Snow Brownies

Was texting with one of my nephews a few days back.  He lives in the South and was on his way to get snow brownies as snow was on its way in.  Apparently when you live in the South and there is even a mere possibility of snow, school in cancelled -- sometimes at the point of the forecast of the possibility -- at least that is my understanding. This ready cancelling of school is something that people who live in the snow belt have difficulty understanding.  But -- one important consolation for some is -- snow brownies. Snow belters should borrow this tradition just in case they ever have a snow day.

The snow brownie "thing" is a family tradition that my sister started for her family.  I heartily recommend it and am pleased that my nephew is continuing the tradition.  On snow days -- Snow Brownies are mandatory.  I know my sister always kept a mix or brownie makings on hand just in case one snow flake had the audacity to appear anywhere near Richmond, VA. Snow brownies make a snow day even more special.

Now here in Northwest PA where we are now over 120" of the white stuff with more in the forecast, we would love to have a snow day and sometimes wonder what it would take to have one.  It seems that our school buses, however, can drive through three foot drifts and maneuver on unplowed roads. I sometimes wonder when the visibility is bad if they navigate by radar.  Nevertheless -- we keep waiting... ever hopeful... some of us craving snow brownies.  Then again -- we did have a mud day one spring because so many of the dirt roads were unpassable.  So there is that hope.   For those of you who are not rural -- mud days are similar to snow days, but are easier to manage unless you live on a dirt road. We have many, many dirt roads here in rural Northwest PA. Must also mention because it sort of fits in here -- we also know how to navigate by telephone pole.  If you live around here, you will know exactly what that means especially if you are driving in snow fog.  Telephone poles, if you can see them, can give a driver some idea of where the road is -- the one you are hoping that you are driving on.

Note: Four wheel and all wheel vehicles are very popular around here because they are needed, not just because they are "cool".  That is also why every other pick-up truck has a plow attached from October to May.

Anyway -- there is something tremendously special about a snow day - snow brownies or not.  Maybe because it is the unexpected -- a nice surprise to find out you can stay a bit longer in your warm bed.  Even  the rare two hour delay is a nice treat. The three hour delay is even rarer, but possible and also a gift of time. You find yourself with unplanned, unscheduled hours ahead of you. You can do whatever you want.  It is a surprise gift of free time with the added benefit of choice .. and maybe snow brownies.

The thing is that at this point in my life -- every day is sort of a Snow Day for me.  I like that a lot -- and even thinking about snow brownies makes me smile.  I could make them any day I wanted.  Wonder why I don't? Can't even remember the last time I had a warm chocolaty brownie -- snow or otherwise.

Okay -- am off now.  I need to spread some salt to hopefully melt enough ice and snow that I can get out of my garage in 4-wheel drive. I shoveled and the plow guy came yesterday... but guess what... the snow is back. So is the ice -- on top and underneath the snow. It's the double whammy. Maybe it will be a snow brownie day. Just need to find my way to a store.  Good thing I drive a vehicle with the 4-wheel drive option.  Yay Jeep Wrangler!  It gets me where I need to go for sure -- just wish these days that my trusty Wrangler was easier to get in and out of.  It is especially hard to maneuver with big boots, and my bulky floor length winter coat. Ah Spring...  when are you headed this way?  

Presbyterian Bunnies

As a part of my self-developed fitness plan with which you may be familiar if you are a regular reader of my blog, I have begun to walk as often as possible.   The parking lot at the First Presbyterian Church -- just up the hill from my house, is a lovely place to walk.  They have a program called "Walk Our Lot" and invite anyone to walk there during the quiet hours of the day.  Some say that once around the lot is 1/4 of a mile.  I don't really care about mileage, I just enjoy the peaceful nature of walking there as well as the flat surface and the perfectly maintained grounds.  It's lovely.  Then, of course, there are what I call the Presbyterian Bunnies.  They are adorable.  There are two or more of them at any given time, and I am quite certain that it is the same two who come out first to greet me in the early morning hours as I walk the back part of the lot.  If you also walk there, have you seen any of them? They are quite tame actually.  It's not like they are going to eat out of your hand or anything, but they wander about quite closely to where I am walking and don't seem too eager to scamper away. Like all Presbyterians I know and have known, they are friendly and most pleasant.     

We chat once in a while...sort of.  You know what I mean.  I am thinking of naming them.  That is not so odd really.  I name almost everything except house plants.  In the past few years, I have had vehicles named Esmeralda, Walter, Priscilla McBeans, and Fii (rhymes with Wii). Currently, I have a terrifically practical garden vehicle with an automatic dumping cargo bed that is named Margaret -- so dependable and sturdy.  My Jeep Wrangler is named Tobias after an ancestor who, with his bride Anna,  crossed the Atlantic in a schooner - traveling from Rotterdam to New York in 1857. My younger grandson has shortened the name to Toby, and it seems to fit. Toby hasn't crossed any oceans, but I have thought about dismantling it and driving it through my horse pond. Toby is sort of like a large Lego toy -- it all comes apart -- roof detaches in three pieces -- each of the doors lifts off.  What's a Jeep if you can't take it apart? Seriously.   Anyway -- I just can't think of appropriate names for these little furry creatures with the pom-pom tails. Perhaps I don't know them well enough. Let me know if you think of anything. Thumper I and II just doesn't cut it. They deserve unique names that have some meaning particular to them. Thanks.

A Bond Among Strangers

Recently I noticed  that a lot of people were waving at me as I drove down the road.  You know how dark windshields are these days -- you can only see the hand waving and not the face?  I was a little confused. Why so many waves?  I checked to see that my tailgate was closed and then --  thought about it and decided that people were waving at my new vehicle thinking that I was someone else.  That was it for sure.  There are a lot of vehicles like mine out there.  Then I noticed that it was only other Jeep Wrangler drivers who were waving at me.  What?  I mentioned this phenomenon to my cool/with-it daughter,  who suggested that it could be similar to how motorcyclists "wave" to each other -- a sort of comradery.  I wondered.  So -- I "hit" Google as I often do nowadays when confronted with some new thing, term, happening, etc. (I want to at least try to keep up with things.  I even know someone who has ordered an Apple Watch.)

This is what I found. According to several sources, including the Urban Dictionary, there is something called The Jeep Wave.  Jeep Talk even has an official "Guide to The Jeep Wave" which goes into humorous detail in delineating:

• the variety of acceptable waves
• the hierarchy of Jeeps, including a myriad of sub-categories
• the rules of the waving process
• the various explanations as to the origin of the wave

Jeep Talk has even assigned a point value to individual Jeeps based on age, experience, equipment, modifications, and my personal favorite -- battle scars, including scars on the driver that "Must be Jeep-related" in order to count (proof may be required).  Of all Jeeps, Wranglers of any vintage rank the highest -- of course. The older and more banged up the better -- apparently. There are even Jeep Wave Stickers and Decals available on E-bay and Amazon. I even saw one type of Jeep Wave in a Jeep TV commercial recently.  It's a whole other world out there that I am just now discovering.  

I wanted to share this information and experience with my daughter, son-in-law, and smart/cute grandkids, so last Saturday, we all piled into the Wrangler and headed to Duran's Farm Store on the "low" road between Waterford and Erie, PA.  We encountered several Wranglers and several Jeep waves as my son-in-law was driving/trying out my new vehicle.  We really "got into" the whole experience. Given our location,  I could not help but think that if Jeeps had been around in the Waterford/Fort Le Boeuf area during colonial times, George Washington would have had one for sure in which to cross French Creek on his way to deliver that message to the French.  Anyway -- it was fun.  Then -- when my daughter was driving on the way home, two of the Wranglers we met did not wave.  Oh no!  Either they didn't have "with it" drivers -- or -- were just not in a friendly mood -- or....  let's face it - sometimes 4-door Wranglers, like mine, are met with disdain by older, more well-used 2-door Wranglers. There is a hierarchy to be sure.  Plus -- I keep the doors on and take my Wrangler through a car wash. For sure --there are the "too conservative" (scaredy-cat) and the "too clean"  factors to consider also.  Notwithstanding the hierarchy,  I have to admit that we all heartily booed the non-wavers.  As a follow-up mention  -- my son-in-law shared with me the next day that he was totally snubbed earlier that morning when he sheepishly waved at a Wrangler --  from his Subaru.  It's not an equal playing field, I guess.

Point of interest -- along with bikers, who have their own wave and protocol, I read that Mini Cooper drivers also have their own wave.  What fun is this?  In times that sometimes seem harsh and cold, there are total strangers reaching out to one another to say a fun hello.  It's a bond among strangers for sure.  I am thinking that we need more fun things like this.