This is our third or fourth awful storm this winter – when we haven’t actually had much winter for several years. Just a few bad weeks last year, and really none the year before that. Autumn faded gently into spring.
Knowing it was coming – the weather people are getting better and more reliable, aren’t they? – I spent a fair chunk of yesterday / Saturday getting ready. I made a trip to Newtown Feed so that all the birds and squirrels could be fed, and bought my second deer food block of the season – since it is going to be so cold and snowcovered it will be hard on those graceful beasts. No mess mix, then cheap bird feed (small black sunflower seeds instead of the big striped ones – everyone is just as happy), and safflower seed for the birds, which the squirrels don’t like. I also have a suet feeder up for the woodpeckers, cardinals and others, and a thistle feeder for the finches and chickadees.
After getting the fauna all set, I went to Whole Foods, just to play and buy whatever I wanted. I was thinking about spending time in the freezer aisle, where I hadn’t looked for new ideas / products for several years. Had a lot of fun picking out one of each thing that intrigued me. It will also make the rest of winter more interesting.
I also bought all the needed ingredients for Irish soda bread. (I bought the black currants from a grower in upstate New York several weeks ago.) That means various kinds of organic butters (KerryGold, Irish butter, for one), lots of buttermilk, and more organic sugar and flour.
Then I came home and put it all away – which took quite a while. So I am ready for the weather that is already hitting. Makes me happy.