Sunrise this morning

The sky lit up at sunrise this morning, like the painted rocks of the west.

OMG, ThinkGeek Really Rocks!

I've been a long-time fan and customer of thinkgeek.com . . .
They reward purchases with geek points.
I accumulated 2,725 points and was waiting for the right time to redeem my points.
Imagine my surprise when I logged in today (to buy a Valentine's Day gift, no less) and found that ALL my points expired on 12.28.07?!

Now I see the fine print, but who knew? And to not even send me an email reminder that my points were expiring?! Unconscionable.

BUT . . .
Thanks to the wonderful understanding staff at Think Geek, especially Rosslynn H and Rob P, my points have been reinstated. And Rob assured me they are working on an automated process to warn folks when their points are about to expire.

Hey, if it was just a few points, no big deal. But 2,750 can get you some good stuff. Time to do my Valentines Day shopping!

Check out Think Geek at thinkgeek.com

* Expiration date noted is 36 months from date Geek Points were accrued. Geek Points shall be subject to expiration after thirteen (13) consecutive months without purchases on your ThinkGeek account or at thirty-six (36) months after the date Geek Points were accrued, whichever comes first.

The Wind

Some people have haunting eyes,
and like a fool,
it drives me to know of their lives.
It drives me like the wind.
Open the door, let me in.

Like the wind,
I touch without touching,
love without loving,
give without giving.

And then,
I am gone.

Cold Air, Warm Sun

The day dawns, cold, arctic.
The clouds break, the sun shines,
warming all it touches,
melting snow.

February in the Adirondacks . . .
cold air, warm sun.

Circle of Friends

One good reason for maintaining a small circle of friends is that 3 out of 4 murders are committed by people who knew the victim.

• George Carlin

Shoot the Messenger

That is the one thing I really hate about being a consultant. People tend to shoot the messenger. Some guy is overweight and he goes to the doctor. The doctor says "You are fat. You need to diet and exercise." Most people just go on with life as usual, maybe muttering about their useless doctor.

Clients come to me and say "My lake is a cesspool. What's wrong? Fix it." So I tell them THEY are the problem, the 250 septic systems and acres of lawn fertilizers that run off into the lake. Well, that requires more than a lot of money - it requires a behavioral change, too.
Suddenly you are a pleb instead of an expert.
"Um, we need a second opinion." "YOU'RE FIRED!"

Being a Christian disciple is the only undertaking where persecution is considered a sign that you are doing your job right. It is right there in the job description!

Bliss

Peace is a warm puppy asleep on your lap.

Ideas

The difference between success & sloth is putting the idea into action.

Mom's Wicked Rum Cake

Ingredients - Cake:

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 package instant vanilla pudding & pie filling
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
  

Ingredients - Glaze:

• 1 stick butter
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup dark rum

Cake

• Preheat oven to 325°
• Flour and grease a 10" tube pan
• Mix cake mix, pudding mix, water, rum, oil, and eggs until smooth
• Pour into pan and bake 1 hour
• Cool 25 minutes in pan

Glaze

• Melt butter in small saucepan
• Stir in water and sugar
• Boil 5 minutes, stirring constantly
• Remove from heat
• Add rum
• Use immediately
  

Assembly:

• Invert cake onto large plate
• Poke holes throughout cake using a long wooden skewer or long , thin chopstick
• Ladle hot rum glaze over top and sides slowly
• Brush glaze on sides with pastry brush
• Sprinkle cake with chopped nots
• Cover in foil, seal well, and let sit for 1-2 days. It gets better with time!

Notes:

• Be sure to make the glaze up just before applying to cake
• Glaze will foam up a bit when you add the rum, so be careful
• The resulting cake is NOT non-alcoholic!
• This is really my mother's recipe - she may have gotten somewhere else and tweaked it a bit (more rum!) but it's now our family tradition to make a bunch for friends.
  

My Musical Presence

Feel free to listen or purchase my music, solo acoustic or with The Whompers. You can hear clips below and purchase the songs. You can hear full songs on my iLike/Facebook pages. You can also check out my various online music pages listed below (some of these are a bit redundant). If you find yourself in Saranac Lake, I'm playing at the First United Methodist Church every Sunday morning at 8:30 AM (Praise Service) and every Wednesday night at 5 PM (Free Coffee House w/Soup).

• Cedar Eden Music - photos, music, CD info
  
• MySpace Artist Page
  
• iLike Artist Page - stream complete songs online
  
• Facebook Artist Page

The beauty of wood heat

There is a skill in selecting just the right piece of dry wood for splitting.
And there is a skill in splitting that piece of wood down into kindling, popping the pieces apart with a well-placed tap.
There is a joy in the ring of dry kindling as it pops free of the log and clatters to the floor.
And there is a joy in creating a fire from nothing.
There is a satisfaction in the heat of the stove as the fire builds.

But the real beauty of a woodstove fire is the way it heats the whole house, until the entire structure is one giant source of radiant heat,
and you bask wrapped in 74 degrees while snow and ice sorround your humble abode.

Thought on thermometers

Never have more than one thermometer.
The number of outside temperature readings is directly proportional to the number of thermometers one has.
Which is to say, if you have three thermometers,
you get three different answers.