Freddie

I was at a yard sale in Nashville, years ago, when I heard a flock of parrots chattering in the yard next door to the sale. There was a big tall wooden fence in the way, but I clammored up to the top of the barrier and found myself looking at a large aviary full of the most amazing birds. I was fascinated and knew right then and there, that I wanted one. So I went next door and knocked. This nice doctor answered the door and shortly afterward, I was the proud owner of a little orange and green bird. Freddie was a cross between a Jenday Conure and and Sun Conure. He was also handicapped and the doctor told me that it was unlikely that he would live more than five years. He was club footed and his beak was mishapened. Well, Freddie lived twenty years, and after a close and personal relationship, he went off to bird heaven. What I most remember about Freddie was that he was a very kind soul. If you gave him something to eat, he would eat half and offer the rest to his cage mate. He had a sweet personality. Somehow along the way, I managed to save a number of his feathers as he moulted. and I finally made them into a design to remember him by. Sweet dreams little boy, you will always be in my heart. 

Greek Spaghetti Salad

1 Package of 8 oz. Spaghetti
½ Cup of Olive Oil
3 Tablespoons of Lemon Juice
2 Big Spoons of Greek Seasoning
1 Can of Black Olives
1 Small Jar of Pimientos
3-4 Green Onions
3 Tablespoons of Mayonnaise

Cook the spaghetti and set aside. Mix together in a small bowl: olive oil, lemon juice, Greek Seasoning, and mayonnaise. Use a whisk. When the spaghetti is cooled, place it in a large bowl and add the black olives, pimientos, and green onions. Then add the mixture you made in the small bowl. Refrigerate for at least an hour so that liquid is absorbed. If you plan on serving it right away, I suggest you carefully add just enough liquid so it isn’t too soupy  Cavender's All Purpose Greek Seasoning can be bought in your local grocery store. The yellow container has salt and MSG in it.  The blue container has no salt and no MSG.

Southern Azaleas

It’s March, and the Azaleas are all in bloom throughout the town. Most of the year, the plants look like green meatballs, but right now, they’re in their glory. I just had to pick a few and put them in a vase, near my chair, where I can see them. 

When I first came to Raymond, there were three 100 year-old Azaleas growing in the front yard. They were so large, that they blocked the front entrance of the house, as well as the bay windows. I tried to cut them back, but they were so big and in the way, that I finally resorted to digging them up. This is when I found out that Azaleas are considered to be the holy grail in the south, and that it was almost sacrilegious for me to try and dispose of them. To tell you the truth, it took such an effort to dig them up, that by the time I finally succeeded, I just wanted to put them out on the street along with the trash. Good riddance. What a struggle!

Next thing I know, the neighbors are knocking on the door, asking why I put the Azaleas out on the street. All three were gathered up and taken away in less than an hour. Even though I tried to explain that I couldn’t landscape the front of the house without moving them, so you could see out the windows, they gave me dirty looks. I felt like I had moved to another planet, and not knowing the rules, had committed a felony. I’m sorry, they weren’t mentioned in my “how to live in the south” primer. It’s in there now, though! Oh, and by the way, all three Azaleas are alive and well in their new homes. I now know better, and promise to never do it again. 

Holy Shit!

A thunderstorm came through late this afternoon, and it produced golf ball sized hail. I had a feeling that there was danger on the horizon when I took the clouds photo. It started to rain, and then the hail came down, but it was pea sized at first. As I stood in the open doorway of my house, I began to realize that the hail stones were getting larger and larger, and oh my God, they were making dents in my car! I stood there helpless, sputtering and waving my arms. There was nothing I could do but watch. I haven’t seen a hail storm like this in 40 years. The last time I encountered a similar storm, I was on my way to visit my parents in Biloxi. I had to pull under a bridge and wait until the bombardment stopped. At least I was able to save the car from all those dents – but not this time.

Update:  To add insult to injury, it hailed again this evening.  

Further Update:  We had golf ball sized hail in Raymond.  Jackson had baseball sized hail. I'm told that the car dealerships really took a beating. One of the schools in Clinton had to close down because there were so many holes in the roof from the hail. 

A Small but Deep Loss

Governor Huey P. Long died last night. He was 10 years old, but it was unexpected. I thought that it might be DoWe Don'tWe because when I was cleaning their cage yesterday, DoWe flew out of the room and down the hall. I heard her hit a wall, and I was concerned that she might have some collision damage. Much to my surprise, it was The Governor who succumbed. I found him on the bottom of the cage this morning. The Governor was a standard green and yellow parakeet, not the brightest bulb in the batch, but very feisty. He will be missed, especially by DoWe, who had a close relationship with him.. He is also survived by his fellow cage mates, Rowdy Boy and Lavender Larry. Gone before him were his parents, Mattie McScrew Loose, and Slim Dusty. He was buried this evening under the great oak in the front yard.  RIP Governor.  
Heron fly you home. 

Art Day in Magnolia, Mississippi

Last Saturday, I drove to Magnolia with a friend of mine. We signed up for a mixed media day, and Laurie Felix, the artist who taught the class, made our experience an enjoyable one. She had all kinds of materials in boxes from which you could choose for your art piece, and I had quite a bit of fun looking through all of them. Her house was very interesting, so I took some photos. Her own art is quite interesting, and her selection of color was amazing. It has a mystical feel to it, and you get the sense that she has explored her imagination and made it real. I had the feeling that I was back in California though. 

                                                          The front of Laurie's house

 

                                                      Inside the house, and yes, that's a lady
                                                      I lunched with who had blue hair.

                                                         What an incredible bathroom!

                                                                      The Studio

                                                                    Wall Hanging

                                                                         Painting

                                                      Painted disk, and yes, that's my finger
                                                      in the way!

                                                    This was the best potluck lunch I ever
                                                    went to, and it was entirely vegetarian.
                                                    I enjoyed every dish. 

                                                              This is her yoga room.

                                                         Another view of the yoga room

                                                               The floor of the yoga room

                                                              A wall of the yoga room

Raw Vegetable Salad

Ever since I had the shredded carrots and chopped zucchini raw vegetable salad some months ago (see former entry), I’ve started to incorporate more vegetables into the salad, each time I make it. I used to hate eating cooked vegetables. Most of the time they were plain and boring and mildly distasteful. Raw vegetables taste much better, and they have great texture. The secret to this salad is the carrots need to be shredded. The rest of the items can be chopped. The carrots serve as a bonding agent in the salad and connect all the rest of the vegetables. In the future, I hope to come up with different dressings. Keep in mind though, the dressing can’t be too strong.  That’s why regular commercial salad dressing won’t work. Oh, and just for a little more texture, you can sprinkle some of those crunchy rice noodles on top. 

Shredded Carrots

Chopped:
Snow Peas
Zucchini
Radishes
Spinach
Celery
Corn
Turnip Greens
Green Onions
Broccoli

Dressing:
Olive Oil
Juice of one Lemon
Salt & Pepper