Proud Aunt

My First Nephew
Caeden Michael
March 17, 2009

Kate Walsh Downloads are Always Good

Last spring, my obsession with the singer Kate Walsh hit a peak when I went to her small show in Philly. Amazing. She is terrific on her CDs, but even better live. At the show, she sang several songs from her upcoming album. I obsessed over them and searched the interwebs for them without success.

That was until another fan sent me a link where I could find THREE!!! new songs from Kate Walsh. The three songs are downloadable to itunes for free, my friends!

It's true. She isn't for everybody, but she is definitely for me with her soft guitar and emotional lyrics. See...in my own life, I am pragmatic. I am reasonable in thought and emotion, but in my listening life, the more heart-wrenching, the better. Kate does heart-wrenching very well. I find her lyrics startling and honest. I find her voice honest and pure.

Snow Day Revisited

You might have heard earlier in the week that the east coast had a snow storm. Everyone back in the midwest keeps saying to me, "It must have been bad, huh."

Well...it was bad for Philly. I have to remember that Philadelphia is very big and isn't as flat as the midwest. People live up hilly roads and there is a lot of traffic. A snow storm just affects people and their lives a little differently here. It's true that what I know as a big winter storm is very different than what people who were born and raised in Philadelphia know as a storm. That doesn't make me dismiss this as a winter storm. There are just a whole different set of circumstances to consider when it hits a city like Philadelphia.

When you look at the photos, I know you are thinking, "That is not a storm. That is a regular day here in North Dakota or Minnesota," and you would be right. My memories of blizzards that covered a third of my house would make me question whether this is an actual storm, but the weather people say it is a storm.

I like the snow and in honor of our March storm, I would like to make a list...

Things I Like About Snow Storms...
1. I like to brush off my car. I find it very satisfying. I think I have above average skills when it comes to defrosting and cleaning off a car covered in snow. This storm wasn't even a challenge. My car had about 6-8 inches of snow on it. I have memories of needing a shovel to actually dig out the car before I could brush it off.

2. I like to hold up in my house and do cozy things. I made some banana crumb muffins on Monday morning because I had the time and because they were warm and cozy.

3. As much as I like to hold up in my house, I like to cruise around in my CRV and see how things look. I like to give Tim a commentary on the conditions while he questions my judgement for being on the roads. Don't worry. I stay close to home.

4. I like snow days. I like late starts. I like to check the website of the school district in five minute intervals waiting for the bold letters that tell me that there will be no school! And, I don't have to make up the days. Hooray!

5. It gives me something to blog about.

6. I get to be reminded of my hearty midwestern nature. I get to think about the days in the midwest when a blizzard would take out the power for two days and you'd be left doing little more than playing cards in about five layers of clothing. Really, those are rare storms, but it does happen.

The Midwestern Cook

I spend at least thirty minutes of every day reading cooking and baking blogs. Although I adore a number of cooks on the Food Network, I find that the recipes on the food blogs are so much more manageable. Along with the commentary and hints that they give, I find that the recipes that I try rarely fail.

I may regret this, but....I am starting a food blog. I have been working on it for a few weeks. Instead of posting my recipes here at The Midwestern Position, I will be posting recipes at The Midwestern Cook. I hope that you will bookmark it and visit as often as you visit this blog. My only concern for my food blog is being able to post as often as I should. I want to keep people coming to my blog and if I have a busy week and cannot post new recipes, they might abandon The Midwestern Cook.

Cooking and baking is one of my passions and I love to talk and share about it. So, hopefully, people will want to see what is cooking in my kitchen!

Oh, well, we'll see how it goes. I hope to discuss recipes, cooking gadgets, favorite ingredients, and more.