bridges to spring

On my drive I by pass a local park a half mile from home. During the summer or any good day off, I would include it into my route as a bonus during my jogs. Then I would count the homes and see their cats in the window sills smiling back at me. Today it rained a few hours before my drive home. I took this picture so when spring comes in a few weeks I could take a beautiful budding picture of the trees to compare them. Then I would have bridges to spring.

acai berry smoothie

I'm an admitted magazine junkie. My go to mag currently is Food & Wine, healthy recipes big flavors, march 2011, Week of Healthy Wines on newsstands now. I have it delivered, so no hunting for it.

I found this new smoothie recipe, Acai Super Smoothie. It takes 5 min to make, makes 2 large drinks. Here is link to recipe, Acai Super Smoothie, for your library. Reading on, the article combines 3.5 oz pkg of frozen unsweetened acai puree. We have a couple stores here like Trader Joe's and Whole Food's. I haven't checked to see if they stock acai puree. If it isn't available substitute strawberries with a splash of acai juice drink which is found everywhere. My thinking is the taste and the puree of a popular fruit. I would say maybe 2/3 c strawberries, 1/4 c raspberries, a small splash of acai juice (too much will make drink watery), add a large dollop of plain yogurt, 1/2 banana, 1 cup ice. Kitchen Aid Blender on High for 10 seconds, makes 16 oz serving. Avoid sweetners, no need for agave nectar unless you have a very sweet craving use truvia or splenda which should be blended at the same time as ingredients.

silent bird prints

Silent bird prints leading away from daffodils peaking through the snow.

Snow fell last night after a few hours of pitter patter of rain. This morning as I walked the backyard, I found little soldiers making their way toward warmth of sun. I saw these bird foot prints in the snow and took this shot. Sometime soon, I hope to be in the mitts of spring time. I wish it would hurry up.

On the subject of exercise, I found my right knee is bothering me. I will be strengthening it with a flamingo rep knee bends 4x's and a sitting against wall pose during morning routine.

tufted titmouse bird

Happily frolicking with our visitors at the bird feeders is our usual guest the tufted titmouse bird. It's a nice song bird with a series of clear whistle calls peter-peter-peter. Their territory, our neighborhood, have a specific songs differentiates from others. They hear and recognize each other solely by voice or song. There is also a distress call to warn others. Song call wording by Bird Songs, 250 North American Birds in Song. It's a delicate bird and very subtle in manner as I watch them.

my strawberry smoothie

I have a standard recipe I created for a strawberry smoothie. Here is my 2009 recipe:

I created a fast fruit smoothie to enjoy on a warm day or just as a quick snack.

My recipe makes a 16 oz serving.

I have a Kitchen Aid Blender set on High for 10 seconds.

135 g Fresh Strawberries

50 g Plain yogurt, full fat or light

100 g or 1/2 small banana

1 cup of ice cubes

It's oh so good!

gold finch

I spied our usual bird feeder guest, the gold finch. The females have a muted golden brown coloring and the males the bright golden yellow. Finches are abundant in open woodlands, brushy, weedy fields, farms, roadsides and every one's garden out here in Maryland. They flock to our feeder in the morning and feed themselves full but like to be in group feeding. They dance up and down each feeder post and on to the other side of the yard to the other feeder. They are nice to watch. We feed them thistle seeds from the birder store. Their call sounds like tsee-tsi-tsi-tsit , song wording from the book Bird Songs, 250 birds in song.

berries

Today I found an abundant supplies of berries, strawberry, blueberry, raspberry on sale. I purchased just enough for a week's supply. I like them for breakfast, snacks and after dinner treat. I just bought a bottle of Italian wine, Pinot Grigio by Fontana Candida inexpensive and will have a glass with my strawberries.

backyard birder

The Backyard Naturalist has an abundance of bird feeders. I took a quick shot of one of the alcoves in the shop.

the frog buddah

Today's trip to the bird shop I found a rather funny character. The shopkeeper called him the frog buddah.

january snow birds

I found my January snow birds picture. This was a few weeks ago. I felt loyal to my bird friends and kept up the bird feeders for them. My cardinal friends are happily playing in the snow as they feed.

happy valentines day

I'm not sure if I would pucker up to this guy but anyways... Happy Valentines Day!

downy woodpecker

This morning in my quiet room outside the side window we have another bird feeder secluded under a tree, I spied a Downy Woodpecker. This is a image of a male. You would think woodpeckers feed only on trees by pecking them. These birds visiting snatch seeds from the feeder. Bird seeds such as black oil sunflower seeds I have been filling them up with. He takes the sunflower seed then finds a hallow indentation in the dogwood tree and drums on the seed shell till it opens and eats the seed inside of it. There are several drummed areas in the tree now since several woodpeckers are visiting this particular feeder. These are small birds and they are happy in urban woodlands and wilderness forests. They eat insects they find on trees, shrubs and woody weeds. The males and females look somewhat alike. Their songs are simple notes which are often repeated. Sounds like check, check, check or queek, queek, queek called the pik call. The other call is the sputter call that sound like chick, chick, chick, chrr-rr-r, which express dominance. The other call sounds like chirp, chrr, and pshir. I found the wording of these calls in the book, Bird Songs (250 North American Birds in Song) that has the bird picture, description and a button for the actual bird singing. It's a great book to identify a bird and listen to their call.

hiker at overlook

As you drive up to Big Meadows on Sky Line Drive there are so many Overlooks that they are all named and have great views for photographs. Here is a hiker (in spring time) with his walking poles getting his camera ready. I am looking forward to my trip in spring in a few months to Shenandoah!

big meadows

We have plans to go back to Shenandoah Virginia and stay at Big Meadows in the spring, just a few months away. I am looking forward to spring as very light snow drops here tonight at home. This image is from Big Meadows and it looks like Dark Hallow Falls. It's a short hike about 1 mile to get to it. It is located in from Sky Line Drive next to the Big Meadows Lodge. There is parking and posted map guide for hiking directions. We usually hike it before breakfast, an early start before the crowd gets there to view the falls. We stay in a small cabin next to the lodge which has a large fireplace and usual amenities.

altered books 2

Here is another example of another altered book Carol had made. The classes SB and I will take will be different and more advanced.

altered books 1

I enjoy hand book binding and making altered books. There is a book maker class where we make hand binded books and alter them with tags and art work. The teacher will be Carol Owen and these are samples of her work. I visited SB today and she encouraged me to attend with her. We booked a weekend for the classes.

lilac ragdolls

We will be adopting two ragdoll lilac kittens. This is a sample picture of a lilac ragdoll. The expected birthing is this month February. We are very excited! We decided to get a brother and sister so they can be happy together always. I've decided to call her Isabela and the boy kitty Oliver. Expected home arrival possibly April.

We've been redoing the home little by little. I have finished my quiet room. The closet has been redone with Container Store items. A dark brown theme. Six labeled large square zippered closed cloth organizers for folded items in shelves and floor and all hanging items in labeled hanging chocolate zippered clothes bags purchased somewhere else. When I finished I thought I was in a store. Then opposite I found a great Logan Storage Console from Pier 1 that was on sale before Christmas 2010. I sit a large crystal vase of fresh white roses on top of it and a simple dark wood Tivoli Audio radio in glossy dark walnut. Also, a large canvass painting on the wall hung over it. At Pier 1 I found the Charisse Armchair to sit by my window to watch the Cardinals. Beside that, I have a tiny simple table that sits my Mac Laptop perfectly the same dimensions and the printer underneath on the floor. At this point nothing else goes into the room. Occasionally, I end up in the room watching the Cardinals or listening to music and reading and misc. Maybe, one day Isabela and Oliver will be joining me in watching the birds too.

cardinal's day off

Today is a great day to stay home. I have enjoyed watching the cardinals feed in the backyard. It had snowed early 5 am and expected latter around 5 pm about 5 inches today, they say.

I have taken great interest, more so since the cold weather hit to keep up with the cardinals. They have fatten up on bird premium black oil sunflower seeds and peanuts. I get them from a birder store. I have a visiting blue jay and a rather large red headed woodpecker who also like the peanuts. Matter of fact, the large blue jay seems to like to hoard them, funny... they are such characters.

welcome back

I have started back on CR and have found some new ways that make not weighing everything. It's a welcome back to my loved style of feeling good again about myself. After my long absence and taking notes of what was not working and what is starting to work for me. I was in the mitts of changing my career over the last year. I have returned to Banking and now an officer at my local bank. As a financial service rep I am finally returning to my loved career. In my career I had 10 years in banking from teller to branch manager. Now after a long absence I am returning. I am happy to say, yes it is working for me. Now I would like to get started and work on my diet and exercise. I will start with breakfast and work my day into the diet routine.

Today's food diary

Morning exercise

1 Yoplait yogurt light (100 cal)

1 Vitatops vita muffin Banana Nut (100 cal)

Lunch/Dinner/evening

are not here due to work in progress.

I am working on breakfast first then

working on a system for lunch and dinner

while starting a new job.

Let's look at the breakfast breakdown:

Yoplait is my milk substitute and has the following:

0 fat, 85mg sodium 4%, 250mg potassium 7% , 19g carbs and 14g sugars 8%, 5g protein 10%

vitamin A 15%, calcium 20%, vitamin D 20%, phosphorus 15%

Vitatops in Banana Nut 100 calories

2g fat 3%, 0 cholesterol, 120mg sodium 5%, 50mg potassium 1%, 19g carbs 6%, 5g fiber 20%, 3g sugar, 4g sugar alcohol, 5g protein

vitamin A 50%, C 50%, calcium 2%, iron 50%, D 50%, E 50%, thiamin 4%, riboflavin 10%, niacin 4%, folic acid 50%, B12 50%, B6 50%, pantothenic acid 12.5% botin 50%, zinc 50%

After looking over the numbers, we made progress in getting some percentages close to 100% for the day in just breakfast. I was not a breakfast person in my younger days but I am trying to because it is true that breakfast makes a difference.

Now breakfast is quick but I do try to relax during breakfast at the table. We talk during breakfast and enjoy a conversation then we're both off to work. BK mentioned that he didn't want me to rush off quickly and instead enjoy a conversation at breakfast. I agreed and it is working out well.