These photos are back from the winter. A neighbor had pulled this car out of his garage. No telling how long it had been in there or how long a human had actually sat inside. It is a classic and I think with some TLC could be back to it’s former glory.
Monthly Archives: August 2011
The Nashville Zoo: An August Day at the Zoo
Neil, the Alpaca, in profile.
Yoga stretch for a clouded leopard.
Hyacinth macaws morning grooming.
Morning nap for a clouded leopard cub.
Stretched out and sound asleep clouded leopard cub.
The Girls!
the gossips!
BFFs
A light dusting of dirt should keep the bugs away.
Drinking water in the most dainty way!
Splashing to stay cool and clean.
Grabbing a snack!
Miss Sita investigating.
Zen tapir.
August: Full of Nature’s Surprises!
August, the dog days, hot, sun, almost fall. August brings so many little surprises of nature.
Walking along you may notice stems that just appear from no where, the next day buds, the next day blooms, these are surprise lilies or Lycoris squamigera for you botanic nerds. One of my neighbors has a group of them that pop up every year in a Stonehenge formation.
Pretty Surprise Lilies against a pretty August morning sky
Another little surprise that happens in August are the emergence of mushrooms. Can’t you see a little toad taking shelter under these natural tents?
Little Mushroom Tent City Unless You are an Ant
Bird's Eye View of the Mushroom Tent City
And then last night on my way to take care of some of my dog clients I saw the most amazing August sunset. A painting by mother nature, no kidding, full of complimentary colors, brush strokes, palette knife strokes, and dollops of paint. Seriously one the most beautiful skies I have ever witnessed in both the west and east.
The Eastern Sky at Sunset
The Western Sky at Sunset
Yellow Finch: Elusive Little Soul
The first time I noticed yellow finches flitting around was two years ago. They were feasting on sunflower seeds from the tall stalks of once beautiful sunshine flowers that now were just pin cushions of seeds providing nourishment to the birds. By the time I noticed them they flew away, yellow streaks to across the field to find the protection of an old tree. These are elusive little birds.
I have been on a mission to photograph these guys. Today when I arrived to check my garden’s harvest I saw them fly over to the fence with their not so showy finch cousins. No sudden moves. I walked v…..e……..r………y……..s…….l…..o……..w…….l……y through the garden and stood very still, sometimes squatting out of site waiting for a yellow finch, also known as a gold finch, to present himself to my camera. Finally one began streaking around the garden looking for food as his little body caught the late afternoon sun.
Hanging out on the garden fence.
Yellow finch snacking on a sunflower seed.
House Party with Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen
This past week I had so much fun at a house party put on by Music City Roots featuring Frank Solivan and Dirty Kitchen. Not only did Frank give us some great music he also made us dinner, ginger chicken with rice and this yummy relish… it was truly delish! Turns out Frank is an excellent cook. Check out the Live Stream video from the party and you can see Frank shop at Whole Foods and then prepare the meal… he shows off his chopping skills!! Fast forward to about the 23 minute mark.
The band performed in the man cave, complete with stage, at the hosts house. I love their sound and am now a huge fan!! Check out a little bit of them live from the party here!
Somethings cookin' on the stove!! The house smelled yummy!
Sweet chili sauce and relish of local tomatoes, some cucumbers, green onions, peppers...
Ingredients for the ginger chicken. All the food was from Whole Foods.
The cook!
MCR's sponsor provided Moonshine for cocktails.
Waiting for dinner.
The stage waiting for the band.
Frank serving up the food!!
The band.
Eating Local Progress: What’s For Breakfast
The eating local challenge is going well! I am also getting away from eating progress sugar and eating 5 meals, small meals, a day to keep my metabolism in check so as not to get hungry and resort to some sweet treat that I will regret the next day, like a milkshake, cookie or cake that a sweet neighbor wants to give me.
For breakfast I have been eating eggs. I made a baked egg thing that has about 3 servings. It is just 4 eggs, some milk, cheese, broccoli, basil, tomatoes, onion and garlic. While several of these ingredients are not local, I had some of these ingredients from my last grocery run and needed to use them. I have also been eating omelettes. Three eggs beaten with salt, pepper and some herb… I have thyme, tarragon, parsley and basil growing on my back deck, feta cheese, baby tomatoes and pesto. I made the pesto the other day from the basil on the deck and while that and the garlic are the only local ingredients it is still good because it is home made!!! My pesto has basil, a little mint, toasted walnuts, pecorino cheese, garlic, lemon juice and a little olive oil.. salt and pepper too. I also like the pesto on hamburgers. Yummy!!!
Fets, tomato and pesto omelette
I use a little bit of this honey in my coffee and tea. It has to be THE best honey I have ever consumed! It is fading away.... not to worry I have another jar in my pantry.
Prepping.
Eggplant slices getting ready for roasting... perfect for lunch on bread with pesto.
In my next post about eating local I hope to write about lunch and a good mid morning snack!!
The Impressionist Garden: Zinnias and Butterflies
