Some days I love the rain...

but today is not one of those days! Everything is absolutely drenched and sopping wet outside, and there's a chill in the air that creeps in every little crevice left exposed. I had to run errands with an already sick child in the rain. Had to get gas while standing in the rain. Had to drive across town with the windshield wipers going top speed so I could keep some sort of visibility. The only good thing about it was the soothing sound it made as it ker-plunked on the roof of the van. I could've taken a nap in there.

Tonight we are going out again, to Grandma's house for clam fritters. If you have never had clam fritters, let me tell you...ok I can't yet. But I will tell after I've had them. As much as I like seafood and going to the ocean, I've never tried clam fritters. It never occurred to me that fritters came in any other variety but apple.

I've been clam-digging. It's funny the way they spit up at you as you extract them from the sand. It was a tradition for Grandpa to take us to the beach to dig up clams. You look for air bubbles in the wet sand and when you see them, you stick the metal tube in the sand centered over the bubbles and up to the handle, cover the air vent, then quickly pull up sucking the clam up with the sand. Grandma went to the coast and retrieved this particular batch herself. Grandpa's clam chowder recipe was TDF- to die for!

On that note, I'll leave you with a clam fritter recipe from allrecipes.com. I had no idea what to expect so I looked it up on the wonderful 'net.

Clam Fritters
Submitted by: Christine Johnson
"My stepmother got this recipe from an 80-year-old woman

back in the 1940's." Original recipe yield: 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS:
1 egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 cup minced clams
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons minced green bell pepper (optional)
1/2 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS:
Beat the egg and gradually beat in the flour. Slowly stir in the milk, clams, salt, pepper and onion. If desired, stir in the green pepper. With hands shape mixture into 2 inch diameter patties. In a medium skillet heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot. Fry the patties in the hot oil until golden brown. Place cooked fritters on paper towels to soak up any excess oil.