Tuesday+Still Snowed In=More Pictures

World, meet Reed.

Footprints.

Dabbling with contrast and shadow.

More of the same.

Snack time.

I look like I'm from the circus. Or something.

Note the sheet of ice overhead.

We thought it would be funny if Reed broke the ice over his head.

Turns out we were right.

Even the birds are snowed in.

Days

For reasons unknown, we have a bench in our front yard. On the ground.

Snow-induced euphoria.

Throne.

"Snow is silence made visible." -Max Picard, The World of Silence

Esme at the window.

Wonderment.

Ross had a few too many at Kelly's potluck.

Glory and Ross orchestrate a Coke bottle symphony.

Wynn sees a computer for the first time in her life.

Kelly's beloved.

At Coffee to a Tea. This was good soup.

There is no nonsense in this face.

A Pie and I

Have you ever had a recipe that you stumbled upon and immediately knew that you had to make? This Pear Maple Ginger Pie was such a recipe, however it took about 3 years to come to fruition. That's how long it sat in my Bookmarks list before I boldly proclaimed one fateful December day, "No more of this procrastination nonsense! I will--I must--make this pie! And soon." So I did. I made it for a dinner party with some friends, and Let Me Just Tell You, it does not disappoint. In fact, I've made this pie twice so far, and both times it has been consumed so quickly and so entirely that no pictures were taken.

I've only used Bosc pears, but I feel confident that the recipe would work splendidly with tart apples as well. I did make a couple of alterations to the recipe which I think were for the best:
1) I added a teaspoon of cinnamon to the oat topping mixture (what were they thinking--no cinnamon?).
2) I almost doubled the amount of cornstarch used in the filling. I did this because, in the picture, the pie looked to be a little on the liquidy side, and I wanted to avoid that by thickening the mixture up a bit more.

Furthermore, I recommend letting it cool for a full hour before serving. It's much easier to cut when it's not piping hot, and it stays together very well.

Also, do serve it with fresh whipped cream! It is to the pie's utmost advantage.

I hope you all had the merriest of Christmases. Mine was lovely, and glittered with snow.

Love,
Rachael

Love on Wednesday

Bonjour, mes amies! Il fait tres beau temps aujourd'hui.

That was a little sample of my elementary French skill for your viewing pleasure. That's pretty much where my knowledge ends.

What could be better than dwelling on the simple and lovely things that are a part of your life every day, the things you love? I've decided to make a list of loves for today:

1. Good Music in the morning. I woke up this morning craving Peter, Paul, and Mary's "If I Had a Hammer," but in my search for their version I also came across the version by Trini Lopez, with whom I am now enamored. And now I am listening to Chuck Berry sing "You Can't Catch Me."

2. Tea. I am always thankful for hot tea, but I need to belabor the point because I really, really love tea. With milk. And cane sugar. I'm personally a one lump of sugar sort of gal. I'm curious to know how you all take your tea. (Ahem, comments...)

3. Sunshine. It just never gets old, and I'm so glad of that. A beautiful day should never cease to be seen as miraculous, if for no other reason than God made it. And it is ours to enjoy. Isn't that something?

4. Good Reading. I just finished O Pioneers! by Willa Cather this week, and it's all I can do to not pick it up and start reading it again. It was that good. Here is possibly my favorite quote from the book:

"Isn't it queer: there are only two or three human stories,and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened before; like the larks in this country, that have been singing the same five notes over for thousands of years."

There are lots of other things I could extol for the simple beauty and pleasure that they bring to my life, but as my psychology exam is immanent, I will conclude my ramblings.

But really, could life be any sweeter than it already is? We have it pretty good, don't we?

And if your day was not already off to a promising start, here's this picture my brother made with Paint:

Marie Madeline Studio giveaway!

So...there is a $50 giveaway going on here for the lovely Marie Madeline Studio. I suggest everyone enter. The Long ladies have a wonderful blog which I read regularly, and I am the proud owner of several of their custom-made clothing items!

Snow and Keats and Other Treats

When I Have Fears
by John Keats

When I have fears that I may cease to be
Before my pen has glean'd my teeming brain,
Before high-piled books, in charactery,
Hold like rich garners the full ripen'd grain;
When I behold, upon the night's starr'd face,
Huge cloudy symbols of a high romance,
And think that I may never live to trace
Their shadows, with the magic hand of chance;
And when I feel, fair creature of an hour,
That I shall never look upon thee more,
Never have relish in the faery power
Of unreflecting love;--then on the shore
Of the wide world I stand alone, and think
Till love and fame to nothingness do sink.
................................................

Today it is snowing, snowing, snowing. Everything carries on so quietly when there is snow, have you noticed that? Things are hushed by it.

Today is about my quilt, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Keatsian vocabulary, Radiohead, and hot chocolate.

Wilson A. Bentley:

He spent his life studying snowflakes in Vermont.


May your Tuesday be a blissfully snow-covered one.

Potholders and Roald Dahl.

Today is about these things:


1. Roald Dahl. Of all of his literary accomplishments, I believe that his most valuable contribution was his devotion to silliness. When I read Roald Dahl, I am eight years old and I want to jump rope and make mud pies (is eight too old to do that?) and speak in a British accent. His autobiography, Boy, is a gem. I plan on reading Uncle Oswald very soon.

2. Potholders. Specifically, these potholders which I'm making. Are they targeted for six year-olds? Yes. Does this deter me from making them? Certainly not.

3. Strawberry cream cheese. It's yummy.

4. This band that I unearthed from the murky labyrinthine depths of last.fm.

May your day be filled with sundry delights and lots of sunshine.