Category Archives: Weather

Monday Morning Quarterbacking

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On a Tuesday afternoon. About that snow?

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We did get the 3+ inches predicted for our area. Even though I know the southeastern portion of the county didn’t get much at all. Maybe we need to divide the county in half in order to have two school districts. Then, those unhappy about the schools being closed because of us could not miss another day. I have to wonder though. What do they do at the end of a school year if one half the county doesn’t meet the minimum number of days? Interesting.

We got enough snow for our neighbor’s little ones to build a snowman. We even used the snowblower on the driveway today. So, the storm wasn’t a bust out here. That extra couple of hundred feet in elevation from here compared to the southeastern county makes a difference in temperature and snowfall.

In other news. They postponed the volunteer fair at the Howard County Conservancy until February 3rd. Same time. Same players. If you have the time, and want to hear more about volunteering, come join us. They need office support, event support, field trip leaders, animal feeders and more.

Finally, one more picture from this morning. I have learned how to keep the birds happy without having to go too far into the yard. I also learned to use mess free bird feed on the patio. No hulls or shells.

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The red bellied woodpecker even came up closer than normal.

Storm Hype

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It never fails. They predict snowmageddon. We get nothing. They miss it completely and call for insignificant snow. We get blasted.

Who knows what Monday and Tuesday will bring. Will our volunteer day at the Conservancy get canceled? I hope not. I was looking forward to REI’s presentation, and to that free breakfast. The Conservancy is looking to add volunteers. You know, for when we aren’t 🙄 snowed in.

Just in case though. We are prepared. Snow blower ready.

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Comforting food made this weekend, like this split pea soup, so we can easily heat food while trying to deal with the weather.

It was 2010 when we got slammed. Twice in one week. Right before I retired. Open your door to this.

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Try to find the grill in case the power goes out.

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It is under there somewhere. I swear.

We won’t be getting this kind of snow tomorrow or Tuesday. I wonder if New York and New England will. No matter what. I hope they have staples to eat while they deal with snow.

Now, what was this nonsense about Thursday night?

Meesy Micey

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A fact of life out here in the rural communities. Field mice. This year I thought we had thwarted them. We did make it much farther into the winter before they struck.

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A brand new bag of tortilla chips. Of course, we had become complacent. Forgetting to put everything in jars of canisters in the pantry. We thought that our two resident hawks, and the neighbor’s outdoor kitty, who pops through daily to check out the bird feeders and anything else that looks interesting would take care of it.

The cooper’s hawk hunts daily in the meadow. For long stretches. On the tree. On the ground. On the tree. On the ground. I can empty the dishwasher and watch him hunt. He isn’t interested in our birds.

But, one little field mouse (hopefully just one) managed to infiltrate this past weekend. We found the evidence Tuesday. Besides the tortillas, they got into a brand new bag of rice flour I bought for a cookie recipe I found.

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This was on the second to top shelf in the pantry.

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At least the brown sugar is still intact.

We haven’t trapped him yet. He eats the peanut butter right off the trap. Three times now.

Ten years ago on my first evening coming into the house. Right after settlement. I saw my first field mouse who had squeezed up through the opening where the water line feeds the refrigerator. The laundry room and the dishwasher connections, and sometimes the downdraft vent opening under the stove. All have to be protected. We have stuffed steel wool. We have plugged holes in the crawl space. They still manage to squeeze in. At least this year we made it two months farther into winter than in the past.

I will win this battle. It may take a few more days.

Just another fun week in the country. Oh yeah, it’s going to snow and sleet again twice this weekend. I am so ready for spring to get here. How many more weeks to go?

Plus, somebody has to start doing a better job around here. They show up nicely against a snow covered landscape.

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Yes, you. Mister sharp shinned hawk. Keep those mice out of my house.

Third Time Lucky

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With a winter CSA. We finally got enough participants to create a winter pick up spot for a 13 week Community Supported Agriculture program from the Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative.

For those of us who like that weekly infusion of a surprise basket of vegetables, getting this off the ground meant quite a bit to us. I chose what is called an “Omnivore Package”. 5-8 vegetables. One pound of meat. One half pound of cheese. One pantry item. Every week. We may get bison. We will get raw milk or aged goat, sheep and cow’s milk cheeses. We will get staples for our kitchen, like honey or maple syrup or horseradish. All from right up the highway in Lancaster County.

They changed our pick up from Thursdays to Wednesdays. I like that too. Gives me more time to get things done before the weekend comes. Then, we can easily heat up and eat, with a good made from scratch meal.

During this four week hiatus from the CSA I have been cleaning out some items from the freezer. Like all the chicken wings we got last fall.

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Perfect for a play off game day. Covered in raspberry jam, sriracha, honey, onions and garlic.

Or my meat loaf.

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Made with a half pound of hamburger meat and a half pound of pork sausage. A couple of eggs. Bread crumbs. Onions. Salt. Pepper. Drizzled in ketchup. Do you remember your mom making meat loaf? Didn’t you love it? Leftovers made great sandwiches.

I have also been making chicken salad from the chicken breasts. Egg salad from my Friends and Farms eggs. Some days I do feel like we have regressed into that world from my childhood, with all our food made from scratch.

Can’t wait to see what we get next week. Between Lancaster Farm Fresh and Friends and Farms, I don’t need markets or grocery stores this winter. Well, except when we run out of toilet paper.

A White Little Christmas

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So, on the Feast of the Epiphany we get snow. About 4-5 inches on my patio table. That’s the best place to measure it. At least we have the luxury of not having to commute anymore.

For me, January 6th is the final day to leave the Christmas decorations up. Before we do that recycling thing and take down the tree, to drop it off at one of the Merry Mulch sites in the county.

My problem this year?

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The tree is still fresh looking, isn’t dropping needles, and it’s just hard to take it apart yet. At least I have until the 16th to make it to a Merry Mulch site, or if I’m still loving it, we just will haul it to the landfill wood waste area for it to be mulched.

As for the rest of the decorations.

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There’s something magical about those tiny white lights out there with the snow in the background. I think they will stay up a little longer too. Besides, the good excuse is how cold it will be for the next couple of days. Way too cold to try and wrestle down those nets of lights.

On this 12th day of Christmas, I think I’ll go open the last pint of Eggnog and play Christmas music one more time.

Getting Out There

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In the middle of winter. I just checked the upcoming events page, and there are quite a few activities at the Howard County Conservancy, where I volunteer.

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Belmont January 6, 13, 20- Pre-school Programs: Nature’s Song- with Conservancy naturalists. Celebrate nature with your preschooler! Hike, sing, dance and craft. For children ages 3-5 with a parent/caregiver. JAN 6,13 & 20- Tuesdays 10am $10/class.

Mt. Pleasant January 10- Backyard Birding with Robin Todd & Mike Kerwin. JAN 10- Saturday 10am FREE.

Belmont January 17- Saving the Places We Love with Ned Tillman. JAN 17- Saturday 10am FREE.

Mt. Pleasant January 24- Wildflowers in the Understory: A Perspective on “Painting” with Nature’s Light with photographer/curator Jackie Bailey Labovitz. JAN 24- Saturday 7pm $.

Mt. Pleasant — Wildflower Photography Gallery Show JAN 21 through MAR 13- Wed. through Sat. 9am-3pm. please call before visiting.

Mt. Pleasant – January 27 Volunteer Open House, looking for new volunteers to help with the expanding programs and field trips. 9:30-11 AM.

Belmont January 31- Youth Bird Count with Sue Muller. JAN 31- Saturday 9am FREE

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With two sites now, there is something most weekends, and a few week day events. I hope the weather cooperates for our three volunteer hikes that allow us to get out and stretch our legs. Tomorrow may be dicey though, if it decides to snow.

As for events, I am particularly interested in seeing Ned Tillman’s event out at Belmont.

See you out there, I hope.

Season’s End

Last Tuesday was our final fall season pick up of our Community Supported Agriculture box from Lancaster Farm Fresh Cooperative. In previous years, we lamented the loss of fresh organic seasonal vegetables until the May start of the spring and summer share.

This year, we are crossing our fingers that we get the minimum number to keep us going through the winter. I am impressed with how this cooperative continues to deliver so much for our dollars. No, I don’t get anything in remuneration for shamelessly promoting our CSA. I just can’t believe we get so many great items for significantly less than shopping in the organic aisles of the stores.

What I find most interesting though, is the changes the CSA is making in order to market themselves. More a la carte options. We are trying a new option, the Omnivores package. Five to eight vegetables, one pound of meat, one package of cheese, and one pantry item every week. We are hoping to get enough of us to keep the Columbia site going. Otherwise, I am driving an extra three miles to go to Olney.

I haven’t shown the last two boxes from the fall share, but here is what we got on the 18th and the 23rd.

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Ok, so the newsletter said “garlic”. They didn’t tell me we were getting 17 heads of organic garlic. And, the carrots. A couple of pounds of purple carrots. Plus, popcorn. Red orchid chicory. Jerusalem artichokes. Potatoes. Celeriac. And leeks.

Five days later. The final share. Thankfully a bit smaller.

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I did two swaps this week. I love the Beauregard sweet potatoes, and have had enough of the radishes. Plus, I couldn’t resist the arugula. I am addicted to arugula. I gave up a butternut squash for the arugula. More carrots in there. Two different onions. Lettuce, I think it is speckled troutback, because it certainly wasn’t chicory like the newsletter said it would be. Also, a green cabbage.

We got our final cheese delivery Tuesday.

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We get cheese every other week. Cheese that just continues to amaze us. I have become a huge fan of the aged cheddars from PA Noble. Nothing like wine and cheddar for watching those endless bowl games.

I am hoping we get the minimum members to keep us going. Winter is so much nicer with fresh local foods making us feel like it isn’t cold and dreary out there.

Tis The Season

Christmas season is well underway around here. The tree is finally trimmed.

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The Christmas cards are done.

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I picked up the poinsettias from Greenway. I need to stop there again when they get in some garland so I can decorate the front doors.

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Lovely, aren’t they?

More into the season? How about a horse parade? In Lisbon on Saturday. I finally get to go this year. I have to remember to bring a bag of canned goods for the food bank. Get there early to find a parking space.

Or, how about the Geminids? What are the Geminids? One fantastic meteor shower, peaking every December. At the Howard County Conservancy beginning at 10 pm on the 13th. With Joel Goodman and Alex Storrs, our favorite leaders for our meteor watching events. The weather may actually cooperate this year, as it should be mostly clear, but a bit cold. Never fear. There will be hot cider served. Bring a comfy chair (lounge chairs work well) and blankets or a sleeping bag to put around you. See you there?

Giving Thanks Again

Today. Instead of mindlessly spending money at crowded shopping centers. Like a number of my local counterparts, I completely avoid the downtown mall in Columbia and any of the megastores between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Tomorrow I will go out and get the beginnings of our Christmas decorations, namely the garland and the poinsettias. From our local farms. I may head up to Breezy Willow to get some presents, but with the Howard County Conservancy holiday natural crafts fair next Saturday, the 6th, I may just do all my shopping there. Making my presents to friends and family completely locally sourced.

Today, though, we had our private Thanksgiving. Where we gave thanks for continued good health. For 35 years of Thanksgivings together. For friends who we will be seeing over the next few weeks at holiday parties. And family who will get together again for Christmas eve.

Yesterday we went to a family dinner, like we have done for most of these 35 years. It wasn’t until about 10 years ago that I made my first turkey as we were always in PA for Thanksgiving.

Now, we stay home. With no close relatives left on my husband’s side of the family, we no longer deal with the congested, sometimes icy and snowy trip up I-81. Watching the weather Tuesday night into Wednesday, I could understand the thoughts and actions of those trying to get home in bad weather.

Still, my MIL did the turkey in PA. My brother does the turkey here in MD. I never cooked a whole turkey in my life until 2006. Our second Thanksgiving after moving here. Our first without a trip to PA. We do Thanksgiving on Friday for us. Just a small “hen” from Boarman’s. This year was 12 pounds.

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This year I “did good” on the brining and the browning. Not so good on the gravy.

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Even though I washed off the brine before baking the bird, the pan drippings were too salty to make gravy. Happily, the turkey was moist enough not to need gravy and the stuffing was moist as well. We did a simple meal. Turkey. Stuffing baked on its own. Brussels sprouts. Dinner roll. And, I forgot to bring out my homemade cranberry relish.

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Served with a light pinot noir. Leftover pumpkin roll for dessert. As for that cranberry relish. It will get used with all the leftover turkey.

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I have a whole container full of breast meat to make meals. I also have the carcass and the innards in the crockpot making stock.

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Turkey soup next week on the menu definitely. Here’s to the holidays! Full of friends and family, and great local food.

Ethanol Free

We finally gave up and had to find an ethanol free gas station. I swear that ethanol is doing us more harm than high fructose corn syrup. Neither one of them is good for us.

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The closest place for us to buy it is in Littlestown PA. Full serve. In the rain today we drove up to fill up the gas cans for the snow blower, the lawn mower and the leaf vacuum. So far, in the past year, the string trimmer, snow blower and lawn mower all had carburetor work, because of the E10 gas gumming them up.

Other than the Eastern shore of MD, where the marinas are located, there are few choices near us. Charles Town WV. Front Royal VA. The one above in Littlestown. All on our short list are sources when we go on other trips in those areas.

We were really careful with our small engine equipment, draining when not in use. Using the additives. This has been the year we had major issues, including losing the lawn mower for 10 days while it was fixed. Thankfully, the tractor is diesel powered.

So, on a rainy Monday we drove 40 miles to get gas. Decided to stop on the way back at Baughers in Westminster to get a few items. Like my husbands favorite ice cream. Pumpkin.

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The last quart in the case. Perfect for his birthday dinner this week.

As for Littlestown, it is just up Rte. 97 a few miles north of the Mason Dixon Line. On the way to Gettysburg.

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Downtown is already decorated for Christmas. It reminds us so much of my husband’s home town in PA.

As for finding ethanol free gas, here is a great website.

And if you aren’t using ethanol free gas in your 2 cycle engines, it’s only a matter of time before it bites you too. Now, back to our regularly scheduled leaf removal.

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