A Few Flakes of Snow . . . and some mighty tasty Deviled Eggs

"Enjoy life . . . there are no reruns." ~Shirl Lowery

We got snow yesterday. Imagine that! Spring is officially here and then we get the snow I have been longing for all winter! The above picture is the only one I got of it that you can actually see the snow in it. I have discovered that snow, is very hard to photograph, unless it is falling in huge amounts, but . . . as you can see . . . we only got a mild sprinkling. This was early in the morning before we left for church. By the time we arrived in church it was falling down in big fluffy flakes, looking every bit like goose feather down, but alas . . . my camera was at home.

None of it stuck though. It was all absorbed as soon as it hit the ground. But . . . it was very exciting. I had almost forgotten how snow felt on your "nose and eyelashes," and what it feels like to catch it on your tongue, and the child in me reveled in every flake that fell from over our Kentish skies yesterday, even if it didn't stay around for very long.



Contrast that to my brother's home in Ottawa where, they are so sick of snow by now, that they would gladly ship it all over here to us in England, and probably pay for the priviledge of doing so quite happily! I guess they have been wearing their arms off shoveling and clearing it all out, day after day, falling into bed at night totally exhausted with their exertions. I think the novelty of those first few flakes that fell in the late autumn has well and truly worn off!!!

Funny how that goes. I remember as a child being hardly able to wait for the snow to arrive each year and being so very excited when it finally did. Snow heralded the beginning of winter activities such as sledding and skating (we had outdoor rinks way back then) and making snowmen and snowangels, and having the first snowball fight of the season. Snow is a lot more fun than rain . . . at least you can do something with it that is tangible. The rain only gets soaked into the ground and makes mud . . .

Long about January or February though, the snow had worn off it's novelty, and we were more than ready for it to melt . . . so that we could get back to the business of running in the grass, and playing marbles, skipping rope or playing ball. The daily tedium of having to wrap up warmly within an inch of your life, just to keep from freezing to death, would be getting to us, and we longed for the day when we could walk to school wearing nothing more on our feet than a pair of knee socks and some shoes. Those old buckled brown galoshes that we had to wear in the winter were a big pain in the arse! You had to fight to get them on over your shoes and then you had to fight to get them off. They always pulled your shoes off when you removed them! The taste of wet wool in your mouth from having a scarf wrapped around your face would be getting pretty old too . . .

As an adult, I have come to appreciate and love each season and welcome all the changes that come with each one, even if the old one should tarry a bit longer than I would like them to . . . Each day is a gift, even if it is raining, and the wind should threaten to blow us away! Each season has it's own beauty to enjoy and it's own perks. I like to savour each and every one of them.

I expect there are a lot of hard boiled eggs sitting around people's homes, now that Easter is over. My mother never boiled our Easter eggs when we were growing up, so that was never a problem in our house, but I know a lot of people do, so I thought I would share my way of making deviled eggs with you this morning. It's a mighty tasty way of using up some of the leftovers from easter!



*Deviled Eggs*
Makes 12 halves

These are always very popular with young and old alike. Whenever I take these to a pot luck or get-together they are one of the first things to dissappear. They're lovely on a salad plate and quite nice to just keep in the refrigerator for snacks. I wish I had a pound for every one of these I have made up at the big house! I'd be able to retire by now! I must make several dozen of these every week and several times a week as well!!

6 large free range eggs (Eggs that are too fresh will not peel easily so it is best to use eggs that are at the very least a week old)
6 tsp of good quality mayonnaise
1 rounded teaspoon of grainy mustard
salt and black pepper to taste
sweet paprika

Put your eggs into a saucepan along with a good pinch of salt and some white vinegar. (This helps to make them easier to peel. Honest!) Place over medium heat and bring them to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes. Remove them from the heat and immediately run cold water over them until the eggs are completely cooled. I like to begin peeling them from the largest end and have heard that they peel easier if you start at that end. I don't know if this is a myth or not, but I know it works for me. I also like to peel them under running water. Just give them a good bash on one end to crack them and then start peeling.

Once you have all the eggs peeled and wiped dry, use a very sharp knife to cut them in half lengthwise. Place the yolks into a bowl and lay the white halves on a serving plate. Take a fork and mash the yolks as smoothly as you can. Add the mayonnaise and continue to mash them together until smooth. (You may need a bit more mayonnaise, depending on the size of your yolks. You don't want the mixture to be soupy, neither do you want it to be overly dry. It should be somewhat stiff, but not overly so.) Stir in the grainy mustard and salt and black pepper to taste. Divide the mixture evenly amongst the egg whites, spooning it into the cavities left by the yolks. You can also use a pastry bag and pipe the filling into the egg whites for a special occasion. Cover and chill for several hours before serving. Sprinkle with paprika just prior to serving for a nice presentation.