A Snow Day in South Florida

A week ago, we'd be about to see sleet changing to snow outside of my parents' windows in Williamsburg.  And now, the eastern seaboard has had a monster blizzard that has probably smashed some records.

Yesterday afternoon, I drank hot mulled cider while I viewed other people's pictures of snow on Facebook.  It was not exactly the same as watching the snow outside of my own window (or my parents' window, like last week), but it was nice.

Let me record a few of the inspirations and memories that came from reading Facebook posts:

--Upon seeing my cousin's daughter in an apron and the idea that she wants to be a baker when she grows up, I wrote, "Lots of yeasted bread recipes leave lots of room for error and yield impressive results--and opportunities for everyone to knead the dough! Let me know if you want some easy recipes. Maybe we could even do some sort of baking-together-but-apart kind of thing, where we all bake the same recipe (and if it might be tricky, are on call for each other) and post our results."

--This post has made me think about creating a cookbook for kids--and with the angle that families that are separated could cook together.  Stay tuned!

--That post led me to reflect on my own development as a baker.  I  started out with biscuits and cookies, and eventually made my way to homemade breads of all sorts.  I often made biscuits on Saturdays while the rest of the house was sleeping.  In some ways, my life hasn't changed much from my childhood self.  I still get up very early and get to work on creative pursuits while the house sleeps beyond me.

--Even now:  I have 2 pans of raspberry oatmeal streusel bars in the oven, one with nuts, and one without.  At church, in our smaller, more interactive service, we'll celebrate January birthdays.  And then I'll take leftovers to work tomorrow to greet our new registrar.  There should be enough to share with everyone else.

--These bars, fresh from the oven, make a great breakfast.

--On Facebook, there was also some discussion of Laura Ingalls Wilder's The Long Winter, which many of us agree was our favorite of the series.  I wrote:  "I was an Apocalypse Gal from the very start of my reading life."

Yesterday down here at the southern tip of the U.S., we got no snow, but it was cold and windy.  We went to the beach with my spouse, my brother-in-law, and his wife and went to the organic brewery--we had a lovely meal of various appetizers (sweet potato fries and fried octopus and guacamole) and pizza.  Then we walked on the beach itself and collected shells.  I so rarely walk on the sand. 

There was a Canada festival at the beach--lots of tables and several bands that were playing.  Noisy, but fun--but the wind made it very miserable at times.  I was glad to be back home and out of the wind.  We played some cards and called it a night.

All in all, a lovely--but untraditional!--snow day.