A Sprinkling

Of snow?!

It is an Indian Summer day, in the high 70s. We stroll in the muffled quiet of the Redwoods to Redwood Bowl and find it...covered in snow.

The ground, the trees, the picnic table. Why, there are even children sledding and having snowball fights! By what magic could this happen? The magic of Hollywood, of course.We were there when the director shouted, "Rolling!" and clapped his hands together as if they were one of those black and white stripey boards. Kids piled out of the Honda minivan like it was a clown car. The director shouted directions like: "You're having fun!"

The snow was very fine paper mache sprinkled (ok, blown out of a hose) onto the ground and trees.

At home the sprinkling continued.

Clementine made a gratin to go with our steak dinner. She doesn't need help with the assembly. She sprinkles cheese and herbs, pours on the cream or stock, layers the potatoes.

I forgot that when they cook with you not only do they eat the final product, but they eat the raw ingredients. Clem ate cheese and raw potatoes.Greta sprinkled salt and pepper on the steaks. She also snapped beans for a while. Snap one. Eat one. Snap one. Eat one. Clem finished the snapping with her grandma.

Greta ate the steak, all the little cubes I put on her plate. This is the first time she has been willing to try steak.

All the kids devoured the beans by the handful. Literally. And fought over them.

I barked at Clem about using her hands before I properly considered two things: 1) the kids were that enthusiastic about green beans and 2) I hadn't put a serving spoon in the bowl.

After dinner I returned to not challenging their palates. We made sugar cookies. I substituted whole wheat flour for 3/4 cup of white flour (token nod to whole grains) and threw in some, you guessed it, cinnamon. The kids sprinkled them with orange and purple and black sugar for Halloween. Happiness in a shake bottle.

Move over, Hollywood. Magic sprinkles are everywhere.