by jphilo | Mar 19, 2013 | Top Ten Tuesday
Once March arrived, winter in these parts decided to dig in its white heels and stick around. Since the strategy is proving highly effective, this week’s top ten list extols the reasons to be happy for a late spring and make hay even when the sun don’t shine.
10. Extra winter makes northerners appreciate spring more when it finally does arrive.
9. We get more wear out of winter clothes.
8. A late, cold spring gives female rabbits headaches, and therefore has a dampening effect on the rabbit population.
7. The cold weather makes midwesterners more sympathetic toward Canadians.
6. Shivering gives spring sport athletes an Iron Man or Iron Woman aura.
5. Less time in the sun = less chance of skin cancer.
4. When the weather’s cold, teachers have an easier time keeping their students’ noses to the grindstone.
3. That first grilled meal of spring tastes better when it’s a long time coming.
2. The apple trees bloom later, so there’s less chance of a late frost nipping their buds.
1. A cold spring makes spring break trips to points south seem like a good investment.
What’s good about a late spring in your book? Leave a comment!
by jphilo | Mar 15, 2013 | Walking Down the Gravel Road
All week I have been hungry for spring,
Impatient with the snowy view outside our windows,
Eager for the spring thaw that brings freedom from our stuffy house,
Antsy to stretch my legs and walk miles outside in the fresh air.
This morning, eight deer graced the winter vista outside the living room window,
They pawed through the snow, finding little to eat.
One yearling fawn mouthed a tree branch and stood two-legged,
Then dropped on all fours, still wrestling with the woody, bitter morsel.
From the warmth of my living room, I watched the shivering animals
Wander across the yard, through the hedge, and across our driveway.
They looked for greener pastures, shorter trees, and tender twigs–
These winter-starved creatures, hungry for spring in ways I hope to never know.
by jphilo | Feb 26, 2013 | Top Ten Tuesday
Winter came to visit last week, not as fiercely as the weather forecasters predicted. But it covered the ground with a clean, white reminder of the top ten good things about snowstorms.
10. The prospect of a humdinger of a snowstorm breaks the monotony of the job for weather forecasters, especially after last winter’s incredibly boring and blizzard-free weather.
9. When a snowstorms hits, those of us with sense enough to stay home feel far superior to the TV news reporters who stand on the edge of the snowy freeway, gravely reminding viewers to “Stay home and don’t even think about driving in this!” Hmmm, do you suppose the reporter and the film crew walked or drove to the freeway?
8. White snow is prettier than brown, dead grass.
7. The snow makes it easier to track the critters who hang around the yard, possibly lowering your house’s resale value.
6. A cold, snowy day makes a person much more thankful for a warm and cozy house.
5. The reflection of light on white snow makes a sunny day seem even sunnier.
4. The prediction of a snowstorm brings back the Will school be called off? pit-of-the-stomach excitement and uncertainly of childhood.
3. Being home during a snowstorm is a good excuse to bake something yummy.
2. Every snowstorm means spring is one day closer.
1. Snowstorms bring back memories of past winter adventures: my little brother ordering a rose for Mom during a Valentine’s Day storm and asking for it to be delivered; Hiram picking up his mom at the Rapids City airport during a May blizzard, after she purposely scheduled her visit to avoid a blizzard; watching my kids, bundled in snowpants and coats, dig tunnels in the snow piles around the garage.
How about you? What memories come to your mind when it snows?
by jphilo | Jan 11, 2013 | Daily Life
My, I was surprised yesterday morning to glance out the living room window and see a fox trotting across the yard. Who knows what drew the critter–the first of it’s kind seen on our property in the 21 years we’ve lived here–to grace our snow covered lawn with it’s dainty feet. Perhaps the fox is as enamored with Hiram’s cross country ski trail as the squirrels are. Those bushy-tailed rodents zip down the man of steel’s carefully groomed trails like they’re on the interstate.
But I digress.
Back to yesterday morning’s bushy-tailed non-rodent. The fox. It was trotting toward the edge of the yard at an impressive pace, but just as I grabbed the camera, our visitor struck a majestic pose. I managed a few shots through the window–hence the blur created by the screen–and then followed my model’s gaze to see what it was staring at.
It was another fox.
Just as big as the first, but quicker on its feet. Much quicker. Frisky. Really frisky. Like I-just-got-wheels-and-you-can’t-stop-me teenager frisky. So frisky that when I swung my camera to digitally capture the visitor’s image, this is what I got.
Like I said. Frisky.
The more sedate older fox, who gave the distinct impression of the tired parent of an impulsive teen, joined its frisky counterpart, and they rounded the side of the house. By the time I made it to the dining room and looked outside, the foxes were on the far side of the hedge. They crossed our driveway without looking both ways, slipped through the fence, and disappeared into the neighbors trees.
Easy come. Easy go.
I put the camera away, thankful for the pictures I’d taken. Thankful to be inside on a winter day instead of outside trotting across the snow. Thankful I’m no longer the tired parent of teenagers. Thankful for the unexpected beauty of one fox, two fox, old fox, new fox on a winter day.
Thankful.
by jphilo | Oct 24, 2012 | Recipes
While compiling the top ten chilly weather meals posted a few weeks ago on Down the Gravel Road, I was surprised to discover bean soup was nowhere to be found. Today’s recipe corrects that omission. Here’s a favorite crock pot recipe that makes a perfect fall or winter supper.
Crock Pot Bean Soup
8 ounces dried bean soup mix 1 ham shank
2 cups water 1 10 ounce can Rotel tomatoes
1 cup diced carrots 1 cup chopped onion
6 cups water
Soak bean soup mix in two cups of water overnight. In the morning, drain off water and rinse the beans. In the crock pot combine the beans and other ingredients. Cover with 6 cups of water. Stir and turn the crock pot to low for 10 – 12 hours or on high for 6 – 8 hours. Stir occasionally. About an hour before serving, lift the ham shank out with a slotted spoon and set on a plate. When the shank is cool, pick the meat off the bone. Discard the bone and put the meat back in the pot. Stir well. Makes 4 – 6 large servings.
