Not Built for Speed

All season, DH and I had been planning to go to New Hampshire to ski with DS#1 at Mount Sunapee. The days and months seemed to slip by and the season was almost over, so we decided to join DH and his GF for a day of skiing fun. I had skiied Sunapee once before at South Peak which is really considered the learning area. It has a quad and runs that I can ski comfortably. DS assured me that there was a long run from the summit that would be easy enough for me to ski. The only part he forgot to mention was that they only way to get there was on the high speed quad.

We got our gear on and lined up for the lift. The four of us planned to go up together on one chair which sounded fine to me. Before I knew it DS and his GF were standing in front of the chair and DH and I were still on line. Off they went speeding up the hill. I immediately skiied up to get on the chair assuming that DH was right next to me. Surprise! I was alone flying up to the summit. It was a long lonely ride and when I got to the top I could not keep my balance to get off the speeding chair. I fell right in DH's path as he got off the lift right behind me. He was able to get me to my feet and, after a few minutes of deep breathing, we were able to begin the descent. DS was right it was a long, relatively easy trail that was fun to ski.

When we got to the bottom, I agreed to try the lift again, but only if we all went together. We all made it on the same chair with DS right next to me to help me navigate getting off. He took hold of my arm and off we went, but once again I was off balance and fell right in front of the lift. This time I needed to take my skis off to get out of the way. After another long run I decided it was time for a break and DH and I went into the lodge for lunch.

After lunch DH and I made our way to slow quad at South Peak and we had a great time and no falls from the lift. DS and his GF joined us later in the afternoon and we stopped for the obligatory photos.

The moral of this story?? I am definitely not built for speed!!!

Black and Whites

When you move to another state, you gain many things, but you give up others. We moved to Vermont almost 25 years ago and, don't get me wrong, I love it here. We have great skiing, a beautiful lake, Ben and Jerry's, King Arthur Flour, and the least angry city in the US (Burlington). However, one thing I really miss is New York bakeries - cakes with buttercream frosting, apple turnovers and black and white cookies. The bakeries here make great bread, but that's about it. I have yet to find one that makes a birthday cake that meets with my approval.

When my FIL was alive, DH would go to Long Island regularly and he would always stop at the bakery near his sister's home. He would bring two apple turnovers for me and two black and white cookies for DS#2. Now we rarely travel to Long Island, so I decided that if I wanted black and white cookies, I would have to make them myself. I searched online and found a recipe, but there was never an occasion to try it out. I certainly didn't want to make a batch of them for just DH and me.

Last weekend was the annual family ski trip when DH's cousins come to Vermont. It was fun to have a house full of company and it seemed like the perfect time to make the black and white cookies. The kitchen was a mess, but they came out looking pretty much like the real thing. The chocolate frosting could have been a little shinier, but the relatives thought they came from the bakery. I guess that's an indicator of success.

Too Much Snow and Too Much Time Equals...

I haven't been much of a blogger lately, but I'm back.

So after the the Ground Hog Day storm, we asked our snow plow guy to push the snow onto the front lawn instead of in from of the wood pile. He complied and this is the result.

I posted some photos of our giant pile of snow on FaceBook and my nephew suggested that it would make a palatial quinzee. I had to google the word because I had no idea what it was. It sounded like a good idea, so DH began the excavation.

As he did the burrowing, I removed the snow. First by snow shovel and then by bucket.

Soon the hole was big enough for me to fit.

I curled up for a little nap, but DH wanted the quinzee to be big enouogh for two, so we continued to dig.
It took all afternoon, but we did it. Our neighbor came over to take a photo of the two of us comnfortably ensconced in our creation. It is actually big enough for both of us to get fully inside.

So now we have this extra room for any guests who would like to come for a visit. It's very private although the it does not have a lot of amenities.

Workout Update

I've been working with a trainer at the gym twice a week for six weeks now. Today we had the six week evaluation to see how it is going and to plan for phase 2. Phase 1 has been focused on core strength and balance and trying to improve my posture. So, what did the evaluation reveal? I'm taller than I was six weeks ago, which I guess is a sign that I am standing up straighter than I was before. I also lost inches, but not any weight (adding muscle?). My blood pressure and resting heart rate have improved, so I guess that's progress.

In phase 2 we get really serious - more strength training and increased cardio workouts. Also, starting on Monday I will have an eating plan designed by my trainer. Since DH and I are actually pretty healthy eaters, I don't think there will be that many adjustments except for the times that I eat. The one change that I knew was coming is no more Diet Coke. Yikes! My trainer wanted me to quit cold turkey and substitute tea, but I know that's not going to work. I got him to agree to a slow tapering of my consumption to be completely off it in three weeks. He's got lots of good reasons, most of which I've heard before, but the hard part will be that I really LIKE it. Oh well, no use paying all this money to a trainer and then not listen to him.

Flour Power

Last weekend I fed my knitting habit and for Mother’s Day weekend I fed my bread baking habit. I am so lucky that DS#1 lives in Lebanon, NH which is very close to the King Arthur Store. On Saturday DH and DS ran a race in Woodstock, VT. It poured and I elected to stay behind to sleep in. When they came back they were drenched and tired, so they decided to warm up and then take naps. This was my chance to head out for my flour fix.

After getting only slightly lost, I arrived at the King Arthur store just as the morning’s baking class got out. After stowing their goodies in their cars, all of the students made a beeline for the store. It was jammed. I snagged a shopping cart and started to snatch up the things I knew I needed. I got white whole wheat flour, high fiber flour blend, hi-maize fiber, malted milk powder, potato flour, Harvest Grains and malted wheat flakes. They got everything on my list; then I started to browse. The store has every gadget and gizmo the home baker could want - baking pans, baking tools, linens, aprons, dough buckets, mixers, bread machines and on and on. They also have every ingredient you could possibly want from mixes to make cakes and scones to bagel toppings to 3 or 4 different kinds of rye flour. It’s a baker’s paradise. I controlled myself and only bought a dough scraper.

After a lovely weekend and Mother's Day breakfast with two of my favoite guys, we headed home. And what was the first thing that I did when I got there? You guessed it - I baked a loaf of Harvest Grain bread.

Lilacs

I love lilacs. Lilacs make me think of my Nana, who loved them, too. Lilacs make me think of Mother's Day since that's when they seem to bloom, so that makes me think of my mom. Lilacs make me think of my childhood. Lilacs screened our yard from our next door neighbor's yard. We had white and purple and, when they bloomed, my mom would cut some, wrap the stems in aluminum foil and send me off to school with a bouquet for my teacher.

We have two lilacs in the front of our house. Every year I say I'm going to cut some to bring into the house, and every year I forget until it's too late and they are starting to fade. Not this year. I saw them out the window as I was vacuuming and stopped what I was doing, grabbed the clippers, and cut myself a bouquet. The lilacs are on the piano now and the room smells like memories.

Spring Has Sprung

So spring in Vermont can be a capricious thing. Last Monday we had lunch on the deck and then I sat out there in the afternoon with my computer chatting with DH while he worked on two new raised beds for vegetable gardening. Then for the following two days it snowed!

Now it is quite warm again, but is it really spring? I think I got the proof I needed when I went to the local supermarket after church on Sunday. There in the produce aisle were fiddlehead ferns and rhubarb – sure signs of spring. I passed on the ferns because I don’t really like them, although I will pick some up for DH and DS #1 before they are gone, but I did buy rhubarb. While DH was out participating with the Marine Corps League in the Annual Maple Festival Parade, I baked him a strawberry rhubarb pie. It was the least I could do for someone who has spent days building raised bed and shoveling soil for me.

Now the peas are poking through the soil, the arugula and lettuce are up and maybe there is a hint of a beet or two and some Swiss chard, but time will tell. Anyway, I’m going to continue to think spring.