Mississippi winter 2015 vs George Washington's 1779-80

This is my fourth winter in MS. Locals say we don't have "bad" weather,  which explains why our 1960's house has"single-pane" windows. And no garage. Thank goodness we have blankets to tack over our windows and layers of clothes to wear. School closes at the drop of a hat. There is no Midwestern plow to clear the way. Mother Nature's sun is it.

Early Monday, She blessed us with a quarter-inch of ice followed by sleet. Can you hear her laughing? Looking on the bright side, think Dr. Zhivago and the costumes. I would love a sleigh ride covered in furs, wouldn't you? Remember when he studied the snowflakes on the glass? Such a romantic. I like to watch the movie in the heat of summer.

Five of us were invited to Harvey Fiser's for a lady's luncheon, but the weather wasn't cooperating. My car's front and back passenger doors were frozen shut with a mottled pattern of ice as thick as an I-don't-want-anyone-to-see-me-shower door. It took me 20" to clear the windshield and a peep hole on the right front window. Two ladies wiggled and giggled into the back seat. I was the back of the neck. Thank you Morgan Freeman for Driving Miss Daisy. We made it to Harvey's and enjoyed her wild rice soup, dainty ham sandwiches, tomato aspic on bib lettuce, baked chocolate pie and coffee in demitasse cups, a blazing fire and friendly conversation. True Southern Hospitality at its best.

Pause for a moment and imagine what it was like for George Washington's troops. Robert Middlekauff wrote Washington's Revolution: The Making of America's First Leader. © 2015. "The winter of 1779-80 proved to be one of the worst that longtime residents in New York and New Jersey remembered. Some soldiers didn't even have a shirt. There was ice on the ground. Streams froze and Grist mills couldn't turn. Troops went without meat for days at a time. Washington ordered the soldiers to take wheat from mills, beat and husk it and boil it to make a tolerable substitute for bread." With so little, so much was accomplished.

©2015 Red Convertible Travel Series

Happy Valentine's Day

Love is all around!

 Finding natural "hearts" started with this.

 Then I took a walk and saw this.

 A tiny bit of egg white escaped the griddle to show some love.

 Oh, chocolate cake loves us too!

 I chopped celery for soup.

When I cleaned off the cutting board,

I found this heart.

 Broccoli love.

Deer meat skillet magic!

A baby seal napped on my napkin.

Nibbling an apple and sunflower seeds,

I turned a slice over to pick up a seed.

This is what I got.

I tried to create another and the seeds wouldn't stick.

Nature does it best!

Have a Happy Valentine's Day

and keep your eyes open 

for Love!

©2015 Red Convertible Travel Series