Year Two, Day 211: Ice Storm Warning: Stay Warm! Give Gloves to the Homeless! Make Borscht!

Winter storm warning is in effect. Portland is due for freezing rain and possibly snow overnight.

I will believe it when I see it. It is bitter cold outside, but the sky is a lovely blue. My daughter had the day off. So of course we went to Starbucks, shopping and Pho! She also updated my hair color. I like it. It is a little more natural.

I did love the Viking red though, but this is more suitable to my coloring.

I am heading out soon to teach. My daughter and I planned ahead in case the freezing rain really does appear tomorrow. Our home has a steep staircase leading to the front door. Even on a typical drizzly Portland day, the stairs are quite treacherous. We all have broken in the steps in many awkward bumps on our bottoms.

But I for one, do not look forward to a descent at any speed on any part of my body tomorrow in icy conditions.

It is days like these that my heart really goes out to our many homeless people. I am stocking up on gloves to hand out. Many people who are not homeless, but are the working poor, or even the uninformed, clueless and unprepared are so thankful for a pair of gloves as they sit shivering at a bus stop.

I do like spreading good cheer.

And cold days like this call for comfort food! This morning, my daughter and I chopped and diced vegetables and loaded up the crockpot with our cold weather favorite: vegetable beef beet borscht.

When my daughter was about 8 months old until she was in about first grade, she and her brother were cared for by a wonderful Russian family while I worked full time in an office.

Not only did they care for my babies like they were there own, they fed them amazing Russian food. Like borscht. I used to think borscht was a cold beet and sour cream soup. But Nadya told me it just meant "soup" in Russian. This soup is to die for. Chunks of beets, potatoes, carrots, celery and beef stew meet in a beef broth. We slow cook it all day. Near the end we add fresh dill and shredded cabbage. And top with a dollop of sour cream.

Comfort food never tasted so good. And our borscht is nearly as good as Nadyas!

And if we have to hunker down for a few days, at least we will have well fed tummies!

Happy Wednesday. Stay safe and warm!

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