Thursday, August 21, 2008

Thursday Theme: Wings

Some wings are figurative:



Some are folded, waiting, protecting:



In preparation:



to eat:

The watcher:



Some hummers around, who are very guarded and watchful over their food source. There are actually quite a number of them. There is a male (above) who guards the feeder, and seems only to allow his mate to eat. Any other male is chased off with a grandiose tail display and much chittering. They have finally, grudgingly used the disk feeder, but the teardrop is preferred by mostly everyone.

14 comments:

Bobby D. said...

I really like the sculpture -- made my think of those paper fans we had as kids from Woolworths--they were so like wings. Interesting to show wings folded, I like that.

my hummingbirds are so into the feeder that when I bring it in to clean it, they hover where it was. The hummers constantly buzz around me head if the feeder isn't there.

DineometerDeb said...

When I think of wings, I think of teriaki sauce so your take is much more artistic.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

great capture of the hummers!!

where is that interesting sculpture? it's quite cool - is it metal??? curious minds wish to know!

JGH said...

Hi Tut - How did you get those gallant little hummingbirds to stay still?

here is the eggplant meatball recipe. (sorry I haven't figured out how to email on blogger!) I think I may post it on my blog later.

One change: I grate the eggplant, cause it cooks faster that way!



************
Mariann's Eggplant Meatballs
1 large eggplant
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 egg
1/2 to 1 cup breadcrumbs, homemade or canned
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons chopped basil
Salt and pepper
Olive oil for frying
Tomato sauce

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, wash, peel and cube eggplant. Boil eggplant cubes for 30 minutes to an hour until the eggplant is cooked through, and soft. Drain eggplant well and let cool. Place in a large bowl.

Place the chopped onions and garlic in a small microwave dish and microwave to soften up for a minute. Add to the eggplant. Then add egg, 1/2 cup breadcrumbs, Parmesan, parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Mix everything together with a wooden spoon at first. Then switch to your hands for this is the only real way to make eggplant meatballs.

This is really were the feel of the mixture is determined. If you feel the eggplant mixture is too mushy, add exra breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup at a time until the mixture is a consistency you can work with to make balls.

Heat 1/4 inch of olive oil in a large frying pan. Heat until shimmering but not smoking.
Form eggplant mixture into 1 to 1 1/2 inch balls. (You might need to oil your hands to keep the mixture from sticking to your palms.) Place into the hot oil and fry until brown on all sides and eggplant is cooked all the way through. Place on paper towels to drain. Serve with tomato sauce on the side for dipping.

ENJOY! - The meatless meatball!

Shammickite said...

Wings? I think of that band that Paul McCartney started years ago....
I wish I had more humming birds here, I have a feeder but it's obviously not in the right spot cos I've hardly seen a hummer all summer.

Betty said...

Would love to see a hummingbird ...
Love that sculpture too.

Evening Star said...

It's nice to see that ladies still spend their time feeding bird and exchanging recipes.

lettuce said...

hahaha i like hugh's comment

i guess you're used to the hummingbirds, but they seem SO exotic to us brits

edward said...

i got 2 hummingbirds, they drive me insane!

Coffee Messiah said...

Nicely done.....a friend has some hummingbird feeders and one time we sat in her front room watching them. I wish I could remember what kind it was. It had a small yellow band on the lower part of its body.
And it was the tiniest h b I've ever seen.

Reya Mellicker said...

Wouldn't it be great to have wings? Of course it would be fun to fly, but it would also be fun to pull them out and flap them a couple of times, the way geese do when they're annoyed, or wrap them around someone who's sad, the way angels do in pictures.

It's a great theme, great pics, lovely thoughts.

Joanne said...

I like all that the thought of wings conjures ... flight, freedom, expression, beauty. But our tiny feathered friends seem very adamant about their food in your photos!

lorenzothellama said...

I love those little humming birds. They are so pretty.

Steve Reed said...

Nice photos -- hummingbirds are so small and move so quickly, it's usually hard to get a decent pic!