Both of my parents were avid “at home” bird watchers, and had many feeders around our yard. They loved to share with us kids, what they learned through this hobby, so I grew up loving and appreciating birds.
A part of the enjoyment of wintering in South Texas is the new varieties of birds we get to experience there.
I was fortunate to catch this shot of a Great Kiskadee at one of the many birding locations in the RGV, and was pleased that I also caught a decent reflection.
Every once in a while, I have a strong craving for ice cream. It has to be three scoops of a good vanilla, topped with whatever my mood suggests, and no, I don’t feel a drop of guilt when I indulge.
After our day at Tombstone, AZ, our next stop was the Pima Air and Space Museum in Tucson, AZ.
That’s hubs in my feature photo, anxious to get the visit started.
My father-in-law was a pilot overseas in WW2, so this place was high on the “must see” list for hubs.
We arrived around 0930 and stayed until after 1600 hours. The 24 hour clock (aka military time) was used all through my nursing career, and it seemed appropriate for this post.
In truth, I enjoyed this massive place too. While hubs read every single word on every single sign, I was in my glory snapping pics.
Here a few of the over 150 photos I took there:
I’d often heard about the excellent meat offerings at the Ukrainian Co-op in our capital city, Regina, Saskatchewan.
When I Googled the address, the images that came up were all the incentive I needed to convince hubs to take me there to get some photos.
All sides of this building are covered with colourful and historical murals.
My feature photo shows where we parked our truck on arrival. We soon discovered that this was an exit, so we had to walk around to the opposite side to locate the entrance.
The walk was worth it.
If you’ve ever seen a hand painted Ukrainian easter egg, you’ll know how I chose the title for this post.
I’ve been making these darlings of the pastry world since 2022.
For a full year prior to my first attempt, I studied extensively… reading every word possible about technique and trouble shooting. I also viewed more YouTube videos than I can count.
Since the “learning phase”, I’ve made well over one thousand of these divas of desserts. I’ve finally come to a place where I understand and commit to the necessary “P’s” with each and every bake and I’m happy to say that I’m no longer intimidated.
My feature photo is of my most recent bake (a few days ago) The shells are unflavoured and decorated with sanding sugar. The filling is a vanilla bean ganache dam with Saskatoon Berry jam in the centre.
My favourite thing about these fussy babies is their versatility. Through colour and flavour, I can make countless varieties with one basic recipe!
Tombstone, AZ is steeped in history (and more than a bit of kitsch)
I’m sure we’d have enjoyed our stay a lot more if it hadn’t been so blasted cold outside!
Despite the weather, we made the best of it and finally found a place to warm up with some Irish Coffee.
In the mid to late 1980’s, artistic murals on building walls here in my province, were a new concept.
In 1989, the town administration of Duck Lake, Saskatchewan had heard of another Canadian town – Chemainus, British Columbia (where a murals project had become quite famous) so a delegation traveled to B.C. to explore the feasibility.
The resulting Duck Lake historical murals definitely boosted tourism.
Now, these massive art displays are found on building walls in cities and towns across our entire province.
I snapped my feature photo in our capital city – Regina, Sask. Sadly, I was too close to catch the ladybug that was on the far right of this colourful mural. I always forget to switch to the .5 (extra wide) lens on my phone in such situations.
Hopefully, lesson learned this time.
There are a few places here in our province where Canada Geese have moved in and taken over. One place is the beautiful Wascana Park in our capital city, Regina. Another is a beach at Kenosee lake, a popular summer destination here in the southern part of Saskatchewan.
Don’t get me wrong – I love everything nature related, including these magnificent birds … I’m just not all that fond of trying to avoid their droppings on the walking paths and beaches.
Our prairie city seemed to be spared … until recently.
On a recent walk alongside the river, I was greeted by this squad and they were so bold that they barely moved as I walked by. It was like they were daring me to make a move.
The only move I dared make was to raise my phone camera to get a couple of shots, and then move along as quickly as possible.
These big birds can be aggressive, and I wasn’t eager to tangle with their mob.
As a part of our 2016 mission to explore Arizona more fully than on previous trips there, we visited Bisbee – once a thriving mining town, and now a tourist destination with a fascinating history.
Here they are!!
About three weeks ago, I found a recipe for these cottage cheese/egg muffins and adapted it to my own preferences.
When I made these in my regular metal muffin pan, they were delicious, but sadly, collapsed as they cooled. In addition, despite the metal pan being well oiled, the eggs stuck terribly.
Enter the silicone muffin pan I mentioned in my Friday post about self gifting.
I used the same recipe but because the muffin cups in the silicone pan were so much deeper than in my metal pan, I added 4 eggs to the 6 the recipe called for.
In addition, because I set the silicone pan inside a metal cake pan (for stability), I had to add 12 minutes to the recipe bake time in order to be satisfied that the eggs had set.
The end result told the tale! Despite the lower fill level, the contents rose beautifully and maintained their shape throughout cooling!
They released easily from the silicone pan and clean up was a breeze!
Now, I can’t wait to try regular muffins in my new self gift!
**For those looking for a recipe, this is loosely what I’ve been doing:
Cottage Cheese and Egg Muffins (makes 1 dozen)
Preheat oven to 375°F
Whisk together 6 – 10 eggs, 1/2 cup cottage cheese and whatever spices you prefer. I used salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Stir in whatever cheese, meat, and vegetables you prefer @ 1/2 cup each ingredient (I used spinach, green onion, red bell peppers, real bacon bits, and shredded old cheddar)
Pour into muffin pan and bake for 18 – 30 minutes (until eggs are set)
Let cool in muffin pan for about 15 minutes and then remove to a plate to continue cooling.
Store in a sealed container in fridge or freezer.
Reheat in microwave for 30 seconds to one minute if out of fridge … 2 minutes if out of freezer
**High protein, keto-friendly, and gluten free**
Radically Retired 