Soups, Sweaters and Snowplows

 


We are in the midst of my favorite month of the year and so far, it could be described as an old-fashion January with lots of snow and wind. Blizzards. Rain. More snow. Perfect January weather. But with such perfect weather comes the need for some best friends.
* SOUPS: A favorite soup I make this time of year is a soup my mother used to make & we all enjoyed. Over the years it was nicknamed, "Witch's Brew," because of the little acini di pepe as one of the ingredients resembling something that might be found in a witch's brewing pot of ghoul. The longer the acini di pepe sat in the chicken broth, the better they tasted.
* SWEATERS: I love sweaters. The older the better. The more you wear them the warmer and cozier they make you feel. Many years ago, when my hometown had a downtown there was a store called The Surprise Store. It was a department store and with each purchase you earned S & H Green Stamps. It was also the place to go for sweaters. I still have some sweaters from The Surprise Store. I still wear them. I still love them. A favorite is a sweater I "just had to have" after Sonny & Cher first appeared on the scene. It was a copy of Cher's short-sleeved ribbed sweater and to my surprise, The Surprise Store had it in stock.
* SNOWPLOWS: There is nothing more reassuring to hear during a North Country blizzard than a snowplow. Especially at night when the snow is tumbling down and you can't sleep wondering about road conditions in the morning and then, out of the blue, in the distance, the rumbling can be heard off in the darkness under blizzard conditions.
It's the rumbling of a Snowplow.
As it gets closer, the louder the rumbling and the scraping and the pushing of the snow becomes. When it passes by your home, its lights follow around your walls and then disappear into the darkness as it continues on like a soldier in the night, lighting up houses with reassurance as it passes by, letting you know that it is out there in the storm clearing the roads. Sanding the roads. Alone in the storm. Keeping you safe while you roll over and go back to sleep.
That is, until the next North Country blizzard comes around.

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