It was a beautiful day on Saturday and on the spur of the moment, knowing there was snow predicted for Sunday, we drove to New Paltz for lunch and some wandering.

I found an old slotted spoon for my collection.

Some of the holes are not fully drilled, the hole in the handle is off-center. Perfectly imperfect.

It was very windy over the holidays and when I went out to get kindling one morning I ended up gathering armloads of pine cones, blown down from the Norway spruce. For fun I filled a casserole dish with them, tightly lined up side by side.

A couple of days ago I found some of the cones on the floor and thought I knew for sure who the culprits were. But last night we heard a strange sound and when we investigated, discovered that the cones have been expanding in the heat and popping themselves out and away.

Not everything can be blamed on the woozles.

I made a Cranberry Upside-Downer Cake for the New Year’s party I went to last night. It was yummy. Emphasis on past tense.

The recipe is from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking from my Home to Yours. I came across the book at the library and have since realized that every baker on the internet has been using it for years. Where was I?

I once had a German roommate who baked a cake every Saturday. God, that was a great year. We would sit perched on Indian bedspread-covered chairs and couches and eat our way through her delicious kuchen.

I’m thinking 2010 should be the Year of the Cake. I love to bake but almost never make cakes — time to rectify this. In my old roommate’s honor I think I’ll try a Bundt next.