Courtesy of vanie-ndut
The silver lining — One good thing about a brutal winter is that there will be no whining when the summer comes unless it’s too cold. There may be a few people who enjoyed this freezing weather but if we find them we will send them off to Antarctica. The rest of us will bask in the warmth and the sunshine.
Snow banks everywhere — Summer driving is so much easier. There are no eight foot high piles of snow to navigate. Drivers aren’t any nicer but hey, they are people. What can you expect? The roads will be wider without the snow banks. Yes, there will be all the construction projects impeding my path but even that doesn’t seem so bad today. Glad I don’t have to walk in this stuff!
Lightening up — After four solid months of clothing layers; flip-flops, shorts and a tee-shirt sound pretty freeing. I will be like a butterfly drifting through the wind! Ok, a big clumsy butterfly but it is how I feel inside that will count. Feeling some sun on my face would be wonderful (but don’t tell my dermatologist. That would freak him out!)
Back to nature — I’m going to put it out there but I will deny it later. You never heard it here but I am looking forward to working in the garden. My hands need to be dirty and my friendly robins will be waiting for me to turn over some soil so they can snack on my worms. It’s almost time to start a few seeds and watch the miracle of birth which always fills me with awe.
New stuff — We bought a new range. It was exciting because I picked out an induction model which I have wanted for a long time. Sadly I will have to say goodbye to some of my favorite cookware which doesn’t work with induction.
It’s a great time to get rid of excess cooking pans and gizmos that I don’t or won’t use. Does anyone want a waffle maker? How about a George Foreman grill? I am going to keep my bread maker because I still cherish that fantasy.
I only spent about an hour and I have my dining room table covered in stuff. This has been as freeing as taking off clothes. How do we accumulate so much stuff? Better still, why?
So how is it with you?
Views and Mews by Coffee Kat 
After cold, harsh winters there is NOTHING better than to sit down to
a waffle dinner topped with strawberries and cream…
You have both the winter and waffle maker…
I only have daffodils. Poor, poor me. 😉
LikeLike
Wanna trade?
LikeLike
No… but I’ll share.
Come on over!
LikeLike
me too…me too..me too….I AM SO SICK OF WINTER…AND MORE IS COMING. I don’t have a garden unless two tomatoes on the kitchen window sill count…and I’ve just done a closet cleaning that should make me eligible for some kind of prize. In Oprah this month it says..we should only have 33 items in our closet…shoes included…if I ever meet the person who invented that number she better watch out. I have 33 hand bags alone…I did taper down…I did…lots went but lots stayed…great read Kate.
LikeLike
33? I have more underwear than that! I have more tops than that! I could go on but it would be so embarrassing. Who said that? Some guy from Duck Dynasty? I hear the storm is petering out a little, at least in our area. We are down to 3 to 6 inches of snow instead of 6 to 12.
LikeLike
I didn’t hear anything…I’m a camel in the sand…but it does feel ominous out there…33…I know…Oprah magazine is like a Bible to some people. I can just see 100s of girls trying to pare down what they own to 33. I mean it. Now I have 133…down from 500 and change. Hey, we do our best.
LikeLike
I hope when you send me to Antarctica it’s first class at least! 🙂
LikeLike
Always first class!
LikeLike
🙂
LikeLike
These long, cold winters bring a certain weariness and lethargy that makes it hard for me to even remember being warm outside. At this point, the only reason I believe it has been warm here is that I have pictures from last summer.
LikeLike
I feel like that too. I can’t imagine wearing shorts or a tee-shirt. I would be cold. This morning I went to the store and stood at the hyacinths to suck in the wonderful smell.
LikeLike
I like your plans for spring. Shorts, gardening, no parking spaces filled with mounds of dirty snow– yep, I like it all. And as for that range, I’ll be interested in knowing how it works for you. When I had the chance to get one, I declined… because I like my old pots too much!
LikeLike
Last night I gave most of my pots to a friend and this morning I am all freaked out. Suppose I don’t like it and I gave away my favorite pots! That’s why I like a fast delivery. I suffer a lot of anxiety between the decision and the delivery. My brother has one and he loves it. For him it was an excuse to get new pots.
LikeLike
Your ruminations stir up a happy memory from when I was 6 and 7 in NJ. My brother and I loved it when the snowplows “built” our snow forts and all we had to do was carve out our little space. I suppose those snow caves are deemed dangerous now being so close to the road, but I grew up when children survived childhood. We climbed trees and didn’t fall out, we rode our sleds down hills and were careful not to meet a car.
Yes, spring break is almost here and the first order of business will be to get a pedicure. No time for planting as we’ll be moving and then settling in to the new place.
LikeLike
A new place is so exciting (and so much work). Good luck with that and I look forward to reading about it (with pictures!). Yes I lived in an era when my mother drank the occasional wine when she was pregnant. I never wore a helmet for anything and walked all over town. Not only that but I didn’t know a single kid with peanut or any other allergy other than seasonal. I survived. Perhaps it’s a different world now or parents are generally more neurotic. (Yes, I know they were raised by our generation!)
LikeLike
I hope you’re right and there isn’t any complaining about the heat this summer! I do understand that we all like to be comfortable, and sometimes it just isn’t possible in “too cold” or “too hot” to even feel well! But I think this year in particular it would be a good to celebrate every day the sun even comes out–even when it’s scorching. 🙂 I always admire the cleaning out process. I’m trying to do the same. I have so much bakeware! I do bake, but I’m not sure I need a cupboard full of muffin tins! 🙂
LikeLike
Amen sistah! I will celebrate every day I don’t have to wear 3 or 4 layers! I inherited my mother’s bake ware (this is 25 years ago) and it’s hard to toss some of it. I have 8 mini-muffin pans. Really? Do I need 8? The last time I used them was…..ooops….can’t remember!
LikeLike
I like it warm. It does get really hot and humid here but it is better than being cold. I did the purge thing a while back and now it is time to do it again. Where does the stuff come from? I think someone comes in when I am not here and leaves stuff they don’t want in my cabinets and closets.
LikeLike
I prefer hot to cold myself and as I am getting older, the heat bothers me less and the cold more. I like humidity because it’s good for my skin and my hair. I was in Arizona for a week and it was so dry, I was peeling. I had to buy a heavy duty moisturizer that I likened to axle grease because my usual stuff wasn’t working.
LikeLike
So ready to shed some of the clothing layers…it’s that awkward time of year: one day shorts, the next sweaters and coats….tomorrow is the warm-ish, just before the front hits Sunday.
Congrats on the new range. Cooking’s a new adventure again.
Always a fan of Snoopy! My author hero!
LikeLike
Ahhh, but Texas must be nice this time of year. Sort of springy and you have already had nice warm days. *envy welling up inside*
LikeLike
Your Random 5 with the exception of the new range are all good reasons for us to get out of Missouri and move to Florida.. 😀 Congratulations on the new range! I am not a lover of summer.
LikeLike
If you are not a lover of summer, why would you move to Florida, land of almost eternal summer? Maybe there’s something moderate without the high heat or severe snow? If you find it, let me know. I want to live there.
LikeLike
Hi Kate! I stay in for the summer here in Missouri because of the heat and humidity and would do the same in Florida. The nice thing about Florida is that the temps stay nicer longer in the Fall and Spring. Gulf breezes off the water keep it cooler. Winter is perfect there, I won’t be stuck in the house waiting for the next ice storm or snow. I will be sitting outside at Turtles on the Bay enjoying a grouper sandwich! Guess I will be switching my summer fun to winter fun. It is beautiful in Venice, Florida today. We are waiting for 6 inches of snow with sleet! San Diego may be what you are looking for. Love it there but I can’t afford to live there. Hope you don’t have more snow coming your way. Still not sure about a move to Florida, I am finding it hard to leave The Tiny Ten Acres.. 🙂
LikeLike
That makes sense. (Wish I could join you for the grouper sandwich!) You are right about San Diego. I would love to live there but it is so expensive! I need to win the lottery! It’s also across the country from family. Many people in our area go to Florida for 2 or 3 months over the winter. Our summer here is mostly good with about a week or two of temps in the 90s with high humidity. Most of the rest of the summer it’s pretty pleasant even when it’s on the warm side. This is an abnormal winter for us. We have broken all kinds of records . We are expecting your storm starting tomorrow. We are in the 6 to 10 inch snow range for now although as they say, it all depends on where the arctic blast line ends up. We could get more freezing rain and less snow or more snow and no freezing rain. The only thing for sure is that we will get something and a lot of it and of course I am getting cranky.
LikeLike
😆 I know Kate, I am cranky with you! And I just read your comment on your blog about the humidity and your skin. I have to tell you this was the first time in Florida that I noticed how much better the skin on my face looked with a little humidity and my dry cracked fingers were better in two days! The humidity killed my hair but I can always wear a visor! They can’t decide if we are going to have freezing rain or ice pellets before the snow. Sorry our stinky weather is heading your way!
LikeLike
Love your list ~ but I expect there will be whining about heat and humidity from some quarters come summer. That’s just the way we roll, right?
Love that you are taking this opportunity to jettison some of the excess kitchen clutter. We used to have all manner of appliances that we donated to Goodwill ~ ice cream maker, waffle iron, burger grill, electric fry pan, ice crusher, milk shake maker, etc.
What we still have and USE ~ bread maker (we use it 1-2 times a week; fresh baked bread is the best air freshener ever!), slow cooker (we use it 1-2 times a week for soups, stews, rice, potatoes, etc. ~ just set it and forget it), a NINJA blender (for smoothies), a food processor (for hummus), and a coffee maker.
We have a small electric juicer for citrus, but I mostly use a manual juicer unless I’m doing lots of fruit at once. We have a submersible blender for soup which we use on occasion.
LikeLike
My “keep” list is the same as yours except for the juicer. I don’t have one of those. Like you I use a manual one. I have no idea why I have all those other things.
LikeLike
I can’t wait to break out the sandals, Kate! It’s going to be 70 here on Sunday and I can’t wait. One thing I do know, people will always complain about the weather. Wait until August, we will be hearing “It’s too hot.” I’ll take the heat over cold any day. Enjoy your weekend!
LikeLike
I will not be complaining!
LikeLike
You and me both!
LikeLike
Ugh! I hear you might be getting more snow on Monday. Hang in there, Kate!
LikeLike
I think you’re going to have to ship me to Antarctica because I do indeed love the cold weather and snow. I HATE summer weather. The only good thing about summer is traffic lightens up in July and August. So there. I’m you’re oddity!
LikeLike
I’ll order the shipping materials and we’ll box you up!
LikeLike
Oh Kate…spring fever is popping up and I’m envisioning beautiful geraniums on our front porch, our Bradford pear trees are wearing blooms already…love spring! Temp’s are lovely today…yay! Cold spell due tomorrow…bah! Oh well, won’t be cold long and soon winter will be history for awhile. Gentle rains, flowers…beautiful, light clothing…woohoo! George Foreman’s grill is moving out along with odds and ends of cooking things I’ve not used in a long, long time! Too many rice-cookers, waffle-maker, too! Bags of plastic containers I’ve accumulated…jars…clothes that someone might benefit from…too much of everything…and it’s going out. Like you, I’m keeping my bread maker…love it. Hurry spring…hurry!
LikeLike
Plastic containers! Gosh! I have a hard time throwing those out and I don’t know why! We are in a cold snap here that’s going to last until NEXT weekend. Booo!
LikeLike