Marauding Red Breasts

The robins arrived over the weekend. It was warm, actually almost humid, and the doors were open so when I heard all the rustling and turbulence outside, I went to see what was causing the ruckus. The back yard was full of raucous red-breasted robins rooting through the grass for worms and grubs, while others jostled and flapped for turns at the birdbath. Some drank while others tried to bathe and splash. It was chaos in backyard birdland and I had to smile.

In less than 20 minutes, our lawn was de-bugged and worm-raked, the bird bath bone dry, so away they flew like a dark cloud heading north to the next block. The weather has remained unseasonable warm but they'll be back south with the next cold front tomorrow or the next day. The robins will visit us several times as they work their way north for good but it is a sure sign that spring is on the way.

In my lust for color during this drab and dreary month, I am making more than my usual effort to cook colorful foods. And, in an effort to lose some weight, I am trying to eat healthy. I did pretty well last night, at least at first. While The Lube went to an "emergency" council meeting at 6:00 (yes, that is four days in a row. grrrr), I had a vodka martini and some edamame for a snack. Edamame is soy beans in the pod and they make a healthy nibble. Almost as good as our Southern tradition of boiled peanuts, I like edamame since I can keep them in the freezer and defrost them in the nuker in less than 30 seconds.



For supper I made steamed, homegrown broccoli fresh from my friend Barbie's garden, with sautéed sweet red peppers, yellow squash and shrimp. Dinner took 6 minutes cooking time from start to finish.



It was such a damned healthy night that by 9:00, I was into the cookies and Pringles. So much for dieting on Monday.