No sign of spring

 I’m not sure what atmospheric conditions make the sun look like a white smudge on a gray slate (is that redundant?), but this is what the winter sun looks like. The milky light has no warmth to it, and even though it isn’t nearly as bright as in a clear sky, the unbroken whiteness of the snow makes you squint anyway.

Winter sun

The cold continues. I shouldn’t gripe about it. Six or seven below is nothing compare to the -40°F that I endured every morning for two weeks when I lived in North Dakota. Still, it’s getting to me. When the snow is flying horizontally by the windows, and you can’t remember when it was even as warm as 20°, and it doesn’t seem like spring will EVER come, you just need to do some brunoise to lift your spirits. Or maybe that’s just me. I find the quiet, focused meditation of making tiny little cubes of vegetables soothing.

Celery, carrots, onions, and potatoes in brunoise cut

Plus we got a hot and filling Graupensuppe (German barley soup) to sustain us through another winter night.

Graupensuppe

This week’s sourdough experiment was crumpets. This recipe is pure genius on the part of King Arthur Flour. It takes one cup of discarded sourdough starter and transforms it into 4 crumpets with the addition of three ingredients (sugar, soda, and salt). What I like best is that it does not make an overwhelming quantity of product. Four crumpets don’t even have to go in the freezer.

Crumpets on the griddle

Fork-split crumpet with butter and jam

I made my second loaf of sourdough bread. This loaf does have to go in the freezer. Still, I ate all of the first one in two weeks, which is faster than most other breads I make. I just can’t leave it alone! I often have it for breakfast AND lunch. So delicious!

My second loaf of sourdough bread, even more beautiful than the first

We had some visitors this week. Six tom turkeys appeared, walked all over the property, including all the way down the driveway and back. They checked underneath the feeders in vain. Hilda has not been able to get out to feed the birds this winter.

This turkey came quite close to the house

Two turkeys coming toward the house

It was fun to watch them hiking through the snow. They did the same thing that humans do—try to walk on top of the snow only to break through with a lurch as the crust gives way.

Note the difference in snow depth

I was struck by how much their tracks look like little dinosaur feet.

Dinosaur tracks!

More snow may or may not be coming. The forecast changes daily, a clear sign of an unstable system. Stay warm, y’all!