.
They’re baaaaack!
.
.
And the minute I spotted my first Baltimore Oriole of the season I ran outside with oranges and all natural grape jelly.
.
.
In no time flat …
.
.
The feeder was busy.
.
.
They’re such beautiful bright creatures.
.
.
Only here for a short time to take nourishment for their annual migration to Canada….
.
.
They’re always a welcome sight.
❤️
.
.
Our grey squirrels are determined fellows. As evidenced by the never give up attitude of this little guy during a recent rainy morning attempt at reaching the bird feeder.
.
.
Wet poles be slippery.
🤣
.
.
If you like shrimp?
Give this recipe a try.
.
.
.
In a large stainless steel skillet over medium heat, melt 1 Tbsp. butter. Pat shrimp dry; season all over with Old Bay.
Arrange shrimp in a single layer in skillet and cook, turning halfway through, until translucent, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate.
In same skillet over medium heat, melt remaining 1 Tbsp. butter. Add shallot and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes .
Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
Add wine to deglaze skillet, scraping up any browned bits, and cook, stirring, until liquid is almost completely evaporated,
Stir in broth and bring to a boil over high heat.
Stir in orzo and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until orzo has absorbed most of the broth and is almost cooked through,
Add cream and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened and reduced,
Return shrimp to skillet along with any accumulated juices.
Stir in lemon zest and lemon juice; season with salt. Top with parsley.
.
My tweaks – I didn’t have vegetable broth but used low sodium chicken broth and it was lovely. I used salted butter, so I left off the salt at the end. And since my husband isn’t a spicy food lover, I ignored the red pepper flakes. There was plenty of flavor so I think that was overkill anyway.
Use large or jumbo shrimp. You won’t be disappointed.
Yum!
.
.
Mother Chuck is back and her runt from last year’s litter is still here.
.
.
Though not for lack of trying to kick him to the curb.
.
.
There are daily squabbles over food and squealing arguments over bolt holes.
.
.
Momma isn’t subtle, but Junior refuses to take the hint.
.
.
We have green grass!
And deer.
.
.
Our resident buck has finally dropped that pesky second antler and is in the process of blowing his winter coat.
.
.
No, we don’t say shedding in Maine.
No, I don’t know why.
.
.
I always think adult male deer look wonky with those big knobs on their heads in the spring.
.
.
But judging from the tongue sticking out of his mouth, he doesn’t much care what I think.
😉
.
.
We’ve had rain, rain and more rain. Which makes for a gloomy month, but after one warm day? Green grass as well.
.
.
And happy deer at the backyard buffet.
.
.
Are you a Wordle or Spelling Bee addict?
If so, have you tried this new game….
.
.
It’s quite addicting.
.
.
A few relevant quotes for the world in which we live at the beginning of a book I read recently.
.
.
Lord Dudley Mountcatten likes the new couch in our den. He started sleeping on the back cushion to the right so I laid a towel to catch the cat hair. Then he started sleeping on the back cushion to the left so I laid a towel to catch the cat hair.
.
.
His Lordship has attitude to spare.
🥴
.
.
Pardon the nasty dead section under our bird feeders. We may be seeing a little green grass but warm gardening temps aren’t here yet.
.
.
That being said, the bluebirds don’t seem to mind.
.
.
They’re such bright little creatures.
.
.
And we weren’t the only ones who thought so….
.
.
Because this Kestrel showed up shortly after the bluebirds fled.
.
.
The smallest hawk, he’s not one we see often.
.
.
But he made himself at home that day …
.
.
Flitting from the deck railing…
.
.
To the bird feeder post.
.
.
Fortunately for the bluebirds, he went away hungry.
.
.
There’s beauty in living in wide open spaces.
.
.
Sunrises out your back door and sunsets like this out your front.
.
.
❤️
.
.
We tried a new pub recently.
Front Street Tavern and Grill in historic downtown Bath, Maine.
The building was old but lovingly restored with lots of exposed brick.
.
.
The garlic Parmesan wings were so good we had to order two batches.
.
.
And sometimes you just have to go for the tots with your turkey club.
.
.
Sadly the menu was a bit too “pub food” heavy for my full meal wanting husband so I doubt it will be on our regulars list, but they made a nice raspberry margarita and I’d recommend it for lunch.
.
.
Momma Chuck is back.
.
.
And making up for lost winter meals.
.
.
She’s a great salad/veggie scraps recycler.
.
.
We don’t throw much away when she’s in town.
❤️
.
.
We have a lot of interesting backyard visitors at Casa River.
Some are regulars… deer, skunk, fox, raccoons, woodchucks… some show up less frequently … owls, ducks, woodcock, porcupine, ring necked pheasant,
But last week?
Even we were surprised to see who was hanging out by the bird feeders.
.
.
At first we thought it was the neighbor’s cat Silas who drops by now and then. But on closer inspection?
.
.
We realized this was a different type of kitty altogether.
.
.
A bobcat!
He was beautiful. And we were thrilled.
.
.
In 22 years of residence, this was our first encounter.
.
.
Stocky, with big paws, pointed ear tufts and a stubby tail.
.
.
He was a gorgeous wild boy.
.
.
And yes, our domesticated feline was on high alert.
.
.
The bobcat sat by the feeders for a good ten minutes, where I noticed him licking his lips. I told the husband that was a sign of feline nausea but he didn’t believe me.
Until the bobcat walked across the back lawn and puked under our bedroom window before trotting off to the woods.
.
.
I’m hoping this elusive and rarely seen kitty felt comfortable enough to come back someday.
💕
.
.
Momma Chuck is back…
.
.
And enjoying some broccoli.
.
.
Early spring means red winged black birds, starlings and grackles.
.
.
Lots of them.
.
.
And they’re hungry. So hungry they devour the suet cake in less than an hour and strip three feeders in two. It’s a pricey time of year.
.
.
We have three or four skunks who visit every night but one little guy arrives early, oftentimes alongside the deer.
That does not however, mean he likes them.
(Please ignore the background noise. The husband was battling an angel food cake container)
.
.
Skunk -1.
Deer -0.
.
.
And then there’s Lord Dudley Mountcatten who waits patiently for his morning coffee.
.
.
He doesn’t actually drink it…
.
.
Just likes to lick the mug when the husband is finished.
Cats.
What can you do?
.
.
❤️
.
.
Our backyard fawns are growing up.
.
.
It’s such fun to see the young spotted babies make their way into adulthood.
.
.
We get used to seeing them.
.
.
They get used to seeing us.
.
.
Until the neighbor’s dog starts barking and they all flee to the safety of the woods.
🩷
.
.
I forgot to post these last week but…
.
.
It finally happened.
.
.
Can you see?
.
.
Our resident buck lost an antler.
.
.
One side only.
.
.
But it’s a start…
.
.
😊
.
River's world..... 