Stow Away Baby Barn Owl & Web Cam

The other day Dominic was doing some tractor work, moving some things from around our house down the hill to the ranch.  After about an hour I hear the tractor pull up to the front of our house, Dominic had come up to ask me for my help.  Help with putting one of the baby Barn Owls back up in it's nest. 

Remember the baby Barn Owl story from a few weeks ago?

Well, apparently one of them had stowed away on the tractor and had been going along for a ride all throughout Dominic's morning work.  What an adventure for the little guy!

The only problem with trying to get the little guy (he's not so little anymore) back up into his nest is that it might freak out the other baby owls.  Because now there are four babies.  I believe there are two sets of chicks sharing the nest now, or maybe I didn't see the other two chicks a few weeks ago....not sure.

Sure enough, as soon as we walked up, another baby came down.  They are just learning how to fly, so they can get down but not back up.

This must be the defense stance they take when they feel threatened because he didn't like me coming too close.

Here's the two of them huddled together in a corner.

Dominic leaned a plank board from the ground to their nest for them to walk up......apparently this has worked in past years.

The other two new babies were watching from above.

'Sneaky' was hiding on the tractor tucked away under the bucket arm.

On the yellow area.

A few hours later I checked on them to see if they had figured out how to use the plank to get back to their nest.

And they had!  You can see one of them on the left and I'm sure the other one is hiding up there as well.

The plank was taken down (and will be used as needed) so that raccoons and other predators will not be able to gain access to them. 

We like Barn Owls.  They feed on gophers, mice and other nuisances we have hanging around.

I sure hope they learn to fly soon!

I found the NEATEST thing while researching Barn Owls!!  Below is a link to a LIVE web cam at Starr Ranch featuring a nesting barn owl!  It's the coolest thing.  What a great learning experience for all ages. 

I spoke with Pete, the ranch manager via email to gain permission to include the web cam link on my blog post.  He gave me permission and he also offered to help by talking me through a set up of a web cam on our barn owls.  Thanks Pete!  Maybe we'll do this next spring:)

Yesterday, Bryce, Paige and I checked the web cam at around 1:40 p.m. and observed Mama Owl feeding on a field mouse or gopher she had caught and brought back to the nest.  Good timing!

Soon there will be babies to observe.

Go to Starr Ranch Sanctuary to view the live, nesting Barn Owl.

Happy Monday!

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Novato Art and Wine Festival

Every year in June, Novato puts on it's Art and Wine Festival.  Yesterday morning I was able to get away for a couple of hours to go check it out.

There were many wine booths set up for a variety of wine tasting.

Lots of fair food to choose from as well.

You can choose to be healthy with your choice of lunch or not.  Something for every taste palate.

Rotisserie Chicken & BBQ.

There are two entertainment stages set up.  One on either end of the festival .  Different bands play all day long on both Saturday and Sunday.  So you can kick back, have some wine and food and enjoy the music.

Stage two.

It's always fun to check out all the arts and crafts for sale.  I thought these leather bracelets and coin purses were so colorful. 

Hummingbird feeders.  Yes, they are made out of empty booze bottles.

Lots of jewelry booths.

Food to sample and purchase.

Cd's to purchase as well.

This is what I came home with.  It's purpose I will share with you in a future post.

Happy Sunday!

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Healthy BBQ Chicken Enchiladas

When you have a bunch of leftover BBQ chicken like we did (from Western Weekend), what do you do with all the extra chicken?  I can only eat chicken prepared the same way about five times in a row....no more!

So, I pulled the meat off of four halves and cut it up into chunks to make BBQ Chicken Enchiladas.

Which was about one pound of meat.

Saute 1/2 an onion with 2 garlic cloves, salt and pepper.  Then remove from heat.

Mix diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, broccoli and cumin, and chili pepper if desired.

Add the chicken and sauted onions and garlic to the mixture

I used high fiber, whole wheat tortillas.  Spoon the mixture into the tortilla and wrap it up.  Place into a baking dish that you've poured some enchilada sauce into.

After you've wrapped all the enchiladas and placed them seam side down, pour more enchilada sauce on top and sprinkle with your choice of cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees, covered with foil for 35 minutes.

Top with sour cream, salsa or I used a cilantro, garlic, yogurt dip for lower calories.

I loved these enchiladas.  You could really taste the flavor of the BBQ chicken, which gave them a nice twist.  You can also prepare this recipe using ground beef, turkey, chicken or steak strips.

Healthy BBQ Chicken Enchiladas

1 pkg. corn tortillas – or whole wheat tortillas

1 lb bbq chicken or ground turkey or chicken meat, beef, etc.

1 large can of enchilada sauce-green or red

1 bag of Monterey Jack cheese or the cheese of your choice

1 onion, chopped

1 cup diced broccoli or zucchini

Minced garlic to taste

1 can corn

1 can black beans, rinsed

1 can of sliced black olives (optional)

1 can stewed or diced tomatoes, drained

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon chili powder

Salt and pepper to taste


If you're using ground beef, turkey or chicken, brown the meat with onion and garlic, drain any fat. Add Cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper and stir.

In large bowl, combine meat mixture, black beans, corn, stewed tomatoes & olives together. Pour enough enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of a 9x13 dish. Fill corn tortillas with mixture and place seam side down in dish. Cover with remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle with cheese.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is melted. Serve with salsa, sour cream etc.


Happy Saturday!

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Nothing like a good hand sucking in the morning

I am SO loving that school is out for the summer.  Our mornings are so relaxed and we have time to hang out with Dominic on the ranch.

This morning Dominic was replacing the straw bedding for the calves in the calf barn so Bryce, Paige and I tagged along.

Paige LOVES the calves.  So much so, she lets them suck her fingers.....or entire hand.  The calves enjoy it also.  They'll suck on you for as long as you let them, figuring milk has got to come out at some point!

"It tickles!"

On cold mornings, this makes for a good hand warmer.

Still no milk.

The result and what every kid enjoys (except for Bryce, he didn't want anything to do with this) bubbles and gooo.  Now, go find Daddy so you can wipe your hand on his sweatshirt.

Happy Friday!  Cheers!

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Our West Marin Morning

What a beautiful morning out in West Marin today!  Dominic and our friend John, who sits on the Marin County Farm Bureau board with Dominic, had an informal meeting with the new Superintendent of Pt. Reyes National Seashore, Cicely Muldoon in Pt. Reyes Station.  While they were having breakfast, the kids and I met Karen (John's wife) and their daughter, Eva for coffee and a park play date.

We stopped in the Tomales Bay Foods building at the Cowgirl Cantina counter to grab a coffee.  Also located within the the restored barn, we visited Cowgirl Creamery where they were in the process of making some cheese.  The kids loved watching this process.

The milk truck had just pulled up outside do deliver some fresh, organic milk from nearby Straus Dairy.

Inside, they have a viewing window where you can watch the actual cheese making process.

Here's another room (photo taken through a screen door) where they were making little rounds of cheese.....maybe some of their blue cheese.

There are various other shops that sell local produce and goods within the building.

There is also a cheese counter where you can sample and purchase cheese.

Many of Cowgirl Creamery cheeses have won awards, including Best of Show at the 2003 American Cheese Society competition for their Red Hawk.  Lots to choose from at the counter.

I ordered my cappuccino from the Cowgirl Cantina, which by the way, was the BEST cappuccino I have  had since visiting Portugal seven years ago!  SO creamy and delicious! I have a feeling I'll be making additional morning trips out to Pt. Reyes Station in the summer weeks to come.  It was that good!

Cowgirl Cantina is a gourmet deli and wine shop located at one end of the building.  So if you ever find yourself out in Pt. Reyes Station and crave an espresso drink or are headed out to the beach and need picnic supplies, be sure to stop by Tomales Bay Foods, you'll find everything you need.

Happy Thursday!

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Evil Little Thing

Since Bryce's school let out for the summer last week and Paige's last day of Pre-school was today, Bryce and I had a Starbucks date after dropping Paige off.  It's so much fun having individual dates with each of my kids.  There's no competition for 'talk time' or 'singing time', they can each have full dominance of the entire conversation with these individual dates.  Very relaxing for me too!

This is the evil little goodie that was calling my name, right as we walked in!  So I figured since I went to my Boot Camp class early this morning at the gym, I could allow myself this little pleasure. 

That's the reason we exercise, isn't it?

Bryce and Paige both really enjoy the mini vanilla scones at Starbucks so that's what Bryce chose, along with a juice box.

He couldn't eat them fast enough!

"Uhh Mom, my belly hurts" 

By the time my Americano was ready, Bryce was finished eating and was eyeing my mini donut, belly ache and all.  Not so fast Buddy.

I no longer drink decaf lattes.....saving calories where I can.

So I can eat the mini donut.

Makes perfect sense doesn't it? 

I have switched over to Americanos.  Starbuck's Americanos are an espresso drink and contain 0 calories.  I pour milk in mine, so it's similar to a latte but with only a few calories. 

I've been caffeine free for a few years now, for the mere fact that if I drink regular caffeinated coffee any later than 10 a.m., it keeps me from sleeping well at night.  But I just read some information in Prevention magazine on how caffeine can really boost your metabolism (of course what's most important is to eat a healthy diet and exercise).  A daily dose of coffee can boost it 5%-8%  --- about 98-174 calories.

So I've decided to try one cup of regular coffee instead of decaf in the morning before 10 a.m. everyday.   Maybe this will keep me from feeling sluggish at 3 every afternoon.

We'll see :)

Happy Wednesday!

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Melon Martini

Are you having a summer cocktail party anytime soon?  If so, I have the perfect summer martini for you to serve.....the Melon Martini.  It's refreshing and sweet.

A bit of Midori history:

Midori was developed by Suntory, and was launched in the United States in 1978 with a huge welcoming party at Studio 54,  attended by the stars of Saturday Night Fever, including John Travolta. 

Ingredients:

2 oz Midori Melon Liqueur

1 oz vodka

1/2 oz Triple Sec

-Fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice.

-Pour the vodka, Midori and triple sec into the shaker.

-Shake and strain the drink into a Martini glass.  (I fill my glass 3/4 full and top it off with club soda.....I know, I know, it's watered down that way but I'm a light weight)

-Garnish the glass with a wedge of honeydew melon, a pineapple wedge or I like to use a maraschino cherry because I like the look in a martini glass.

Enjoy!

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