Easter gluttony, dead plants and pudgy hummingbirds

A few weeks ago, (since my last meaningful blog post anyway) We had the pleasure of enjoying a first-time visit from Terry's brother (#3) Todd and Todd's wife Cyndy. We set aside all angst over the fact that we've lived here for nine years and yet this was their first visit (and the last of his four brothers to come). Instead we spent the five days falling over ourselves enjoying their company. We talked, laughed, ate, drank, played cards, ate, drank, went to Sedona, ate, drank... well, you get the picture. We had so much fun, and apparently so did they. They vowed to return soon, and often.

Their departure day happened to be Easter Sunday and since their flight was mid-day, we decided to have our official Easter dinner on Saturday instead. Terry wasn't crazy about the idea of having our traditional ham, so he picked up a prime rib roast from Costco. Yes, it was a bit more pricey, but came out so perfect it was well worth it for this special occasion. To accompany the entree, I made herb salad with buttermilk dressing, buttered baby carrots, mashed potatoes and for dessert blueberry buttermilk cobbler (all homemade from scratch, of course). Terry's youngest brother (#4) Ted and his wife Ana came for dinner, and Terry's mom Sue stayed the night as well. It was a wonderful family-centered holiday and we are honored that we were able to share it with so many of Terry's family members, especially Sue.

As I often do, when we have guests come into town, I picked up a pretty hanging flower bowl for our back patio from Lowe's (conveniently and dangerously located next door). Well I admit I am not the best at remembering to care for plants (hey, I'm busy!), and sure enough, the thing was dead after only missing a couple days' worth of watering. Thankfully, it did last through their visit anyway. Although I take full responsibility for forgetting to water daily, this desert heat and dryness definitely contributed to its demise. At any rate, I finally decided to give up my dream of trying to keep fresh flowers alive and stuck some silk flowers in the dirt of the hanging basket. If you weren't reading this right now, you probably wouldn't know they weren't real. They will last all summer and are literally care-free. They won't die! They probably will fade in the sun, but then I can replace them with some different ones for the Fall.

On a related note (nature is our theme here today, I guess) I also hung a hummingbird feeder on our dining room window. It's kind of cool because if the back yard is bright enough to cause a reflection on the windowpane, you can go right up to the feeder (from inside) and look closely at the birds as they drink the nectar. Even just sitting in my dining room while I work, I see them coming at all times of the day, though mostly at dawn and dusk. There are at least two birds that visit, and they do fight over it, but I have definitely noticed they're getting fatter. They're little piggies! I imagine their little wings are having to work harder and harder to support them as time goes on.

It also reminds me of my need to stick to my own diet!