Unusual Visitors

Bluebirds! Four to six of them have been visiting the wild grapes behind our house for the past couple of days. I wonder if the cold, stormy weather south of us drove them north? I’ll go see if I can find some mealworms or waxworms for them later today. They look cold. And hungry.

Regular visitors have included cardinals like this handsome fellow:

And Red-Bellied Woodpeckers:

I’ve spent the morning in the kitchen making home-made Pepita, Almond, Pear Granola and home-made yogurt; doing some much-needed cleaning up; doing laundry and other domestic chores. Audie naps by the door, waiting for me to get done so we can take a hike.

Pepita, Almond, Pear Granola

1 cup raw pepitas
1 cup roasted, salted almonds
3 cup oatmeal
3/4 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup grape seed oil
1 cup dried diced pears
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Process almonds and pepitas separately in food processor, pulsing until they are chopped but not ground.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and spices. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 20-30 minutes to achieve an even color. Also be sure to move the pans from one rack to the other in oven.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add pears and mix until evenly distributed.  Cool and store in glass jars.

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