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Here’s hoping you all have a healthy and happy Holiday Season starting with the following recipe:

Hot Buttered Rum

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Sugar
• 1 cup Brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup Butter
• 2 cups Vanilla ice-cream
• Rum
• boiling Water
• Nutmeg

Mixing instructions:

In 2-quart saucepan combine sugar, brown sugar and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until butter is melted (6-8 min). In large mixing bowl, combine cooked mixture with ice-cream, beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until smooth (1-2 min). Store refrigerated up to 2 weeks or frozen up to one month. For each serving, fill mug with 1/4 cup mixture, 1 oz. rum and 3/4 cup boiling water, sprinkle with nutmeg.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

That’s the burning question. August 2011 will probably be a good time to travel, and it’s always a good time to visit with everyone.

So, where is it going to be? You can leave your thoughts (votes) in the comment section.

The “Environmental Engineering News” published some rather sobering information about punishment for drunk driving convictions in other countries.

In Australia, the names of drunk drivers are printed in newspapers under the caption, “He’s drunk and in jail.”

In Malaysia the driver is jailed and, if married, the spouse is jailed.

In the United Kingdom, Finland and Sweden there’s an automatic jail term of one year.

In Turkey, drunk drivers are driven twenty miles out of town and forced to walk back ten miles.

In Bulgaria, a second drunk-driving conviction results in capital punishment.

In El Salvador, your first offense is your last — execution by firing squad.

From the August Road & Track.

Hello again,

Our “mini” reunion will be held this year up at Gail and Earl’s in Omro over the Memorial Day weekend. Stay in touch with this site for a full report afterwards, including some updated pictures of those in attendance.

Well, people are saying that “Spring is right around the corner” and we can finally get what turned out to be  one of the worst winters in three decades over with.  I think the snow fall this year was a bit reminiscent of the winters we had growing up.  That “jet stream” did have a tendency to droop farther south since then though, bringing snow to places that never really experienced it in the past.  Don and Howard certainly received their fair share of the white stuff out in the Philadelphia area, while the folks up in Wisconsin pretty much dodged the bullet…compared to out east anyway.  We saw a long winter here in Southern Indiana, longer than normal.  Even the temperatures were on average 20 degrees below normal.  Let’s all hope we can put the season behind us soon.

Jill has found a nice job out there in Omaha recently.  She’ll be in the billing department at Werner Trucking and will be learning the ins and outs of the business side of the trucking industry.  I happened to talk with a couple Werner drivers down here and mentioned to them that they should look her up when they’re at the main office, just say hi and “welcome aboard”…to sort of make her feel at home type thing.  I doubt if they will because most truck drivers I talk with prefer to stay far away from the home office.  In any case, with her experience she’ll fit right in.  Congrats.  By the way, Jill will celebrating her 60th birthday in March and a few of us will be traveling to Omaha for a visit over the weekend of March 13th.  Happy Birthday.

Another birthday will be Aaron’s on the 29th.  Jo’s birthday will be March 4th.  Let us know if anyone else can be included this month.

Judy told me some interesting information a few weeks ago; it just may turn out that my wife’s Great Grandmother may be the sister of our Aunt Jesse’s Grandmother.  You remember Aunt Jesse, Uncle Fred’s wife?  I remember Jo introducing me to Ersa Rassmasun (spelling), her Great Grandmother, before we got married.  Jo says if this is true it could explain why our kids are messed up!  (She was only kidding, of course).  If anyone would like to comment on this, please feel free to do so.

Terry’s daughter, Darcy, has not been called up to help out with Haiti at this printing,  We think she’s doing a wonderful thing by volunteering her expertise.  If she does get down to Miami, Mike said he would be happy to write an article about her travels here.

That’s right. Here it is…October and November and the trees have once again bowed to the chilly temperatures, wind and rain. This is my favorite time of year, when sweaters replace “T” shirts, jeans replace the cargo shorts, and insulated tennis shoes replace those comfortable sandals. Autumn is a time when we adjust to keeping the windows closed at night and breaking out that electric blanket. I just can’t recall how we could have slept on top of the covers way back in June and July! It’s that time of year when we have to adjust our bodies to prepare for the cold months of winter. I guess that’s Mother Natures’ way, huh? You know we don’t “mess with Mother Nature”.

I found a few hints about what we can do to better prepare ourselves for the coming cold months:

• Add a second layer of insulation to your attic. R-30 insulation is considered the minimum. If your house is relatively new, it probably conforms. If not, consider adding insulation.

• Caulk around window and door glass and trim, and all exterior trim. Install or replace weather stripping on all doors and windows.

• Install storm windows and doors if you have them. Consider purchasing storm windows if you have older windows that are not made from modern insulated glass.

• Have your heating system checked by a licensed heating/air-conditioning professional. Most furnace manufacturers recommend at least annual inspections.

• Check gutters and clean them if necessary. Clogged gutters can result in basement flooding when the snow melts.

• Check the foundation for areas where water may puddle.

• Drain and shut off outdoor water faucets.

• Insulate any water pipes that are exposed to freezing cold.

• Make sure you are stocked with rock salt, sand, snow shovels and any other items you will need during the winter.

We sure have been through a lot of Christmas’s to date, and everyone of them tells of change.  Thinking back to the Christmas parties that Mom and Dad held when we were just a young tribe will always be a subject to talk about to our own kids.  Of course, we don’t recall “not” having a White Christmas.  By the end of December, the snowfalls were plenty and always added a surreal touch when Santa came down the street sitting high on that fire truck, waving to everyone and throwing hard candy to us little ones stretching to see him over a mountain of snow banks on either side of the street.  He was there to remind us that Christmas time is right around the corner, and the better we behaved the more gifts we would receive.  Those snow banks became the “best seat in the house” when we got older and were able to climb up on top of them and watch Santa  “Ho Ho Ho” along with the trucks speakers playing festive Christmas music.  What a sight to behold at such a young age, what a spark to our imaginations!

Decorating the (real) Christmas tree was a family affair.  This took place about a week before the big day.  Dad would haul the hand picked tree in from the back yard, through the kitchen, through the bathroom, around the corner and into the living room to be carefully placed in its stand at the far wall by the bay window.  Mom and us kids would gather the decorations from the attic and have them at the ready when Dad gave us the OK to begin.  He never did participate, and years later I understood why.  Mom would be the ring master and “project engineer”.  The girls would always take the job of decorating the tree very seriously, while the boys were in the background balling up a handful of tinsel ready to take aim.  After the bickering, the pushing and shoving, we had the most beautiful Christmas tree in the neighborhood.  Mom and Dad would sit on the couch and admire the warm beauty of it after us kids finally settled into bed for the night.  I once peeked around the corner and noticed them sitting there, Dad with his huge arm around Mom, both absorbing the soft glow of the lights, and I thought to myself “Wow, how cool is that?”  I felt good, I felt safe!

Christmas Eve was treated as any other winter day.  We would be outside ice skating in the back yard, building forts, having snow ball fights, doing all the things winter allowed us to do.  The day past with growing anticipation because our family enjoyed the practice of opening presents that night.  We hurried through our Christmas dinner trying to move the clock ahead, and sometimes we got caught putting the cart before the horse and were reminded to just slow down and be patient.  We were obligated to go to church that night for Christmas services.  This gave Dad and Mom a chance to slip all our presents under the tree and prepare the house and garage for the stampede of friends and relatives arriving to watch the “show” after our return to open our gifts from Santa. In no time flat our living room turned into a trash bin of pretty ribbons and wrapping paper.  The adoring crowd of adults behind us offering all the “ahs and oohs” and cheering us along.  For the kids, Christmas was certainly a magic time.  That night also gave us a chance to stay up late playing with our new toys, eating candy and visiting with all the Aunts, Uncles and family friends that wouldn’t miss this visit for the world.  We always had a big crowd and the party lasted into the wee hours of Christmas Day.

May you all have a Merry Christmas and an equally Happy New Year.