Jennie Wren, part II

Our wren is back in the little bird house, raising another brood of young’uns. She usually raises two broods a year, although last year she left after having the first one and didn’t return. Sweet Baboo made sure that the house was ready for her this year — he cleaned it out thoroughly in the spring and then again after she had left with her first group of chickies. She spends her days hunting for little bugs, caterpillars, snails, grasshoppers, anything that she can catch that her babies will eat. It’s so much fun watching her dash from pillar to post, picking at the ground, then flying up into the cedar to look around before she streaks into the bird house, babies chirping up a storm. Then quick as a wink, she’s back out the hole and flitting across the street to flip up our neighbor’s mulch for more goodies — the babies chirping slows down, and then she’s back into the cedar, quick peek around, back into the bird house. I’ll bet she does this hundreds of times every day. She also keeps track of and dispatches any and all predators in the area, our dopey cat included. Brave little birdie, she’s a teeny little thing but she sings and chirps and chatters BIG. Sparrows keep trying to take over her home, but she will have none of that — they soon give up after being divebombed by this little chirping dervish.

Frozen fluffy peanut butter pie

Another great recipe from a gal I work with.

1/2 Cup peanut butter

8 ounce of cream cheese softened (I used the lite version and it came out fine)

1 Cup confectioner’s sugar (I used about 3/4 cup)

1/2 Cup milk

8 ounces Cool Whip

Graham cracker crust, ready made or homemade

Whip the cream cheese until fluffy

Beat in the peanut butter and confectioner’s sugar

Slowly add milk while still beating

Fold the cream cheese/peanut butter/confectioner’s sugar mixture into the Cool Whip

Pour into crust

Cover with foil and pop into the freezer until firm

Before serving, let sit on the counter for 20 minutes or so to soften just a tad.

A list of happies

Today, these are some things that I grateful for……

1) My partner in crime, BJ (whom I was filling in for while she vacationed) came back to work a day early. WHEEEEE!!!!

2) Having a swimming pool. It’s been hotter than blue blazes in CT this week.

3) Prednisone. Two courses of it. Without it, I would probably have no skin left on my body due to the dratted poison ivy, the name of which is probably supposed to be capitalized, but I hate it so much that I won’t.

4) Catching Genius by Kristy Kiernan. It was a great book (2 nights!!) and I was way overdue for a good story.

5) Being able to knit socks. My newest passion, my hands work as fast as my mind whirls — for me, it’s a natural tranquilizer.