Iced in

It's a bitter cold, windy day, although not so slick on the grass and gravel as yesterday.  We got enough sleet and freezing rain this morning that it actually roughed up the surface areas so it's possible to get a little traction.  Yesterday I was afraid to step onto our gravel driveway, it was so slick.  Today, no problem at all.  I had a little problem opening the gate, though.

  
Ice wouldn't let me open the latch, but I went back to the walk-through gate, kicked it and jiggled it a few times, and got it open.  After five minutes outside, I knew I wouldn't be taking my usual walk all over the place.  I could have withstood the 13º temperature, but that wind was awful!  Just for Gabe's sake, I went on back by the pond while he ran down in the surrounding ravines, disappearing awhile and then coming back to touch bases with me.  

Even dead weeds are pretty when covered in ice.

Gabe was excited to find a hole in a tree.

So right after I took this shot, to Gabe's dismay, we headed for the house.  

I see no reason to get out of my bedclothes today.  I don't picture anyone coming to visit.  However, we did have a special visitor yesterday.  Our little Cora came by for a few hours, first time we'd seen her in a month.  I get a kick out of her when she visits.  I moved a lot of her books and toys around after I stopped babysitting, so most things aren't quite where they used to be when she was here regularly.  Now, when she visits, she checks to see what's here and what isn't.  She does not like change, and if she played with something one time, two years ago, she considers it hers forever.  Yesterday she looked through all the books I kept after she entered pre-school, but couldn't find "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".  I can't imagine I would have given it to Goodwill or to some other kid, because it's a good one to have when children visit; and I have a nine-month-old granddaughter who would eventually like it.  But try as I might, I couldn't find that book.  I told her I'd keep looking for it, and she was OK with that.  

Another thing she will do every time she comes is to get out the Little People and make one of us play with her for a short time.  It's like she's checking to see if we've forgotten how to play with her.  When she was a toddler, she liked to play hide and seek with Cliff, but now that she's five years old, there's no way to hide from her in this little house.  There are very few places an adult can stay concealed here.  She kept begging Cliff to hide, and he kept telling her it was impossible.  As they were having their little discussion, I said, "Cliff, remember the game 'Hide the Thimble'?  Why don't you two use some small toy and hide that, the way kids used to hide a thimble?"  

That worked great, and we all had fun with it until her dad picked her up.  Sometimes I amaze myself.  

We had biscuits and gravy for dinner yesterday, so I let Cora play with the extra biscuit-dough, just like the old days.  She used my rolling pin to roll it out really thin, and I said, "That looks more like pie crust than biscuits."  Her face lit up, and she said, "Yah, it's pie crust!  Can I have a pie pan?  I'm going to make a grape pie for you and Cliff."  

"I don't have any grapes," I told her.  

"Grape jelly, silly!"

So I gave her a little pie pan, she shaped it just right, and we placed her "pie crust" in the oven with the biscuits.  When it was done, she spooned grape jelly into it.

You can see Cliff's plate in the background, with what's left of his biscuits and gravy.  We told her we were so full, we just couldn't hold much pie, but we had a bite of it.  Tasted like very thin biscuit dough with jelly, for some reason.  

I had fried a pound of sausage and took out about half the patties, setting them in a dish on the back of the stove-top.  When my back was turned, Cliff carried them to the table.  I noticed he had a sausage patty on his plate and asked, "Oh, you're eating some sausage?"  "Is that all right?" he asked.  

"Sure.  We can spare one patty.  I intend for us to have sausage, eggs, and warmed-up biscuits in the morning.  That's why I didn't put them on the table.  But go ahead and eat that one."

He agreed that was a much better idea than just eating them all at one sitting.  

Wish us luck.  We always worry that we'll lose electricity when there's ice on the lines and a brisk wind blowing.  I do believe we're done with the sleet and freezing rain, for this round anyhow.

Stay warm, my friends.  Enjoy the day.  I have books to read, and so does Cliff.  I'm glad to be alive.