The Great Backyard Bird Count has begun, and I’m doing a count every day through today. The first day of the count, the local squirrels made an appearance for the first time in a couple of weeks. I had stopped making sandwiches for them as they would run off when I stepped outside. But this time, one came up to the door, paws folded, looking cute. I decided he hadn’t been here in a while. So, of course, I got out the makings and made two sandwiches just in case someone else got the idea while I was feeding the first.

Good thing, as the second one was about to go after the first one’s meal when I threw his sandwich to him. He ran to the retaining wall to eat his/hers.

I counted birds for about an hour for the the Great Backyard Bird Count. I use eBird to report my totals. Here, a downy woodpecker shares the seed with a chickadee. I know I have a pair of downy woodpeckers, but I only saw one at a time so could only count one. I was hoping the robins would come back, but they didn’t.

Tuesday is Mardi Gras, a great excuse to make a great meal and have some fun. For the past couple of years, our car club has done a fantastic Mardi Gras party, with lots of glitz and glamour, sparkly jackets and dresses. Even the guys got into it with top hats and glittery vests. But, the lady who was the driving force behind the party held at her neighborhood’s club moved away, so we aren’t going to have one this year. I’ll miss it, as I have no place to wear my Mardi Gras earrings and vintage pin this year. Oh well, I might just wear them to my appointments this week. But I’ll leave the green shimmering jacket at home.

Mardi Gras calls for coastal dishes and seafood like this one from the Milk Street New Rules cookbook. This is Steamed Fish with Shiitake Mushrooms, recipe on that post. Fresh snow peas and jasmine rice complete the meal. Itadakimasu!

Try some Fish Tacos, this post shows two ways to make them.  I will sometimes make shrimp tacos.

If it is warm where you are, having some Cedar Plank Grilled Fish. I like salmon best, and My Sweet Babboo usually gets ahi tuna.

A recipe I adapted from a dish at a local restaurant, my Asian Inspired Salad made with crab and sriracha mayonnaise makes a great first course anytime. I still regret donating those green deep salad plates back to the thrift store.

Make some Mardi Gras cookies. These are my Christmas Vanilla Sugar Cookies (pdf download) with the cookies cut in circles like Mardi Gras coins and purple, green and gold sprinkles.

Set a table in purple, green and gold. Just shop your home for interesting things in the right colors. I have a bunch of beads and coins which turns almost anything into Mardi Gras. The napkins are folded into Fleur-de-lis shapes.

Get out your beaded evening bags for the centerpiece. Add coins spilling out and you have a way to enjoy the artistry of the bags since we don’t have much chance to carry them to an event.

Sew a little mini-quilt for your mini quilt stand. This one is a corn and beans block, with a Mardi Gras bead necklace on top. See how I made it with this link – Mardi Gras Mini Quilt.

This coming week, I hope to finish the second Quilt of Valor and get it loaded on the frame. The first one is done, and was given to the director for the next ceremony. It is going to my husband’s pickleball coach. The first set of blocks arrived from Missi M. Thank you so much! I don’t have an email address to let you know they arrived, so I hope you see this.

Thursday will have a guild meeting followed by a half-day class on Thread Painting, and I am really looking forward to that. The class continues all day Friday. Of course, I’ll share that soon. What are your plans for the week?

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