More Robins

We have more Robins hanging out in our yard. Just before sunset this evening we watched 3 flocks come in to roost in our mesquite trees. There were over 100 birds all together.

We don't see Robins in our yard very often, so this has been an uncommon treat. Not sure if some of these birds are the same ones we saw about 3 weeks ago, or if this is part of a different group passing through on its way north to breeding grounds.


'"He rocks in the treetops all day long,
Hoppin' and a-boppin' and a-singin' his song
All the little birdies on Jaybird Street
Love to hear the robin go tweet,  tweet,  tweet..."
~ Rockin' Robin, song written by Jimmie Thomas

Mesquite Corn Bread

B's Mesquite Corn Bread

The corn meal we buy has a recipe for corn bread printed on the side of the box. We have been experimenting with that recipe, trying to modify it for use with mesquite flour.

Our first few modifications were delicious but extremely crumbly - due to the lack of gluten in the added mesquite flour. So instead of replacing a portion of the whole wheat flour with mesquite, we substituted part of the cornmeal.

The resulting Mesquite Corn Bread has a sweet honey/brown sugar flavor. Still a little crumbly, but we can live with that.

:-)

Here's our recipe:

B's Mesquite Corn Bread

B's Mesquite Corn Bread

1-1/4 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. mesquite flour
1/2 c. corn meal
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1/3 c. canola oil
2 eggs
1-1/4 c. milk





Stir all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the wet ingredients. Stir wet and dry ingredients until blended. Pour batter into an oiled 8" square pan, and bake for 35 minutes at 350º. Cut corn bread into squares and serve with honey, jam, and/or butter. Cover and refrigerate any leftovers.

Optional add-ins:
-- 1/3 c. fresh corn
-- 1/4 c. sunflower seeds
-- chopped mild green chiles (to taste)

More Warm Weather

Photo of major winter storm over southeastern US on 11 Feb 2014.
Image courtesy of NOAA's GOES-East satellite

While much of the rest of the country has been pummelled repeatedly by historic winter storms and freezing  weather, we are still enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures here in the California desert.


Highs have been in the low 80's, which is about 10 degrees above normal for this time of year. It even crept up to near 90º a couple of days ago.

Nectarine Blossoms

Our nectarine tree has been blooming for a couple of weeks, and is already starting to set fruit.

Peach Blossoms

The peach tree is about 2 weeks behind the nectarine. It is covered in blossoms and new green leaves.

Peach Blossom

The apricot tree is still snoozing. It is always the last of our 3 fruit trees to bloom.



"Life without love is like a tree without blossoms or fruit."
~ Khalil Gibran

New Yard Bird (and some Uncommon Visitors)

We were in the back yard this afternoon and noticed a large mixed flock of birds flying in to perch in our tallest mesquite tree.

They didn't look like any of our regular bird visitors so we got the binocs and took a look.

They turned out to be American Robins (an uncommon visitor for us) and Cedar Waxwings - a new Yard Bird for us. Very cool. and definitely worth getting out the field scope and camera.


The bottom 3 pics were digiscoped by holding the camera up to the eyepiece of the telescope. The round vignette shape below is the eyepiece of the scope.

"A robin redbreast in a cage Puts all heaven in a rage."
~ William Blake

Happy Anniversary, Opportunity

Image credit - NASA/JPL-CalTech

On January 25, 2004 the Mars Exploration Rover "Opportunity" landed safely on the Red Planet.

The original mission was expected to last only 90 days. Instead Opportunity has continued to explore, discover and return data for the last TEN YEARS.

(Those are Earth years, of course.)



Opportunity has endured freezing Martian winters, and blinding dust storms. The Rover spent 5 weeks in 2005 stuck in a sand dune, until researchers were able to carefully maneuver it free. In June 2007, intense dust storms threatened the mission by blocking up to 99% of sunlight from reaching Opportunity's solar panels. Dust storms and low power levels continued into August 2007, when dust storms finally decreased and Opportunity was able to resume its normal operations.

Image above shows Opportunity's 24-mile path (gold line) from landing inside Eagle Crater to the western rim of Endeavour Crater.   Image credit - NASA/JPL-CalTech/MSSS/NMMNHS

During its 10 years on Mars, Opportunity has continued its mission to search for and analyze different rock and soil samples, determine the types of geologic processes at work past and present (erosion by wind and/or water, crater formation, volcanism), attempt to determine the types of conditions that existed when water was present on the planet, and look for clues as to whether life did exist there in the past.

All this for 35¢ per year, per American.
Heck of a deal.


"I think humans will reach Mars, and I would like to see it happen in my lifetime."
~ Buzz Aldrin, American astronaut

"Mars once was wet and fertile. It's now bone dry... I want to know what happened on Mars so that we may prevent it from happening here on Earth."
~ Neil deGrasse Tyson

Mars Rover Images, Movies and more
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mer/images.cfm?date=9&year=2005

Jet Propulsion Laboratory website for the Mars Exploration Rovers
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mer/daily.cfm

Mars Exploration Rovers Mission Updates:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mer/index.cfm

Videos, Team Commentary and Animations of Opportunity's Trek on Mars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ha8GPZsMl8Y&list=HL1390728343&feature=mh_lolz

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like... Springtime

Daytime temperatures have been in the low 80's, about 10 degrees above normal. Our nectarine tree started blooming about a week ago. The peach and apricot trees are still biding their time.

Polar Vortex? Not Here...

While most of the country has been shivering and digging out from one of the coldest winters in decades, we have enjoyed typical winter desert weather with highs in the low to mid-70's. The overnight lows in the 40's have been brutal for us desert rats, though...

We have been taking advantage of pleasant weather by working in the yard the last couple of weekends. Already we can see some early signs of spring: a small Brittlebush just getting started, some scattered wildflowers. And weeds. LOTS of weeds.

Our mesquite trees have a few new leafy green tips.
It's still only January.