beautiful red color from the achiote, but the interior was milky white. It made for a beautiful contrast. The small squares of squash were perfectly cooked and the "tots" was more like mashed potatoes that had been shaped, coated, and fried. The sunflower seeds added a nice crunchy contrast.

For dessert, we received a plate with a medley of deserts. There was a panna cotta topped with blueberry compote, two bite-sized lemon cakes (more like a cupcake) with red glaze on top, and two cookies containing wafers, layers of caramel and chocolate, covered in yet more chocolate. As we drank coffee and polished off the desserts, I realized that we'd just had a fabulous meal.

Downtown Restaurant Week runs from August 3-9 this year, so it's almost too late to take advantage of it. However, this was the fifth year the promotion has taken place, so there's a good chance you can look for it again next year.

Getting Nailed

I usually don't "do" my nails, because it's not worth the effort; the polish always peels or chips within a day. Last weekend, though, I was gifted with a certificate to a nail salon. My friends say that professional polish lasts longer, and I was looking forward to a little pampering, so today I got a manicure and a pedicure done at a nail salon.

The nail salon was located in a small storefront at a mall close to my house. I took my chances and didn't make an appointment, and there was no one else there when I arrived. I didn't even have to sit in the waiting area. The nail technician, Lily, spoke limited English, but she was a pro at her job.

My first task was to pick out a polish from the hundreds of bottles they had on display. The choices were overwhelming, so I quickly picked the first neutral pink color I saw, thinking the light color would help hide the inevitable chips. Lily led me to a large chair with a basin at the end and told me to sit down. The basin was filled with warm water, which felt great when I inserted my feet. All of a sudden I felt rollers moving up and down my spine. I was sitting in a massage chair! The wonderful massage continued while Lily worked on my lower extremities.

My feet soaked in the basin of warm water for a few minutes, then Lily got to work. Going back and forth between my right and left foot, she cut and shaped my toenails, applied cuticle lotion, pushed back all the cuticles and trimmed off the dead skin around the toenail edges, then rubbed each foot with a pumice stone to remove the dead skin. At this point she let the water out of the basin, dried off my feet, and used a buffer stick on each nail.

I was in heaven, already trying to figure out how often I could include this luxury in my budget.

Lily left and came back with a heated towel that she set on my lower legs for a few minutes. She removed the towel, applied lotion to my feet and legs, and massaged it in. After cleaning my nails with a bit of alcohol, she put a pair of bright yellow flip-flops on my feet and inserted foam forms between my toes to keep them apart. It was time for the decorative touches. After a base coat, two coats of colored polish, and one coat of clear topcoat, my feet were finished. I walked stiffly over to the other side of the salon where the manicure stations were.

The manicure procedure was similar to the pedicure, but without the awesome back massage. Lily looked over my nails, used a file to shape them, then soaked them in a small dish of soapy water. One at a time, she removed my hands and took care of the cuticles, then used a buffer to take care of the ridges I have on my nails. After she rubbed some lotion on my hands and wrists, she wiped the lotion off my fingernails, then asked if I wanted to pay her for the services. At first I didn't understand, but then it made sense; I wouldn't be fiddling with my wallet with wet nails and risk messing them up.

I handed over my gift certificate and a tip. It felt weird to tip before the job was done. What if I didn't give her enough? Would she do a bad polish job? Luckily, she seemed to be happy. She did a great job on my nails--base coat, two coats of polish, and a top coat. The last stop was the drying station. Both my hands and feet went under fan-like machines that blew warm air on the new polish. When the machines went off, I was done.

Alas, one of my newly-polished nails got nicked as I was getting into my car. The perfection didn't even last a half-hour! I enjoyed my pampering though. I don't think this will be the last time.

Interesting Times

I've been off work this week, and I haven't done much but eat, read trashy fiction, and spend too much time on the computer. Today I realized that I let the week get away from me without having any adventures. (I never work on Friday, so tomorrow will be a "normal" day, doing all the things I do on Fridays.) I was irritated with myself until I read this in one of the books I have on my nightstand: "Today there are wonders all around me, if I open my eyes and enjoy them...I'll notice interesting things...like an arrangement of clouds". It made me realize that if I changed my attitude I could make my own adventure; I didn't need big elaborate plans.

The front porch was still shady after lunch, so I took the newspaper and went outside to sit. There was a nice breeze blowing and not a lot of humidity. I ignored the grass that needs to be cut and the bushes that are getting overgrown, took off my shoes so my bare feet could dangle over the side of the chair, and concentrated on all the interesting things that were happening around me.

I saw big white and fluffy clouds, but I also saw bees of all different sizes buzzing in and out of the flowers and white and yellow butterflies flitting about. I took some time to admire my across-the-street neighbor's flowers that I never see when I'm in my car. I heard the hum of air conditioners, a woodpecker beating on a tree somewhere, and cicadas droning in the distance. I also heard the cats pawing at the dining room window telling me it was time to eat, but I ignored them.

I picked up the newspaper and started reading, and was halfway through the second section when I heard a strong buzzing sound. A hummingbird had stopped to feed on a red canna about four feet from where I was sitting! I was so close, I could have reached out and touched it. The bird spent a minute moving from blossom to blossom. Each time it moved, it made a chirping sound. Just like the bird, the sound was diminutive. If I hadn't been paying attention I would have missed it.

All of a sudden my feet started getting hot. I looked down and saw that the sun was starting to encroach upon my sanctuary. It was time to go, so I gathered all my things and headed inside, but not without a last glance at the beautiful clouds that were my inspiration for the day.

Must See TV

Now that I'm working with young children on a daily basis, I realized my preschool cultural references are woefully out of date. Today I researched some current children's show characters.

I'd forgotten how prevalent commercial characters are on young children's backpacks, lunchboxes, and clothing. The handful that I'm familiar with come from Sesame Street and Disney, although even there I'm fuzzy on some of the newer ones. Fortunately, the important Disney icons in the classrooms I'm assigned to seem to be of the princess variety (Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, and Beauty), or Cars-related (Lightning McQueen). I've seen all those movies, so I'm good there.

I've heard of shows like Dora the Explorer, Blue's Clues, and Sid the Science Kid, but that's about it. This is what I learned from my research (both reading and watching):

• Dora the Explorer is about a bi-lingual Latina girl and her friends--Boots the Monkey, Backpack, and Map. Another main character is Swiper the Fox, who's always trying to steal Dora's things. In each episode Dora has an adventure, which is divided into several sections, and the episode always ends on a positive note. The show is interactive; all the characters ask questions and viewers are encouraged to respond back, and the viewers are invited to participate in the adventure through movement.
  

• Blue's Clues is a mix of animation, live-action, and puppetry. There's a live-action host, a bright blue puppy named Blue, and Blue's friends. In the show, viewers enter into a computer-animated storybook world to help solve puzzles. Just like in Dora the Explorer, the characters in this show break the fourth wall and ask questions they want the viewer to answer. This show hasn't produced any new episodes for a few years, but it still seems to be popular.

• Sid the Science Kid is about a group of four-year olds: Sid and his friends Gabriela, Gerald, and May, along with Susie the teacher. Sid is always trying to figure out why things work the way they do. The show is based on a preschool science curriculum, and every episode is built around a specific scientific theme or concept. The show uses computer-generated puppets, and is produced by Jim Henson Productions. [Somehow that just seems right; all the time I spent watching Sesame Street decades ago has come full circle.]

It was strange to be watching all these preschool shows with no young people around the house, but the information will come in handy next time I play a game of "Dora The Explorer" dominoes!

Salsa Verde

Summer produce season is in full swing. For the past two weeks we've had an overflowing bowl of tomatoes and peppers on the kitchen countertop, and I can go out on the deck and harvest all the fresh basil, oregano, and chives that I need.

I've seen a few signs of pilfered produce, like a half-eaten grape tomato on the deck stairs, so the critters must be getting a bit, too. I don't mind sharing our bounty (within reason), but every morning when I go out to pick the ripe fruits I find one or two green ones laying on the ground. Something is making them fall from the vine. The fallen tomatoes have unblemished skin and they're never rotten, so I know they haven't been there long. I bring them inside and wash them, then pile them in the bowl next to their red brothers.

The green tomatoes were starting to take up too much room in the bowl; I had to come up with a use for them. They were too small to fry, so I decided to try using them in salsa. This is what I came up with (all measurements are approximate):

GREEN TOMATO SALSA

2 handfuls green cherry and grape tomatoes (about 1 cup chopped)

1/2 green pepper and 2 banana peppers (totaling about 1/2 cups chopped)

2 moderately-hot or hot peppers--I used Fresnos (approximately 1/4 cup chopped)

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)

1/3 cup vinegar (I used red wine)

1 clove garlic, minced

Water (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and stir frequently over high heat until mixture begins to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a fork to mash any big chunks of tomato. Add water as needed if salsa is dry.

Transfer mixture to container with a lid. Refrigerate overnight to let flavors blend

As part of the kitchen cleanup I took some scraps out to the compost bin and found yet another small green tomato laying on the ground. I brought it in and started a new pile...

Burn, Baby, Burn

For the first time this summer I put on a swimsuit and Tony and I went to our municipal pool. Before we left, I slathered on sunscreen, especially on the parts of my body that are usually covered by clothes--the tops of my legs, my shoulders, and my back. Tony also brought an extra tube of sunscreen to the pool for us to use. We were not going to get burned!

After an hour of playing in the pool and sitting in a deck chair, I applied more sunscreen. I noticed that the stuff from Tony's tube was slightly yellow and oily, but I attributed it to the fact it was a different brand than I'm used to using. Later, when I went to use the bathroom, I noticed that my legs looked a little red. I moved the swimsuit strap to the edge of my shoulder and there was a definite mark where it had been before. My sunscreen had malfunctioned!

I threw the offending tube of sunscreen away, but the damage was done. Now, several hours later, my back, chest, and shoulders are burned. Usually we have a bottle of green goo sunburn reliever in the closet, but it seems to have disappeared, so today I researched natural remedies and home concoctions for sunburns.

I found out that there are literally dozens of suggestions for treating sunburn. Many of them involve ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen or medicine cabinet:

• Aloe Vera – Break off a leaf of the plant, open it up lengthwise, and apply it to the burn. This works better than any gel you can buy.

• Apple cider vinegar – Apply vinegar with a spray bottle. It helps reduce inflammation and will relieve some of the pain.
  

• Aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen – Over the counter pain relievers will help lessen the pain and inflammation. Plan on taking them according to the package directions for at least the first day.

• Baking soda – Baking soda is cooling and will help the skin retain moisture. Dissolve baking soda in water and make a compress using a clean cloth, or add 1/2 cup of baking soda to a cool bath and soak in it.

• Cornstarch – Make a paste with cornstarch and water and apply to burned skin. Or add a cup to a cool bath and soak in it.

• Cucumber – Slice a fresh cucumber into thin slices and gently pat it on the sunburn.

• Epsom salts – Dissolve Epsom salts in water and make a compress using a clean cloth.

• Milk – Make a compress of cool (not cold) whole milk and apply to the burned area with a clean cloth for 20 minutes; repeat every two to four hours. The fat content of the milk is soothing for burns.

• Tea – Apply cool tea directly with a spray bottle or soak a small towel in the tea and drape over the burned areas. It instantly cools and relieves the burn, and the tannins in the tea will help the healing process.

• Witch hazel – Apply with a compress.

• Yogurt – Apply a small amount of plain yogurt, let it stand for a few minutes, leave on until the cooling action stops, then rinse off with cool water.

With all the natural ingredients I've applied to my body, I'll be going to bed tonight smelling like a salad. I wonder if I'll wake up hungry?

Stay In The Lines

I should have posted this earlier, but I've been having too much fun.

A few days ago Kathy, the author of Journey to Flow suggested that one way to deal with life's challenges is to honor the artist child inside you. She went on to say one way to do that is to buy a box of crayons and color.

I thought that was an awesome idea. I haven't used crayons for years, so I took myself to a local discount store to buy one of those familiar green-and-yellow boxes. I picked the right time to do it; I found a box of 24 crayons for only 25 cents in the back to school department. It was fun wandering through the section and reminiscing about all the years I hurried through with school lists in hand, trying to get it all done as quickly as possible. This year I could take my time and smile encouragingly at all the harried mothers.

When I got home I opened the box and looked at the sharp, perfectly intact crayons that were aligned according to color. I took a deep breath and took in the wonderful smell, then closed the box back up and set it on the kitchen table for a bit. I needed something to color ON.

When the boys were young we had a cabinet in the kitchen filled with paper, coloring books, crayons, markers, and assorted other craft items. However, those things are long gone. A little Internet research showed me, though, that you don't need to have a coloring book any more. I downloaded and printed out some pages to use, carried them upstairs, and sat down at the table.

At first I didn't want to start, because I didn't want to ruin the perfectness of the crayon box. Soon, though, I grabbed the red-violet and started on my geometric shape design. I finished the first page and began a second. Because the shapes on my pages were subject to interpretation, I could use my imagination to make patterns and designs.

If you walk into our house next week, you won't find my artwork stuck to the refrigerator, but I guess there' s no age limit to relaxing while coloring.