Last week the snow started falling…sometimes it felt like we were living in a snow globe. It was, and still is, beautiful outside.
Out our front door…at dawn’s early light.Looking out our patio door, early morning.
It has continued to snow off and on, and the “frosting” has stayed on the trees, and everything else for that matter. Wherever you look, it is stunning. A true winter wonderland!
Breathtaking beauty.
We went on a cross-country ski outing at Riverbend Nature Center in Faribault before the freezing temperatures moved in. It was breathtaking…and hard to ski because I wanted to capture it on camera.
Other skiers enjoying the fresh fallen snow.
Recently, while in North Carolina, I read the chapter book “The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, to my grandchildren.
Winter wonderland…
In the book, the white witch keeps winter in Narnia all year long. The white snow-covered wonderland is gorgeous, but I wouldn’t want to live in it forever.
Into the woods…
Now the freezing temperatures are moving in.
Snow laden branches.
“And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap…”
Fresh ski tracks….
It’s time to settle into the cozy house by the warm fire. I’m so grateful we can do that, knowing full well that’s not the case for everyone.
Leaves hanging on trees, some individually covered in snow!
This scene in Riverbend reminded me of the cotton fields we saw in South Carolina last month.
A few weeks ago, a friend dropped off a gift for my birthday. It was a bag of Turkish Delight. I have been reading the Chronicles of Narnia so I’m not sure if that is what prompted the idea for the gift. In the book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Edward is enticed to go with the wicked White Witch because she offers him Turkish Delight, which he cannot resist.
The Turkish Delight package.
I had never tasted Turkish Delight before. It’s good… sugar-covered nougat with pistachios. My train of thought from tasting the candy was as follows: it started with the gift, to the book series I’m reading, to nougat candy, to candy stores, to Apache Plaza where my friend Diane and I would go to the Fanny Farmer candy store and buy a quarter’s worth of almond bark! What a crazy thought pattern.
I grew up in northeast Minneapolis, in a wonderful neighborhood filled with a lot of kids to play together. My two best friends lived across the street: Donna & Diane. A few blocks away, past a section of woods where we would often play, then across a couple busy streets, Apache Plaza was built, in 1961. It was the second enclosed mall in Minnesota, Southdale Center being the first.
Photo off internet: apacheplaza.com
Our moms would let us girls walk up to Apache Plaza together (neighborhoods were safer back then). I remember the layout of Apache well. We usually entered through Murphy’s Department Store. After looking at all the trinkets we’d go into the plaza and walk around. JCPenney’s was an anchor store, as was Montgomery Ward.
In addition to buying a quarter’s worth of almond bark at Fanny Farmer, we would sometimes go to the soda fountain at Woolworth’s and order a coke and French fries (I’d like to do that again!) I bought records (45’s or albums) at Musicland and spent hours in Minnesota Fabrics looking at sewing patterns and fabric. There was Brown’s Photo where our family had film developed, a pet shop we always walked around in to see the animals, and downstairs was a bowling alley. Apache Plaza was damaged by a tornado in 1984 and demolished in 2004.
The Turkish Delight was a delightful, simple gift given, that brought back such fun and crazy memories, especially a quarter’s work of almond bark!
