Jenny Wren & Robin Redbreast

From Mother Goose:

'Twas once upon a time,
  when Jenny Wren was young,
So daintily she danced
  and so prettily she sung,
Robin Redbreast lost his heart,
  for he was a gallant bird.
So he doffed his hat to Jenny Wren,
  requesting to be heard.
"Oh, dearest Jenny Wren,
  if you will be but mine,
You shall feed on cherry pie
  and drink new currant wine,
I'll dress you like a goldfinch
  or any peacock gay,
So, dearest Jen, if you'll be mine,
  let us appoint the day."
Jenny blushed behind her fan
  and thus declared her mind:
"Since, dearest Bob, I love you well,
  I'll take your offer kind.
Cherry pie is very nice
  and so is currant wine,
But I must wear my plain brown gown
  and never go too fine."

I think Jenny Wren must have been a very sweet little thing. I like to dress up fine once in a while - especially for church and for going dancing - but my heart truly lies in simple frocks and dresses. 

The robins have been out all over the past couple of days. And not just them, the stellar jays and the humming birds are flying outside our windows as well.

Quinn filled our humming bird feeder for the first time this year, and already they are happily buzzing around it. We love watching them, and recognizing them by their bright patches of neon orange, red, and green.

Many little birds can be seen early in the morning, scratching around in my mother-in-law's newly turned garden beds. 

Sadly, our bird feeders were visited by a very large black bear several weeks ago. We don't want him coming around often, so we have put the feeders away. 

The birds are still continuing to frequent our yard though, and I love hearing them chatter and sing on our walks.

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?"

Matthew 6:26

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The other day Quinn and I decided we had had enough of sitting inside. We had been cooped up with nowhere to go because of the rain outside, and it was time for a change. 

To keep myself busy that day, I had concocted a new recipe: an Almond Poppy-seed Pound Cake! Almond is one of my most favorite flavors, and poppy-seeds are just plain fun, so off I went making a new recipe...

Thankfully, the pound cake turned out just fine (Yes, I've had recipes turn out disastrously in the past!), and we braved the rain to go sit on the front porch for a little time outside.

Under the warm cover of quilts and blankets we sat together and listened to the rain and the birds chirping around us. The robins and other bird folk don't seem bothered by the constant rain of Juneau, so I think we shouldn't be either.

Pound cake is one of my go-to easy desserts, so if you want this recipe I'll write it below. You could even forgo the almonds and poppy seeds for the standard recipe if you like (but I think it tastes better with the hint of almond!).

Almond Poppy-Seed Pound Cake

A recipe by Emily Z.

1 cup butter, at room temperature.

1 cup sugar

4 eggs, large.

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan.

1/3 cup ground/finally chopped almonds

1 tablespoon poppy seeds

1.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a loaf pan and set it aside.

2.) Use an electric mixer on high speed to beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after adding in each one. Add both extracts and salt. 

3.) With your mixer on low speed, gradually add in flour, almonds, and poppy seeds, mixing just until combined.

4.) Bake until a knife or toothpick poked in center comes out clean, about one hour. If your oven is fickle like mine, you may need to make a tent of aluminum foil to make sure the top doesn't brown too much. Enjoy!