Spring amidst the Snow

  It's been a crazy weather week. Beautiful days, with a bit of snowstorm thrown in for variation.  We've done our best to make the most of the sunshine.

Sylvia and Ephraim braved some windy weather to learn about bike maintenance at our 4-H meeting this week.

Finn, Sylvia, and Ephraim gearing up to ride.

     Saturday, we were hit with a snowstorm.  Big fluffy wet flakes covered all the spring tulips and light pink flowers on our fruit trees.  It was crazy to look out the window and see leafed-out maple trees, coated in snow.   It melted away by the time we were out of church today, making all the bright spring greenery seem even more magical.  I brought out the hammock after lunch.   Sylvia is incredibly good with Ephraim, she snuggled him and they rocked together.

Then I got the brilliant idea.. "This would be better with a chicken!"  (Because really.. most things in life are better with a chicken.)

The sun had gone behind some clouds, and it had cooled off some. Ephraim and Sylvia both appreciated snuggling down to our chicken (aptly named "Sunshine"), whose body temp is around 106 degrees.

Having Sunshine on your belly, is like having a soft hot water bottle draped over you. Sylvia found it very relaxing.

 Another fun activity for today, was baking "rock cakes".  Apparently they are a real thing, not just from Harry Potter.  (Remember when Hagrid offers the Harry and friends hard-as-rock rock cakes?)   We are trying to have a new Harry Potter treat every Sunday night this spring, while we work our way through the movies.  This is the recipe I decided to try out with this week.  (Except I decreased the chocolate chips by half, and made up for it with currants.)     They turned out like soft butter scones, filled with dried fruit. -Delicious!

Wikipedia says rock cakes were invented in WWII in Britain, because they require less sugar than ordinary cookies (due to all the dried fruit in them), so they could be made during rationing.  I think they would've made the dark time of WWII a much cozier experience.. kind of like how chocolate works for dementors.