A Year Ago

It's citrus season, though you wouldn't know it unless you are a Californian, or a Floridian. A year ago, we did, because the markets were overflowing with Meyer lemons, tangerines, and clementines, grapefruit and pamelos. At home, we would be making lemon pudding, lemon bars, even lemonade - squeezed fresh from our own lemon bush. Tonight, I made a simple vinagrette for a salad using a Meyer lemon from our Sonoma family's home, picked last month while we were there. A scent of California filled our kitchen, even if only for a moment.

Winter Entertainment and the P-Plan

When it's minus-something degrees outside, we find other ways to entertain ourselves.

Momo and Claire turned pots and pans into musical instruments and gave us a performance. Who needs real (or even toy) guitars or banjos? When they are done being musicians, I can use the pots and pans in the kitchen again!

It's part of our "P-Plan". The new family motto: Patience, Punctual, Polite and Practical. Pots and pans as musical instruments? Definitely practical!

Speghetti di Frutti di Mare

Our children love seafood. Claire's favorite is Salmon, and Momo is a mollusc boy. He loves clams, shrimp, crabs, even raw oysters he will eat. So the other night, I put all of our favorites into one dish. And this is what it looked like! The kids enjoyed de-shelling the mussels, and the pasta was delicious after absorbing all the wonderful juices of the concoction.

More sledding photos

Here is the benefit of having a friend, who is a professional photographer, going sledding with you! Every once in a while, it's good to have a proof that I was there, too (aside from getting great shots). Thanks Bethany!

More sledding

Joined by some pre-teen boys today, our sledding skills grew exponentially. They had built a snow ramp so that the sleds can fly, and catch some air a bit before touching the slope at a higher speed heading directly toward a large oak tree! Of course Momo was all over this. He wanted to do it. By himself. Even I was a bit hesitant to try myself, but I did (with Claire-Bear). And alas... it was fun!

Sun and Snow

Nothing like a sunny day after fresh fallen snow! It was a beautiful day indeed. We did some more sledding this afternoon on a steeper, faster hill. I think we will sled some more tomorrow, too, before the rain comes on Friday.

Snow Day

I knew it was going to happen: Snow Day (no school for most kids in the area)! We woke up with everything covered with white fluffy snow. Jim was determined to go to work, while the kids and I played. We were lucky that our friends Ben and Bethany wanted to go sledding with us. With very little experience sledding myself, it was helpful to have someone show me how it's all done!

Winter Farm visit

I had to visit some farms in the area today to research for my next article. It was the last day of our January thaw: snow is predicted for the next couple of days. So we made it a family outing. Though it is still winter, the middle of winter really, there is a lot going on at these farms. Animals need to be taken care of, storage areas need cleaning for the Spring, and the greenhouses are warm and alive with sprouts and greens ready for a mid-winter salad.

Walking home

It was a lovely day here, so we walked home leisurely from our friend's house after school. Not much snow is left on the ground after our January thaw. Having less snow and ice on the roads makes life a whole lot easier!


And if only I could vote... this man would get mine. But that's a whole different story!

My personal reflexologist

It's no wonder that farmers have a lot of children. If we were farmers, these goobers would be out in the field herding cows by now. But since we don't even have a square foot of grass here, we decided to nurture their skills in more productive, and therapeutic ways. Tonight, as Momo massaged my feet, Claire walked on Jim's back. Pretty soon, they will be learning acupressure points, and massage techniques! They still do it all with eagerness. Sometimes they even offer to give us massages. I wonder how long this phase will last (I am savoring it while I can)!

A touch of warmth

Although you may not believe it, but there is a brief January thaw happening here. The multiple layers of snow is actually melting, uncovering the ground that we have not seen in weeks.


It will be a while before we see any signs of life again, however. It won't be until August that these pretty sunchokes will bloom. I hope to see crocuses and daffodils poking from the ground in April, or maybe late March, if we are lucky. The lilacs should bloom by the end of May and the rest will follow. I will continue to day dream for now.

Drumlin Farm

Thailand-Dreaming

I have not been inspired to take photos since we got back from California. Everywhere I look, I see old dirty piles of snow, naked trees and branches in complete hibernation, prune-face Bostonians who are just trying to survive the below-freezing cold temperatures.

So I am going to keep on dreaming. And since California is currently experiencing some 'winter-storms' themselves (rain, wind), I thought I could do some Thailand-dreaming instead.

We would be warm, for sure. Perhaps too warm even. We could play on the beaches certainly, with fresh coconuts offered to us every few minutes. We could smell fragrant 'winter flowers', and eat delicious tropical fruits that would immediately bring me back to my childhood.

I can almost feel the warmth of Thailand... almost.

California Dreaming

Was I dreaming, or were we really in California just a couple of days ago? Was the sun even feeling warm on my skin, and was I wishing that I had remembered the tucked away sunglasses back in Cambridge (where nobody wears sunglasses)?

As I write, the temperatures are dropping steadily outside. The forecast calls for a bitterly cold Thursday. The highs will be in single digits (I think they are predicting 9F), and that is without wind-chill.

But what would life be without a little harshness? How could we appreciate the temperate and beautiful climate and sceneries and life in California if that type of thing exists everywhere? We will bundle up tomorrow, face the cold, close our eyes, and imagine the California sun on our skin, and smell the intensely aromatic lavender and rosemary scent in the air. Our fellow Bostonians will wonder why we will be smiling despite the harshness all around. Only if they knew that we will be California - dreaming, would they understand.

Happy New Year!

Revived by our recent visit to Sonoma, California (colors! life!), I am ready for the New Year! Like the last, 2008 is promising to be full of adventures! Here's to another great year for our families and friends!