TURKEY VULTURES
(Yep, Turkey Vultures!)
I love looking up in the sky over the back field in the summertime and
watching those huge black birds circling on the thermals. Other people love
looking at eagles and hawks... me, I love the way these guys can circle for
hours without even flapping a wing. Yep, they can glide on thermals for 6 hours
at a time without ever flapping. And here's some more stuff I just read in the
latest copy of the
"Out Here"
(a newspaper for rural property owners) about turkey vultures.
| Diet:
They eat carrion (dead meat). They have double sided nostrils which
allow them to smell the carrion from astounding heights. Their bald
red heads prevents unwanted bacteria from sticking to feathers. They
urinate onto their legs, a practice that kills bacteria accumulated
from stepping on carcasses. Betchya didn't know that! |
|
Fall
Migration route:
The northern ones all head to the north coast of Lake Ontario and then
head to the Burlington area. From Burlington they head straight to the
south until they hit Lake Erie, somewhere between Port Stanley and Port
Burwell. From there they follow the coastline along to Amherstburg and
then they go around the end of the lake and south into the States. |
A few years ago we saw a long string of vultures lazily heading
south for the winter.
They were likely headed for the Port Burwell area to meet up with their travelling
buddies.
It took about two hours for all of them to fly over the property on their
way to the lake for their migration route.
In fall 2005, spotters counted over 8800 turkey vultures heading southward
in their fall migration...
who signs up to count migrating turkey vultures?
They will start heading south during October so if you keep an eye to the
sky
you might just see a string of these big birds heading to the lake.
And that would be a cool thing to see.
There are quite a few talented artists in the Dorchester
area and fall is the time for them to display and sell their work.
And its right
across from Tim's... so a visit to the art show fits in with a Tim's drive
thru.
"THE DORCHESTER ARTIST NETWORK 12th ANNUAL ART SHOW"
Saturday, October 14th
Location: Dorchester Arena, Dorchester Road - across from
the Tim Horton's
Time: 10am - 4pm
FREE ADMISSION
Prize Draws every 1/2 hour!
WATERCOLOURS - ACRYLICS - OILS - WEAVING - POTTERY
- SCULPTURE - WOODEN BOWLS
CARVING - ROCKART - PHOTOGRAPHY
"INTEGRATING
THE CREATIVE ARTS IN HEALTHCARE"
An inclusive and experiential day session for therapists, nurses, physicians,
mental health professionals, social workers, counselors, caregivers.
Facilitated by: Cheryl McLean
M.A Creative Arts Therapies
Publisher, CCAHTE
Date: Saturday, October 28
Location: Windermere Manor, London
For more details about the day long workshop:
http://www.cmclean.com/integrating.html
A drumming friend of mine, Evelyn Ward de Roo, is playing the role of Golde,
the Jewish mother, in this play. Evelyn has come all the way to Dorchester
for our drumming circles. I love her spirit and am looking forward to seeing
her on the stage.
"Wishing you good performances, Evelyn!"
Date: November 8 - 11, 2006
Time: 7:30pm (Matinee on Saturday Nov. 11 at 2pm)
Location: Imperial Theatre, Sarnia
Cost: Adults $19; Seniors $17; Students $10
There's lots more information on the Imperial
Theatre website.
I visited "The
Healthy Lifestyle Store" this week... a brand new business in Dorchester.
Bright, inviting, and Wendy Spence (owner) was very knowledgeable about her
product line and spent time going through the store with me.
I'm going to try some Hemp Protein powder (Chocolate Chili flavour) that I
bought at the store.
Wendy tells me I'll be charged up and ready to go after drinking this.
Visit her website or
better yet visit the store which is at the Mill Pond on Hamilton Road
( just before you enter Dorchester from the west).
Its all about food, right?
So I have to finish the newsletter off with a food note.... what better than
a recipe for pumpkin soup.
Gary (husband) and Joe (neighbour) rounded up a dozen pie pumpkins
from the garden down at Joe's.
I baked them, scraped them, pureed them, and then froze the pumpkin
in 2 cup batches
- just the right amount for a batch of pumpkin
soup.
| 2 slices of bacon (optional) fried and drained |
2 tablespoons bacon fat or butter |
| 1 medium onion, sliced thin |
1 garlic clove, minced (optional) |
| 1 cup potatoes, sliced (raw or cooked) |
1 1/2 cups boiling broth or bouillon |
| 2 cups cooked pumpkin |
|
| After frying the bacon, leave 2 tablespoons of the bacon
fat in the pan, add the onion and the garlic and let sizzle gently, but
do not brown. Add the potatoes and the boiling broth. Cover and let simmer
till the vegetables are soft. Add the pumpkin
and cook 5 minutes longer. Puree in the blender or with an immersion blender
and simmer again. |
| 2 tablespoons butter |
2 cups hot milk (or 1 cup milk, 1 cup cream) |
| salt and pepper to taste |
2 tablespoons flour |
| In another saucepan melt 2 tablespoons butter, blend in
the flour, stir it until golden, add the hot milk, stir till it thickens
and then mix it with the vegetable puree. Serve hot with the crumbled
bacon on top. |
And
off we all go... ready to experience October in all its splendor.
Whenever possible this month, take time to get out and walk in the joy of
the fall colours.
Penny
Clouds gather, treetops toss and sway;
But pour us wine, an old one!
That we may turn this dreary day
To golden, yes, to golden!
Autumn has come, but never fear,
Wait but a little while yet,
Spring will be here, the skies will clear,
And fields stand deep in violets.
The heavenly blue of fresh new
days
Oh, friend, you must employ them
Before they pass away. Be brave!
Enjoy them; oh, enjoy them!
- Theodor Storm, A Song in October
