Animals - especially dogs, Food, Nature

A Cardinal, Icicles, and Pancakes

43 Comments

February is winding down, and we still have a lot of snow in our yard. Not at all unusual for central Maine. As we are probably at peak snow—at least we hope we are—snow-gauge Clif will soon be making weekly appearances so that we can have a pictorial record of how long it takes for our yard to be snow-free. Stay tuned for the big excitement in the hinterlands!

At dusk, the cardinals usually come to our feeders for a bite to eat before it gets dark. In my bathroom blind, I snapped a picture of Mr. Cardinal. Unfortunately the light was too low to get a real sharp picture of him, but I know how much readers who don’t have cardinals enjoy seeing shots of them. And this photo gives a sense of the dark evergreens in the forest on the edge of our backyard. This is a northern photo, that’s for sure. And somehow, to me, that flash of red looks so brave against the snowy trees.

Icicles are still hanging from the branches of the shrubs in our front yard. Lovely to see them glitter in the afternoon sun.

On another blog I read, there was a mention of American pancakes and how small and thick they tended to be.  While we do have mini pancakes, better known as silver-dollar pancakes, most pancakes served in American restaurants are large and thin. No surprise as America is the land of the big, especially when it comes to food. Not sure where the rumor of little pancakes came from, but never mind. Big, small, thick, or thin, they are all good.

I am lucky enough to have a husband who makes some of the best pancakes in central Maine. Maybe even the best. After so much thinking about pancakes, I requested them for our supper last weekend. While Clif made pancakes, I fried up some veggie sausages. Pretty darned good, and yes, Clif’s pancakes are thick but not small and utterly delicious.

 

 

 

 

43 thoughts on “A Cardinal, Icicles, and Pancakes”

  2. That cardinal seems to glow. What a fabulous photo. And the ice looks beautiful as well. Mostly this year, we’ve had wintry mix followed by a quick thaw. Good weather for pancakes, though–and yours look tasty.

  3. Dad makes the best pancakes I’ve ever had! And his waffles are pretty good too . . . :

  4. Love that splash of red against the dark evergreens! Cardinals really brighten our winter days. I’ve been hearing Mr. Cardinal singing his spring song lately – so hopeful!
    I love pancakes with bacon (or sausage) and LOTS of real maple syrup. Yum! I noticed our local sugar house getting ready for tapping – a sure sign spring is around the corner – yay!

  6. I love the photo of the beautiful red Cardinal against the dark green foliage.. that bird is stunning. The icicles look enormous to me! Those pancakes look pretty good & perfect for a cold day…👌😀👏

  7. For awhile, I was making pancakes the actual size of the pan. Nevertheless, we each ate just one. I like them with no added butter and blueberries cooked inside! Your bright red cardinal is so brilliant, simply glowing!

  8. The cardinal photo is a beauty – you did good! And, those pancakes look delicious. 🙂 I won’t comment on the ice or the snow. Well, maybe one comment. A friend down here lives up in Presque Isle, Maine, and her neighbors are reporting 136″ of snow so far this year. Little Green might need a big brother up in that part of the state. 🙂

  9. I love the splash of red from the cardinal in your first image Laurie and your first two photographs would make lovely Christmas cards 💜 And yes, those pancakes look delicious! 🙂💖 xxx

  12. Lovely photos, Laurie. I was just saying to my husband – “Why do the goldfinches lose their yellow in the winter, while the cardinals stay as conspicuous as ever?” I need to look that up.

    1. Cardinals have been making their way north for a number of years. Here’s a description for the Audubon website: “Abundant in the Southeast, [the cardinal] has been extending its range northward for decades, and it now brightens winter days with its color and its whistled song as far north as southeastern Canada. Feeders stocked with sunflower seeds may have aided its northward spread.” Climate change might also have something to do with the spread of cardinals. But they started out in non-snowy climates. Still, they are thriving in Maine, so their conspicuous red doensn’t seem to be holding them back.

      1. Oh, interesting! I have to say I am guilty of the sunflower feeding. I didn’t realize that I was messing with Mother Nature. I have a soft spot for cardinals: when I was a new mom, I’d hear a cardinal while I was nursing in the middle of the night. I felt like he/she was keeping me company.

  15. Yum! Pancakes are our big treat in this house. Ours are large and fluffy, maybe you’d describe them as fat, who cares, smothered in Maine maple syrup they are delicious for breakfast and sometimes dinner! When we want a lighter version, we will often make ploys. Do you and Cliff ever make ploys? And, by the way, more snow possibly coming tomorrow!

  17. I’ve never seen a real Cardinal before. I didn’t know they were that red, beautiful! We had pancakes today too, but ours are very British thin and big.

  18. The cardinal is beautiful! I remember them from back east. They do not come as far west as Oregon.

    Rick makes homemade buckwheat pancakes from scratch. They are wonderful! It is good to have husbands who make pancakes. 🙂

    1. Wonderful to have cardinals in our backyard. I still don’t take them for granted and get a little thrill every time I see them. Yay for husbands who make pancakes! I’m thinking this might be another weekend to make pancakes. Yum!

  19. Oh, that photo of the cardinal is beautiful! That little speck of red in the snowy background. My hubby is a wonderful pancake-maker too. We are lucky!

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