31 March - The Threat of Global Warming - More Squid; Cats?



Two recent news reports ring more global warming alarm bells - vast swarms of Humboldt squid (Dosidicus gigas), sweeping all sea life before them, are expanding northward, according to

"We've been racking our brains to figure out why we're seeing more cats in January and February," says Lee Oliver, spokesperson for the Toronto Humane Society. "Now we realize the spike in kittens and strays is because of the weather ... Every time we adopt out two cats, we get three strays in. It's like we get a cat and a half back for each adoption."

31 March - Janus Museum Radio Returns, Sort of



Long-time readers, if any, may recall this site's irregular efforts to feature a regular streaming radio station - our last broadcast in that series,

31 March - Effects of Wallowing Season

23 March - Littlebourne Beast Still at Large


Lesser Anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla). Photograph by John Martin

Regular readers with a decent memory, if any, will recall last summer's

Nothing has been seen or heard of that terrible beast since I rang the zoo and asked if it was safe to come out yet. The answer was, that it was like looking for a needle in a haystack and that we should continue to take all precautions. So we've been going out in pairs and only in daylight for months. I have noticed that the zoo has built up the fences where footpaths come near to the grounds; they have also moved a small herd of bison into the front field; during the recent lunar eclipse strange howls could be heard but they could have been coming from The Anchor [the local pub]. Something is going on. Perhaps I should call again.

23 March - News from Pecker Wood


Hank Burchard on Indian Creek

Here's another report from Friend of the Museum

I spent much of yesterday afternoon tuning my waterfalls. Where Indian Creek was sluicing through narrows I dumped rocks -- boulders, actually -- to slow the flow. The idea was to create deeper pools above the falls, to make more room for the minnows, chubs, dace, crayfish, stoneflies, frogs, salamanders, newts, native brook trout and myriad creepycrawlies. A bonus was the refinement of the sound of the water from roar to rills. In the evening I betook myself to the shower rather pleased with myself but anticipating, correctly, that I would wake up sore as hell.

This afternoon, on the way to cut a couple of locust trees that have grown into the sightline to my mailbox, I paused by the ford, where I had done most of my stone-groaning, to look and listen. Sunlight dappled the plashy glade and made little rainbow halos in the spray. And then: A trout leapt and thrashed its way over the new-laid rocks and fled across the ford into the quiet pool above. I was still marveling at this when another brookie followed, and another. All unknowing I had made a fish ladder, and the trout were making their way into the shady upper reaches of my part of the creek from the sterile stretch created when my downstream neighbor herbicided the vegetation of the bed and banks of his part of the watercourse. This is legal, for some reason.

They are very small, these speckled beauties, and their lives are hard. Very few reach legal fishing size, and on Pecker Wood Farm they're pursued only by herons, coons, snakes and bobcats. When I watch them from a sunny boulder by the creek I can barely catch them with my eyes.

18 March - Grovian Vernacular



Here's another example, simple but eloquent, of classic Washington Grove vernacular architecture. Not much is known of its history, beyond the local legend that it was used as a Union field hospital during

16 March - Further Wallowing Cancelled



I mean, really... just yesterday we had the Wallowing Season Opener, and today - freezing rain, then sleet, and now snow. Natasha is not happy, and requires an extra helping of her jolly minced turkey to restore her affability.

15 March - Wallowing Season Opener



Cat Leroy takes the ceremonial first wallow of the '07 Wallowing Season in the North Wallow in Washington Grove's historic Circle. As I noted last year, the popularity of the North Wallow

15 March - The Ides

Aieee!! Someone call IX - I - I...

Not funny? Still too soon? Sorry.

link   home

14 March - Train of Tears


MARC conductor pleads for his life

Had to be downtown today; returned to Washington Grove via

11 March - Miss Hagerstown



Presumably Miss Hagerstown was the local beauty queen who had the honor of riding this glorious float, and was not the name of a rare Maryland-built airship. The float was built by the Fairchild Aircraft company of Hagerstown, c.1930. As far as I know, Fairchild never got into the airship business. The photograph is another priceless treasure from the Janus Museum's collections.

And if you will separate the room temperature eggs and beat the whites until stiff but not dry (just until glossy) and then fold them GENTLY into the dumpling mix, it will improve things. Baking powder is quite tart, so add a bit of sugar if you use the powder.

Julia Child instructs on how to fold egg whites into such stiff ingredients without deflating the beaten whites: begin folding some of the heavy stuff into the whites, and when the mix lightens, continue in the conventional way, folding the remaining whites into the cornmeal mixture.

An important aspect of obtaining light matzo meal dumplings ("matzo balls") is to cook them in a tightly covered pot, starting on the boil, and later reducing the heat, but NOT PEEKING for about 20 minutes of cooking time. Seems it would apply here, too. [Which I didn't peek! - T.S.-L.]

I'll have a go at your dumplings here in the "test kitchen" when I can get to it. I think that the idea of using cornmeal sounds yummy, and white cornmeal might result in a lighter texture, too.

11 March - The Miracle of the Cat



Tragically, our collections committee has decided not to attempt to acquire this wonderful ex voto,

My son Luisito was becoming very skinny and shorty because he din't want to eat, I was very worried for his health but one day the cat (who's very greedy-guts) came up the table and began to eat some of my son's brekfast and my child began to laugh and he began to eat imitating the cat, that gave me a good idea and now the cat eats with us at the table and Luisito always imitate it, he has very bad manners in the table but that will be corrected later. I thanks to the Virgen de Zapopan for the miracle.

10 March - On the Catwalk



Natasha looks very fine and brave, though her ruff's a bit of a mess, during today's catwalk. Below, Leroy displays his well-groomed ruff and his noble Roman nose in profile:



During the catwalk, we met up with a recent arrival to Washington Grove:



It's young Leon the Corgi! A very nice fellow, though his paws were pretty muddy.

10 March - Recipe Corner



I believe the results of my initial experiment with cornmeal dumplings were fairly successful:

Cornmeal Dumplings

1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup half-and-half or milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
Seasonings to taste - I used Trader Joe's Twenty-one Seasonings Salute, black pepper, and some paprika.

Combine dry ingredients and mix well. Add eggs, milk, and melted butter. Mix well. Drop in large spoonfuls into soup or stew. Cover and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes.

The ravishing photograph shown above shows the completed but not yet et dumplings on chili, which goes quite well with anything involving cornmeal. The dumplings were just a bit dry on the first attempt - I may add more milk, or butter, or both, and cook 'em a tad less. And if you were to call them polenta dumplings, you could probably charge an arm and a leg for them at

10 March - The Maggie


Paul Douglas in The Maggie

We especially liked the use of

9 March - In the Papers



Friend of the Museum

3 March - Global Warming Report



Last year the crocuses first appeared on

Well, I passed the test of the SPCA, which has relinquished to me two yearlingish domestic shorthairs which have sufficient Burmese in em to be brownish instead of solid black. However, I have not yet passed the trust test with Java and Mocha, as they have been known. They were friendly enough at the shelter, where they climbed on my shoulders like epaulets, but since the long journey home they have been sniffing and skitting round the house, dodging away at my approach. I am leaving them to their explorations, and meanwhile pondering permanent names. I'm leaning toward something striking and original like, say, Max and Maxine.

Cat people are almost as tiresome as grandparents, but I am impelled to report that after several hours of skulking and skittering, Gog jumped into my lap, luxuriated under petting, but has not yet purred. He did, however, lap up the dregs of my beer, which augurs wery well. Magog continued to dodge and skitter until a few minutes ago, when she jumped onto the table and then climbed on my shoulder, rubbing and purring and licking my ear as though she never had doubted me. I think we're all going to get along. They are slender, graceful, inquisitive, beautiful creatures and certainly liven up the place. But I face a major change of lifestyle: Heretofore I have shut myself in the bedroom and flung wide the windows, huddling under thick comforters whilst delighting in the icy breath of Boreas; now, however, I'll have to lower the windows to a moderate crack in order to be able to leave the door open, so as to share the bed. It's a little like being married. Life is good at Pecker Wood.

1 March - Gray Day, Late Afternoon with Cats



Late afternoon in the Forest Preserve, a gray day threatening rain. Natasha thinks her private thoughts as she dangles her delicate paws and the chill breeze ruffles her winter ruff. Leroy gazes adoringly at Natasha - yes, his ruff ruffles in the wind, too. But he ignores it as he gazes, lost in his forlorn tragic unrequited love - Will she ever let me sniff her butt? he thinks. Natasha rises gracefully and stretches - Leroy, overcome, approaches - he sniffs at the exquisite posterior, then he recoils automatically, awaiting the dread paw swat. But it never comes! She allows the supplicant another delicious lingering sniff, and pads on, down the forest path. Leroy stands, transfigured, and bounds after her. As the music swells, they continue - together - down the path and... fade out. Then we all went home and took a nap.

1 March - The Virtual Gus



The Janus Museum joins the virtual world with this superb representation by Friend of the Museum David MacGuire of the Museum's maintenance man Gus, complete with his