Thank God it’s Monday, again. I always look forward to Mondays, as they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you. Therefore, happy Monday, to everyone.
Winter can be quite wonderful. The tranquil beauty of snow-covered landscapes is unmatchable. The shorter days and longer nights offer us more time for reflection and self-examination, while enjoying a slower pace of life, as compared to the warmer months. Winter also has the most exciting holidays and events of the year.
Some of its observances and celebrations include indulging in comfort foods and participating in (or watching) the season’s favorite sports and activities like snow skiing, snowboarding, sledding, snowmobiling, ice skating, hockey, and more. By the way, the next Winter Olympics are in February 2026. Figure skating was Mom’s favorite event.
The winter season presents a pleasant environment for snuggling by a fireplace, curling up with a good book, watching a movie, or doing a puzzle. In fact, people often try to learn a new skill or craft in this season, more than in any other season. After all, it is a popular New Year’s resolution every year. Incidentally, March is National Craft Month.
Some people prefer the cold temperatures to the hot temperatures. I know I do ever since I started menopause. It’s so much better for sleeping, too. Moreover, there’s a lot less pollen in the air during the colder months, which also provides much relief to those who suffer from such allergies.
According to my AI Google search, as to which states have the “worst” winters – ranked basically by the coldest temperatures, least amount of sunlight, and most snowfall – Alaska is obviously number one (in all three criteria), followed by North Dakota and Minnesota, respectively. Iowa trails fourth-placed Michigan, to round out the top five.
No matter where you live, winter is considered the coldest and darkest season of the year. It occurs in the hemisphere that is furthest away from the sun, in the Earth’s rotation and axis tilt. December 21st through March 20th is the Northern Hemisphere’s official winter season. Meanwhile, the Southern Hemisphere is in its official summer season.
Michigan is still in the throes of winter, even though spring officially starts in less than four weeks. Spring generally comes to us “northerners” in name only until April or May. Old man winter likes to hang around the northern region for at least an extra three to five weeks before and after the official season, depending on location, but we get little glimmers of hope.
Winter starts early and ends late in Michigan. Depending on where you are in the state, it can be as early as October to as late as May in the Upper Peninsula and about November until April for the Lower Peninsula. The Upper Peninsula experiences the most extreme cold, lake-effect snow, and ice conditions.
Although every year is different, Michigan winters are typically long, cold, and snowy. January is usually the coldest month, with an average temperature just under freezing; followed closely by February, with an average temperature just above freezing. The average high temperature in March jumps to the mid-40s, as we get closer to when Spring Begins.
Local winter festivals have been growing in popularity, especially in the last five years. They emphasize fun winter activities like ice fishing, ice skating, ice carving, and snow sculptures to name some.
St. Clair, Michigan’s “Icy Bazaar” [aka: “Ice Fest”] added fireworks to their mid-winter celebration. Firepits and s’mores and food trucks are all the rage at all the festivals, in any season.
However, if you don’t enjoy outdoor activities in the cold winter months, you can also enjoy indoor activities like going to the gym or library (it’s also National Library Lover’s Month), exploring museums and art galleries, baking or cooking, and the like.
Warm comfort foods and drinks help some people endure the winter months – such as hot cocoa, tea, apple cider, mulled wine, or brandy; as well as cream-based soups, casseroles, shepherd’s pie, pot pies, macaroni and cheese, squash, mashed potatoes and gravy, beef stew, chili, pot roast with root vegetables, and other hearty dishes.
Some people love winter and all of its activities and sports, while others just tolerate the season and find things to do inside, “toughing it out” because the rest of the year (spring through fall) is so spectacular it’s worth it. Those who can’t bear it, migrate south and return in the spring, along with the birds. We call these people “snow birds”.
Mom and Dad always found creative ways for me and my siblings to enjoy the winter months. When we were young, we learned how to fish, ice skate, build snowmen and snow forts, and make snow angels. We played outside on our swing set and in our sandbox, no matter what season it was.
By the way, Saturday is… National Play Outside Day (for 2025), which is always the first Saturday in March (and EVERY month). There are a lot of fun things to do in winter that you’d also do in any of the other seasons – playing backyard games, going to a park, having a picnic. My husband loves to grill hamburgers in the snow.
Mom won a maple stereo and radio head set in 1964 from a writing contest sponsored by Detroit’s WJBK-Radio, for one’s most unusual experience while listening to the radio. Mom wrote, “Picnicking in the Snow”, about cooking out on a Metropolitan Park beach in the middle of winter and listening to the radio to stay in a good mood in the cold weather.
FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…
As seen in…
Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 294). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition)].
DIVIDENDS
EVERY SUCCESSFUL ACCOMPLISHMENT with my writing, after high school and the one year in college, was involved with recipes and cookbooks and restaurants. But I couldn’t see that it was a kind of calling. I saw it only as an interest that temporarily kept me writing and making a worthwhile living at it.
WDEE-Radio, in Detroit, gave me a portable radio for a recipe that took 1st place in a contest they conducted – and in 1962, it was WBRB, in Mt. Clemens, that gave me a check for 1st place in their recipe contest. Soon after that, Better Homes & Gardens sent me a check for a recipe [I entered] in a contest they had conducted.
WJBK-Radio gave me a maple stereo and radio set for their [contest for the] most unusual experience while listening to the radio, in 1964, when I wrote them about our “Picnicking in the Snow”.
Again, the story was food related, including recipes for having a cook-out on the beach at Metropolitan Park in the middle of winter, with the radio going to keep us in the proper mood.
Winter living, especially in the northern states (and Canada), is definitely an acquired taste, with pros and cons, alike. According to Wikipedia.org: “An acquired taste is an appreciation for something unlikely to be enjoyed by a person who has not had substantial exposure to it.”
PROS
Winter is an important part of the Earth’s life cycle, as it helps plants and animals rest and renew for spring’s re-birthing process. It also helps some plants to germinate. Additionally, winter’s cold months actually help to regulate the Earth’s temperature.
With time and increased exposure to harsh winters, some people get used to it, learn to appreciate it, and actually enjoy it. There are many winter activities and sports with which people fall in love – snow skiing usually tops the lists of favorites.
Winter in Michigan can be a wonderland for those who also like snowboarding, sledding, cross-country skiing, ice skating, ice fishing, snowmobiling, and the like. Just because Winter’s days are colder and shorter doesn’t necessarily mean the season is any less fun than the rest of the year.
In addition, cold temperatures have been found to help some people lose weight, improve sleep quality, temper character, sharpen the mind, and relieve allergies. An added benefit is the dramatic decrease in the presence of annoying insects.
CONS
Most people don’t like the cold, harsh conditions of the winter season found in the northern part of the northern hemisphere. More than a third may temporarily experience the “winter blues”, a mood (and activity) regression during the winter months, which is often associated with the season’s shorter days and sunlight deficiency.
Cold air can weaken our immune systems, creating higher risks of respiratory diseases. Additionally, snow and ice increases our risk for traffic accidents, as well as slipping and falling and getting injured.
Moreover, it’s physically dangerous for some, triggering frostbite and hypothermia from exposure to extreme cold temperatures. Winter can also cause blood to thicken, which can create clotting and high blood pressure problems, contributing to heart attacks and strokes.
LAST THOUGHTS…
Saturday is the start of March and National Craft Month. Mom loved many different crafts but crocheting was her favorite. Don’t forget to check out the Crafts tab, on Saturday, for Mom’s “Granny Square Pull-Over Vest (With Options)” and “How To Steam Press Granny Square Garments”.
Thanks for visiting! I hope you’ve enjoyed reading about my memories of my mom, her memories, and other related things. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to email me at [email protected]. You can also find me on Facebook: @TheRecipeDetective.
IN CLOSING…
In honor of February, being Canned Food Month, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for “Chief Boy Hardley Spaghetti Sauce” [like the famous canned product by Chef Boyardee®]; as seen in… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 73). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition)]. As always, I’m asking only for proper credit if you care to re-share it.
P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…
February observes… Black History Month, National Great American Pies Month, National Bake for Family Fun Month, National Bird Feeding Month, National Cherry Month, National Grapefruit Month, National Hot Breakfast Month, National Snack Food Month, and National Weddings Month – among other things.
Today is also… National Tortilla Chip Day. Plus, as the last Monday in February (for 2025), it’s also the start of… National Eating Disorders Awareness Week.
Tomorrow is… National Chocolate Covered Nut Day and National Clam Chowder Day.
Wednesday, February 26th, is… National Pistachio Day and National Tell a Fairy Tale Day.
February 27th is… National Strawberry Day. Plus, as the fourth Thursday in February (for 2025), it’s also… National Chili Day.
Additionally, as the last Thursday in February (for 2025), it’s also… National Toast Day. In honor, here’s a re-share (from November 2020) of Mom’s re-vamped recipe (from Betty Ford) for “Creamed Chipped Beef On Toast”, one of Dad’s favorites.
Friday, February 28th, is… National Chocolate Soufflé Day and National Floral Design Day.
Saturday begins the month of March, which celebrates… Irish-American Heritage Month, National Caffeine Awareness Month, National Celery Month, National Flour Month, National Sauce Month, and National Women’s History Month – among other things.
March 1st is also… National Dadgum That’s Good Day, National Fruit Compote Day, National Minnesota Day, National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day, National Pig Day, and World Compliment Day.
Sunday, March 2nd, is… National Banana Cream Pie Day and National Old Stuff Day. Plus, the first two weeks in March [1st-14th or 2nd-15th (for 2025)], or whenever it’s convenient, is always… National Procrastination Week.
Additionally, as the start of the first FULL week in March (2nd-8th for 2025), it’s also the start of… Words Matter Week and Read an E-Book Week. Moreover, it’s also the start of… International Women’s Week, which is always the week of March 8th.
Have a great week!
…8 down and 44 to go!
