Cards and Canadians...

Two important items recently arrived at our house.

First, a great postcard from Ajdin:

He was recently visiting Colorado. Those snowy mountains sure do look nice and cool, which would be great right now considering we're in the midst of a heatwave where we live. It's sooooo hot! Thanks Ajdin!

Second, an arrival from a beary important visitor also took place today. Can you guess who? We'll give you a hint...


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Did you guess yet?

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It's Sandy!!! Sandy has been doing a lot of international and national traveling lately. "Yeah, England with Beanie and Otto and Rose and Little Fox...um, when are we going to get to take a trip?" mutters Jerry. Well Jerry, that's a very good question, but let's stick to our current blog topic.

Sandy arrived early today on Canadian Goose Airlines after having visited Little Fox An early flight was a sensible idea right now in order to avoid the heat and humidity, in fact Jerry and Ben organized a water and feed break for the DC10 Goose before the flight departed. "My flight was smooth and relaxing" reported Sandy...

"...but I think a few more in-flight snacks would be a nice idea."

Sandy will be visiting us for a while, and while Jerry will be beary thankful for the extra expert help in the Garden, Ben has planned some fun activities including...

A welcome picnic for Sandy in the garden! On today's menu: baked beans, potato salad (with chopped egg of course), cheese Polish sausages (currently sizzling on the grill), and ice tea! Of course, no picnic is complete without a little something sweet to eat, so Ben prepared some yummy Maple syrup and toasted walnut brittle!

Ben is including the recipe at the end of our post. Check back to read our blog and see what surprises we've organized for Sandy!

Maple Walnut Brittle

STUFF YOU NEED
1/4 cup real maple syrup (we used Minnesota Maple Syrup, but Canadian or Vermont would be excellent too)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter
1/4 cup water
2 cups walnut pieces, toasted

PREPARATION
In heavy bottomed saucepan, over medium heat, stir together syrup, sugar, butter, and water until melted and creamy. Continue to boil gently and do not stir until a candy thermometer reaches 300°F or “hard crack” stage. Immediately stir in walnuts and carefully pour hot mixture onto a parchment-paper lined cookie sheet and spread out to a thin layer. Cool completely. Break into large pieces and store in an airtight container. Jerry notes: crumble a few chunks over vanilla ice cream...so yummy.