As hard as it is to have children so very far away, it is delightful to visit on their turf, to experience their world and their everyday lives. I felt quite indulged to be introduced to the deep and wide of Wisconsin's treasures, starting off with a trip to Amish country (thankfully before a new blanket of snow, on which day I might have been the only one within a thousand mile radius that was rejoicing). The down side of the Amish simpler lifestyle, often deemed idyllic, was tasted as we navigated freezing temperatures and considered the reality of hanging laundry on the line to dry, collecting sap from buckets on trees to make pancake syrup, and urging the horse to giddy-up over hill and dale though daily chores. Surveying the myriad of flours and grains available in the no-frills, but ample, markets was fascinating. Of course, (just to be polite) we couldn't resist gathering up some home-made jam, hazelnut peanut butter, maple candy and that fun multi-colored popcorn.
On another day, when we wandered a snowy woods with a hush that hinted we might be treading near Narnia, we happened upon wild turkeys. With no lack of territory to explore we next took to country roads in the heart of dairy-land. Cows lulled on the hillsides, huddled together in the cold. Barns stood stalwart where family farms have been passed through generations and we spotted a cheese factory welcoming tourists. In addition to reciting "Little Miss Muffet", we are now able to relate the process whereby the curds and whey are created and what becomes of them (after the spider.) Here's to Wisconsin cheese curds! Yum. A scrumptious take-away. Oh, and we tucked antiquing into the meandering of this country day, too.
All the walking kept Remy happy and our Fitbits perking (a necessity when we happened upon necessities like Babcok's famous ice cream and Aunt Ozies Restuarant serving up homemade triple berry and maple pecan pies). As we moved into DIY time, Remy found himself worn out and totally distinterested in learning a trade in the pillow project industry. He fancies himself only a happy consumer of such luxuries.
Yes, time with my girl is never quite complete without tryng our hand at something new in both the DIY and culinary categories. Diana has connected with a roastery that imports coffee beans in bags with cool logos from different coffee-producing countries. So we harnessed the new (Christmas-gifted and hand-picked by her amazing hubby) sewing machine and produced a tote from a commercial burlap bag. We're dreaming big things and thinking table runners and wall hangings and Etsy! First off, because the original took the two of us half a day, we need to figure a way to streamline the process to be able to net a profit of more than $1.29 per hours of labor. Be on the lookout for the burlap boutique. You saw it first, right here.
Inspired by that great British cooking tv show, we set out to concoct our own version of a self-sauced pudding. Our test-kitchen specimen blended both lemon and lime flavors. And while we plan adjustments to the recipe (like studying the table for converting Centigrade to Fahrenheit baking temperatures, ahem), we think we'll try it again. Additional delights to our palate were Lazy Jane's gigantic, raspberry scones, Cashew Chicken ala Diana, and Korean fare on our snowy way to a Brahms concert. Ahhhhhhhhh, culture and refinement! Nothing is so comforting as good food shared in good company.....and an occasional Bananagrams match!
Unless, of course, it would be just the pure delight of be-ing together. While Diana juggled studying and her nursing work at the hospital we shared a full-orbed week of wonderful. Quality time, I am pretty sure, beats Narnia's Turkish Delight, and our winter wonderland was just as magical.
Love this girl!
Back through the wardrobe I go...until we meet again.
No comments:
Post a Comment