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Snow Day

February 25, 2022

We haven’t had much snow this year, and the few falls we had melted quickly. But we had a good one overnight, and it led to most local workplaces and schools closing today (or in my case, teaching online).

The forecast was 8-12 inches in total, and I think we’re on the low end of that. It’s light and fluffy and easy to move, but it’s also extremely cold out which made the job unpleasant.

Every time I use the snowthrower it seems heavier and more unwieldy. And it feels colder outside in every storm. Is this what getting old is like? 🙂

The driveway is white again as I type this – another inch or so has fallen I think – but I probably won’t need to clear it again. Although the roads will be clear by tomorrow it will remain cold for many days so I think we’ll be enjoying snowy surroundings for at least a week.

I wonder if this will be the last major snowfall of the year? I hope not; it feels like we’ve hardly had a winter with the infrequent snow we’ve had. While it may be inconvenient from a work perspective I hope we’ve got at least one more big blizzard coming this winter.

Candlemaking

November 2, 2021

Kls got this for her birthday:

It’s a candle making kit! Here’s what was inside:

Enough supplies to make nine soy candles, including colours and scents. Of course we’ve already made several.

Start by preparing the tin by adding the wick:

Melt the wax and colour block by floating the metal jug in boiling water (which takes about 10 minutes):

Add the scent, carefully pour the liquid wax into the candle and then let it ‘cure’ for 48 hours:

Then trim the wick, affix the stickers and it’s ready to light:

Soy candles are good because they don’t smoke, and these home-made ones are easy and come out very nice indeed. Why not get a kit and make some yourself?

Let’s Cook Desserts!

October 3, 2021

Yesterday we made these:

It was fairly easy says KLS, who did most of the work. The box contained only three things: the meringue powder, an icing pen and a bag for piping. The power was mixed with egg white and whipped until fluffy:

Then the meringues were piped onto oven paper:

Here they are before cooking:

We then baked them on lowish heat (200F) for 75 minutes, then iced them before eating:

And they were – in a word – terrible! They tasted like the glue I used to eat as a child, and the aftertaste was even worse. My happy memories of melt-in-your-mouth meringues from my youth have now been corrupted by these sticky, inedible travesties!

But there was a secret! We chose the alternate cooking method which involved the addition of tonic water. This is basically sparkling water that contained quinine, which phosphors under UV light:

Apparently adding a tiny bit to the mix makes the meringues ‘glow in the dark’! Did it work? Judge for yourself:

Robot Claw