An Icy Hello Monday

Good morning from the deep freeze. I'm writing this weekend catch up on Sunday morning because it feels like a certainty we'll lose power sometime today. It rained ice overnight and has continued into this morning, while temps remain below freezing for a while. Those power lines can only take so much. 

On the bright side we woke up to power, coffee, and a hot shower so counting our Sunday blessings. We were prepared to be greeted by none of the above. 

When you live in the south and winter weather is predicted the forecast essentially takes over your life. I'd much rather have snow than ice, but snow is pretty rare here and ice is so much harder to deal with. 

Let it melt. That's how you deal. 

Let's back up to Friday for our weekend recap, which I'm linking with Holly (Pink Lady) and Sarah (Sunshine and Books), our hosts for the Hello Monday hop.

Hubs was away all last week on his annual duck hunting excursion with friends.

 FYI they don't call it an excursion. 

They didn't get as many ducks as they normally do, but still brought home plenty and had a great time. He says spending four days in a duck blind in rainy 20 degree temps was his way of training for the icepocalypse. 

He got home about lunchtime Friday and I left soon after to help out with a Mah Jong class in my neighborhood. I stopped for gas on my way home from playing because filling up the car is #7 on a list of ten things to do when weather is headed your way. 

I'd made dinner in the crockpot so once I was home hubs and I relaxed with a glass of wine and a catch up on all the happenings of the week that was. We watched a movie that night-Nuremburg, which we thought was just okay. I wasn't familiar with this aspect of the trial (the psychiatrist's relationship with Goering) and the acting was good.

Saturday morning we went into prep mode. We have a portable generator which hubs made sure was working, and this allows us to at least keep a frig and freezer operating and devices charged. We have two refrigerators and the generator is closer to the lower level frig so I started moving a few items from upstairs to down. All the laundry was done, the dishwasher run, and we pulled out sleeping bags, all the blankets, charged portable lights and all our devices, and inflated an air mattress in case we decide to sleep in front of the fireplace. 

I did some cooking too. On Friday I made vegetable beef soup and then Saturday I made spaghetti sauce and went ahead and made the pasta too. I added a little pasta water to the noodles before refrigerating to keep them from drying out, and I have duck meatballs in the freezer we can add to this. They're made with duck, beef, and Italian sausage so will be good with the pasta.  Easy meals we can reheat on the stove top. I have an electric oven but a gas cooktop so we can use the stove even without electricity. 

I also made brownies because every ice storm needs some. This batch was particularly good, just the right ratio of crispy edge to gooey center. 

Friday night my daughter1 and son-in-law invited us to their house for a Burns night dinner. You may not know what that is unless you're familiar with the Scottish poet and lyricist Robert Burns (Robbie to those who know him well). He's regarded as the National Poet of Scotland and is world famous.  Even if you don't know his poetry I'm pretty sure Auld Lang Syne rings a bell, along with the expression, 'the best laid plans of mice and men.' 

Burns was born on January 25, 1759 and every year on his birthday Burns night dinners are held in his honor. A traditional Burns night meal consists of haggis, neeps (similar to a rutabaga) and tatties (potatoes) and a dram of Scotch whiskey to wash it all down. His poetry is recited or read aloud alongside the meal. 

Haggis has a reputation, but when in Scotland (or a Burns night dinner in South Carolina) ...

Vegetarians look away. Haggis is traditionally made with sheep's offal (internal organs), mixed with oats, suet, onion, and spices all cooked inside a sheep's stomach. Sounds like something, doesn't it? We had ours as an appetizer, crumbled with crackers, and if you didn't know what you were eating you might think it was a spicy breakfast sausage. It was quite good. 

Our meal was a close version of the traditional with a haggis starter, steak and ale pie, tatties, and cabbage. The men sipped some Talisker's to make it truly official, and everyone read a Burns poem. Hearing your 8-year old grandson read a Burns poem with all it's Scottish wording is a 10/10 experience. I recommend. 

We had an early dinner so hubs and I could get home before the ice rolled in. We watched Tennessee beat Alabama in basketball and slept in our own warm bed. 

We woke up Sunday morning to an icy coating on pretty much everything. More sleet and freezing rain are in the forecast but we have nowhere to go so we'll stay snug and cozy here at home. Church services are all cancelled in our area and schools have already cancelled for tomorrow. I have a pile of books to read and as I type this we still have power which definitely makes an ice storm less miserable. 

This morning I'm grateful for heat, hot water, light, and all the many people out working on roads and power lines and in emergency services to keep us safe and comfortable. Have a nice wintry week everyone! 

The Tattoo...and I don't mean ink

We watched a lot of the British Open this past weekend. One look at the flags flapping in the wind and the golfers wearing jackets let you know it wasn't Florida in July. They were in fact at St. Andrews. Scotland.

And yes I am going to turn a mention of the British Open into a travel post so consider yourself warned. The thing is, I didn't start my blog until we were leaving the UK and I'm enjoying re- visiting some of our favorite places in my posts... putting words with pictures before the details become too fuzzy. I've had my blog bound into a book (two actually) and I'm glad some of our special trips are included there too.

Okay back to Scotland, which is known for lots of things besides hosting the British Open...gray skies, steady rain, stunning countryside, the Highland games, a monster named Nessie, a delightful accent, whiskey, haggis (can we all say ewww!) and the Tattoo. And when I say Tattoo I'm not talking ink. I'm talking about the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo which is a military band performance held throughout the month of August in front of Edinburgh Castle. If you are thinking that doesn't sound like your cup of tea you might find you are mistaken.

When we informed our girls (teenagers at the time) that we were going to drive to Scotland (flights were cancelled due to terrorism the previous day) to see military bands perform and oh, by the way, we will be sitting outdoors in a country famous for its rainy weather well, they were maybe a little less than thrilled. Sometimes teenagers need to just be pulled along with the family current and they end up falling in love with a place, a culture and an experience. They make a memory.

Edinburgh is so charming we couldn't help but love it. First of all...cute shops and lots of them. Teenage girls momentarily forget they are in town to see some sort of military band thingy when there are shops. Plus it was August which means The Fringe Festival was also in town and that is loads of fun.

The festival features street performers, musicians, theatre acts, artists, comedians...you name it.

Can you tell they liked it?

We did a little sightseeing too which of course included a tour of the ancient castle.

A castle which incidentally sits perched on the edge of an extinct volcano.

And hey, how about those gray skies?

We wandered thru the shops and learned how good Scotch Whiskey tastes is made. When in Rome, right?

John Knox, the founder of Presbyterianism, hails from Edinburgh and his home is the oldest house in the city...

And then of course we had tickets for the Tattoo...

I confess my kids were not the only ones who had no idea what they would be seeing. All I knew was that everyone who had been said it was something you had to see if you were in Scotland in August and I try never to ignore a good travel tip.

We had fantastic seats facing the castle...the night air was dry and clear...there were bagpipes which always get the emotions churning...the music and lights and our family all scrunched together in our narrow uncomfortable stadium seats...and there were fireworks too. What is it about fireworks that make everything just a little bit more magical?

There once lived a well known Scottish poet named Robert Burns. He is sometimes referred to as Scotland's favorite son and every January an occasion known as Burns' Night is celebrated with dinners on or around his birthday. His poetry is read and there is a meal which traditionally includes haggis and whiskey. And I say if you're going to eat haggis you definitely need the whiskey to make you forget what you're eating but that might just be me. For those who don't know, haggis is a dish containing the sheep's heart, liver, and lungs all simmered together with spices for several hours in a sheep's stomach. Or in a casing but still...Shudder.

Anyway, I am going to close this post with a quote by the famous Robert Burns who wrote,

'Nae man can tether time or tide'

And isn't that the truth?

And a great reason to blog?