Coping with Snow by Eating Home Made Marshmallows

 Portland Oregon usually does not get snow. In fact I do not own a snow shovel nor do any of my neighbors. We just wait until it melts. The city shuts down and the news advises everyone to stay indoors.

When the storm hit Thursday afternoon, I hunkered down preparing if it should turn to ice by finding flashlights, charging phones and making marshmallows that we enjoyed with hot cocoa.

Saturday we were still enjoying marshmallows and cocoa and the winter wonderland that gripped us. During this time my husband takes out his big 4-wheel drive and uses any excuse to test the road conditions. Need some milk? He’s your man. Saturday he put chains on his rig so  there was no hill he couldn’t climb.

Since I can’t bike in the snow I needed to get some exercise so we went on walks. I got out my 20 year old Sorrells. I bought these boots when we went to the Olympics in Lillehammer 20 years ago. Since I don’t wear them often they are in great shape. Trudging through the snow in snowy conditions while the Olympics are going on was nostalgic for me.

Home made Marshmallows:

Soak for 5 minutes:

2 T unflavored Gelatin

½ Cup Water

Cook until threads:

2 Cups Sugar

¾ Cup Water

Whirl all in a blender with a pinch of salt and flavor (vanilla or peppermint) and cool

Beat until white and fluffy and pour into an 8x8 or 9x9 pan that has

powder sugar on the bottom, let set.

Cut into squares and enjoy!

20 Years since I was at the Lillehammer Olympics

It doesn’t seem possible that 20 years have passed since I was in Norway as a spectator at the winter Olympics. Being a spectator on your own dime, not sponsored by a company, is fairly rare at the winter Olympics. When we got off the plane, train, and bus in Lillehammer, I realized just being a spectator is almost an Olympian event. Endurance, stamina, and the ability to withstand really cold weather are part of the Games I wish were included in a spectator-training course.

On many of the ski events your tickets are for standing space. Let me tell you it can get really cold standing on snow! We finally found the rubber pad vendor, and then we found the thermos vendor for hot beverages. Our biggest coup d'état was when we found some Norwegians willing to share their warming fires made in the snow.

In 1994 we did not have to worry about terrorist attacks. It never crossed our minds pre 9-11. It was an experience of a lifetime and I am glad my husband and I did it. As the Sochi Olympics start I will be glued to the TV. I will be watching the athletes but I will be looking at the spectators too.

1994 was the year of Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan. Tonya is from Portland, Oregon the same as me. When people asked where I was from I was a bit embarrassed to say I was from Portland because the response was always, ‘”Same as Tonya?” 

A party atmosphere during the Olympic occurs on the bus, at the bus stops, at the events, in the hotels and in the Olympic village. I hope that atmosphere is present for the Sochi Games and politics are set aside.

One of my favorite memories of the Lillehammer Olympics was when we decided to ski one of the mountains opened to the public. It was thrilling to come down the slope with 20,000 people watching. The athletes some how on TV and in person look great as they come to a swooshing stop at the end of the run. Me, well I gave it a try, it was a moment, but let’s just say I will never be an Olympian!

The Kiss and Cry Spectacular

The 2010 Winter Olympics starts soon. In 1994, 16 years ago, my husband and I traveled to Norway to witness this multi sporting event. When we walked off the train and a reporter asked me who I worked for and about fell over when I said we were on our own dime, I should known something was unusual.

The Olympics is not just an athletic event for the athletes, but for fans like us it is an endurance event. Bracing the cold to stand on top of the snow for hours as a skier swooshes past. Up predawn to take a series of buses to sit in a cold ice arena, or to climb to the top of the luge or bobsled course. How about sitting outside in the cold to watch award ceremonies and then getting back to your room at midnight with a predawn trek the next day? It was the one vacation when I wore all the clothes I packed and actually tried to wear them all at one time it was that cold. It was also the one vacation where I lost weight not even watching what I ate because of the physical exertion, the cold or the fatigue, or all together!

The Olympics are exciting and I am glad we did this once in a lifetime vacation. This year in Vancouver, the weather may not be as cold as Norway was but the logistics will be the same. Getting from point A to point B on time is an Olympic achievement. The excitement is always there and seeing great athletes is a wonderful treat. In Norway they opened up one side of one of the mountains for skiing to the public and we rented skis and hit the Olympic slopes. It was a humbling eye opener to ski down and see 10,000 people milling around and looking at you. I have skied the mountains in Vancouver for this Olympics and hope they open some runs for tourists to get the first-hand thrill of victory or the agony of defeat.

This year like most people, I will watch the Olympics from the warmth and comfort of my home. I will be judging the skaters costumes, make-up, as well as their skills on the rink. I will be listening to the commentaries on the skiing events and cheering the underdog teams, or participants that always arise from the winter Olympics.

As far as the kiss and cry corner for the skating events, I think it is just another aspect that makes the winter Olympics so special. Waiting to see your scores while trying to catch your breath with hundreds of cameras trained on you could make anyone cry. Sweating while everyone else is trying to stay warm while maintaining a cool confident manner sounds like menopause.

Yes one more example of how menopause symptoms can be found anywhere to anyone, even Olympic athletes!