Suddenly homeless

Having watched as several feet of snow have fallen on our yards and roads, we can't forget the impact on wildlife.

While checking on my girls in their chicken coop the other day, something made me look up, where I saw this bird – a junco? – apparently distraught about an abundance of snow having filled it's nest.

What's a bird to do but wait for a thaw? I thought about finding a 10 foot pole with which I could knock the snow about, but nature took its course and the rain that fell last night took away every bit of this snow.

Italian Gastronomia meets American hunger

The significance behind the new photo which did head my blog but is now posted here, relates to food that my dear hubby and I would love to indulge in – but cannot, because we are clinging to a nasty four-letter word: D-I-E-T! The 17 day diet to be exact.

To begin with, it seemed like a good idea. We both need to lose weight, and the 17-day diet plan allows one to still have food -- just far more protein than carbohydrates ... and LOTS of vegetables, which fortunately I enjoy consuming.

Unfortunately, the writer of the 17-day diet book wasn't set up for the deluge of interest he received in people wishing to purchase his book. 10 days after placing my order, I learned my order had never been processed even though I paid an extra $9 for shipping. So five days before Christmas, the book finally arrived. WHO wants to begin a new diet the week of the greatest overeating of all time? GRRR.

But start the diet we did ... feasting on very large salads of romaine lettuce for lunch and fish or chicken for dinner along with such delectable vegetables as brussel sprouts and green beans!!

Like the diet suggested, I did lose 7 lbs. in three days -- but then Christmas Eve arrived along with chili soup (crackers have lots of carbs) dips served on crackers, and the holiday breads seemed to have my name on them.

Overall, neither of us has gained any weight during the holidays, but the wine consumed at a gathering of friends we hosted in our home, pretty much nullified the earlier weight loss. New Year's Day, we'll start anew.

And as for the photo, it was taken by me a few years back, in the city of Amalfi, Italy. Didn't think we could smuggle one of those ham hocks home on the plane however . . .

A Pileated Woodpecker siting along the Volga River

The other day as I trudged across the yard to begin a trek on cross-country skis, I thought I heard the laugh of the elusive Pileated Woodpecker. We have seen this bird on rare occasions in our wooded hollow where we live, but the species is people-wary.


As I heard the loud, alarming call of the bird I looked up in time to see him winging away high into the sky so I couldn't make positive identification.

But today – as I was on the phone with my mother, I looked up through our very large picture windows to see the Pileated Pillager of wood. The bird was making its way up a branch of a massive bur oak just across the fence. No question about it once I raised my camera with a telephoto lens – it was a 15-inch woodpecker. These birds make relativity large cavities in trees – and abandon them at the end of the breeding season. They are non-migratory however, and much easier to spot in winter months due to the lack of foliage.


According to Wikipedia, Pileated Woodpeckers make such large holes in dead trees that the holes can cause a small tree to break in half. The roost of a Pileated Woodpecker usually has multiple entrance holes. Pileated Woodpeckers have been observed to move to another site any eggs that have fallen out of the nest—a rare habit in birds. The cavity is unlined except for wood chips. "Both parents incubate three to five eggs for 15 or 16 days. The young may take a month to fledge.


Only known to the Eastern part of the state in Iowa, the Pileated Woody is a truly impressive and unforgettable bird. If you'd like to follow a link to a sound file for the woodpecker's laughing call, go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pileated_Woodpecker

Dec. 8 came & went without nary a complaint

You all are too easy on me . . .

Remember that I promised to have my sewing room clean or at least unbury the furniture enough to result in some semblance of improved organization in 30 days? That day (Dec. 8) came and went, but don't think I haven't felt GUILTY about it. (Even though not one of you harassed me about breaking my promise.)

I did rearrange the furniture. I also finished one quilt, in the past month. It was just a small Christmas-themed wall-hanging that the designer boasted could be completed in a weekend ... NOT!

Well, as Christmas nears and I continue to dust for cobwebs behind the refrigerator and amongst the rafters, my sewing room continues to beckon. It just isn't calling to me as strongly as the voices from the books & magazines that whisper, "Read me!" And admittedly, I figure I get more exercise cross-country skiing, than I do sitting in my sewing chair wondering, "Where am I going to go with all this pretty fabric?" After all, the cake balls aren't likely to last much past Dec. 26 so every lap around the yard should help somewhere.

Merry Christmas & happy holidays .... here's hoping the snow lets up long enough we can all get where we want to go!

Homemade noodles & cake balls (not served together)

It's just a week until Christmas Eve leaving us little time to prepare treats for holiday hosting.

Having the day to myself, I decided to try a couple of new things ... homemade noodles and cake balls.

While absolutely delicious and worth the effort, cake balls do require some time to dip in chocolate or almond bark. Having just read an article in the 'Accent' section of a newspaper, I tried mixing chocolate cake with coconut pecan frosting, before coating the orbs in chocolate bark flavored with coconut. Mmmm, almost as tasty as truffles!!

I've often purchased homemade noodles at bake sales & bazaars. There's nothing like them for homemade beef & noodle soup. I thought it was time I tried making my own. Using free range eggs provided by my hens, the result was a starchy noodle with a lemony color and flour dusting that was perhaps a little thick, but they'll result in a robust soup or chicken & noodle dish on a cold winter's day!

Dreaming of a White Christmas? It's here to stay

Oh the weather outside is frightful!!

Unless your idea of paradise is a minus 18 degrees on the thermometer at the time of awaking from a pleasant slumber. Brrrr! For readers in warmer climates - not only is it overly chilly in Northeast Iowa right now, but many of us are buried under more than a foot of snow. I returned home from a holiday gathering at the neighbors' house last night at 9 p.m. – and the mercury had already dropped to -10.

We could complain, or we could attempt to enjoy this winter that promises to keep the ground covered in a white blanket insulating our spring bulbs ...

Some winters my cross country skis have remained tucked into the rafters of our unfinished basement collecting dust. But not this year! Twice already I've taken the Salomons out into the yard for a little skate around the premises. Yesterday, as temps rose to 20 degrees with no wind, Lucy, Lulu and Honey joined me in the snow. Other than cold paws where ice chips form between their toes, these three siblings love the fluffy white stuff. It appears they'll need some training however, on how to either stay BEHIND the skis, or jump aboard and enjoy the ride. Silly "Honey" believed he could stroll along in my ski track in front of me, until I took him out as I gained speed down the hill.

He'll learn.

The forecast for Wednesday: Another 2-4 inches of fresh snow!! Someone must have heard Bing Crosby crooning, "I'm dreaming of a White Christmas" the other night on the american movie classics station.

While I'm away, the cats & chickens will play ...

Sometimes I wonder if maybe it isn't better to leave the house every day, so I don't know about the things that go on around our two-acre yard.

During the past week, my dearest feline "Lulu" has brought me no less than four SHREWS. Yes, thankfully, they were dead when she left them on my front doorstep. And yes, I admonished her for leaving them right where I step out the front door, but not until after I rubbed her ears and said, "Good kitty!"

I've never seen cats who love the snow like Honey, Lulu and Lucy. In fact for 10 minutes, Lulu sat in five inches of the stuff, watching a hole she'd dug – shrew-hunting, I presume.

Today, I made a quick trip to town for groceries and cat food. When I returned home, there was a chicken roosting in one of our wild plum trees, 10 ft. above ground. What the???

No amount of coaxing would convince mischievous "Clucker" to fly out of the tree. Obviously she flew up there, and she could fly out, although the "thicket" as we refer to it, is quite brambly.

As I kept an eye on Clucker, I set a bag of cat food on the front porch steps and returned to my car for the last of the groceries. When I returned, I discovered my cat, Honey, had nearly accomplished the feat of opening a 10-lb. bag of cat food. It obviously smelled tasty judging by the way he was drawn to it.

I fed the cats, and eventually, Jeff used a snow shovel to coax Clucker to fly out of the plum tree. All was right with the world for yet another day as our chickens found their way back into the coop for the night.

Morale high as holidays approach for Natl. Guard stationed in Afghanistan

(Editor's note: The following information was gleaned from a teleconference with Strawberry Point native Col. Ben Corell, who spoke with reporters from Afghanistan. Many of you may know soldiers currently stationed in that country with the Ironman Battalion or other units.

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, AFGHANISTAN – While Northeast Iowans cope with their first heavy snowfall of the winter, the men and women of the 2nd Brigade, 34th Infantry, battle sand blizzards and in some regions, austere living conditions.

That was the report from Col. Ben Corell, a Strawberry Point native who leads the 34th infantry of the Iowa Army National Guard. Following sendoff ceremonies in late July and early August, about 2,800 National Guard soldiers of the 2BCT are part of the largest call-up from Iowa, since World War II. The 2BCT includes 133rd infantry guardsmen from the National Guard unit based in Oelwein.

Col. Corell spoke to select reporters via teleconference, Monday, Dec. 6, from his office at Bagram Airfield, Parwan Province, Afghanistan.

Afghanistan still a dangerous place

"This is a very dangerous place, just like Iraq was," he said. At times you look at the mountains and think it's a beautiful site, but it's still a dangerous place."

The Iowa Guardsmen and women have been assigned to mentor Afghan police units in Kabul in addition to having responsibilities at the Afghan Training Center.

The goal is to mentor the Afghan people in how to provide their own security for their people.

He said as part of the 2BCT's efforts to neutralize the insurgency ... efforts are squarely focused on helping the Afghan people. "While development activities are flourishing, he said, "these missions aren't without risk and challenges. Our soldiers are putting in long hours, but morale remains high."

Mountains in Afghanistan

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Mountains in Afghanistan hide in the morning haze. The high altitude of the Hindu Kush mountain range creates a harsh climate ranging from more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer to below-freezing temperatures in the winter. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Felicia Juenke.)

Corell said some Iowa soldiers have had contact with explosive devices, although none has sustained significant injury. He said the unit's medical teams are being taught to diagnose and monitor for brain injury, because explosives have struck vehicles in which soldiers were riding, and the vehicles are not the armored Humvees used in Iraq, because roads are much poorer in Afghanistan.

Guard soldiers long for communication with home

Soldiers in the more remote areas receive mail less often than those stationed in the major ports, but Corell said efforts are being made to improve delivery.

Helicopters and small planes arrive with mail and supplies. The priority is ammunition and food, he said. 

"Sometimes the mail gets pushed down in priority but we try to get mail in there once a week. 

"Our mail rooms are full of care packages," he said. "These are a welcome reminder of everything that matters most. Thanks to all, from the letters from school kids to those sending care packages. Our mail clerks are working overtime to get the care packages out."

As for the living conditions, Corell said the goal is for two hot meals a day, even though most meals are prepared from containers.

At one site, he said water for showers and laundry is drawn from a nearby river. "Obviously drinking water is bottled," said Corell, "but they are washing their clothes in a 5 gallon bucket." Waste from the latrines, must be burned.

Even though living arrangements are crude and makeshift, Col. Corell said the main request of soldiers is for improved communication with family and friends back home.

"All they want is a little more access to phones and the internet." 

Winter's arrived in Bagram, Parwan Province

The 2BCT leader said in the past week, the weather has begun to deteriorate in Afghanistan. "Our operations range in elevation from 8,000 ft. in the mountains to below sea level. Night-time temperatures, he said, are in the upper 20s. There's no snow in Bagram, but the snow is starting to accumulate in the higher elevations.

Asked to compare life in Afghanistan with that of a previous mission to Iraq, Corell said the obvious lack of infrastructure stands out in Afghanistan. "There are a lot of trails here that don't support the machines we use." Blacktops don't exist in most areas. "We're much closer to the population than in Iraq, and the population is more rural, or small town."

Corell concluded advising, "It's important for the people of Iowa to think about us and our families. I pray every night we continue to do everything right. But this is a dangerous place and there are a lot of challenges. I hope we continue to do well. 

"There's a lot of sacrifice going on," he said.