The longest month

February may have the fewest number of days, but this year it certainly felt like the longest month of the year. February is a curious month; the days are noticeably longer but the scant increase in daylight does little to brighten our moods, and in just about any place you live, February is a miserable little month for weather. Then there is "winter break" - what genius came up with the idea of giving schoolchildren a one week vacation during the lousiest time of year?

The misery of February was increased for us by James' existence in unemployment purgatory. Severance ended in February and although he had a verbal offer from a company, wrapping up that job offer took nearly the entire month. The head honcho wanted to meet with James, then the company decided that they should do some due diligence and check his references, and finally, the HR person asked to meet with him. Every time we thought the offer was forthcoming, another hurdle popped up.

I am not going to lie; it was a rough month. Our nerves were taut, our moods were bleak, our fatigue was palpable. To maintain a basic level of mental equilibrium, I require a certain amount of solitude and with all three of us confined to the house by dreary weather and inane school holidays, solitude was in short supply.

We kept going and finally, FINALLY, the Real Official Written job offer came through at 4:55 pm last Friday and James started his new job two days ago. The winter of our discontent seems to be over, and spring can't be far away.

Friendly fowl

We met this fine feathered friend while snowshoeing at Beaver Lake:

We had been told in the nature center that the resident grouse had been spotted quite frequently; he/she is definitely easy to spot in the snow. While stopped for Aidan to adjust his snowshoe, halfway around the Southern Exposure trail, we saw the bird approaching, and soon heard its quiet chirruping.

Such a handsome bird, who was happy to pose for photos:

He/she is not at all shy - that is the tip of my snowshoe:

Shortly after I snapped that photo, I managed to get my snowshoes entangled with one another and fell backwards onto my tookus. The bird took the opportunity to jump onto my leg and start pecking at my jeans, which led to me shrieking "Get it off me!" It's not that I don't like birds...well, actually, I'm not fond of birds at all, especially ones that peck at me (there was an incident with an angry robin in an apple tree at my grandmother's house that scarred me for life). Apparently this grouse has been fed by humans enough times that it now it actively seeks food from humans.

Once James and Aidan stopped laughing at me, they were able to shoo the bird away and help me stand upright. As we continued down the trail, the bird followed us for a time, even pecking at the back of James' snowshoe, until it finally lost interest. Whew.

Treasured moments

Aidan did my hair a week or so ago. It was one of those days before a scheduled hair appointment when I could not make my hair look anything  but a mess. I was on my way to pull it back into a ponytail when I asked Aidan if he wanted to do my hair. "Yes!" was his eager answer and he scampered into the bathroom to collect his tools. He spent about half an hour brushing and "styling" my hair, using every brush, comb and hair ornament I own. My 'do sported elaborate puffs and swoops that fell apart the moment I moved my head, but we giggled together and in the end, he helped me put my hair into the ponytail.

Ten is a great age. Aidan is old enough to be more self sufficient, help around the house and hold his own in a conversation, but still young enough to want to play hair salon, snuggle on the sofa, hold hands, and read together.

Reading together is one of our favorite activities and one that we have practiced since he was an infant. Before Aidan knew what we were saying to him, we held him on our laps every evening before bedtime and read him a book. It is part of our bedtime ritual - brush teeth, bathe, read - that we try to follow every night possible. As Aidan has gotten older, the bedtime ritual has expanded to include him reading to us, telling stories to each other, and playing word games or naming state capitals. But no matter what we do, these quiet moments together help him to unwind from the day and prepare to sleep, and provides a way for us to connect at the end of the day.

I know that the bedtime ritual will not last for much longer, and that he will spend less and less time snuggling with us or holding our hands. But for now he still does all those things and likes doing them, and I treasure every moment.

Sup(p)er Bowl

We like a good sporting event at our house and we always like delicious food, so the Super Bowl is always viewed and celebrated at our house no matter which teams are playing. One of the reasons that makes the event so much fun for Aidan is that it is one of only two times in the year when eating in the living room in front of the television is acceptable; the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day is the other.

The menu for last evening's game:

• Sausage cheese balls (recipe from Jimmy Dean, although I used Bob Evans sausage - shhh, don't tell);
• Two flavors of chicken wings from Quaker Steak and Lube;
• Heluva Good french onion dip (and chips, of course);
• Hot Buffalo Chicken Dip, from Foodie With Family;
• A slightly modified version of Foodie With Family's Pizza Party Bread; and
• King Arthur Flour's Hot Buttered Soft Pretzels.

James and I shared a growler of Ommegang's excellent Belgian Pale Ale. It seems like a lot of food for just three people and it was, and we will be eating leftovers for days (never a bad thing at our house). We could have fed a lot more people, but I am glad it was just us three. We have hosted Super Bowl parties over the years and attended more than a few, but when I really want to watch a sporting event and not have to make party small talk, then it is best to stay at home as a family. It is also relaxing to prepare foods that I know we all like and not have to meet the dietary requirements or preferences of guests.

And now a word about those pretzels: YUM. I saw the recipe posted on King Arthur Flour's Facebook page last week and thought they sounded delicious. Aidan saw me looking at the post and asked if I could please, PLEASE, PLEASE make them for the Super Bowl, and who am I to deny a reasonable food request? The pretzels are surprisingly easy to make and looked beautiful:

 

While not as toothsome as a good ballpark pretzel, they were warm, chewy, yeasty, salty and buttery - what's not to like? Aidan took a leftover pretzel to school for his morning snack and has already asked when I am going to make them again. I think the answer is very soon.

As for the Super Bowl, it was a fun game to watch although the team we chose to favor, the San Francisco 49ers, did not win. A good Cleveland girl like me root for the Baltimore Ravens? Never(more)!