Hi folks! Winter just refuses to leave this year. We've had snow today here in North Carolina -- how about you? It looked like Spring yesterday when I walked Duncan at lunchtime. There were daffodils blooming and Bradford Pears and Japanese Cherry trees in our neighbors' yards, but it didn't feel like Spring. Hal and I were out yesterday evening, and one of the coldest winds I've ever encountered was blowing straight through our clothing. Brrrr!
It's supposed to be cold here the rest of the week, with more chances of snow, so I thought I'd share this recipe with you for some good comfort food. I made Beef and Guinness stew this weekend for St. Paddy's Day, and I think it was a hit. It was my first time to make this, although I have eaten it before. We used to have an Irish restaurant in the next town over, and the owner had immigrated here from Ireland. We found her food to be more authentically Irish than a lot of the Irish pubs around here.
Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!
Some years ago, we had an owl in the woods behind our house, and after dark (especially in the fall) we would hear his call. We often heard it when we were walking down the street, and he usually received an answering call from the trees nearby. I loved to hear the owls; it was sort of a lonesome sound, but a homey one, too -- like the sound of a train whistle in the distance. I could even hear them after I went to bed, but for some reason I don't hear them anymore. It may be those new, double-paned windows, which do block out more sound, or the owls may have found another home. I miss their soft hooting in the night.
Hal's photo of the supermoon -- 2011
Hi all, we're almost through with another work week. Did you have sunshine in your corner of the world yesterday? We did, and even though it didn't come out from behind the clouds until mid-afternoon, we were elated to see it. 🌞 🌈
A few weeks ago, I wrote a post sharing some of my favorite products for winter, and I promised a Part 2 for that post. Well, finally here it is -- better late than never. Even though the temperature reached the mid-70's here today, I'm pretty sure we're not completely finished with winter -- or maybe winter's not finished with us.
The first thing I want to talk about is lighting. My personality is such that I can only take so many gray, dreary, rainy days before I'm ready to start banging my head against the wall. Lack of sunlight bothers me much more than cold temperatures. We all know that winter time brings with it shorter daylight hours and colder temps. My hat is off to those of you who endure the long winters in the north and Midwest.
Happy Friday to you! For a month with so few days, February sure is dragging by this year. Of course, that may have something to do with the fact that it's already February 16th, and we've had very few days of sunshine in the month so far. Even worse, the forecast calls for more of the same, ad nauseum. 😣
The winter garden (conservatory) at Biltmore April 2017.
Are you watching the Winter Olympics? We watched for a while last night. The ice skating competitions are, and always have been, my very favorite. I can remember when I was a child "ice skating" around our house in my sock feet, looking ever so graceful and balletic. ⛸️ 😎 Go ahead and laugh, but you know you did the same thing. 😜
Are you sick of winter yet? I'm trying not to be, but we've had a lot of rain recently, and those days have been awfully dreary. I'm sure I'll be happy to see spring when it arrives. I thought I would share a few things that have made my winter more bearable this year.
