First snowfall

The first snowfall is usually an exciting time, which proved to be the case this year. My sister Linda drove up from her home in Iowa to visit for the weekend. Luckily, she came on Friday, before the first snowfall hit. She commented about driving through cold rain in the southern part of Wisconsin. Sometimes the rain was heavy and almost solid. When she arrived in Washburn, it was a normal fall day, slightly cold and overcast.
“We’re supposed to get snow this weekend, probably starting tonight or tomorrow,” commented my husband, Paul.
“It seems to be all south of here,” said my sister. “Maybe it won’t come this far.”
Saturday morning we awoke to wind and slight snow. We sat at breakfast and planned our day. We would go into Ashland and have gyros for lunch then stop in Washburn at the used bookstore. These two activities are staples for any visit. The gyros from the Pita Hut in Ashland are “to die for,” and a trip to Chequamegon Books is a feast as well. We also planned to have squash and meatloaf for supper and needed to stop at a grocery store for ketchup, a required meatloaf ingredient.
We began the day in my Bear Den, a small cabin my husband built with a woodstove inside. I was working on a quilting project, while Linda made clay rattles and Paul rested with a book. The snow got heavier, the wind picked up and the ground began to turn white. We were snug and warm in the Bear Den, enjoying the wintery scene out the window.
At lunch time, we piled into my sister’s truck, which has four-wheel drive. We were sure we wouldn’t need it,after all, it was only the first snowfall. But it’s good to be prepared, right? We set off down the snow-covered road towards our “to die for” gyros.The snow sloshed beneath the tires, sending wet waves across the road.
“It’s kind of slippery,” commented Linda.
We approached a left hand turn and the truck began to slide when Linda put the brakes on to slow down.
“You may want to go straight,” said Paul.
Linda straightened the wheel and we slid to a stop past the intersection. She backed up and we slowly maneuvered the turn.
“It feels like grease,” she said, trying to keep the truck on the road.
“Why are we doing this?” I asked.
“We’re getting gyros for lunch and we need ketchup for the meatloaf.”
“Are they worth it?”
We all looked at each other. This is the point where I remember all of the times I have driven in snow and did just fine. I also remember all of the cars I drove by in the ditches and the time I was one of them. I decided the gyros were really good, but probably not literally “to die for.”
We decided to turn back.
“What about the ketchup?”
I had tomato paste, tomato soup and tomato sauce, but no ketchup. The family meatloaf recipe includes hamburger, eggs, chopped onion, oatmeal, mustard and ketchup. Ketchup is not only an ingredient, it is a topping, and a dipping sauce on the side. You can’t make meatloaf without ketchup, can you?
Our first snowfall of the year turned out to be the mother of invention. We drove around the block toward home and passed a car resting in the ditch after it took out a mailbox. We arrived home safely and had leftovers for lunch. Then we brainstormed about the meatloaf. We had just enough ketchup left to be the topping and the dipping sauce. The tomato paste, soup and sauce were discarded in favor of stewed tomatoes as the ingredient.
The storm raged on and branches fell from the trees due to the heavy snow load. My horses were nestled snuggly in their stalls munching on hay and we sat at the dining room table munching on the best meatloaf we ever cooked.
Turns out that stewed tomatoes make a meatloaf that is flavorful and moist. Add baked squash, au gratin potatoes and corn, and we had a meal worthy of the first snowfall.
Being stuck at home in a snowstorm isn’t too bad when you have a stocked larder, two good cooks, and a Bear Den.