Jusalda hope you got any snow shoveled cause its going down to 5 to 10 below zero tongiht and then of course wind chill factor and snow will be next to impossible to move .

I spent morning and part of afternoon and finally finished including the back patio.

Tomorrow i rest my sore muscles and kick wife out of bed to go to work,
well just give her a slight nudge then say Honey i wuv you.

Rafed safe and happy trails to you.

Dominick - hang in there and yes Florida sounds like the best idea !
I just cannot imagine when i get even older moving this snow we get .

Gorgi - we been getting some snow thru out season here and there and it started to melt at first then turned to cold to melt any of it, started to pile up last 30 days or so and then nice storm came and yes sir no more room. I kinda know what you mean heck i cant make the throw anymore over the high mounds on sides of driveway for sure now.

Don't get me wrong im not complaining i just have to deal with it as it comes.

 Several years to Florida or 8-9 years depending on Misses job.

Then Bada Bing !!!!!!!

So......... C'mon spring....... Please !

We are now going to get some rain, then sleet and then freezing rain.  I'm worried about Mike driving to work in that mess.

Tonight, we went out front and put some light plastic drop cloths over the sheets that are over the young fig trees to keep them dry.  That went well.  I didn't want freezing rain to soak the sheets and then freeze.  Oy VEY!!!

noss

It's currently -11 degrees at my house here in Albuquerque. Coldest I remember in 20+ years

Wow! The 23 degrees on my thermometer is balmy.
__________
Dominick
Zone 6a- MA

10.7 seems very cold for your area.
Dang it i just looked at our temp online at 07:55 hrs  and
its 11 below zero im not going to look at the temp gauge in garage where fitgs are stored as they will be fine.
Going below zero again tonight  and then warmup into high 20s

Martin, The big rodent here in Pennsylvania, PHil they call him, I forget what he is called or what animal he is, says Spring is going to be early this year!  I believe this as it is cold but sun is shining sooo hard in windows now and getting intensified! Not much longer at least Phil says EARLY!

Unfortunately, that hairy meteorologist is usually wrong. The only thing guaranteed in 6 weeks or so is St Joseph's Day and a Zeppole!

That is a the sign of spring for me!

Nypd talk about calories them donuts are packed with them i believe. So is most everything on the St Joe tables but as you know "oh so good" !
My grandmother used to make em and of course most of the family was large waisted and bald headed.   ; )

Dunkin Donuts all the way!  Was one of the only things open on the midnight shift. Sounds like we have the same family! :)

Dominick
zone6a-MA

Dominick,
many Italian familes i imagine have similar customs.

Spagets on Sundays - take nap afterwards or drink lots of expresso
Spagets again during the week
Pizza at least once a week- Dad owned pizza joint.
Mention you like Octopus to friends not Italian and get funny looks.
Anthony name in every family weather a cousin brother etc etc. i had brother named Anthony and Uncle named Dominick.
Many came from Italy to New York - ours to Brooklyn
Fathers that snored in church - ours did !
Heartburn - you may remember the blue bottle with the crinkly looking white stuff in there that mixed with water. I cant spell it but it started with a B and sounded like Brioski
 The list goes on and on

As like in me first generation we tend to get away from certain things but certain things we keep.
Anthony liked everything Dad made like his fried meatballs, i liked them but liked the ones in the S. gravy, Anthony could challenge a horse in a eating contest, dad would make the meatball mix and eat little bit raw as he was frying them when he left stove for a minute Anthony would take some of the hot fried ones and walk away .
As time went by Dad started to count them !!!

Dad would make Anthony and i use the old hand machine that clamped to basement table that had a wooden block to press the hard bread into a make bread crumbs.
Oh and grading the P. Cheese and many a scraped knuckles.

Im sure you may related to some things i mention.

Every August we'd go to the market in Brooklyn for tomatoes to make sauce in the basement. Tomatoes EVERYWHERE! Italian Basil bushes in the garden.

October wine making in barrels, drinking it as a kid.

There was an italian coffee drink with almost 100% alcohol- with green walnuts, espresso and sugar.

If you had a cold, it would knock you and the cold out.

Of course a little Limoncello in the summer.

My wife thinks I'm crazy when I tell her those stories! I had to introduce her to salt.

Even before JFK airport (Idlewild) was built, my grandfather would go crabbing in Jamaica Bay before it became polluted from the jet fuel and garbage. That was in the '50's, way Way, before my time.

Most of friends were usually 1st or 2nd generation at the most.

We grew up in the same neighborhood as John Gotti so it was funny to see all the guys sitting outside the deli's, pizzerias, and bakeries just "Hanging out"

I'm a young guy, but I really miss the old neighborhood!

By the way, grandfather and son are Anthony.
____________
Dominick
Zone 6a-MA

This is all too familiar talk to me! I prepare all the good food, my husband is Italian also (American) he loves my good foods. On St.Joseph's day, that was traditionally the day when the Gardening was tilled, wheat starts to get planted, a little earlier. In America, sometimes St.Joseph's day was still quite cold here in the areas of Pennsylvania we settled, Windber, Pennsylvania, where us immediate family settled,  then in PHiladelphia, many family came, then in New York. PHilly and New york were cold but still warmer than in Windber. Windber is a wonderful Italian town, a place I love to call my home. In America the Fig trees were unwrapped St. Joseph day. The gardens tilled first time, alot of hustle and bustle, we were usually cooking! We make a fried dough but it is not called Zeppole in my dialect, it is still Delicious, I make also for Christmastime. Sauce I make everyyear in around August- Sept, all mason quart jars filled with homemade sauce from my Tomatoes, peppers, Basil, onions garlic I grow in garden, this is one recipe and ritual I wish I could pass on as I need a daughter NOW! Still sons can learn these things as well, they are just good food, you can't find this kind food in any grocery store, After I cook my husband will not EAT any sauce bought in a jar at store. I told him that would not be in our house once we lived together. I made homemade wine this year, it was very hard, one glass you were singing and out like light! Much good similarities, I like hearing nice stories that you always give martin and NYPD, nice of you to share!

When you say name Tony or Lou in our house, everyone says What??? its funny 

Maggie, I'll be your daughter...you can send me your recipes. ;-)

Sue, many a forum member has commented on being at your home and being fed delicious, homecooked meals prepared by you,, when visiting you and your figs, I would be honored to share any recipe you would ever like! You would be most welcome, if ever you would like to know How I prepare some foods, always feel free to email me privately and I will share with you! Ciao!

Maggie,

I can honestly say Sue does not need any help in cooking!

Ditto on that rafed!
"gene"

Despite the cold and wind, yesterday's sunshine reduced the snow [wish it hadn't because snow is an insulator]

My in-ground trees are protected by wire fencing filled with leaves from autumn [my neighbors are happy to give me their bags of fallen leaves rather than leave them for the green recycling pickup, because they get the bags back]

Here is picture of snow being moved by next door neighbor and friends to deep for snow blower ( 20.5 inches ) off dirveway.

Going to 5 to 10 below zero tonight again but big warmup coming around weekend in 30s. Its about time.

We have had the fewest days on record here of temps hitting 32 or over in over 140 years (since records kept) since Dec 1st they said.


C'mon spring

Its snowing with black ice here in North Texas as we speak. School called off today and 4 days last week! That is unheard of here :)

Hey Dieleser, The heatburn stuff is Brioschi Effervescent. I'm suprised no one mentioned Bay leaves, hot water and Lemon curing everything.

The low temperature tomorrow morning is forecast 30F, 27F Friday morning, 29F Saturday morning!  The high tomorrow is only 47F and the high Friday only 53F, and 60F on Saturday.  
There have been 18 days since December 1st with minimum temperature of 32F or lower.  The average is only about 10 days.  The lowest temperature so far this winter is 25F.  

Even after below-freezing temps, my Pineapple Guava is still alive!!

71GTO,
thats it i could not spell that for the life of me but remember it well in our house growing up.
Bay leaves , hot water and lemon? How do you make that im curious.

On another note it reach 8 degree's today for a high and as i type this
it 1 below zero already out.

Last year mid March i started the fig shuffle in and out of garage to help get a jump start, hope i can do similar by end of March.

Thanks Akram and your friends in Canada  for sending the cold system south, i know you like to share but um thats enough for this year  !!!  ; )

Its Just boil some water like you would make tea then you throw a 2 or 3 bay leaves in it, Then drink it, but you don't have to eat the Bay leaves. The lemon juice in it is optional. My mother in-law and grandmother in-law (I'm not sure if that is a real term) give it to my wife and I for any upset stomach or flu. My wifes grandfather will take me aside, make the F U hand under the chin motion in the direction of the bay leaves and tell me to drink some wine. They have also told me if you have a cold cooking down wine until it is thick and drinking it is supposed to make you better. I can't bring myself to try it.