Saturday six

 

Just popping in on a Saturday afternoon to share a few blessings from this week.  Here goes:

1.  The opportunity to have our missionary friends Bill and Karen visiting our church last Sunday to update us all on their ministry in Papua New Guinea.  It was a wonderful day of fellowship.

2.  The blessing to be able to volunteer this week at The Wilds of New England.  It continues to amaze us that God is using us even in a tiny way in this wonderful ministry.

3.  Everything going smoothly in all of our projects -- my hubby's painting, carpentry and floor installation projects and my own work in the kitchen which helped keep volunteers and staff well fed.  It took a lot of detailed planning but I am praising the Lord that everything went so well.  We prepared lunches and dinners in the Inn, below.

4.  Lots of time with people!  Getting to know our fellow volunteers and staff a little better as we worked together and also shared meals around a table. Two phone calls with my friend Jennifer this week; it was good to stay caught up with her even while out of town.  Instagram messaging with my daughters and even a message from granddaughter Emily.  Getting to attend a discipleship Bible study on Tuesday night.  Having a wonderful, iron-sharpening-iron visit with my younger friend Cassie after supper last evening.

5.  Being able to go out for brunch yesterday with our friends Terry, Bill and Karen.  What a treat that was!  It meant taking a few hours out of our time at TWNE, but was well worth it to be able to get our widowed friend Terry a little time with these dear ones she remembers from years gone by.  It was a refreshing time for all of us.

6.  Small amounts of free time so I was able to do a little bit of crochet and counted cross stitch,  and even a little bit of blogging.   I was also able to have a truly blessed quiet time each morning and do some studying ahead for Sunday Scripture posts.

It was a busy week but a good one.  Hope all of you had a good week as well!

Snowy day in New Hampshire!

 Yes, it's a snowy morning here.  We had some heavy wet snow overnight.  Not a lot of snow in inches, but because it is heavy it has coated every branch of every tree.  I'm going to just share a few photos and captions.

Above is a corner of our balcony.  Bent-over trees like this can be a common phenomenon, especially for birch trees (Have you ever read Robert Frost's poem Birches? If not, you will want to look it up.) but in this case the tree is a maple.  When my hubby opened the balcony door to take this photo, the storm door immediately fogged up.  Hence the foggy look of this particular picture.

Our bird feeder is out in the middle of this clothesline to keep squirrels away.

Our snowy back woods.

Just a close-up of some snowy branches.

Snow-topped sap buckets.

And more of the same.  Just a pretty sight.

Tire swing half buried in snow.

Snowy trees in our front yard.

These are at the edge of our lawn.

Another sap bucket.  Those are beech leaves which tend not to drop in the fall.

Tall snowy treetops.

Our driveway and my hubby's old red plow truck.  

Hope it's a pleasant day where you are.  If you are not in New Hampshire, you can enjoy our snow from a distance!

January 19 Hodgepodge

 

Not sure how this happened so quickly, but it's past the middle of January!  It's also Wednesday again, and time for the Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond, where Joyce asks the questions and bloggers provide the answers.  Here goes!

1. It's National Popcorn Day-my favorite! Are you a fan? Sweet or salty? A good or great movie you've seen recently (at home or in a theater, either one)? 

We are definitely popcorn fans in our family -- salty rather than sweet, though of course homemade caramel corn is yummy.  My hubby and I often have popcorn for supper on a Sunday night, along with apples and usually cheese and crackers.  I put a couple tablespoons of olive oil on the popped corn rather than butter, and toss it until coated before sprinkling on salt and nutritional yeast.  I got this idea from cookbook author Ken Haedrich, and it really does produce tasty popcorn that's a little healthier.

Most recent movie was probably A Wonderful Life, on Christmas day while waiting to Skype with the Nevada family.  We were all too full from Christmas dinner and Christmas cookies to even consider eating any popcorn, though.

Another of Ken Haedrich's cookbooks

2. What's something you didn't realize was going to take so much of your time as an adult? 

 Housework.  If only there was a way for it to stay done.

3. Your favorite yellow something? 

It's funny but there isn't much yellow in my wardrobe, although it's a color I do like.  All I can remember is a gorgeous yellow Fair Isle cardigan that I had in high school, and a couple of yellow t-shirts that I no longer own.   

I have a few yellow dishes -- some Fiesta plates which are a yellow I really like, and a newer Fiesta sugar & creamer which is a duller, paler yellow.  I don't love the color, but I do like the dishes, which were a gift.

4. Why do you write? 

Because I can't seem to help myself.   I've always liked to write.  When my daughter introduced me to blogging, I jumped in and started two blogs within a year (both of which are still going strong).  Somehow I have this maybe erroneous idea that people would be interested in what I write.  But I think I would blog anyway even if no one read it but me or my family.

5. Share a favorite memory associated with snow.

Let's see.   From childhood (although I have no photos of this): Every day after school in the winters of my younger years, we would come home, get all suited up in our woolen snowpants,  buckle boots, jackets, hats and mittens, and head for our sledding hill which was in a field a fair distance behind our house (but still in sight of it).  Whether we used wooden runner sleds or aluminum flying saucers depended upon the consistency of the snow.  Of course we wanted to get the greatest speed possible.  We had neighbor kids who usually went out with us.  We would stay out until dark and then come in soaked and sweaty, hanging up our outdoor gear and consuming mugs of hot cocoa with blobs of marshmallow fluff melting atop.  The photo below is of a snow fort our dad built us,  but it gives you an idea of the necessary snow clothes.

From last year:

My hubby and I took a wonderful getaway to Bridgton, Maine in February.  A nifty feature of Bridgton is Pondicherry Park, 66 beautiful acres of woodland and stream in the heart of downtown.  The covered bridge below is on one of the trails.  

 

We were able to follow trails and actually come from downtown all the way up to our Airbnb on one of them.  Slogging through the snow is not a favorite activity of mine as an adult, but most of the trails were quite clear and easy to navigate.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

This has been a blustery week in our part of New Hampshire.  Bitterly cold last Saturday and Sunday, then heavy snow on Monday.  Now we're back to cold and wind.   Here's what it was like yesterday afternoon as I wrote this post:

22 mph winds makes 15º feel like minus 6 degrees!

And there's the Hodgepodge for this week!  Head on over to From This Side of the Pond and snag the questions, why don't you?

A hearty breakfast for a snowy morning

Yep, I said snowy.   Thankfully, we didn't get all of the snow that was being predicted, but we got enough.  The above photo is what it looks like out our front door this morning (after plowing).  Below, a photo of what it looks like from the back deck.

I've been thinking I should share a recipe that I've been making often in the past couple of weeks.  It's warm and comforting and ready in just a few minutes. It contains no refined sugar.  (And if you don't like bananas, read on.  It can be made with apples instead.)

BANANA WALNUT OATMEAL

2 cups hot water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup quick oats
1 banana, chopped
2 Tablespoons maple syrup
Chopped walnuts to taste
Raisins to taste (optional)

Place the hot water, salt, and cinnamon in a 1 1/2-quart glass or Pyrex casserole dish.  Microwave on High for 2 minutes.

Add the oats and microwave on high for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.  The mixture should be thick and bubbly.

Stir in the banana, maple syrup, and walnuts (and raisins if you are using them).   Photo below shows them not stirred in yet.

Cook on High for 1 to 2 minutes or until as thick as you like it.

Serve in bowls with a dab of butter and/or a drizzle of half and half, if you like.

This is supposed to make 2 servings, but we find that it makes at least 3 good-sized servings.  You can see how much remains in the casserole after I took a serving out.  I store the leftovers in a plastic container and we scoop out servings to reheat as needed on another day.

Now, for some further commentary on this:

* You can use shredded apples instead of the banana.  All other proportions would be the same.  I adapted this from an apple oatmeal recipe, in fact.  If you prefer to chop the apples, prepare to either cook it for a longer time or have crunchy apples.

* If you prefer not to use a microwave, this can be done on the stovetop.  It will just take a longer amount of time, but not a whole lot longer.  Follow the cooking directions on the oatmeal box and then cook for a few additional minutes (maybe 5), stirring, after adding the syrup, nuts and fruit.

I like to use the microwave because it's fast, and a glass casserole is far easier to clean up than a gummy oatmeal saucepan.  But every cook for him or herself.

Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge and scoop out servings to reheat as needed.

Hope your family enjoys this if you try it.  We certainly do!

a few more wintry scenes

Just a few more wintry scenes from our neck of the woods ...

I think this was last weekend.  Just before sunset.

 We have the  most interesting icicles on our living room windows.  This was taken through the screen, as you can see.

 On one of the snowshoe hikes.  I liked the spot of color from the sunshine reflecting off something.

 The same stream I posted the video of, a few days later.  There's a skim of ice on it in this photo. 

 Another just before sunset.

Yesterday's snowstorm, out at the beaver pond.  Mr. T took a snowshoe hike out there with grandsons Sam and Josiah.

 Not sure if he is just resting or if he took a spill.  My guess is he's resting.  He looks cheerful enough!

Can't tell if Sam is adjusting a snowshoe binding or looking at something on the surface of the pond.  I wanted to use this photo because it shows how hard it was snowing, even though the snow was very fine.  This was a storm that amounted to at least six inches, I think, yet there was never any winter weather advisory, winter storm warning, or anything else.  Crazy.  Just kept saying in the regular forecast that we would get 5 to 8 inches.  And yet some of the hyped-up winter storms, complete with names, have produced greater warnings, more school closures, and far less snow than this one did!  Go figure ...

I know many are thinking spring.  It's just not even close yet up here!

A snowy video and a few more photos

We had more snow yesterday, and a little more this morning.  Mr. T went out for another snowshoe hike today, not as far as the pond.  He took more photos and some nice videos.  Here is one of the videos he took:

It's such fun to me to see that out there, in the frozen snowy woods, a brook still runs freely in spite of the cold.  Saturday night it was ten below zero here!

Here are a few more photos:
 

He went up above the brook to get this shot looking down upon it.

Snow-covered lichen

An interesting dead tree along the way

I asked the woodsman what sort of tree this was.  Alas, he failed to notice.

The grandkids' seldom-used tree house

So there you go!  Hope you've enjoyed these glimpses of winter in our back yard.