What season is this?

 

Nice slippery coating of ice on the deck this morning, and a skiff of frozen snow on the cars. That false spring weather in February had everyone convinced winter was over. Ha. 

Do you like coconut? How about shrimp? These came from Whole Foods in a frozen bag and very good, nice plump shrimp and heavy on the coconut.  Not exactly heath food and pricey, so an occasional treat. We dip them in sweet chili sauce. 

As you know, after the weather, food is pretty much the main topic of interest. My brother and sister will both be here for lunch, another rare treat. I'm making French dip sandwiches on this cold day. John is in charge of transforming a hunk of leftover medium rare roast beef into wafer thin slices. I'm sure he has a razor sharp, Japanese saber for that job.

Marji is staying with us until Saturday, when she flies back to Las Vegas. She has been to Seattle before, of course, but not for years, so she might be surprised how much our Urban Village has changed.
 

Fun weekend

 

Our friends Karen and Bruce stayed with us for two nights on their way back to Twisp. They spent seven weeks in a rented house in the village of La Manzanilla.  

We enjoyed hearing about winter in a relaxing Mexican town and how they spent their time. Karen is more of a beach person, but Bruce braved chigger bites to explore the local jungle, then painted the exotic birds. Anyway, they are delightful house guests and it was an indoor weekend of good food and conversation. 

Bruce teaches art to kids, so I was brave enough to show him my old pencil sketchbook. He had some great suggestions, especially about using watercolors to brighten up my little black and white drawings. 

This hobby fell by the wayside in recent years, which is sad. These days I spent more time looking at a computer screen than what is actually in front of me. I'm so out of practice, but encouraged now to start drawing again.

March on

 

A light exists in Spring
Not present in the year
at any other period
When March is scarcely here.
- Emily Dickinson

In like a lion, out like a lamb, as the saying goes. Yes, it is noticeably lighter, so no complaints in that department. However, we're 10 degrees below normal for the first day of meteorological spring.

It was a polar jam yesterday at C&P Coffeehouse, with a few diehards sitting as usual on the covered patio. Centenarian Cecil was there, so we stuck it out, even though our fingers were getting frozen. 

The coffeehouse owner generously turned up the overhead heat lamps just for us. All his customers were tucked away inside. Who wants to sit outside on a winter day listening to a bunch of crazy ukulele players sing the worst song ever written, "Maxwell's Silver Hammer." Why in the world?

The gentleman above with the guitar was a brave first timer. He fit right in and jammed along playing the right chords and even some pretty riffs, without eyes glued to an iPad.

"Jambalaya" is not exactly a guitar challenge, but I was still impressed watching such a smooth musician. He had a nice personality too, and said he plays with local jazz groups. I hope we didn't scare him and he comes back.
 

Leap Day

 

More than a calendar correction, February 29th was once the day when roles were reversed and the woman could pick herself a husband.

The tradition started in ancient Ireland and eventually reached the United States. Of course, in our patriarchal society, it became a thing of mockery. Cartoons and postcards depicted aggressive old maids doing whatever it took to capture a poor, unsuspecting man. The weird old postcards are funny in a cringey sort of way.

Speaking of gender stereotypes, the other night we watched "Fly with Me" on PBS American Experience, about the "women who wanted to see the world and ended up changing it." An excellent program and reminder of how far we've come. In some ways.

Anyway, since there are 366 days in 2024, think of it like this --sometimes a little extra time is all we need to make a big difference. Happy Leap Day to you.

Whatever it takes...

 

To bring a little spring into the house. The pussy willows came from Trader Joes yesterday. I went there for just the usual things, but hard to resist those bunches right outside the front door. Like Costco, you some need some strong willpower to not succumb to impulse shopping. Anyway, a cheerful sight on the mantle for a few weeks.

Nothing much to talk about except the bad weather, which is not exactly newsworthy in February. There is an astonishing amount of snow falling in the mountains this week. That's a good thing, if you don't have to travel. February is the snowiest month in the Northwest and the La Nina is fading. The ski areas are ecstatic.

Down here in the lowlands, another story entirely. Despite the cold temperatures, the early trees are starting to bloom along our street. 

This map shows the many different micro climates, and our neighborhood is sometimes referred to as the "banana belt" of Seattle. 

Congratulation to us, today is our 31st anniversary. February 27th is an easy date to forget! I asked John this morning,"who the heck gets married in February?" He said, "we must have been in a hurry."

Timing is everything

 

The mountain passes are pretty much shut down this morning, but I had an excellent driving window on Saturday just before the storm. Dry roads and light traffic, you can't ask for anything more. I left Twisp at first light and encountered maybe a dozen cars the first 75 miles to Lone Pine. 

It was an uneventful drive until just outside Cle Elum, when large herd of elk crossing the highway brought traffic to a stop. What magnificent creatures, especially up close like that!

Speaking of the beauty of nature, did you know the equine eye is the largest of all land mammals? Their incredible, deep eyes simply can't be ignored. The selfie above is with "Buttons." I walked her around the pasture for exercise (both of us) while Nova was riding on Friday.

Anyway, just settling into our usual routines and getting ready for company. We'll see Bruce and Karen this weekend, and my sister Marji arrives next week. Hopefully the weather settles down some by then.