 |
| first batch of finished syrup this go around~ we won't get close to the 4.25 gallons we made last year, but should get a bit more before all is said and done |
today we woke to secret valentine's messages from papa (off to work at 6:30 this morning) on our windows and homemade construction paper cards at our places at the table. a menu for a day-after-valentine's-day breakfast in bed he's planning for tomorrow. she had a pile of cards to bring to buddies at ballet and afterwards we went out for hot cocoa and coffee.
home, then. where it was a balmy 53 degrees. heating with wood and not seeing the point of starting a fire when you wake since you'll be away and unable to tend it for a couple hours makes for a chilly homecoming a bit later on. that, and we are ever so quickly approaching the end of our seasoned wood pile, so…….. a bit frugal with the wood around here lately. now we've been home a few hours and I've got it up to 62 and climbing. it is supposed to be 7 or 8 degrees here tonight, cold for the week to come, and they're saying maybe snow. oh I hope so. a good snow where we can get out and go sledding, make a snowman, throw some snowballs…… and then spring may arrive directly.
this afternoon she is content with her pile of books and blankets. walking around the house singing songs from The Sound of Music. maybe there will be a couple sparkle stories and some painting. and she just made this adorable little doll all by herself. her name is Poppy.
for me, the rest of the day is shaping up to be kitchen time mostly. soup, sauerkraut, granola…. I'm also hoping to get through the rest of Cold Mountain, which I am very much enjoying. hot tea, too. there will be lots of that. and laundry. I've given up trying to organize our mess in the mudroom, where a mountain of shoes battles over space with a thawing chicken waterer and miscellaneous winter attire. and other things as well.
Sounds like a lovely family day, we too are starting to be a little frugal with the logs. We can't make up our mind if to have some more delivered or have smaller fires...Happy Valentines weekend.
ReplyDeleteha~ I forget about the potential to just buy wood from someone! yes, there is certainly that. Mike has a thing about not buying wood though- he'd rather do the work of scrounging it up and finding it for free. we've already got more than enough for next year, but it isn't seasoned enough yet.
Deletehappy valentine's weekend to you, too!
She is beautiful. What a sweet face. Very sweet of your husband to leave those messages. We are in the 70's since Thursday. Still waiting for rain. I'm cleaning for Chinese New Year.
ReplyDeletethank you~
Deleteyes, that was SUPER sweet of him, and totally unexpected- he doesn't exactly write love notes around the house on a regular basis!
we had a 70 degree day last weekend and oh how nice! and now it is supposed to be very cold here for the coming week or so. highs in the teens to low thirties. brrr.
gung hay fat choy!
Happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteto you, too!
Deletelove the present you all gave each other. You had 53 degrees? wow, we are super cold and bundled up.
ReplyDeletehonestly it was mostly papa making sweet little things for us girls- which was so delightful and unexpected. we very much enjoyed our pancakes and bacon and fruit and coffee (oj for her) in bed this morning! the 53 degrees was INSIDE the house! it is super cold here too- highs of teens to low thirties all week and lows from -3 to 15!
DeleteThe colour of the syrup is just wonderful, I hope it tastes good too! We have found some trees to tap and will be trying it next month when it has warmed up a bit!
ReplyDeleteit is tasty, yes! personally, my favorite is the deep, dark syrup that we seem to get toward the end of the season. oh how fun- good luck!
DeleteSounds like a divine day (other than mudroom organizing...although sometimes getting a good mess good and cleaned up has a perverse kind of pleasure of its own). That maple syrup is beautiful! Hope you got your good sledding snow (we've got plenty to share, if you didn't!).
ReplyDeleteI definitely find it satisfying to get a good mess cleared up and organized. that mudroom though- seriously, I just give up ;)
Deletethe big snow predicted ended up being an inch of ice and a week of bitter cold. no sledding. ah well.
your maple syrup looks golden and delicious :) what a sweet way to wake up on v-day... great work papa!! i absolutely love it! it's kind of crazy... over here we seem to getting an early spring. it's warm, the spring flowers have all been popping up, the birds are going crazy... all signs that spring is not only on it's way... but here. it seems we all feel a bit confused and uneasy about it. i feel like i don't trust it... like it will turn at any minute :) i would love to know how your sauerkrauting goes. that is next on my list of kitchen to-dos. i have been eating it like mad, but i have been purchasing it. i know it will be so simple to make i just must get started. i am off to clean clams now... i see a fresh clam chowder in my future :) our river goes up and down with the tide. when it is low it exposes a sandbar, and we have our own private clamming there.... so fun!
ReplyDeletethe syrup is tasty, yes! we had a week if icy cold in between a couple weeks of warmer weather, and it has not been great for the outside world. or, sadly, the bees. (we discovered this weekend that we lost the second hive as well this past week). oh well, life goes on….
DeleteI've been making sauerkraut for several months now and love it- it is so, so easy. shred 3 lbs of cabbage and mix it with 1.5 TB sea salt. crush it, mash it, mix it…. leave it for a while and then mash it up again until it has gotten pretty limp and then pack it into a jar or crock, push the cabbage down below it's juices, and put a weight on top. leave it for a couple weeks and then voila! (I use a wide mouth half gallon mason jar with a pint or pint and a half jar filled with water as a weight)
oh I'd love to have a personal clamming ground!! how awesome!