HOUSEWARMING

 Had a mini-housewarming yesterday. I asked for no gifts since I have already downsized.

But these tulips were beautiful!

SOME VALENTINES HAVE FOUR PAWS

 Yes, indeed some Valentines DO have four paws.  Case in point. Here I am with Madhu, not long after I adopted her five years ago.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO ALL, including those with four paws.

A DIFFERENT VIIEW

 Last summer I moved from downtown Belgrade to New Belgrade, just across the river. Above was my view from my bedroom window before the move. I lived in a loft, and loved it. I  have a different view now, but the curtains are the same. And a terrace, which I like.

WAFFLES, BELGIAN ONES AND REAL ONES....

 

Digging back into my archives since I haven't been out shooting so very recently.  The sign on the waffle stand on the left reads "Belgian Waffles" and the sign on the stand on the right reads "Real Waffles."  I'll let you figure that out.

WOULDN'T CUT IT....

 I had a hankering for Serbian sauerkraut. It's different from the kind I grew up with, which was sauerkraut from a can warmed up. Here you can buy cabbages and let them ferment in a large barrel, then when they're ready, slice/chop them thin as you need them. Most people (yours truly included) don't have either the place for a large barrel or time to chop.  You can buy packages of already chopped saukerkraut in the store. I rinse that sauerkraut to remove a lot of the salt, squeeze it so all the water is removed. Then in a heavy cast iron pot I put a  little oil, a couple of bay leaves, peppercorns, and the sauerkraut. Stir and cook until it is a bit brown. Then I add meat of some sort:  chicken legs, pork pieces or chops, sausage, or smoked ribs like on the picture. I bury whatever it is in  the sauerkraut, cover, and bake until it appears nearly done. Then off comes the lid and I leave it brown a bit.

I wanted this time to buy some ribs, as above. I would not need that many (just me, folks), but the farmer outside our market who comes in from a nearby village only wanted to sell the ribs in entirety....so no ribs for me. (Frown) I don't use meat or even smoked meat that much and would take forever to use it all. So I bought chicken legs and buried them.

IMAGINING A REPLY

 Another bus shot. This young woman had just read a text. It looks like she's trying to come up with a response.

LADY IN THE BUS

 Another pensive soul in the bus.

CAN'T SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES

 Grove in a nearby park. Not a real forest, but as close as I'll get within city limits.

NOT A SERBIAN CUSTOM

 Well....during COVID I stayed with an Irish friend in a suburban part of Belgrade. She has a lovely old house, and both our dogs appreciated the yard and each other's company. My friend, who was about 90 then, and I appreciated keeping each other company, too, and improved our Scrabble skills.

We took turns cooking. I had always noticed that she had a wash basin in her sink where she put her dishes before she washed them. I had never seen anybody do this before, but I have since learned that many cultures do this, and I have adopted the habit. I stack my dishes during the day, run hot water and add dishwashing liquid (which of course my friend called 'washing up liquid', washed them, returned them to the basin, then rinsed them under the faucet and stacked them in a rack. Above is my set-up.

I was pleased to notice that the hot water stays hot longer since the plastic of the bin doesn't absorb the heat as a metal sink would, and I actually end up using less water.

NEVER DO THIS...OR ALMOST NEVER

 It is not a good idea to leave a small dog, even safely fastened, alone in front of a store.

So I didn't. My dog was inside the entrance in plain sight of me when I dashed in to buy something close to the exit. We kept a close watch on each other!

COLD TOOTSIES?

 As temperatures drop, I am always curious about water birds' feet. I finally looked up the reason why they don't just get their feet frozen, if not very cold. You wouldn't catch me floating blissfully on the water in the winter. This pair though seems to have opted for a piece of driftwood.

Here' the reason: Birds in general  have specialized scales on their feet and legs that help minimize heat loss. Many ducks, geese, pelicans, gulls and swans further conserve body heat by standing on one leg or even sitting down.