The Ant, the Grasshopper and the Chipmunk?!

Remember the story of the ant and the grasshopper? The ant is always obsessively industrious, preparing for winter, while the grasshopper fools around (and probably has a lot more fun overall!) before receiving his ultimate comeuppance (which I guess is death or something near that?) Well, that happy story aside, here's our version:

In an effort to thwart "the naughty squirrel" who wanted all the bird seed, I read that squirrels didn't like safflower seeds, but birds do. However.... the writer neglected to mention, or simply didn't know, that chipmunks absolutely, positively, obsessively adore safflower seeds! They will compete with each other over who gets to shinny up that metal pole (hey, no problem!), do a flying leap (often with a twist) over to the feeder, and begin the process of gorging themselves. Once their little cheeks are ready to pop and are noticeably wider than the rest of their body, they scamper down the pole, run along the patio wall and disappear for approximately one minute before popping their hollow-cheeked heads up, ready to do battle with the other chipmunk who has been doing the very same thing in their absence. Repeat this all day long until the safflower is gone!

It's hilarious! Really.

Cannery Row

A friend of ours dropped off a large bag of wild plums one morning a couple weeks ago.... and thus it began. Really, is there a more heavenly way to start your day than with wild plum jelly on toast to go with that morning cup of coffee?! I think not!

Luckily I had enough plums left to make a batch of Plum Cordial, a drink our Victorian grandmothers delicately imbibed in fancy, little crystal glasses. (The main ingredient, other than the fruit, is vodka--so just how many little glasses they had was their business!) You can see the cordial behind the jelly in the picture above--see the plums floating in the largest jar? It's now sitting down in the basement, nature doing it's job. On a dark winter day, when I pour some of this into one of those little crystal glasses, I'll swoon with the smell of plum blossoms in springtime!

I also made, for the first time, some sauerkraut. That may be putting it optimistically....I put some green cabbage into some canning jars and, like the cordial, put them down in the cellar and let nature take its course. (Would hardly recommend the two sharing the same meal though! ha!) Supposedly I have to go down and check it periodically to make sure enough liquid remains, etc. Hopefully there's a good Reuben sandwich in our future!

And then I pretty much went on a tear...if you've ever done canning and jelly making before, you know that when you have all your stuff organized, it's really not all that time consuming to whip up yet another batch of something. You just have to pace yourself and be prepared to have a bit of clutter mounting on the kitchen table. In the photo above, besides the plum jelly, there is sweet/hot pepper jelly and one of my own concoctions: "Apple Pie" jelly. This tells only half the story....add to that several other flavors, some of them experiments I made up: Jalapeno/Mint jelly, Prune jam, Spiced Grape jelly, Plum/Apple jelly, and 2 types of Tomato Jam. And speaking of tomatoes--see that voluptuous 'mater sitting in that bowl? It's just one of dozens, literally dozens, of tomatoes from one tomato plant. (More about that later!)

Ah, summertime in jars!

As scarce as Hawks' teeth!

Had a little trip to the dentist this week....I tried to keep the whinging* to a minimum, but it was a challenge. Dental treatments have really come a long way since the days of lying in the chair with hardly more than my head and heels touching the seat--pain causing ramrod stiffness through the rest of my body. Ugh! (I had a lot of dental visits as a child--I'm sure I have emotional scars. But at least I have teeth?!)

The dentist I have now is wonderful--have been with him since the start of his career. He had this plaque (no pun intended!) hanging on his wall, made by a friend. Bet you can't guess where he went to school?!

And speaking of Hawkeye football, we'll be tailgating at their game this weekend. My daughter (sitting in California), upon finding this out and muttering a quick "Damn you!," enthusiastically offered some advice: "Do some shotgunning and a kegstand or two if you can. Oh, and take pictures!" Beings there's only so much I can comprehend, I had to have "shotgunning" explained to me. (Sadly, I already knew what a kegstand was; I've seen her pictures!) Righto! Like that's all going to happen... well, maybe..... but don't hold your breath for any pictures!

*Don't know if "whinging" is used here--it's an Aussie/English term...sometimes I forget where I've picked up words. Pronounced win-jing, with emphasis on the first syllable. Same as whining, but I like the sound of it better.