Bears and Foxes on the Prowl

How we love the country and sharing it with the rain, sun, wind, snow and our furry animal friends for neighbors and tenants. Foxes are not on the list of our furry friends. No. Just the other evening we lost one of our ducks to a fox. (Since Sir Salty is outside with us when we are outside we haven't had problems with foxes, but Sir Salty was bathed that afternoon and we kept him inside most of the afternoon and evening.) Remember Farley in the sequel to Charlotte's web? Yes, the fox came right up bold and was then was gone.

And...just the other day a black bear was shot nearby because (not on our place, though) it had attacked a llama and then attacked again later a 130 lb. goat and some cattle. We found out that this bear had an identification on it and that the game or park service had actually drove it to State College, Pennsylvania and dropped it off there which is a 2-hour drive from here. A few months later and the bear is back. The government agency said that bears normally eat berries and nuts and don't attack livestock. Since this one "had learned some bad habits" they said, it was done away with.

It would be great to have a heads up about problem bears; wouldn't it? Especially since our area is not known for bears. To think of our westie, Sir Salty going out at night for a quick stroll around the yard and confronting a bear. Knowing our tough doggy he would think he is the strongest of the two of them! See him in the photo puffing out his chest on the look-out. That's our doggy boy.

Little Kitten Moves In

Yes, she looks a little scared here when we first got her, but you should see her now, pouncing and prancing all around. Her little sideways walk is cute. Everything about her is cute!

Her name is unofficially "Puffin". I must confess I was rather left out of the naming process and feel that you shouldn't name a kitten after a bird. She should have a more elegant name like "Celia or Cecelia", but she is fluffy and swift so maybe Puffin is good after all. No doubt about it she will like fish.

Sir Salty's chest puffs out because he has so many friends to protect on the farm now. The ducks are about the same size as him.

Gardening with Color

Dianthus are a favorite of mine. Their clove scent and their rich colors are an important combination. This is a double flowered one called Dynasty. If you can find some be sure and get them. They overwinter well here and are among the first things to come up in spring. Then after they flower just cut down and they will send forth another flush of blooms. Continue this routine until nature cuts them down for winter with a hard frost. Here they are against the new coneflower called Harvest Moon. Oh, the sizzle.

See the lone pink coneflower and how it just looks so-so against the dianthus, but the orange and brown strike a richer combination with the burgandy flowers. Again we are going for the plants that come back faithfully year after year. An encore we anticipate every year.

You might remember me telling you that one of my favorite color combinations is lime green and gray. Here is a beautiful example of it in a hanging basket. I want to make a garden of just lime green and gray. (Add it to the long list of things I want to do which might go around the world once, at least.) I can always do it on paper.

Flourless Rich Chocolate Cupcakes and Coffee

Fresh sweet butter and rich bittersweet chocolate went in the double broiler to melt and then eggs yolks were whisked into the warm chocolate for these flour free cupcakes.

The recipe is from one of Martha's cookbooks, Martha Stewart Living 2002 Annual Recipes, and really they are little souffles that melt in your mouth similar to angel food cake, but much richer. I sprinkled a little sugar on top of each cupcake for a little crunch texture. The name of the recipe is Sunken Chocolate Cakes with Coffee Ice Cream.

We served them to a crowd the other evening and I had doubled the recipe and it yielded 2 tins of cupcakes. As always I didn't remember to take a picture until I had scooped the last bit of ice cream out and it was less than round, perfect looking, but same great taste. I always admire the kids at Baskin and Robbins for their perfect scooping cone after cone. When we make our own ice cream it is usually soft and there's not much concern about shaping.

If it wasn't for cows we wouldn't be having ice cream. Did you know that the first cow came to America in 1611? Did you ever wonder what they had for dessert in 1610 in America? I will check into it. Maybe apples pies.

Another fact is that a cow can produce about 80 glasses of milk a day! Amazing. Thank you cows for all the dairy delights we feast on.

Our westie had another fresh egg the other day when I was gathering eggs for the cupcakes. He picked one up and ran ahead back to the house. I think Sir Salty could run a marathon with an egg in his mouth since he's had so much practice.

Back to the Basics on the Farm

Back to the Barn, back to the hoe and back to homesteading. Everything is still so green and my standard gardenia tree is budding and blooming again! That is exciting news. The aroma is so heavy and rich...like some haute cuisine that I could never replicate. A flower is on the table next to me and I almost have to put a lid on it to get things accomplished.

Now is the time you are so glad you planted dahlias because they are so happy faced, in bloom, looking over the slowed down, tired plants around them. The cannas are standing so tall and triumpant next to them. They are gallanting guarding off the cooler weather. Standing so tall and valiant even though it is September. Sometimes we don't get a killer frost until the end of October. Other times it's the first or second week of October.

The rose hips are orange now and as I pinch them only one little precious seeds slips out. Life is a miracle I am reminded. Our house is turning into a seed vault. Little papers here and there full of seeds from the garden.

My Dad came over to help mow and nicely shaved off my row of hostas and the row of daylilies behind it. Gardening 101 and show and tell is scheduled. Actually I don't have the heart to tell him. Thankfully these perennials will recover with a little extra fertilizer.

My brother came to help with the chainsaw on a large fallen tree. He was wearing loose kahki shorts and when he was making sure he was keeping the chainsaw away from everything else it caught on the edge of his shorts which pulled the saw into his leg. These machines are unforgiving and we are glad for the little extra that our body stores under the skin (also known as fat) that saved it from going into the muscle.

All the fall bulbs are now in at our Costco. I stopped and looked and looked, but did not put any in my cart. Maybe soon. The tall alliums are at the top of my list again this year. Many of us stop to look over this towering display of every bulb imaginable. Especially since some are not hardy in our area.

I overheard one man telling his wife, "Just pick out what you want, honey. Get as many as you want and what we don't plant we can give away." At this point I had to turn around to see if this was a real living male species. It was and he was before my eyes and I thought we should clone this man. To make it more surprising the wife couldn't make up her mind and here the whole spring array was before her eyes.

This sweet female holstein calf could be mine. I gave $1. raffle for it at the fair and I believe they draw tomorrow. Cattle have this unusual trait that when calf twins are born and one is a male and the other is a female, the female is always sterile. So really it's a gamble to buy a female calf at any livestock auction not knowing if it was a twin or not. They usually sell for about $500. for a female day old or 2 day old calf.

Cake Couture Cupcakes--The best in Hawaii by Candylei

This is it! The search is over. I have found the best cupcake ever and it is here at this cake bakery near Honolulu. And wait. Do you see the screen in the above photo showing a cake? Well, at present they don't have any cake or cupcake pictures on their website, www.couturecakes.com but if you go into the shop you will be mesmerized by her skill at decorating everything from many tiered wedding cakes to children's single birthday cakes to cupcakes. Her meaning Emerson-Bass. Fondant or sugar paste is used for her tropical flowers and they are spectacular! Very entertaining watching their slide show inside the shop. Ladies t-shirts are available in the shop in brown and lime green.

Location: Aina Haina Shopping Center Courtyard, Honolulu, HI 96821 phone 808-373-9750

Great idea. The owner has taken cake platters and piped on the cupcake flavors available. That is one way to get practice at script when decorating cakes. I don't think she needs practice. She has mastered it.

This is the one. Orange creamsicle cupcake is the ultimate cupcake. Rich, moist and filled with lots of super fine orange zest that makes every bite zing. The frosting is just as good as the cupcake to make a outstanding combination.

Above are the mocha cupcakes. Delicious. Another great one is their peanut butter cupcakes. People in Honolulu were raving about them. I didn't get to taste one of those, but I can just imagine it. Cake Couture Cupcakes was voted best cupcakes in the Honolulu Magazine this year.

One of my new paintings that is listed now on ebay of two Hawaiian girls....mother and daughter in their island prints. P.S. They like cupcakes too.

Wholesale Prices on Fabric, Hawaiian and Tropical Prints!

From the outside this little store doesn't begin to show the treasures hidden inside. Walk into this little store and you will not be disappointed. It is bright with colors and patterns that cover the spectrum. Then the added joy of reading the prices! 2.99 a yard? Do I have sunstroke? Can that be right? Below is one side of the aisle that held poly/cotton.

This is the aisle with the 100% cottons all on rolls so there isn't a fold to iron out. The wholesale price is 4.99 a yard. Unbeatable. The store may be narrow, but it is deep and also has a second floor.

They also sell 100% cotton decorater fabric fabrics for curtains and upolstery, but we also use it for tablecloths and skirts! Those prices are 7.99 and I didn't get a picture of the back of the store where they are. (In moments of excitement all memories of carrying a camera are forgotten.) I noticed all of the clerks that work there were wearing aprons made from this vintage looking fabric.

Some rows were 6 or more rolls deep. So many choices. So little money. So beautiful.

Now if you can't go in person the next best thing is to buy it online. Their website is: http://www.fmart.com/

They have pictures of most of their fabrics that they sell. They also sell hula notions and some hawaiian quilted items.

I was thinking of Sir Salty and our kitty, Kenya back home. I will have to make our puppy a lava lava. That is similar to a Scottish kilt, but with Hawaiian fabric, not plaids.

Here is what they are doing at home. They are daring each other to cross the invisible line. Knowing that when Mom is not there they can make up their own rules of how to play ball...or rather tackle without a ball....whatever you call that game.

Blue Ginger and Black Footed Penguins in Hawaii

Here are the cute penguins at the Hilton resort in Hawaii. If you go down at 8am in the morning you can watch them get fed and learn a little about them. Yes, they are tropical penguins from South Africa! I didn't know there were tropical penguins. I was feeling rather sorry for them, but we were told they are comfortable and they are used to warm tropical weather. Everyone present immediately felt relieved to hear this.

I love how they line up like school children and there isn't any fighting over the fish nor is there any chewing. Swallow. Swallow. Swallow.

We all got to touch this one. It felt like a newborn calf. It was raised in San Francisco by humans and now thinks it is a human. They call it imprinting. Also we learned that they are many different species of penguins and this group here picks a mate for life. If one dies usually the mate dies soon after.

We were told that these black footed penguins look exactly alike and they have to test their blood to find out if they are male or female.

The resort is 22 acres. You walk around a bend and then come upon a private pond like these flamigos above. I think this is a black swan, too. I should have paid more attention, but then I was spellbound by the tall towering gingers. Red torch ginger, pink ginger, shell ginger and blue ginger. I didn't see any white fragrant ginger there blooming. That is the fragrant one!

Some of the gingers were over my head...so healthy. To hear a little slack key music you can go to their website: http://www.hiltonhawaiianvillage.com/ and take a virtual tour of sorts.

Local Food in Hawaii

I forget how lush everything is in Hawaii including the food. If you grew up or lived in Hawaii for any amount of time you would be familiar with Zippy's. This is what people order alot of...Saimin.

The pink and white is a fishcake and fresh green onions are sprinkled on top. Then there is char siu which is roast pork with chinese seasoning rubbed on all sides then roasted and sliced thin. Zippy's is open 24 hours in Waikiki and the next most popular item is their chili. Inside Zippy's they have a bakery to tease us and they have this Guava Cake, below, which is a favorite.

Guava is not only on the top but also is the cake batter. Delicious. Something you can't find in Maryland, but we can make similar guava cupcakes.

Even the birds here in Hawaii eat very tasty food. Below is one of the birds at the Hilton. I should say one of many, many birds. There are ducks, flamigos, penguins and birds from far away places. This parrot talks to you and it talks to the other birds, too. What personality.

Below is this parrot's breakfast! WOW! All fresh fruit and fresh vegetables.

It looks like it was taken right out of a food magazine, but I was right there to see it with my own eyes and interview this bird about it's cuisine.... It's answers were a bit irrelevant, but then so are the politicians and analysts these days.

Me: You are so beautiful.

Parrot: Pretty Bird

Me: Your food looks so good.

Parrot: Hello

Me: Do you like it here at the Hilton

Parrot: Fluffs it's feathers and squawk purrs.

Me: Hmm. What are you trying to say?

Parrot: Pretty Bird

Me: Yes

Parrot: Hello

Someone walks by and the parrot loudly says, Goodbye

I wonder what my westie doggy boy would think of a parrot friend? I can see why people like parrots they are fun and teachable.

Gourmet Coconut Ice Cream in Hawaii

Here in Hawaii if you stay in Waikiki there is a little ice cream shop that will stop you in your tracks after the first taste of their "premium gourmet ice cream." I don't know of anyone who would challenge this proclamation...we are all in agreement. Now if you can't come to Hawaii that is not a problem because I found out that you can fedex (overnight shipping) 6 pints of ice cream for $120.00 to states on the west coast. Lapperts is located in the Hilton Hawaiian Village. (I am a country girl so at home we get the ice, gather the eggs, get cream from the dairy near us and start churning the ice cream maker.)

I checked out all of the flavors and went with coconut. Whenever in doubt go with coconut. I love coconut. This is so rich and luscious and w-o-n-d-e-r-f-u-l-! Just reading the flavors is an adventure there. Their sorbets are gourmet as well and in some of their ice creams they swirl in sorbets.

There is one called Kauai Pie Ice Cream. It is a mixture of Kona coffee icream, chocolate fudge, coconut flakes, macadamia nuts, vanilla ice cream, and cake crunch.

Another called Mauna Kea Secret Ice Cream. It is a combination of white chocolate, brownies, chocolate chips and raspberry sorbet. I could go on and on with all the delightful combinations. For all of us green folks they serve ice cream in paper cups or cones.

They have a web site at http://www.lapperts.com/

A little sampling of hawaiian quilts in many different color flavors, too. I love the patterns and the meanings behind each fruit and other symbols.

Stretching For a Beverly Hills Sprinkles Cupcake Visit

We like cupcakes because they are sweet, moist and fresh. Sprinkles Cupcakes say they have a tiny kitchen. That may be so, but the flavor that comes out is "big".

If you have to travel thousands of miles to find some good cupcakes...so be it. You sit down and eat every morsel. You are envious of the packages lined up along all counters...of course they are all orders ready to be picked up. I should have faxed my order in from Maryland. "........Yes, and I'll be there shortly to pick them up."

I was so pleased that the plates were paper and the forks were wood! That thrilled me as much as the cupcakes themselves. They are keeping up with everyone going green! Lead by example.

I had this mocha cupcake. It's sitting on the glass counter and their logo reflects backwards from the glass window. I want to say the design of this shop is beautiful. The thick wall of glass that keeps the cupcakes safe from little fingers and germs is stunning. It's thick just like bullet proof glass at the bank. It's a small shop, but the space is used wisely and it's an open, clean design. They also had plenty of help behind the counters. Yay! The floor is concrete like in a airplane hanger, but who is looking at the floor in a cupcake bakery?

Their website is: http://www.sprinklescupcakes.com/ if you want to check out their other locations and they are even overseas.

Now not too far away while we were driving I snapped this shot trying to catch these beautiful hanging baskets that were the size of a smart car. This is on Rodeo Drive and I have to find out what this pink flowering tree is. It is beautiful! It has huge pink flowers on it almost like a magnolia.