I think this is the first year I've heard an owl. They're very distinctively different sounding from the rock doves that we also have a flock of. Sometimes I almost swear I hear a raven croaking, but I'm pretty sure it's one of the neighborhood crows.
O you virtuous owle, The wise Minerva's only fowle.
~ Sir Philip Sidney
It should not surprise you that I don't write these Friday morning, surely. So then it should not be a surprise when I say, as I was sitting down to write this, the neighborhood owl started hooting. I think this is the first year I've heard an owl. They're very distinctively different sounding from the rock doves that we also have a flock of. Sometimes I almost swear I hear a raven croaking, but I'm pretty sure it's one of the neighborhood crows. I have seen ravens in the islands, but not in an area with this much human population. I have NOT however seen the neighborhood owl.
So what have I been thinking about this week? I'm thinking it feels like this year is flying past. How did it get to be mid-March already? It seems the years go faster every year!
I've also been thinking about this app called Countable, I've linked to the website which is actually where I use it the most. From their website:
Countable makes it quick and easy to understand the laws Congress is considering. We also streamline the process of contacting your lawmaker, so you can tell them how you want them to vote on bills under consideration.
You can use Countable to:Read clear and succinct summaries of upcoming and active legislation.Directly tell your lawmakers how to vote on those bills by clicking “Yea” or “Nay”.Follow up on how your elected officials voted on bills, so you can hold them accountable in the next election cycle.
You can also ask that they respond to you when you contact them. I've gotten several emails, though generally I tell them I don't need a response. It really simplifies the process of getting involved and sharing my opinion. Because the mango mussolini and the gross old party are bearing down and becoming more horrible by the day. Making sure that at least my congresswomen are hearing from me, even if I know the resident troglodyte and his administration discount any opinion I might have, is important, still. Countable makes it really easy to go through once a week (or more), and see what's coming up and how my people are voting. Countable sends me an email when my people have voted on things that I've sent them something on too, so I can go in and see. And I can see how far things have progressed. It's actually... very engaging. I'm quite pleased to have found it! I have the app on my iPad as well. It's available for both IOS & Android.
The weather is finally turning, sort of, to spring. I think it's probably safe for me to take my lemon plant and carnivorous garden (pitcher plant, sundew, and flytrap) back outside. My flytrap is looking very sad. It doesn't do well inside -- it needs the direct sunlight to really thrive. Mild winters, it's perfectly happy outside. This year, not as much. I have bought a little plant light to shine on it for a bit to see if I can revive it. If not, I'm afraid I'll need to get another one. This one has survived a couple years though, so I'm getting better at the appropriate level of benign neglect for them.
It's also that time of year when I want to go outside and garden. Generally in the middle of the night is when I'm most inspired... possibly because with as dark as the yard is, my ability to actually do anything effective in the yard is virtually nil. The day dreaming is the best part? I don't know . But I do have some ideas that are trying to solidify. Last year I cleared out half the blackberry vines in back. This year I need to go through, beat back the ever encroaching ivy again, and do the other half of the yard's blackberry vines. Then rake. A lot of raking. And we lost a surprising number of pretty large branches this year. I guess it's been one of the less mild years in recent years, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised but there you go.
... We appear to have two owls!? They are talking to each other! One is quite close, and one is further away... Just went outside - apparently we have an entire parliament of owls in our neighborhood! They've moved in! Plenty of mice for them to eat. They were all so hilarious out there! They sound like they're barred owls. They are! This is what our neighborhood sounds like tonight.
The last big thing I've been thinking about is... wow. Did I forget in the excitement of having a whole parliament of owls chattering on? Wait - there it is. I've been doing a lot of baking lately. Experimenting with whole wheat flour. It gets sweeter when you let the dough rest overnight. I have tried and failed miserably to make crackers. They turn out tough and kind of chewy... and I can't stop eating them. They're weirdly good. Tonight I'm making some hearth breads to take to some friends this weekend. Last weekend I made a couple kalamata ciabattas. So tasty! In the midst of all of this, we've taken my oldest off of dairy, and as of today, wheat as well. So, I will probably stop with the bread for a bit now. It's been a long time since I read food labels. We generally buy pretty straightforward products, but it's always interesting to find that the cheddar rice chips are just cheddar flavored and therefore safe, while one package of tater tots is safe, and the other has lactic acid and sour cream in them. I bought wheat and gluten-free bagels today and got home and thought... oh, what is she going to put on them? No butter, no cream cheese... Hmmm. I told her I got wheat and gluten free bagels for her and she got really excited about putting avocado and hummus on them! She's not really a fan of rice, and when I told her I was making curry for dinner, she asked if she could have hers over polenta and... ok, that's weird but sure! So I made a big ol' batch of polenta squares for her, refrigerated them, and now there's one more thing that she can do something with. I am, at the moment, hopeful that this helps with what's ailing her. We shall see. On the upside, I know so many people who are wheat intolerant at this point that we have a lot of resources and super tasty recipes.
The thing I haven't been thinking about is the fact that as you all read this, it's St. Patrick's Day. So for that, today's St. Patrick's Day trivia is that your odds of finding a four-leaf clover are approximately 1:10,000.
May the leprechauns and fairies be kind to you, and may you not get pinched too much today.
With a whole lot of hoo-hoo-hu-hooooooing & curiosity,
--Susan