Little Robin Redbreast

Little Robin Redbreast guarding her babies

Maria and Ruben joined us for one final dinner the end of May before they left for Seattle and the Hawk Surimi, a commercial fishing boat which is both their workplace and home for half of each year. They brought us a beautiful fuchsia in a hanging basket as a goodbye gift and we immediately hung the plant from an empty hook on our front deck, visible from inside the house and just a few feet from where we sit to enjoy our view of the front yard. Actually, it’s mostly Verne who sits on the front deck. I’ve often accused him of sitting there so much that the wildlife considers him a fixture and ignore his presence. Within a week we noticed a pair of Robins making frequent trips to the plant. Working together they built a nest over two days. Uncertain as to whether or not we should water the plant and chance frightening the birds, we decided they chose the spot because of its privacy from all the foliage and opted to carefully water it without directly wetting their nest.

Over the next few weeks we saw less of the male bird while the female was almost always present sitting on her four eggs. We were so concerned about upsetting the birds we didn’t take our first look until we heard the little newborn cheepers. At that point Verne set up a stepstool for our viewing and I began photographing the babies. For the next ten days the babies were rarely alone as the parent birds took turns foraging for worms and feeding the little  ones. According to my readings, the parents make as many as a hundred trips a day to feed the young. Verne and I started each day checking on the family and spent hours sitting on the deck watching.

Then one day we left our posts for several hours and drove to Sacramento for an appointment and shopping. We returned mid-afternoon just in time to witness a hawk swoop down to the nest and take one of the baby robins. We ran to check on the others to find an empty nest – all four babies gone. Our sadness was made worse as we heard the parent birds chattering (crying) to each other from separate trees next to the deck. This dialog went on for 15 to 20 minutes. They continued to check the nest through the following day, Hoping for a miracle as we were.

Mother Nature can be a bitch! I’m quoting, but it does sum up my feelings. It was a beautiful, but sad experience. Here are a few of the pictures I took over the 3-1/2 weeks we shared our fuchsia with the Robin family.

Baby robins a few days old

Baby robins 10 days old (last time we saw them)

Cereal Shot from Guns

Once known as Granula, now called Granola, it’s a healthful (albeit calorie-laden) and delicious breakfast cereal, or when eaten out of hand, a delightful (and addictive) snack. I started making granola when I was in the Master Food Preserver program. One of my early assignments was to teach a class on dehydrating. All food preservation was new to me five years ago, so I used each teaching assignment as an opportunity to fully research the subject, equip our kitchen with all necessary tools and gadgets, and experiment. For this particular class I purchased a half-dozen excellent books on the subject and a 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator with temperature settings, a timer and automatic shutoff (all desirable features in a dehydrator). I dried a dozen different fruits and veggies, made various snack mixes as well as a complete dehydrated meal in a quart jar. Spaghetti in a Jar was actually quite good when rehydrated and became a favorite at my classes. I also made power bars, trail mixes, and granola. I still dry fruit and have continued to make granola, but have switched from using my Excalibur to baking it in the oven. I prefer the oven method as it’s faster and the results are crunchier and have a delicious toasted flavor.

I don’t eat much granola for the two reasons I mentioned above: It’s full of calories and it’s addictive. Verne never eats granola. So why do I make it? Also two reasons: it’s a great way to use up bits and pieces of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, and cereal, and a perfect way to ingratiate myself with our new son-in-law, Andy McGee. If you’ve seen pictures of Andy you’ll agree he doesn’t need to worry about the calories. Secondly, Andy LOVES my granola. You might say he’s “addicted” to it, eating four 1-gallon bags (that’s three batches) in a month. I love this selfie he took eating granola directly out of the bag.

Andy's favorite way to eat granola - straight from the bag!

Actually, the title of this blog post is what prompted me to write it. Verne asked me one morning if I remembered the slogan “Cereal Shot From Guns”. I didn’t, although my mom did occasionally let us kids eat cereal for breakfast (the unsweetened kind), such as cheerios, puffed wheat, or shredded wheat. But then I wasn’t much of a reader. To this day Verne reads everything put in front of him, including the cereal boxes or milk carton if we’re having a no-frills quick breakfast of cereal. Even so, I thought the slogan was too weird to be true. We both Googled it and lo and behold, there’s an amazing story behind the slogan and the cereal. I’ll let you read for yourself about Alexander Anderson and his invention of puffed cereal shot from guns (of peace). 

Alexander Anderson's puffing gun in action

How does this relate to my recipe for granola? Puffed wheat or puffed rice is one of the ingredients I always include since happening onto it a few years ago when I was using up some of the leftover bits and pieces from the pantry. I loved the textural contrast it offered to the chewiness of the oats and changed the recipe to include it as one of the basic ingredients. Other additions to the basic ingredients I’ve made include Bob’s Red Mill flax seeds (also known as linseeds) and chia seeds, both of which are enriched with plant-based omega-3 fatty acids (similar to oily fish). I always include a handful of pepitas (pumpkin seeds), a mineral powerhouse and a beautiful addition of color. Actually, my granola recipe is a work in progress. I’m not sure where I found the original recipe or how I’ve changed it over the past five years, but am sure it will continue to evolve as I experiment with other leftover bits and pieces from the pantry. For now, here’s the recipe for the best ever granola.

Energy-licious Granola

3 cups rolled oats (quick or regular)

1 cup puffed cereal (wheat, rice, corn, quinoa, or whatever else you fancy)

1 cup chopped almonds or other nuts 

1/2 cup powdered milk

1 cup mixed dried fruit (all kinds, cut into small bite-sized pieces)

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup currants

1/2 cup sesame seeds (white or black)

1/4 cup sunflower seeds 

1/4 cup pepitas

1 cup dried coconut, small flakes

1/2 cup dried coconut, large flakes

2 tablespoons flax seeds

2 tablespoons Chia seeds

1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

1/2 cup honey

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a saucepan, mix peanut butter and honey and thoroughly heat. Remove from heat and stir in cinnamon and vanilla. Set aside.

2. Combine all other ingredients in large bowl. Pour the warm honey-peanut butter mixture over these dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed. Use your hands, if necessary. (Hint: First coat your hands with oil or butter.)

3. Spread mixture evenly on two flat, rimmed baking sheets and bake at 300 degrees for about 30 minutes or until lightly browned. I rotate trays mid-way through cooking time.

4. When cooled, place in airtight containers, such as quart jars or 1 quart storage bags.

Note: This is just a general guideline. All measurements are heaping and I vary fruits and nuts based on what I happen to have at the time. 

House for Sale

Long, cold winter of 2019

It’s been five months since I last updated my blog. Verne and I have spent that time enduring a long cold winter with over 18” of snow and double the normal rainfall. It’s May and still setting records for cold (and hot) temperatures and rain. Perfect weather for staying inside and working. We started the new year determined to quit talking about downsizing (as we’ve done for the past decade) and Just Do It! Yes, with a daughter who works at Nike and her cat who won the cute pet contest there (picture below), we’ve adopted Nike’s slogan as our own.

Chloe in a Just Do It sports bag - winning photo in Nike Cute Pet competition

Using the Konmari method Lauren introduced me to a few years ago to make decisions as to keeping or discarding items, we’ve attacked every room in the house. Faced with packing and at some point unpacking (in a much smaller home), the choice has been easy. We’ve taken car loads of donations to Hospice and Interfaith (affiliate of Amador’s Food Bank), and bags of books to Friends of the Library (at this point we must be one of their BFFs). We’ve made repairs (lots of little things that over the years we chose to “live with”), painted sheetrock, re-lacquered kitchen cabinets as well as the pine walls, and, in general, freshened the inside of the house from 20+ years of use. In early April we listed our Volcano home for sale. Interestingly, we met with our realtor for her first walkthrough prior to a photoshoot for the listing and she suggested we “declutter” the place! After four months of doing just that I found her comment a little offensive. However, I let it go and spent that evening looking at house listings online. She was right…the houses that looked barely lived-in photographed better than the ones that were filled with furniture and every inch of wall space covered. We made another pass through the house and packed personal photos, excessive artwork, and “stuff” we’ve accumulated over the years. I feel like we’ve finally lightened our load. It feels good! Of course, we’re far from finished as we’ve not seriously tackled the cabin and barn. It’s doubtful the house will sell quickly, so for now we’re taking a little breather and just enjoying a tidy home and the prettiest 40 acres in Amador County.

Prettiest 40 acres in Amador County

Thanks to a nudge from our tenant in Nevada (an email saying she could no longer afford the rent), we listed our condo for sale the first of May. After having four different families live in the condo over the past ten years (three with pets), it was surprisingly clean and required very little to prepare for sale. According to our realtor, Carson Valley is a strong market and it should sell pretty quickly. All this talk of moving got Lauren thinking about her home and desire to be closer to work and have a third bedroom dedicated to her crafting. Thus, our quick trip to Portland last week (first since Thanksgiving) to meet with a realtor to discuss the sale of the Lake Oswego condo and scope out areas for our relocation. It was time well spent as we narrowed our areas of interest to four communities surrounding Beaverton where the Nike campus is located (close to work for Lauren and close to Lauren for us). The logistics of this move are mind-boggling. For now we’ve decided to wait for the Nevada condo to sell before we seriously house-hunt in Portland.

The balance of our time in Portland was spent eating. That’s really not so unusual, because Portland is a foodie town and we are foodies. Since visiting Lauren there over the past eight years, we’ve had lots of opportunities to try different restaurants and have come up with several favorites. Some are not particularly extraordinary, but more a family tradition. Like meeting Lauren for Happy Hour at the Cheesecake Factory in Washington Square on the evening we arrive in town. After dinner (no cheesecake, as none of us like it) we walk around the mall making sure we pass the See’s Candy store for our complementary chocolate. Another evening is spent at Manzana’s located in downtown Lake O. After dinner we walk to Sur la Table and browse their clearance items in the back of the store. Verne always reminds me of the time we found a Ball Automatic Jam and Jelly Maker on clearance for half its original price because it didn’t have a box. It was during my years in the Master Food Preserver (MFP) program when I was always on the lookout for anything related to food preservation. I had been very outspoken about the merits of the old fashioned long-boil method of jam making and had been particularly critical of a fellow MFP volunteer who knew very little about the subject and only made her jam using the automatic jam maker. Long story short, we bought the jam maker and to this day it’s my favorite way to make jam. Effortless and perfect results every time! Special occasions in Portland always find us at Laurelhurst Market for dinner. It’s a combination charcuterie market and restaurant that has no equal. The service and food are amazing. Birthdays always end with a gift of liver pate from the market. Lucky me…I’m the only one who eats liver! On one of our visits, we saw one of the lead actresses from our favorite series Grimm (Bitsie Tulloch) dining by herself at a nearby table. She was there incognito wearing a hoody and dark glasses, but her disguise didn’t fool us. Then there’s our favorite Thai restaurant, Thai Peacock, in downtown Portland across from Powell’s bookstore. Jana and I discovered Smith tea there when we shared a pot of jasmine tea. It was after that when Lauren and I went to Portland-based Smith Tea for a tasting and our lives were forever changed. A few years ago we added another local restaurant to our list of favorites, Nicoletta’s Table. It opened in a strip mall next door to one of Lauren’s everyday favorites, Senior Taco. I won’t get started on Portland’s lack of good Mexican food or how Lauren and I discovered Senior Taco when we were attending an open house for new students at Lewis and Clark Law School eight years ago, because that would take up the majority of this blog. Instead, back to Nicoletta’s Table. Lauren watched the buildout of the restaurant and suggested we try it. We did and loved it! Over the past couple of years we’ve watched it expand and take on additional space in the strip mall. Its success is warranted as the food and service are excellent.

A gift card to Nicoletta’s Table we received a few weeks before our Portland trip prompted our reservation for Mother’s Day dinner. The pleasure of the gift was only surpassed by our reconnection with the giver, a precious friend from our past. We met Becca about thirty years ago when Jeff brought her home to meet us. I think what I remember most (beyond her being a sweet and beautiful young girl) was her incredible thick, curly hair. Verne used to tease her about turning her upside down and using her as a broom. She obviously had a good sense of humor because she kept coming back and for a short time lived with us. Later she worked for me at PIB and then worked for Verne for about seven years at Rib Roof. We’d lost touch until recently when Becca contacted us to share her good news and thank us for “giving her a career.” She’d continued her education in accounting and passed the CPA exam in one sitting. Quite an accomplishment! We are so proud of her and looking forward to reconnecting in person when she and her husband visit us in Portland after we've relocated.

Mother's Day dinner at Nicoletta's Table, Lake Oswego

Our only other newsworthy experience these past few months was a visit from Jana and Andy (we call them Jandy) the first week of May. We started our time together with dinner at Biba’s in Sacramento. We rarely get to Sacramento anymore (in the evening, anyway), which may explain why I’d been holding onto two separate Biba gift cards totaling $300 that the kids had given us for Christmas a few years ago (that is, seven years ago!). Actually, only one was an actual gift card and the other an email purchase confirmation (with very fine print that said a” card would be mailed”). I was determined to use up the money and told everyone to “spare no expense” and they did just that. After two hours of eating and drinking, I presented the gift card and the computer printout to our waiter. The general manager returned saying he would accept the gift card (which is actually required by law), but not the paper receipt for the second gift. The scene that followed is worthy of being in a movie (comedy for us, horror movie for the general manager). Jana and I grabbed for the paper receipt at the same time (I really didn’t want her to see it because the gift was from her). As we were playing tug-of-war with the paper receipt, I tried to explain to the general manager that I’d never received the card in the mail. When Jana realized the gift was from her, she began scolding me while at the same time searching her phone for the original seven-year old emailed receipt from Biba. She found it and went ballistic (or maybe it was just lawyer mode) shoving her phone in the manager’s face. He looked at both of us and realized he was beaten.  And, that we were causing a scene in his otherwise tranquil restaurant. He walked away shaking his head not quite sure if he’d just been duped, but anxious for us to leave because at this point Jana and I were laughing uncontrollably at the outrageousness of what had just happened. Verne and Andy just quietly watched us in disbelief (as was everyone else in the restaurant).

Kennedy Tailing Wheel visitor center

Picnic and cards in Volcano Park

Their visit was timed for one of the few non-rainy weekends this month so perfect for getting out and walking around the property, a hike at Chaw'Se Park (Indian Grinding Rock), and a short walk to see the enclosed tailing wheel on Jackson Gate Road, where we enjoyed sandwiches from Andre’s Bakery. We planned to just relax on Saturday, but received an email from the realtor mid-day saying the house would be shown and we needed to vacate for 1-1/2 hours in the afternoon. We packed another picnic lunch, beer and wine, and were off to the Volcano Park where we spent the next few hours playing cards and having a great time. Twice over the weekend I was the Big Winner at 500 Rummy! That's my story and I'm stickin' to it! Jana, if you want to claim victory, you’ll have to write your own blog! Hehehe!!! As often as we’ve passed the park, Verne and I had never taken time to picnic there, so it was a first time for all of us. What fun. Another Moser Good Eats and Good Times!

A few more photos from the last few months that are too good not to share...

Jana in Austria

Maria and Ruben in Norway

Trish and Jeff with son, Parker, soon to graduate high school
and then off to University of Connecticut to study digital art

Our last barn cat at the house for a visit -
 not friendly, but very curious