Snow in Houston, Texas

Magic is in the air. Earliest snow in Houston ever on December 4th. It is large flakes mixed with rain now but it is supposed to turn to all snow this afternoon. The weather forecast has been predicting snow for today for almost a week. I imagine today is a bit like Ireland.

When you have snow you have to celebrate properly. I am heating the spa now so I can soak in the heat with the flakes falling. I also called County Cork O'Conaill Chocolates to make sure I have the right recipe for hot chocolate from their fabulous chips I purchased this summer. 50 grams of chips to 200 ml hot milk is perfect. (2 oz chips to about 7 oz milk).

Last night was birthday number 55 for Cherry. We celebrated at The Grove downtown. The wood grilled salmon, grilled corn/jicama/tomato vinagrette was the most popular dish at our table and the fried gulf shrimp with red jalapeno ginger sauce was declared to be the best she ever had by Kacie. The Turley 2007 Dusi Vineyard Zinfandel was a great wine with a fragrant bouquet of spice and lots of dark berries, fruit, and licorice, peppery and lingering acidity thoughout. Try this one if you can find it. And of course there was Moeller's Bakery cake and Bluebell mint chocolate chip to finish off a great evening.

Varmints

It was one of those evenings where the cold was slowly seeping in from the north pulling in the moisture from the south. The rain was steady and sometimes hard. The moon would be full in two days time but was obscured by the dense clouds above. The gas lamps were under repair so there were only a few lights on the street high up in the tall pines. Unfolding the umbrella on the porch he set out to retrieve the mail which was still in the box near the street. No one was out on such a night except perhaps a dementor or two. As he stepped down on to the drive he saw the figure moving slowly down the street. He looked old with the high arch in his back and awkward gait. Unsure as to what the creature might be he followed him down the street. Perhaps a very large cat, but not very cat like. No, it was the largest opossum he had ever seen. The possum is definitely the most repulsive member of the marsupial family . When you see one you just want to grap a bat and club him. This creature does not even have the appeal of the nutria he had seen at the golf course pond last weekend. The varmint continued down the street so he was allowed to live another day.