Snow and Memories

It's very cold outside! With temperatures in the teens, we've been staying inside by a cozy wood fire most of the day. Skiffs of snow, patches of sunlight, gray cloudy skies, and a gentle, but very cold breeze reminds us that winter is here! The snow reminds me of childhood moments that brought my sister and me great pleasure. What creative little girls we were! I think we came by it naturally, as our mother was creative as well and always went along with our crazy plans and experiments. Sometimes we would take fresh snow and carefully pack it away in a plastic container, tucking it far back in the freezer, so we could enjoy it again during a very hot day in July! Or we'd scrape the snow off a frozen puddle on a concrete pad in the field next door, put on our ice skates, and go skating. Mind you, the patch was probably no more then 10 x 10 feet square! But, we were inventive and didn't mind the lack of very much space to skate (nor the fact that the ice was so thin, we were actually skating on concrete!). We'd catch clean, fresh snow as it was falling and try to eat it before it melted --- such fun, the feeling of it melting in your mouth. My sister grew up to enjoy snow camping --- sleeping in snow caves she learned to build in wilderness survival classes. I preferred to sleep in a warm, cozy place but did enjoy times of snowshoeing on snowshoes that my dad made out of conduit, leather, and cording. Our family would snowshoe deep into the woods, enjoying the fresh snow and the quiet of the wilderness --- no cars, no noise --- just the silence of a wintry forest where sounds were buffered by the insulation of clean, fresh snow. And then there was the ice cream! Yummy snow ice cream! Have you ever made it? Here's a recipe similar to the one we enjoyed. If you have a chance, try it out! What memories it will help you create:

Snow Ice Cream

1 gallon snow
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups milk (dairy or soy)

When it starts to snow, place a large, clean bowl outside to collect the flakes. When full, stir in sugar and vanilla to taste, then stir in just enough milk for the desired consistency. Serve at once.

Enjoy!