New Visitors

Not sure how long this fellow's been around, but he's new to my feeder and much more cautious than the regulars.

Try as I might, this Chestnut-backed Chickadee would barely stick around for his portrait.


These little fellows seem to be Bushtits. Sibley's illustrations don't quite match. They're smaller than the Chickadees and are quite partial to the suet.

On a clear day ...

January 26 ~

You can see forever! Well, nearly so it seems. Today was one of those cloudless, dry days when visibility is razor sharp. I went to a local vista point to take pictures of the Cascade range. Another photographer was already there.

Objects ~ be they bridges, moons or mountains ~ always seem larger when on the horizon and smaller when in context, so to speak. Either way, I'm not sure it's a quality that translates to the snapshot image. These are taken from above and thus appear smaller than other vantages.

Here's Mount St. Helens to the North.


Followed by Mt. Adams to the West.


And Mt. Hood to the South.


On a walk today, I actually saw the tip of Mt. Jefferson -- nearly 100 miles to the south -- for the first time. I've also seen the tip of Mt. Rainier at sunset -- still glowing brightly in the light while Mount St. Helens was in shadow.

Snow Curiosities

We had a more regionally typical dusting of snow last night. I took off for a morning walk to enjoy it while it lasted. The thick morning accumulation melted very quickly as the day progressed.

The first to greet me were these imprints of raccoon (I think). Notice the larger hind feet.


In a world turned white, the crows were still black as ever. There's a pair in this tree.


There are at least 12 birdhouses in this picture. (Can you find them all?) There were several dozen more in the adjacent trees.


Later I came across this string of Christmas lights along a fence. Those little projectiles are the plastic ties holding them on the fence.


The thin snow left traces of all kinds of things -- from bird tracks on roofs to tire spray and every walker's footprints. Even snow falling off the wires left distinctive strips.


I came home to the imprints of all the birds scavenging the spray from my feeder.

Winter Sports

With the day starting in the 20's and increasing to the 40's by mid-day -- I spend more time indoors looking outdoors and the birds make for great entertainment.

This hummer found my refilled feeder in record time -- and seemed so pleased that she/he just sat there on the perch for a long spell.


It took a few days for the chickadees and sparrows to notice this new feeder, but once they did it became the focus of much flitting to and fro. The feeder was emptied in less than a week.


This suet basket seems to please as well.


One warmer afternoon (when the birdbath wasn't frozen solid) the birds seemed to be catching up for the entire winter. Half a dozen or so took prolonged dips.

La Fond du Cuisine

I'm going to have to wing it as to the gender of "fond". All counsel welcome.

In any event, these inclement winter days are perfect for indoor projects and there's nothing I love to cook more than a good stock. I model my ingredients loosely on Rebecca Katz's recipe in One Bite at a Time for her "magic mineral broth".

It's sort of clean out the refrigerator plus kombu seaweed, lots of root vegetables and a finishing dose of parsley (and I add in dandelion greens). The kombu and parsley are the "mineral" part.



I was out of fresh thyme so only added bay leaves and juniper berries for seasoning (besides S&P). Cloves stuck in large onion chunks are also good. I cut an entire head of garlic in half and toss that in. I used chicken necks and backs to make this a chicken stock. I like the flavor and the gelatin.

After cooking about 2 hours and cooling, I strain all the solids and when they've cooled put them into plastic bags and freeze for later disposal. (not necessary for a vegetarian broth) I chilled the cooled strained (through cheese clothe) broth overnight to solidify the fat and skim it off.

For extra clarity I stir two lightly whipped egg whites into heated broth and let it come to a boil and then strain again. (Not sure if this results in any loss of nutrients.)

The finished product is golden and glistening. When cooled I pour into pint-sized glass jars and freeze.


Approximate recipe:
In a large stock pot heat 2 Tbsp oil (your choice - coconut, olive, butter, etc.)
Chop and add:
1 large onion
1 leek
4 - 6 celery spears
1 fennel bulb
3 - 4 carrots
(add salt and stir - let wilt while you prepare the following)
Coarsely chop (1" - 2" chunks) about 8 cups root vegetables:
Celery root (or celeriac), sweet potato, turnip or parsnip, yams, potatoes, etc.
* optional 3 lbs. chicken backs, necks, feet, heads, etc.
Add water to cover by 1" - 2"
Kombu (2"x3" square)
1 garlic head cut in half (remove any bad parts)
season with more salt, cracked peppercorns or juniper berries, thyme, bay leaf
Bring to boil and simmer 2 hours
Pour through colander to remove large solids and return to pot
Bring back to boil and add:
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch dandelion greens
Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes
Strain and cool

"Ghost Breath" for the New Year

I can understand why the Eskimos have 1,000 words for snow. This morning there was the most ethereal "ghost breath" frost on everything.

It was an exquisitely thin white veneer coating the tiniest articulations. (click to see detail)


A teacher once advised leaving plants to wither "as long as you can stand it". There's beauty in a faded bloom as well.


The world has been shrouded to a tint of its former self.