Edible Book Festival - creative fun!

On Wednesday the Portland Public Library is hosting a fundraising event the kids and I haven't missed in several years - the Edible Book Festival. This is an annual event held in April at libraries around the world. My family loves this celebration of books because it's a great creative, fun, play on words kinda day that also helps raise money for the library. The guidelines for making an edible book are pretty simple. Make a 'book' from edible ingredients (it doesn't have to taste good but it has to be edible). Over the past couple of years, the Portland Library's festival entries have been a wonderful mix of puns, renditions of book covers and some impressive pieces of artwork. This was one of the kids' favorites from last year... "Harry Potter and the Deathly Mallows See more photos from last year's festival Two years ago my kids' edible books were based on picture books. Last year they ventured more to cake decorating with Rainbow Magic and Jewel Kingdom chapter books. The girls came up with their entries for this year's festival and I'm under specific orders not to share their ideas on my blog until after the event. But you don't have to make an edible book to enjoy the event though; browsing is free. If you want to feast on the books and cast your vote for the best 'book,' it will cost you $5. Buying a ticket is a great way to support the library's annual book fund and be dazzled by the creativity of book lovers in Maine. I should qualify my recommendation of this event however with the fact that although children are welcome to make an entry and/or attend the event, it is not child-oriented (i.e., if you've got a kid who likes to touch everything and lick frosting, you might want to skip this event until they're older because that is definitely NOT encouraged or considered cute). My kids have always felt welcomed but I just wanted to offer a heads-up to parents thinking about attending so they know what to expect. Here are the event details if you're interested: Wednesday, April 2, 2008 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. - Drop off your Edible book at the library (get your entry form here)11:30-12:30 - Browsing and voting 12:30 p.m. - Prizes are announced 1:00-2:00 p.m. - 'Eat your words' (time to dig in and eat the creations!) Check out the International Edible Book Festival website to see photos from other festivals.

Learning isn't just for kids

When G. told me she wanted to try a dance class when she was 6-years-old, I signed her up for one. My mother, who had earned her living for a number of years dancing, was thrilled that the dancing gene made its way to another generation. I was a dismal failure at ballet and only lasted through one dance recital before I begged not to do it again when I was little. During G.'s first year of dance classes, the studio owner suggested I join a family tap class. She assured me no previous dance experience was required and there were several other moms and dads taking the class with some kids. Since it meant I could get some exercise time in while my kids were already busy with their classes, I gave it a whirl. At the end of my first year, which was no more than combinations of ball-changes, flaps and shuffles, I somehow found myself faced with the prospect of performing in the recital. My own kids begged me to do it while my husband had a hearty laugh that lasted longer than I care to recall. I decided to do it even after catching wind of the hideous costume I would have to wear (lime green polka-dots - I kid you not!). And even though I knew I'd feel like an idiot getting up on stage to perform a beginner tap routine, G. was relieved to know I'd be with her every step of the way on the big recital day. She was nervous and didn't want to get on stage with an audience watching her dance. I knew EXACTLY how she felt. So we made a deal. If she did it, I would too. G. handled her first performance like a pro while I was a nervous wreck. And truth be told, I hated every minute of it. But the next year I agreed to continue tap with an adult-only class and informed the teacher there was NO way I was going to be in the recital. It was just exercise for me and I was well-aware that I didn't really have a talent for dance. Lighten up my teacher told me. You've got a good memory for the steps and your body will follow with practice. You played a musical instrument in a marching band for years, the rhythm of the tap steps will come. Yeah, right. But I stuck it out that second year and found that not only was it good exercise for my body, learning dance steps was good for my brain. It gave me a new appreciation for what it was like to be a kid again. Learning something new is not always easy. It's a plain and simple truth adults have a tendency to forget. Learning requires you to pay attention to your teacher, practice a skill, accept criticism when your teacher tells you that you aren't doing the skill correctly and then practice some more until you think there's no way you're ever going to figure it out. After my second year of tap, I could do a ball-change while swinging my arms in an alternating pattern with my feet. Oh, it takes most people with an iota of talent two or three tries to learn. For me it took about a year. Humbling? Oh yeah. But here I am, nearly six years later and still tap dancing with a bunch of great women (many of them have danced together for years and have grandchildren in the audience watching them). I still break out in a cold sweat when the teacher adds an arm movement to a tap step. But since I'm almost always in the back (an instance when I LOVE being tall), my constant screw-ups are not usually too obvious. And the, "What the (insert colorful expletives here) was I thinking when I agreed to do this" thoughts before every performance? Alive and well. But it boils down to my girls. They have benefited from my tap classes whether they have realized it or not. From those times I have been able to dig deep down and find that little extra bit of patience to help them through their schoolwork. Those moments when they tell me, "it's just too hard!" Yup, I know what they mean. My tap group performing a number from "Happy Feet" recently.

Self-defense? Just confuse 'em

G. is my more reserved child and usually leaves the more comical comments to her younger sister. But every once in a while G. comes out with something priceless. This morning we were treated to one of those rare moments. G. was helping her dad and sister get the kitchen ready to make pancakes. It required following multiple step directions (something she struggles with) and she managed to get not only herself confused while doing this, but everyone else in the process of getting the recipe and ingredients out of the pantry. Once the confusion was sorted out and the pancakes were underway, G. broke out in a grin and said:

"If someone was trying to hurt me or L., I would confuse them to death by talking to them and then they would let us go."

Bless G.'s heart for recognizing her learning issues and making a joke about it. It's even better than the time she told me the best way to deal with strangers was to speak to them in French (a language she does not know). My G., she's a special one. To read more of the weirdness that comes from the mouths of the Almeida kids (and dad), check out The Classics in Kids Tracks - retro

Chickens, eggs and recipes

We have about 25-30 chickens I think. I haven't counted in a while but if you ask my kids, they'd know and proceed to tell you every one of their names. With that many chickens, we have more than our share of eggs. We didn't start out to have so many feathered friends but we just sort of accumulated them over the years. But that's another story... With spring here (although you couldn't tell it was today!), the daylight hours are increasing and that means we've got some happy hens laying lots of eggs in Chickenland (aka our chicken coop). About three days worth of eggs typically fills our basket - approx. two dozen eggs. Fino and the kids package up eggs for the food pantry every few weeks so we don't actually eat all the eggs our chickens produce. And in case you're wondering, yes those eggs are green and perfectly edible. So this is the time of year I sift through through my recipe books for our favorite egg recipes. My crew has a couple of favorites and I thought I'd share them.

Egg pie

8 large eggs 1/4 milk 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese block of Romano cheese w/grater dash of salt and pepper butter 2 shallow pie plates Beat the eggs well then add milk, ground mustard, salt and pepper. Add the milk and beat mixture well. Use butter to lightly grease the pie plates (this little bit of real butter really makes this recipe) then pour the egg mixture in. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top of mixture then grate Romano cheese to lightly cover the top (the Romano really gives it a nice flavor without being too strong). Bake at 350 until knife inserted comes out clean. Usually about 15 minutes. The reason I really like this recipe is that the ingredients are things I always have on hand so it's a good last-minute meal.

Egg Custard Pie

5 large eggs 1 1/4 cups sugar 2 cups milk, warm * 2 Tablespoons butter, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla Nutmeg Pie Crust * yes, the milk temp makes a difference when baking this pie so warm in microwave for two minutes Partially bake pie crust (3-4 minutes) at 400 degrees. Meanwhile, beat eggs and sugar until foamy then add warm milk, melted butter and vanilla. Pour over partially baked pie crust and sprinkle nutmeg over the top. Bake at 400 degrees for about 30-40 minutes or until outside of custard is firm.

Applesauce Bread Pudding

8 slices dry bread 2 cups unsweetened apple sauce 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 eggs 2 cups milk 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons molasses 1/2 teaspoon vanilla Nutmeg Arrange four slices bread in bottom of greased 9" square pan. Combine applesauce, 1/4 cup brown sugar and cinnamon. Spread over bread and top with remaining bread slices. Beat eggs then add milk and beat together. Add remaining brown sugar, vanilla and molasses. Mix and pour over bread. Sprinkle top with nutmeg. Bake at 350 degrees for about 50 minutes or until knife comes out clean from center. I typically double this bread pudding recipe and it works well in a larger pan. My family loves molasses but if yours doesn't, substitute molasses with an additional 1/4 cup of brown sugar. Do you have any favorite egg-type recipes? I'd love to try some new ones this year. If you're interested in raising chickens, you can read about our experience with Chickenland in the Kid Tracks Retro-version

L.L. Bean classes for families

After reading a story in Sunday's paper about Outdoor adventure stores offering seminars for people interested in learning a new outdoor activity, I decided to check out the offerings. I found a diversity of activities with their Walk-On Adventures which were reasonably priced for families. We've never taken a class at L.L. Bean before but the girls have expressed an interest in kayaking (I went once in college but had no idea what I was doing), so we may give one of these classes a whirl this year. The class fee includes the kayak and floatation device along with instruction for two and a half hours and is only $15/per person (kids have to be 8 years and older to participate). The other nice feature about these classes is that you don't have to pre-register so you can go when you're mood (and the weather) strike you as the time to go. There are also women-only classes that sounded great for moms with older daughters (most have to be 10) who want to learn how to kayak, fly fish or target shoot together too.

Maple sugaring season treats

One redeeming quality about early spring is maple sugar season. We love maple syrup and candy and make a point not to miss Maine Maple Sunday, even when it's on Easter (like it was three years ago) and even when two members of our family (G. and Fino) have the flu and another (L.) is just getting over it. G.'s request (made from the couch since she couldn't come): Cotton candy Lollipop Fino: Plain ol' syrup Grandpa (although he wasn't sick, he prefers me to do his shopping): Maple fudge L.: Cotton candy Lollipop Me: Maple leaf candy I love the smell of boiling sap but was grateful that this year's line to the sugar house didn't require me to stand outside for more than 10 minutes. I think a lot of people were busy with Easter dinner and therefore made my quicker-than-usual stop at the farm easy. In previous years we've waited more than 30 minutes to make our way inside. L. dug in to her maple cotton candy after finishing her free ice cream w/syrup. All this was of course before our Easter dinner but I understood her enthusiasm. I had some ice cream and cotton candy before dinner too. We didn't pick up any maple butter this year even though we like it because we opted for more cotton candy and lollipops. I also debated about purchasing the ketchup bottle of syrup because it just didn't seem right for maple syrup. But the advantage of taking that container from the fridge to the microwave to warm was appealing enough for me to get over the packaging this year. We had already eaten a bag of cotton candy and a lollipop before this picture was taken ;-) What are your favorite maple sugar treats?

Maine Maple Sunday this weekend

We love sugaring season. The kids love the syrup and the mud. I'd prefer just the syrup but with a little planning ahead, I can live with L.'s mud fetish (tall rubber boots and an extra change of pants are required). As in 2005, this year's Maine Sunday is on Easter day again. Some of the farms are open on Saturday this year so it's worth a call to check on dates and plan a visit to a local farm this weekend. Maine Maple Sunday If you've never visited a sugar house, here's a short video on the process of boiling sap to syrup. It's time-intensive and I'm impressed with the dedicated people who do this every time I watch it. More about our visit to Snell's Family Farm in Bar Mills. Last year we visited Merrifield Farm and learned how syrup was boiled before modern technology. More from our visit last year to Merrifield Farm in Gorham. And after you've stocked up on syrup this weekend, you can try out some tasty recipes (or take L.'s suggestion). Maple recipes Do you have any good maple recipes? We'd love to have some new ones to try this year so post a comment and share it with us!

You know spring is coming when ...

you see sap buckets on trees there's more mud than snow the snow in your frontyard is down to 2 feet you are blinded by the white skin of someone in shorts you are wearing crocs without socks you see joggers return to Back Cove you see bikes back on the road the car isn't stuck in the snow, it's stuck in the mud you can finally go swimming ... but it's in the basement you hear birds instead of the snow plow in the morning you discover what color your car is again you start serving Alan's Coffee Brandy on ice instead of in your coffee mug What are your tell-tale signs of spring?

Spring cleaning vs. pack-rat tendencies

I'm a pack-rat. I simply don't have that elusive ability to know what's important, what I'll need in the years to come and what I should just pass on to someone else who can use it in the here and now. I like my stuff and I get worked up about getting rid of anything. It's serious emotional angst for me and spring cleaning time is the worst. I feel compelled to organize my house at this time of year yet I just keep moving the same stuff every time it comes around. I have approximately five very large boxes of 'stuff' from my childhood. I'm not sure what is actually in those boxes or why I saved some of it but now that I've had this stuff for 30+ years, I can't get rid of it. I've had it this long, I should keep it right? It's a vicious, indecisive circle for me. Plus, those boxes are worth a lot of money. Not because of the stuff inside, but for all the shipping I've paid for to move them around the country during my adult life. They went from Boston to upstate New York to Los Angeles to San Francisco to Maine. Yup, they've seen some serious mileage and never got lost. That's karma telling me I should keep them right? But there are these times when my stuff comes in handy and takes me on a trip down memory lane. Like recently when my co-workers started joking around about Charlie's Angels and I knew I still had my old dolls. Or the time last summer I shared my 50+ volumes of Nancy Drew books with my girls after they saw the new movie (that movie was painful but my kids loved it). And when my girls were younger they enjoyed playing with all my Goofy paraphernalia (btw, he is still the best Disney character of all time). And of course Raggedy Ann has continued to be a cherished item for not only me, but for my girls as well. L. was inspired to make her own this year for Fashion Review... ... and then there was the Halloween costume two years ago... ... and the dress that matched the doll that G. loved as much as me when she was little. And I have to mention that doll is a testament to my mother's sewing skills for holding up to regular loving through a second generation. I was about 4-years-old when my mom gave me the doll after a dance recital. But the rest of the stuff... I'm never going to 'need' so I've set a goal for myself this spring. I'm going to pare down to 4 boxes by the end of the season. Because really, when am I ever going to use my old 4th grade folder covered in old Mad stickers... I thought the Mad comics and stickers were HILARIOUS as a kid. I was such a geek. ... or read the Super Mags. But then again, maybe some day I'll need something else from these boxes and I'll get mad at myself for getting rid of the one thing I could have used at that moment. Oh the woes of spring cleaning. If you're a pack-rat and have found a way to work through your problem, please share your secret! I promise only to pass on the secret to one other person ... my husband.

Spring is coming ...

Yesterday G. spotted a corner of her missing sled in the backyard and dug it out. She was all smiles when she uncovered her treasure while playing with her cat in the backyard. And at the end of last week the public works department had a backhoe (no joke) at the end of our road to break up the ice ruts that made that part of the road impassable for small cars (the town didn't plow our road after a couple of storms in February and the road was a mess for weeks and required a detour to get on the main street for us and several of our neighbors). We can now see pavement again. I know, it will still take a while to get rid of all the snow but these little things are indicators to me that spring really is on its way.

Organizing a Warm Up America afghan project

For the past few months the kids and I have been crocheting and knitting to make squares for an afghan. This is the second year our 4-H club has made one for charity with some guidance from the Warm Up America! program (my kids really enjoyed making one last year so we decided to do it again). But this year we asked people to make 5" by 5" squares because we thought the smaller size would be easier (last year's squares were larger and took more time to make so not as many people helped knit/crochet them). We asked our friends and family (from ME, OR, MA, WV and Ontario - THANKS everyone!) to help with the project and by the end February we had 159 colorful squares. It really is a fun kid-friendly and satisfying service project. But having done this twice, I thought I'd share some of my learnings about organizing this type of project in case anyone was interested in giving it a try. *Organize your squares and fit them into a row of strips BEFORE the meeting when you plan to sew them together. This is when you can figure out how each strip of squares will work out to be approximately the same width (it's inevitable that not all your squares will be exactly the size you request and/or perfectly square, especially when kids are knitting/crocheting the squares too). *At the meeting, put the kids into small groups and give each group a row to sew together. This keep things organized for you and it helps the kids feel less-overwhelmed with the project. *If time allows, crocheting a black border around each square makes explaining to the kids how to sew the squares together much easier because all the sides of the square have exactly the same stitching. *The yarn used to sew the squares together hides a multitude of sins when it matches the square's border, which is a good thing when you've got inexperienced hand-sewers. *A border helps make the squares look good together, even when put next to yarn that doesn't exactly match. *Don't sweat the small stuff, like matching all the squares in each row together with the squares above and below it. It's nearly impossible to match squares crochet or knit by a variety of people using different hooks/needles, yarn and stitches so don't even try. *When sewing two rows together, start one child from each end and have them meet in the middle. This way the kids can stretch their rows to match length-wise throughout the whole row instead of stretching the last square so much that it looks weird. *Request your square makers use acrylic yarn (stay away from wool or cotton). Acrylic makes washing the afghan easy for the person receiving it and it's less likely to have odd shrinkage or stretching. It's also inexpensive yarn to purchase. *And last but not least, learn basic math. This helps keep the project simple in creating ONE afghan. Due to my math error, we ended up with enough squares to make two afghans this year to donate to a Portland family shelter. And yes, both did pass the kid-cozy factor. More photos from this afghan-making project. If you don't know how to knit/crochet, YouTube has some good 'how to' videos to learn. And if you're interested in doing this type of service project, check out the Warm Up America! website for patterns and general information how to get started. Warm Up America!

Sewing fun and life skills

Sewing for a fashion show takes a lot of planning and this past weekend the kids participating in the Cumberland County 4-H Fashion Review were all smiles the big event had finally arrived. L. decided she really wanted to make her own Raggedy Ann doll like the one my mother made for me when I was a kid. So for her birthday this past fall, grandma bought her all the supplies to make her own. It took L. a couple of months of on and off work to make the doll, which included embroidering the face and heart, making the body, sewing on the hair (the hardest job of all!) and then making the clothes. G. undertook an easier project because she really wanted a new poncho (the one I made for her for Christmas several years ago is looking old and ratty now) and she thought it would be fun to model at the fashion show. There were 16 kids participating in this year's fashion review and every project was different and really great -- from skirts and tops to scarfs and hats to a Medieval tunic to fancy party dresses. The show had it all. See all the kids on the 'runway'. It really is great to have fun programs that teach kids to appreciate the art of sewing because I know a lot of adult women who have never done it. Plus, teaching kids early that sewing isn't hard, you give them a life skill they can use (my mom actually sent me to college with a sewing machine and I put it to use for myself and my friends, which was a source of great amusement with obnoxious matching shorts but that's a story for another time). There's nothing like looking at the young, proud faces of a job well-done.

Pirates hockey infusion for winter blahs

There's nothing like an edge-of-your-seat sporting event to get you yelling and screaming. Last night's overtime shoot-out win at the Pirates game was one of those nights when we did a lot of that. If you're not familiar with the Kids Tracks Pirates Hockey Retro Version, you might not know that my 10-year-old is a big Pirates hockey fan. It started about three years ago when L.'s friend invited her to her first hockey game. We went and the girls were disturbed with all the fighting and roughness of the game but loved all the yelling and screaming they got to do (obviously something we don't normally encourage indoors, hence it's attraction) at the game. I remember my dad taking me to Bruins games as a kid and thought it was kinda fun to continue the tradition so I bought tickets to a few more games that season. During one of those late-season games, one of the players was injured (the blood spurting kind that has to later be scraped out of the ice - lots of queeziness in the stands that night!). The girls were really upset and wrote the player a get well card the next day. The player, who turned out back on the ice a few weeks later so it wasn't too serious an injury, sent the girls a thank you card and his player card. If they weren't hooked on hockey before, there were right then! So we regularly attend games to cheer on L.'s favorite team (and nope, she has no aspirations to become an ice hockey player, although she tried field hockey for the first time last fall and loved it). We also take photos for Seen Team (I take photos, L. gives out the stickers) and for the past couple of years, we've brought Grandpa along to the games with us. He and L. talk hockey and have an on-going joke about Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline." L.'s had her various game superstitions through the past few seasons that has kept Grandpa and I entertained -- like the ban on chocolate so the Pirates would beat the Hershey Bears in the playoffs in 2006 (they didn't - she believed it was her and the fudgical's fault), which lead to the 'good luck' consumption of dairy for the Milwaukee Admirals to beat Hershey. Needless to say, we enjoy Pirates hockey. Last night at the game L. decided to ponder once again what it would be like to work all the time with your sibling. She thought it could get really annoying sometimes. Kevin Dineen is the head coach and this season his brother Gord is the assistant coach. She also spent some time dwelling on her lack of luck with Chuck-a-Puck. L. won the very first time she bought pucks but hasn't won anything since. If you've never heard of this between-periods activity, check it out in the Retro Version. It's tons of fun. But one of the things I enjoy most about the Pirates games is that you never know what you'll see while you're there. Last night we saw members of the PSO set up on a stage in the stands to play music before the game and between the first and second periods (we also saw guys in kilts but it is March after all). PSO ensemble at the game A while back we saw the Maine Youth Suzuki orchestra play (all 75+ of them set up on the ice to play the National Anthem). A little culture, a little hockey. It's all good stuff. I would not have thought being the mother of two daughters, we would all enjoy hockey games so much. But it's great fun -- and about the same cost as a trip to the movies (concessions are much more reasonably priced at the Civic Center). Plus, there is something to be said for an infusion of socially acceptable screaming to get you - and the kids - through the winter blahs. Overtime ShootOut

Projection art fun on rainy days

L. and I paint large signs for Schoolhouse Arts Center when they need them. They don't take any great art skills to trace and paint but we look forward to the process whenever we're asked to make one. (And this morning I realized this activity falls under Virginia's thoughts about finding special time with each child for me and L. ;) We started the signs for the upcoming "Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep" show this past weekend and they are still in-process (fixing up the letters after the red coat). It takes us about a week to make them because we have to prime the wood (let it dry) then base coat (let it dry) before we can start the actual lettering and painting. Making these signs is pretty simple and only requires an overhead projector and a semi-steady tracing and painting hand. Since scoring a used overhead projector for home (someone gave us an old school one that Fino refurbished), the girls enjoy making their own projection drawings whenever they want. (I've seen projectors on e-bay for a reasonable cost.) On cold, rainy days like today, it's a fun activity that keeps one (or both) of the girls busy for hours. And after reading jro's blog entry about 'messy art', I thought other moms might like to learn how to do this project because it's good, clean fun ... when you use pencils and crayons. We use a roll of butcher paper and Plasti-Tak (love this stuff) to secure the paper to the wall. Then I print out the girl's picture choice on to a clear transparency while they set up the projector and get out their colored pencils and crayons. You can print out clip art or simple coloring book drawings too (a google image search with the keywords 'coloring book' in it should get you something easy for younger kids). Then we put the transparency on the projector and adjust the size of the image on the wall (closer is smaller, further away is larger). Usually the hardest part of setting this up is finding open wall space to accommodate the butcher paper (art projects, photos and book shelves take up most of the walls in our house!). Then they start tracing. Today G. made the photo choice -- her cat Toddy -- since L. is sick with the flu. I am happy to say that the girls have come full-circle on the use of markers. When they were little they loved them because it was something I had to police closely and didn't allow very often (L. was a budding illustrator on her bedroom walls through her toddler and preschool years). Then I allowed full access to markers a few years ago but they decided that colored pencils and crayons looked better anyway. Last year L. made a projection art project for 4-H and I agree that the crayon/pencil look is much nicer. Here's the original photo The other aspect I really like about projection art is that any kid, including those that think, "I can't draw ANYTHING!" (insert G.'s frustrated face here), find success with this. It's easy, it's fun and kids feel like they can do something special. Of course they also start asking you to find wall space for it afterwards... Yeah, maybe this art project does have a downside. But for a few hours of peace and quiet in the house on rainy day, I'll gladly find a spot for the new poster.

Spring reunions

My family loves cross country skiing and we've been enjoying it since mid-December but there are a few things we're looking forward to seeing again this spring. The snow sled. The kids left it outside after last Wednesday's storm. They think it was left it by the hill but Saturday afternoon they couldn't find it after searching for an hour. The road. Saturday we went cross country skiing around our neighborhood loop - on the street - because the plow trucks have done such a poor job of plowing after these last few storms. It was easier on the 'groomed' street than cutting tracks in the backyard. The mailbox. It required a pickaxe and an hour of work on Saturday afternoon to dig it out enough to get mail delivery today. The truck. We can't see the 'hobby truck' (the truck under constant repair by Fino) anymore so that's off the table for repairs until spring (which doesn't break my heart I have to admit; he has time for other projects in the house now). The chicken coop and backyard. We need to use the path to the chicken coop to get into the back yard. Not so easy to scale those banks with cross country skiis we discovered yesterday. The garden fence. This was taken after last Wednesday's storm and could barely see the fence posts; Saturday's snowfall covered them completely and the old stalks. The garden fence and sunflowers in the summer. Our spring will be full of reunions. How about you?