A Little Bit of Spring

   Last week's weather was in the 30s and 40s, but now it seems maybe I imagined it after all. I did take care of a lot of outside chores while the weather cooperated, so that it is a good thing. It felt so good to be outside last week that I looked for things to do, this week wild horses couldn't drag me outside. Barn chores are all done in a hurry this week. With the temperature outside merely minus 2 degrees while I write this blog, I am happy to be inside at my computer. 
   While it was above freezing last week my pussy willows actually started to swell on the branches, so I brought some inside, put them in water,and I now have catkins opening up. In about two weeks I should have fully blooming branches of pussy willows.Probably just in time for Valentine's Day.

   Another spring surprise I have in my house is a blooming pot of hyacinths. My husband was cleaning off our basement stairs, just before Christmas, and found a real treasure. I had put a pot of purple hyacinths that had bloomed last spring (a gift from my husband) on the stairs to plant in the fall and had totally forgotten about them. When my husband found them they were poking little green shoots out of the dry soil. I watered them and put them in a sunny window, and now we have spring in minus zero weather. They look so beautiful and smell glorious. Just what we need this week!

 

   We had another accident with the wild birds yesterday. A downy woodpecker hit our kitchen window and really stunned himself. I sincerely thought he was dead, but after a warm up inside he was back to the feeder eating suet again. Since this window isn't even in line with their flight to and from the feeder, I don't know why this has happened twice already this winter. Both birds survived, so all's well that ends well I guess.

 

 

   With no real warm up insight it is a great week to warm up the house with some baking. With the tremendous amount of Christmas baking that I did, I took a break from one of my favorite pastimes. With the temps close to zero today, I plan to use my oven as an extra heat source. Today I am baking a "Harvest Cake" a recipe I found in a magazine years ago. If you care to try baking this moist, spicy cake the recipe is as follows:

 

Ingredients-

 

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs

16 ounces pumpkin

2 cups flour

1 large apple peeled and chopped

1/2 cup pecans

1 cup raisins

 

Grease and flour a tube pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Mix together sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, ginger, oil, and eggs. Add pumpkin to mixture and stir well. Stir in 2 cups of flour, 1//2 cup at a time. Stir in apples, pecans, and raisins. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 60 to 70 minutes.