It’s been an interesting week here at home. We had a snow/ice event last Friday and Saturday that left us house-bound until Hubs shoveled the lower part of our very, very long driveway and salted it. I stayed inside and tried to look busy.
There’s a reason I prefer to remain inside – my feet seem to find every patch of ice in the driveway and I’ve taken some falls worthy of a silent movie, but not so silent! So I stick to going out with the dog in the quiet that follows a snowfall. Schools and some businesses have been closed for three days because side roads are still icy, so traffic is at a minimum on our road.
Yesterday we finally took down the Christmas tree (our son had asked us to leave it up until he got home). After being up for more than a month, it left mounds of needles behind and was beginning to smell. The boy needs to time his leaves better.
Watching the dog and cat handle the snow is hilarious. The dog avoids anything deep and pussy foots around in patches of weeds, while the cat goes out in a rush, stops, looks 
around, and comes back in. I think Elijah expects something different each time he goes out. He loved sleeping under the Christmas tree and was looking around for it and howling for a while.
I did make a cauldron of pea soup for the family. Does anyone still have the Foods of the World series? I use the pea soup recipe in the Provincial France cookbook, which is the absolute best. I think it’s the leeks and the salt pork.
Oh, and I got some writing done, but mainly I’ve been reading. I finished DCI Jones Casebook—Cryer’s View and the Replacement Chronicles. Both great reads; reviews coming soon, so stay tuned.
This is winter in Chapel Hill. Only two more months ‘til spring here. I’m ready!
The driveway has melted!
We are simply buried where I live, no school for two days in a row. Unprecedented where we live as we are equipped for the snow. There have been 5 snow days at school this year, and there were only a total of 5 school snow days combined in the past 20 years before this!!! We’ve had about 50+ inches of snow in the last month, the most recent being about 9 inches on top of another 16 inches that hadn’t melted yet. No melting in sight, minus temps for the next few days. I’m looking forward to spring too, but I don’t think we’ll see the ground until April! I have a book lined up to read this weekend called “Where Did You Go Bernadette?” for my book club meeting. 🙂
You are really snowed in! We rarely get significant snow here but even a little shuts us down. Will you review the book on your blog?
I have never thought about reviewing a book on my blog, but perhaps I can incorporate it somehow with an upcoming recipe. Stay tuned! 🙂
We’ve got snow forecast today…. Being Britain they are suggesting major disruption of transport and roads. We’ll probably get a dusting…and they’ll probably be right about the disruption 🙂 Kudos to you husband for clearing that drive!
They call off school here if there’s only a flake. The weather forecasters were predicting snowmaggedon – and we got six inches if that. The ice is the problem. Ani will be having fun!
So far, all we’ve got is lots of rain…and the light is already almost gone 🙁
Snow is beautiful, but inconvenient too. Soon you’ll be wishing the summer away and the snow to return. 🙂
Norah, a long time ago I looked forward to fall and winter, but not now. The longer I can stay swimming in my pool, the better! But I’d never move to Florida!
I agree about the pool. I love my morning swim! We’re in the middle of a heat wave at the moment: 32 degrees Celsius (about 90F) and about 74% humidity. It’s rather uncomfortable. 🙂
You must be in Australia! I swim every day for an hour or more, from the time we can open the pool (we have a heater) usually at the end of March, until the end of October. This year I took my last swim the first week in November. We had a very warm fall. I am definitely a water baby!
I am in Australia, Noelle. Your non-swimming months are our swimming months. I love it too. It’s such a great way to start the day – good for the body and the mind. I can do so much thinking as I swim up and down the pool. We don’t have a heater for ours. It would be great to be able to extend the season a little with one though. 🙂
My daughter an son in law vacationed in Australia last year and loved it. I do use my swim time to thing about plots!
Good for the mind, body, and writing! 🙂
Looks like the dusting of snow for southern Britain is going to miss us tonight, but may swirl around and come back to check on Norfolk on Friday. I hope it decides before I go out for my golf game. 😀
Yes, we’re all looking forward to spring here, especially Kevin <3
Kevin must love it outside! Both our cat and dog dislike the snow – they love to be outside. Can you golf between snow drifts? Ever played in Scotland?
Kevin likes grass and the sunshine 😀
Would love that recipe for pea soup! We make our own soups – mostly veggie or tomato, thanks to the summer crops safely bottled or dried. Here in central PA we’ve been amazingly lucky with the weather – so far! Snow has fallen but quickly melted. Enjoyed this post!
Happy to send it along but I need to copy it out of my book! Stay tuned!
A long steep driveway, Noelle. We hardly ever get snow in northern Oregon and we’re buried. The driveway is a long way from being passable, but I’m out of catfood! Stay inside and stay warm 😀
Good grief, Diana. The last time were were buried was back in the 90s! Sounds like you’ll have to be create to feed the kitty!
Last night the kitty had lamb roast. Tuna this morning. 🙂 Hubby’s getting catfood on his way home.
The kitty is living high off the hog. Ours turns up his nose at people food except for whipped (it has to be whipped) cream cheese and little pieces of American (not Swiss or Cheddar) cheese!
Ha ha. The roast didn’t go over well. I tried chicken and then salmon. The cat decided he would rather starve. Cat food arrived last night. Phew!
Nothing like a persnickety kitty to drive you up the wall!
Beautiful pictures💟Soup sounds delicious😊
I promised to post the recipe for the soup – I will, soon!