On Winter

As you may have guessed, I'm not one to wax poetic about winter. (that's an awfully strange phrase, by the way, isn't it? wax poetic?) Anyhow, I feel like I owe you at least a little snippet of my winter. It's not my favorite season, but I do tend to be pretty productive in order to combat the cold weather blues. Here are a few of the highlights...


I was fortunate to attend many Penn State football games this season (the team was 11-1!), but this game was probably the most special...and the COLDEST! It was the last game of the regular season, November 22nd, against Michigan State. The stadium was like a snow globe...

And it was the first game my Mimi had ever been to. We didn't sit in the same section, but we did tailgate a teeeeeny bit before the game. My mom and I sat huddled together and stayed for the entire game! It was a good one!

Mom and Mimi

Shortly thereafter, B and I boarded a plane for Atlanta, GA, now home to B's parents. It was our first time to their new home, as well as our first visit to Atlanta. It was truly special to be able to spend a long weekend together with his side of the family after a long period of being apart. It's also always a treat to be able to go somewhere warm when it's "supposed to be" cold outside...This is one of my favorite pictures from Atlanta, because it shows the clear blue sky of the warm day it was, the Autumn colors on the trees, and the Christmas wreaths decorating Olympic Park. Ya just don't see this in Pennsylvania :)

Christmas always comes quickly, riding the coattails of Thanksgiving. And I'm always grateful for this as it lifts the spirits at just the right time of year! As in the past, this year there was much production in my kitchen. I always try to learn a "new" recipe from my Grandma's old recipe files. Last year I tried springerles. They were yummy, but I didn't quite get the technique down. I've also continued the annual tradition of making an applesauce spice fruitcake - a treat I cannot go without!

This year's new addition was Lebkuchen. They are spicy molasses cookies with a lovely lemon glaze. They're the kind of cookie that just get better with age. For that matter, so are the springerles and the fruit cake. I have a thing for baked goods that can stick around for awhile :)

Lebkuchen

The most special accomplishment this Christmas, by far, was the fact that the gifts B and I gave were almost entirely homemade. And if they weren't homemade, they were bought from local artists and businesses. It was the great fulfillment of our garden's and kitchen's bounty. I don't think I can go back to store bought presents again...(remind me of that in a few years if/when I've got a kid or two...)

The New Year always brings with it a new batch of library conferences to go to. They seem to come in quickfire succession. The Midwinter conference of the American Library Association took me to Denver this year. I really wasn't a fan. The picture of the stallion might give you a clue as to why. There was, however, fabulous food to be found, for which I was grateful!

Stallion in the Snow Glorious Japanese Food

Finally, to sort of nail the lid on the coffin of Winter, and kick off into Spring, I joined a group of friends (the same group who gathered to learn the ways of bread, cheese, and yogurt--now affectionately known as the "cheese choir") to learn from a local expert baker how to make springerles - the right way. This was such a meaningful workshop for me, because I knew that in learning, I was carrying on a family tradition. I firmly believe that I channel my grandparents' spirits in the act of baking the food they lovingly made when I was a child and that I can still taste to this day.

Before taking this class, I never thought of baking springerles as anything but a Christmas activity, but the variety of molds available and their different applications (making paper, topping cupcakes, etc.) inspired me to give them a try in other times of the year. Here now, for you, a Springtime springerle.

Dear Retail Giant

Dear Retail Giant,

Not sure if you noticed, but the calendar still says February. Here in Central Pennsylvania, and the rest of the U.S. for that matter, there is really very little need for bathing suits right now. Today the sun's out, which has brought the thermometer reading all the way up to 10 degrees. I'd consider purchasing one of your brand new patio sets, the better to enjoy the sun, but the wind chill just might kill me, especially if I really am sporting one of those teeny weeny bikinis you've got on your racks. And then there's the fact that I just got started on my annual weight loss resolution (see previous post), and I'm just not quite ready to bear it all.

With our latest round of snow and ice (remember, it does snow in February!), we found that we could really use a new shovel, and we ran out of ice melt, so that was on our shopping list too. So we saddled up the hybrid SUV and went to the nearest, handiest, has all you could ever need retail giant, only to find that we'd be better off planting shrubs than in removing ice from our driveway. Not one single snow shovel or bucket of ice melt was to be found. This situation might be acceptable in mid-March, but on the 8th of February???

And that brings me back again to my resolution. I'm doing great! So well that I might need to buy a new pair of pants or two. What's that? Pants season is over? You'll have to wait until July (as that's when winter clothes come in) to find another pair of cords or slacks or.....?? A*$!@!

So, giant retailer, as I sit in my house watching the snow blow by the window, pile up in my driveway with the next storm rolling in tomorrow, you will be the very last one I think of should a need arise!

The local hardware store might have to charge more because they can't afford to buy/store the massive quantities of stock that you do, but they know that you still need shovels and snow pants in February.

The down-town apparel shop is surely more expensive, but they can tell you where their clothing was made, and they keep their sweaters through at least March knowing that we do indeed need them.

Mr. Giant Retail Store, bigger is most certainly not always better!

January 23

January 23
Originally uploaded by annielivre

I love the view from my office window. ('scuse the dying leaves on my Peace Lilly.) From my perch I can see right over to the main campus mall. Today it's nice and sunny, though the snow on the grass is the dead giveaway that it's freeeeeeezing out there! People walking are all business today, probablly because they're so darn cold. Accuweather's headline says it all. At the moment it's 25, with a "real feel" of 16. I'm thankful for the sun!