El mosquito no esta bonito.

I'm not going outside again for a long time.

Since we had a big group of friends coming into town to stay with us this weekend, I wanted to spend a day in the yard, tidying things up.  I know that I'm a mosquito magnet, and that the gentle "natural" repellents don't work on me.  Those containing pure DEET help, but I hate spraying those chemicals on.  I decided to forgo the repellents.  In another brilliant move, I also decided to work in a tank top and shorts. 

I trimmed bushes, weeded, used the leaf blower on the driveways and flower beds, and got to finish a project I've been wanting to do for a long time - removing the ivy from the rock wall by our outdoor fireplace.  It isn't done yet...but it's a start.

I noticed a snake clinging to one of the low-hanging tree branches there.

I think it's a juvenile brown snake and totally harmless.  I used a rake to carefully move him to the neighboring woods.

Almost immediately after finishing my work, my leg broke out in quarter-size itchy blotches.

Over the course of the next few days, my ankles and calves swelled with bites big and small, and I had poison ivy rash on both wrists and my right upper arms.  I slathered on the hydrocortisone and decided to take an "outdoors break".

So, I've been enjoying the outdoors...from inside, like my safe view of this squirrel handily besting one of our squirrel-proof feeders down by the pond:

I started a new knitting project (a cardigan):

I made a card for a friend who was getting married:

And, I finally finished the front living room.  The back living room has been done for a while:

But the front living room, for the past year and a half, has been completely empty, other than a couch, a couple of beat-up chairs (future projects), and our board game cabinet.  I've been really motivated to finish it, because it's the first thing I see when I walk in the door.

Front and back views (I believe you can click on the pictures for a larger view):

I've got my puzzle table (IKEA) set up right by the big windows, to catch all the available light. 

We have some wingback chairs for cozy reading spots:

And, I refinished this table that Todd found at an auction for $20...

...and it makes a perfect sturdy table for assembling model kits.  I'm so glad to have this room done!

Even though I have done an extraordinary amount of cooking/baking this past week (16 pounds of hamburger with caramelized onions, 10 pounds of chicken, 7 pounds of rice, 3 different types of cookies, cookie bars, 2 batches of blueberry muffins, 2 batches of cupcakes, and cinnamon rolls), it wasn't long before I felt like baking again.  We had some fresh local peaches, so I made peach crisp.  Todd made himself a plate, and asked if we had vanilla ice cream to go with it.  We didn't, of course, because an ice cream addict like myself *never* keeps a readily-available stash of it.  But I started thinking.  There's a local orchard that keeps a permanent summer stand at my gym, and they have the most beautiful blackberries I've ever seen.  What if I bought some and made a sort of blackberry reduction sauce for vanilla ice cream? 

So I did.

I cobbled together a recipe from multiple sites, boiled my berries down...

...and made the most delicious ice cream topping I've ever had.

Plenty of seeds...just like I like it!

Blackberry Reduction Sauce

Ingredients
3 cups fresh blackberries
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vinegar (or lemon juice)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (and a bit of water to dissolve it)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Directions
Combine blackberries, sugar, and water in a pot and bring to a boil.  Mash some of your blackberries (I wanted mine chunky, so mine was "lightly mashed"), and add your cornstarch (dissolved in a bit of water).  Simmer for about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Add vinegar and vanilla.  You can strain out the seeds at this point if you'd like.  Stir, cover, and store in refrigerator until ready to eat. 

This is a quick 15-minute recipe, and yields delicious results.  I think it's a nice summer treat, and if you're inside making blackberry sauce, you are probably safe from the evils of mosquitoes and poison ivy.  Win - win!

Have a great week! 

a narrow fellow in the grass

I've enjoyed seeing the winter and spring birds as the season progresses...the sassy titmouse, the gentle cardinal, the darting bluebird, and of course, the ever-present geese.

But, of course, I have been eagerly waiting for the little creepy-crawlies that only come out with warm weather.  I was weeding the other day when I came across this beauty:

This is Sigmoria aberrans, more commonly known as a type of millipede.  What's the difference between millipedes and centipedes?  Well, centipedes have longer legs, eat other insects, and can give you a nasty bite if bothered.  Millipedes have more legs and eat decaying plants. At least one variety of millipede secretes cyanide as a defense mechanism!  Not this guy, though.  He's known as the "almond millipede" and secretes a chemical that smells exactly like almonds. 

The humble pillbug is more interesting than you'd think, too.  I'm sure you know that they can roll their body into a complete circle to thwart predators.  But did you know that they're crustaceans, and breathe through gills?

Also, pillbugs don't urinate.  They pass the ammonia in gaseous form directly through their exoskeleton.  Pretty interesting! 

I saw this moth on our brick walkway this week.

I know that it's a snout-nosed moth...

...but there are so many different types of moths, it's almost impossible to identify them until you have a detailed guide.  I'll have to keep looking!

Of course, with the warm weather came the appearance of giant fish in our pond.  Todd estimates that some of them are three feet long...and he doesn't exaggerate like I do!  :)

I was raking leaves this weekend when I encountered this little guy.

I'm not generally afraid of snakes, but I like to know where they are, and if they fall into one of the main four venomous snake categories (cottonmouth, coral snake, rattlesnake, and copperhead).  Venomous snakes have triangle-shaped heads and tend to be patterned.  This snake is completely safe.  He's a brown snake (Storeria dekayi), easily identified by the twin brown lines running down his spine.

 See?  He just wants to be on his way.

Here we have evidence of another little creature:

That's right, the resident beaver is slowly cutting down our trees.

We're going to put chicken wire around the bases so that he can no longer get a tooth-hold.

The warm weather has been great for my plants.  The few herbs that I planted grew quickly.

I separated them out into roomier quarters and they're growing like crazy.

I've also found mint, oregano, and rosemary - lots of rosemary - in the garden.  I love stumbling across them!

Most of the azalea flowers have wilted...

...but my clematis are blooming like crazy.  This variety appears to be Nelly Moser.

Irises are popping up in the side yard and making cheerful bouquets.

Different types of sedum are filling in the bare spots in the rock walls and walkways...

Love!  The ferns in the side garden are absolutely magnificent.

We have another type of fern that sends up a dark stalk that almost reminds me of a clenched starfish:

They aren't cinnamon ferns, but I'm not sure what kind they are.

The dogwoods are blooming...

...and the magnolias are just getting ready to pop.

I can't wait to see them in action!

I still hope to have time to post a 'recipe edition' in the next week or so.  Meanwhile, I hope you're enjoying your own spring days.  Have a great week!