Eric’s diary: March 26

The latest entry in Eric’s 2020 Spring Diary.
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Plenty of coals this morning, but no kindling. Still, the fire in the main house started right up after stirring the coals and ashes with the fire poker and strategically placing two smallish logs on the embers glowing most hotly. The temperature outside was a very civilized 28°F.

My brother takes his pancakes very seriously. He has an electric skillet that maintains the perfect cooking temperature. When he used to travel to my sister’s for Christmas brunch, he’d bring the skillet with him because it was so integral to his perfect pancakes. His pancakes made a family tradition. I use my brother’s recipe with a few slight modifications. And I do without the perfect-temperature skillet. 

Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl: 

• 1 cup flour (I use about ½ all-purpose and ½ pastry)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

With a fork, lightly beat the wet ingredients in a 2-cup, graduated measuring cup: 

• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• ¼ cup plain, low-fat yogurt
• add milk to bring the volume to 1 cup
• 1 egg.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix just until smooth. Gently stir in 2 tablespoons of melted butter.

The pancakes I made this morning didn’t care about the color of the syrup resulting from yesterday’s operation. And I didn’t care either. I know people talk all the time about the delight of hot maple syrup on pristine snow (Hi Benj!), but these pancakes with this first batch of syrup this morning were gastric nirvana, heavenly. Thanks, Bro’. And to state the obvious: If it wasn’t for spring’s approach, there’d be no syrup.

At noon, the outdoor temperature was up to 46°F and the batteries nearly full. I collected fifteen gallons of sap. A glint of green in one of the lilacs, bare and desolate in a sea of snow, caught my eye when I was returning with a load of wood. 

What says, “SPRING!” with more fragrance and more elegance than lilacs? 

The lilac buds are swelling!