Dear Sunday Letter friends,
Last week was certainly a welcomed change from the prior week. Yay for seasonal temperatures and a bit of sunshine. Tomorrow we welcome March, and soon thereafter, spring.
I’m pretending spring has already sprung. Even with recent sub-zero temperatures, our daffodils and tulips and crocus are poking right through the soil. In another few weeks, winter will be a memory.
Yesterday, I pulled my three spring/Easter decorations from storage.
Call me ready. I may go ahead and set my clocks forward-ha.
Spring Cleaning
One of the most important things we did last week was spring clean our bird feeders. I scrubbed the feeders with a mix of bleach and hot water (1:10 ratio) while John raked up all the hulls and seed from the ground. After the bird feeding frenzy of the week before, our feeders were super nasty. Disease can rapidly spread through a bird population if feeders aren’t cleaned regularly.
After scrubbing the feeders, I let them dry in the sun before refilling. On a 75˚ afternoon, they dried quickly.
I didn’t take a before picture because no one wants to see that ugliness.
But look how nice the after pic is…
It’s almost as though the Hitchcock-ish flock of robins that surrounded our house never happened. As the snow melted, the flock moved on, (thank goodness!). A small habitat can only support so many mouths.
Now, our familiar bird friends feed in peace—the finches, chickadees, cardinals, woodpeckers, and a few robins who nest here each spring. Oh, and the squirrels, of course. They wait patiently underneath for seed that falls.
Balance has returned to our corner of the world. At least for now.
Taste Republic
You know how cauliflower is the new French fry? Well, yes, that may be a stretch, but you know what I mean, right?
This week, we made a pasta dish substituting regular noodles with cauliflower noodles from Taste Republic.
Is there anything cauliflower can’t do?
If your stomach protests against gluten, you’ll likely agree that gluten-free noodles made from cauliflower is a meal changer.
I mean, for real. Look at my forkful.
Taste Republic’s linguine noodles are flat and thick and cook in 3 minutes. Topped with John’s spicy bolognese sauce and lots of parmesan, we enjoyed quite the feast.
FYI, this isn’t a sponsored post. I just believe it’s important to share good finds, especially in the case of tasty, gluten-free, healthy options. Each serving is the equivalent of 2 servings of veggies and 4 grams of fiber.
We bought our cauliflower pasta at Sam’s. According to the Taste Republic company website, it can also be purchased at Whole Foods, HEB, and on-line.
I’m a fan!
Solitary Bees
Spring is definitely around the corner when the solitary bees begin to emerge. I saw three this week!
Solitary bees (mason bees, leafcutters, sweat bees, mining bees) are the first pollinators of spring. These little gems are out trolling for nectar, often finding it in the tiny little weed flowers growing in the grass. Unlike honey bees that live in colonies, solitary bees (as the name suggests) are loners. They mostly nest in the ground, but also in wood or in hollow twigs. They are basically harmless to humans, and won’t sting unless you threaten them.
Pay attention, and you may notice little conical mounds of dirt in your yard, almost like an anthill. This is a solitary bee nest. There’s a solitary bee nesting site near Old Main on the campus of the University of Arkansas. The nesting site has been active for over a decade. (Maybe I can get by there in the next few days and look for bee activity. If so, I’ll report back.)
I saw a paper wasp last week too. Lots of people are especially afraid of wasps. Like bees, they are beneficial pollinator insects. As long as they stay away from the porch and mind their own beeswax, I’m glad to see them.
You might remember the insect hotel I made a couple of years ago. The purpose of an insect hotel is to give solitary bees a place to nest. I can’t say for sure one of the bees I saw had taken up residence in our bee hotel, but maybe! As proprietor, I run a pretty loosey-goosey hotel. Bees can come and go as they please, without officially checking in with me.
This week, I plan to inspect the hotel, clean it out, add fresh ‘linens’.
First Walk
It was a very big week for Gracie. After having her final round of puppy vaccinations, we have officially started taking her for walks through the neighborhood.
She did pretty well for her first time. And each walk gets better.
We’ve been waiting for this milestone. This little girl needs LOTS of exercise.
From wired to tired.
Praise be.
Things Momma Says:
The birds don’t like my cooking.
***
Thanks for reading today’s Sunday Letter. My reviews on the books I read in February are coming in a day or two, so tune back in!
Before I go, tell me something great that happened to you in February.
Happy March (almost),
Grace Grits and Gardening
Farm. Food. Garden. Life.
Great: I’ve received both COVID vaccines!
Yay!!!! That’s great news.
February is my birthday month,so I have been blessed with another trip around the sun!! Thanks for the tip about Tasty Republic! Will look for that!!
Happy birthday!
We celebrated (socially distant and properly masked) our granddaughter’s first birthday!
Wow!! Happy birthday to your granddaughter. That was fast.
I’m ready for Spring too but I will have to be patient. We basked in 55 degrees yesterday compared to your 75 but I’ll take it. At least most of the snow has melted but not all. It isn’t uncommon for us to get another blizzard in March and it has happened in April.
It looks like Gracie is doing quite well on her leash. A big accomplishment!
The best thing for us in February would have to be getting our first covid vaccination and seeing our granddaughter and daughter the same day. They both had their second one because of their professions. We get our second one later this week.
Have a good week!
That’s great news!! Our 75 degrees didn’t last long, but anything above freezing is welcome. We will probably get more snow in March. It’s not uncommon.
Well I’ve been asked to write a monthly column for an amateur radio magazine, “CQ” my first column has already been submitted and will appear in the April issue. I have achieved nerd Nirvana: writing and ham radio! Warm here today and likely some storms. Enjoyed your letter.
That’s great, Trent. Being asked to write for a magazine is an honor, and when it’s a hobby, even better!!
Enjoyed the letter. As for February, I’m ready for it to be gone; I am ready for March. I am looking forward to getting a hair cut this month. It’s the little things. (Lila enjoyed your musical selection.) LOL
She’s become such a music buff:))
Thank you for your newsletter! I was able to get my second vaccination in February. Are the cauliflower noodles fresh or in a box? Wondering where to look in Sams. Thanks!
They are fresh and sold in a double package at Sam’s (of course). They were on an end cap in the area where lunchmeat and pre-made soups are sold.
One of the best things was that our older son, his wife, and their two kids (ages 8 and 1) came to visit.
We’d had our first vaccine, and it was kind of an emergency; their house in Waco lost power for several days, so they came to stay with us!
We got our sweet baby Yorkie named Zoey. She’s helping to fill the void in our life since we lost our Gracie in October.
I saw you & John walking the girls late yesterday afternoon. They are just beautiful! As the proud Momma of 2 Schnoodles, they do have a lot of energy to burn and mine love their walks too!
We finally found a contractor to help remodel our family room and get us our new floors. I would like to have him in our family. He is such a nice man. His only fault. He is always late! I may find out when his birthday is and gift him a watch for his big day!