Take Care, Internet Users

A new security bug means that people all across the Web are vulnerable to having their passwords and other sensitive data stolen. Follow this link and learn what you can do to protect yourselves.

Until they/we can resolve the issue(s,) we will be not be banking, purchasing, or passing around personal information over the Internet. I know there can be a lot of technology cautions, and dire warnings to wade through, but this 'Heartbleed' bug is a serious matter that needs to be addressed.

Chickenblog is going to take a wee break... time to stretch my legs, clear my head, and scratch around in the dirt for a bit.

Be well, friends.

Lemon Poppy Seed Sunshine Waffles of Happiness

A few weeks back I made some really yummy waffles. They had fresh squeezed lemon juice, with lemon zest, a little sugar, and lots of poppy seeds. What inspired me? Max had cooked with lemons the night before, and I didn't want the extra juice and zest to go to waste, so I just tossed everything into the waffle mix! What a worthwhile chance that was... those waffles were delicious. Trouble is, as usual, I have no recollection of what the ratios were. Arggh. Geoff is so very right... I should pay closer attention to what I am doing in the kitchen, and write it all down.

Craving some zesty comfort food this morning, so I am going to see what I can do to recreate Lemon Poppy Seed Sunshine Waffles of Happiness! Wish me luck, please!

****Update I****
Well, I won't be preserving this recipe. Today's waffles were not happy, or sunshiny. These waffles were dense and rubbery. Lemon Poppy Seed Sunshine Waffles of Happiness are light, with crisp edges and a soft, airy inside. So. Something with today's attempt went sadly wrong. Before I try again, I will be reading up on egg to flour ratios, for waffle bliss. How do you like your waffles of happiness?

****Update II****
Too many eggs? I used three, small ones, but this promising looking recipe calls for only one egg. I'm also looking for one of those handy cooking charts that compares how many eggs you use and the effect it has on the texture of what you're baking. Seems like something that could be found on Pinterest.

We Call Him Nature Boy

Most of the time Mister Foo is inside.
We want him soft, lazy, and utterly, blissfully domesticated!
But, the Foo hears nature's call, and he cannot suppress his longing to be in the tall grass, beneath the trees,
talking to the birdies, stalking the lizards.
Nature Boy! Don't wander off. Don't stay out late.
And leave those birdies alone!
Foo? Foo!
Are you listening to me?
Oh, dear.

Five Good Things

A nice thing about having traditions and rituals is that when you don't know what to do, or when you don't want to do anything, there is something in place to coax you, to encourage you to move forward. It helps, I think.

We have had a really lovely start to the spring break Max and Maria are on. Maria and I are playing a little game in which we make a deliberate effort to do something special each day. Friday her cousins came by, and she had a good time sharing her pets, playhouse, and stickers. Saturday we went to a ladybug event at a local nursery. Maria got to paint a tiny birdhouse, and feed a pony. William made friends with the-brown-pony-who-bites. Warning signs were posted everywhere, but Brown Pony and William are friends. Amira was over, and the evening was spent with all kinds of play, followed by a lengthy spell of funny video shorts, and a They Might Be Giants dance party in the kitchen. Sunday... we lounged and lolled, and nibbled the cake William baked. Anna Banana came by. Maria invented a method for making her own stamps. We saw James and John, and then we met Tutu, Holly and Izzy and saw Muppets Most Wanted. That would have been deluxe enough, but then Maria and I stopped at an ocean side restaurant and dined with a view! It was very la-di-da and tasty, too. Our favorite part was watching the bats! They use massive flood lights so diners can watch the surf, and the light draws insects, and the insects attract bats, and we had a great time with our cloth napkins, faux candle light, and the Bat Show!

The closer Geoff gets to the finish line at work, the tougher it gets, so we are all in the deep thick of it right now... counting down, and hoping for the best. He is working every single day/night. Those long hours are rough. Also, there have been some passages in our circles, and a crisis, or two, that have us deeply concerned. {Someone recently called me out for "vague-booking" on FB. Guilty. Hey, I figure... either you "get it" and you can add your two cents, or you don't get it and you can inquire, then add your two cents. But if it doesn't register, or matter to you, then move on!} One thing I've come to realize is no matter how much, or how little, I share, someone will always find something objectionable. Today, I am choosing to say too little, while adding that our prayers, and thoughts are heavy with care and love.

And because life is always mixed with the good, and the striving, the happy, and the messes, I will think about some good things.

Good Things...

1. There are so very many ways we can stay in touch and communicate. Granted, things can still wind up like an unfortunate game of telephone, but mostly our social media, texting, twitting, chatting, calling, writing, and face to face encounters are almost miraculous.

2. Reclining theater chairs. Very la-di-da, and comfy, too.

3. When you vague-book and friends rally around, and say nice things to help you get back on a good course.

4. Nurses, doctors, healers, and all their learning and resources put to best use, and the healing that we pray for.

5. Paint, glitter glue, wood, metal, clay, chocolate, eggs, gears, wires, batteries, paper, bits and pieces, and time to enjoy making.

Please! Come right out and say it... tell us some good things~

Arm Yourself, With Chocolate!

Throwing caution to the wind, flouting all blogging conventions, I will write about cake and zombies, in the same post! Watching a certain televised Walking-Zombies-Not-Quite-Dead program has become a fairly regular event here, but in the last few months the unwatched episodes have been accumulating, so the guys called an emergency marathon viewing weekend. The first installment happened last night, and though they quit at 2 am, they are only half way through.

There are only two reasons you would come to our place tonight: 1. to get creeped out, grossed out, and freaked out, and squee with the rest of the zombie devotees, or... 2. to try some of this flour-less chocolate cake William made!

William wanted a gluten-free dessert to serve to friends, and he hit upon this recipe. I thought he was brave trying, not only a new recipe but one with new techniques, too. In the end, it all came together, and it tastes as rich as it looks. Unfortunately, he didn't notice the last step called for the cake to be refrigerated overnight. It was not ready in time for last night's marathon zombie event, but I am pretty sure there will be plenty left for tonight.

Maria and I will be upstairs, tucked in safely with books, flashlights, lofty quilts, and pure, happy thoughts!