Batten Down the Hatches, Baking, Skis and Squash

Ben and I have been fairly impressed with the weather people/meteorologists since we moved to Utah. They actually report on the weather! What a concept!

In New Mexico we were often aggravated into making fun of the horrid excuses for weather reports and the people responsible for them. We had our favorite personalities that did their best, but their co-workers and, unfortunately, superiors were often lacking. As a result, the two main weather people we would watch ended up being called "Tepature Girl" and "The Weather Salesman". Yes, I know it's spelled temperature. That's how SHE said it. The Weather Salesman was relatively new to the station when we moved and his predictions must have drawn some flak because he ended up selling his weather reports. Hence the name. He even came close to saying "I told you so" once when his prediction ended up being surprisingly accurate.

As I was saying, the Utah weather people have been fairly impressive to us. To actually get a substantial weather report has been refreshing, even to me. That's saying something.

The reason why I mention all this is because for the past week we've been eagerly anticipating the season's first snow storm. It is supposed to hit the area within a few hours. The wind and rain has been visiting off and on since 2am or so. We may not get snow where we are, but the cold is on it's way.

I am unusually excited for the change in weather for two reasons. The cold weather, for me, signals the real end of summer and fall taking hold. I love autumn as it brings out a festive mood in me that carries me through the rest of the year. The second reason I am enthused is because cold weather means that I can bake with impunity. (Normally, baking is discouraged during the warm months because Mom's bedroom becomes a dry sauna.) To give you the idea about the upstairs room getting so hot, even during the coldest months, Mom opens her windows wide while baking is going on in the kitchen.

Visions of homemade bread, apple pie, cookies, cakes, crisps, and other such goodies are dancing in my head. I picked up a couple of cheaters packages of cookie dough the last time I went to the store.

In other news, Audrey is steadily growing out of her clothes. Her feet are huge. Ben says that she's walking on skis. Henry is also growing well and fast. He has added some solid foods to his diet. This has provided some amusement for anyone watching his face while he tries new flavors. Squash was my personal favorite in the funny face promotion.