April 2018 Snowstorm

It all started on Friday the 13th (April 13, 2018).  We had heard the weather people talking all week of a possible chance of snow but didn't take it too seriously.  It is the middle of April and by this time of year snow is limited to a dusting at the most.  We went about our business on Friday until later in the day when it started to rain.  I thought rain is good.  You don't have to shovel it, and it helps the spring plants leave their dormant state and start growing.  As it got dark, the rain hitting the window started to sound like ice pellets.  Then the wind started blowing really hard, forcing the ice to hit the window even harder.  All night long I could hear the tap, tap, tap of ice on the window and roof.  In the morning the ground was covered with white.  It wasn't really snow, it was more like little styrofoam balls stuck together.

On Saturday morning our grandson invited his friends to his 8th birthday party at the bowling alley. The bowling alley is about a half hour away.  The roads seemed fine, so we decided to go.  On the way, the roads were wet but not slippery.  The trees however were covered with heavy ice.  Some branches had become so heavy the entire branch broke off.

We stayed about 2 1/2 hours.  The party was so cute.  Second graders sure can have a lot of fun.

We were inside, and we didn't know what was going on outside.  When we came outside the weather had taken a definite turn for the worse.  It was raining harder with ice pellets mixed with the rain and the winds were howling.  We went straight home.   Gradually the ice began turning to snow.  We were lucky through the entire weekend because we did not lose power.  My daughter and her in-laws both lost power.  I can't imagine how miserable the workers must have been working all day and night in those cold and icy conditions.

Again we heard the wind all night long and woke up to snow.  It snowed most of the day on Sunday.  We ended up with about 8 inches of snow on top of a layer of ice.  That is a lot for the middle of April in our part of Wisconsin, but north of us got much more.  A town less than twenty miles from us got twenty inches.  Other cities further north got even more.   Blowing and drifting made for a very miserable weekend over much of the state.

The bright side for us (not the birds) was that the birds were on a feeding frenzy.  They entertained us all day Sunday.

The three days of bad weather are behind us now, although this poor little sandhill crane could argue with that.  Monday, April 16 was a day to plow out and begin the melting process.  The good thing about spring snowstorms is that they disappear quickly.  The April sun is high in the sky and packs a lot of heat.  I imagine most of our snow will be gone by the weekend.  Oops, correction, we are getting another two or three inches of snow on Wednesday.  We will have temperatures in the 50's by the weekend, but it won't be enough to melt everything.  As far as the areas with three times the snow we got, it may take a while longer.  They may want it to melt a little slower or the next  problem could be flooding.  One thing is for sure, we will not forget this April snowstorm.

This snow doesn't look too deep, but there is 3 inches of ice underneath.

Update:  On April 18, 2018 we had another snow event.  This time it was only 3 inches of fluffy snow, but enough is enough.  It is pretty though.

Brief Visit To The Necedah Wildlife Refuge

It has been a long winter.  We didn't take any trips to warmer climates, and we didn't accomplish much of anything.  Every year I promise myself that I will do some of my long awaited projects in the dark days of winter.  Don't ask me what I did during this time, but I didn't get much done.  Today when I woke up, the weather person reported that we may get the biggest snowstorm of the season.  It has been a long winter time wise, but we really haven't had much snow or sub-zero temperatures.  I wanted to keep it that way, but alas it looks like we will get six inches of snow tomorrow.  I asked my husband if we could take a little ride before the snow hits.  We had a book on tape to finish so he was happy to go.  We decided to go the Necedah Wildlife Refuge area.  It is about an hour from our house.

This wildlife refuge was established in 1939.  It is 43,000 acres and is the breeding ground for migratory birds and other wildlife.  It has the largest wetland bog in the state of Wisconsin.

As we drove into the refuge, the first observation deck came into view.  It was just a platform with a telescope looking out over a big prairie.  Off in the distance was a large nest on a platform.  It looked like an eagle's nest, but we didn't see any eagles.  In fact, the nest looked a little top heavy and looked like it was going to fall over.

We continued down the road until the road formed a Y.   The sign said the observation tower was to the right and the visitor's center was to the left.  We went right to the observation deck.  It was a short walk to the tower.

From the top of the tower you could get a birds eye view of the area.  Today the water was filled with ducks, geese and swans.

Next we went to the visitor's center.  It was an interesting building with lots of solar panels.  I didn't read all the information about the building, but it is definitely environmentally efficient.  This was the sign in the bathroom.

There were a lot of interactive exhibits.  You could hear bird sounds, see the footprint size of various animals, what the soil in a bog looks like as well as feel bear, wolf and beaver fur.  From the visitor's center there are walking trails.  One of the boardwalks has views of the bog and marsh from another angle.  The property has many other walking trails, but we need to come back for that.   It was too cold today.

There was a whooping crane sculpture.  This refuge is another whooping crane nesting area.  A number of years ago the nesting cranes here were infested with the black fly.  That is when they moved some of them to the White River area near our home.  We haven't see any cranes yet, although two were spotted in our area last weekend.

We didn't stay very long because it was getting cloudy and cold with a few snow flurries.  This is definitely a place to go back to when the weather is better.

I enjoyed the brief outing, however, when I got home I saw a setting very similar to the tourist attraction.  The sandhill cranes are still visiting their possible nest sight.

And when the cranes aren't there, the geese rest on the patch that was a muskrat house.

The deer were roaming around looking for something to eat.  They are looking a little rough and need spring as much as the rest of us.

It was a good day.  We ate at a mom and pop restaurant.  The kind of restaurant that has giant sized servings.  We each took home half our lunch so I don't have to cook tonight making it an especially good day.  Now lets hope that we don't get as much snow as predicted or if we do, that it melts very quickly.

St. Patrick's Day 2018

St. Patrick's Day 2018 is in the books.  It was another fun family time.    It's close to being one of our favorite holidays. I am linking the last two years for those who haven't seen the progression or to refresh your memory.  I had to read them again myself, which is the reason I write this blog.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2017/03/mr-leprechauns-new-house.html
http://www.thecabincountess.com/2016/03/st-patricks-day-celebration-2016.html

We started out with a lot of food.  Again this year I made four corned beefs and three racks of ribs with the fixin's.  I made dinner rolls and beer bread.  We also had a lot of deserts.  Beth, my daughter's mother in law made a couple wonderful deserts and a fruit bowl which I appreciated.  I didn't get pictures, but my daughter took this picture of some of the food. 

After dinner, as is tradition, we had to check on our resident leprechaun.  We weren't sure if he was back in Wisconsin yet, but the weather has been fairly nice so it was a possibility.  After checking out his old location for any activity, the boys decided to look where he resided last year.

Oh my gosh I don't know how the leprechaun, which we named Shamus, did it, but he has been busy.  He improved his property.  The first thing he added was a fire pit.  I suppose he had to keep warm on some of these cool nights.

The next and more important improvement was an outhouse.  Last year the boys were wondering if Shamus snuck into peoples houses or where he went to the bathroom.  I guess that isn't a problem any longer.

They found a hidden stash of coins and a few extras in the house, but the leprechaun was no where to be found.  The house was rearranged slightly, but that was all.  They looked all around, but didn't find any clues.

It was a perfectly wonderful day.  It was sunny and warm.  We were even able to spend time on the deck for the first time this spring.  Needless to say, I didn't eat tonight.  Well, maybe a little piece of cake.

Sweet Potato, Pecan and Cinnamon Bread

We had a March snowstorm the night before last.  We didn't have any snow on the ground when it got dark outside, but we woke up to three or four inches of heavy dense snow on the ground.  It was extremely windy that evening and thank goodness the snow was very heavy or we would have had deep drifts of snow.  As a result, we stayed home yesterday.  We didn't need to test the road conditions.  I should have accomplished a lot, but didn't.  I must have wasted a lot of time because I only remember doing one thing.  I made Sweet Potato, Pecan and Cinnamon bread.  I saw the recipe on the teeniecakes.com website.  https://www.teeniecakes.com/sweet-potato-pecan-cinnamon-bread-recipe/

This is a bread machine recipe, but it could be made the old fashioned way.  I happened to have all the ingredients on hand except for dry milk.  I just left it out.  It called for mashed sweet potato.  I make sweet potatoes often because they are so easy to make in the pressure cooker.  For those who have a pressure cooker or instant pot, all you do is put a cup of water in the pot.  Put a steamer basket over the water and put in your sweet potatoes.  I usually buy large potatoes.  One of these can feed both of us.  I pressure on high for 15-20 minutes.  When they are done, the skin slides right off.  I had some sweet potato left over.  The recipe called for 2/3 cup so I had just enough.  I had a couple apples on hand which I needed to use so I diced those up, skin and all,  to make 2/3 cup.

I haven't asked for permission to publish the recipe, so you will have to click on the link for the complete recipe.  The ingredients are water, mashed sweet potato, chopped apple, salt, sugar, oil, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, chopped pecans, raisins and yeast.  It turned out really well.  The bread is heavy, but it has a good texture and cut perfectly.  It has 1/3 cup of raisins which my husband doesn't like.  He will just have to pick them out.  It wouldn't be the first time.

Breakfast Sandwiches Made Easy

I am pretty sure that most of you who read my blog think I am a gadget freak.  I admit it, but I only like the gadgets that are proven to save time and those that make a better product.  I recently acquired another great gadget.

I am going to start my story with some background.  I wasn't even aware of this gadget until recently.  We have a tradition in our family at Christmas.  I wrote about it in this blog from 2016, if you want details.

http://www.thecabincountess.com/2016/12/our-2016-christmas-day.html

Basically it involves exchanging gifts.  Each person in our family buys one gift with a similar monetary value.  We have eleven people, so we have eleven gifts.  Then we choose and trade in a certain order until we all have a gift. My daughter purchased a sandwich maker, but it never made it to the exchange.  They tried it before Christmas and liked it so much that she went out and bought a different gift.  Since Christmas they have used it often.

I may act like I am a health nut, but I'm not really.  I like sweets and egg McMuffins.  I make them at home to control the ingredients, but I still go to McDonalds occasionally.  Last week, we went grocery shopping.  While out and about, we stopped at one of our favorite thrift stores.  There on the shelf was a sandwich maker just like the one my daughter has.  It said it worked and had been tested.  It was 1/3 the cost of a new one.  I bought it and brought it home to try.  It didn't cost as much as our lunch so I wasn't worried about wasting money.

The footprint for this is very small.  It is only five inches across and five inches high.  It is very simple to operate.  The first thing you do is plug it in to preheat it.  I gather all the ingredients beforehand so it can be assembled quickly.  There are so many possibilities.  You can use bagels or pancakes instead of English muffins.  You could use avocado or sausage patties.  Whatever you like.  My husband likes them with bacon.

When the green light comes on, it is ready.  There are two separate compartments.  The lower one is for the muffin and toppings like meat and cheese.  

The top compartment is then pulled down to cover the lower section.  The top compartment is where you break an egg.  I just break the yolk with a fork or you can mix it up completely like a scrambled egg.

After the egg is mixed up, put the top half of the English muffin over the raw egg. 

Shut the lid and let it cook for 4-5 minutes.  When the the time is up, slide the lever to the side which releases the top half onto the bottom half.

When you open the lid, you have a perfect egg sandwich.  

It is so easy without any mess.  When I made them in a frying pan, they didn't have this perfect shape.  If you like the egg a little runny, don't cook it as long.  I made one for my granddaughter last weekend, and she thought this sandwich maker would be perfect to take to college.  I would have to agree.

Elderberry Syrup

Last winter I heard about Elderberry syrup.  Elderberries apparently have medicinal properties to treat flu and cold symptoms.  I haven't had a cold or flu for many years, but I wanted to be prepared in case.  Since I just stated that fact out loud, I hope I didn't jinx myself.  The bottle of syrup I bought last year was quite expensive, but a good start for last winter.   The summer of 2017 I was planning to go out in the country and find elderberries growing near the roadside.  When I was young they grew all around.  We would go out and pick them for jelly.  Some of my relatives would even make elderberry wine.  I also thought I could just grow my own elderberry bushes.   I found out that research was being done on a specific type of elderberry plant called the Sambucis Nigra .  This bush is different from the Common Elderberry that grows along the roadside.  The berries from this plant are extra rich in vitamins A, B and C.  They are high in immune-boosting compounds which may help with getting over illness more quickly.  I found the bush for sale from a plant nursery which would grow in our zone.  It looks a lot like a Japanese Maple and is very pretty.   I may try to grow one at some point.

For now,  I decided to buy the dehydrated organic berries.  Elderberries are very small, and it would take a lot of them to make a pound of dried berries.

The recipe is very simple.  Measure out a cup of dried berries and about four cups of water.  Bring them to a boil.  I also added a half cup of blueberries to the mix because they are good for us too.  Simmer them for 45 minutes and strain out the cooked berries.  I fed these to the birds to see if they like them.  So far no bird has tried them.

When the juice has cooled slightly, just sweeten with unfiltered local honey.  If honey is added to heat, it will kill the antibacterial properties of the honey.  Some recipes I saw put in ginger and turmeric, but I didn't want to mess with the flavor.  This is really tasty and will keep in the refrigerator for three months.  We take a tablespoon a day.  It is preventative and may be a placebo but that's fine with me.  It is no way a substitute for medical care if needed, but it is a little boost.  If we get sick then the instructions say to take a teaspoon every hour.  Hopefully we won't have to find out if that works.

I need to find a bottle which will make it easier to pour out.  Until then, I will use it from this pint jar.

Update:  I found the perfect container.  It's a glass vinegar and oil bottle.  It holds a pint and pours out easily.