Sunday, July 10, 2011

Around the house

Well today has been a quiet laid back day. Thought I would post a couple of pictures about the tamales and tortillas I made and what is growing in my garden. Lets start there...in a flower pot.

For the last few years we have had some birds that have decided to honor us with raising their broods in the hanging flower pot that is under the highest part of the gable on the patio. I don't have any idea what kind of bird it is just little, brown and has a finch type beak. The dad has some reddish coloring on his chest and neck. Last week I went out and took pictures of the nest so I could show you the 4 little blue eggs. This is an 8" hanging planter so you can see those eggs are tiny!
Today I went to look see what was happening in the nest and this little guy greeted me. There are only 3 birds in the nest so I don't know if the other egg hasn't hatched or just didn't make it! If you have any idea what kind of bird this is let me know. It is so cute!
UPDATE: My friend Jeanette Bider, PhD, biological scientist, carves birds, bird watcher, travels to exotic places to see birds, supplied me with a name for these awesome, industrious, brave little birds. They are House Finch! Here is a picture I picked up on the net of the male and female birds I have been watching outside my window. My male isn't quite a bright red but according to Wiki they vary in colors and hues depending on what they eat. They are vegetarian and eat seeds and fruits and a flock can ruin a fruit tree in a summer. The birds come from Mexico and SA and have been taking over the US over time.


The past couple of days I have been in the process of making Tamales. I sort of used a recipe that I found on the net and altered it to fit what I needed! I think the tamales turned out very tasty and my husband loved them but thought that they might need a little more spice/heat to them. When I served them I covered the tamales with a green chili sauce and served them with refried beans, rice and tortillas that I made. The tortillas turned out kind of funky looking and thick but they tasted pretty good! I think before I do them again I will buy a tortilla press so they are more consistently shaped and of a more even thickness.

7 comments:

  1. Oh my word - what cute birds Vickie. No idea what they are though - good to see some food on here too. Yummy! Gonna search for how to make those! Hugs, Di xx

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  2. The birds are cool!!! My tortillas come out thick as well, probably because I don't have a press. I can get them pretty round though. I just have to be sure and use HOT water when I am making them, and let them rest wrapped in plastic wrap for an hour. Then I made round balls before I roll them out.

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  3. I love those house finches, I have tons of them in my garden. How wonderful for you that they chose your place to raise their young.

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  4. Oh my goodness Vickie you have just melted my heart with those gorgeous pictures of the finches!!! they are so beautiful and what an honour to have them nesting in your hanging basket!. I am the biggest animal and wildlife lover in the world. You will have to pop over to my blog as i look after hedgehogs in my garden!. Hugs Clare xxx

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  5. I love watching birds! We have some house finches that build a nest in a bush in front or house each year. My daughter loves watching them.


    Thank you for posting my blog candy in your side bar. Good luck in the draw!

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  6. What a super wander through you gorgeous photos Vickie, Ive really enjoyed it so much!

    Having seen the little finches a few days on now it was super to see their beautiful tea green shade of egg shells! Takes me back to my childhood, lovely!

    And as for Tamales, I have no idea what they are but they sure do look extremely inviting and just look at how much work youve put into making them and the tortillas! Good for you, there's something so therapeutic about making your food, well I think so anyway! You put me to shame :(] lol!

    Lovely to see all that youve shared with us, thanks!

    Keryn x

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I would really love to hear what you think about my art and my posts. Please leave me a comment and let me know! Thanks for visiting my blog. Vickie aka Okienurse