Female Downy: Sweet Sipper / Bake Shed Delivery

It was a busy day that featured late-morning exercise at the closed road by the shooting range at our local gameland - SGL 176, the Scotia Barrens - where I saw all of those red-spotted purples last week. My husband jogged and I walked. Rain was expected, but it conveniently waited until we got home to let loose.

The extra percentage that I get on Amazon for this quarter on my blue credit card ends June 30, so I blew a bunch of $$ on new music before that finishes up. I placed some digital orders on the 16th, and instantly downloaded a bunch of new stuff and put it on my tunes box. So as I was walking, I was listening to new music. Which is very cool.

At some point, maybe I'll tell you more about all of the good music I ordered. Some of it had to be CDs, as not all of the music I want can be purchased digitally. So a bigger order went in on the 16th that included a few things I've wanted for a while; some of it was actual CDs that will arrive via the mail in their own good time. But I digress.

This week, I saw only one or two of the red-spotted purples, but the butterfly story of the visit was that a huge, dark mourning cloak suddenly appeared, flew all around my body about six inches away from me, and then disappeared. I actually checked to see if it landed on me, but I guess it didn't. I suspect that all of that is supposed to mean something, but at this point, I'm not sure exactly what.

My husband and I got home and were getting some lunch together, when we looked out the deck door windows and spotted this female downy woodpecker at the hummingbird feeder. She visited first one, and then the other feeder. (Yes, somehow since our deck repair, they now have TWO feeders above the deck. What the heck; it seems to help keep the peace!) The male downy has tried it, but can't figure out how to hang on once the feeder starts to spin. The female, I suspect, is enjoying a sweet sip every day.

In other news, the lady who runs The Bake Shed, which is a cottage bakery nearby, posted that a club she belongs to was selling Marianna's Hoagies and Pizzas as a fundraiser for $10 each. She said she would have a few extras, which could be picked up at the fridge inside The Bake Shed. 

I asked her to put my name on a 14-inch Italian hoagie, which I rode down and picked up on my bike around 5:30, shortly after they were delivered (see photo in extras). It's a quick ride downhill about 10 minutes, and then a walk back UP that hill for about another 10 minutes after pick-up.

The Italian hoagie features peppered and Capicola ham along with Genoa salami and pepperoni, topped off with fresh provolone cheese. Fresh lettuce, tomato, crunchy mild pepper rings, and onion are also provided in vacuum-sealed packages; you open them and place them onto a partially assembled hoagie.

I got that huge, hefty hoagie home and we weighed it on the scales. It weighed in at a pound and a half! It was big enough that I cut it into three pieces. My husband and I each had one at supper time, and then before bed, we split the final piece as a bedtime snack. The Italian dressing (provided in its own wee container) is just a bit sweet, and it worked very nicely with the meats and cheese and veggies. 

Of course, I have to cut my hoagies into tiny bites now, with my injured tooth. But it was well worth it. It may have been the best Marianna's Italian hoagie I've ever had in my life! Perhaps even neater than all of that is the fact that The Bake shed is local, and even in this rural area, I could go and get takeout food on my bike!*

I need some soundtrack songs, so here are two. First, for our sweet sipper above, I've got John Denver, with My Sweet Lady. Second, for my quick trip to The Bake Shed to pick up our wonderful Italian hoagie, I've got Toby Keith, with American Ride.

*Bicycles have really changed women's lives! I love my bike, and ride it everywhere, often, all the time. I'd rather ride than walk! I came across a great article recently that talks about that. Here is "How Bicycles Changed Women's Lives." It's a great story!