Take a walk with me around my garden where we once again have temps in the 80s. (Don’t hate.)
Birds are nesting and everything else is blooming and growing.
Bringing a twig to her babies. I think she’s a Warbling Vireo.
Lucky mom, HER nest won’t be empty this year like mine is!
A fragrant freesia.
Nectarine in bloom.
Marguerite Daisy.
The veggie garden, lots of lettuce, radishes, kale, and beets.
Yummy, spicy radishes and spring onions.
Sweet Pea Bush
Happy Pansy!
Happy Spring!
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved wolves.
This little Jewish girl from Detroit dancing around in a pink tutu and satin toe shoes harbored a secret desire to live among the wolves and become accepted as a pack member.
Crazy, right?
Crazy because the only wolves I encountered in Detroit were the hormone-addled little boys at the Jewish Community Center.
“The gaze of the wolf reached into our soul.” Barry Lopez
It wasn’t until we moved to California and I was in college that I did anything about it.
Back in the 1970s, I joined the fight to save the wolf from extinction by advocating for protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA),
In college, I studied predators and made plans to accompany research scientists and live with wolves in Minnesota and Michigan but never fulfilled that dream because I couldn’t (obviously) bring my dog, and I didn’t want to leave her.
Another dream unfulfilled. Oh, well.
Wolf print, Yellowstone
I was lucky to finally get to Yellowstone National Park and see IRL several of the wolves who make up the Lamar Valley pack, but we never heard the song of the wolf, probably because we camped right on Slough Creek and the water, while beautiful, drowned out most animal sounds.
I’m still involved in the never-ending fight to save, defend, and protect this magnificent animal; read about my experiences in Sacramento when I testified at the Fish and Wildlife Service‘s wolf delisting hearing: Saving Wolves.
From my testimony: “At 6:00 a.m., a few miles outside our camp at Slough Creek, we followed others to a bison carcass, and our efforts paid off with a multiple sighting of many wolves, including 755. There was an overwhelming sense of awe among the dozens of us who silently watched him cross the road and then a collective sigh of relief when he disappeared safely over the ridge.
Last weekend, we took a drive to the Mojave Desert town of Lucerne to spend a few hours at Wolf Mountain Sanctuary, a 501c3 nonprofit organization founded in 1976 by Tonya Littlewolf.
Eleven wolves call this sanctuary home, and while I finally heard the haunting song of the wolf, the whole experience could only be described as sad.
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary
Why sad?
Sad because these magnificent creatures NEED to be rescued.
Sad that humans think they have the right to try and make pets out of these wild animals. (Not gonna work.)
Sad that the wolves can’t roam free, sad they’re hunted, tortured, hated, vilified.
Wolves are among the most intelligent species.
HOW DARE WE DESTROY THEM.
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary
So yes. Sad. Very sad.
From Wolf Mountain Sanctuary website…all volunteer educational organization dedicated to the preservation, protection, and proper management of wolves in the wild and in captivity. We are a forever home for all of the wolves we rescue. We rescue wolves from the movie industry, private owners, and from breeders. The impression a 180 pound wolf leaves on you is everlasting. To look into their knowing, wise, amber colored eyes is a moving, spiritual experience. When you look into the eyes of a wolf, you see your soul…
“We have doomed the Wolf not for what it is, but for what we have deliberately and mistakenly perceived it to be..the mythologized epitome of a savage, ruthless killer..which is, in reality no more than a reflexed images of ourself.” Farley Mowat
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary
He’s a beautiful wolf with a golden sand coat. Denali’s personality is very sweet, curious, and friendly.
The wolves at Wolf Mountain Sanctuary seem to be well cared for and healthy.
When I met this handsome guy, Holan, he immediately jumped up, put his front paws on my shoulders, and licked my face. See my joy? This is the smile of someone who loves wolves.
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary
“The wolf is neither man’s competitor nor his enemy. He is a fellow creature with whom the earth must be shared.” L. David Mech
Look at him. The eyes. Amazing.
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary
Sniffing around where we had been seated.
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary
“Throughout the centuries we have projected on to the wolf the qualities we most despise and fear in ourselves.” Barry Lopez
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary
“Inescapably, the realization was being borne in upon my preconditioned mind that the centuries-old and univerally accepted human concept of wolf character was a palpable lie. On three separate occasions in less than a week I had been completely at the mercy of these “savage killers”; but far from attempting to tear me limb from limb, they had displayed a restraint verging on contempt, even when I invaded their home and appeared to be posing a direct threat to the young pups.” Farley Mowat, Never Cry Wolf
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary
Awesome Wolf Howling Compilation
http://youtu.be/op7fRsvWowA
A Man Among Wolves
http://youtu.be/j4vFBXOoHs0
Wolf Mountain Sanctuary
From Wolf Mountain Sanctuary website:
WHY SAVE THE WOLF? Look at them: they are so noble, so beautiful. The wolf, as well as other endangered species, are ecological indicators. It is by studying these species and learning how to preserve them that we learn the main factors affecting our environment.
Perhaps in so doing, we will learn undiscovered ways to benefit mankind!
Unfortunately, there are those who deny the wolf’s place in the ecosystem. Wolves are gunned down from airplanes and snowmobiles (which some consider “sport”). Sometimes the fur is taken; however, more often than not, the animal is simply left to decay.
The wolf is poisoned “en masse,” trapped by leg-hold traps, used as adornments for the idle rich.
Today, the wolf’s range is limited to Alaska, Canada, the upper Midwest, and in Yellowstone National Park. Some of the YNP wolves have traveled into adjoining states, which allow hunters to kill wolves on sight and for little to no reason. In the 1930’s, there were approximately 50,000 wolves roaming the North American continent. By the 1940’s, that number had been decreased to 1,000. Today, mostly because of conservation efforts, there are approximately 3,000 wild wolves on the entire continent. They have made a small comeback, but because of the recent delisted from the Endangered Species Act, wolves are once again under attack.
Wolf lovers need to band together and do all we can to help them. TIME IS RUNNING OUT!
Only you can save the wolf from extinction. Proper management procedures must be put into action.
Won’t you join us in the wolf’s campaign? Please help the wolves any way you can: sign all petitions you can to stop the wholesale slaughter of wolves and donate to organizations focused on protecting the wolf!
And here’s something else we can do NOW.
It’s important to help out those wonderful humans who devote their lives to protecting wolves like Wolf Mountain Sanctuary and Dearborn Wolf Sanctuary.
I’m back from Wolf Mountain Sanctuary in the Mojave Desert.
I’ll post about our experience at the sanctuary, but it was mostly sad. Sad that these magnificent creatures NEED to be rescued. Sad that they can’t roam free, sad they’re hunted, tortured, hated. They are among the most intelligent and evolved species. How dare we destroy them. Sad. Very sad.
Check out this amazing outcropping of rocks.
The Mojave Desert is also known as the High Desert because of its elevation, between 2,000 and 4,000 feet above sea level. 
Blue sky and rocks.
Ick.
LOVE this pic.
Rock climber Not me.
#highdesert #mojave #desert #wolves #hiking
Since I now focus most of my baking to please Angel Boy 2.0 (the new and improved version), this was the winner of all the chocolate cakes I ever created, so I thought I’d share it again for those of you who do still currently turn on the oven and combine ingredients to conjure up lovely confections (not confessions). At 15 months, AB 2.0 can’t have chocolate; for now he’ll have to be happy with sugarless teething biscuits and kale smoothies.
No eggs and no dairy, yet this cake is super moist, fluffy, and fudge-tastic — with a hint of French roast coffee and almond-y Amaretto.
I was inspired by a recipe I found in my mom’s old cookbook — as always, I transformed it into my own version.
I know I use Amaretto a lot, but I ran out of vanilla and it’s a great flavor enhancer with chocolate and coffee.
Moist #Vegan Chocolate Cake With Amaretto Coffee Frosting
Directions Grease a nine-inch pan. Bake on middle rack of oven for approximately twenty-five to thirty-five minutes. Check with toothpick to make sure it comes out clean. Don’t over bake or it’ll dry out. Cool and frost. Amaretto Coffee Frosting In a medium bowl, sift sugar and cocoa. Blend with vegan butter. Add 2 teaspoons Amaretto or other flavoring, and 3 tablespoons cold coffee, Blend until desired consistency. If too dry, add more coffee or Amaretto. If too wet, add more powdered sugar.  |
This is bread heaven.
Crusty golden on the outside, chewy texture studded with olives, jalpenos, and garlic on the inside.
OK, listen to me. There is NO reason why you can’t recreate this masterpiece of textures and mouthwatering goodness.
If you think baking bread is beyond your skill set, think again.
Can you toss a few ingredients in a bowl, go away for a couple of hours, and throw a few olives and other things on top of the dough and mold it into a round shape?
Can you?
Of course you can.
It’s so easy — not rocket science — and I guarantee success.
Seriously Easy Rustic Savory Olive/Jalapeno/Garlic Bread
3 cups all purpose flour
1 package regular active yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil just for the rising bowl)
1 cup rough chopped olives (pitted)
2 jalapeños
3 cloves garlic
1. You can either sauté the jalapeños and garlic for a few minutes or leave them raw; it’s your choice. I used pickled jalapenos and garlic ‘cos I had them in the pantry.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast, salt, water. If you have a mixer with a dough hook, mix until it comes together in a wet ball. Add a bit more flour if it looks too wet, but you don’t want an overly dry dough.
3. If you’re doing it all by hand, old-school style, use a wooden spoon and put some muscle into it.
4. When it comes together, flour a cutting board and knead for a bit; this is a rustic bread so it doesn’t have to be perfect.
5. Oil a bowl with the reserved olive oil, place the dough in bowl, cover with a plastic bag, and set aside in a warm place to rise for a couple of hours. It helps to blanket the bowl with a towel, too.
6. After you can see the dough has doubled in size, turn the dough onto a floured wooden board. With your hands, roughly press the dough into a circle.
7. Add half the olives/jalapenos/garlic.
8. Fold the dough in half and gently press again to a rough circle.
9. Add the rest of the ingredients and form the dough into a ball shape.
Not so different than Play-Doh, right?
10. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
11. Dust the baking sheet with a teaspoon or so of cornmeal or flour.
12. Let rise again for about thirty minutes.
13. Toward the end of this second rising, preheat oven to 400 degrees.
14. Using a sharp knife, cut an X-shaped slit across the top of the dough.
15. Bake about forty minutes until the top is golden brown.
16. What I like to do toward the end of baking time is to take the bread off the baking pan and place directly on the rack to bake for another five-seven minutes. This ensures a completely even crunchy crust.
17. Take out of the oven, place on cooling rack.
It’s very important not to cut into it too soon! I know it’s hard to wait, but sometimes it’s a good idea.
Serve with homemade lentil soup and a fresh garden salad; this is truly bread heaven.
Enjoy!
On February 20, more than one thousand bloggers are speaking with one voice about compassion — to share our belief that together we CAN rid the world of brutality, cruelty, hatred,, indifference, meanness, tyranny, animosity — the opposite of compassion.
“…sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.”
You know what I think?
Being compassionate should not end there.
It’s not good enough to simply FEEL pity and concern, but we need to DO something about the suffering in this world.
That means NO puppy mills, no circuses with animals as entertainment, no SeaWorld, no elephant rides, no camel rides, no dolphin slaughter, no factory farm hell, no running of the bulls, no bullfighting, no cat and dog ritual torture and eating, no dogfighting,
And especially NO wolf killing and NO coyote or bobcat or mountain lion killing contests.
We are better than this.
I hope…
I’m sick of hearing about babies killed and tossed in dumpsters, children who are abused and starved, football players who beat their wives, their children, their dogs — I’m sick of it all.
Practice cruelty-free living.
I have much admiration for Jen at Driftwood Gardens, who, as a fresh convert to veganism, is a shining light educating the world about the merits of living cruelty-free.
My story is that I’ve been meat-free since 1970, but only recently learned about the horrors of dairy, and now I’m practicing being successfully dairy and egg-free.
If you want to start your own practice of compassion in action, watch Eathlings, a film with Joaquin Phoenix, at http://earthlings.com
In fact, STOP all killing of animals. How’s that?
That’s MY perfect world.
That’s the legacy I’d be honored to leave for my son.
Sometimes, caring for a terminally ill grandma is a beautifully tragic way to learn compassion.
Best mom and grandma EVER.
She was born February 9, 1915
and would have been
one hundred years old today.
I’m often asked where I learned how to cook and bake. I learned it all from her — everything from scratch, and that’s how I do it, too, carrying on that tradition.
Once in a while, tugboat man will surprise his crew by baking for them and it’s her recipe he uses: The Compleat Apple Pie…Deconstructed
You know how I love to clean? That’s because she made a game out of washing windows, polishing silver; even ironing. She made it all fun, never a chore.
When Angel Boy had his medical scare a while back, it was my mom whom I channeled in the hospital. I remembered every single thing she ever shared with me about being a strong, assertive patient advocate — how to interact with doctors and staff — and to NEVER leave the side of a loved one, which is the reason why DIL and I were there 24/7 for the almost two weeks he was hospitalized. We all firmly believe this is one of the reasons he’s here today. REALLY.
On a happier note, all I know about fashion and style, shopping and Chanel, I learned from my mom and I’m more than happy to carry on that legacy.
When I spray on my favorite scent, Chance by Chanel, before I leave for the gym, I remember more of my mom’s words of wisdom:
“Don’t save good perfume for special occasions. Wear it every day just for you.”
When my mom retired from nursing, she moved in with us. After suffering from months of unexplained stomach pain and nausea, she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Sadly, she didn’t live very long after that.
We cared for her with the help of hospice and she died peacefully at home.
Toward the end, after school, my seven-year-old son would climb on her bed, tell her about his day and feed her a couple spoonfuls of soup.
Sometimes, caring for a terminally ill grandma is a beautifully tragic way to learn compassion.
Angel Boy and my mom had a special bond; she would play Candyland for HOURS with had endless patience. When he was two or three or four years old, whenever he’d call out “MOM!” we would both answer, because for the longest time, that’s how he referred to us both– until he named her “DangDang”, which is how his brain processed the sounds in “Grandma”.
She would have been so very proud of him.
When Angel Boy finished graduate school, I bought him an Hermes tie because that’s what Grandma would have done — memorialize the occasion with an amazingly extravagant gift.
I can think of no better way to honor her memory than to shop for a little something special, ‘cos that’s exactly what she’d want me to do!
A few of my favorite vintage photos:
Stylish nurse ensemble.
I still have her cap and velvet ribbon tucked away, wrapped in tissue paper.
Lovely afternoon skirt, blouse, and contrasting belt to highlight her curves.
Me (very yellow with frilly socks) with Mommy, attired in a full-on Jackie Kennedy look minus the pillbox hat.
Frank Sinatra was one of her FAVES.. She used to annoy me SO much by singing along with Old Blue Eyes whenever this song came on the radio: “It Was A Very Good Year”
I’m reposting this because there was something faulty with the Paypal link and I want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to help.
I’ve always loved wolves; I first became an active defender in the 70s, doing what I could to support their originally being listed as an Endangered Species, and more recently, I provided testimony at the Fish and Wildlife Services hearing in Sacramento.
I wrote about that experience here: Saving Wolves
It doesn’t seem right that in 2015, we are continually correcting misconceptions about wolves and fighting stereotypes — like that Superbowl ad. We need to end — once and for all — the barbaric hunting contests of wolves, coyotes, bears, mountain lions, and bobcats
The wolf is an amazing animal that deserves to be protected and defended.
And saved.
However,
…Not everybody is as well-funded as Capt. Watson and his Sea Shepherd defenders and protectors of ocean creatures.
…Not everybody has the fundraising savvy of PETA or Defenders of Wildlife.
…Not every organization has a Washington, DC lobbyist.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t help others who dedicate their lives and sacrifice everything to save animals in danger.
There are angels all over this country who are committed to 24/7 care of abused and neglected wolves.
There are those heroes among us who DO the work, even though they might not be PR or social media savvy and have a staff to handle all the admin duties.
I admire the men and women who are in the trenches, the boots-on-the-ground caregivers who feed and love and care for these beautiful and much maligned animals.
Dearborn Wolf Sanctuary can REALLY use our help.
His mission is simple but very powerful:
” We rescue wolves and wolf-hybrids that are unwanted, abused, etc. We give them a loving home with three acres to run and play, and all the food they can eat.”
I donated a couple months ago, and I’m going to donate again.
Will you help, too?
Dearborn Wolf Sanctuary is a nonprofit organization.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dearborn.wolfsanctuary
Please contact him to offer any hands on help, too.
How to donate:
Check or money order to:
Dearborn Wolf Sanctuary
31 Cox Creek Ln.
Cascade, Montana 59421
or
THANK YOU for donating and PLEASE share/reblog with your friends and readers…sometimes it takes a village to pitch in and help.
***Would anyone like to work with me on an ongoing fundraising campaign to help Dearborn Wolf Sanctuary?
I’m reposting this because there was something faulty with the Paypal link and I want to make sure that everyone has an opportunity to help.
I’ve always loved wolves; I first became active in the 70s, doing what I could to support their originally being listed as an Endangered Species, and more recently, I spoke at the Fish and Wildlife Services hearing in Sacramento.
I wrote about that experience here: Saving Wolves
The wolf is an amazing animal that deserves to be protected and defended.
And saved.
However,
…Not everybody is as well-funded as Capt. Watson and his Sea Shepherd defenders and protectors of ocean creatures.
…Not everybody has the fundraising savvy of PETA or Defenders of Wildlife.
…Not every organization has a Washington, DC lobbyist.
But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t help others who dedicate their lives and sacrifice everything to save animals in danger.
There are angels all over this country who are committed to 24/7 care of abused and neglected wolves.
There are those heroes among us who DO the work, even though they might not be PR or social media savvy and have a staff to handle all the admin duties.
I admire the men and women who are in the trenches, the boots-on-the-ground caregivers who feed and love and care for these beautiful and much maligned animals.
Dearborn Wolf Sanctuary can REALLY use our help.
His mission is simple but very powerful:
” We rescue wolves and wolf-hybrids that are unwanted, abused, etc. We give them a loving home with three acres to run and play, and all the food they can eat.”
I donated a couple months ago, and I’m going to donate again.
Will you help, too?
Dearborn Wolf Sanctuary is a nonprofit organization.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dearborn.wolfsanctuary
Please contact him to offer any hands on help, too.
How to donate:
Check or money order to:
Dearborn Wolf Sanctuary
31 Cox Creek Ln.
Cascade, Montana 59421
or
THANK YOU for donating and PLEASE share/reblog with your friends and readers…sometimes it takes a village to pitch in and help.
***Would anyone like to work with me on a fundraising campaign to help Dearborn Wolf Sanctuary?
Late afternoon sun
Perfuming a slight warm breeze
Lavender grows here
Photo credit: Enchanted Seashells
Haiku by Princess Rosebud
Enchanted Seashells | Princess Rosebud 