Midwinter Musings aka The IvoryBill Blues

Today ended nicely with a walk around the seven fishing fingers on PineyZ Lake to see what birds are hanging out. I didn't have my camera with me so I put up this New Year's Day photo of a Great Blue. The herons are beginning to get their breeding plumage already, if I am not mistaken. I saw woodstorks, cormorants, red-wing blackbirds, anhingas, herons of several types, ibises, fish-hawks, and a pileated woodpecker. The live oaks around PineyZ Lake are some of the biggest in the county.

My friends are traveling to St. Petersburg tonight for a memorial tomorrow to Bobby Hicks who passed away on December 19, 2007. You can see a video of him on YouTube here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4hZ0W3bRgQ. I elected not to go as I am not one to travel in groups, nor did I want to take a long drive this weekend. But Bobby was a fine Florida songwriter and well-known and loved by the Florida folk music community.

I am going to dine with the units and their close friends at the local french eatery tomorrow. Ugh, more food.... Maybe if Alice Babette was the chef... from "In Aromas and Flavors of Past and Present" I could have White Soup of Artichokes: Chicken bouillon, Jerusalen artichokes, thin cream...

Cut one pound of artichokes into small pieces and boil with one and a half cups of chicken bullion in a saucepan for one half hour. Strain through a fine sieve. Return to heat and and add two cups of thin cream. Do not boil but serve hot. Alice was a fine French cook. Gertrude enjoyed her food immensely.

I also had an important insight about a work situation which was helpful and I reread a Robert Langs text which was also helpful. Oh, and be lyrical at the lyric, my old friend....

I will probably float and take photographs somewhere this weekend so stay tuned....