Foxes

Update: here is another Mama Fox and Baby Fox taken less than an hour ago about 1/2 mile from our house:

These shots were as good as I could get with my camera on ZOOM mode from about 15 yards away.

Pictures from around the Neighborhood

On my morning walk yesterday, nature paid off big time. I saw a fox! But alas, no picture of her. I think it was a female, because she looked a big pudgy and maybe ready to birth a kit.
Near where she was glimpsed, I found a burrow. Could it have been a foxhole? Probably it was a rabbit's hole. The entrance had a dig out that veered off to the left at a fairly sharp angle.


The hole in that tree trunk below could have been an animal's home, but likely it was just an interesting architectural phenomenon of the fallen cottonwood.

Happily walking along the road back from the neighborhood open space area for walking, and while listening to Julie D's Huffduffer podcasts on my iPod, here was a cairn I came across:

It looks like a happy face to say "have a good Memorial Day Weekend"! Every time I walk by, a new object will be added to the cairn, until someone messes up the playhouse. I'm thinking maybe a charm from my beading collection will be added today.

Mint Sauce Recipe

We hit the jackpot on mint in our yard! Yes, it is everywhere, and even places where it is not welcome - as in our garden areas. It does hold down the soil on an incline in the back yard, so eradication is out of the question. And on the positive side, it smells so sweet after a lawn mowing.

So what to do with all this fragrant herb? Here is a great post I'll be using from All Free Crafts.

Mint sauce makes an excellent condiment to use with lamb chops, pork chops, and to flavor new potatoes and peas. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh mint leaves
1 cup malt vinegar
2 tablespoons white sugar
small bottles for storage
Mint

Sauce Instructions:Rinse young, healthy mint leaves, strip from the stems, and chop into fine pieces. I usually process most of the leaves in the blender, with a little of the vinegar, leaving some aside to chop by hand. The leaves chopped in the blender will be very fine, and infuse a fine flavor, while those done by hand are a little coarser and will be more visible in the decorative vinegar jar. Bring vinegar to a simmer in a small saucepan, add sugar and chopped leaves. Simmer for about 20 minutes to infuse. Add more sugar or add a little water to taste, depending on how strong or how sweet you want the sauce. (I add no extra water or sugar to this recipe, but you may prefer a less strong infusion.) You can re-use lots of different bottles for mint sauce...narrow jars look elegant, but short, squat jars allow you to use a spoon to serve the mint sauce.

Make sure the bottles are free of nicks or cracks and seal able with either a screw top or cork. Wash containers thoroughly, then sterilize by immersing the jars in a pan of hot water and simmering for 10 minutes. Once jars are sterilized, remove from the simmering water and invert on paper towel to dry. Fill while the jars are still warm and seal tightly. If using corks and you intend to store the vinegar for an extended time, seal the corks by dipping in paraffin; if using a screw top, place a small square of waxed paper on top of the jar before screwing the lid on tight. You can add a small fresh sprig of mint to your jars, if you wish, for visual appeal - just insert into the jar before adding the mint sauce. Use a funnel to add the sauce, stirring as you pour it into the funnel to make sure you get lots of mint leaves mixed with the vinegar. You'll find that the mint settles to the bottom of the jar, so the mint sauce should be gently shaken or stirred before serving. Vinegar has natural preservative qualities, and mint sauce should keep for 2 to 3 months in cold storage or for 6 to 8 months in the refrigerator.