It is becoming increasingly difficult to call this a winter. Last week’s impressive snowfall was gone overnight and the temperatures have been almost consistently balmy. I have bulbs poking up everywhere, mostly crocus and daffodil. I have yet to notice my snowdrops in bloom but they are on the north side of some trees. My quince is covered with buds that have begun to open. I already have some forsythia in the house. I forced a bloom from them last week.

Finally, some real winter!!! Last weekend’s snowstorm made all the children, young and old, very happy. Even Saturday afternoon with wind-driven sleet did not stop many of the most hardy from enjoying the hill at the Tashmoo Overlook. Then, on Sunday, even more were out and about just marveling at the beauty of it all.

Last weekend’s cold snap finally brought home the reality that winter is really here. I turned into such a sissy, and did some serious whining about the cold. Honestly, how quickly we forget. It has been nothing short of fabulous for the month of December. My quince is blooming as well as both my pink and white hellebores. They were shocked into reality last Saturday morning.

A blender is a must when cooking for children. Violet’s friend, Cesca Robinson, joined us for supper recently. I served a pork, potato, and leek dish. Both girls loved it but each painstakingly picked out the leeks and left them in a tidy pile at the edge of the plate. I always puree vegetables I know Violet dislikes into sauces and soups. It obviously is a texture thing as opposed to taste. This past summer I blended several containers of zucchini, garlic, and onions. No one is the wiser when they are slipped into a spaghetti sauce.

Here it is the first morning of another brand new year. So far I’ve eaten no sugar, cut no one off in traffic, had a positive and grateful attitude, and kept my opinions to myself. Of course, I haven’t left the house yet so we will see how it all works out.

I’m living a George Carlin stand-up routine. I spent a good amount of time since Christmas getting rid of and/or moving old stuff to make room for new stuff. Now that we are about to enter a new year, hopefully I’ll make and actually keep a few resolutions. Usually, I manage to ignore them by the end of week one.