Fall.. Soup.. Books!!

    The first day of fall is finally here. We can look forward to cooling days, bonfires, hockey, football and many other wonderful winter things. Today is also World Rhino Day, a to bring awareness to the plight of the worlds rhinos. And to ensure future generations will be able to go see a rhino in the wild or even see one in a zoo at this point. It is becoming critical for the rhinos. Over 600 rhino have been poached in South Africa this year alone, last year 668 were poached. The numbers are increasing dramatically every year. This week is also Banned Book Week. This is a foreign concept to me. Why ban a book? If I don't want to read it or don't want my child to read it guess what I don't.. or i don't allow them to. I know its an out there idea, but it's how I roll. And If my child happens to read it behind my back... um its a book. I would rather her read a book than smoke a joint behind my back. Why does someone else feel they have the right or even the authority to dictate what someone else shouldn't be allowed to read? I don't understand it. If you have a better 'learned' explanation please let me know because its beyond my little minded scope of understanding.
    First day of Fall kicked off with a great start. The weather was superb cool and breezy. I'm looking forward to grilling more. Whoever gets excited about grilling in the summer is completely insane. Grilling in 100 degree weather is not for me. Give me 60's or 70's even and I'm thrilled! Ohh!! and soups!! Fall and Winter is perfect soup weather!! Soup is one of my absolute favorite things to make and to eat. YUMMM.. what's one of your favorite soup recipes? I have several, though none are my own. I've gotten them off the Internet, from friends, or from old cookbooks. I love learning new ones so please share a recipe! Here is one of mine :) as soon as its cool I'm making this. It has become my absolute favorite. And I guess it is probably not for everyone but I adore it:

African Chicken Peanut Stew

2-3# chicken legs, thighs or wings (boneless is best used in this)
3Tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion
a 3in piece of ginger peeled and minced
6-8 garlic cloves  chopped roughly
2-3# sweet potatoes (tho you can substitute with regular potatoes if preferred) Peeled cut into chunks
1- 15oz can crushed tomatoes
1qrt chicken stock
1c peanut butter
1c roasted peanuts
1tbsp ground coriander
1tsp cayenne or to taste
Salt and pepper


1. Heat oil in tall soup pot over medium high heat. Salt chicken parts, pat dry and brown in pan. Don't over crowd so do a few at a time until done. Set aside.
2. Saute onions in the oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, scraping the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic and ginger and sate for another 1-2 mins. Then add the potatoes. Stir well to coat and combine.
3. Add the chicken, chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, peanut butter, peanuts, cayenne, and coriander stir until its mixed well. Bring to a simmer cover and cook for about an hour. Check to see if chicken is done and potatoes are tender. Cook another 30 mins if not quite done.
4. Take chicken pieces out to cool until they can be pulled apart by hand. Throw away the skin and shred the meat. Put shredded meat back in the pot.
5. Taste to see if you need more salt or cayenne. Then add as much black pepper as you can stand, it is supposed to be peppery.  Enjoy!

     Well as the day is drawing to an end I think I will snuggle into my couch and read one of my favorite authors Marliss Melton. I'm currently reading her SEAL Team 12 series. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE a good series! This one is probably one of the best ones yet. Her characters grow with each book and you learn new things about each one. You can't wait to find out what happens to them in their own book. They have a depth to them that is very compelling and I enjoy the stories. I enjoy learning who each one is and look forward to hearing about them. If you would like to read a Marliss Melton book here is her  SEAL Team 12book list and be sure to check out her website for latest releases and monthly contests. So until next time....

Where has the Time Gone?!

WOW I logged in here and seen how long it has been since I last posted. Where did all the time go?! We are now going into the 4th week of school already? Really?!! How did that happen? I could have sworn I packed my little girls off to their first day of school last week. No wonder I have lost track of my blog I have lost track of time and maybe even my mind! ( I say this with a big smile) In all this time I probably can write a lot. First off we have adopted a new kitty.. meet Marshmallow:

We adopted him from Needy Paws. He has been a super special addition to our family. When we adopted him he was suppose to be a she haha.. we found out the mistake when we took him in to be spayed and was told he needed a neuter. The poor guy was sent home without either because he was still too small. We have since gone in twice more and still no neuter for our little guy. The Vet says he is hiding them and he may have to go look for his bits. That's Marshmallows next big adventure. He also loves to play fetch with his big purple mouse and he really enjoys cuddles first thing in the morning. What else has been going on around my chaotic home... well we have been feeding the deer and watching his antlers emerge. They started out as tiny little nubs on June 8th and became 6 points the last time I seen him on September 10th. The 2 does he was traveling with have left him and at least one of them have had a fawn. I hadn't managed to get a picture of the fawn but I remain hopeful! We have a family of raccoon! As adorable as these guys are I have to say I am NOT happy about them being on my porch trying to pilfer any bits of cat food that may have fallen through the cracks. Sadly raccoons are very bad to carry a very bad zoonoses that I don't want my kids any where near called Baylisascaris procyonis. So I am going to set my live traps and catch the whole family and find them a new place to live further into the woods. Also I was asked by the HAWK Center's Director if I wanted to attend the AWF Awards in Bryant and help with the booth and the birds. That was really awesome. I took a lot of pictures of Tito HAWK's Barn owl Ambassador and Kate their Red Tailed hawk Ambassadress. Here is a great shot of Tito I managed to capture while at the AWF Awards. I have been taking a lot of pictures and posting some of my favorites to that site. I really enjoy all the time I spend at HAWK Center. It truly is a learning experience every time I am there. Right now there is a juvenile Mississippi Kite (MIKI) he came in with a broke toe that is now healed, but he still wont fly. He makes the most adorable calls that ever was made. 
      This video  was shot just a few days ago. it starts of a bit blurry but gets clearer. He only calls once but its sooo darn cute. The lady feeding him is the director. I was attempting to feed him earlier but I learned a valuable lesson.. I must remove my hat first because he thinks I am a big scary bird with a big scary bill. So lesson learned. He is easy to feed and such a sweet baby. I hope he learns to fly soon so he will be able to 'go home'. He has made baby step progress in that he has made attempts to fly when just a day or two ago he  wouldn't  even do that. So maybe my big scary hat did something good! If you would like to follow HAWK Center you can by clicking HERE.  It will take you to their Face Book page right now since they are working on their web page. Also I have been knitting tons of scarves. I don't know what I'm going to do with them. Maybe give them away at Christmas. And I have of course been reading. I can't seem to read enough. I feel like a black hole sucking in as many books as I can. Devouring and eating every word as if it was my last. I can't seem to slow down or stop. It is becoming hard to find books at the library and buying so many is going to get me in trouble with the family! hmmm Intervention? HAHA nahhhh I just need to go to a new library!!! Until next time....                                                                                 

Learning!

While school continued as usual and I continued my online volunteering for Africam and Ustream.tv, I also continued to volunteer for HAWK Center. I have been volunteering there now for nearly a year. And in this time I have absolutely fallen in love with helping birds...From the smallest hatchling to the largest owl and hawk (those are the smallest and largest I've seen so far). One thing that blows my mind is how when they are brought in and it isn't a car related accident or they aren't merely sick or dehydrated they have been shot. I just don't get why someone would want to shoot them. And if the bird wasn't killed outright from the shot they could die a horrible long drawn out painful death from lead poisoning which would then poison what ever animal came across them and consumed them. Or they would be wounded and unable to survive, starve  to death which again is a painful process all the while being in pain from the gunshot.. only if they don't get caught by another animal while down. HAWK received an amazing red-tailed hawk dubbed Pulaski, the county he was found in, who at first they thought was DOA. He was shot in the head, and his chance of surviving this was really low. This bird had such a will to live he managed to survive tho he will never be able to be released again due to his injuries. He is now impaired in one eye and possibly impaired in the other. Because of his story he will make an impressionable ambassador for his species to educate people about red-tailed hawks and show them their beauty and what happens to them when man decides to shoot at them. This picture is Pulaski a few days or so after he arrived at the Center I believe. The picture is the property of HAWK Center.

you can see the exit wound on top of his head. He will always  have feathers sticking up there now,  a hawkish cowlick. He is now rooming with Kate HAWK Center's long time Red-tail hawk ambassador in the picture on the left. Not my best picture but maybe I can get a better one of her soon. 

 HAWK also has 2 owl ambassadors, a barn owl named Tito on right  and a red phased screech owl named Otis on bottom. Otis is a former patient of HAWK, he came in last year missing a wing and an eye punctured. It is assumed he was hit by a cars antenna and severed his wing. He is a lovely boy. Tito has been with the Center since he was young. Over the past year the Center had dealt with hundreds of emergencies and many many more calls. The biggest and most widely known emergency HAWK dealt with this year alone was the Mayflower oil spill. We were the first responders for the critters who were covered in the thick sticky tar sands oil. I have NEVER seen anything like it.. Some of those birds came in so covered in tar sands oil they were literally dripping. HAWK only received 11-12 birds and a muskrat before Exxon's people came in and took over but they received HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of calls... and still to this day they get a call here and there because some animals who are a little oiled but still able to fly are flying away and landing in other waters but still getting sick. This has been the most impacting experience. Here you can find our local paper's story with a slideshow of about 20 pictures or so. Google would give you loads. HAWK Center has an amazing Director and a wonderful set of volunteers and a great group of people that step up and help when the need arises. When March rolled around I went to Basic Rehab training in Murray, KY. It was another awesome experience! Another volunteer and myself went to the class. 3 days of learning, testing, homework (after reading learning the book for a couple of months) Then the 'wet' lab and the big test. I have my Basic Rehab Certificate... now reading a LOT of books and maybe will feel brave enough to take the advanced courses later. But right now I'm happy to learn by watching, learn by doing as I'm told.. There are a lot of sad stories at HAWK..., but it is the Happy ones that makes it all worth it. And in the mean time I'm still learning!! So until next time... 

Christmas Traditions

The Christmas Season is over for this year. We have our tree and decorations already put away. This year all our plans fell through for the Holidays, some because of the weather, some due to illness, and others sadness over a lost loved one. Our Christmas this year wasn't what we planned it to be at all, but it got me thinking about all the Christmas traditions we all had growing up, some we make up as we grow up and move out on our own, and others we keep and treasure every year to make them live on for everyone else.
I remember when I was a little girl my Grandparents would make a huge dinner and we would go over and eat on Christmas day. It had to be Christmas day or it wasn't Christmas dinner according to my Gran. I also remember being allowed to open one present on Christmas eve.. it was already slated for the Christmas eve gift so was usually something small and fun to play with to keep me occupied until Christmas day. Now that I have children of my own we don't open a present on Christmas Eve. We make sugar cookies and spend the evening decorating them.. and picking the best 2 for Santa. And because our family is so spread out we have a huge family dinner on Christmas Eve for my husbands family, everyone comes in. This is usually the only time we see most of them. All of us together is a riot.. but each person brings a Man's gift and a Woman's gift. And we bring a present for our children to open that night. We draw numbers for the man and woman's gifts and have a wonderful time. We also get together with my Grandparents.. This year was going to be a start to a different tradition.. I was going to cook the Christmas dinner (..on Christmas Day of course) and because my Granda isn't allowed to drive anymore and my Gran can't drive this far my husband was going to get them and they would stay with me for a few days. They would get to see their son and visit with him while they were here. That didn't happen due to the weather but we will try again next year. And the most important tradition I started with my girls is to ask them why we have Christmas every year then we talk about Jesus's birth and what it means to us even now. A new tradition that has started because of Facebook not only do I send out cards to my friends and family far away NOW I send out a Merry Christmas to all those online! I don't know how to do the really neat ones my friends send me they are always beautiful..maybe one day I will... but until then I just send a message or if I'm lucky and find a cute picture I like I send it.
I have asked on my Facebook what their traditions were growing up and really looking forward to what they say. One tradition that has come through is from the Director of HAWK Center, that they all gather around the tree and pick a present for someone else rather than one of their own.. then take turns opening them.. but they also wait for the person to look their gift over and enjoy it for a moment before moving on to the next person. Another one that came through is from one of my Africam friends, that they also open presents on Christmas Eve and use to open the rest on Christmas morning.. but now they wait until about 3pm or so until his sister gets there. It's a wonderful thing to wait on family to open presents!.. Very hard on little ones to wait so long in some cases I think... and some big kids!.. but they learn how great it is to watch someone else opening a gift. A friend of mine also from Africam and from the UK says her Gran started a tradition of playing Bingo!, and instead of playing for money you get little presents, that's a neat tradition! Everyone is together and having a great time.
 A neat page I have come across looking up traditions is HERE. It has a lot of information on there but what I was reading of course was the traditions.. and it tells where some of our most long standing traditions started and why. Now I don't know the validity of the information on the page but it made for good reading and was certainly interesting.Thank you everyone who posted to my FB on your traditions.. if your post didn't make it into the blog I had already posted it before yours came through.. But will add it to the comments! I love learning all these family traditions everyone has. It may give others an idea for their own tradition. This blog could go on forever talking about Christmas traditions, traditional foods, etc.. so I will end it here and wait for more responses and add them as they come in as comments! Until next time...

The HAWK Center

I recently came across a page on Facebook for the HAWK Center (Helping Arkansas Wild "Kritters") while I was trying to learn about all the fabulous birds in my back yard on the Arkansas Birders page on FB. I watched the page for several weeks, reading the updates, watching the videos, reading the good news and the bad. All I could think was... I really wanted to get involved in this place. One story that has held me and many others captive at this facility is the story of 'Ms Perryville' the Barred Owl. Many people who follow this page.. even newbies to it like myself.. fell in love with this owl. She first came to the center in October I believe from being hit by a car... she was released the beginning of November. They were called out again just a few days before Thanksgiving Day because the SAME person found the SAME owl at the SAME place they found her the first time.. and she had been hit by a car AGAIN!! Only this time she was hurt worse. This time instead of getting her bell rung hard as was the case the first time, she had a skull fracture. They didn't know if she would even make it to the vets. But Ms Perryville is a trooper.. she is a survivor. She has healed fast and amazed everyone. Just the other day I read on their page she had started eating by herself when just a day or so before she wasn't able to. Now with reading about this owl, and reading stories about a goose they helped, watching a release video a month or so ago.. reading about the little screech owl that will be blind in one eye that they are rehabbing.. the red-tailed hawks they are rehabbing.. the more I read on this place the more I wanted to drive out and see it. I had never volunteered at a facility before and didn't know what to expect nor did I care what I had to do. I just wanted to see this place that seemed to be full of caring people who healed and loved these animals. I contacted them and went out on a Thursday which is a work day for them. Everyone is so nice, and we were busy! I didn't find out WHY we were so busy until about 2 hours after I had gotten to the center.. A news crew was coming out to do a story on the wonderfully amazing Ms Perryville! So we cleaned the work room, folded the towels, picked up the yard, and a few other things. I was able to see the owls, and they were so beautiful and well cared for. The news crew came in and handled everything quickly and efficiently, and gotta say the camera man was excited about the hawks he really wanted to get shots of them tho the story was about the owl. You can click HERE for the teaser video, news story and the written piece.  After the news crew left I got the pleasure (haha) of taking a scrub brush and a pressure washer to the hawks room.. after they were moved next door of course. And in case you don't know. A hawks poo is made of calcium.. its all white and its like shooting chalk at a wall and letting it dry. It is really hard to get off. After I finished in the Hawks room I was introduced the 2 hawks in residence.. one is an Ambassador Red-tailed Hawk named Kate, the other is a hawk that was probably hit by a car. They are uncertain if he will be released or not due to his injuries, but time will tell. I was also sort of introduced to the Ambassador Barn Owl Tito (laugh) He didn't want to come out of his box to say hi.. he only peeked over the top. They had another young red tailed hawk that had just come in a day or two earlier he was upset from all the noise so we left him alone. But I got to see the little screech owl who looks like he will be released even tho he is blind in one eye. He just has to prove he can catch his own food. And of course Ms Perryville. It was a very special day for me and I am looking forward to going back, and when I do I will get pics.. I need them for here!! So until next time....

Alzheimer or Dementia... Still Painful..

Two years ago my Granda started showing signs of something being wrong.. it was obvious something was wrong. It wasn't him forgetting where he placed his keys or someones name. He thought he had another home and when he WAS at home he believed that wasn't it and he would get very upset saying he wanted to go to HIS home. That this was Gran's home and she needed to choose.. We weren't certain exactly when he fell into this well of confusion but thinking back.. I begin to see a starting point. He use to say he sometimes thought someone was sneaking into the house and opening doors, moving things.. he felt like someone was in there with them. Obviously none of that was true.. but I see it for what it was now. I wish I had then and maybe he wouldn't have progressed so fast. Do I suffer guilt? Yes I do. I feel I should have seen the changes in him.. this is the man who raised me.. he is essentially my Da. It shouldn't have taken the slap in the face of his decline for me to see he was quietly suffering without knowing. As soon as I seen what was going on I stayed with them for 2 weeks got him in to a Dr who diagnosed him with Alzheimer. My Granda fought this diagnosis and still doesn't think their is anything wrong with him.. For about a year he did well on the medicines he was taking. The confusion over the 'houses' was gone.. He did start to misplace everything.. but I could live with this. It was so much easier to handle than seemingly losing Granda down the well of confusion. During that first year my Aunt was able to fly in from Boston and stay with them for a year. She left this past June. Since then Granda has declined so fast. My Granda is gone.. he is lost in his own world most of the time. He has now lost his drivers license.. I completely agree with the decision. But I see my Granda sitting there and he even looks different... I try to visit as often as possible... The girls can see the difference in him. He has been fighting with the Dr who diagnosed him so much about his diagnosis that I told him to get a second opinion from a neurologist.. which I thought he should have seen anyways. He has now been diagnosed with Dementia... but Dementia or Alzheimer they both cause pain.. they both make the sufferer lose ones self... they both make family member watch the afflicted disappear before our very eyes... Does this blog seem a bit selfish.. I guess it could be taken that way.. But as I sit here and type this I think about how he was as I grew up, how he was in the stories my Gran tells from their 67 YEARS of marriage.. I think about how he looked when he held my first baby.. and my second.. I think about so many things.. and I mourn him already a little bit because tho he is still here and he is still functioning he is a completely different person and it is so very very hard to get use to him. But one thing I do know... no matter who my Granda is.. I love him with everything in me and he will always be my Daddy.. Until next time..

This.. that.. and hmm

Well we got our first month of school out of the way. After several days of panic where we can't find our brush.. who stole my shoes.. and did I do my homework? We finally got settled into a system of Get up eat, turn TV's OFF and get dressed and ready for school. Come home do homework PUT THINGS AWAY!!! This is still being learned. I swear the oldest is rebelling. She doesn't want to do anything the easy way. We had our first parent teacher conferences last week. Oldest grades no surprises there A's. The youngest is always a surprise. She is really super smart but she has a challenge.. she is unable to stop talking for more that 2 seconds. I know its 2 seconds because I timed her. Even when you tell her you will duct tape her to the ceiling she HAS to finish what she is saying she can't HELP herself. SO this year is going to be a fun adventure of how to make her be quiet and pay attention. The birds are migrating for winter so I'm keeping an eye out for any new birds making their way to my feeders. I'm excited to get pictures of any newbies. Africa is going thru changes too right now they are going into spring and the rainy season will be starting soon. The grasses will be growing and the Imps will be lambing the wildebeest will have calves all over the plains. The Buffalo will all be calving at the same time. An abundance of babies. The cams will be full of babies in a few months so be sure to peek in an see them. PPO the Africam Potted Plant Owl (pictured above) is laying on two eggs right now due to hatch with in a week or so and the cheetah cubs are growing by leaps and bounds. Things happening and changing so fast. The South African birds will be migrating back like the woodland kingfisher. Will be great to see them again. The temps are getting cooler but they don't seem to stay that way for long here.. but I hold out hope that winter is coming and when it does BONFIRES!! I can't wait!! Roasting marshmallows, hotdogs and my brothers potato soup! yummmmm Lots of laughter and fun.. As long as the kids behave and keep the sticks to themselves.. we have had enough injuries already! Hmmm I wonder if I have rambled on enough. If not their is always tomorrow! So until next time..