Fish for dinner and squirrel for brunch

First a news note: I finally bought some fish at the store today for the first time in weeks after reading this story. (A coalition of top scientists and health officials now recommends that pregnant and nursing moms eat at least 12 ounces of fish per week to ensure optimal brain development of their babies – they’re finally saying all the benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids outweigh the risks of mercury contamination.) Of course I know fish is good for you, but sometimes I need a kick in the pants – especially when I’m trying to serve it up to a husband and son who are by no means fish fans. If you’ve discovered a fish recipe that’s proved palatable to the non-fish-lovers in your family, please, PLEASE share.

Then on to less newsworthy stuff…

Highlight of our day yesterday: While Owen caught a morning nap in the stroller at the park, Will and I stood on the upper platform of the big kids’ playground and watched a red-tailed hawk make brunch of a squirrel. He was a methodical eater, glancing around and down toward us as he consumed his catch – bloody innards, bushy tail and all. It was the longest, closest view of a wild hawk I’d ever enjoyed. Mid-meal, a great blue heron swooped by, 15 feet from the hawk or less – both of them just 20 yards from us and almost at eye-level. So we ran to the other side of the platform to watch the heron fly away while the hawk continued with his meal (which lasted a good 25 minutes before we finally decided to leave).

Equally mesmerizing to Will was this scene as we left the park: Hard-helmeted tree service man gets lifted in the bucket end of a bucket truck from ground to tree top and begins pruning. As branches fall to the road, Will says “Mama, they might go to that other tree and trim down that hawk next.”

And to top it all off, on the ride home an early yellow-green maple leaf dropped from its tree, floated down into the double stroller and laid itself to rest on Owen’s sleeping chest. Finally, fall is arriving in Georgia.