A chilly Hodgepodge

 

Taking a moment to join in with Joyce and the gang for the Wednesday Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond.  Here we go ...

1. What's a winter memory you treasure (can be from any winter in your lifetime)? 

Probably my most treasured winter memories are from childhood.  We lived at the edge of a farm field which contained perfect hills for sledding (or sliding, as we always called it then).  Every day after school, no matter how cold it was, if the hills were in good condition, we were out there.  We had runner sleds, aluminum flying saucers, and eventually even a toboggan and a bobsled that someone gifted to my brother.  We wore longjohns under our pants and wool snowpants over them, thick socks and buckle-up boots over our shoes -- and of course, sweaters, jackets, hats and mittens.  Sometimes scarves as well.  

We would stay out until it got nearly dark and we were soaked right through.  Then we'd go in, hang up our wet clothes down cellar, and drink hot cocoa with big spoonfuls of marshmallow fluff.  

2. Tell us about the last time or a recent time you were caught up in red tape. Does it send your frustration level off the charts or is it something you've come to expect when dealing with any sort of bureaucracy?

Can't think of a good answer to this except that whether dealing with the state, the town, or any governmental body, or even the medical establishment, or insurance companies, often the right hand does not seem to know what the left hand is doing.

Nothing to do with red tape, but below is my finished January sampler -- part of a set I've made of the three months of winter.  This is my first year displaying this one.  Love it.

 

The little "Snow Day" pattern was included and I made that one first.

3. Do you eat/like fish? Do you cook fish at home? What's your favorite fish dish? Ever been ice fishing? 

We do like fish.   Below is a plate of fish and chips, which is probably our favorite fish dish.  I don't cook fish at home too often.   Probably fish chowder would be the dish I'd be most likely to make at home.  Nope, never been ice fishing, though it's a big sport up here when conditions are right.

4. Did you watch any of the US President's Inauguration coverage on Monday, Jan 20? On a scale of 1-10 (with 1 being not at all and 10 being very very) how interested are you in politics in general? Do you follow/keep up with/ get involved with local politics? 

We did watch a good bit of it.  Were invited to the home of friends for a watch party, which was fun.  I would say that we are quite interested in politics, maybe an 8 on a scale of 1-10.  We do keep up somewhat with local politics -- especially on the county level.  And not politics, but patriotism and love for our country propels my hubby to participate in a local flag wave that's happened every Saturday morning in our town for nearly 230 consecutive weeks.

5. What's the coziest thing you own and what makes it so? 

I am going to say our vintage soapstone wood stove. I don't have a good photo of it, but it's in the background of the photo below.  We used to have a different, century-old wood stove in that spot, but moved it to our camp and installed this one, from my parents' home in our kitchen instead.  Oh, it is so cozy.  You may know that soapstone is a material that holds heat beautifully.  The nice flat top of this stove means that we can also use it to heat things -- like a little pot of simmering fruit and spices -- or to warm up leftovers or a cup of tea.   Usually in winter we have used our wood furnace (forced hot air, with ductwork to all of the rooms) exclusively, but this year we are using the kitchen stove as well and it is really making a difference to how much wood we use.  Surprisingly, we are using less.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

Although we didn't get a ton of snow, we are in a deep freeze here at the gateway to the White Mountains of New Hampshire.  Fifteen below zero when we got up.  It is all the way up to 2º now.  Perfect conditions for making ice art like that below.  I made these in a heart shaped cake pan using some very large rose petals from a bargain bouquet.

 
And there is this week's chilly hodgepodge!