Washed in the Bird Songs

Yesterday we had a break in the weather... If you could call it that. We were snowed in all weekend and another storm hit today. But yesterday it was rainy and a balmy 55 degrees or so. I don't know if I would call it a nice day, but it was different at least. Personally I like snow, as does my 5 year old, but the toddler hates it! So we have not been out in it much this year.

When the winter weather took a break I had high hopes for the day. Cabin fever had set in and I wanted to be out and about. But at 9am the baby threw up and I discovered both children had mild fevers.

At almost 5pm, I felt like I was going to snap. The children, while still contagious, we not acting sick at all but running around the house and obsessing about watching yet more television.

In a burst of frustration I packed them into the car and drove to a nearby nature trail. 

Almost immediately upon stepping into the woods and walking down the trail, I felt relief! The children, similarly, began to speak in a softer tone and walked with more purpose and focus. 

I stopped along the trail and whispered. "Let's listen for birds."

Both children mimicked me and we listened. Immediately we heard a distant call.

 "That is the red-headed road runner woodpecker owl." My 5 year old science nerd informed me. 

"Are you sure?" I asked. "Because I thought it was a cardinal."

We listened again. This time we heard a woodpecker and though I don't know for sure, my son said it was the "red-headed woodpecker" and it could have been.

For the rest of the hike we remained (more or less) quite. We found a blue wing feather from a blue jay and a stick covered in turquoise fungus as well as some fuzzy brown galls.

Soon, however, darkness approached. We turned around and headed home as the wind shifted and the temperature dropped rapidly. The storm was moving in. At this moment, a barred owl called. We all froze and listened to the distinct whoo, whoo...

By the time we got back home, only about 40 minutes had passed, but we were all different people. As if the songs of wild birds had washed us of our distractions and we were born anew! 

Leaf Chips

I have heard from a lot of people that they tried to make kale chips once and it didn't work. So here are some tips along with my recipe:

Ingredients:
Kale leaves (or other thick leafy greens)
Olive oil
Salt

1. Cut the leaf from the stem. You did not want any large veins in your leaf chips because they won't cook up right.
2. Toss your leaves with olive oil and salt. Do not skip the oil! You really need the leaves to be covered on both sides. The oil is not to keep the chip from sticking, it actually is needed for the cooking process.
3. Add spices. You can spice this up any way you like. Curry powder or chili powder is fun. Or you can always just replace the salt with season salt.
4. Lay the leaves out on a cookie sheet. The leaves can not overlap. It if fine if they don't lay flat, better in fact!
5. Bake at just 200 degrees or lower. You want to dehydrate them more than bake them really.
6. After 10 minutes flip them and then bake them another 10 minutes. Times and temperature may vary slightly depending on your oven. Don't be afraid to peak and poke at them often.

Kale chips are not the only leafy green that can be made into a delicious chip. Beet leaves, turnip leaves, radish leaves, mustard greens, and chard all make yummy chips when dried. The time other leaves take to bake will be a little different. Some leaves might be spicy or even prickly but I think they are all good in their own right.