It was a surprise gift!

Have you tried POM Wonderful? It is 100% pomegranate juice grown in California's San Joaquin Valley. Someone from POM Wonderful was reading my blog and emailed me if I would like to receive a sample of POM. No strings attached.

My case of POM Wonderful arrived a few days ago, and I have been enjoying it every day since. It is full of antioxidants with no fillers, added sugars or the bad stuff. It really is quite enjoyable. Researchers say that it is the most potent antioxidant in nature, standing above red wine, grape juice, blackberry juice; you get the picture.

When my case is gone, I will be looking for it at my grocer's. So, thank you, POM Wonderful, for reading my blog, and for sending me this healthy juice.

On a more sober note...the alligator is back in our backyard pond. Be alert, be very alert!

What's that barking about

A lot of barking going on this morning. Unless company comes to the house, Kippy is very quiet. She loves having the front door open so she can look through the glass storm door and see everything that goes by. This morning was she was so upset, I had to go and check it out.

A large turtle was cruising on the road and then made its way into our yard, heading to the pond behind our house. I have been searching to identify this turtle for some time and I am just not sure what it is. It has this hog-nosed head and that is what I have been calling it. We usually have several in the water or sunning on the shore, but I have never gotten this close to one. I understand some turtles are very aggressive, so I was very cautious.

Kippy watched from inside where she was safe, but you know she really wanted to be right there and in its face. When Kippy was a year old, during the snowy winter, a rabbit made made its way into a fenced back yard where we let Kippy out to play and do her jobs. We saw the rabbit there and Kippy wanted out very badly. We let her out, she pounced onto the rabbit and the rabbit lay there dead. It looked like she scared the rabbit to death as there was no blood or damage. She is also usually very gentle with small dogs, but large dogs, she thinks she can conquer them and gets this crazy female attitude like "I'm so much greater than you are!"

Baby sandhill grows up

I got a new picture of the baby sandhill crane today. It is amazing how he/she has grown since the last picture in April. See the sandhill here. He actually seems to be behaving more and sticking close to mom and dad.

The Sandhills

We watched the sandhill cranes this morning walking on the golf course. I honestly believe that they walk the 18 holes every day. This year we finally saw the baby up close. They took a real brisk walk right by our home and I was able to get this picture.

Earlier we watched them on the golf course. The baby took off in his/her own direction. Mom and Dad had to hurry up behind to catch up and you could almost hear the scolding. Baby hurried behind a hedge and was almost playing peek-a-boo with the parents. After they, baby followed close behind. The Trout, on his walk later, saw them looking into the side of the car and seeing their reflection, were pecking at the car.

When the grandchildren were here over Christmas, we watched Mom and Dad tossing a pine cone back and forth; playing catch just like kids. It was such fun to see. I understand their beaks can be very dangerous if they decide to attack you with them. The golfers usually let them pass by and stay out of their way.

It's been busy

Things have gotten surprisingly busy this week. My volunteering is cutting into my free time a lot and I am making lots of lists so that I don't forget to do something.

I did put together a great salad this morning from my friend, Laurie, from Wisconsin. A Kidney Bean Salad with two cans of red kidney beans, chopped celery, green onions, red or green pepper, a tablespoon sweet pickle relish and 2 hard-cooked eggs. To this add 1 tsp. of Worcestershire, vinegar, sugar and mustard. Moisten with 1/4 cup mayo and you have a very creamy salad that is also good for you. Thanks, Laurie.

We are happy to see that the single sand hill crane that has been walking around here alone does not have a dead mate. We just saw mom and dad and we think the single one has taken off on his own and has not found a mate yet. I was very worried that one of them had been killed.

Tomorrow a friend whom I have not seen since high school is stopping by for a visit. That will be a reunion and I just hope we can squeeze everything we need to say into a few hours.

The Sandhill Cranes

Early in the morning, when Kippy and I go out for our first walk of the day, we are usually greeted by two locals who let us know that they are also waking up. They are the resident sandhill cranes. This pair has been here for years. They mate for life and usually lay one or two eggs per year. There are no babies following them this year and last year a beautiful little chick was learning how to find food from mom and dad and then one day, the chick was no longer seen. I can only imagine the alligators in the area got the chick. Possibly that is why there is no chick this year. I can only imagine the alligators got the egg. Survival of the fittest.

They make the loudest noise to let people know they are around and The Trout and I watched them one day while we were on the golf course. They were beating their beaks into the windows of a home on the golf course; just beating furiously as if saying "anyone in there have any good food?" We are told not to feed them because this behavior could really get out of hand.

They simple mosey along the roads and through the yards and usually golf balls are flying over their heads. They are in charge and will move when they are ready. It is not unusual for cars to brake until they cross the road. The sandhill cranes--it is what makes life beautiful.

Critters

I have adjusted to the fact that living in a tropical climate where there is never a hard frost, brings with it another problem. Critters. Anything that crawls or flies where it is not supposed to be, to me is a critter.

Today, as the smell of a slowly braising pork roast is wafting through the house, critters are the last thing on my mind. Then, I open my pantry and WOW! Critters. Once a year it seems, ants get into my pantry. I have learned to put certain foods into glass jars, sealed plastic jars and bins, etc., but every once in a while, I slip with something and today they caught me.

I end up flying around the house with hair standing on end and there is nothing I hate worse than uninvited guests in my pantry or even my house. Did you hear the German words flying out of my mouth? It is not that I am swearing, I am just using every German word I can think of at the moment to console myself that "this too shall pass." At last look, the Terro seems to be working quickly. I think I got on top of it before it got out of control. Aw--Florida!!

But then, there are other critters I can relate to in the not so distant past. The last couple of years when we were renting another cabin in Montana, we had a BAT problem. Now that is one critter that gets no respect from me at all. One night, The Trout and I were battling several bats with a broom and I was the lucky one with only a baseball cap in one hand and an ax in the other. My heart was beating so fast I thought I might pass out, but that was certainly not something I needed to do in such dire circumstances. I needed to be alert and make sure I get my fair share of kill. These bats were sickly looking to both of us. At the end of the evening, we had killed six and by 9 p.m., we were packed up and heading to another cabin. Some people think that bats eat mosquitoes and many, we found out later, are protected because of being endangered, but please forgive me if I did something wrong. Bats flying at you in a small cabin, with many more bats flying around outside, is not the time I think about any critter being endangered. I think I got a few more gray hair that evening.

He's back!

Our friend, "the gator" seems to be back even though he is laying low. He was in our backyard a lot last winter, sunning himself. When you get close, he slips into the water. Not too much of a nuisance, though caution is needed around him. The Trout threw some rocks at him and like a dog, he tried to catch them in his mouth. We understand that bothering an alligator in this way and lead to arrest, so no more of that!

Playing golf, The Trout once sliced a ball and hit a very large gator in the side. With a big, "oomph" she flipped around and headed for the water. We found out later that she had quite a brood (I don't know if that is the right word) of babies. You won't believe the noise they make different times of the year.

There is also one that suns himself on the 16th hole on the golf course, Unfortunately, the ladies tee is right there and you have to put your back to the gator. Someone usually is a lookout if the gator is too close. Such excitement!!