Hello, dear readers! Please forgive my long respite. This
winter has been particularly cold and snowy, thus less eventful than normal.
I have spent my winters in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts,
Germany, and now Minnesota. Thinking back on past Februarys, it seems to me
that it is normally a bleak month in which we are cursing the remains of winter
and awaiting the arrival of spring. However, if you look at my blog posts from
this time last year, I was already riding my bicycle around the neighborhood lakes
in the sunshine and walking to nearby museums! The winter prior to that in
Munich was also rather mild and short.
I don’t have many positive things to say about this
February. Groundhog Day was entertaining. There was one public holiday. The month
is short and nearly over. But this February, crusty snow covered with grit and
gravel is piled several feet high alongside the street. The sidewalks are lined
with yellow and brown snow from the neighborhood dogs. And, thanks to the
neighborhood bars, there is frozen vomit splattered on top of the snow piles
near the bus stop where I wait each morning.
After the past two mild winters, this Minnesota winter has
been a shock to our systems. We had light snow as early as October, and since
the huge snowstorm in early December, the ground has been covered in snow. The
worst of the winter was probably in January, when the Arctic winds blew down
from Canada and we had daytime temperatures of around -10 degrees Fahrenheit
(-23 Celsius) for what seemed like nearly two consecutive weeks. Some days even
reached into the -20s and -30s (-30 to -35 Celsius) when taking the wind chill
into account.
Temperatures have started to rise into the 30s, but there
are still cold days here and there, and the mounds of snow on street corners
are monuments to the recurring snowfall we’ve had over the past few months.
When I ride the bus, I try to avoid exiting through the back door, lest I be forced
to jump into a pile of frozen snow, or on warmer days, into an icy puddle. Although
I have acclimated to the sub-zero temperatures (and gotten much use out of my
shin-length goose down parka), I don’t think that I could get used to having
such a long winter. I am ready to retire my snow boots to the hall closet and spring
out of the bus onto a dry sidewalk. And some sunshine on my face would feel
nice, too.
The lack of driving this winter has also led to fewer
excursions and adventures. So what do we do to keep ourselves from losing our
minds during the long dark winter, you ask? Since January, I have been spending
more time cooking and baking on the weekends. I was able to have the Advent party
for my adult German class which I canceled in December due to a blizzard, and I
made my guests some Nutella cake and Vanillekipferl (almond crescent cookies). The recipe for Nutella cake can be found here and Vanillekipferl can be found here.
Nutella cake and Vanillekipferl
I have also been experimenting with making treats like
Gluehwein (German-style mulled wine) and homemade chocolate pudding. The recipe for Gluehwein can be found here, and the recipe for pudding is here.
We have found that another good way to pass the time is to
gather with friends, either at home or at restaurants. Recently, we celebrated
the Lunar New Year with our neighbors at Grand Szechuan restaurant near
Minneapolis.
These spicy Szechuan dishes warmed us right up.
Last weekend we took the bus up to Lake Calhoun to see the
snow sculptures, stopping on the way at a café. We saw other groups of people
walking out onto the frozen lake, as well as cross country skiers gliding
across the snow-covered ice. Since we had not walked on any frozen lakes since
moving to Minnesota, we took the opportunity to do so, and it was indeed quite
thrilling. During our walk, we also saw an ice fisherman from a distance,
trying to use a gas-powered drill to cut holes in the ice.
Next weekend I am hosting an informal event for the Smith
College Club of Minnesota. We are gathering at my apartment to escape our winter blues and drink hot beverages (Gluehwein, hot chocolate with
peppermint schnapps), like we used to do in our residence hall at college.
After that, I hope that spring will start making its way to the Upper Midwest.
I am ready to awaken to sunshine pouring in through my window and birdsong coming from
the trees in my courtyard.
