Sunday, December 13, 2009

Life after the Apocalypse Failed to Materialize

Photo taken in January 2009.
The blizzard has come and gone and once again, the warning of the perfect storm, perhaps the beginning of the apocalypse, has been rather overblown. After days of talking about it, we never got the high winds and for this far north, only received a modest snowfall. Some places got a foot or better, but we were probably in the 8-10 inch range. The threat of massive power outages never materialized; I’m pretty sure the only ones losing power in the recent storm being those who didn’t pay the electric bill. Reading Ed’s blog, it sounds like the storm may have blown itself out in Iowa before making it here. This morning at 6 AM, it was just above freezing and raining which was fitting since it was the first day I had an opportunity to ski. Instead, I took a well-deserved nap.

Friday night I had my staff over for our annual Christmas party. It’s a tradition I would like to get moved to January, but no one seems to like my suggestion. December is just too busy, a truth the Orthodox Churches learned long ago. Well, I’ll have to confess that that’s not the real reason they celebrate Christmas in January, but regardless, they get to do their Christmas shopping after the stores have slashed prices. Nonetheless, the party was fun and we stuffed ourselves with way too much food and ended the night with hot butter rums and an exchange of gifts.

I’m not a big connoisseur of mix drinks. I tend to have the philosophy that if you can’t drink something straight, it doesn’t need to be drunk and that goes for coffee and tea as well as adult drinks. My main exception to this rule is a hot butter rum, the perfect after-skiing drink.

Sage’s Hot Butter Rum recipe

Mix together beforehand
Melt 2 sticks of butter
Add a cup of sugar and a cup of light brown sugar and nutmeg
Mix in a quart of ice cream
Mix concoction up real well and store in the freezer in a plastic tub

To serve: put two tablespoons of concoction in a mug, a shot of rum and then fill the mug with boiling water. For those of you needed an extra helping of cholesterol, whip cream can be added to the top. Drop in a long cinnamon stick as a stirrer and you’re ready for find a seat by the fireplace.


A final question… what do you think about the new ads on my page? In my last post, I got conflicting reports. After checking my earnings a week or so ago, and found that my little money making opportunity for the local food bank wasn’t going very well, I changed the settings and ever since, I’ve been getting more ads of a variety of kinds in my blog. Are they too annoying? I will have to say that I was intrigued by the “Bullet Proof Bear Bags” that were recently advertised. I didn’t realize bears are now shooting at us! I’ve always been pretty good at keeping my food hanging high enough that bears haven’t been able to get to it, but bears must not be going after food bags like I used to shoot mistletoe out of the trees in the swamps down South. What is our world coming to?

18 comments:

  1. we got some serious rain and some flooding down here but most things turned out OK.

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  2. Glad to hear you weren't buried in snow. Ads? What ads? I guess I tuned them out.

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  3. Ah, the season is young yet. I keep hoping for some kind of snow... will have to try that recipe. Ads don't bother me, but you can find some plugins that will move them to pages that are older, or off the front page. That might be better for readers, and still generate search engine traffic? The "feet by the fire" pic seems quite appropriate this time of year!

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  4. I'm not a fan of the ads, but if they make you money, I won't complain. You go ahead and earn money however you can. Um, as long as it's legal.

    You watching the Geminids tonight?

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  5. Glad you didn't get inundated with snow. I'd like that rum, I'm sure, but I can't afford the extra calories. I'm already too big now.

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  6. Charles, do you ever get snow--I was in NOLA the January after Katrin, people commplained about the cold and we were running around in shorts and t-shirts.

    Murf, Good, in the previous post you wrote about how I try to annoy you but fail... Now it looks like I've found a way!

    Dan, I'm pretty good at doing that too, I find myself always wondering about TV ads people talk about because I end up reading or doing something else when they are on

    Beau, it's hard to tell what the weather will bring--I hope you get some snow. I love it, but personally, this winter I have an interest in nice weather and block and brick layers working.

    TC, I'll try to say of the right side of the law... As for the meteor shower, I doubt I'll have a chance. This side of Lake Michigan is the most cloudy area in the country and I don't think tonight is going to be an exception. Write and tell me about them!

    Kenju, yeah, it's load with calories, that's for sure, that's why it's mostly and after skiing drink--gotta burn those calories.

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  7. 1) I don't even notice the ads which somehow I think misses the point :)
    2) Three Kings Day--1/06--end of the holiday season for Hispanics and something I personally love--coquito, the low cal version, the best mixed drink in the world though your hot butter run receipe sounds great and like a heart attack about to happen
    3) love the picture. Heard rumors that there was a snowflake or two here Friday night but didn't personally see one and it was a seven year old who spread the rumor so...

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  8. Years ago, my wife and I decided to do only 2 holiday parties per year plus one all-family gathering. Otherwise, we found ourselves exhausted with little time for each other or the kids. Downsizing our Christmas social calendar has led us to a much more spiritual time.

    As for the ads, I've no opinion. I'll click on a few to help you pay your spirits bill for the party.

    :)

    Cheers.

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  9. We never got mass power outages like predicted but we received all the other predictions. The town south of us was without power so they were around, just not where I lived. Fortunately, I live farther south of you and it is already beginning to melt away.

    I never noticed the ads until it was brought up. I tune that stuff out on blogs. On sites with lots of them, I have a plug in that strips them all away and lets me read things easier though the drawback is that I have to go back if I want to comment.

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  10. We had plenty of power outages when I was a kid growing up in the Mid-West. In the Southwest, I lived in "Tornado Alley" and thankfully, no tornado ever materialized. Snow can be a thing of beauty and danger at the same time. As for the ads, I tried them when I first entered blogging. It wasn't worth it to me or my friends who tried it as well. Take care, Sage! :)

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  11. Pia, it's amazing how many of us don't pay attention to the ads... A heart attack about to happen is a good description of the drink.

    Randall, I only have 3 parties (just one I'm hosting) but then you have Christmas concerts and other things that fill up the calendar

    Ed, glad you were spared the worst of the storm, too.

    Michael, now, living in Southern AZ, you only have to worry about heat stroke, right?

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  12. The first time I noticed an ad on here, I thought it was a link you'd put in on purpose.

    I don't mind them so much. Besides I find the "Meet a hiker" ads kind of amusing.

    However, if they start with the pop-up windows, I'm out.

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  13. Hi sage, nice write.Nice recipe.
    Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

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  14. I'm glad that Apocalypse as not NOW, lol.
    And I'm glad that you could enjoy the snow and skiing.

    About corporate Xmas dinners... here in Spain everybody changed them for lunches yet it's that event of the year you would always thank god for sending you a slight flu (not swine, please).

    I understand your staff, but i understand your reasons also. To be sure, everything was solved with a big mug of butter rhum (I have to try your recipe. It's too good for your cholesterol, but once in a lifetime it shouldnt be that bad!).

    About the ads: they are not annoying, but like some of your readerships, i almost didn't notice them. But i never click on them, i don't know for what reason.

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  15. Bone, let us know which "hiker" you pick out to run away with, okay?

    Venus, may you have a wonderful Christmas, too

    Leni, this ain't exactly a corporate dinner--there's only ten of us--but it was fun and gave me an excuse to get things cleaned up for the holidays

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  16. I'm not a mixed drink fan, either. I'd rather shoot tequila. The ads don't bother me, but I rarely click on them.

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  17. Ha! I'm not falling for that one again.

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