Hello, Old Friend!

For sentimental reasons going back many years, I've always enjoyed feeding ducks and/or geese.  Every morning on my way to work I pass two duck/geese habitats.  It's always a great way to start the day, especially when there are young out and about with their parents in the spring.

This particular duck, whose name is merely "Duck," lives near my office.   I discovered him by accident over three years ago, when it became necessary to take a detour to and from the office. Once I saw him, it was a mission of mine to make sure he had plenty to eat.

His situation saddened me a little bit, because he was always alone.  He would always be near the road, hunting for what food he could find in the grass and dirt.

I first started with bread, but later learned from a dear friend that ducks loved corn. My friend would take me to a local feed store where we'd get corn and just keep in our cars until it was all gone.  A fifty-pound bag of corn cost $6.00.  Not too bad a price!

This lone duck got me through a medical problem I had three years ago, in that he gave me something to focus on other than myself. Even though I didn't feel well, I was determined to go and look for him in order to feed him, even on weekends.  Sometimes if he was on the water, he'd take off flying and land near my car and get several double handfuls of corn.  I'd just call "Duck" and sometimes I'd see him paddling along.  He came to know my voice.

This ritual went on regularly for a long time. Then last year I no longer saw him. I'd take corn and call for him but he wouldn't come. Once or twice I'd see him in the water, but he wouldn't come to me.  But he was always alone.  I felt sad for him, but figured he just wasn't hungry.

Then, about a week ago as I was driving to work early one morning, I saw him!  He was on the opposite side of the pond where I used to feed him.  It just so happened that I still had corn in the back of my car.  What to do?  I made a decision in a split second and swerved into a parking lot across the road from where he was pecking around in the dirt.  By the time I got out of my car, opened the trunk and grabbed a handful of corn, "Duck" was crossing the street, heading my way!  I got him to follow me back across the street, then ran back to the car for more corn.  When I crossed the street again, "Duck" had a friend enjoying breakfast with him.

The next day both "Duck" and his friend were out early, so again I parked to take them corn. This time, they were both crossing the street, so I coaxed them back across before feeding them. 

 The bottom picture is "Duck's" friend.  I don't see them every day, but at least I know "Duck" isn't alone any more.  Every one, including ducks, need a best friend, don't you think?  The one thing I can't help but wonder, though: did "Duck" recognize my car?  I'd like to think so.

It's a Moth, It's a Hummingbird, It's a Hummingbird Moth!!!

This little fellow was spotted in my daughter's back yard a few days ago. Well, not this one; she tried taking pictures but none turned out because they were all blurry.

She said at first she thought it was a bug, but it moved like a hummingbird.  Finally, she found out what it was: a hummingbird moth!  I never knew there was such a thing.  Isn't it cute?

It sort of looks like a bumblebee, too. And it's fuzzy-looking, like a bee. But its movements are like that of a hummingbird, because it flits very quickly from flower to flower and hovers while it eats.  Unlike most moths, it comes out during daylight hours. It even hums like hummingbirds do, probably from the quick beating of its wings.

From what we can tell the one she saw was a Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth. Although its wings don't appear clear in these photos, usually the wings are covered in scales, but some species lose the scales; thus the name 'clearwing.'

Hummingbird moths are sort of plump and their tails open into a fan shape. They have a very long tongue which stays rolled up under their chins until they come upon a flower with the nectar that interests them. They tend to like phlox, monarda, honeysuckle, and verbena.

Here is a picture of a hummingbird moth on phlox flowers. 

Red, White and Blue!

In honor of our nation's birthday:

Red verbena.

White gardenia.

Blue hydrangea.

The colors of the U.S. Flag are all around us!

Happy Birthday, America!

Signatories by State:

New Hampshire:  Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts: John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island: Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticiut: Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York: William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey: Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania: Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer,

James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware: Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland: Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll

Virginia: George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina: William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina: Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia: Burton Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

All Aboard!!

Those were the two of the most exciting words I heard as a child.  It was a BIG deal to take day trips with my mother to New Orleans, on the L & N Railroad's (Louisville & Nashville) train, the Humming Bird. 

The Humming Bird began running in 1946 when L & N started an all-coach streamlined operation between New Orleans and Cincinnati.  It was definitely a no-frills train, with only coach cars, lounges, and dining cars. The lack of the more expensive amenities was made up for in lower fares, which the public embraced.

The Humming Bird was named after a 'name the train' contest was held. Out of 292,200 entries, 671 were for the Humming Bird. Runner-ups were "Magnolian" and "Thoroughbred."

When my mother and I would take day trips to New Orleans, we would dress up. No one ever traveled anywhere without having hat and gloves.  It just wasn't done. 

The old train depot that I remember from those days was a basically a large waiting room, with exits to the tracks. The porters were all in uniform and the excitement was almost palpable as I waited to hear the train whistle as it approached the terminal.

Once we were on board, it was exhilerating to feel the rumble of the giant train wheels begin to move, with a lurch and jerk.  Until maximum speed, the ride was anything but smooth. Even then, it was not a relaxing ride. But I didn't care, because I was on the train!

What lay ahead was the scariest part of the trip, though. And that was crossing Lake Pontchartrain on the old wooden trestle. Once the train made it to the trestle, we were almost to New Orleans!

As you can see there are no protective supports to prevent the train from going into the water in the event of an accident. I don't know which was scarier: going across the trestle in the day time or at night. Either way, the train slowed to what seemed like a crawl and and lumbered across the trestle as though it had feet instead of wheels and was feeling its way blindfolded.  It was very thrilling!

My favorite thing to do on the trip to New Orleans was visit the dining car. I couldn't imagine anything more exciting than to eat a hamburger, drink a coke, and look out the window of the train as the countryside became one big blur.

Approximation of typical L & N dining car.

All good things must come to end, though. The Humming Bird's run ceased abruptly in 1969, due to lack of profits and excessive expenses, leaving many passengers stranded! Those days of train travel were very special and I'll always remember the excitment I felt as the conductor cried "All aboard!"

Sources: http://www.american-rails.com/

http://lnrr.org/

What's In a Name?

Plenty, if you are my daughter. She knows the names of all her varieties of day lilies, unlike me. I believe she knows exactly how many she has of each variety.  I'm posting some pictures of her beautiful day lilies, with the names included.

Our favorite place to shop for day lilies is Oakes Daylilies (http://www.oakesdaylilies.com/)  If you love perusing catalogs, they have two in print, not to mention their online catalog.  Take a virtual tour and you won't be disappointed!

'Prima ballerina'

'Brocaded gown'

'Fencing masters'

'Fencing masters' and 'Brocaded gown'

'Miss Amelia'

'Miss Amelia'

'Fencing masters' at one end of the pool.

'Your guess is as good as mine'

(My daughter will let me know)

Another shot of 'Fencing masters' with "Big Head"

"Button" with 'Fencing masters'

I love going to my daughter's garden. It's constantly changing. She and her husband do a beautiful job of keeping it maintained.

July!!! It's Hummingbird Time!

Try as I might over the years I've not been able to cultivate a 'hummingbird' garden. I've gotten the feeders, and then neglected to keep them filled. So I've planted all kinds of plants that are supposed to attract them, but with little success. Ocasionally I'll see one but it's rare.

If you know of a sure way to attract them, please let me know!  So for now, I'll have to content myself with another kind of hummingbird.  Unlike our feathered friends, this one is edible! It's the grand and glorious Hummingbird Cake!

From what I've read, the Hummingbird Cake has distinctly southern origins. The first known printed recipe was attributed to Southern Living, in its February 1978 issue. It was submitted by Mrs. L.H. Wiggins of Greensboro, NC. However, no explanation for the origin of the cake's name was included with her recipe.

It's entirely possible that this cake has gone by other names, according to FoodTimeLine.org. Citing a 1985 Arkansas Gazette article, the cake has also been called "Cake That Doesn't Last," "Never Ending Cake," "Granny's Best Cake," and "Cake that Won't Last."  I prefer the name "Hummingbird Cake," though. It just sounds southern, don't you think?

Some people have speculated that the cake may have Jamaican roots, since the swallowtail hummingbird is the national bird of Jamaica.  That sounds a little farfetched to me.  I like the theory that it's named in reference to the way hummingbirds eat: they are attracted to very sweet food sources, they engage the food source quickly, and disperse just as quickly when full. When you read the recipe you may tend to agree!

HUMMINGBIRD CAKE RECIPE

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 c. vegetable oil
1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, or hazelnuts, divided)
2 cups chopped bananas
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Icing Recipe

Combine 2 (8-ounce) packages of cream cheese with 1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, both at room temperature. Add 2 (16-ounce) boxes of powdered sugar, sifted; beat until light and fluffy. Add 2 teaspoons vanilla extract.

Mixing/Baking Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 3 (9-inch) round cake pans with butter; dust the bottom and sides with flour. Set aside

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl and stir until well blended. Add the eggs and oil, and stir until the dry ingredients are moistened, taking care not to beat them. Stir in the pineapple and juice, 1 cup of the nuts, the bananas and vanilla.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared pans. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 25-30 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for about 10 minutes, then turn them out onto racks to cool completely.

Today's quiz: how many calories are in one slice of hummingbird cake?  Take your best guess, and no cheating!

Source: The Glory of Southern Cooking, by James Villas (John Wiley & Sons)