Brrrrr

We have had more snow, ice, and cold than we have ever seen while living in western Washington. We have received about six inches of snow on the ground, and the temperatures have stayed below 32 so the snow has been going no where. Now I hear on the news that there is another storm headed our way.

The only way we have been able to navigate our hill is with chains, and even at that, we almost didn't get up this afternoon because we were plowing snow that was clear up to the undercarriage. That was after we waited for the neighbors to shovel enough snow off the road so they could get into their driveway.

Brian, Sheila and the boys arrived at their condo in McCall yesterday for a week of skiing. Keith, Janet and the girls left Ft. Lauderdale yesterday for a Christmas cruise. Keith called from the ship's deck where it was all sunshine and 80 degrees!

We had to cancel our plans to go to our nephew Joel's wedding which is tomorrow. Most everything is at a standstill from Seattle to Spokane, and Spokane has had record-breaking snowfall over the past few days. Even if we could get out of town, I doubt we could get anywhere once we got to Spokane. Even Greyhound and Amtrack hasve stopped service.

We are sorry to miss the wedding, but as we watch the news of weather across the country, we are glad to stay at home and inside where we are warm and comfortable. We are hoping traffic is much improved on the 24th so we can get to Colleen's for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Here is a find for eating your veggies:

Oven Roasted Cauliflower
yield: Makes 4 servings
active time: 10 min
total time: 45 min

Blasting cauliflower florets in a hot oven concentrates their natural sweetness, turning them into something akin to vegetable candy.

Ingredients

* 1 medium head cauliflower (2 1/2 to 3 pounds), cut into 1 1/2-inch-wide florets (8 cups)
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
* 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation

Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450°F.

Toss cauliflower with oil and salt in a large bowl. Spread in 1 layer in a large shallow baking pan (1 inch deep) and roast, stirring and turning over occasionally, until tender and golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes.

Ciao

Twelve Days til Christmas

We are going to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at Colleen's so this feels like quite a leisurely Christmas season. I have done most of my shopping online so haven't even had to deal with stores and traffic. We have two little 'pretend' trees on either side of the fireplace, so their little white lights along with a fire make it look quite festive. The German nutcrackers, smoker, and pyramid are in their places, and the nativity set is in its usual prominent place.

Colleen's sacred music choral is singing three concerts this weekend with the third being here in Tacoma tomorrow nightso my friend Elisabeth is going to join us at least for the concert if not for dinner before.

Then Colleen is staying here Sunday night and taking Monday off so we can have a baking extravaganza, but before I would agree to it, we had to figure out what we would do with the finished products because I certainly don't need baked goods here to tempt me. She has befriended a Russian man who lives in her neighbood so he is going to be the recipient of cookies and goodies. Ilia lost many of his relatives in the Chernobyl disaster, but beyond that I don't know how he ended up in Seattle. He quite likes Colleen and her dog.

We are expecting a blast of Arctic air over the next few days with daytime highs not getting above freezing. Let's hope the electricity and furnace keep going. It makes me stop and think about the homeless and those who can't pay their utility bills.....we are very fortunate.

Ciao

It's December already

I never seem to be able to anticipate December coming right on the heels of Thanksgiving....but it does.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day with family assembled plus a couple of extras. Ken and Colleen were troopers to help or I probably could not have pulled it off. And of course everyone brought something, so there was way too much food, as usual.

Yesterday was Ken's and my 46th wedding anniversary, and we contemplated doing something special......at least go out for lunch or dinner, but the weather wasn't all that inviting, and we chose to stay home and share a steak dinner and a good bottle of wine. All four of our children remembered and called with good wishes, and Ken gave me a gorgeous bouquet of 3 dozen red roses. How special is all of that?

Our calendar is pretty clear up until Christmas week when we have to go to Spokane for our nephew Joel's wedding on December 23. So we will drive over on the 23rd and return on the 24th. Here's hoping the weather cooperates!!

My recovery is going well with the biggest challenge to be able to walk for longer lengths of time. I think I have some nerves in my leg that are still trying to return to normal, hence the discomfort. The physical therapist has me walking with trekking poles which seem to be making a difference. Patience, Helen.

Boredom does threaten once in a while. I would love to be quilting, but since that requires sitting and bending over, I haven't been given the go-ahead yet. So I quilt vicariously by surfing the net and looking for ideas and good buys on patterns and fabric!!!!! This could be an expensive recovery.

We have Christmas music playing, and I am slowly unpacking some of our Christmas items, so tis the season!! Ciao