WHITEWASHED TROUBLES

It has been a time of (comparatively speaking, minor) troubles.  First of all my computer has been acting up, and I sent it out for cleaning/repair.  It was not easy being without a computer. My computer is still acting up, and will be going once again to be worked on.  Then my 4-year old camera up and died, cost to repair more than camera worth.

So, I went out and bought another camera, which has sat in its box, unopened, for almost a week.  Why, one might ask?  Well, I do believe it is a camera 'beyond' at least my current, abilities!  I have been afraid to open it as I would probably not know how do operate it, maybe not even know how to get it together.  It is a Nikon DSLR 3100, and I have never owned anything other than a point and shoot.  Thus my trepidation.  I did, however, open it this morning, charged up the battery, and will now break out my DSLR Digital Cameras for DUMMIES book. 

Now for the GOOD news....it is snowing, and I mean really snowing.

I came out to my workshop at 6:30 this morning, with the snow coming down.  I shoveled off the deck and the steps, saw that schools were closed, and wondered at how long this snow would keep coming.

I put on my skis and out we (my dog and I) went!  It was glorious, that is outdoors, the skiing was, well not quite skiing.  It was more like a ski-hike, with little if any gliding.  It was, however, lovely and great exercise!  

After returning from skiing, I came back out to my workshop, and proceeded to shovel off five new inches of snow from the steps and the deck.  That was perhaps 30 minutes ago.  There has already accumulated another 2" of snow.  Perhaps skiing will be better this afternoon!!!
 

(And no, these photos were not taken with my new camera, they were archived!)

THE LOST FORTY

It was very cold yesterday, not as cold as today where our thermometer registers only 10 below, but cold nonetheless at about 8 above zero.  Still it was sunny and lovely, so we decided to take a hike.

At least once per year, especially in the winter, I want to take a hike to the 'Lost Forty' in order to see the spread of 'Princess Pines'.  Princess Pine is the common name for this beautiful, tiny, pine-tree-looking plant.  They are somewhat rare and in no other place that we have hiked have we seen them.

They are really this brilliant a green and in some spots this prolific, as well.

"Common Name: Club Moss, Running pine, Staghorn club moss, Wolf claw club moss, Ground pine, Running moss, Princess pine - The common name describes the club-like appendages at the end of a long stalk that extends upward from the moss-like basal plant, the overall effect is a  moss with clubs.

Scientific Name:  Lycopodium clavatum  - The generic name is from the Greek words  lukos meaning wolf and podos meaning foot; the tips of the branches are reminiscent of a wolf  paw.   The specific name is from the Latin clava meaning club which accentuates the club-like extensions.

Club mosses are the vestigial relict of the earliest  land plants which evolved in the Devonian Period  about 395 million years ago. Members of this group of plants included  tree lycopods of the extinct genus Lepidodendron that were up to 100 feet in height whose deposition and decay during the Carboniferous Period engendered the world's major coal fields. The club moss is not a moss since it is vascular; mosses are  non-vascular bryophytes. Botanically, vascular refers to the evolution of  specialized xylem and phloem cells that provide for the fluid transfer necessary for nutrient provisioning and sufficient for complex structure.  Club mosses are often referred to in the vernacular literature as lycophytes or lycopsids in reference to earlier taxonomies that  placed them in the divisions Lycophyta and Lycopsida, now in desuetude due to the revelations of DNA associations. Club mosses are now generally grouped in a separate class,  Lycopodiopsida.

The life cycle of the club mosses, like that of the ferns, is a combination of a spore producing phase (sporophyte) and a sexual phase (gametophyte), an arrangement that appears to mark a transitional phase in the evolution of plants. The cycle nominally starts when a single  spore among the billions produced successfully germinates and forms one of two different pre-sexual bodies called prothalli. While some prothalli are photosynthetic and epigeal, growing on top of the soil, most are  hypogeal, buried by accumulated debris or faunal motive activity to depths of up to 4 inches." (Excerpted from The Hikers Notebook, to access online go to: http://www.sierrapotomac.org/W_Needham/ClubMoss_040110R090318.htm)

We started our hike uphill wending our way through all of the tree-fall from Freddie's hillside cut last winter...it was not easy, but did keep us warmed up.

We are within the 'Lost Forty' approaching the Princess Pines.

It is truly a lovely spot and feels quite magical.

I was sufficiently bundled up against the temperature, and except for my hands getting cold when I took photos, I stayed plenty warm.

These miniature 'pines' are slowly spreading, and each time we come to this spot, they have multiplied, though not in huge amounts.  They appear undamaged year after year, and we have a tendency to keep this location secret, in order to keep them that way.

It definitely was a cold day, however it was both physically and mentally invigorating.  The hour and a half hike proved to be a spiritual renewal!!

SUNDAY SLEDDING

Well, finally I have my blog activated, as well as my computer cleaned up and updated.  Now, I am trying to get used to new operations. 

These are the photos I wanted to upload a week ago, and despite there being little snow left on these hills now, I thought I would post anyway.  We did manage to choose exactly the right day for this family sledding party.

We live in very hilly country, a true blessing as far as I am concerned.  Our vineyard is on a hill just above the barn, and visible from the house and from my cabin as well.  It is a picturesque sight to say the least.

It was a magnificent day, the sun shinning brightly, the air crisp but not too cold, and the sky truly was this blue.

My daughter Jonel, Andy her husband and their two girls, Iris, 6 and Elsa 3 came along with Freddie's daughter Kari, her husband Doug and their children, Morgan 10, Morgan's friend Hayley, Macy 8, and Nolan 4.  

The hill was really slick and fast and ever so long.  The grown ups did a lot of sledding, but they also did a great deal of...

hauling back up the hill.

I would say at least two hours were spent going down and going up and going down and going up...clothes were shed, eyes were closed, and there was much laughter.

This little three year old stunned me when I realized that the saucer with a little one speeding by at what seemed like at least 30 miles an hour, contained Elsa, eyes shut but in full command.  She loved it and went back for more and more and still more!!

Inside for hot cocoa and hot soup and lots more play.  It was a great family day!  Now let's hope for more snow, lots more snow.  Let's hope that winter is nowhere near over.

PROBLEMS

For anyone  who might be checking in on  my blog, I am experiencing great difficulty with this site and cannot post any photos?????  When I click on 'add image' it opens but immediately skips the 'choose file' and shows something that I can't even open????  I am seeking help, and hope I am able to post soon.

Thanks for reading.

LOVE AND PEACE

I know I have sung the praises of winter on this blog before.  Quite honestly, it is my very favorite season, despite the bitter cold and sometimes lack of snow.  I do know, that if we consistently did not have snow, then winter would cease to be my most loved season.

We took a ride the other day, brilliant sunlit, snow covered day.  It was stunning, the hills, the great expanses of snow covered fields, the tree limbs covered with a thin line of soft flakes...everything in stark outline.

For years now, the great expanse of snow covered fields have called to me, called to my artistic side.  They have always resembled a canvas waiting, just waiting and waiting.  I have always longed to 'sketch' that canvas, and so yesterday when I thought to go skiing, the hillsides seemed to beckon me

...and so I donned my heaviest boots and trudged up the hillside, and although it isn't visible, began by 'walking' huge flowers in the snow.  I was then moved to add hearts, and words....

...peace and love....

Once out there one loses a sense of proportion and although I thought I was walking huge hearts using up the hillside, I found when I was done, that I surely had not...

There is much hillside still calling me....waiting for my imprint.

One this, the first day of 2013, I do wish LOVE and PEACE to all.  I know it will not happen around the world, it never has, but I hope it anyway.  All of our good thoughts, and personal contributions to love and peace will surely make a difference.

 

BUSHWHACKING

We are so grateful for the snow!!  We are also supremely grateful that our land is located adjacent to 8500 acres of Reserve land.  This makes access so convenient for hiking, biking and skiing!  We love to cross country ski, and for me anyway, it is absolutely my favorite out door activity.  

Both Freddie and I prefer bushwhacking to trail skiing.  For several years we broke a trail down a ravine, across a large frozen backwater and then for a few miles along the Kickapoo River.  This is simply a stunning venture.  This has always been the preferred ski 'trail' for us.  Unfortunately last year and the year before, winter snow never really came to our area.  (Global warming is my guess.)  We had not broken this trail for three years.

With much excitement we went out last Sunday to break this trial, and then have it available for real skiing for the rest of the winter.  Well it wasn't much of a surprise to see that the entire way to the frozen backwater had so overgrown, at places it was nearly impossible to traverse, but we did not expect the tangle that we found.  It had not only overgrown, mostly with honeysuckle but also briers, but the small waterway that snaked through this valley had crisscrossed every which way and back again, that we were unable to ski along either side for very long. 

We did much weaving between trees, up slight and not so slight hills, crossing this small stream countless times,

infrequently moving along as though we were really skiing.  (The snow was perfect for skiing.)

And on one or two occasions

succumbing to gravity..

and trying to regain not only our dignity, but our position as well.

Despite this, at least I quite honestly found this a great adventure!!  Towards the end,we found ourselves skiing along a trail provided by the Reserve, but I must say this was not my cup of tea.  For me cross country skiing is bushwhacking, forging trails where others have not gone, breaking pristine ground, and viewing these hills, trees and the river as at no other time of year. 

A CHRISTMAS TREAT

Many years ago, while living in South Dakota, I began making and giving this Swedish Tea Ring to friends  for Christmas.  Decorated as such, it looks to me much like a Christmas Wreath.

Our family tradition is to have this sweet treat on Christmas morning along with fruit and yogurt.  

Among the old cookbooks that I collect is one called The United States Regional COOKBOOK edited by Ruth Berolzheimer, first published in 1939.  It is from this cookbook the recipe for Swedish Tea rings comes.  (I have modified it some, as we no longer really need to scald milk, etc.)

Swedish Tea Ring (Saffebrod)

1 c. milk                    1/4 c. butter                 1/2 c. sugar           1 tsp. salt         2 tsp. instant yeast

2 eggs                       4 1/2 c. sifted flour        melted butter         brown sugar     cinnamon      chopped nuts

Heat milk until warm and pour over butter, sugar and salt.  Sprinkle yeast into liquid when cool.  Add well beaten eggs, mixing well.  Beat in flour to make a soft dough, with a wooden spoon.  Turn out onto a floured board and knead until smooth.  Put into a bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in bulk.

When light, shape into two rectangular sheets about 1/4" (or so) thick. 

Brush with milted butter, sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon (to taste).  Add chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans.)  .

Roll in a jelly roll fashion and shape into rings.  Place on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper, and with scissors cut at one inch intervals, almost but not quite through the ring.  Turn the slices slightly.

Cover with a damp cloth and let rise until double in bulk.

Bake in a moderately hot oven (375 degrees) for 25-30 minutes.  Watch carefully, as they could brown fast.  Should this happen cover loosely with tin foil.

Frost with a confectioners frosting, and decorate with Christmas colored sprinkles.

I am hoping that all of you who read this post have a blessed and happy Christmas.  May peace come with the new year to all.