Tag Archives: snow

Not WordPress Snowflakes!

Posted on January 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

WP is good enough to place (fake) snowflakes on my page over the holidays then take them off. We’ve been getting the real stuff! The big equipment has been out in force and my husband shoveled the decks today so we could grill burgers for dinner.

Not a lot to get excited for, though the ski resorts must be happy. A lot of ours melted today but will freeze overnight. Some stalwart XC skiers were out on the path today, that really needs more snow and grooming before it’s decent. Last year I believe it was packed by now with at least 18″ of snow.

Now the PIB’s (People In Black, from the Sundance Film Festival) are questioning their choices of vehicles and dress, as the snow didn’t stop until this morning and is expected to return for much of the week.

Living in the mountains for three years has been gorgeous, but we know to have two AWD vehicles with killer snow tires as well as all-year tires. Also I’ve four pair of boots: hiking; Wellies (from Scotland, Hunter Boots) for Mud Season; Crocs for taking the dog out in the morning; and hefty insulated ones for real deep snow/foul/cold weather. If you come out here in stiletto’s to walk anything but a runway, you’re out of luck.

I also have four hats, including a new Cossack hat my husband bought me before Christmas. That’s the warmest. And four pair of winter gloves starting with liners and going up to heavy duty that I couldn’t possibly drive in.

Now, as soon as we both (forget my husband, he had everything he needed eons before me or even planning to come out west) get everything, we can’t possibly look at going to another climate!

Our economy needs the snow. I drove in a blizzard to get one shirt to the cleaner. I can cook dinner and wash a shirt, but for interview time it’s best to leave it to a professional. I was working the windshield wipers, back wiper, and both defrosts while dodging clueless people in the middle of the street (the sidewalks were shoveled) and drivers backing out without ever having any visual contact.

When I returned a neighbor said that he trusts himself driving in this, just not anyone else. I agree wholeheartedly! Cheers, Dee

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Snow

Posted on October 6, 2011 | Leave a comment

It snowed all day!  No accumulation @ 6,400 feet above sea level but all three ski resorts up here got a lot.  So, it snowed on June 3rd, now on October 6th.  We packed Spring, Summer and Fall into four months!

It’s supposed to be nice this weekend, 50-6o degrees and partly sunny.

This week we celebrated the 10th anniversary of our first date.  We couldn’t do it on the day so yesterday I made beef fillet (Jim grilled it at the last minute, just before the rain turned to snow), caramelized onions and mushrooms, and loaded baked potatoes with light sour cream, scallions and a bit of home-cooked applewood bacon slices, chopped.

It was a nice meal and a pleasure for me to cook it for Jim, because on our first date we went to a movie and dinner.

Recipes may follow – I’m tired.  Dee

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Series of Mishaps

Posted on February 24, 2011 | 3 comments

Yesterday I was early to pick up our friend from the airport. My husband and his team have been working hard, late hours for a while now to get a certain project deployed. Last week I made them a blueberry-lemon trifle. Yesterday I had no time to do anything so I stopped by a local place to get some brownies and tarts. They told me to come around more often!

Then I headed to a bookstore, which I found, then ended up on local streets that took me far afield of the airport and by then our friend had her luggage and was waiting. It was made up last night with a nice dinner and five minutes of fireworks at the 2002 Olympic ski jump/bobsled and luge venue right across the street. I said they were for her.

So, today I took her first to the visitor center so she could find out what to do here for the next few days. Then we drove through Park City, to Deer Valley resort and off to Kamas for a visitor experience like no other. A drugstore that sells camping equipment, has a pharmacy, sheet music, lawn and home decorative items and a 1950’s lunch counter with the best burger in the state. Just like getting lost yesterday, it is closed every Thursday (even the pharmacy). I never knew because every few months my husband and I make a point of going there on a Saturday for lunch, and always bring out-of-state guests for the experience.

We headed back to “civilization” and hit one of my favorite burger and fries places, no muss, no fuss, just order at the counter and wait for your number to be called. But they know us there so we had a nice conversation.

We ran a few errands for camera batteries, food et al and one of Jim’s colleagues joined us for dinner. It was hastily planned so was to be a very simple dinner. I got a 2# pork loin. seasoned it and put stone-ground mustard all over it, placed it in a bag (in a dish in case the bag leaked) and poured two bottles of a local beer over it and let it marinate for a few hours.

I roasted some red potatoes with garlic, rosemary and olive oil; and wanted to make green beans but they were so washed out and mealy that I braised carrots instead.

For dessert we had tea and very intense ginger cookies, plus a wedding cookie, both store-bought. Let’s hope my bad luck doesn’t continue as our guest wants to go skiing tomorrow. I just knocked wood, hope you’ll do so as well.

Our Houston guest hasn’t met the Pippi hat as yet, but chose my faux fur Russian hat for us to walk the dog this morning. She’s looking forward to the deluge of snow that is expected tonight and for the next two days. That’s easy, she’s not driving! I do hope she’s having a good time. She’s already found a play to go to this weekend that sounds very funny. I would like to dedicate this blog to easy-to-entertain guests and old friends. Cheers,Dee

ps pdxknitterati I got a Peter, Paul and Mary cd today just because it had 500 miles and Day is Done on it, two songs I taught myself to play when I was twelve and got a cheap guitar for Christmas. I actually had a band, three inept guitarists and even worse singers, and we played at our school! I’d just like to remember how those songs are supposed to be sung, over decades. d

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A Room With a View

Posted on December 30, 2010 | Leave a comment

Most days, most nights we look upon an incredible vista. Now, after a major snowstorm, we’re going into negative digits tonight so have all the blinds down. Heat is up to 69 (from 68) and we didn’t use the fireplace at all downstairs tonight because that tricks the only thermostat to say it’s warm enough upstairs.

I love to see the stars at night, but with the snow these days we can’t even see ten feet away. Secluded in our little cocoon, it might be easy to shut out the world, but I don’t want to.

Between weather segments on the news this morning (with commuter link info streaming over my computer) I learned that the new fashion is “pajama chic” with flannel and plaids et al. Well, won’t my husband be styling with his Stetson and Resistol dress shirts. I’ve always called it “Utah Formal.” He even has a hat, not a ten-gallon, but more of an Indiana Jones hat to protect from summer sun. Right now he’s wearing a rabbit fur Russian hat.

We are prepared for the weather, I just dress in more layers. I’ve made my New Years’ resolution, not to make a resolution. And it’s stuck even though the ball hasn’t dropped as yet. Ok be a better person, discover new flavors and techniques in the kitchen, play with the dog more and take long walks with husband and dog. That’s it. Cheers, and a happy new year, Dee

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Quiet Country Morning

Posted on December 15, 2010 | Leave a comment

Sleeping nearly soundly because the dog had begun her early morning waking pattern, which ends with a paw on my leg or arm to GET UP! It was still dark, even though it was seven o’clock. Beep beep beep beep.

The snow came quietly overnight, a few inches that mostly melted during the day. Yeah, the ski resorts don’t like that melting stuff! I pulled up the shades as it’s always warmer when the snow falls, and it looked like Christmas. Then I heard what Jim calls the “articulated tractor,” a huge piece of machinery that can plow an entire neighborhood street in one fell swoop. If you’re on the street when that thing comes around, stay clear. It’s huge and seems to be going a good 30 m.p.h.

We went out before the driveway/walkway was plowed and it was slippery. Shortly afterwards, the skid loaders did the driveways with scraping snow and BEEP BEEP BEEP on back-up. Then the ski resorts started setting off mortars for avalanche control in the back country.

Interestingly, a number of ducks have decided to winter here, at least before it gets too cold for them. They may be stragglers, who knows. All I know is looking out at 14′ piles of snow placed by huge machines, my husband came home from work at eleven this morning with what I thought would be a cold, so I’m cooking a gorgeous stew, but now turns out to be a stomach bug. Guess I’ll be eating alone. Here’s to those quiet country moments, which we do actually get a lot of out here in nowheresville. Cheers, Dee

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NYC Snow

Posted on February 28, 2010 | 2 comments

NYC Snow Umbrella

This was NYC yesterday. Nearly 17″ of snow in Central Park, I heard on the news. My brother took the photo. You can tell, because he was sure to get the pretty girl in the shot as well!

We’re hoping he’ll come visit (and perhaps bring some snow out west) so I can cook up a storm. I do have mincemeat now. Thanks for the photo, G! Cheers, Dee

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Boom!

Posted on January 19, 2010 | 3 comments

Zoe (our dog) recoils as the guns blast: avalanche control measures are in effect in ski country. It must be time for comfort foods, as detailed in my latest blogs.

Regarding delis, I’ve a tale to tell. Raised Catholic (lapsed long ago) and married to a fundamental Christian, my knowledge of the Jewish faith is meager, only what I can read or glean from friends. A short time ago friend and noted cowgirl poet/singer/songwriter Juni Fisher was visiting and the subject of Ashkenazy and Sephardic Jews came up. She asked the difference.

I explained the cold climates of Russia and Poland, and the Southern climes of Spain and told her about borscht and matzo ball soup as opposed to the one Sephardic meal I was invited to attend (a friend was shocked to see me there as she didn’t know I was in the “tribe,” no I wasn’t, just a guest). I waxed poetic about foods to keep you warm and foods to keep you cool and when I finished, Juni said “Leave it to you to explain the entire Jewish faith in terms of food!!!”

She’s right. It’s laughable and a comment I’ll remember. I guess that’s what started this blog. Food has been an interest of mine for most of my life. I cook, and have attended great schools: I write so why not combine the two. It’s been an honor to host this blog and have nearly 25K hits in 18 months. For a niche blog that’s pretty impressive. I’m certainly thankful that so many people consider my prose worthwhile reading.

View to Nature Preserve

View to Nature Preserve

Boom! Boom! Someone here is not happy. The blasts must sound much louder to a dog’s ears. My husband just called to say he got to work OK even though I-80 was not plowed. Thank goodness he has AWD, DSTC and great snow tires! The ladies are walking to lunch today, in boots. I just sent in a photo report to our local weather station.

Time to get moving and make progress indoors as it’s snowing yet again and will for the next few days. Early this morning I read that this is the driest winter here in 67 years! Enjoy the day, Dee

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Christmas?

Posted on December 24, 2009 | Leave a comment

The house is so quiet
The reindeers’ asleep
And Jimmy and Zoe’s
Company they keep

And Christmas time is here
The most wonderful time of the year

A Volvo for Jimmy, a songbook for Dee
Zoe has boots and some treats from Margie

And Christmas time is here
The most wonderful time of the year

We’re liking the winter, our first such to see
The cold and the snow just for you and for me

It’s Christmas time, it’s clear
The most wonderful time of the year

We’re missing our families and wish they were here
It’s not really Christmas without them to cheer

It’s Christmas time, we know
Wish we could all go and play in the snow.

Cheers, Dee

ps Thanks, Burl Ives.

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Fragile

Posted on December 14, 2009 | 1 comment

Yesterday

We’re learning about how fragile life is up on the mountain. Jim assembled a winter “kit” for me at Wally World yesterday (jumper cables, flashlight, food, blanket, tow rope) only to have it snow again today and steal my car to get to work down the hill. Our absent neighbors’ pipes burst the other night and flooded two homes, thankfully not ours.

Jim needed better shoes/boots for the weather and I wanted to get to the local outlet mall when it opened because of the holiday shoppers and weekend craziness. We didn’t arrive until after eleven but due to heavy snow, the place was empty. No luck on the boots. Our dog didn’t know how to do her “business” in the deep snow, so just bounded through it and had a blast.

We’ve been in good and bad corporate housing. Several things distinguish where we are now from past digs. We’re used to the four cups, four forks… routine. This place has a vase, covered butter dish, sugar and creamer china. Games for rainy and snowy days. We have become comfortable here and I feel safe in the snow. I’d feel safer with all-wheel drive and snow tires (my car) but that situation should be fixed by the end of the week when Jim’s AWD vehicle arrives.

Take care in the winter weather. Don’t drive like a crazy person in the mall parking lot trying to get that last toy on sale! Try to spend more time with your family on Christmas day and less time slaving over a hot stove. Stay warm. Cheers, Dee

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