A strange start to the day

I got up this morning, always a good thing, and walked out into the sunroom to see what kind of day was in store.  I spied a bluish bird on the picnic table, found the binoculars and confirmed that it was an indigo bunting, a seedeater in the same family as cardinals.  I took a picture from outside the door but the 4x zoom wasn’t enough to get a good shot, so I was trying to get a little closer without spooking it. 

Just then a pair of Canada geese circled overhead and landed in the pond.  They made enough commotion to scare off Mr. Bunting.  Now I have an uneasy relationship with the geese.  They are welcome to visit awhile but I’m not going to offer them a timeshare.  If they set up nesting soon they will be into the garden and eating everything, not to mention that they are not the friendliest large bird around.  But they are a beautiful regal bird, even if it’s brain is the size of a pea.  I got a few pics of them from the deck.  I think the tall grass around the pond is not to their liking, because they paddled around about 15 minutes then left.  They do this about twice a month.

And this is where the story takes a turn for the worse.  After the geese took flight I walked toward the garden and noticed the bunting laying very still next to the sunroom.  Now I get a few birds a year that fly into the windows of the sunroom.  Some of them knock themselves silly, and some hit the windows hard enough to turn their lights out.  So the bunting must have flown into the window and met its demise.  I took a picture of it because it is a fine looking bird and hope that more of them will make themselves at home around here.  And now you know, if you didn’t already, that there are really two small blue birds native to this area, the bluebird and the bunting.

On to happier thoughts.  Harvest for the week:  one Kohlrabi, 11 oz.  Lettuce 4 oz.  The first kohlrabi of the season.

Kohlrabi just doesn’t get any respect, and that’s a shame.  Peeled, it emits a fresh cole smell.  Raw, it has a fresh sweet cabbage taste and a smooth buttery texture.  I cut up this one and sauteed it in a little olive oil with some seasoning.  Cooking brings out a nice mineral flavor, like a good Riesling, with just a little bit of pungent bite at the end.   Kohlrabi is also called German Turnip and was favored by Charlemagne.  The important thing is to make sure it’s growth has no interruptions and don’t wait too long to pick it.  I’m thinking that some wurst and horseradish with sauteed kohlrabi, sugar snap peas and chased with a Leinie’s Bock will have my Teutonic side singing a happy song.

Cheers!