Skulls and Talons ~ yikes!

Prior to the Desert Museum's Raptor Free Flight program a docent was showing the skulls and talons of some of the birds we were going to see in flight. She pointed out the disproportionate size of the eye sockets in relation to the skull. These large eyes provide the raptors with incredible vision so that they can spot a snack from very long distances. You can run, little field mouse, but you can't hide! Scroll down for the previous two days to see the beautiful Barn Owl and the gorgeous Harris Hawk.

Arizona's Barn Owl ~ Beautiful and Brutal

Well, "brutal" is all a matter of perspective. If you are a mouse, yes, this Barn Owl is brutal. Barn Owls can catch up to 2,000 mice in a year! This gorgeous white-faced bird is part of the Raptor Free Flight program at the Desert Museum. Barn Owls are known for their silent flight and that is how they are such effective predators. 

Fierce, Beautiful Desert Predators ~

 

If you have never seen the Raptor Free Flight program at the Desert Museum, I highly recommend this eye-popping and close encounter with some of the desert's most fierce predators. The flights are every day at 10am and 2pm and they are just amazing! These photos are of Harris Hawks which hunt as a family - so interesting! In the last photo one of the hawks is eating a little mouse that it caught. 

Oh my - and these were just the appetizers!

I hope you ate way too much yesterday and enjoyed every bite! There is so much to be thankful for and an amazing feast is the perfect backdrop for giving thanks. Here is the selection of appetizers at my feast - fresh fruit, grilled shrimp, fresh figs, 4 cheeses, cherry tomatoes with feta or olive/sardines. Oh la la! And then we still had dinner....  Oh, I should also mention that we had four different desserts, too. Just too yummy! (: 

Wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy!

Christine Huley, Theo, Eileen Erickson, and Peanut

Peanut in a Sweet Pose

While I was taking the cornucopia and cactus pilgrim photos I met these women and their precious pups. So I took their photos and they sent them to me so I could post them here. Good fun! I hope that all of you are having a wonderful day today filled with food and fun. 

Don't forget your kitties on Feast Day!

Yesterday I posted yummy dog treats and today the cats get their fair share! Funny story - I don't have any cats so the first time I made these I made them the same size as the dog treats. One of my cat-parent friends told met to scale the size back, big time! So you cat owners will already know that they need to be small. But if you are making them as gifts (as I was), remember that cats will not be interested if they are walnut sized!  (:

Crunchy Tuna Cat Treats

Makes about 3 dozen treats

• 1 can tuna, no salt added and packed in water, drained

• 1 cup oat flour*

• 1 large egg

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 heaping tablespoon dried catnip

 *It’s easy to make your own oat flour. Simply grind old-fashioned oats in a spice grinder (or a super clean coffee grinder) until it is transformed into a light powder. There you have it — oat flour!

1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment, combine drained tuna, oat flour, egg, olive oil and catnip. Blend until mixture is smooth. It will be thick but pliable and not terribly sticky.

3. Roll dough into 1/2 teaspoon balls and place on prepared cookie sheet. Use a skewer to press an X-shape into each cookie ball.

4. Bake cookies for 10 to 12 minutes until they are dried on top and slightly browned. Allow to cool completely before offering to your kitty.

5. Place treats in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to seven days.

MEOW!!!!!

Don't forget your pups on Feast Day!

My pups love, love, love these snacks. And all of their pals do, too! You can't go wrong with pumpkin as the main ingredient. It is so good for your precious pups and so yummy! Here is my current favorite dog treat recipe. If you make it, send me a photo of your pups enjoying them and I will happily post it here. (:

Ingredients

·         1 can (15oz) canned pumpkin

·         4 Tbsp molasses

·         4 Tbsp water

·         2 Tbsp vegetable oil

·         2 cups whole wheat flour

·         ¼ tsp baking soda

·         ¼ tsp baking powder

·         1 tsp cinnamon (don't substitute nutmeg - that's bad for dogs)

Directions

1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.     Mix pumpkin, molasses, vegetable oil, and water together in a bowl.

3.     Add the whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon to the mixture and stir until dough softens.

4.     Scoop out small spoonfuls of dough and roll into balls on your hands (wet hands work best).

5.     Set the balls onto a lightly greased cookie sheet. If you like, you can flatten the balls with a fork.

6.  Bake approximately 25 minutes until dough is hardened. 

Enjoy! Or should I say, "Woof!" ?   (: