Almost wordless: A flock of robins has been hanging around my yard the past few weeks. An omen of an early spring or perhaps I’m just a source of food and water. [It was 3°F when I shot this through the patio door this morning.]
——————————–
More Wordless Wednesday. © 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
Only one new book last week. I haven’t been requesting much, mostly because I have fairly large backlog of books I already want to read. The new offerings are very tempting though. It’s tough to say no!
I also downloaded a couple of audiobooks over he past few weeks. I’m already listening to The Guest Room and it is riveting.
Print Books
Tender by Belinda McKeon from Lee Boudreaux Books.
. . . a dazzling exploration of human relationships, of the lies we tell ourselves and the lies we are taught to tell. It is the story of first love and lost innocence, of discovery and betrayal.
Audio Downloads
This Census-Taker by China Miéville from PRH.
In a remote house on a hilltop, a lonely boy witnesses a profoundly traumatic event. He tries—and fails—to flee. Left alone with his increasingly deranged parent, he dreams of safety, of joining the other children in the town below, of escape.
The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian from PRH.
The spellbinding tale of a party gone horribly wrong: two men lie dead in a suburban living room, two women are on the run from police, and a marriage is ripping apart at the seams.
——————————–
© 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
Almost wordless: This juvenile Red-tailed Hawk needs to be a little less obvious if he wants to “hunt” at the feeders.
——————————–
More Wordless Wednesday. © 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
Why National Bird Day?
[from nationalbirdday.com]
- The beauty, songs, and flight of birds have long been sources of human inspiration.
- Today, nearly 12 percent of the world’s 9,800 bird species may face extinction within the next century, including nearly one-third of the world’s 330 parrot species.
- Birds are sentinel species whose plight serves as barometer of ecosystem health and alert system for detecting global environmental ills.
- Many of the world’s parrots and songbirds are threatened with extinction due to pressures from the illegal pet trade, disease, and habitat loss.
- Public awareness and education about the physical and behavioral needs of birds can go far in improving the welfare of the millions of birds kept in captivity.
- The survival and well-being of the world’s birds depends upon public education and support for conservation.
Adopt, Don’t Buy
There are thousands of relinquished, abandoned, or rescued birds in shelters across the country waiting for a new family and a forever home.
As a volunteer at a bird shelter, I see the results of overpopulation in the pet trade every day. There is a lot of awareness through the media for dogs and cats, but people are often unaware of adoption programs for birds. Join me in spreading the word and educating the public about issues affecting captive birds and by asking Petco and PetsMart not to sell live birds in their stores.
——————————–
© 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
Welcome to Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia of To Be Continued, a place where readers share the books that came in their mailbox during the last week.
After several years of being on tour with different blogs as the monthly host, the Mailbox Monday Blog is now the permanent home for the meme.
A few new books arrived over the past two weeks. A couple of thrillers and a nature book I’m very excited about winning.
Several years ago I began digging up patches of lawn and turning them into wildflower gardens and natural landscaping. The project has been a success and I would like to add even more native plants and shrubs. Last year I had Monarch butterflies lay eggs and flocks of Goldfinch came to eat the coneflower and coreopsis seeds. Cedar Waxwings visit during migration and I have had Robins in my yard the past three days eating the berries that still remain on several trees and shrubs.
New Arrivals
Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants by Douglas W. Tallamy, a win from Timber Press.
As development and subsequent habitat destruction accelerate, there are increasing pressures on wildlife populations. But there is an important and simple step toward reversing this alarming trend: Everyone with access to a patch of earth can make a significant contribution toward sustaining biodiversity.
The Widow by Fiona Barton from NAL.
When the police started asking questions, Jean Taylor turned into a different woman. One who enabled her and her husband to carry on, when more bad things began to happen… But that woman’s husband died last week. And Jean doesn’t have to be her anymore.
He Will Be My Ruin by K.A. Tucker from Atria.
The USA TODAY bestselling author of the Ten Tiny Breaths and Burying Water series makes her suspense debut with this sexy, heartpounding story of a young woman determined to find justice after her best friend’s death, a story pulsing with the “intense, hot, emotional” (Colleen Hoover) writing that exhilarates her legions of fans.
——————————–
© 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
As I looked back over 2015, I wasn’t surprised to find that the number of books I had read declined from previous years. Taking on a larger role at the bird shelter meant less time for both audio and print reading. Not only was I volunteering to help out at the location two days per work, I also joined the adoption committee and took over responsibility as administrator for the shelter’s Facebook page.
Favorite Books
I only read 66 books last year. Last year I read 103. I liked most of what I read but only a few stood out as exceptionally memorable.
The Birds of Pandemonium by Michele Raffin.
Pandemonium is a bird sanctuary and conservation organization dedicated to saving and breeding birds at the edge of extinction with the goal of eventually releasing them into the wild. This is the author’s story of how her small aviary evolved into a bird sanctuary.
Fishbowl by Bradley Somer.
A unique, quirky tale that takes place during the time it takes a fish to fall from his bowl on the balcony of the 27th floor of an apartment building, give or take a half hour. This was brilliant, different, and enjoyable. One of the most entertaining books I’ve read this year.
The Thing About Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin.
When 12-year-old Suzy’s best and only real friend Franny dies, she becomes obsessed with proving the reason for her death was from a jellyfish sting. Beautifully written, thoughtful story for young readers.
The Memory Painter by Gwendolyn Womack
I enjoyed the blending of genres — history, science fiction, fantasy, and a little romance, and the way the complex plot unfolded in bits and pieces journeying back and forth in time as we built towards a climactic ending.
A Good Family by Erik Fassnacht
Excellent portrait of a seriously dysfunctional family with realistic problems in a real-life setting. I initially chose to read this because the story is set in a Chicago suburb, a real town and where I lived for several years, and stumbled into a very engaging novel. But this could also be the family next door in your neighborhood. This is an overlooked gem and one I highly recommend.
Becoming Steve Jobs by Brent Schlender.
While I don’t own any Apple products other than a iPod, I find the company and the man that built it fascinating. This book has much of the same information that we got in Isaacson’s authorized biography, but it’s told from a different perspective. The authors had known him for many years and choose to highlight his growth and development rather than other people’s opinions.
Love Is Red by Sophie Jaff.
A suspenseful thriller with elements of horror, fantasy, and the supernatural. Although it was obvious early on who the killer was, it was the suspense that made this book a winner. It’s creepy and scary, but it’s also creative and different, making it a favorite for me.
Aquarium by David Vann.
This is a mesmerizing story that was quite different than what I was expecting, and best read without knowing much of the plot. Beautiful, emotional, and at times cringe-worthy, young Caitlin’s strength and innocence kept me rapt as I was swept along to the conclusion.
——————————–
© 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
Over the past few months I did not have a lot of time for writing and blogging, so I was surprised to see that my stats were still at about the same level. What were visitors reading? A quick look told me that the post with the most views for several months now was my recipe for waffles on the George Foreman Grill. Maybe a lot of people were getting Foreman Grills for Christmas, or perhaps they just like homemade waffles. I don’t know because they are not leaving comments.
Today is a re-post of that basic waffle recipe which I adapted from several I found on the internet.
Waffles on the George Foreman Grill
One of the great things about my new George Foreman Grill is that it has interchangeable cooking plates. In addition to ceramic grill plates, which are awesome by the way, there are a variety of baking and waffle plates. I love waffles, but never owned a waffle iron. Turns out they are as easy to make as pancakes.
Classic Waffle Recipe
Ingredients
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups warm milk
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation
In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients: flour, salt, baking powder and sugar. Set aside.
Preheat waffle iron to desired temperature. For the grill plates, preheat for 5 minutes at 425 degrees.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs. Stir in the milk, butter and vanilla. Pour the milk mixture into the flour mixture; beat until blended.
Pour the batter into a preheated waffle iron. Cook until golden and crisp. Using the grill plates, waffles are ready in about 6 to 7 minutes. Be careful not to overfill the plates (like I did). When I closed the grill, batter ran out the back!
This post is linked to Weekend Cooking, hosted by Beth Fish Reads.
Participation is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs.
© 2016 Under My Apple Tree. All rights reserved.
Advertisements appearing on this site are placed by WordPress and are not endorsed or approved by me.
Under My Apple Tree 