Such an amazingly snowy February we have had here in the mountains.  Often by the end of February I am planting peas in semi-thawed ground.  However, outside it is still a wintry wonderland.  Last week, with the fresh powder, there were shed roofs to slide off and swing sets to climb atop….I remember from my own childhood how thrilling it was to jump off buildings into eight foot snowdrifts off, landing with a soft whumpf.  There is no end to the good times outdoors and truly, I am more often than not indoors, making food alone and having to coax the kids back inside to eat some food or change into drier gear.  Needless to say, schoolwork is on the back burner when there are roofs to climb and tracks to follow.

I have not been baking nearly as much as I used to lately.  Our electric stove back-up died a few months ago and while making roasts and lasagnas are easy as pie in our wood cookstove, it takes a lot of technique to properly bake.  The trick is to get the oven super hot and then create a good layer of hot coals.  Ideally, I use small logs, rather uniform in size, and regularly feed the stove to create a steady heat.  These Raspberry Linzer squares are a favourite and they worked just fine.  They are sugar free as that’s how we roll, sweetened with something similar to stevia.  Some things baked with stevia and natural sweeteners leave an odd, metallic flavour on the palette, but for some reason these pass the test.  (You can find the recipe on my pinterest page on the Low Carb ~ Type 1 Diabetes board.)

This week, the days have been warming up a bit so the snow has a perfect crust on it.  Rather than slogging through three feet of powder, the kids have been outside every morning to race around on the hardpack.  They have been Arctic explorers and knights on a mission…pirates and voyageurs.  After a winter of thick layers, we welcomed the warming sun and the kids delighted in running and running and running.  Just as the quickening is about to happen in nature, I notice it surging through my kids this time of year, too.  They need to be active and moving and are full of beans indoors.  Gratefully, they enjoy being outdoors together with all the dogs.

While they are leaping and bounding across snowbanks, I have been stirring the dye pots, anticipating a big stock up in my shop for the last day of February, on Tuesday.  It has been so much fun mixing colours and seeing what emerges….I just love playing with fibre!  I hope you will come and check out Wool Maiden Fibre and Yarn….and I am happy to do custom orders, too.

Until then, have a wonderful weekend, friends!  Enjoy these last wintry weeks before the Melt begins.