USMB Coffee Shop IV

[Foxfyre]

Morning

Anybody else going to watch the ball drop tonight in Times Square?

Yes, and that is probably how Hombre and I will ring in the New Year even though it will only be 10 p.m. here. I already rang in the New Year with the Australians and Japanese before I got up this morning.

 

[Foxfyre]

Well, it will be 2015 when I wake up in the morning. Who would have ever thunk it? I have peeked into my crystal ball and 2015 has some great things in store for us! Here are just a few of the things I have seen in my crystal ball for 2015:

1. The mini skirt will make it's return in the fashion circles.
2. You will no longer stink if you get sprayed by a skunk.
3. Cats will become extinct.
4. There will be peace and harmony between all countries on planet Earth.
5. Politicians will all become truthful and honest.
6. Ice cream will no longer have calories.
7. Roosters will no longer crow at the crack of dawn but will wait until 10:00 am before they greet the new day.
8. Rap music will cease to exist.
9. No more electric bills.
10. Watching TV will become more enjoyable.

There you have it. Just a few of the things I have seen in my crystal ball for 2015.

Heaven on Earth. If you could just envision them putting the melody and meaningful lyrics back into music, I would be thrilled.

 

[Foxfyre]

I watched a documentary once about a guy who went to Alaska and built a home all by hand with just primitive tools. He made his own home out of materials available, and everything he had, he made himself, including his silverware and dinnerware. He was quite an amazing old dude! Lol! I believe it was a PBS documentary. It was quite interesting!

Some years ago our business contracted with State Farm Insurance to inspect all the farm and ranch properties that they insured in New Mexico--fire, safety, and condition inspections. And that that took us to some really REALLY remote areas in Catron County in far west central New Mexico where the ranchers were fully sustained--no electricity, no phone service, etc. They trucked in propane to run gas lights and gas run refrigeration. To preserve propane, almost all their heat came from wood stoves and fireplaces including their cook stoves. All outside communication was via short wave radio. They picked up their mail or any packages at the nearest distant town. And these places and the people who inhabited them were lovely. I can imagine the folks who really rough it in Alaska would be similar.

 

[Ringel05]

Well, it will be 2015 when I wake up in the morning. Who would have ever thunk it? I have peeked into my crystal ball and 2015 has some great things in store for us! Here are just a few of the things I have seen in my crystal ball for 2015:

1. The mini skirt will make it's return in the fashion circles.
2. You will no longer stink if you get sprayed by a skunk.
3. Cats will become extinct.
4. There will be peace and harmony between all countries on planet Earth.
5. Politicians will all become truthful and honest.
6. Ice cream will no longer have calories.
7. Roosters will no longer crow at the crack of dawn but will wait until 10:00 am before they greet the new day.
8. Rap music will cease to exist.
9. No more electric bills.
10. Watching TV will become more enjoyable.

There you have it. Just a few of the things I have seen in my crystal ball for 2015.

Uummmm, hate to break it to ya but that ball's not crystal..........

 

[Big Black Dog]

Ringel05, I've dropped my crystal ball several times and once it even bounced down the steps from the upstairs bedrooms to the dining room and it obtained a few scratches from that accident but it still seems to work ok.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Wow, Alan, that was epic. Good that the treatment seems to be working. Better that the family came together to support and help out. Hopefully, your recuperation continues apace and the New Year finds you fit as a fiddle and raring to go. Good luck.

Thanks GW, I'm already feeling pretty darned fit, appreciate the well-wishes.

I don't watch TV, but while staying with my daughter she had a program on the TV called (I think) Buying Alaska. We watched 3 episodes. It made me think of you.
The gist of the show was that it was about people that had gotten tired of the rat-race in the lower 48 and had visited Alaska or moved to Alaska and were looking to buy houses in the-middle-of-nowhere Alaska. As if Alaska wasn't already remote, these people are looking for remote Alaska.
Many of the homes the real estate agents are showing them don't have running water or indoor plumbing, they are on or near a lake and that's where you get your water. Electricity is provided by generator or solar panels. No cell phone coverage or even hard-wired phone for some, only radio for contact. Truly off the grid. Not even a road to get to some of the houses, ATV trail only, not even wide enough for a 4WD truck. I'd be hard pressed to even consider spending a summer in place like that and I like getting out and camping for a few days or a week, there is no way I'd spend an Alaskan winter living like that. OK, there is no way I'd spend a winter in Alaska period, but in remote nowheresville Alaska without running water, electricity and internet, capital F*** NO. Those people are insane, I don't care how good the fishing is.

I have never seen that show. I'm not a big TV watcher, either. I have run across folks who thought that remote was what they wanted, until they got there. A friend leased his cabin to a guy from LA one summer. Guy didn't even make it through to Fall. My place is off-grid. No running water and no indoor plumbing, yet, although I plan for it, eventually. It costs close to $10,000 to put in a well, and I'm on the road system (although it's one lane and gravel). I currently have a solar panel system and have wired the place for 12 vDC. It works well, as long as you don't want a microwave. I'll eventually put in a wind generator, too. It all takes money and the place is strictly out-of-pocket. I did have the local power company give me an estimate to run in power...yah, don't think so. They wanted close to $90,000 to run wire...all for the privilege of paying them a monthly fee for power. For that kind of money, I could put in a wind-solar hybrid system that could power a small village.
It is a source of amusement for many of us, the people who move up here for the "wilderness" (if you want to consider Anchorage wild) and then they bitch about the moose munching their ornamental landscaping, or when the local bears eat their dog food...and their dogs.
Alaska, at least the real Alaska, is not for the faint-hearted or the lazy. Try cutting and splitting enough wood to heat a small home for the winter.

True story - I was stationed at Elmendorf in the early 70s .... went moose hunting near Palmer. Followed Buffalo Mine Road almost to the end, turned off into a creekbed ... 4wheeled up about 3 miles, and then pulled up on the bank to set up camp. it was late afternoon, so we just set up camp and called it a night (after copious beer disposal). Got up the next morning - walked out of camp - over a hill we had backed up to .... and there was a house.

Guy had lived there 6 years - his mom lived in Anchorage - he came out twice a year. One room cabin, with the biggest dog you ever saw, and a million books. Very nice guy - we had dinner with him that evening, and he made it a point to stop by the camp every evening (for copious beer disposal). Took two moose out of there ... was a good week.

That's how Alaskans are. My place is on almost 200 acres, over the river and through the woods. I hope someday to build a B&B I'll call "Grandmother's House" for just that reason.
I've also hunted up Buffalo Mine Road. I used to have a bear bait station near Castle Mountain.

That sounds pretty cool! I used to have a friend (haven't seen her in years) who lived in Alaska for a while when her husband, who was in the military, was stationed there. She said that the scenery is amazing and that words can't describe it, like Sherry says. She told me that you have to be really tough to live there though, and that a lot of people can suffer from depression in the winter months when it's dark.

Yep, we call it "cabin fever". There isn't much sunlight, even this far South. The military families...guys usually love it up here because they are kept busy. The wives either love it or hate it. It is like living in a postcard, though.
My place in Willow, we have a view of Mt. McKinley (from the site I plan to build the B&B). The entire place will be off-grid and "green". We've been experimenting with the solar panels for a few years now and they are pretty reliable for a small establishment. Everything will be backed up with man-powered facilities, too. Like the water pump, we'll be able to use that old-fashioned hand pump, if needed. Sewage and waste management will be self-contained, there are some marvelous systems available. I have even found a way to scavenge and store methane gas from composting animal waste.
Sunrise today is around 1015 am and sunset at 1550 (3:50 pm), makes for a short day, but at least we've passed the Winter Solstice and are gaining daylight daily. Today's temp high is predicted to be around 41, right now it's 39 and raining! This has been one crazy year for weather here, surely.

 

[gallantwarrior]

3 above and cold. Everyone have a great New Year.

Damn, that sucks! It's balmy and raining here.

 

[gallantwarrior]

Well, it will be 2015 when I wake up in the morning. Who would have ever thunk it? I have peeked into my crystal ball and 2015 has some great things in store for us! Here are just a few of the things I have seen in my crystal ball for 2015:

1. The mini skirt will make it's return in the fashion circles.
2. You will no longer stink if you get sprayed by a skunk.
3. Cats will become extinct.
4. There will be peace and harmony between all countries on planet Earth.
5. Politicians will all become truthful and honest.
6. Ice cream will no longer have calories.
7. Roosters will no longer crow at the crack of dawn but will wait until 10:00 am before they greet the new day.
8. Rap music will cease to exist.
9. No more electric bills.
10. Watching TV will become more enjoyable.

There you have it. Just a few of the things I have seen in my crystal ball for 2015.

Dude, you have got to lay off the ganga! Seriously.
Happy New Year, BBD!

 

[Sherry]

I hope all of my CS buds have a very happy New Year!!

 

[gallantwarrior]

I watched a documentary once about a guy who went to Alaska and built a home all by hand with just primitive tools. He made his own home out of materials available, and everything he had, he made himself, including his silverware and dinnerware. He was quite an amazing old dude! Lol! I believe it was a PBS documentary. It was quite interesting!

Some years ago our business contracted with State Farm Insurance to inspect all the farm and ranch properties that they insured in New Mexico--fire, safety, and condition inspections. And that that took us to some really REALLY remote areas in Catron County in far west central New Mexico where the ranchers were fully sustained--no electricity, no phone service, etc. They trucked in propane to run gas lights and gas run refrigeration. To preserve propane, almost all their heat came from wood stoves and fireplaces including their cook stoves. All outside communication was via short wave radio. They picked up their mail or any packages at the nearest distant town. And these places and the people who inhabited them were lovely. I can imagine the folks who really rough it in Alaska would be similar.

They are indeed. It's interesting, the guys are on the short-wave first thing in the morning. They chat about mechanical things, hunting, and such. As soon as the fellows are out of the house, the ladies take over the airwaves. The chatter is much more eclectic and informational. Most of the children are homeschooled, out of necessity, of course. And the most popular slogan is, "if it's brown, flush it down...if it's yellow, let it mellow." (Reference to limited water and septic resources, of course.) People gather at one home or another for Sunday services or other important events. Supplies are brought in using snow machines, small river barges, or light aircraft, where possible.

 

[Foxfyre]

The last Albuquerque sunset of 2014:

 

[boedicca]

Happy New Year Coffee Shop Peeps!

 

[saveliberty]

I'm considering a wild new year's celebration with extra butter on my extra buttered popcorn.

BBD? I iz not stinky, so does that make me extinct?

 

[Foxfyre]

I'm considering a wild new year's celebration with extra butter on my extra buttered popcorn.

BBD? I iz not stinky, so does that make me extinct?

I buy Albertson's buttered flavored store brand popcorn because it is just plain better than any of the name brands, even Orville's. But extra butter makes it soggy.

The other night though I melted mini marshmallows in butter, added a smidgeon of oil of cinnamon and poured it all over popcorn to make popcorn balls--just had a sudden yen for popcorn balls. Hombre ate a couple of them and I ate ALL the rest. That will be my fix for a whole year, but oh man, they were sooooo good. That and the quart of eggnog I split with my daughter--Hombre won't touch that--were my guilty pleasures for the holiday season. I'm good to go now until next December.

 

[blackhawk]

 

[Montrovant]

I'm considering a wild new year's celebration with extra butter on my extra buttered popcorn.

BBD? I iz not stinky, so does that make me extinct?

I buy Albertson's buttered flavored store brand popcorn because it is just plain better than any of the name brands, even Orville's. But extra butter makes it soggy.

The other night though I melted mini marshmallows in butter, added a smidgeon of oil of cinnamon and poured it all over popcorn to make popcorn balls--just had a sudden yen for popcorn balls. Hombre ate a couple of them and I ate ALL the rest. That will be my fix for a whole year, but oh man, they were sooooo good. That and the quart of eggnog I split with my daughter--Hombre won't touch that--were my guilty pleasures for the holiday season. I'm good to go now until next December.

We use a popper. The microwaveable bags are easier, but using the popper may be cheaper and you can certainly avoid some fat/calories by skipping all that butter. It's not important to me, and I end up heating up a ton of butter to pour on top, but whatever.

Of course, much as I love some popcorn, it always gets caught in my teeth for hours afterwards.

 

[saveliberty]

Avoiding calories? I was pedal to the metal straight for the brick wall.

 

[Big Black Dog]

I'm considering a wild new year's celebration with extra butter on my extra buttered popcorn.

BBD? I iz not stinky, so does that make me extinct?

If you iz not stinky, you are not extinct.

 

[saveliberty]

Hoda and Kathie Lee have had a glass in their hands all day. How bad must they have to pee?

 

[Big Black Dog]

I would like to wish all of the Coffee Shop crew a very healthy, happy, and joyous New Year. I hope that 2015 will turn out to be exactly the kind of year you've always dreamed about.