False spring or ‘teaser’ spring

Wow! What a change in the weather over the last week. Last Monday it was well below 0. In fact, last Tuesday morning, it was -26. And now it is over 50 and the snow is melting all over the place. I am not going to complain, but I also know after living many years here in Wyoming that a false spring can’t be trusted. Just like thinking we were going to miss winter this year and it just waited a month to get here. 

It isn’t new, having our weather messed up like this. It happens every so often. I have many memories of different winters, but I think my memories are a little skewed by time. 

One winter I remember started out like this one. It was 60 degrees on Christmas. My dad left to go to a funeral in Washington; about three days after he left, it started snowing and then the temperature started dropping. We found out that Dad and the uncles who travelled with him hit the storm just outside of Missoula, Mont. I remember the temperatures dropped into the -40s and even the highs each day were not above -30. That cold snap lasted about two weeks. 

Another winter started way before it should have. We had snow and cold by the first of November and it lasted until nearly May. 

But with every winter, it seems we get a “teaser spring,” a time when the weather warms and makes us think winter is over. The snow melts. The trees may even start to swell. Leaf buds act like they are going to start spring growth, but then the weather switches back to winter again and makes us all groan. 

One year it had been springy for so long Rick and I were out burning ditches and getting ready for the irrigation water when all of a sudden a snow squall came over the hills to the north of the river and caught us far from any protection at all. It didn’t last long, probably not over 15 minutes, but by the time it was over we had 2 inches of snow packed to our backs and we were frozen. We couldn’t get anything to burn after that because it was too wet so we gave up and went back to the house. 

My thoughts are to enjoy the teaser spring, get out and about in the sunshine to replenish the Vitamin D, which we all lack in this area, and let the weather cheer us up. But don’t forget that it probably won’t last and we will soon have a shot of winter again. I just hope we don’t get any more -26 degree weather though. 

Nourishing Rice

1 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons butter or more

splash of olive oil

4 carrots, diced

4 celery stalks, diced

2 cups uncooked white rice, rinsed

6 cups chicken bone broth

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 teaspoon tumeric

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

Melt butter in a large pot, cook onion and garlic until fragrant. Add carrots and celery and cook for five minutes. Stir in rice, olive oil and seasonings. Pour in chicken broth, bring to a boil, add chicken thighs to cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until chicken and rice are cooked. Stir in fresh parsley and serve warm. A big pot of nourishing rice to warm up during our second winter.