2026 Winter Olympics Milan/Cortina (Quelle Semaine!)

 

Quelle semaine!   (3 Gold, 3 Silver, 1 Bronze)

Et ce n'est que mercredi!

Even I could translate the above! This was on President Macron's Instagram post from yesterday, showing the Olympic medals won by France.  In English, it says "What a week! And it is only Wednesday!"  (The medals were shown as drawings, not in a language. His post was really a Tintin comic.)  

Have you enjoyed watching the Winter Olympics in Milan/Cortina? I have! All those young athletes with their dreams! It is marvelous to me. I do wish we could see more of Milan itself. It all looks so incredibly lovely. The camera has lingered on the image of the magnificent cathedral there. Have you noticed it? How wonderful it would be to see it in person. It is huge, the third largest in the world, I think I read.  Cortina is the area with all the snowy mountains in the background. It looks so beautiful that it just doesn't look real!

Ben Ogden from Vermont won the Silver Medal in the Cross-Country skiing sprint.  Last time this happened for the USA was in 1976!  It was great to see him on the podium, and he was "flipping for joy"! He actually did a back flip off the podium! Did you know that Ben Ogden is also a knitter? Yes, you read that correctly! You may read about it just here.  

Jaelin Kauf, an American from Colorado, won the Silver Medal in Women's Moguls. She is also a knitter! They showed her whole family with the knitted hats that she had made for them. Now, I know that most people only think of the physical and mental acumen it takes to become an Olympian athlete, but isn't it nice to see these people with other interests too?

Jordan Stolz, an American from Wisconsin, won the Gold Medal for Men's Speed Skating, 1000 meters. AND he set a new record! He did it in 1 minute and 6 seconds. Amazing. It was fun to watch; he shaved a second off his time right at the very end! 

It was hoped that the ice skaters from Great Britain would win a medal today, but it was not to be. Fear and Gibson ended up with 7th place.  (The Gold went to France, the Silver to the USA and the Bronze to Canada.) I very much liked their plaid or tartan outfits and the Scottish medley of music that they used.  The three songs that I heard in the background were: "I'm Gonna Walk 500 Miles" by the Proclaimers, "Auld Lang Syne" and "The Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomond".  Can anyone tell me who is singing the "Loch Lomond" song?  I tried to research this but all I can read in the British papers was their consternation that Great Britain didn't win a medal!  (Never mind that, just pay attention to the music and the outfits the way I do. Tee hee!)

It is certainly possible that tomorrow (Friday the 13th) Great Britain will medal in the Skeleton.  Matt Weston is in the lead just now. Fingers crossed for him!  Isn't it amazing to see them just zoom down the ice on that narrow board beneath them? Their speeds are up to 80 miles per hour!

Now, I even love the Olympic mascots, Tina and Milo! 

I promise that I am not glued to my TV set watching the Olympics, honest! Our weather has warmed up very nicely and we have been able to get out and walk. For the past few days, it has gone up into the 60's! Sunny and pleasant, it is just right for us.

P.S.  Don't forget to tell me who was singing that "Loch Lomond" song, if anyone knows!

Snow Is Falling All Around (Break Out the SUET)

 

Last weekend we had snow and ice to worry about in the North Georgia area. Guess what, we had a similar storm THIS weekend!  We had been warned about it for days but the areas that would get the most snow just could not be pinned down.  I am thankful that our county only received a light dusting of snow.  Just north and east of us, it was a different story! My brother mentioned in a text that in Athens, Georgia they got 6-7 inches of snow. (My sister in reply had to say 6 -7! I hope you all know the kids saying 6-7 these days! What does it mean? Nobody knows!)  Anyway, what was I talking about before I started telling you about the crazy things that Gen Z is coming up with? Oh yes, SNOW!

There is a list of the highest snow totals ever recorded in Georgia, and I notice that the dates of Feb. 10-13, 1973, are there with Macon, Georgia receiving 16. 5 inches. I told you about that in a blog post! My Dad expertly drove through that severe storm on a drive up I-75 in our big yellow 1972 Ford LTD.  Click on the following if you want to read that post -  SNOW!   (By the way, if anyone is new reading my blog, our Dad passed away in February of 2019. He was just the best. You know how people think their fathers can do anything? He really could!)

What to do when you are not sure if it is safe to get out on the roads? 

Enjoy the birds!

See the snow? Just a light dusting, as I told you! It was like dust too, very unusual here in the Deep South, I am told. It was like powder. At the beginning of the storm, the TV weather map showed us we were getting snow but...no snow did we see. The meteorologist told us this word: "VIRGA". It means that the snow is present, but it is evaporating or sublimating in the upper atmosphere before it comes down. That is how I am explaining it in my layman's terms!

Birds puff themselves up to stay warm. Look at the cardinal above!

Of course, suet is very much appreciated by them also...

Birds are smart, they filled up on this suet before the storm arrived! I remember my Dad calling me one time and telling me that he knew we were about to have a big snowstorm because the birds had been in a feeding frenzy that day. He was right, of course!

You can buy suet very easily in the stores. Save the container and it makes a nice mold to make your own suet. You know that is what I do!

SUET:   2 tablespoons lard or shortening, 2 teaspoons peanut butter (try for no or low sodium), 1 cup of good quality bird seed with sunflowers, 2 tablespoons oats, 2 tablespoons corn meal.

Mix dry together and set aside.  Combine lard and peanut butter in small saucepan and melt over low heat. Mix well. Pour wet into dry. Stir to combine. Spoon into tray that you saved from the suet! Freeze for 2 hours. (It fits perfectly into a plastic sandwich bag.) Leave out for a bit and then, place in suet feeder. Note: not recommended if above 50 degrees.) 

There, that is the kind of recipe that you get from me!  

                

Hey! You know how people do these elaborate decorations on gingerbread men? I like to just get a toothpick and give them faces before I put them in the oven. (And each one has three buttons too!) The leftover over dough gets the circle treatment and I make a snowflake pattern on those! (Along with the odd tree here and there.)

See, looking at birds and making gingerbread men.  Life is sweet!

Oh! Of course, I couldn't help but think that with all the people staying inside due to the snowstorm that they should all be listening to our son's song! "Snow is Falling All Around" is the title of the post, and that is one of the lines from his song! 

"Home Inside Your Heart" 

There, I know I just had his song on here last month but doggone it, it is GOOD.  

Take care!