blogger mom

The days are still cold here in Ohio, but when the sun decides to shine you can sense that spring just might be getting a little bit closer. Of course, we will probably get one more big snow, but spring will come eventually. In spite of the cold temperatures, signs of spring are all over our house. Eric started the onion seeds in the basement, with the help of the two year old and his wheelbarrow. He has quite a greenhouse of sorts rigged up in our dungeon of a basement. This means that my wood floors upstairs are also showing signs of spring as bags of soil and compost make there way down to the basement. Many more seeds are still waiting to be started in a box upstairs, but it's not quite time yet. I'm anxious to start gardening this year, to be more involved with this process from start to finish.

Local eating has not been as difficult as you would assume through the winter. Our preserved food has been fun and I've learned a lot this winter about what will need preserved from this coming year's harvest and about how much needs to be preserved...A LOT! Our supplies are running low. I used the last of the canned tomatoes last week. There are a few more frozen bags in the deep freezer. The only canned items left are several cans of green beans and a lonely quart of tomato juice. The deep freezer is down to a few bags of salsa, a few chopped peppers and the frozen tomatoes. Our meat CSA with 2Silos has been a wonderful experience and we will definitely be doing this again next winter. Meat has been a winter crop for us and as the days start to grow longer and the temperature rises we plan to eat a lot less of it. Columbus is extremely lucky to have a winter farm market. There are always plenty of local eggs, cheeses, and meat varieties to choose from. There are also fun items like honey, jam, and popcorn that keep winter food exciting. An added market bonus is the organic farmer with heated greenhouses that has kept our family stocked with potatoes, onions, spinach, lettuce, kale, and cherry tomatoes throughout the winter months. Add to this a quick stop at the North Market for local milk, butter, and flour and our grocery bill has remained about 90% local throughout the winter. This is our economic stimulus plan for our local economy. I had a big goal of learning to make cheese and pasta this winter and I'm a bit disappointed in myself...it's February and I haven't started. I've got a few weeks before it's officially spring on the calendar, so I better get moving. Bread baking has improved this winter, but we still have a long way to go.

The boys are all doing well this winter, growing like weeds. Riley is playing basketball and is playing in a new league through Westgate Rec. Center. This kid loves basketball, but he lacks confidence. It's been difficult for Eric and I to watch him this season, he's been so timid and nervous. The league is for 7-9 year olds, which makes him the youngest. This Saturday morning though he scored his first basket of the season. The look on his face was priceless. A lot changed with that one basket. Trey LOVES school and is busy making new friends. He's made a new friend that will be in kindergarten with him at Westgate next year. They've become fast friends and I'm also really enjoying getting to know his friend's mom. Evan is still our pickle. He refuses to be potty trained. He loves to tell knock knock jokes that make no sense. He still lives to make us all laugh. It's been a good winter with my boys.

We spend our down time this winter day dreaming about a trip to Liberia, a trip we really hope to be making shortly.