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A taste of Winter & Spring

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Good morning everyone! Barry has or is still trying to reach Galveston. A bit of a rough day getting flights out ahead of the storm. Late last night he was still in St. Louis waiting…He thinks if they start walking, they may get there faster.

The crew and I spent a good portion of Friday preparing for the storm, learning the 6 P’s of sailing: Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance. This planning technique included groceries, wood, putting the plow on the truck, setting up projects to last several days… We knew we wouldn’t be going anywhere for a few days. Two of the crew have never experienced a New England snowstorm. They were awed by the beauty of a graceful snowflake coming down (that was last night at the beginning of the storm). They have yet to show their faces today to see the accumulated 7” of snow and ice that are present and still coming down. We are expected to see this all day long. Today’s lesson: shoveling, plowing, building a snowman, snow angels. We also hope to get a few blocks painted in between all the winter fun. "The mice will play while the Captain is away!"

As a treat for the crew last night, the kids and I shared one of our favorites for a spring snow when the trees are tapped and we’re thinking ahead of spring yet faced with one last bit of winter. We hope this brings back a great deal of childhood memories for many of you.

Maple Snow

Boil some maple syrup in a pan until it reaches around 230’-240’ degrees. We use a candy thermometer for help with this. It will bubble up and make a great mess on your stove so stay with it and stir. It smells terrific! Take a bowl and pack snow into it and leave it outside while your boiling your syrup. When syrup is ready pour it in a thin layer over the top of the snow. It will melt the top layer of the snow and the bottom of the bowl should be still fresh snow. The syrup will cool quickly and make a sticky layer on top. It’s ready! Grab a spoon (or fork) and enjoy the last taste of winter and the first taste of spring! Note: for those of you in the south, try making this with crushed ice. Enjoy!


Have a great day! Be good. Do well. And remember to bend your legs while shoveling snow!

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Unknown said…
When I was in training to be a Vista volunteer, way back in 1971, we were taught the 7 P's of planning, "Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance." Since I moved to the south I have had many occasions to refer to the 7 P's but I must admit that here in the south I've had to make it a bit more genteel, "Proper Prior Planning Prevents Pitifully Poor Performance." For bonus points anybody know what a Vista volunteer was?
March 20, 2007 at 7:21 PM
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