kochleffel

I have two suggestions. First, send only one bottle, so that if it gets confiscated you won't have a larger investment in it. Second, if you have to fill out a customs sticker, write "OTC Products." That's what a pharmacy in NZ did when shipping me a drug that was legal in the U.S. by prescription, but available there semi-OTC (could be bought at a pharmacy counter without prescription, but not off the rack).

I look for tortilla chips that are less salty. Trading cards is the genre that includes baseball cards, a big thing in the 1950s and 1960s. Twin Peak Day made me think of the Peak District in England, but actually refers to a TV show that I've never watched. The soup would be OK with me, and I'd try the drink, maybe only once. For a sweet Riesling from the Finger Lakes, I'll suggest Chateau LaFayette Reneau from the east shore of Seneca Lake. Garden club: I have planted lettuce seeds outdoors as early as the first of April, but they took a very long time to germinate and now I would wait until later that month. I was thinking about doing some pruning now, but it's rather cold and when I got up a few flakes of s-n-o-w were falling. My other plans are confused. I signed up for a Zoom program that is tomorrow at 20:00 CET (Germany), which is 2:00 p.m. here, in other words, right in the middle of everything else. I also don't know whether the program is in German or English, but I understand German and since the program is supposed to be pan-European they may use English as the Einheitssprache.

Yup. Here, they're having a Carole King-James Taylor special, followed by the Bee Gees. I don't understand this at all: it would attract people who don't ordinarily watch the station and thus have no reason to pledge, while alienating those who do watch.

Nexus is a smaller program and may have less staff, but biggest difference is probably that it has to be approved by two countries.

I renewed Nexus around the same time, and nothing has happened. The last renewal took only a few days. But they are saying that Nexus applications take 12-14 months, so the grace period is extended.

I've been looking up flights for the conference in San Diego. Of course the schedules will probably change eleventeen times between now and then, but substantial change is unlikely. I'd very much prefer to leave from my local airport, but that requires both leaving a day early and staying a day late. The schedules are better from Rochester, but getting back still requires an overnight stay after the conference, a redeye, or leaving before it ends, and driving to and from ROC (116 miles). I'd also prefer to fly on Delta, where I can check a bag free, but the schedules and fares are better on United. It's all very annoying.

I had to check whether Curling is Cool Day honored the sport or hair styling. It's the sport, and since that's played on ice, I think that curling is probably cold. Graham made a good point about cyber-bullying and it makes me glad that social media didn't exist when I was growing up. I wouldn't mind an oatmeal cookie, but probably won't have one. Pass on the drink (too complicated). Reading that the wine is a blend of Rhone varieties, I wanted to know where the winery is. The answer: Milton-Freewater, Oregon. We grow Syrah in the FL but not Mourvedre or Grenache, so I'll suggest Hector Wine Company's 2020 Sawmill Creek Estate, a blend that is 40% Syrah.

One thing was odd, I thought. I'm prone to vasovagal syncope (translation: I faint easily) and I've found that taking HCTZ increases the likelihood of it about tenfold, so I skipped it this morning. When the technician took my blood pressure, I was surprised to learn that, even without HCTZ, it was in the range my doctor considers acceptable. But she considered it elevated and said it would have to be rechecked by someone else after 10 minutes, even though it was well below what they allow. I asked whether we could do the medical history while waiting, and she said no, that has to be last. (I would think it should be first, before they test hemoglobin, etc.) In the recheck it was the same as the first time. My next appointment is during Passover. I'll have to bring my own cookies.

Back from donating blood. They were running behind schedule, but doing as well as they could without more staff. I think that the roster of donors filled up, which is unusual at the church around the corner, and they were only staffed for the typical number. But I mentioned that I had limited time before a class, and while they couldn't get me started any earlier, they did make an effort to get me out as soon as possible.

Also: The "Miracle on Ice" in 1980, when the U.S. hockey team defeated the U.S.S.R. team in the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid. https://apnews.com/article/today-in-history-3c9b07ea1a2cc199d1e30ddee2805f1a

I'm not very impressed by any of the special days. Would probably pass on the meal suggestion and on the cocktail. I don't think that there's any way to make wine with an astrolabe; in the Finger Lakes we use conventional methods. I'll nominate Fulkerson's 2020. I visited Helsinki during a cruise from Stockholm in 2020. Just a few pictures, first from the Seurassari open-air museum. One of the buildings is a church that can be booked for weddings; the second photo is a wedding party waiting for the bride (who did eventually arrive). Our guide rushed us around the open-air museum and then kept us for way too long at the Temppeliaukio Church, but I won't post all my photos. I'm due to donate blood this afternoon, and I've already filled out the Rapid Pass. I'm envious. I was looking forward to Danish butter when I took a cruise from Copenhagen in 2022, but the butter in my hotel was French, not that there is anything wrong with French butter, and on the ship the butter was Dutch. FWIW, a cruise from Cape Liberty, in New Jersey, this year also had Dutch butter.

Disappointed that card-reading day is about greeting cards, which I don't save, rather than Tarot, which I don't have, either. The meal would be OK but I'm not making it. Pass on the drink. No Zin or anything like it in the FL so I'll substute one of our best varieties, Cabernet Franc, this one from Glenora. I'm no longer stating that I haven't been to the destination of the day -- you can name almost any port and I won't have been there. Amazingly, I slept until 8:00 a.m. without waking once. Last night I taught a class on Ecclesiastes and usually I can't sleep at all after something like that. I have no explanation. I'm hoping to get to the nature center this afternoon for a class assignment, since it's 41° F. I also need to bake a koginut squash, which is a hybrid of butternut (!) and kabocha squashes. Because of the Utah trip, if it takes place, I won't be starting any seeds indoors -- it would be too early to plant them outdoors before I go. I'm also limiting plant orders to nurseries that will ship late, since the trip is during the time that many of them would ship to this area (and too early for planting, imo). It's very disappointing that the owners of Graceful Gardens, in Trumansburg, have retired.

Thanks. I know never to make important decisions at this time of year, and also not to act quickly on thoughts that I have in the middle of the night. This is something that I keep in mind, because Swiss chard is one of my favorite vegetables, and chard is merely a beet that is grown solely for the foliage. But I can't obtain it very frequently.

A few decades ago I worked across the road from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. No kale pesto, please, because it would taste like kale. Also no melon drinks. There are a few choices for Moscato in the Finger Lakes and, including the 2017 vintage from Hunt Country Vineyards. Waking at 4:30 a.m. and not getting back to sleep is affecting my mood, as is the season, and I'm thinking about cancelling the May trip to Utah. No cruise line sails there, but one of the reasons is that I'm not confident that I'll be well enough for what I planned to do. Another is that I envision cutting back all travel and especially air travel, and I'm submitting session proposals for a summer conference in San Diego. I'm keeping the Panama Canal booking for December even though it will conflict with school, specifically giving a presentation in class that I couldn't do with an iPad, so it will mean taking a laptop computer. I'm not sure about an Alaska booking for 2025; I would transfer the deposit to another itinerary if I could find one that I wanted.

Not to worry. Today was the last day on the list you gave me, and I wasn't sure whether you'd be able to post.

I didn't realize that cows could fly airplanes (misread the text). Will cooperate with Drink Wine Day, and I need to buy batteries. No clam anything for me, but a slow-cooker sounds like an unnecessarily complicated way to make it. I'd accept the drink if it were being served, but wouldn't order one. A Tempranillo won a gold last year at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, but it was from Texas. I'll substitute the 2018 Merlot from Sheldrake Point. I haven't been to Marmaris.

Salty Dog Today's drink derives from the Greyhound, a cocktail that has been around for at least 100 years and is documented in the Savoy Cocktail Book, 1930. It's simply gin and grapefruit juice, and the Salty Dog just adds a salted rim. The salt harmonizes the ingredients and makes the drink taste less sour; it will also be a bit less sour when made with pink or red grapefruit, or you can add simple syrup. 1 1/2 ounces gin or vodka 3 ounces grapefruit juice, freshly squeezed Garnish: salt rim Garnish: grapefruit slice Rub a lemon or lime wedge around the rim of a Collins glass, then roll it in a shallow dish of coarse salt. I suppose you could use a bit of the grapefruit instead. Fill the glass with ice, then add the gin (or vodka) and grapefruit juice and stir gently to combine. Garnish with a grapefruit slice.

No on the Pasta Alfredo. Maybe on the drink if someone else makes it for me. The Finger Lakes wine industry began with sparkling wines but today only a minority of the wineries make them. I'll suggest Sheldrake Point 2021 Cuvée Brut even though it's $45. I haven't been to Otaru.

Ward Eight Today's drink dates to just before or after 1900. The name refers to Ward 8 in Boston, and while there are conflicting attributions, all accounts agree that it was created to honor (or roast) a candidate named Martin Lomasney who was, however, a teetotaler. 2 oz rye whiskey (100 proof/50% ABV) 3/4 oz lemon juice 3/4 oz orange juice 1/2 oz grenadine Shake ingredients with ice and strain into chilled glass. Garnish (optional): orange slice and maraschino cherry.

I have a reputation for being grumpy, not grouchy. No favors for me today, and also no fish fry. I grew up in the Middle West, in a predominantly Catholic city, and I thought that it was a Jewish custom to eat fish on Friday. That was the only day that fresh ocean fish was available. Chicken ragout would be OK with me but dinner is actually an aperitif with cheese, vegetable medley, and cacio e pepe. I would try the first version of the cocktail but wouldn't buy the St-Germain to make it at home. I haven't been a fan of Chilean Malbec but never had this one. It's not a variety I expected to find from a Finger Lakes winery, but Thirsty Owl has one, at $33.95, so I probably won't be trying it, either. I've been to Bar Harbor on a cruise ship and Portland, Maine, in a land trip, but never Rockland. I have been to Rockland County in New York. It is possible that I'm finished with my income-tax return, but I won't file it for several more weeks. Every time that I have filed this early, I've received a corrected document the next day.

Vivian Or Vivians, because there are two different cocktails called Vivian and the sources I'd consider definitive, such as Difford's, don't know about any such drink. I'll start with the one that seems more likely, because it's made with ingredients a well-stocked bar would have. St-Germain is the leading, perhaps only, brand of elderflower liqueur. 2 dashes angostura bitters .25 oz simple syrup ¾ oz elderflower liqueur 2 oz bourbon whiskey orange twist (optional) In a mixing glass with ice cubes pour in the bourbon whiskey, elderflower liqueur, simple syrup, and Angostura bitters. Stir gently for about 20-30 seconds to thoroughly chill and dilute the cocktail. Strain the mixture into a chilled martini or rock glass. Express the oils from an orange twist over the cocktail by giving it a gentle twist over the surface, then garnish (optional). The second requires Lychee Reàl, a puree of lychee fruit. 0.5 oz Lychee Reàl 1.5 oz Gin 1 Strawberry, muddled 3 edible rose petals (for garnish) Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass filled with ice. Shake and strain into a chilled coupe glass.

I didn't know anything about Squidward and I think I would have been just fine without learning. I had to look up Angelman syndrome--it's a severe genetic disorder. We need to do more about childhood cancer than just being aware. A crudité platter is not a meal in my book, but if you are running for public office, you should probably just call it a veggie tray. Pass on the cocktail, which I think is too complicated for the result. For a Sauvignon Blanc, Three Brothers 2022, which won a gold award at the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition last year. Lisbon was in the itinerary for the Spanish Farewell last fall, but we ended up at Gran Canaria. Acupuncture right after lunch, and class at 4:00. I want to get to Aldi at some point.

Penicillin If you think that Scotch tastes medicinal, you understand the concept of the Penicillin cocktail. It's attributed to Sam Ross at the Milk & Honey bar in NYC and has existed for about two decades. It's a variation of the Gold Rush, itself a variation of the Whiskey Sour, that we had on February 2. Instead of bourbon, it uses blended Scotch, and instead of honey, Ross uses a homemade honey-ginger syrup. The final touch is a float of an Islay malt, which to many people tastes even more medicinal than other Scotch. Ross served it without a straw to ensure that the Islay malt was the first flavor. 2 ounces blended Scotch whisky (Famous Grouse works well) 3/4 ounce fresh lemon juice 3/4 ounce honey syrup (see notes) 3 slices fresh ginger 1/4 ounce Islay single malt Scotch (such as Laphroaig) Add the blended scotch, lemon juice and syrup into a shaker with ice, and shake until well-chilled. Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice. Top with the Islay single malt scotch. Garnish with a piece of candied ginger. Note: Honey-ginger syrup: Combine 1 cup honey, 1 6-inch piece of peeled and thinly sliced ginger and 1 cup water in a saucepan over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes. Place in the refrigerator to steep overnight. Strain through cheesecloth.

I could have mentioned earlier that Frederick Douglass spoke here in 1840, and it led to the founding of a church that is now called the Frederick Douglass Memorial AME Zion Church. On the medical side, my nose doesn't look too bad at all. I've made an appointment to donate blood next week since the only requirement after basal cell carcinoma is that the surgical site has healed. OTOH, I am still coughing.

A couple of churches here are offering drive-through ashes or "Ashes to Go." On another subject: the county north of here has some Amish residents. Yesterday there was a buggy-truck collision in which four young people were injured. It appears that their horse spooked and ran out into traffic.