Having a PA day after a week of slowly accumulating snow is not a bad thing. After quickly getting the parent/teacher interview over first thing in the morning the rest of the day was left wide open. We were soon visited by this guy:
I am quite certain I saw him hanging around here last year. I don’t like to make wild accusations but his hat and gloves look exactly like mine. That innocent “Who, me?” look isn’t fooling me for one second either.
Then, despite being four months before maple syrup season, we decided to open a jar of maple syrup and try making some maple taffy or tire d’erable. My candy thermometer is not very accurate so I didn’t bother with it. I just boiled the syrup until it had a shiny glaze and looked about right then poured it onto a bowl of fresh snow. It seems to have worked. It was sticky and sweet and disappeared quickly. Whoever invented this was a genius.
“It’s not snow, it’s frost.” This is what I was told by a certain hatless, gloveless young adult recently. Decide for yourself:
Based on my accumulated experience and strong intuition, I believe this is snow. I believe this so strongly that I was compelled to knit a hat:
The model just blew in from nowhere. She’s a bit of an airhead but always in good humour, doesn’t move unless you make her and, I swear, she never blinks.
I have noticed that despite the fact that the growing year is ending, nature seems to be preparing for spring. I find this very reassuring. The hollyhocks are dropping their seeds:
So are the milkweed:
Just as an aside, I read somewhere that you can spin the fluff from milkweed seeds into yarn. I have not tried this and can’t imagine I ever will. It’s an interesting idea though. I have knit with yarn made out of soy so maybe milkweed isn’t such a crazy idea.
Not wanting to be left out, I planted 75 tulip bulbs:
I am sure that all 75 will grow. I am sure that the squirrels will never think to look for them in the freshly dug flower bed. Planting at this time of year is all about hope.
I also planted 250 cloves of garlic:
I have already given away at least this much for seed garlic in an attempt to encourage friends and strangers alike to grow their own garlic. It is very easy and rewarding and much better than the stuff you buy in grocery stores.
I am quite certain I saw him hanging around here last year. I don’t like to make wild accusations but his hat and gloves look exactly like mine. That innocent “Who, me?” look isn’t fooling me for one second either.
