You can go ahead and list your five favorite words for “COLD”. Our vehicles make all kinds of interesting noises when we try to wake them up. We hold our breathe until we hear the engine making the starting for sure noise. If we were smart enough to be wearing our warm gloves, that cold steering wheel will not feel too bad. We are still not on the best terms with the world if we have to scrape ice and snow off our vehicles or shovel the driving paths. If you didn’t have your gloves or mittens before, you better have them now! There is not much need to rush back from the grocery store ice cream shopping trip unless you worry that it will freeze too hard.

Did the very cold Valentine’s Day make you put your chocolate candy consumption on high? I had a good supply of assorted chocolates on hand, so I had lots of choices. Husband Larry says it is best if I get what I want and then he will not get it wrong. Yes, I did find a good supply of the Chocolate Conversation hearts at stores. They are a lot of fun to play around with but not on my Number 1 favorite candy list. Maybe, I am the only one that doesn’t love them as they have been making them for many, many years. People were really awaiting their re-introduction after not being available last year. With Covid 19 really biting in on shopping time, I did miss seeing all the goodies that were available for Valentine’s Day. I will keep dreaming that some day I will get the largest box of chocolates available and it will FOR SURE not have any of those soft centered things they sneak in a lot of the candy gift boxes. Probably the best thing to do, to keep Husband Larry’s record of not being wrong, is to go out and buy myself one of those babies!

Daughter Nissa mentioned that in her limited shopping trips due to Covid 19, she was not able to get her favorite Valentine treat which is Chocolate Cherry Bread from Wegmans. (The East Coast high-end grocery store). That reminded me that I could make the Chocolate Cinnamon Swirl Bread that I got the recipe for from Martha Stewart’s April 2020 magazine. It is a bit different in construction as you cook milk, water and flour together in a style used by some Japanese bread makers. That is a small part of the flour mixture but an important one. You can go on-line and see a video of making it and that will clear up any questions.

It is so worth it, so give it a try. It turns out to be like a $15 plus loaf of designer bread available at fancy places.

It is almost impossible to think that Easter will be celebrated in the near future. We were given good warnings if we looked at the calendar or made our way down to Emily’s Bakery to get the “proper” pre-lent goodie, the PACZKI. I never did find out if they freeze well due to the fact that none were left to freeze.

No one has a crystal ball to tell what this year will be, but one thing for sure is that gardening and food growing will be back again in many of our lives. If you planned to order seeds/plants for your veggie garden and have not done so, don’t be surprised if you find the SOLD OUT note come up. You may have to do a lot of searching to find what you need. It is way too early to have the garden centers opening up but be aware that when they do, they may also sell out quickly. Have plans to check them out as soon as you see them opening. Of course it will no doubt be way too cold to plant any of your purchases out in your gardens so you will have to keep them in a safe nonfreezing place. If you are not doing cold weather crops, Memorial Day planting is a good time to remember. Remember that a large number of our veggie garden regulars are tropicals. Minnesota seems to have a low number of tropical days in total. Could use a small amount of that summer tropical heat right now!

Bea Westerberg bea. [email protected]