Tag Archives: weather

Searching for Signs of Spring

Posted on March 12, 2014 by AnnieRie

As the skies in the west darken. The temperatures may drop forty degrees tonight. Storms will rip through. And, we may get one or two more snow events before winter leaves us.

Will spring ever arrive? Tomorrow we have volunteer training, including hiking, in temperatures that may barely hit freezing, as a high. That should be interesting.

Heavy rain is hitting the front of our house. Cross your fingers that our radio tower does OK. It is a year old this week.

I see no evidence of garlic in the garden. I planted it last fall, and covered it heavily with mulch. Normally by now, there would be something out there.

This was last year on the 29th of March.

Tulips? Not very far along either. Barely seen. Not like last year when they popped above the ground in January.

I moved the tractor up to the garage today, to get picked up for service tomorrow. I don’t think we will be cutting grass anytime soon.

This has been a cold winter. One that, I hope, will cut down on the number of destructive pests that kill my garden plants. If only it would kill the stink bugs. That would be celebration worthy.

Are you tired of winter too?

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Posted in Food, Gardening, Nature, Volunteering, Weather and tagged Food, gardening, nature, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Our little feathered friends were going crazy today, looking for seeds in the swirling snow. At one point, I counted close to a hundred birds in the bushes, on the ground, in the trees and on the feeders.

This is just a subset. But, look closely to see the red winged blackbirds out there. They usually return in late February or early March. I think they got more winter than they wanted. They certainly were vocal out there when I went to add water to the birdbath. It was a very popular spot since the heater gives them access to water even in these temperatures.

The juncos are still hanging around. In the above view, you can also see we got about five inches of snow. Much less than that original forecast of 10+ inches.

Now, we just have to make it through temperatures in the negative numbers overnight. I will have to check RIMPO in the morning to see how low the temps get.

As I type this, the reading was 5 degrees Fahrenheit at the Dayton site.

If you can find a place to put out seeds or nuts for the birds, they will certainly find you. As will lots of other little critters. There are all sorts of tracks across our yard.

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Posted in Birds, Weather, West HoCo and tagged birds, nature, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Bracing? For A Storm

Posted on March 2, 2014 by AnnieRie

Is it really going to snow again? Or, is it all hype. Hang around a few hours and the numbers change. School around here is already canceled for tomorrow. At this rate it will be Fourth of July before they get out for the summer.

I hit the store Saturday, just in case, and because my husband forgot to remind me to get milk when I was at Wegmans Thursday.

Harris Teeter down in Maple Lawn. It was somewhat busy, but well staffed. I had to get some printing at the copying place there, so it was one of those multiple errand trips.

On the way home, passing Boarman’s, you could see the full parking lot.

I assume we all have enough to survive whatever we get. But, I am crossing my fingers that I get to attend Conservancy events this week. It should be a full week for me, if we don’t get mounds of snow, we have middle school training Tuesday. A program meeting and pre-hike for the Hike to the River on Wednesday. Elementary school training begins Thursday. And, Saturday the Hike to the River.

Looking at this crazy schedule, I did take time today to make a couple of pans of lasagna. Half of one for tonight. Half saved for later this week. Leftover pork for another night. The contents of my Friends and Farms baskets are being put to good use here.

I used up the last of my Pappardelles’ peppercorn lasagna noodles. Time to go back to Secolari in the Mall to get more. I used the loose turkey sausage, some dark meat chicken and the tomato puree to make the sauce.

Ricotta, mozzarella, goat cheese and a couple of eggs for the cheese layers. Italian herbs. Nutmeg in the cheese sauce. Simple improvised lasagna.

While we were watching some TV tonight, I made an interesting concoction.

A splash of red wine. A can of citrus flavored sparkling water. A handful of defrosted blackberries from the freezer. A spoonful of simple syrup. Nice wine cooler. Thanks to all those Larriland berries in the freezer.

Bring on the bad weather. But, let it go away quickly.

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Food, Friends and Farms, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, Volunteering, Weather and tagged cooking, Food, howard county conservancy, local businesses, Locavore, real food, volunteering, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

A Picture Perfect Weekend

Posted on February 23, 2014 by AnnieRie

I think spring is teasing us. Saturday and Sunday. Both days where you could just imagine the trees starting to bloom, and look for the crocuses and tulips to start poking their tips out of the thawing ground.

Solomons Island was hopping Saturday. We took a drive down there to sightsee since the sun was shining and it was warm out.

Unfortunately we do know we will have a few more snow and sleet events, at least in the forecast, and that it will be chillingly cold again late this week.

Today I did get to Lowe’s (along with about half of Howard County, it seemed – and the other half looked like they were in the Costco gasoline line). We picked up some potting soil for my spinach, arugula, kale and mesclun seeds. A trellis for this Malabar spinach, once I get to transfer it outdoors.

I am heavily into garden planning. There will be new herbs, and lots less tomatoes. I will fill in my needs for freezing and canning using the pick your own option at Larriland.

I used up more of my pesto from the freezer in recent dinners. Like last night.

Pesto is on the chicken and in the rice. Those split chicken breasts I got in my basket Friday were excellent. I used a simple method of baking them.

I placed a few basil leaves under the skin. Added some defrosted pesto cubes rubbed into the surface. A little salt, pepper and olive oil. Split a couple of the roma tomatoes from the Friends and Farms basket, which by the way, actually taste like tomatoes in the middle of winter. Imagine that! Some scallions. A small splash of white wine. Baked at 325 degrees for about 40 minutes until they registered 185 degrees on the meat thermometer.

The jasmine rice was steamed and then a cube of pesto melted into it. A bed of spring mix with a Caesar dressing.

Frozen strawberry ice cubes. Back when I was talking about my CSA essentials I showed my simple method to preserve those less than perfect berries. Cut out the bad spots. Put the good parts in a blender with a little sugar and puree. Freeze in ice cube trays. In the middle of winter, this is your reward.

Particularly when it is nice and warm outside and you are kicking yourself for not defrosting a few steaks. We did at least clean out the grill (something, either field mouse or chipmunk decided storing seeds in the side unit was a good plan). Fired it up and cleaned the surface. I will be ready when it warms up again. Maybe next week?

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Adventures, CSA, Day Trips, Food, Friends and Farms, Gardening, Weather and tagged cooking, day trips, Food, gardening, local businesses, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Flexibility

Posted on February 21, 2014 by AnnieRie

I think I may be stretching the limits of flexibility this week. I went in today to pick up my basket of goodies at Friends and Farms, over in Columbia.

First, my pick up day is Thursday but we had an unexpected event yesterday where we would be out of the area for the day. No problem. Make a phone call and switch days.

Earlier I saw mussels on the anticipated weekly list, and even though I used to love mussels, a restaurant in Newport Rhode Island served me some bad ones. They are the one shellfish I can’t get near anymore. No problem. For those who prefer no shellfish at all, and those who don’t enjoy certain ones, you can choose the alternative protein. This week it was a couple of pounds of split boneless chicken breast.

I have already substituted eggs for the weekly milk, and yogurt for the biweekly eggs.

The flexibility is what is unique about this program.

So, what did we get?

The perfect makings for pasta. Seriously. Basil. Fresh angel hair pasta. Tomatoes. Green peppers. Sweet Italian sausage.

Also, an option to purchase some cremini mushrooms to supplement your basket.

The rest of the basket included apples and Asian pears. Individual quick frozen butternut squash and corn. A pound and a half of spinach. Oh, and bread from the Breadery. I chose Montana white this week to use with some egg salad I made with the leftover eggs last week.

Almost forgot. I saw they had Trickling Springs salted caramel ice cream in the market this week. Every week on the black board they list ice cream flavors, and meat options, for those who want to supplement their baskets with extras from the suppliers. There are always cheeses, cider, yogurt, eggs, and other goodies in the fridge by the door, in case your family wants something not scheduled for the week.

I have to admit. I do enjoy the winter baskets with all the creative regional items. When we aren’t drowning in the summer with boatloads of vegetables, these little specialties like the LaPasta fresh angel hair can inspire you for dinner.

My house also smells of basil. I am tempted to make pesto for the pasta, but I do have a few Meyer lemons left so we may have to make Meyer lemon basil fizzes tomorrow while it is still warm out there.

The living basil is already ensconced in a small glass with an inch of water keeping the root ball moist.

Hmmm, tomatoes and basil. Have to find a good mozzarella and I could make Caprese. Somehow this house full of summery scents will hopefully give us incentive to make it through the projected crummy week ahead.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in CSA, Friends and Farms, Local Businesses, Locavore, Real Food, Weather and tagged cooking, CSA, Food, Howard County, local businesses, Locavore, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Slammed Again

Posted on February 13, 2014 by AnnieRie

Mother Nature is winning. Howard County got slammed again with snow, sleet, freezing rain. Oh, and after it stopped for a few hours, it started again.

And, they lied. The 1-3 inches predicted is already 4 1/2 inches. On top of the 16 inches this morning.

Getting the snow away from the garage to get the snow thrower going. Thankfully, our neighbor’s son assisted with their ATV to clear part of the driveway.

Tonight though, I am worried about the weight of this snow. Trees are getting bogged down all over again.

I always worry about the lace maples.

As for tomorrow, there is another storm coming in the evening. I wonder if we will even have the Conservancy event Saturday. Check out the website to see if it gets canceled.

As for us tomorrow, we are crossing our fingers that we make it to the ribbon cutting and grand opening of Secolari, in the Mall.

Did I say I hate winter?

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Community, Howard County, Local Businesses, Weather and tagged community, Howard County, howard county conservancy, local businesses, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Tuesday Night in Turf Valley Towne Square

Posted on February 11, 2014 by AnnieRie

Before the snowmageddon being forecast. We went out to meet friends for dinner.

Facci has lots of company now along the main street in the newly developed “Towne Square”. Last spring I blogged about the anticipated center, built between Marriottsville Road and the Turf Valley resort properties.

With Facci there closer than Maple Lawn. Grille 620 closer than Stanford Grill for steaks. Xitomate now open for good Mexican. Red Parrot for Asian.

And, of course, Harris Teeter, for getting all those supplies before the snow hits.

We heard some news from Gino, who was bussing tables and visiting, that Pisco, his Peruvian restaurant, will open sometime in April.

That should be a welcome new ethnic restaurant over by Trader Joe’s and Costco.

We also heard that Facci will be adding a roll back roof on the outdoor seating and a few new surprises in design.

It just keeps getting better for dining out options, out here.

By the way, Tuesday night is half price selected wine bottle night there. And, happy hour daily from 3-6 includes half price appetizers.

The highlights of tonight’s dinner included very nicely made calamari. Hand made pasta, a pappardelle with a Bolognese sauce. Dessert, hazelnut gelato with espresso and whipped cream, shared.

After dinner, we hit Petite Cellars to grab a box of Italian pinot grigio, and off to Harris Teeter for some rolls for sandwiches, coffee for the Keurig, and some cream of coconut for some baking I want to do. No toilet paper or milk or loaves of bread.

They were doing a brisk business tonight with people getting ready for the snow. Will this be another bust, or will we really get snow?

Glad to see crowded parking lots and many people enjoying the new center.

hocofood@@@

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Posted in Community, Food, Howard County, Local Businesses, Restaurants, West HoCo, Wine and tagged community, Food, foodie, Howard County, local businesses, weather, West HoCo, wine. Bookmark the permalink.

Heading Back Out There

Posted on February 9, 2014 by AnnieRie

Putting together my spring calendar, in hopes of the weather changing. As usual, the Howard County Conservancy and my volunteer work will keep me busy for the next few months.

How?

A hike and lecture this Tuesday. For naturalists and potential new volunteers and our friends.

A lecture on the history of Belmont. The site over in Elkridge that the Conservancy will be managing. Where there will be events and summer camp and future field trips.

Saturday the 15th, we are celebrating the lunar New Year with a free event highlighting Chinese and Korean traditions to celebrate. 10 am.

Naturalist training begins in a few weeks. Field trips in April and May. I can’t wait to get outdoors and look for emerging signs of spring.

That’s because I am so tired of winter.

Anyone else ready to get outside?

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Howard County, Nature, Volunteering, Weather and tagged community, Howard County, howard county conservancy, nature, volunteering, weather. Bookmark the permalink.

Ice Isn’t Nice

Posted on February 5, 2014 by AnnieRie

In the ongoing saga known as the winter of 2014. Now, we get ice.

It was close to half an inch on every surface around our house. Now, as I write this, the wind is howling. I hope not to hear the CRACK, THUD we heard all day today.

Only a fraction of the evergreen damage. Our property is surrounded by mature pines, spruce and fir trees. 20-30 year old trees. These by the driveway were many of the Christmas trees bought with the root ball and planted after the holidays by the original owners of this house.

The tops still looked fragile, and the warming temps made us feel a little better. We have cleaned up huge amounts of branches over the nine years we have been here. It was nine years ago today that we moved our first things here and spent our first night out here.

Back then, we learned about the wind across the fields. How it blasts through these wide open spaces. How it is colder here than in Columbia. Whenever I venture into town, the temps in my car will rise 3-4 degrees sometimes.

Thankfully, my favorite tree, the lace leaf Japanese maple, is doing OK. Just don’t go near it, or the branches will crack.

If it ever does stop raining, snowing, sleeting or freezing, we will have our hands full doing clean up.

Just another crazy winter week in the west parts of Howard County.

And, a lead in to reminding people to sign up for a very interesting program this Saturday night at the Howard County Conservancy. “Seeing Trees” — appropriate for what we are doing here. All of us “tree huggers”, and nature lovers.

hocoblogs@@@

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Posted in Howard County, Nature, Weather, West HoCo and tagged Howard County, howard county conservancy, nature, weather, West HoCo. Bookmark the permalink.

Coping

Posted on January 26, 2014 by AnnieRie

With everything. The cold. The snow. The burst pipe damage. The trauma of watching the TV with the senseless shooting news.

Yeah, sometimes things just pile up. You wonder just how much you can take. I have lived here 39 years this month. Howard County is one awesome place to live.

The people are wonderful. The location, close to DC, Baltimore, a train ride from NYC, a couple of hours from the ocean. A couple of hours from the mountains.

A place with all four seasons.

Frankly, it is difficult to watch tragedies. Senseless tragedies. But, we get used to it as we age. 9/11. Hurricanes. Derechos. Tornadoes. Floods. Ice storms.

This afternoon a Facebook friend talked about how the children are affected by the “Run, Hide, Fight” approach to dealing with the senseless violence. They talked about their parents who lived during the cold war.

Wow! That would be my generation. In grade school during the Cuban missile crisis. The civil rights riots. The Kent State shootings. The war protests.

I keep hearing those song lyrics. “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”. I grew up during some scary times. Did the Drop and Cover thing under our desks in fifth grade, while we hoped that missiles wouldn’t drop nuclear bombs on us.

I was in DC watching the Pentagon burn on 9/11. We lived with the fear of dirty bombs while commuting to DC.

In other words, we coped. We learned to deal with tragedy and stress. A week after 9/11 we drove to Montreal for a planned tour of the Gaspe Peninsula.

We won’t avoid Columbia Mall because of a shooter. We believe that showing strength during adversity is the way to live.

hocoblogs@@@

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