Bucatini al Tonno e Olive

This was really a tasty, surprisingly light, and quickly prepared meal, full of complex and satisfying flavors. 

Pasta for two or three (I used bucatini but any fairly sturdy pasta like rigatoni or shells would work)

5 oz. can of Italian tuna in olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 or more garlic cloves, minced

Red pepper flakes to taste

14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

1/4 c. kalamata olives, chopped

1 tablespoon capers

1 anchovy, mashed, or a squeeze of anchovy paste

1 lemon

Chopped parsley for garnish

Grated parmesan

Salt, pepper, butter to taste

Boil the pasta in salted water while preparing the sauce. A bit of the cooking water may be added later to the sauce if it needs more moisture so don't drain the noodles till the sauce is complete. 

Drain the oil from the tuna into a frying pan and use it to saute the onions. When they are soft and translucent, add in the garlic. Saute for a few minutes, then add in the pepper flakes, a little salt and pepper, the tuna (flake it up with a fork,) tomatoes, olives, capers, and anchovy. Simmer maybe five minutes. As the moisture reduces, you can add in some of the pasta water which will make the sauce kind of silky.

Drain the cooked pasta and return to the pot. Stir in a bit of butter because there's something about butter that makes pasta tastier, even when you plan to sauce it.

Serve the pasta topped with the sauce, some parmesan, some parsley, and a squeeze of lemon. A perfect quick supper!

Note: Tuna in olive oil is recommended but if you can't find any, drained water packed albacore (white tuna) would do and you'd use olive oil for sauteeing the onions.

Oh, Iris!

Josie's Third Birthday Party

When I woke up from my nap, Mama helped me put on a pretty dress and when I went outside, there was a party!

Grandma and Apa and Meema and Grumpy and Doug and Shane were there because of me Josie. I an three years old!

There were balloons and little flags 

and lots of food.

I aways have a snack after nap. I had fruit and cheese and peanut butter and little cheese crackers.

Then it was time to open presents!

Daddy helped.

There were so many!

Mama helped too.

Ali Ali came to the party. 

I have two new animal friends--Paul the Bear and Diamond the horse.

 They sat at my table.

A chicken came to the party too. 

Some of my presents were things to play with in the sandbox Daddy made me.

The sand was too dry and I had to bring some water to wet it.

I got wet too and had to go inside and change my clothes.

Then I had to see about the food. There were hot dogs and hamburgers and salads. I had a hot dog!

After dinner, I made a little bed on the grass so I could relax.

A birthday card!

It said JOSIE!

And then it was time for cake!

There were two--one chocolate and one raspberry lemon!

And candles to blow out. The wind helped.

This was a very good party. I like being three! And I like chocolate cake.

New Camera! Better Pictures!

About a month ago, my cherished Nikkor 18-200 lens jammed up. Again. Since then I've been using my little pocket Sony which I love for its portability but it's not near the camera I want. Even before the lens jammed, my friend Cory (a professional photographer) had warned me that all lenses eventually wear out and he had sent me a recommendation for an all-in-one camera that he felt would suit me.  It has a zoom capacity of 24-600. 

Wow! I was tempted. And when I got an editing job that would pay for a good chunk of the new camera, I bit the bullet and made the order. It arrived Tuesday but apart from opening the package to see that it was all there, I left it in the box, telling myself I had to finish the editing job first ( 150 pages to go out of almost 300.)

Friday morning I had about fifty pages to go. I did my morning chores (dress, make bed, laundry, bird feeders, littler box,) got a cup of coffee, and sat down, determined to finish so I could play with my new toy and be ready to take pictures of The Josie's family birthday party today.

At 12:20 I wrote my editorial letter and sent it and the marked up manuscript off to the author. A quick late breafast of yoghurt and granola and I was ready to explore.  Setting the language and date and time was easy. Attaching the neck strap, less so, but I persevered and then tried taking a picture or two.

Something wasn't right. My new camera didn't seem to want to take pictures. It kept telling me LOW LIGHT, even when I pointed it out the window.  Oh, no! Disaster!

After I removed the lens cap, things went better.

Some close ups -- still getting the hang of this-- (will read the manual soon, Cory.)

And then I tried some distance shots . . .

They're not especially interesting but the microwave tower atop the mountain and the house in the shot below are across the river from us, probably about two miles away. 

Maybe I could have a new career as a PI. Hmm...

Probably best if I stick to the private life of birds.

Mrs. R.B. Grosbeak is not amused.

But what a pleasant afternoon it was! 

Layla was happy to pose.

And, as always, there are the flowers. I think the pictures would have been better if the day han't been so windy.

And if the photographer would study the manual. 

But I had fun.

Irresistable Bloomers

I've been chained to my laptop, trying to finish up a paid editing job, but I broke away with forty pages yet to go in order to grab a few pictures in the now balmy weather.

A Mothers Day fuchsia . . .

A perennial Bachelor's Button/Centaura.

Siberian Iris along The Stairs of Doom (so called because they're kinda teacherous.)

 One of the resident blacksnakes left a shed skin in the dianthus.

I love these stately foxglove volunteers but am puzzled by their lack of color. The foxglove that flung its seeds there was a kind of two-tone maroon and cream.

More dianthus, golden oregano, and a tiny blue something whose name I've forgotten.

Siberian iris

A really loud geranium...

And one of the fuchsia blooms--a tribute to the wedding dress of the late Princesss of Wales?