murraysmom, I used the on-line recipe from Epicurious and cut them with a knife once they were set. I think they're "better" than store-bought because they're made with cane sugar... they would make AWESOME s'mores and would be fantastic in hot chocolate because they melt so quickly and nicely -- a feature that made them difficult to toast on a stick. lol! Everyone loved them, but I think they would be better if made with egg-whites rather than gelatin. :O)

They are beautiful birds though. We had one land on my husband's head at our Dallas house. We were at the pool, I was in the pool and he was standing at the edge of the pool looking down at something. Suddenly I see this big black bird coming in for a landing. I told him not to move! The bird landed right on the back of his head. He was freaking out because he had no idea what it was. But he maintained his cool, more than I would have been able to do, and I got out of the pool and put my hand under the birds feet. Just like I would do with my cockatiel. It was extremely tame and had a metal tag around the ankle. Turns out it was a homing pigeon. I was able to contact the owners, they said just let it rest there and eventually it should return. I fed and watered it for a few weeks and got really acquainted with it. It would hang out on the roof and I put a cat carrier out on the patio with food and water. It finally did leave but I don't think it went home lol. I think it enjoyed the free life. It was a beautiful iridescent purple and black color. It was quite smart. It would sit outside the window where my cockatiels cage was and they would «talk» to each other.

After weeks of foggy cloudy overcast rainy weather, we finally got some sun even though it was only 51. Yesterday afternoon sitting on my backyard deck trying to get photos of birds while Elvira chases them away.

We had a smoothie and a shortbread cookie for lunch. The shortbread cookie is one that Terri_Pncw posted a few years ago. It's the first time I made them, and it's a keeper! The Smoothie is baby kale and baby spinach with fresh pineapple, bananas, kefir and whey and some frozen fruit. I still have my blender but we went out and bought a Harley Pasternak machine. Our smoothies are now smooth without chewing the ingredients! I'll keep trying to sell the other blender.