IT'S FINALLY WINTER

The weather news this morning said we had about 3 inches of snow last night.  That makes a grand total of 12 inches for the winter.  Last year at this time?  55 inches.  Yes, we are way behind in moisture, which does not make the farmers happy.  And the new flower beds filled with all those perennials my friend Charlie gave me?  I sure hope the mulch I spread and the leaves that blew in will be enough to protect them from the cold without the blanket of snow.

It does look kind of pretty out there.  For a few minutes this morning, maybe 3 minutes, the sun broke through and it was very sparkly white, but the sun quickly disappeared behind the clouds and it has been grey since.

I love snow covered berries.  It reminds me of my favorite trip with my mom and sister.  One year, just about now at the end of January, we took mom and my sister up to the North Shore of Lake Superior for a winter retreat.  We rented a small cabin, complete with fireplace, and spent several days in about 3 feet of snow, right on the big lake.  We saw beautiful sunrises and sunsets, made dreamy looking by the steam from the lake and the ice chunks alone the shore.  It was beautiful!  One day we took a trip up the Sawbill Trail, to the Sawbill Outfitters at the north end.  The road was plowed very well, and we had no fear of getting stuck along our 20 some mile trip through the beautiful pine forest.  Poor Ernie had to make countless quick stops along the way when either my sister or I would yell "stop!" for a photo op.  Mom was busy looking for the trees along the road that contained beautiful snow covered red berries.  She'd spy a berry tree, holler "red berries!" and Ernie would slam on the brakes as Lois and I were already climbing out of the van door to take pictures.  We were cold and wet by the end of the trip, but that just made the little cabin with the warm fire even more cozy.  I will never forget the trip that has come to be known as the Red Berry Trip.

We had a little drizzle last night before the snow, so there is a thin coat of ice under the snow.

On another subject:  Next week is the one year anniversary of me going gluten free.  Do you think I'm suffering?  Nope!  I am not!  I've not felt so healthy in years, I have less pain, and I will not be giving up this new eating style.  I love it!

This morning I made pizza crusts from this recipe in my favorite cookbook, Cooking for Isaiah  , and froze three of them for future use.  (See Linda!  I told you I had orange post it notes in my cookbook!)  I make them about 8 inches in diameter, perfect for hubby and I to share for lunch.  They smelled so good that I fixed one up today for lunch.

You thinking that looks like I am missing out on something?  No way!  This pizza had the great crust, sauce, a few pieces of pepperoni, fresh tomatoes, red onions, wonderful fresh Crimini mushrooms, and cheese.  This photo makes it look like the cheese is really thick.  It's not.  But the veggies and mushrooms underneath were!  And it was delicious!