THE CHANGING SEASONS

                              [PHOTO SOURCE: National Geographic online images]

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The changing seasons

mark the passage of time

on NATURE's Landscape,

even as the lines on my cheeks

mark the hourglass

of my life's journey.

[dht-2011]

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GARLIC -- in my garden

                      [PHOTO SOURCE: Garlic painting from GOOGLE online images]

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Today I planted 50 garlic plants. I'll finish up with 50 more tomorrow. They are SO-O easy to grow in the garden or in a pot. The leaves are edible and can be cut and used like chives. The garlic plants that I planted today will mature and produce bulbs later in the season; and these I will dehydrate and store in garlic flakes and powder. I LOVE garlic in recipes, roasted, on garlic bread and in garlic mashed potatoes. I eat garlic every day in some form and it is a staple in my pantry. Garlic can also be braided into various shaped wreaths.


Just for fun, I have attached some GARLIC PIXs.

GARLIC info from wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garlic

HEALTH BENEFITS
http://www.garlic-central.com/garlic-health.html
http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/garlic-000245.htm

HOW TO ROAST A HEAD OF GARLIC
USE GOOGLE to search for lots of "HOW TOs" for roasting Garlic.

Roasting your own garlic is very easy and worth every iota of what little effort, it requires because the aroma is intoxicating and the flavor smoky and mellow. In just 30 minutes, you will have a delicious appetizer ready to go. Serve with sliced crusty bread and olive oil.

TYPES OF GARLIC
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5591398_types-garlic-plants.html

Basic Types: Garlic plants are divided into two basic sub-species: softneck and hardneck. Softneck garlic is much more common and is the kind that you would buy at the grocery store. Hardneck are much less cultivated and more often found wild.

Softneck Garlics: There are two basic types of softneck garlic: silverskin garlic and artichoke garlic. Silverskin, as its name suggests, has shiny, whitish parchment covering the numerous cloves. Artichoke garlic has fewer, larger cloves with tougher coverings.

                     [PHOTO SOURCE: Above GOOGLE online images-garlic growing in soil]

                         [Above PIX from GOOGLE online images-garlic wreath.]

Your comments are welcome, especially recipes or hints on how you use garlic.

COOPERS HAWK -- Visitor to my Yard !

[PHOTO SOURCE: Top PIX--GOOGLE online images of COOPER HAWKS.   Second PIX from the top  is courtesy of my friend "SKY-BIRD".]


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Kind of Bird:   COOPERS HAWK

**SPECIAL THANK YOU to a special SKY-BIRD for identifying this bird  ( from photos I took of the bird these past few weeks as it sat on my fence and perched on a tree limb)  for finding a great PIX on the Internet and sharing it with me !!!        JUST  TERRIFIC !!!       
THANK YOU so-o much SKY-BIRD !!!**

A VERY SHORT note about this bird follows that I copied from the Internet from an excellent bird website (see below).

Among the bird world’s most skillful fliers, Cooper’s Hawks are common woodland hawks.

Adults are steely blue-gray above with warm reddish bars on the under parts and thick dark bands on the tail. Juveniles are brown above and crisply streaked with brown on the upper breast, giving them a somewhat hooded look compared with young Sharp-shinned Hawks' more diffuse streaking. They inhabit wooded habitats from deep forests to leafy subdivisions and backyards.

It is a bird of prey, and since it comes to my backyard almost daily, I do NOT plan on going outside when it in my yard. (Not that I am a 'fraidy-cat' !!)

WEB SITES for info about COOPERS HAWK are on the Internet and can be found by using GOOGLE search.

Below is a web site that is GREAT, for it gives a description, videos, photos, sounds, habitats, and other things.


My FAV web site for COOPER HAWK info is below.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Coopers_Hawk/id

[VIDEO above: my camera, my backyard, my voice]



[PHOTO SOURCE: Below PIXs from My camera, My backyard.]