Winter Wonderland

It’s not often we get snow where I am, and when we do it’s typically gone within a day. Not this time.

Below freezing temperatures several days in advance of the storm meant the precipitation fell like snow almost immediately and began to stick just as fast. Our home got about three and half inches but I think that’s just a quirky of the landscape; folks one or two streets over in any direction all got about 6 inches. Combine that with continued below-freezing temperatures and an infrastructure not equipped for snow removal and we might as well have been snowbound.

Now I know some of you will laugh about six inches of snow shutting down a town for three days, but remember that we don’t have plows, a small number of spreaders, and a majority of residents that don’t know how to drive on ice or in snow and navigating the streets can be dangerous. But I’m not going to complain – what with the MLK holiday on Monday and the storm arriving Tuesday night and work allowing us to leave early I had a three hour workweek but will get paid for forty hours.

Now that warrants a HUZZAH

So, here I am on Saturday morning. The sun is shining and the ice/snow is melting (I can hear it dripping off the roof) and the beans baked perfectly overnight in the slow cooker and I’ve had my daily allotment of coffee for the day and I might just do some writing and/or journaling. And some of that writing means writing something here.

I’m going to try writing more here this year. Since November and especially since Monday I’ve realized that my posting practices on social media may not be the best for my mental health. After increasing the privacy settings on my feeds and curating my personal following list I also decided to try to post as much happy things as I post disturbing news articles – and there’s been a lot of disturbing news in the last few days, you have to admit.

That included deactivating the facebook page for this blog; although in fairness it didn’t get that much interaction. I was even debating not renewing my domain come May, but I think the importance of owning one’s own website is going to be important as the various social media sites drastically change what is and is not acceptable on their platforms.

I know you know what I’m talking about.

So, let’s see what’s happened since I last posted here . . .

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I made tomato soup. I don’t make it from scratch but it’s still good:

• one large can of Campbell’s condensed tomato soup
• the same can filled with whole milk
• tablespoon homemade Italian seasoning
• sprinkled lightly with onion powder and mushroom powder
• salt and pepper to taste

For best results, serve with grilled cheese (not pictured).

I was once more betrayed by a thing I love. This time it wasn’t coffee, but rather my favorite Sharpie fine point rollerball pens when one decided to explode all over my hands an hour away from home as I was digging in my center console. Here’s what my hands looked like after being washed three times in a gas station bathroom:

In better news, that same day I got my shipment of sample teas. Thanks to everyone that gave me tea suggestions! I found a few interesting-sounding blends at Old Growth Alchemy; if I have to cut back on coffee I’m determined to replace it with something equally delicious.

Huskin’ Bee: Black tea, apple pieces, candied ginger, puer tea, allspice berries, black peppercorn, and star anise (inspired by Pottsfield from Over the Garden Wall)

My review: I like this tea a lot and will probably order it again in a larger size. It tastes like autumn makes me feel.

Heartless Man: Black tea, cacao nib, cardamom, lapsang souchong, vanilla, and blue Brew Glitter (inspired by Howl Pendragon from Howl’s Moving Castle)

My review: I liked this tea and drank it while playing D&D.

Nutbrown Draught: Honeybush tea, cacao nibs, dandelion root, buckwheat, cinnamon, and chipotle (a herbal coffee substitute inspired by Redwall)

My review: I wanted to like this tea but think I was thrown off by the company description that marketed this as a coffee substitute. I think that set me up for expectations of a certain taste profile that the tea simply doesn’t have.

I sorted my closet and realized that I may have gained a few pounds and therefore need to go up a size in my t-shirts. Thankfully some of my shirts still fit because I’ve worn and stretched them so much, but at least and many (if not more) are now headed to a crisis shelter. that also means I need to get a few more t-shirts that I know fit well. There are two that I will replace when Tee Public has another sale but I also found two shirts at Target:

I made hamburgers and hot chocolate and potato soup and pizza – all from scratch but certainly not all at once, you understand. Each dish was exactly what the night called for.

I also got the house smelling nice with a simmer pot of apples and oranges and lemons and a personal blend of spices and extracts:

So . . . What have you been up to?