The Little Things

If we are totally honest with ourselves, I suspect most days are not about planning trips to Bali or winning the lottery. (Full disclosure: I will never make it to Bali nor will I win the lottery, something about having to buy tickets to win. So picky.)

My lottery moments are aligned with little things that encourage wonderment or a smile. Here are a few moments.

These bright orange jewels recently festooned the cedar trees in my favorite park. The "petals" are made of a gelatinous substance that are almost impossible not to squeeze. Further investigation revealed the name of the orange ornaments. They are Gymnosporangium juniperi-virginianae, commonly known as cedar apple rust. They have a symbiotic relationship with apple trees. The rust tentacles (known as telial horns) produce the spores that find their way to an apple tree. The rust will infect the apple tree and after it has partied with the tree, more spores are produced that will once again seek out cedar trees. Round and round it goes. The good news is that many apple trees are cedar apple rust resistant. Apples are tasty. The cedar apple rust is poisonous. You have been warned.

Sometimes a recipe sounds so unique that one must give it a go. This is a radish gratin. I had radishes in my crisper drawer who were threatening to decompose if action was not taken. I do not usually cook radishes but I must say this was quite delicious. Radishes and a Gruyere cheese sauce are baked in little ramekins, finished with a panko topping. The radishes transform themselves into mild turnips, pleasingly unique. The cheese sauce would have been tasty slurped out of any vessel straight up. I am not sure if I will make the dish again but it was an interesting change.

I found this skeletal treasure on one of my park walks. The binoculars are there to provide scale. Suffice it to say, the remains are not from an earthworm, fearless little invertebrates that they are. My brother-in-law, hunter extraordinaire, analyzed the picture and hypothesized that it was the remains of a deer. The real curiosity for me was how and why it suddenly appeared near a busy parking lot. Who or what dragged it to a place for all to see? Soon enough the skeleton disappeared so I guess I will never know the answer to that question. I have plenty of stories I concocted in my brain but I will spare you from those tales.

I will blame the inferior quality of this photo on poor lighting. (My photo editing choices gave me the following message: This photo cannot be enhanced. Ouch.) This charming bird is Sialia sialis, commonly known as the Eastern Bluebird. He was my first one for this year and I took it as a good omen for more migrating birds to come. Birds with blue coloring are not particularly common around here so it is fun to get a break from brown and brown, no offense to all the flitty little sparrows who enjoy our prairie habitat.

I am a self described no-life person which means I often resort to bird webcams for entertainment. Iris is my favorite Osprey (thought to be one of the oldest breeding Osprey being studied at this time). Her nest is located near the University of Montana in Missoula and the webcam is sponsored by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. If you want drama, bird style, check out Iris. Once again Louis, the Osprey cad, is up to his usual shenanigans by two-timing with Iris and Starr. If this soap opera is too much for you, check out the other webcams featuring owls, hawks, petrels and albatross. Beware, the avian world can be quite addicting.

I hope you win the lottery this week but if that does not happen, join me in looking for the little things. You will not be disappointed.