Ice Cream Maker

I am not a big ice cream fan.
My mom is, big time, but I just don't like the very cold foods and drinks in my mouth.

But, Costco had this Cuisinart 1-1/2-Quart Ice Cream Maker on sale for $25, and I just couldn't pass on it. Plus, I love the color!

I didn't know this about ice cream makers, but you have to freeze the bowl before it could be used. It was a torture to have to wait 24 hours when I wanted to start making ice cream NOW! It came with few recipes, and since I already had ingredients for the basic chocolate ice cream, that was the first batch I made.

It's pretty simple to use. This basic mix took about 10 minutes to prepare, then I left overnight to chill. In the morning I just placed the frozen bowl onto the base, turned it on, poured the mix into it, and in 20 min the ice cream was ready! I transferred it into a plastic container and stored again in the freezer.

Zoran and Emilia were over for dinner last night, and we had that ice cream for desert. YUMMY! Creamy, smooth, and delicious. Ciro would have some too, but since he can't have chocolate, he got the store-bought strawberry ice cream :)

If you have some great ice cream recipes - please send them my way!

What Would I Do?

As I watched the video from the last post several times, and seeing different reactions from people, every time I was left with a question: What would I do in that situation?

The words of the song "I can only imagine" come to my mind right now. Would I stand there puzzled what was going on? Would I wait for someone else, or even several people, to kneel down before I did? Would I feel uncomfortable kneeling in the streets before my Lord, even if I was the only one? Would I recognize Jesus in that monstrance?

I mean, it's nice to think that (just as I would if this was inside a church) I would fall down to my knees, recognizing His presence. But would I have that faith on the streets? I had doubts.

Well, yesterday, I got my answer.

As we were congregating on the steps of the cathedral after the noon Mass, a Spanish Eucharistic procession was just arriving. They were walking all the way from San Jose church, almost 10 miles away! We stopped our conversations and turned toward the new crowd. There was music, singing, children in costumes, and then the priest who was carrying the monstrance under a canopy. It took me about a minute to realize they were coming up toward the steps. And as that bright host in the monstrance in priest's hands appeared in front of us, my heart smiled! And without thinking it, I came down to my knees in awe of His presence. The tears came down my face. There were cars and people passing by, and Jesus was there for all who had eyes of faith to see Him.

He blessed us. He touched our souls. And my faith was renewed.

Come and Kneel...

Tomorrow is the feast day of Corpus Cristi and this is a fitting video. I. Love. It!



Tim Drake from NCR has the full transcript here.

A Blessing of Rain

We finally got some relief from this scorching heat in the form of rain last night. We got over 2 inches of rain. It was So. Much. Needed!

It was the first rain we've had in 31 days! And this was after 13 consecutive days of 100-plus temperatures! And yesterday was just the first day of summer! Sheesh!

This rain is not expected to put much of a dent in the drought we’ve been experiencing, but at least it gives us a break from the heat today. It's a good 10 degrees cooler than it’s been for weeks.

A blessing, even if it's just for the day.

Working Hard

We had a 'hard' day at work on Wednesday when our group celebrated product release.

Gone Wild

The bunnies have started their lives in the wild.









When I took them out of the burrow on Sunday morning, at 15 days old according to my calculations, the middle one decided to hop out. He made two jumps and then I caught him. He felt really strong with his legs pushing against my hand to get away. I laid them all back in the hole and covered it. The last couple of times I checked on them there was a hole in the cover through which bunnies were visible. I guess they were peeking out.

The night before I tried feed them some lettuce leaves, but they were not interested.

On Sunday evening my friend David came over to see the bunnies. As we walked out in the back yard, one bunny was sitting next to the burrow! It was that middle one. I took him, and handed the other two to David and his girlfriend. When I placed this middle one back in the hole, he jumped out again and continued hopping toward the fence. I went after him but he continued along the fence and into the bushed. Finally I was able to catch him under the bushes and tucked him back in the hole under the other two bunnies.

That was the last I saw them.

At 8 am Monday morning the hole was empty and there were no bunnies to be seen around. That middle one probably led them all into exploration.

Late Monday night I went back out to check again and as I turned on the porch lights and stepped out I saw the mom rabbit hop away from the burrow toward the bushes. I guess she was looking for them.

I hope they figure out this big world on their own.

After this experience, I actually wouldn't mind if the mama rabbit decides to use my yard for her next litter of bunnies. :)

And just when I thought all wildlife has left, I notice that there is a new birds' nest in the crape myrtle. It's small, maybe cardinals', and not used yet it seems. More babies to come! :)

Bunnies Update

These little bunnies are growing and changing really fast!

They are 12 days old now and all three have their eyes opened, and their ears are now perked up. Their little noses are constantly sniffing around and they are ready to hop out of the hand. Now that I "showed them the world" I hope they don't rush to get out of the burrow before they are ready. Or before I am ready! :)

They just are so cuddly and cute!

Google Doodle Guitar

Google home page today has a really fun, interactive doodle: a playable guitar! It is in the shape of an electric guitar that allows you to play and even record!





It is up online only today, Thursday, June 09, 2011, in honor of the late guitar hero and inventor Lester William Polsfuss’s 96th birthday.


Update [07/13/2011]:
Google gives Les Paul Doodle a permanent home!
I am replacing the old app that was above, and embedding the one from Google. To play with keyboard, click anywhere around the image while arrow cursor is visible. Do not click when hand cursor is visible, as that will open the page link.

The old one, I discovered later, was not just a swf flash file, but a link to their site. I didn't like that. I am however leaving it on the Google Site, but it doesn't have recording capabilities.

The Latest Backyard Wildlife

Last year I had baby ducks in the rosemary bush. This year there is a bird's nest high up in the oak tree, and the newest addition: baby rabbits in the backyard!

I saw some fur on one spot of the lawn about 1-2 months ago. I carefully dug it up, fearing there might be a rat or some other animal inside. But the hole was empty. So, I just left it there, not making a connection at that moment where it was from, and was going to fill it up with dirt. But I never got around to it.

I remember seeing the same empty hole during the memorial day weekend, two weekends ago. I did see a rabbit laying down near the fence, and I thought it was strange how he relaxed it looked, his back legs stretched out behind it, instead of in its usual ready-to-jump pose. Then on Thursday the following week, while watering the lawn, I realized I didn't notice the hole any more. I searched for it, and discovered that it is covered with grass and leaves. Again I started removing the leaves and fur carefully, and then something moved inside! There were some babies in there!

Truthfully, I weren't sure if they were rats, my first instinct, or rabbits, because their ears were more round and flat on their head. But when I didn't see a long tail, I knew they were rabbits. There were 3 of them, all the same size, and when I poked them with the stick they squirmed around. They were completely covered with fur, but their eyes were closed. The hole was the size of a melon, and the lower part was completely lined with fur. I did my best to cover it back up and put some leaves on top.

The next day when I checked out the burrow it was hard to find again, because the mother had fixed my lousy job of hiding the hole, and had put more grass twigs on it so that no fur was visible. Nice job! I dug it up again, and was even brave to take the babies out in my hand (day after left photo). They were so soft and wiggly. :) I held them just for few seconds and then put them back in. This time I placed couple of sticks in X shape on top so that I would know if the mother comes back again. And she did! I think today (right photo) they are about 7 days old.

I found some helpful information on these sites,
HopperHome
Help..I Found a Baby Bunny!
including about the myth that mother would reject the babies if she senses human sent on them, and about monitoring her activity by placing the sticks on top. She apparently feeds them just for 5 minutes during the night by laying on top of the burrow while the babies nurse. The milk is so strong that so little keeps the babies going for 24 hours. They should open their eyes at about 10 day old, be inside the hole for 3-4 weeks, another week be hopping around and return inside to sleep, and then they'll leave, each their own way.

I plan to just let them be for now, and then fill the hole once they are gone.