I am easy to please. The things that make me happy are not terribly difficult to obtain or insanely expensive. Well, except camera lenses. They can be pretty pricey, but on the other hand, I get by with the ones I have already. One thing that makes me really happy is my squirrel proof bird feeder. I told you about it here, back in February. It is very effective in preventing squirrels from wasting expensive birdseed. Feeding and watching the birds is one of those simple pleasures that I love, so this feeder, which I bought with money my Mom & Dad gave me for my Birthday, is definitely one of my favorite things. But it seems there is something more determined than a squirrel in our neighborhood now. A lot bigger too, because no squirrel did this.
It might be useful to know that I have had a recurring nightmare for years, that I am busy with some outdoor chore, hear a sound behind me, and turn to find a bear half the height of the Empire State Building [hey – it’s a dream!] ready to pounce on me and rip me into teensy tiny pieces. Heaven only knows why my sleeping brain has obsessed on this scenario over the years, but because of this dream, the idea of a bear in my yard is not a pleasing thought to me. To say the least.
We have been very fortunate up until now, because many of our neighbors have seen bears on their property, but in the 25-plus years we have been here, we never have. And it’s possible this wasn’t a bear. It could have been a vegetarian hobo passing through and stopping off for a snack. Maybe a large branch fell upon the feeder [and then disappeared into thin air, since there is no large branch in evidence now]. A raccoon on steroids maybe? If you have hung around here very long, you know I am not a stranger to self delusion when it comes to speculations about unwelcome visitors, so I am sure I can easily wish away a bear. Anyway – the bird feeder is temporarily put up in Larry’s shop, in the hopes that this raccoon/branch/hobo/bear will be discouraged from returning for another snack when it finds no feeder in that spot. Updates, as they say, when they become available.
Now – to the winners! My trip postponed this, but here you go:
The Pay it Forward giveaway winners are:
Squirrelgurl and SarahEliza – take a look at my Flickr account – link over to the left there and let me know which photo you would like. My email address is listed under the “me” tab up top. And be sure to let me know when you do your own Pay it Forward post.
And the Comment Love Giveaway winner for the month of May is Trisha!
She is a long time bloggy friend and she sent tons of stuff to Lauren in Iraq, so I am thrilled for her. Email me your mailing address Trisha and I will get your prize in the mail.
I will post the prize for the June Comment Love Giveaway tomorrow – remember, every comment for the whole month counts as an entry, so don’t be shy, get things off your chest and leave me lots of comments!
Her name is Ronnie and she is a Klein Poodle which is a European size, falling between a Standard and a Mini. She is so adorable I could eat her up.
Have a great weekend friends.
I won’t be blogging for the next week or so. We have suffered what can only be termed as a tragic loss. The oldest of my 3 brothers, Scott, just got married on Valentine’s Day. Yesterday, his new wife, Debra passed away. As you can imagine, we are all in a state of disbelief. I know I am leaving a few things hanging here – the Pay it Forward and Comment Love giveaways, but I will take care of them when I get back home. Prayers for my family, and most especially for my brother would be greatly appreciated. And for me as well – this seems small in the face of everything, but I have never flown before and I will have to, so that I can be there with my family.
Roast at 325º until it takes on a nice golden color and the cloves are slightly shrunken inside the papery skins. It took about 20 minutes for this one, but the fresher the garlic, the longer it will take – just keep an eye on it. You can test it with a toothpick – it should be soft all the way inside. Allow it to cool and then peel off the skin – it will come off very easily – you can kind of squeeze the cloves out once you have them separated.
Now, on to the hummus!
Remove from food processor and allow to sit at room tempurature for an hour or so, to really blend the flavors, or refigerate overnight. If I manage to remember, I like to serve it closer to room temp too, so I try to take it out of the fridge about an hour or so before we are going to eat it. It is great with cut up veggies, crackers or my 
The perfect cocktail hour nosh!
