Restaurants.com 80% off Promotion

If you like dining out, then restaurants.com is for you.  You can save big with their latest promotion.  You can now get gift certificates for 80% off.  This means you can get a $25 certificate (regularly priced at $10) for just $2. 

To get started, go to their website and put in your zip code to see a list of restaurants in your area, or anywhere you'll be dining.  When you've made your selections, remember to use the code savor when you check out to get your 80% discount.

I've used these, and they do work but if you're unsure, call the restaurant ahead of time to verify their policy.

Expired

Quote of the Week

You don't want to get to the end of life's journey and discover you never left the interstate.

- Robert Brault

The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.  On the highway of life, that's not always the best route.  Life is short, so make the most of all the twists and turns.

Just Another Day

Just me here, pondering on the day.  I haven't accomplished much today.  We started the day with our usual homemade waffles.  Yeah, the kind made in a waffle maker, not popped into the toaster.  This has been a Sunday morning ritual for quite a while.  Backing up a bit, the day actually started with me feeding Rosie some of his mush food (canned cat food - this time it was beef), and I crawled back into bed for a few minutes.  We got up to the sound of throwing up - on the bathroom carpet.  That would be Rosie - I guess the beef didn't set too well.  This was the first time since implementing the new food that he has "lost his cookies" so maybe it was that one can/flavor.

After breakfast we made a trip to Wal-mart for shoe laces, milk, eggs, cheese and, of all things, transmission fluid.  Now we've got to keep that truck running as it's my sole source of transportation these days.  No luck in the car search this weekend.  Anyway, we got the truck back on track at least for now.  We'll get our mechanic to check it out and hopefully find out what's causing the leak.  Just one more thing on the ever-increasing heap of "stuff to do".

I did talk with my friend Ashley for a while.  She (and the kids) are doing better after a round of strep throat tore through their household.  Kevin was the only one who escaped the attack.  
 
As for the rest of the day, I have just been hanging out spending time on the computer, checking out my regular haunts plus a few new, interesting reads.  The weather has warmed up this weekend, but I stayed in just kind of bummed about Rosie and his health issues.  We need to take him back to the vet soon for a re-check on his sugar level.  We're pretty sure he's become diabetic since he's drinking a lot more water and his sugar level was 485 last time.  We're hoping a change in diet with reward us with a reversal of his condition.  It does happen sometimes.  He had a different variety this afternoon and all seemed fine, and I didn't find any more "decorations" on the floor.

I wound up with a sinus headache late this afternoon.  Aren't those miserable?  Dinner time rolls around and I opened the fridge, pulled out eggs, English muffins, butter (Smart Balance) and some leftover sausage patties.  That was my dinner.  Yum!  No, not really, but it was food. So the day wasn't all that exciting, but it was indeed a day, each is unique in it's own way, and beats the heck out of the alternative wouldn't you say?

So, how was your day?

Wine, Food & Friends

If any of you remember my post on our Cheers group just after Halloween, I talked about  how we all came together as a group.  Well, last night we resurrected the wine dinners that were previously held at Carolina Winesellers, at the home of the founders of our group.  We gathered at 6:30 for dinner catered by Dine by Design, local caterers who are also treasured members of our group.  We are fortunate to have such talented folks among us.

The food and wine pairings and comments are as follows:

Key West Salad paired with a South African Chenin Blanc (smelled and tasted like a Sauvignon Blanc to me).  No matter what or where the wine was from, it was good.

Grilled pork tenderloin paired with a Chilean Carmenere (Santa Rita).  Absolutely yummy.  Chile makes great wines.

Twice baked potato paired with a California Chardonnay from Sonoma (surprisingly a Kirkland brand from Costco).  Mmmm... Good!

Chicken Saltimbocca paired with a Chianti (Pietro, I think).  Nice choice, went well with the chicken and earthiness of the mushrooms.

Turtle brownie for dessert.  A pie-shaped portion of chocolate yumminess paired with a Rosé from somewhere.  Sorry by that time....well you understand.  I didn't take notes on the wines so it is from memory and subject to errors.

The evening was full of fun, friendship and great conversations on topics ranging from wine and food (of course) to golf, travel, shopping, and restaurants, and that was just at our table.  We have been getting together like this for several years now, and the good times just keep getting better and better. It is truly a wonderful group of people, all friends with a common interest in good food, good wine and good times shared with each other.

Many thanks for the delicious food and the expert wine pairings.  Salute!

Dinner at Ombu

It's not fair to review a restaurant after only one visit, so this is not a review.  Besides, I'm not a restaurant critic, although I can be critical.  Tonight I took my husband to Ombu for his birthday.  For anyone not familiar with Ombu, it is located on Hanes Mall Blvd. across from Wal-mart.  It is an attractive brick building with a patio and fireplace.  It is just as elegant inside with both tables and booths.  We were seated next to the kitchen, which wouldn't have been my choice because it was brighter, hotter and noisier.  However, it proved to be entertaining and enlightening to see how the kitchen was run.  I commented to my husband that I doubted it was like this at Applebee's, and he agreed it probably wasn't.

Jen was our server, and she did a very nice job.  She was knowledgeable about the menu, and when I questioned her about the serving temperature of their red wine she admitted that it was not climate controlled, but served at room temperature.  While it was comfortable for humans, it's not so good for the wine.  She said she would like for us to share our thoughts on this with the chef, as he takes customer's comments to heart.  Chef Joseph Monteiro is the Executive Chef as well as a partner in the restaurant.  He came to our table to hear our thoughts and  relate his concerns over not having the proper storage or cooling capacity for the wines.  And Ombu does have an extensive wine list.  His task would be much simpler if it did not.  It is apparently something he thinks about often.  

We placed an order for lobster and gruyere fritters with poblano pepper jelly and chives, and gave the red wine a try.  After all the only place we ever get it at the correct temperature, at least in this town, is at home.  Jen brought us samples of "The Bitch" grenache from Barossa.  It was light in body, similar to that of a pinot noir, but full of flavor like you would expect from Australian wines.  We enjoyed it in spite of the temperature so we each ordered a glass.  I suspect another 8-10 degrees cooler would have made a pleasurable difference, though.

Soon our fritters arrived.  They were crispy, golden mounds of spicy sweetness combined with the gooey cheese, and of course the lobster.  The lobster was not extremely obvious among the other flavors and textures.  They were quite good, but I would have liked a little more heat and a little less sweet in the sauce.

The restaurant didn't appear too busy when we arrived for our 7:00 reservation, but picked up steam as time went on.  The kitchen was slammed, and Chef Joe was keeping everyone in line and things moving.  Shortly we got our orders.  I had the Scottish Salmon with truffle potato au gratin and almond Thai basil butter.  Hubby ordered the divers scallops with smoked tomato grits, pancetta and cilantro hollandaise.  There were four large scallops on individual beds of the grits and pancetta.  They were topped with caviar.  Now this was the first experience of caviar for either of us, and  I've got to say, I didn't  care too much for it.  If asked ahead of time if I thought I would like it, I would have replied, "probably not".  I would have been right.  It was not so much as to upset the dish or the eater, but it's not something we'd want again.  It had the mouthfeel of so many little black seeds popping like tiny bubble wrap.  The salmon and scallops were cooked perfectly, and the portions were generous.  I even remarked that my salmon was large enough to split.  I usually buy enough for 6-oz. portions for each of us.  This must have been about 10 oz.  The only issue with the food was that the scallops were not served on a "hot" plate like my salmon, and were maybe not as hot as they could have been from the get go.  We let them know this for future reference.  

This was a very nice experience, and we saw first-hand a chef who cares about the food and wine he serves, and we saw him in action.  The wait staff were all friendly and competent.  I would give Ombu a thumbs up rating.  We had heard really good things about Ombu from friends, and they were right.

I cannot comment on the dessert.  I declined to even look at the menu since I was so stuffed.  Did I mention the complimentary bread and butter?  Yum!  It was all good.  Would I go back?  Yes!  

Now to make this evening even better, Ombu is one of the area restaurants listed with restaurants.com which sells restaurant gift certificates on-line.  I had purchased a $25 gift certificate during one of their special offers for just $2.  

Bottom line, I recommend this restaurant especially for special occasions.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish my husband 

a GREAT BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Simple Oven Chicken

Tonight's dinner was extremely simple.  Take chicken out of the freezer and go shopping.  Hubby's birthday is tomorrow, and no, I'm not giving away any secrets  here.  Fast forward to the dinner hour, and the chicken is thawed.  Take some French's brand French Fried Onions and crush them up, crack an egg and beat it up.  We're really hard on our food!   Next dip the chicken in the egg and then coat with the onion crumbs.  OK, we've already preheated our oven to 400 degrees, right?  Put the chicken on a baking sheet and pop it in the oven for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness.  I always cut mine in half (like fillets) before freezing, and I flattened them a bit, so I only cooked them about 15 minutes. 

Here is the exact recipe.  I was only cooking for two, so I cut it back.

French's Crispy Onion Chicken
2 cups (4 oz.)  French’s^® Original or Cheddar French Fried Onions
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 egg, beaten 

Place French Fried Onions in plastic bag. Lightly crush with hands or with rolling pin. Transfer to pie plate or waxed paper.

Dip chicken into egg; then coat with onion crumbs, pressing firmly to adhere. Place chicken on baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional crumbs, if desired.

Bake at 400°F for 20 min. until no longer pink in center

We had this with fried potatoes and green beans, along with the mismatched remnants of a bottle of Smoking Loon Merlot from Monday.  Yeah, I know better than that, but that's what was open, and yeah, sometimes I'll open the second bottle to get the right match, but not tonight. 

This simple recipe makes some tasty chicken right out of the oven. 

More Car Stuff

Last Saturday, like most other Saturdays lately, we were out looking for cars.  My lastest test drive was an '02 Subaru Outback.  It's an attractive vehicle with all wheel drive.  That makes it good in all this snow we've been having here in the "Sunny South".  It was nice enough, I guess, but it felt small on the road, and a little cramped inside.  The door and the seat were so close to each other, there was hardly room enough to get my hand to the seat adjustment controls - and I don't have big hands.  However, there was something wrong with it that I can't put my finger on.  It had a slight hesitation on take off, which my previous experience with an Outback told me wasn't normal.  I decided that it wasn't the car for me.

Since we are both in the market for a car, hubby drove a Toyota Corolla ('02 maybe).  It was fine after he got the seat and mirrors adjusted for his comfort.  We didn't see anything wrong with the car.  It was even a nice color, beige/gold (we don't like silver).  The thing holding him back is that it wasn't as comfortable as the Accord.  Well, of course, that's another step up the Honda ladder. 

So that concluded another day of car shopping in ridiculously cold weather.  

Here Comes the Sun

It was cold and rainy this morning.  It quit by lunch time only to return again later this afternoon.  It was still cold and the rain was mixed with some sleet.  After leaving huge puddles in the driveway, the rain moved on and out popped the sun for a late-day photo op.

I just love the way the sun hit the trees with some of the dark clouds still in the background.

Looking East from my driveway.

Product Review: Phillips Maryland-Style Crab Cakes

Are you a fan of the humble crab cake, that golden brown, slightly crunchy parcel of delectable deliciousness?  

What makes a good crab cake?  In my opinion, and probably most crab lovers, high quality lump crab meat, minimal ingredients and and gentle handling.  I've eaten crab cakes at many places, some good, some OK and some just plain awful.  Even places that I liked on the first visit, the next time they seemed to have changed their recipe.  So what made the good ones good and the bad ones bad.  Given quality crab in all instances (any anything less than nice lump meat doesn't get counted) some offending ingredients are bell peppers (red and/or green), celery and onions.  Not only are the peppers still crisp tender and "crunch", the flavor overwhelms the delicate crab.  That version seems to be very popular around here.  However, good crab is good all on its own and does not need to be stuffed full of crunchy vegetables and fillers.  Any seasonings should just enhance the flavor, not cover it up.  Want more spiciness, serve with a tartar or remoulade sauce on the side.

Having figured out what I didn't like, I set out to find a recipe that would produce the results I craved.  I searched for crab cake recipes, and scanned through a number of recipes online.  I only found a couple that used the offending bell peppers, and barring those, they all used similarly simple ingredients.  Wow, this is it.  This is what I've been looking for.  I actually found the recipe I used here.  So when lump crab meat went on sale, I snatched up a pound and proceeded to makes crab cakes using my new-found recipe.  The recipe was wonderful, but we had an issue with the crab meat itself.  It smelled funny.  Not spoiled, but not like I thought crab was supposed to smell.  It didn't make us sick, and it tasted...eh...all right.  After that, I was leary of trying it again.  I could tell, though, that it was a GOOD recipe, so next time I got a different brand, and it was much better.  I don't remember either brand right now, but that's not important.

Now for the product review part of this post.  When we were in Costco the other day picking up  coupon items and some wine, we saw the Phillips brand frozen Maryland-style crab cakes.  They were $12.99 for six 3-oz. crab cakes.  You pay more than that for a pound of the good stuff at the grocery store, and most recipes make 6 cakes per pound of crab meat.  Considering that you can pay that much for a sub par crab cake dinner in restaurants, it seemed like a good deal.  I mean they're already made; you just pop them into the oven for about 16 minutes or so, and poof, you've got crab cakes.  I don't buy a lot of pre-packaged, already made up stuff, preferring to make my own, but we didn't have anything planned for dinner, so I said, "this is dinner tonight", and into the cart they went.  The directions were to bake them on a buttered baking sheet (I used olive oil) at 400 degrees for 12 minutes, turn them and bake an additional 4 minutes.  I think I let them go a couple minutes longer while getting the rest of the dinner together.  They were nicely seasoned, with nothing overpowering the crab.  They had decent size pieces of crab meat, and held together well without being tough or packed with fillers.  Just good taste, good texture, and I think, a good value for the money.  The flavor was equally as good as my recipe, and at just $2.16 per serving, this is definitely a repurchase.  If you like crab cakes, these are worth checking out.  Of course I will keep making them from scratch, too!


For the record, I had heard of different styles of crab cakes.  I mean every area has one, Carolina style, Charleston style, Chesapeake style, Maryland style.  Since I live here in North Carolina and have a hard time finding good crab cakes, I assumed that it was the Carolina style that I didn't care for.  I was mistaken in that assumption.  My continued research shows that most styles have pretty much the same basic recipe, and that the propensity for adding veggies seems to be more the exception than the rule (except around here). 

Quote of the Week

We don't always get to where we want to go, but we always get to where we're going.

- Robert Brault

I think this pretty much speaks for itself.  We can choose our own path, and plan our future but life's bumps along the way may affect where we end up.  Nevertheless, we always get there, where ever our "there" happens to be.

Valentine's Day...Dinner?

Today is Valentine's Day, whether you celebrate it or not.  Apparently a lot of people do according to the wait times and packed parking lot at every restaurant we tried.  We drove through a half dozen parking lots and actually went in to check wait times at two.  First we tried Texas Land & Cattle.  They had a 25 minute wait, which some days is not too bad, but it was getting late and we were already hungry.  Next on the list was Macaroni Grill.  We drove through the parking lot and past the door.  Too many people standing around.  On to TGI Friday's.  They had a 30 minute wait.  Same story, and we didn't want to wait.  We drove past O'Charley's, and saw the same pickup that had been leaving the Macaroni Grill parking lot when we drove through.  The driver had apparently sent his lady friend in to check the wait.  She came out and got back in the truck.  That told us all we needed to know.  We thought about a couple other places, but our style was rapidly going downhill as fast as our hunger was growing.  So we ended up going home...without dinner.  Thanks for the ride!  We still had our sense of humor, thanks in part, to a well-stocked freezer and a gas grill.  

You may ask why, knowing that it was Valentine's Day, and a huge dine-out day, did we wait until so late to decide to go.  It was just one of those days, and I was feeling a bit off.  Not bad, just off, and wasn't sure what I wanted to do.  By the time I came to the conclusion it would be just fine with me to go out, we were getting hungry and still needed to decide where to eat.  I narrowed it down to the three places where I had some type of coupon.  In the end, I would have settled for anywhere we could get in and eat before we were too weak from hunger to get out of the truck.  

So what did we finally eat?  Before we got into the house, the grill was lit.  I popped some tater tots into the toaster oven, and pulled some salmon burgers from the freezer.  Yes, the Trident ones from Costco (the same folks that make those yummy fish sticks).  I tossed those on the grill for 8 minutes, made up some of my special sauce and we were good.  We washed that down with the remains of last night's wine - Spanish Quarter, a Chardonnay and Albarino blend.  It was great with last night's crab cakes (review in progress).  It might not have been the fanciest Valentine's dinner ever, but it hit the spot.  Some of the best meals really are had at home. 
I hope you all had a wonderful day, no matter what you did.

What a Winter

This is the most snow, or number of snows (4 so far), we've seen around here in years, so I guess we're due.  The snow and all the rain we had this fall and winter has offset the years of drought, and brought the water levels up to normal or above.  That's a good thing.  It was getting scary when the weeks and months went by without measurable rainfall.  Even though we only got an inch or so this time, it made for some really good pictures.

 

These are the seed pods from our Poplar tree, filled with snow.  They look like snow cones.

 

View up the driveway.

The snow came with the night, and the day dawned clear, but it was still cold and windy.  Thankfully, though, it was not like last Wednesday with 50+ mph winds.  We do pick great days to car shop!

A Lunar Vacation Part II

Remember the new Lunar vacation  spot, the hottest or coolest new getaway scene?  It seems that the monetary cost is not the only price to be paid. Another danger to be considered may be even more difficult.  With extended time in space we lose bone density - kind of like a rapid onset of osteoporosis, and weightlessness, or zero gravity, is the culprit.  How do we combat that for the chance to vacation among the stars, other than Hollywood, of course. A possible solution?   If we can simulate weightlessness here on earth for the purpose of space training, then isn't it possible to simulate gravity in outer space?  This is where it does take a rocket scientist to figure it out.  However, I can envision a large arena, covered and climate controlled to keep our bodies on an even keel.  Filled with oxygen and whatever science has discovered to keep our feet firmly on the floor.  Think of the walled cities from centuries ago, only with a roof as well.  Everything you could need contained within, and going outside is dangerous.  Looks like sometimes we have to go back to go forward.

Another thing has come up, and this is an area for the space wear fashion designers.  We need outfits that are some two inches longer than our earthly clothes.  Why?  Well, it is a known fact, at least to the space bound, that the human body grows two inches over the course of a 12-week exposure to zero gravity.  Bone loss and height increases are both attributable to weightlessness.  There is nothing pulling you down, so your bones reconfigure themselves to adapt to their new circumstances.  Your height will return to normal back on earth, and scientists are working on ways to prevent the bone loss.  It's not likely that any of this will be a serious problem for the casual visitor.  Heck, we can't afford to stay long enough to be affected.  The full-timers do have a problem, though.  So bring on those shuttles, rocket scientists, engineers and fashion designers and lets get busy.  The ultimate vacation awaits. 

Does Your Bathroom Need a Pet Door?

Seriously.  I suppose y'all think I'm nuts for asking such a question, but if you live with cats or at least cats like ours, you know what I'm talking about.  We have three cats, and some days it's like Grand Central Station in and out of our bathroom.  They won't close the door when come and go, so out goes my heat and I end up shivering in the shower, well at least after my shower anyway.  Are your cats like that?

OK, just latch the door you say.  Ha!  You don't know our cats, do you.  Sophie will beat her head or some other body part (I can't tell because I'm in the shower at that point) up against the door until the offending door is opened for her - by someone else when he gets tired of the racket or worries that she'll beat her brains out (no comment).

Quite often when she realizes someone's going into the bathroom, she gets up and heads in to get her attention.  She'll put her head down and pretend she's going to roll over to one side, then switches to the other side - ha! faked you out.  This is prime petting time for her, and she doesn't always leave when you leave, she just waits for the next visitor.  She's been known to spend hours in there.  Sometimes she stays during the shower.  If she's already in there when get ready to start my shower, I latch the door.  She's usually OK with that, and it means I stay warm.

Here's Sophie holding court in the bathroom.

Dood, on the other hand, will just lay quietly on the other said of the closed door, waiting.  He is the patient one of the bunch.  If the door is not latched, he'll come in and sit and stare at the shower curtain.  Hmmm, what's going on in there?  I wonder if he's surprised when I peak out at him?  Then he'll leave and come back and leave again.  See why I think our bathroom needs a pet door?  There's too much in-ing and out-ing going on, and it's not unusual to have more than one in at a time.

If the door is closed and Rosie wants in, he'll sit outside and cry...er meow.  Nah, Rosie never "meows".  He has his own language with an extensive vocabulary.  He'll occasionally stay in the bathroom for showers too.  Sometimes, I find him in the small space between the tub and the toilet.  No idea why that particular spot appeals to him but I do believe he feels warmer in there.  He has long, silky hair without the undercoat most cats have, so he feels the cold more than the others.

I guess to sum it up, all of our cats, even those who have gone on, have enjoyed bathroom visiting for whatever reason.  I'd love to hear your cat stories!

Edited to add the pics.

Change back from your dime!

Think I'm kidding?  What, you ask, can you get for under 10 cents?  Well, I was in CVS picking up a prescription for my hubby, and I had these Extra Bucks that were going to expire soon.  Now I wasn't about to let that happen.  No siree, that's money!  So I started looking around the store for something I wanted, needed, someone else needed, but I came up empty, not even a Valentine card.  I was about to walk out when I decided to hit the food aisle.  No, I don't usually buy food at a drug store, but sometimes you get lucky.  Now, I had $3 in Extra Bucks and the DAK canned hams just happened to be on sale for, you guessed it, $3.  That's not the brand I normally buy, so I was going to pass.  I walked a bit further up the aisle and spotted small boxes of Wheat Thins for $1 each (marked down from $1.99).  It just so happened that I had a coupon for $2 off any 2 boxes of Nabisco snack crackers (no size or variety restrictions).  I couldn't pass that up - 2 free boxes of crackers.  Thinking just how great a deal it would be to get the ham with my Extra Bucks and free crackers, I went back for the ham.  After the EBs and coupon, my subtotal was $0.00, and I paid only tax.  And that, folks, is how I got change back from my dime.  I mean it didn't seem right to swipe my card for 8 cents.

Good things come to those who coupon.

Giving Plastic a New Life

A ban went into effect on October 1, 2009 requiring all plastic bottles such as soda bottles, milk and laundry detergent containers, etc. to be recycled rather than tossed into the garbage.  This posed no problem for the folks of Winston-Salem.  City residents have been recycling at a rate of 84%.  The city's curb-based recycling program makes that easy.  It is not so easy for people outside the city limits where there is no curbside pickup.  One company is working to make recycling available for their customers.  Rural Garbage Services, Inc. which services eastern Forsyth Co. is currently providing that service for free, with pickup of recyclables on regular trash collection days.  Chris Parrish, president, says he has been an environmentalist and recycling for years, and will continue to provide this service until there is a better solution.

While the ban on disposing of plastics is difficult to enforce, it does encourage recycling.  The success of this can be measured by the amount of plastic collected.  For the one-year period from September 2008 - September 2009, collection averaged 14,000 lbs. per month and increased to 19,000 per month for the first three months following the ban.  

There is a huge market for plastics to recycle, and North Carolina has some of the largest processors, with a new plant under construction in Fayetteville.  With one out of two bottles going to China, it leaves the US fighting for recyclables  The ban should help us retain more for our own use.  There are many items made with recycled plastic such as flower pots, strapping, tiles, plastic furniture, and yes, even new plastic bottles.  

While there is an expense to collecting and recycling these items, and a it is a much discussed issue between city and county officials, it does help extend the life of our landfills by not filling them with unnecessary items.  

So please help give used plastic a new life.  Reduce, Reuse and Recycle today.  For more information see the full story in the Winston-Salem Journal, or my original post on the ban.

Quote of the Week

When there is no enemy within, the enemies outside cannot hurt you.  - African Proverb

I've had a tough time with this one, trying to find the deeper meaning here and express it successfully.  I think it means that if you are at peace with yourself, if you are not torn or conflicted by things going on in your life, then you will be better prepared to weather the ups and downs of life and less likely to fall victim to the wrath of others.  This state of being, however, will not protect you from the physical side of living.



 

Just Messin' Around

If things look different at times, it is because I'm messing around with colors, fonts, pictures, etc.  Maybe I'll come up with something I like better.  This is a work in progress with a lot of experimentation going on, so don't be surprised and think you've landed in the wrong place. 

For your viewing pleasure, here is a gorgeous sunset from last year.

  View from my front door

Snow Again!

It's not your average winter here in North Carolina.  I mean we do get snow and sometimes a lot of it all at once, but that doesn't happen every year, and some years we're lucky (or unlucky if you dislike snow) if we get a dusting.  This is an unusual winter because we've had three ground-covering snows since the middle of December.  We even had a white Christmas thanks to the deep freeze that descended on us after that first snowfall.  Lots of times it snows, and the next day the temperature is 50 degrees.  Bye-bye snow!

Not this year.  No sir.  Why we even went sledding.  I dusted off my nearly antique sled, waxed the runners and took off.  We bundled up and went over to Ashley's to sled on their street.  Unfortunately, since I said we wouldn't be able to go sledding by 11 a.m. they made other plans.  [pouty face].  They did stay and sled for about 20 min. before they really had to leave.  They said "Go to Mt. Carmel".  There is a hill there beside the church that is just the best for sledding.  We weren't first.  There were lots of kids (big and little if you know what I mean).  We were among the "big" ones.  My sled did OK, but it is made more for street sledding where the snow is really packed down and slick.  This hill was snow-covered grass but it had been semi-packed by the tube sleds.  Those are great, by the way.  We borrowed one for a few trips down the hill, and it was a wild ride.  You end up spinning around and flying down the hill backwards.  It leveled out to a flat straight away and some tall grass before you go into the woods.  Such fun.

Later I paid for that fun with sore muscles over the entire body.  I'm not too old for this.  Repeat.  I'm not too old for this.  I have recovered and would do it again except now all we have is white slush, and we are engulfed in a cold rain.

Here are some more pics from the last snow on Sunday after the sun came out.  Compare with these.  What a difference the sun makes!

View from the front door.

Street view looking left.

  

Street view looking right.

Here is what it looks like today.  We got about 2.5 inches of snow overnight, and the road was snow covered about 7 a.m., and then the rain started.  These were taken around 11:30.

Today's view from the front door.

Slushy footprints on the sidewalk.