Wicked Winter

When I bought some Green Mountain Wicked Winter™ last week we were still having mild temperatures and rain. This is one of my favorite coffees but I can't help notice that since I've been drinking it our winter has turned wicked cold.

The moon was glorious last night and with the snow-cover everything was bright as day. The price however was a low this morning of -8º/-22º.

Who?

Green Lakes 2008

Everything has frozen again this week. The poor geese haven't been able to raft on the lakes at the park the past few nights because the ice isn't thick enough to support them and they would be in danger of getting frozen-in in the areas of open water.

Despite the cold I went out late yesterday and for the first time in a long time, I heard a great horned owl. I lingered hoping to hear a second voice but I think they may be past the courtship phase if this bird is one of a nesting pair.

Being out in the woods at dusk with the first quarter of the wolf moon, the snow and the call of the owl was a perfect antidote to an otherwise miserable week.

Or is the moon waxing gibbous?

January Thaw

AnneCook

I stepped outside this morning to a chorus of robins and the smell of wet earth.

You have to believe the buds will blow,
believe in the grass in days of snow.
That's the reason a bird can sing,
on his darkest day, he believes in spring. -D.Malloch

Olio Nuovo 2009

My, oh my, oh my. What incredible flavor. I decided to splurge at least one more time for some good olio nuovo and it is fabulous. It even made me go looking for some out-of-season tomatoes and I came across these jewels:

Thank you J.

J. gave me an Italian measuring beaker. I love it.
It's even made of recycled glass.

I'm glad to put up a post that doesn't involve meat. Given the modest amount of meat that we eat it's unsettling to see the previous two posts on my own blog.

It took the better part of an afternoon to hack – and I do mean hack – the damn ham into portions I can cook with beans. I prefer to use smoked hocks without sodium nitrite but I just can't bring myself to throw away all the Virginia ham especially after it made for a very tasty batch of Anasazi beans last week.