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Woodworth: Making a good snow angel is all about timing

Can't believe we are not going to have measurable snow. Here is the art of making snow angels. First, get up early. The fresh snow will be less melty in the wee morning hours before the sun shines, so the edges of your silhouette will stay nice and crisp. Wave your limbs. After the standard jumping-jack motion, swing your legs together from left to right to prevent a snow pile-up in the middle. Depart divinely. Hug your legs toward your chest to get into a seated position, then place your hands gently within the angel and jump outside the border.

I do not remember ever making a snow angel. Don't even think I ever saw anyone do it. Snowmen, yes. Every kid in town made at least one. After reading this how-to-do-it, I won't. I am the strange neighbor who lugs a chair off the porch and sits on the corner to watch meteor showers, or a lunar eclipse, but I am not going to be out in the dark rolling around in the snow.

Age and a bad knee precludes me from jumping outside the border of the angel. Once I am down, I resemble a beached whale when trying to get up. There would be no angel image left by the time I was back on my feet. If you make a nice one, give me a call (after 9 a.m.). I will be happy to come take a look.

I read that you can tell if someone is starting to get sick, before becoming infectious. Red eyes, pale lips and a slightly swollen face are the signs to look for. I would take The Boy to the doctor, saying that he was sick. Doctor always wanted to know if he had a fever. I didn't know. Didn't own a thermometer. He always said I was one of those mothers who took temperatures with the back of her hand. I didn't even do that. All I had to do was look at the child's eyes (they were never red.) Never did take him when he wasn't coming down with something. Doctors go to school, but mothers know their children.

Why do ducks and geese sit on the ice? I would think grass would be much warmer.

Throughout the South, sap should start to run in maples as the moon waxes. Dependable companions in the cold winter mornings, crows now become more boisterous; their migration typically starts near this date. Frost seeding typically begins at this time of year. Scatter grass seed over bare spots on the lawn. The freezing and thawing of the ground works the seeds into the ground. (This also works well if you want to sow wildflowers. The birds don't eat them all, and there is little work for you to do. Also works well if sown on a snow cover. The sun lets the seeds sink to the ground before the birds discover there is food.)

The January thaw period begins around now, and often lasts through Jan. 25. Opossums, skunks and raccoons become more active at night as the deep winter wanes. Seasonal markers now include the beginning of cardinal mating songs before dawn and the appearance of the first snowdrop, day lily, crocus, daffodil and peony foliage. (Countryside)

As much as I hate the frigid weather and long for warmth, I worry about spring flowers trying to poke their heads up. Crocus are fine, and I expect to see them in bloom from now until the end of February, but don't want daffodils and tulips trying to bloom now.

I'm sure there were lots of happy St. Louis Ram fans, when they lost the playoff game to the Falcons. Know my son-in-law was ecstatic!

Need to update your list of "in things" to eat and drink in 2018. Amazing how most of last year's super foods and drinks have dropped by the wayside. Most of them before I even gave them a try. No more coconut water. Now you are to drink antioxidant-rich, cold-pressed watermelon juice. If it has the flavor of watermelon bubble-gum, forget it. If you want a dairy-free, nut-based milk alternative, forget almond milk. Go with macadamia nut milk.

Move over olive oil. Almond oil is taking over. One chip maker is using 100 percent almond oil, which not only helps elevate levels of good cholesterol, but also can reduce inflammation. A 13-chip serving, yes you read that right, contains about 140 calories and 7g fat.

Beets are back. They have held on for a couple of years now. Try 3-Seed Sweet Beet crackers with flaxseed and chia. As of today, there are no new grains for us to try. Give it a week or two, and that will probably change. I want you to be healthy - I'm not touching this stuff - so I'll keep you posted.

A lie doesn't become the truth, wrong doesn't become right, and evil doesn't become good just because it's accepted by a majority.

ELIZABETH WOODWORTH is a weekly columnist based in Saline County.