Why people like me can't watch TV

I usually have raw materials prepped in the freezer for when the urge strikes to cook.

I don't have tv service, not interested in what's on. Working in public TV tends to remove the need to watch at home.  Anyway I do have favorite DVDs, and today I was watching Mapp and Lucia, the episode where Mapp is making ginger and marrow jam. Using marrows from Diva's garden. She's rented out her own house for the summer to Lucia, rented Diva's house for herself, Diva's staying somewhere else, but visiting to gossip.

Mapp was back biting Lucia as she took out the hot jars for the jam, when something went off in my head, and I suddenly was in the kitchen

 boiling up jars and cooking down the ginger and lemons from the freezer in a simple syrup.

So now they're cooling and I can watch the rest of the episode. 

I just hope Mapp or Diva or Georgie don't start hooking a rug or something or I'll never get to the end of the series.

Report from the second nor'easter...

I don't think we signed up for two nor'easters in one week, but here we are.  And for the benefit of blogistas aware that I've been in the midst of it (!) and surrounded by power outages, snowdrifts, downed trees, live wires on roadways, etc., I'm now fine.  Pure whiteout for several hours yesterday, high wind, zero visibility.  Paths dug out three times.

Lost power, and heat, for eight hours, but I managed to find my survival blanket, everyone should have one, and made up a warm place on the sofa with that and two regular blankets, warm as toast, accompanied by kitty Duncan, who objected to the shiny survival blanket until I covered it with a regular one.  It was an adventure getting the blanket open.  It's packed down to the size of a postage stamp in the emergency kit, and is not anxious to be unfolded to the size of a large blanket, particularly since it was already dark when I found it.  But we prevailed.

Neighbor had stopped over to lend lantern and flashlight in case my own weren't up to it.  And to give cellphone number in addition to what I had, in case anything happened during the night.

Earlier in the day, while making soup just in case, good idea as it turned out, and lemon ginger marmalade, just because, I thought of taking pix of the old cherry tree, just in case.  Another good idea.  Most of it came down in the course of the day, very sad sight.

 She was a lovely tree, gave shade, food for bees, birds and squirrels, lovely scent in blossom time.  

I was glad to have the soup, since my stovetop is gas and I could light the burners with a match and get hot food after the house went cold.  And a nice snack of homebaked bread, labneh and lemon ginger marmalade helped with the spirits.

 Here's the unboildownable stage, and the container in the background, sterilizing in boiling water

 And the result is one container and one extra

Here's the cook's privilege, homebaked wholewheat, homemade labneh, and a nice helping of the marmalade.  No need for pectin in this, just cooked the cubed fresh ginger and the lemon slices, and a couple of lime slices, down until all tender, in a syrup of sugar and water, and it jelled itself.

Power returned during the night sometime, but the local police department is still out, no internet, posting updates on road closings, which are numerous, from a smartphone. Emergency number working though.  

Temps in 40sF will help melt the masses of snow burying my car, and I hope for a bit of help with that, too.  It will need to be moved for the plows to finish clearing. 

A bit tired today, after all the drama yesterday, and now in daylight see that the falling tree knocked the young cherry tree sideways so I hope that's something I can remedy once I can get out there and do something about it.