Backyard birding - it's easy, free, and just outside your door. If you're looking for something to do that doesn't take too much time (an hour or less), take a walk, look, and listen.

Birds are everywhere ... in trees, on fences, power lines, and porches. Track what kind of birds you see—and how many. In my neighborhood, we’ve got blue jays, seagulls, pigeons, robins, cardinals, chick-a-dee, dee, dees, and sometimes, woodpeckers.

If you find you enjoy it, get ready for the Great Backyard Bird Count. It happens every year—and you can take part.

Of course there’s no equipment needed for watching birds ...  but if you have them, grab a notebook and the binoculars.

We took a walk this spring and heard the woodpeckers ... listen here!

I've flipped!

Nineteen clues and my first symmetrical crossword puzzle.

I'm patting myself on the back, it feels like such an accomplishment!

What's the big deal? The black squares. If you were to flip the puzzle, the placement and number of the black squares on the top half mirror the placement and number of black squares on the bottom half.

Making the blocks symmetrical makes it more difficult to develop clues. Especially where two or three words run alongside or across one another ... like with clues three down, and four and seven across.

I've made word search puzzles and wanted to try the symmetrical crossword, but always gave up before getting too far. My mum loves a crossword puzzle, so this one's for her.

I hope you'll try it. Let me know if do, and I'll make another one.

You can download and print the puzzle (a one page sheet with the clues and answers(!) by clicking on the crossword image above).

Last night we saw fireflies in the corner lot where the grass grows tall.

We stopped so we could watch for a bit. Again and again, we pointed and said, "There's one. Over there." And, "Wow!"

Now I want to go back and see them again.

Crumb, cobbler, or crisp?

What's the difference? A fruit crumb is a lot like a crisp with a streudel-like topping, but a crisp has oats in the mix. Cobblers have a dough that bakes on top of the fruit.

They're all good, but I must say, crisp is my go-to preference. It's easy, requires only a few ingredients, it's really good, and you can go from recipe to plate in an hour or less.

Fruit Crisp:
4-6 cups fresh fruit
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cut up
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats

Preheat over to 350°F
Arrange fruit (sliced peaches, nectarines, apples) on the bottom of an 8" x 8" baking dish (or a pie plate, or loaf pan will do).

Using a fork or  your hands, combine the sugar, butter, cinnamon, and salt. Add rolled oats.

Sprinkle mixture over the top of the fruit.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbling, the edges are browned, and crumb topping is golden brown.

Serve with a dollop of vanilla ice cream or yogurt, or whipped cream. Or eat it straight up. Oh, and it's really good warm.

*You can also use blueberries or a combination of fruits like blueberries and peaches, apples and cranberries (a good autumn combo).

Let me know if you make it or have a different recipe to share.