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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From My Carolina Home 
LOL – it looks like squirrel mating season around here. There are lots of high speed chases through the trees. I think a wise fellow brought his date for a fancy dinner at your house.
I always love your Mardi Gras decorating. I guess Easter is early this year. Does that mean an early spring?? I hope so. One day last week we had a BIG flock of robins in our yard. It was a day or so after a big storm and there were berry bits all over the snow. They must have come from our big cedar tree. I bet we had 200 robins on the ground for 2-3 hours. They made great theater for my cat, Smokey, who sat on his cat stand for the duration of the visit. He loves looking out the window and it was better than bird tv on you tube.
I never have gotten into Mardi Gras and the day usually passes by without me really thinking about it.
My daughter from Denmark is coming this week to stay a month! Happy times!!
I enjoyed reading about your Mardi gras preparations.
Tuesday is also Chinese New Year and having spent 10 years in Taiwan we will have Chinese for dinner!
We have been getting a lot of Lesser Finches, House Finches, Carolina Chickadees, andTitmice in our feeders. Along with the usual White wing Doves. Cardinals and BlueJays. The wren’s have also been active. Squirrels while cute we could do without. Fun to watch but destructive! Lady, our standard poodle has great fun chasing them!
Enjoyed your bird and squirrel pictures. We just added unsalted peanuts in with the bird food. Wondering what new birds we’ll see with the peanuts.
Enjoy your thread painting class! Sounds like fun!
Jo Anne
You have a lot of fun ideas for Mardi Gras, Carole! I love the purple and gold colors. I’m sorry the party you’ve enjoyed so much in the past isn’t taking place this year. Those blocks your reader sent are pretty! Are you going to use them with a panel? Have a wonderful Sunday!
I always enjoy your bird and squirrel photos. The food looks delicious and the Mardi Gras decor looks fabulous! enjoy the week, Carole!
Your Mardi Gras preparations look great. What a pity you are going to miss the usual party and fun. Maybe you will have to organise it for next year.
The squirrels will now know where the best ‘sandwich parlour’ in town is and will make regular calls!
Hope lots of birds arrive to be counted and noted. The cold spell can’t have been good for the little birds trying to keep warm.
After our couple of weeks of searing heat we now have Southerly winds (cold) and the temperatures have dropped considerably. The body seems to feel the cold more after a spell of hot days. Hopefully it will warm up a bit soon.
Mary :))
I wish it was that simple. I would have helped organize one this year, but we have no venues to hold it. We do not have a member that lives where she did, and you have to have a resident to use the facility. Three other venues have been torn down, or were heavily damaged by Helene. Other places like country clubs and hotels are now prohibitively expensive. This isn’t the only event that we’ve had a problem holding this year. Other events will also not be held due to no available venue.
Venues have gotten so expensive! Hopefully some place will begin to turn up. I love the idea of sparkly purses as part of a Mardi Gras center piece! Good luck on your bird count.
Another great read. You are so talented with so many things! Thanks for the Sugar Cookie recipe and the Mardi Gras idea.
Lots of rain in the Charlotte area today.
Blessings,
Beverly
You have been busy Carole! You have also had more winter than we have had, though I won’t complain, as our roof/soffits are still waiting to be repaired after the Christmas storm. This week I will accompany for the high schooler’s regional solo festival, and then contest season is officially over. I have not been doing much sewing, but will commence this week, along with moving several knitting projects forward. Nothing too exciting, but I think it will be a good week.
The squirrels look very happy to have you remember them.
And the bird count will keep you busy. Great way to discover what is around you.
Ours is usually held in October – mid Spring here.
i always look forward to your downy woodpecker sightings and the squirrel shenanigans to get sandwiches! I like your table setting. Very festive. And thanks for all of the recipe links in this post.
Wednesday I am going a guild workshop where we will make a Foldilocks bag using a ByAnnie pattern. I have not made one of her bags before but the instructor is very good and I am sure she will have some good tips. I am looking forward to that.
Mardi Gras isn’t a big thing in the north — in fact, I hadn’t even thought about it! But you sure set a wonderful and tasty sounding table to celebrate. I love the idea of using the cookie recipe and the seasonal colors. That’s easy and cute and clever.
On another note, I made your chicken piccata the other night and it was wonderful. I had a couple of glitches (NOT because of the recipe; just my own issues) but it was a hit. Rick loved it (I got the “make this again!”) and even helped at the end. Because by the time he came and started to help, I was flattened and went to crash so he finished. He also added some leftover white wine and that as good with it. Thanks for that. It was excellent.