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Tag Archives: winter

this week’s reading challenge…

16 Thursday Mar 2017

Posted by home, garden, life in a note to my readers, Lifestyle, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia, Virginia spring flowers, winter

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

blogging, home, life, reading list, Virginia, winter

Ok dear followers. I have a reading list for you…simply type these three words into my search bar in the left hand column…ready? Type the thing about and press GO. Voila, numerous posts will appear and when you reach the bottom of each page, click “older posts” as there are about a dozen posts in this series.
Older posts are long-lost in this world of immediate and short attention spans…yet they still hold much fodder. Good fodder, not the kind that is chewed up and spat out. One can ponder these things…

Are you ready? This is the perfect reading assignment, especially if your weather continues to be a beast in your part of the world. Simply type the three words, click GO and gently scroll down (and click “older posts” when you reach the bottom.) Soon a rhythm will glide your finger and eyes…

I put a lot of effort into these the thing about posts and think that they need revisiting by readers, both old and new. Good as Silver & Gold, like friends.

So please, go find a sunny window, settle in, read and please comment. After all it is still winter in the US, and being a couch potato is fully permitted as long as we feed the brain, dream a bit, and sip warm beverages.

I await your comments. There will be a quiz next Thursday. 😉 Cheers, Diane

Posted on a sunny, cold winter day in central Virginia 2017.

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kitty love

08 Wednesday Feb 2017

Posted by home, garden, life in cat, dormant season, old haunts, Past Loves, winter

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

cat, dormant season, life, muse, poetry, winter

Have you ever had a cat touch it’s nose to your pencil as you write?

To gently push and force the page adjoining

Rattle ever so gently

In order to push aside, then rub her head on a corner

Stepping around in a tactful way

To lie down just aside the binding

Jolting as if to pounce

From your page it flies

Only to walk up your leg and

Chew on your eraser.

November 1972

Miss Kitty-my muse for eleven years

Miss Kitty ~ my muse for eleven years

Copyright © 2017 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

Soothing, quick comfort food for winter days

18 Sunday Dec 2016

Posted by home, garden, life in easy recipe, healthy food, quick meals, quick recipes, recipes, sustainable lifestyle, winter

≈ 27 Comments

Tags

comfort food, easy recipes, healthy food, quick meals, winter

And did I mention a one pot creation? This sinfully easy concoction suits both families and singles…Are you ready?

Shopping list:

  • 1 quart Imagine organic chicken broth (no substitutions)
  • one package boneless, skinless chicken thighs (Bell & Evans preferred)
  • one pound Red Garnet yam (usually one) peeled and diced (the only yam I eat)
  • one pound Carrots of Many Colors (organic found at Trader Joe’s), peeled and sliced
  • 1 T Herbes de Provence placed in a tea infuser
  • a few ribs of organic kale, rinsed, stem removed, and torn in small pieces
  • Himalayan salt to taste
  • Serves 4 and may be doubled

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Begin with a medium/large stew pot. Pour broth into pan along with the herbes tea ball…and bring to a boil. Add chicken thighs (do not rinse, just open package and add to boiling broth.)

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A classic herb seasoning…if not found in this fancy jar, find in the bulk department of WF.

Reduce heat to medium, cover pot and simmer 10 minutes. Add both yam and carrots to broth/chicken, cover, and continue simmering 10 additional minutes. In the final moment, add torn kale to the pot, cover, and cook 1 minute more and not any longer…overcooked kale is bitter! Remove the tea ball (allow to drain into the pot for full herb flavor)

Before serving, shred chicken thighs into reasonable pieces using two forks or your gloved hands…and remove any bits of fat that remain too.

gently steamed kale

Organic kale is a wonderful, tender, healthful leafy green if cooked properly. NEVER, EVER steam or simmer more than ONE MINUTE. Please.

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Have you found these sweet carrots at Trader Joe’s? Carrots of Many Colors are seasonal, so I stock up this time of year.

Have your bread, biscuits, or crackers ready, along with heated bowls (zapped in the microwave for one minute, empty.) Serve the soup steaming, drizzled with a little olive oil.

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Dessert can be a delightful pumpkin tart, made at home

This quick soup is colorful, healthy, and may be reheated in portion sizes throughout the week for smaller households or for trips to the office.

Bon Appetit!

And Happy Holidays to all my readers!

Copyright © 2016 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

walking meditation

10 Wednesday Dec 2014

Posted by home, garden, life in garden, garden meditation, home, life, stroll, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia, walking meditation, winter, Zen

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

garden, matcha, Virginia, walking meditation, winter, Zen

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As I stepped out my door this morning, there overhead were three perfect Canada geese, flying in pattern — close enough to hear the friction of their feathers, their breath, their rhythm — the shine of their last water, shimmering on their underbellies.

I realized no separate self when the geese appeared.

This is Zen!

Copyright © 2014 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

ode to the American Robin…

17 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by home, garden, life in Back Yard Birds, birds, feeding wild birds, haiku, Lifestyle, Poetry, sustainable lifestyle, wild birds

≈ 11 Comments

Tags

American Robins, feeding wild birds, Haiku, March, poetry, Virginia, wild birds, winter

Today was a snow day — again.

embellished teuter

embellished teuter

My heart went out the hundreds of American Robins who are ambling here, eagerly awaiting spring in central Virginia. A few days ago when temps were in the 60’s, I marveled at the hundreds who hunted at dusk in the turf surrounding my home. They roost in the 135 Leyland cypress surrounding my property. 

Turdus migratorius ~ or the American Robin

Turdus migratorius ~ or the American Robin

Today, with five inches of fresh, wet snow covering any hope of turf morsels, numerous Robins scrambled for any scrap when many discovered my feeders. Normally Robins prefer fat, slithering, wet earthworms, yet during conditions such as today, they attempted to choke down Nandina berries and grains from the wild bird feeders. Forced to plan B, they quickly became disgruntled, aggressive, and downright ruffled…only the Red Bellied Woodpecker held his place at the feeders when Robins descended.

a very disgruntled American Robin

a very disgruntled American Robin

I could not resist, as dusk approached, to capture images. Forgive the handheld, through glass photos...

I could not resist, as dusk approached, to capture images. Forgive the handheld, through-glass photos…

 Robust robins await,
the snow, the thaw, the spring.
Today they all scold.

noble feathered display

noble feathered display

rear view of pondering robin

rear view of pondering robin

all plumped up in order to stay warm

all plumped up in order to stay warm

under the snow laden row of cypress
robins flick, flick, flick
their strong beaks,
rearranging the mulch
in search of the illusive earthworms,
who sleep just below the dormant surface.

Days at home with wild birds are very special.
The gift of observation is precious.
Time spent with them feed my creativity and poetic spirit.
I am glad to share my day with you.

Copyright © 2014 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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seasonal wild bird buffet recipes ~ LaSauce style

06 Thursday Feb 2014

Posted by home, garden, life in Back Yard Birds, birds, Bluebirds, DIY projects, environment, feeding wild birds, garden projects, healthy food, Lifestyle, quick recipes, spring, suggested reading, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia, wild birds, winter

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

bird buffet recipe, easy recipes, feeding wild birds, how to make organic wild bird food, NON-GMO, spring, Virginia, wild bird food, wild bird food recipe, winter

Those of you who follow my blog realize how I adore hosting wild birds in my central Virginia gardens. With frequent coaching from a local naturalist and a bluebird guru, I confidently care for wild feathered visitors year round.

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This handsome Red Bellied Woodpecker dines regularly at the Yankee Seed Saver feeder. It really enjoys the LaSauce Buffet Recipe.

Being a long-time foodie, I could not resist reinventing a wild bird banquet recipe found in The Bluebird Monitor’s Guide.

I confess, I am suspicious of any food that is genetically modified (GMO) and seek organic foods for both me and my food clients, so why not for the birds???
Also an avid label reader, I find most bird foods do not list country of origin, date of production, nor GMO ingredients. Therefore, I avoid all commercially produced mixes.

Suet
(the hard fat surrounding the kidneys and loins of beef and mutton) is another concern, as I strongly suspect that its source comes from beef feedlots in the midwest US. Again, I do not condone industrial meat production. When I inspect suet block labels, nada, no information there. When asked, retailers do not know origins either. Call me a fanatic, yet until there is definitive, credible proof that GMO grains and feedlot suet are safe, I will avoid them like the plague.

nestling bluebirds day nine ~ Swallowtail Cottage. Would you feed them GMO food?

nestling bluebirds day nine ~ Swallowtail Cottage. Would you feed them GMO food?

LaSauce Recipe for Winter Wild Bird Buffet ~ Swallowtail Cottage

In a medium saucepan set over low heat, melt:

  •  1 cup freshly ground, unsalted peanut butter (I grind this fresh at my local market where they guarantee NO-GMO)
  • 1 cup TJ’s non-GMO sunflower oil.
    When just melted remove from heat and add:
  • 4 cups stone ground cornmeal (I use a local Indian corn heirloom variety)
  • 1 cup raw rolled oats, ground to a fine powder in a food processor
  • 2 cup raw, hulled sunflower seeds, roughly chopped in food processor
  • 2 cup chopped currants
  • 1 cup raw, unsalted peanuts, roughly chopped in processor
  • 1/2 cup organic egg shells, finely ground in a spice or coffee grinder (save shells from hard-cooked eggs, never raw shells.) Extra ground shells keep well in a glass jar in the freezer indefinitely. (I dry the peeled shells overnight on the kitchen counter at room temperature before grinding.)
  • Using a large rubber spatula, gently fold all ingredients together. Allow to cool before serving your feathered friends.This recipe yields a gracious plenty.
  • For this gourmet food, I serve it up in a Yankee hanging feeder where even the Red Bellied Woodpeckers feast.
  • Store unused portions in the refrigerator in a sealed tub.
  • Furthermore, I source all ingredients from my local health-conscious store’s bulk department—where prices are competitive AND I know offerings are non-GMO, and often organic.
  • After a few days, I often add additional chopped currants or sunflower seeds to the mix, depending what the birds consider most popular that batch.
  • NOTE: this is a winter food  recipe for wild birds, as the oil will melt during summer months, and the birds can forage for live insects, which is their preferred food.

Why chop/grind ingredients, you may ask? Considering birds have only one tool (mandible) to process edibles, and a few toes, so I decided to make their dining experience in my gardens a wee bit less labor intensive.

Wild birds expend tremendous energy simply surviving single-digit temperatures and deep snow during winter months. One simple human step added to the bird banquet becomes a precious energy-saving step for the birds. Furthermore, serving large, whole seed with husks leads to overall food waste, as many wild birds fly in, grab a morsel, and fly off to a twig where they pound/peck seeds into manageable sizes, often losing bits of goodness during the process. Make sense?

Other favorite bird foods:

The attached recipe is gobbled up by at least eleven overwintering species of wild birds in my central Virginia gardens. Additionally, I put millet out in a separate saucer (in the bottom of a vintage parrot cage where wild birds fly in and out) for those birds who enjoy that seed.

Mealworms are another treat for many birds, yet NEVER feed those freeze-dried worms! They too are from CHINA, and we have no idea what standards apply there. I order insects year-round from reliable Nature’s Way (1.800.318.2611) in Hamilton, Ohio.  Live mealworms are essential food/protein for bluebird nestlings and they are simple and fun to care for.

add a small water heater to your birdbath during frozen winter days

add a small water heater to your bird bath during frozen winter days

NOTE: Please keep a source of fresh water available year round during daylight hours. This is critical during winter months when creeks and streams are frozen solid. Thirsty birds could easily drink from a salt-laden or antifreeze puddle that would cause an agonizing death.  I place a small water heater (designed for this purpose) in the bird bath on days when temps do not rise above freezing.

Virginia bluebirds dine at LaSauce buffet

Virginia bluebirds dine at LaSauce buffet

So there you are fellow bird lovers…consider this winter recipe for your feathered friends. And if you want a refresher course on clean food, view the documentaries,
Food Inc. and King Korn. My case rests…

Disclaimer: thoughts published here and throughout this blog are mine and in no way do I benefit from businesses/publications mentioned within. 

Want my spring buffet recipe?

LaSauce Spring/Warm Weather Wild Bird Buffet Recipe is a combo of shelled sunflower seeds, dry currants, ground eggshells, and sunflower oil—plain and simple.
All ingredients are purchased in bulk at my local health food-minded market.
Simply whirl two cups of seeds and one-half cup of berries in a food processor until slightly chopped, about three seconds (remember this saves the birds labor and morsel loss).
Add ground organic/cooked egg shells (2 T), then toss with a tablespoon of sunflower oil to moisten. The oil helps the egg-shell powder stick to the seed, yet will not choke the birds. Portions are approximate and easy to make. Birds are not picky! If I notice one ingredient being consumed faster, I add more of that next batch.

a photo of the warm weather mix.

a photo of the warm weather mix. Wild birds flock to the feeders for this nutritious food. Happy feeding!

Happy birding!

Any questions? Just post them to the comments link located in the top right of this page.

Copyright © 2014 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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march in like a lion

08 Friday Mar 2013

Posted by home, garden, life in Dominion Power, environment, life, March, spring, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia, winter

≈ 8 Comments

Tags

biting insects, Central Virginia, cypress trees, Dominion Power, greenhouse effect, in like a lion, March, mother nature, power outage, snowfall, weather, winter

This week’s weather was trying—the forecast spot on—I lost all utilities for 2.5 days and hunkered down until last night, dressed like an Eskimo, sleeping in my clothes and cap. Not fun! I thought I would share my pain through the following photographs:

Tuesday night, heavy, wet, damaging snow fell for hours, and I awoke to this…

crepe myrtle pinned to ground

crepe myrtle pinned to ground

crepe myrtle pinata

stabbing the pile of wet, heavy stuff

Cypress trees reduced in height by half

cypress trees reduced in height by half

at least the oatmeal stout and porter cheese needed no refrigeration!

at least the oatmeal stout and porter cheese needed no refrigeration!

no doubt spring will arrive

no doubt spring will arrive despite what is dished out of the sky

Apparently life in rural Virgina brings with it many trials. Summers are brutally hot and humid, with plentiful biting insects while wicked storms often whip through leaving residents without power for days. Now winter brings similar outages, demanding one to be resilient. Although I toughed 51 degree F temps indoors for nearly three days, when the utilities finally returned, I was totally exhausted—even resorted to sitting in the van as the afternoon sun raised her head, creating a greenhouse effect and bringing temperatures to 80 F.

Last time I checked this is the twenty-first century right?

Before retiring last night I managed a hot shower and shampoo, a load of laundry, some hot soup, before collapsing into the nearest bed.

OK Mother Nature, this gal has had enough already. You are shaking your magnificent mane again—reminding us how you always have your way with us. You entered March and got our attention. Now, PLEASE, I ask you for a wee bit of spring before the lawn demands a weekly mow? Please?

March often does enter as a lion, yet folks, prepare like a warlord.

This is my new life slogan! Yet when I remember to take a lesson from challenging situations, particularly nature, I am reminded that resilience is key and so far, I bounce back. Now headed to the terrace to have lunch in the brilliant sunshine, I will listen to the song of gurgling/melting snow as it nourishes the landscape.

Also humming “there is a legal limit to the snow here, in Camelot!”

Here’s hoping that you are warm and cozy this day. 😉

Copyright © 2013 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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the thing about winter

02 Monday Jan 2012

Posted by home, garden, life in garden, home, life, winter

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

winter

Love winter, when the plant says nothing.

~Thomas Merton

COPYRIGHT © 2012 BY DIANE LASAUCE ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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the thing about March

08 Thursday Sep 2011

Posted by home, garden, life in dreaming, garden, home, life, March, renewal, spring, winter

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

birthday, March, renewal, spring, Virginia, winter

The month of March is paramount in my life, perhaps because March is my birth month. However, more importantly, March represents a time of rebirth, renewal, and hope.

This morning as I gaze onto the landscape, much of my view remains dormant and crispy brown, yet persistent daffodils appear without fail, pushing out of the soil despite whatever life or Mother Nature delivers. Robins returned by the hundreds last week, and the resident mockingbird who found her mate with lightning speed, now busily crafts her first nest. These magnificent events unfailingly prod “to do” lists while the remnants of the long winter past tug at me to rest, reflect, and live in the present.

Therefore for today, I shall merely glance at that chore list, observe the busy birds, slip back into bed with that unfinished book, recharge, and be thankful to be a part of this incredible world.

Sustainable living cannot be more personal, especially as we age…a reminder to do less and be more by preserving the source. Moreover, the source begins with each of us and that responsibility lies within.

Copyright © 2011 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

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Essay Titles

  • Keto almond crackers
  • If you are climbing the walls…
  • Three hours of sun
  • “this too shall pass”
  • there is no place like home…
  • the perfect Tiny House
  • Miracles everywhere
  • And so it goes…
  • Transform, transition, resilience
  • An Artist’s Way
  • Sunday’s monster project
  • Meanwhile
  • how fragile we are
  • what I learned about Keto
  • small steps
  • do no harm…
  • will this convince you?
  • Plastics…a soapbox tale
  • Let’s clean up our act
  • 2020…are we ready?
  • All I want for Christmas
  • Thanksgiving…remembering love
  • At last
  • Keto “potatoes”
  • When critters call
  • Keto bread revisited
  • My report on Keto
  • for the love of rock, II
  • give a gardener a cool summer day…
  • Oh July, July
  • Kale, the ultimate chip
  • gone Keto
  • she’s baaaack!
  • Perhaps missed
  • for the love of rock
  • the anatomy of a popover
  • the garden visitor
  • what blooms this week
  • porch envy
  • Summer in Virginia
  • timing is everything
  • pies and peonies
  • words cross centuries
  • zen and now
  • April brings flowers and…chores!
  • Kudos, followers
  • this week’s reading challenge…
  • February dreaming…
  • kitty love
  • the dormant season

Seasonal Topics by Month

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