Why did the gator cross the road?

 

We don’t actually know, but this big guy crossed the road on the bridge at the end of our property.  He’s about 6 foot long nose to tip of tail which makes him a bit more dangerous than others.  The bigger alligators are eating all the food, so this size gator is hungry!!  And he’s fast!  My friend who took the photo said he turned and hissed at her when she got out to snap the pic.  Eek!  He’s been hanging around the lake for a couple of years and getting bigger all the time.  

So crossing the bridge doesn’t make sense because the lake is down from our drought and it’s really dry on the other side.  I hope a playful dog, or cow or pony hasn’t caught his eye over there!

As the wreath falls…

                               And just like that, Christmas 2022 is over 

Gingerbread Houses

One of my favs 2022
Ice skating gummy bears

 Every year, just before Christmas, I spend a week baking Gingerbread houses.  I invite my young nieces, my older nieces and my sister.  This year I baked and assembled 5 gingerbread houses and 1 glass (Jolly Ranchers) house.  I buy tons of squeezable icing, candy, and assorted decorating edibles.  

Lots of baking using Pampered Chef molds

Baking takes several days because one mold makes only half a house.   I have 3 molds so I bake 1 and 1/2 houses a night.   They need to cool completely and lie flat.

Assembly

Assembly is a two person job, one to apply the ‘glue’ (icing) and one to hold it in place while the glue sets.

Jolly Rancher and Starburst placement

Every year we have both glass and gingerbread houses.  I let them decide what I put together for them.  The glass houses are very cool cos you can put a tea light in and it lights up!   But…. Even in December they don’t hold up well in the Florida heat and the roofs slide off and walls fall in.  But super cool while they last!

Melts into a tasty piece of glass

Ready to party!

And finally the table is set, houses are ready and the holiday tradition commences!!

09/11

 I remember where I was on that terrifying day in 2001.  I worked in a school for autistic children and we turned on the tv and watched in horror.  We waited for the parents to pick up their kids and were surprised at how quickly the school emptied even when the danger was a thousand miles away.  At home Poopsy put in a tape to record it not realizing that it would be recorded from every angle and played over and over until it was burned into our heads.  It’s still fresh over two decades later.

A few years ago my BFF and I took a trip to NYC. The 911 memorial was on our agenda (along with a Billy Joel concert and photography class in Central Park).  We gave it a lot of time and our respect and love.  My photos do not do it justice, but if you are ever in New York it is worth a visit.  Beware, it will break your heart and you will leave there forever changed.

Rest In Peace Beloved Queen

 

I have been a faithful royal watcher since Diana came into the picture.  I watched her engagement, wedding, death and funeral.  Over the years I haven’t always agreed with or understood the decisions and decrees made by the queen. But I have always respected her diligence and passion for the role she played.  I think her family has brought her joy and heartbreak, and losing her prince was more than her heart could manage.  And my heart was broken when I heard of her death, she has been a distant part of my life for a very long time.  Another piece of history in the books.  Rest in peace dear Queen Elizabeth, you will be missed.

The Ever Changing Big Family (Sandhill Cranes)

 There’s a comedian (don’t recall his name) who had a joke about moving to Florida and commented on the wildlife.  He exclaimed “they have birds THIS big!!!” With his hand gesturing over waist high.  When we moved to a home in a rural area several years ago there was a resident Sandhill Crane we called Big Bird, Bebe for short.  She is BIG!   Over 3 feet tall and she’s gorgeous with lovely yellow eyes.  She showed up every day and loped around the yard chasing off any other birds at her whim.  

Bebe Big

Then one day she was gone.  We watched for her every day but no Bebe.  We were seriously sad and missed her and hoped she was safe.  

Never fear!  This story has a happy ending!  A few weeks later Bebe came back!  With a boyfriend!!!   We dubbed him Big Daddy and they officially became ‘The Bigs’.  Bebe and Big Daddy decided to start a family and we were all in love with the twins who arrived the following spring. 

Every year Bebe and Big Daddy have blessed us with new baby Bigs sometimes building their nest in the lake and sometimes in our yard or a neighbors.   We worry about predators (gators, coyotes, etc.) and have lost a few over the years.  But the hardest part is when Bebe chases off the baby to make room for the next one.  Most cranes have one baby clutch a year, but Bebe has always had two, and sadly the second set has typically not survived.  

But this year we lucked out and Baby Big was brought to visit us in late June and is growing by leaps and bounds!

Today we noticed that Bebe and Big Daddy flew off leaving Baby behind.  So we ran out to see what was happening to cause such a rare event!  She was standing in the yard lost and looking for mom and dad.

Baby Big left alone 

There was a ton of Sandhill cranes circling over the lake and Bebe and Big Daddy were on the chase.  Once the ruckus settled there were 8 cranes on the opposite shore with the Bigs between them and Baby.  8 cranes together is rare as they typically pair up so this is probably a group of  youthful birds still looking for a life partner.  We kept watch on Baby and observed the behavior of the flock.  They eventually moved off, first two, then four and the final two.  They gathered again farther away.  Bebe and Big Daddy moseyed their way back to Baby and everyone settled back into their routine.

Peaches Peaches Peaches

I love peaches.   I like their fuzzy skin, the big ole pit, their funny shape and the sweetness in the meat. I have a friend in Georgia who managed to get a box of peaches delivered to my front door (when I had the Covid 😒).  They were beautiful and delicious and there were A LOT!  I didn’t want them to go to waste so I started researching how to make peach jam.  And voila! a quick, easy and delicious recipe was found.  It wasn’t the typical jam process where you hot process the jars, but this is called freezer jam that can be kept in the fridge for a few weeks or in the freezer up to a year. And it’s quick and easy!  So I washed up a bunch of jars and lids.   First I blanched the peaches (cut an X across the top to make an easy to peel option), and then peeled and pitted them. I put them in the dutch oven with sugar and lemon juice and started mashing them.  Brought the pot to a boil for a few minutes then ladled them into the jars!  I filled a few regular jam jars and more mini jars since the jam isn’t shelf stable and needs to be eaten within a couple weeks.   OMG it’s delicious!!

Here’s the recipe I used from thebusybaker.ca    This is for one jar but I had lots more peaches and adjusted this basic recipe accordingly.

Easy Peach Freezer Jam

Ingredients

• 8 ripe peaches
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

• Add the peaches to a deep pot along with the sugar and lemon juice.
• Stir to combine and turn the heat to high, stirring every now and then until the mixture starts to bubble and become hot.
• Use a potato masher to mash the peaches until they begin to fall apart.
• When the mixture begins to boil, continue to stir every 30 seconds or so.
• Use an instant read thermometer to measure the temperature of the jam as it boils.  Be sure the thermometer is measuring at the middle of the jam and not touching the bottom.
• Continue boiling as the temperature climbs and don’t let it stop boiling until it reaches 220 degrees Fahrenheit (for low altitudes) or 218 degrees Fahrenheit (for high altitudes).  This should take about 8 minutes or so.   It took longer for my batch since it was quite a bit larger.
• Once the correct temperature is reached, remove the pot from the heat and carefully spoon the jam into a standard mason jar.  The jam might seem a little bit liquid at this stage - don’t worry!  It will thicken as it cools.
• Add the lids to the jars and allow to cook at room temperature until completely cool.
• Store in the fridge and enjoy!

Notes

• Use the proper water-bath canning process to create a shelf stable version of this recipe, if desired.  The recipe, as it is, is a refrigerator or freezer jam.
• The recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of jam (to fill a large standard mason jar).
• Store this jam in the fridge for up to 2weeks, and in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Please visit  thebusybaker.ca for additional notes and nutritional info.