I'm not sure why it is, but as soon as I turn the page on the calendar and see March 1st looking at me, I feel like spring has arrived. Really, though, spring arrived a few weeks ago here on the west coast of Canada. All of the spring bulbs are up out of the ground and some, like the crocuses and snowdrops, are even in full bloom. I'm not sure what's next to open, but probably the daffodils followed by the hyacinths and tulips. The trees are coming along nicely as well. The leaf buds are getting fatter by the day. Trust me when I tell you, this is not the norm for the rest of this fine country. Most parts of Canada will continue to be in a winter deep freeze well into April! Two years ago I flew to Calgary in early May and my plane couldn't land because of a surprise snow storm! Yes, I am truly lucky to live on the West Coast of British Columbia.
The only trouble I see with spring's arrival is the term “spring cleaning”. For some reason people have this idea that they should turn their homes upside down, start cleaning, and get rid of everything they don't want or need anymore. Within the next couple of months many homes in my neighborhood will be having garage sales on the weekend and all kinds of people will turn up to buy their junk. I just don't understand that, yet the one thing I am sure of, is that people who go to garage sales don't feel any pressure to do their own spring cleaning. I'm not sure why there is this urge to clean and organize when the weather is finally nice and the days are longer. We should be outdoors enjoying ourselves, at the park, riding bicycles, not in our basements and storage rooms trying to figure out what to do with our old clothes and furniture! For this reason I think spring cleaning should take place in mid-January. Christmas is over, the garden doesn't require any tending; it seems to be the perfect time to organize one's life. But, I tend to get a little busy in January too, my kids play soccer through the winter, and my son also plays hockey, so right there, I'm standing on a cold wet soccer field when I should be home getting rid of things I don't want anymore! Basically, I can come up with an excuse not to clean my storage room whatever the time of year. I guess I just have to go hard and get a lot done in the few moments when I feel the urge to clean. But that's not right now. I think I'll just sit back and wait for right moment. Maybe I'll go bake something instead. Speaking of which, do I have a recipe for you!
These are easy and delicious. They're called “Peter's Grandma's Butter Tarts” On top of the stove, mix 3/4 Cup of brown sugar and 1 Cup of corn syrup. Boil lightly for 5 minutes. Take off the stove and add ½ Cup of butter. Stir to melt the butter and then add 2 beaten eggs and 1 tsp. of vanilla. Add raisins and chopped nuts if you like - about 1 ½ Cups total. Pour into pre-made tart shells that you buy in the frozen food aisle at the grocery store, and bake at 400 F for 20 minutes. Enjoy!
