Egypt Buff

For the last few months there have been no sounds of birds when I go get our newspapers. It was cold, usually cloudy, and nasty. It was also very quiet. Last week I heard a bird call, just one repeated a few times. Now that the weather has gotten warmer the birds are talking to each other. Getting the newspaper is now acompanied by chirps and cheeps and songs. What a delightful change.

Last week Trader Joe’s had dafodils from Ireland on sale. I bought 3 buches of budding flowers and over the next 3 days they opened up. Sunlight in a vase! The foyer was transformed and my mid-winter blues went away. Strange how 15 flowers can change my mood.

Went to the Bronx Zoo yesterday. Lily and the kids were delighted in the different animals we saw. Lily especially liked the Scarlet Ibis in the aviary. Tommy liked the Bald Eagles and the chinchillas. I’m not sure what Katherine liked. For myself I loved the Golden Eagles and the Snow Leopards. Tommy loved the snow leopards as well. So what does it say about me that I found the predatory animals so much more attractive than the others? Is it a reflection of some inner nature or just that I like the sleek looks of the predators more?  Who knows and who cares!

Along those lines I must say that there is little to compare to the beauty of a hawks’ strike on it’s prey. I know that a soft little creature is killed. So what? Is PETA going to say that hawks are bad? Maybe. again who cares? A hawk is beautiful and that all I need to know. There is a circle of life and death is part of it.  Live with it.  I do.

Wow,  I realized that I started with  finding  comfort in the sweet songs of birds and ended with a paean to a hawk’s strike . Oh well,that’s me.

Snow, more snow. Now I like snow as much as the next person but really is this much necesary? Last week Leo decided that walking behind the snow blower would not tax him much. It took three days for him to recover as he forgot that we have a really long, wide, and steep driveway. That will not be repeated.

I do feel sorry for Jan & Lily as the snow removal falls on them. They use the blower and then shovel down to the pavement. At that point we start to pray that no more snow or, the Lord forbid, freezing rain will fall. The salt is being used at a fast rate this year as well. Not good for the plants or pavement.

What is more frustrating than losing something you like? About a year ago we had a barbecue and I made this lovely steak. Marinaded and quickly broiled it was wonderful.  Various factors kept me from making it again until this week. Pathmark had a special on sirloin steak that was too good to pass up.  I mean2.5 lbs of sirloin for $7! Since I cook for Leo the kids & myself this was  enough for 4 meals. Last week I just pan broiled it but this week I wanted to be different. Hah!

Nowhere could I find the recipe, not in my folder, not in any of my cookbooks, nowhere. Some of the ingredients I could remember but not the amounts. The Internet to the rescue. The recipe was still on the Food Network  web site. It only took a 15 minute search. Two copies are now in my folder one will always stay there. This will not happen again, at least with this recipe.

Well I have three new books to play with.  Two are on Ancient Egypt and one is on the Aztecs and Maya. These will go nicely with the few books I have on the Pre-Colombian Mesoamerican cultures. It’s hard to get books that are written for the dedicated amateur. If you are a professional there are books, if your a “New Age” kook there are books, but not many for people like me who are genuinely interested but don’t have the resources to be archaeologists.

Amateurs interested in Egypt are well served,  so I have quite a collection. The latest ones are an encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt and is pretty good. The other is on Egyptian Art, architecture in all its forms and the decorative arts.   It is very well organized and the illustrations are lovely and clear. My family knows to wait until I look up before they talk to me. Like my Dad did, I get totally lost in a good book.

Happy New Year to all!

Well New the Year has  come and we survived it. A small party was held, good food, good wine, and most importantly good friends.  Snow fell and was cleared (thank goodness for snow blowers) so no one was snowed in. Most friends stayed over so that breakfast was unusually chatty and bright. I woke up much later than usual and the coffee was hot and welcomed.

Bright sunlight today. No clouds but it is cold and windy, perfect excuse to stay in doors and light another fire. Mulled apple juice is tasty and just the thing to give the kids when they come in from playing. Is there anything cuter than little ones playing in the snow? Some of our guests decided to go shopping at Tangers outlet today. Fine for them I’ll stay indoors until dinner. We Will be out for dinner tonight! Best way to start the New Year.

The New Year is almost upon us and I’m just not ready for it. Christmas was lovely so it’s probably that I’m not willing to let it go. In Latin countries Christmas lasts until Epiphany ( Three Kings Day) and is much more festive. In P.R. the Americanization of the island has made Christmas the gift giving day, but Three Kings is still celebrated. I mean it gives us an other reason for a party after all.

Looking out my window I see the small stand of red oaks that I love. One of them does not let its leaves fall until Spring. The leaves are a red/brown color and stand out against the Arbor Vitae trees in the background. If it snows the contrast is stunning.

This tree is stubborn, it will not lose all its leaves until it can replace them in the spring. It endures. I like that, I hope I can endure as stubbornly as it does.

Well the big day is tomorrow and for once all our shopping is done. All that’s left is to wrap the gifts and put them under the tree.

For many years I have wanted to make the traditional Puerto Rican holiday drink of Coquito. Think of a simplified eggnog with coconut cream. My aunts would make gallons for the holidays so that everyone could take some home. Thanks to the Internet I found a recipe that works. Just a few minor tweaks and it was just like my aunts made.  This is for you Titi Nelly and Titi Lydia.

Now I have egg whites left over so I’m making meringues out of them.  Cooking for the Holidays is so much more fun that shopping.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all, and a Happy and Prosperous New Year

This is the second weekend that the snow has made the trees look like picture postcards. The property is ringed by evergreens and they seem to catch most of the snow flakes.  It looks as we will be snowed in although four- wheel drive most probably will get us in & out.  Whatever, the fridge & pantry are stocked, the fireplace has logs in it and we have more  firewood handy. Anyway we have gas heat and will stay warm no matter what.

The kids are chomping at the bit to get outside and play. We have a good slope on the property and sledding is major fun for everyone. Very little traffic comes on our street so it is super safe for the kids to play. Snowmen get built snowballs are thrown and a good time is had by all.

Mulled apple juice is a perfect drink for days like this. For grown-ups wine or  cider can be drunk.    Sounds like an old fashioned way to spend the day I know, but old fashioned is also another way of saying tried and true. Family and good times sounds perfect!

The  wasps are dead mostly, you still can’t go into the closet but that’s because of the insecticide stench not the wasps. At least my son & daughter-in-law can sleep in their own beds now.

The DNC is over & the RNC is about to start,  every 4 years we go through this but the conventions are now a redundant party for the party faithful. As a person who is old enough to remember the 1956 convention (Oh, dear Huntley & Brinkley I miss you) with all the negotiating and back room deal, these conventions are just plain BORING! Have the reforms in selecting the convention delegates produced a better class of candidates? No, they have not. 1960- Kennedy vs. Nixon or 2000- Bush vs. Gore?  Gore at least was Vice President  and most probably would have received the nomination anyway but Bush? Harry Truman please come back to life, he said –I just tell the truth & they think it’s Hell. I’m paraphrasing of course. He would have made mincemeat of the fools slinging mud today.

And  speaking of W.A.S.P.s please look at the top of the Republican ticket. Now you do know how I feel about wasps, don’t you?

I loath wasps. Yellow Jackets especially, they are aggressive, ill tempered, and territorial to the max! Also a “mild” allergy to insect bites makes me especially leery of them. “Mild” allergy because I’m careful to wear insect repellent and walk away carefully so not to get bitten. So what happens? We have a nest of them in our attic space. Now never have I had to be hospitalized for a bite, but even a black fly bite will raise a muscle sized bump on my skin. You don’t want to know what mosquitoes do to me. My son has called an exterminator servvice that will come today to eliminate the problem. Very important as the nest is directly above the master bedroom. We can see it now, peaceful sleep interrupted by marauding wasps!  More anon.