Mmmmmm, mocha cappuccino

My son Steve gave me a Mr. Coffee espresso/cappuccino maker for Christmas in 1998 or 1999.
I used it for awhile, then went back to the simplicity of making coffee.
Maria, who is not a coffee drinker, bought some super dark roasted coffee at Sam’s Club – the kind you grind yourself. I tried a couple of pots of it in the coffee maker and then got to thinking about the fineness of the grind – somewhat finer than normal for a drip coffee maker, closer to the fine grind you’d want for an espresso machine.
So I pulled Steve’s gift down from the top shelf of the kitchen cabinet last week, dusted it off and re-read the owner’s manual.
It’s all perfectly straightforward: fill the coffee strainer, pour a carafe full of water into the boiler, fill the stainless steel steaming cup about a third full of milk, and flip the switch to the “cup” icon. When the espresso reaches the “steam” mark on the carafe, turn the switch past “off” to the “steam” icon and put the nozzle of the steamer just below the surface of the milk. When the froth reaches the top of the steaming cup, switch back to the “cup” icon and let the carafe fill up. When the dripping ceases, turn the switch to “off.”
Rather than sip the espresso from a tiny cup the way proper people do, I prefer to dump it into a big mug, toss in three packets of Sweet & Low and a teaspoon of Hershey’s chocolate syrup, pour in the steamed milk and spoon the froth onto the surface.
I now have the rough equivalent of a vente cappuccino mocha. It is also enough caffeine to carry me through the morning.
Thanks again, Steve!
Checking with Amazon.com, I see the machine's cosmetic appearance has changed a few times over the past decade, but the function remains the same and the price is molto ragionevole (very reasonable).

The rest of the mail report

Our tenant’s rent check was in our post office box this morning – three days before the late penalty kicks in!

Of course, he neglected to add the late penalty from last month and a couple of months before that.

This was also the first day of mail delivery in our little wooded subdivision. Only four of the nine houses have put out mailboxes, but apparently that’s enough to lure the carrier up our road. We’re among the holdouts. I have a frequent need to take packages to the post office and we like the relative security of a P.O. box, so I’m in no big hurry to spend money on a mail box I’ll have to mow around.

West meets East

I got an email this afternoon concerning the January meeting of the local (Mid-South) BMW Club on Saturday. The author says it’s at a restaurant on Germantown Parkway in Cordova, Tenn., west of Memphis.

I don’t think so. West of Memphis is the Mississippi River and Arkansas. (Restaurant location is “A” on the map.)

Like she said, “It’s always something.”

This time it’s my Gannett pension. Checking my online bank link on Saturday, I noticed the automatic deposit was short $154.
When I picked up the mail this morning, it included the monthly pension earnings statement and the reason was revealed. They’ve started deducting for medical insurance again.
The deductions stopped when I went on Medicare last summer and should never have resumed. I have a call in to the appropriate people to get it fixed.

LATER: An HR person at The Star returned my call, apologized and said they will send me a check for the deducted amount and that no further medical insurance deductions will be made.

Sunday, Sunday

Some days I don’t get inspired to write anything. This was one of those days.

I did, however, knock out another 20-minute mile on the treadmill and fill the bird feeders.

Just call me Mr. Excitement.

Storm dog

Pete took refuge at Maria’s feet under her sewing table when the storms rumbled through yesterday afternoon.

That is, until a nearby lightning strike sent him running.

We figured he was headed for his kennel in our bedroom, which is his safe place in times of anxiety. But when we checked, he wasn’t there.

Then we noticed him hunkered down in the back of our walk-in closet. Must have been a pretty scary lightning strike.

Happy New Year

We’re having a laid-back New Year’s Day.

I did a 20-minute mile on the treadmill, having resolved to do 20 treadmill minutes a day, every day, in 2011.

Now I’m blogging while Maria Skypes with her son and her parents at her parents’ house in Thorntown.

I checked my online bank account this morning and was alarmed to see my Gannett pension rolled in but was about 23 percent less than it was in December. WTF? Naturally, this will require a phone call on Monday.

Close, but no cigar

Granddaughter Lisa checks out the view from the seat of my K1200GT in her garage in Las Vegas.

This being New Year’s Eve, it’s time to record the odometer readings from our two BMW motorcycles.

I knew it was a better-than-usual riding year, what with my three-week ride to Oregon, California and Nevada and other lesser travels, but I had no idea I would end up with 9,343 miles – just 657 miles short of the 10,000 to qualify for the Indianapolis BMW Club’s 10,000-mile award. The last time I earned a 10k award was in 2004, which was my 13th consecutive 10k award.

If I’d realized how close I was to the magic 1ok number, I would have ridden more. In fact, I’m fighting the temptation to saddle up and ride to Valdosta, Ga. to get the needed mileage. Of course that would be completely insane, given the fact that I’d be racing a cold front that spawned tornadoes this morning and killed three people in northwest Arkansas. And I’d be stuck in Georgia for several days while I waited for a warmup in the Mid-South. I’d have to find something to occupy my time, like maybe a ride down to Key West, which would give me a headstart on my 2011 mileage total. Hmmmm.

But it’s 11:30 a.m. already and there is no way I could ride 657 miles before midnight, especially since I’d lose an hour crossing into the Eastern Time Zone. So there it is. A mathematical impossibility.

But even so, 2010 was the best year for riding that I’ve had since 2004. I started keeping track of my BMW mileage in 1986 when I did my first ride to the West Coast with Tim and Linda Balough. Here’s the record so far:

Personal BMW Mileage
2009 - 8,522
2008 - 6,212
2007 - 6,432
2006 - 6,093
2005 - 6,476
2004 - 10,163
2003 - 10,003
2002 - 10,849
2001 - 13,548
2000 - 11,593
1999 - 11,912
1998 - 13,115
1997 - 13,122
1996 - 13,862
1995 - 11,378
1994 - 19,621
1993 - 21,928
1986 -15,735

A hard rain’s gonna fall…

Issued by The National Weather Service
Memphis, TN
9:22 am CST, Fri., Dec. 31, 2010

... SEVERE WEATHER LIKELY LATER TODAY ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE MID SOUTH...

A STRONG STORM SYSTEM MOVING INTO THE AREA TODAY WILL SET THE STAGE FOR A SEVERE WEATHER EVENT ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE AREA. A WARM FRONT POSITIONED ACROSS CENTRAL ARKANSAS INTO NORTH CENTRAL MISSISSIPPI THIS MORNING WILL LIFT NORTHEAST TODAY. THE AIRMASS TO THE SOUTH OF THIS FRONT HAS BECOME WARM... HUMID... AND UNSTABLE. THIS UNSTABLE AIRMASS IS EXPECTED TO OVERSPREAD THE WESTERN HALF OF THE MID SOUTH BY EARLY AFTERNOON PRIOR TO THE PASSAGE OF A STRONG COLD FRONT. THE INCREASED INSTABILITY COMBINED WITH STRONG ATMOSPHERIC WINDS WILL SET THE STAGE FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS AREAS ALONG AND SOUTH OF THE WARM FRONT AND AHEAD OF THE COLD FRONT.

THE GREATEST SEVERE WEATHER RISK WILL EXIST ALONG AND WEST OF INTERSTATE 55 THIS AFTERNOON INTO EARLY EVENING... INCLUDING NORTHEAST AND EAST ARKANSAS... THE MISSOURI BOOTHEEL... SOUTHWEST TENNESSEE... AND NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI. IN THESE LOCATIONS... SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP BY EARLY THIS AFTERNOON AND MOVE QUICKLY EAST THROUGH THE EARLY EVENING HOURS. ANY SEVERE STORMS THAT DEVELOP WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING DAMAGING WINDS AND A FEW TORNADOES. THERE WILL BE A SECONDARY THREAT FOR LARGE HAIL. THE BEST TIMING FOR SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS THESE LOCATIONS WILL BE BETWEEN 2 PM CST AND 8 PM CST.

FURTHER EAST... INCLUDING NORTHWEST TENNESSEE TO THE EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER... THE TENNESSEE RIVER VALLEY OF WEST TENNESSEE... AND NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI... THE OVERALL THREAT FOR SEVERE WEATHER WILL BE LOWER. THERE IS STILL SOME UNCERTAINTY WITH RESPECT TO HOW FAR EAST THE UNSTABLE AIRMASS WILL SPREAD. IN ADDITION... THE LOSS OF DAYTIME HEATING THROUGH THE EVENING HOURS SHOULD LIMIT OVERALL INSTABILITY. THE SEVERE THREAT IS MORE CONDITIONAL HERE... BUT IF IT DOES OCCUR EXPECT THE PRIMARY SEVERE WEATHER THREAT TO BE DAMAGING WINDS WITH A SECONDARY THREAT OF ISOLATED TORNADOES. THE BEST TIMING FOR POTENTIAL SEVERE WEATHER ACROSS THESE AREAS WILL BE BETWEEN 4 PM CST AND MIDNIGHT.

HEAVY RAINFALL AND LOCALIZED FLASH FLOODING MAY OCCUR ACROSS EASTERN PORTIONS OF THE FORECAST AREA TONIGHT AS THE COLD FRONT SLOWS ITS EASTWARD PROGRESSION.

RESIDENTS ACROSS THE MID SOUTH ARE URGED TO REMAIN UPDATED WITH THE LATEST FORECAST INFORMATION AND PLAN NOW FOR THE POTENTIAL OF SEVERE WEATHER THIS AFTERNOON AND EVENING. THE LATEST SEVERE WEATHER DETAILS AND GRAPHICS CAN BE FOUND IN THE GRAPHICAST SECTION ON THE MEMPHIS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEBSITE. BE PREPARED TO SEEK SAFE SHELTER IN THE EVENT SEVERE WEATHER WARNINGS ARE ISSUED AND SEVERE WEATHER BECOMES IMMINENT.

It may be my last ride of the year

Sometimes you don’t need much of an excuse to go for a motorcycle ride.

Today is was a combination of no rain, a temperature in the upper 50s, a need to pick up the mail and buy a new pair of bootlaces, a need to put some juice back into the K75S battery and a desire to remember a BMW motorcycle friend whose funeral is today.

Even though it’s shirtsleeve weather for walking around, 59 degrees can still be chilly on a bike. Sometimes I under-dress for weather like this, but I got it right today: turtleneck, windstopper pullover, BMW Savanna jacket, BMW summer pants and street boots and gauntleted Olympia Kevlar gloves.

It was also my first chance to try out the Wiley X Jake sunglasses some guy left in Charlie’s store more than a year ago. They had prescription lenses, which I replaced for $18 with bronze blue-blocker-type lenses. They also have a foam rubber gasket that keeps the breezes off of the wearer’s eyes. I augmented them with a pair of stick-on 2X bifocal patches. I was pleased to find that, unlike most other sunglasses, they slip right on and off under my Arai fullface helmet.

The Wileys worked splendidly and I’m looking forward to many miles behind them in 2011 and beyond.

Nothing particularly exciting in the mail except for the 2010 filing edition of H&R Block At Home tax software. I thought about buying a copy yesterday when I was in Office Max, but this is easier – just load it and pay for it online.

I left some money on the table when I filed our 2009 return – forgot some interest that might have gotten us another $100 or so on our refund. I’ll not make that mistake again.

Fun with electrons

I charged the battery on my K1200GT last week, then plugged the charger into the accessory outlet on Maria’s K75S.
After three days, the BMW Advanced Battery Charger was still flashing a red light where I expected a green light to signify a charged battery.
Could it be that the charger, which has worked flawlessly on the GT’s glass mat battery, isn’t right for the K75’s gel battery?
I dug out the packaging for the charger and confirmed that BMW says it’s appropriate for all types of batteries – glass mat, gel, lead-acid.
Then my eyes fell upon the explanation of the indicator lights.
Flashing red means no connection has been established with the battery.
WTF?
So I plugged my Gerbings heated jacket controller into the K75’s accessory plug and turned it on. No monitor light or other indication that it was getting juice.
Aha.
So I’ll have to charge the battery with the charger’s accessory battery terminal clamps until I can troubleshoot the accessory outlet problem. (I pulled the left sidecover and inspected the fuses, but found them all intact.) It also means I won’t be able to ride the K75S in cold weather and use my Gerbings heated clothing until the accessory plug connection is restored.

Becalmed in the journalistic horse latitudes

Back when I was a Gannett wage slave, I always dreaded this time of year – the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.

We used to hope for some kind of disaster because all of the usual sources of news were dormant. No government meetings, no athletic events to speak of, and all of the newsmakers out of town.

So with nothing happening, we turned our attention inward and conjured up endless lists of the top 10, 20, 50, etc. local, state, national, and international news and sports stories of the year.

It was a combination of narcissism and a response to lots of space to fill in the paper.

I hated writing these stupid stories because the choice of news events and their ranking was purely subjective. And I’m sure they were the least-read things I ever wrote for publication. Really, who cares what some editor thinks were the important events of the past year? It’s certainly not the kind of think that gets cut out and stuck on the refrigerator door. That’s where the really good stuff ends up.

Bad craziness on Craigslist

I was poking around on Craigslist this afternoon and wandered into the Rants & Raves section of the Personals. The first two are from the Jonesboro area. The rest are from the Memphis area. Other than removing the last name of the guy in the first item, they’re all unedited – just copy and paste:

1. Mike X is a fat pill pushing s.o.b. that cheates on his wife every chance he gets. he destroyed my marrage by fuckin my wife and got her hooked on pills all of which i have prof. so hopefully he or his wife will contact me soon so this can be taken care of.thx
2. You have to love when you are at home working on a project or trying to enjoy time with your family when you hear a knocking on your door. You think who could it be a friend a relative? After opening the door you see two people asking for your time away from your family so they can push their religious views into your face. I see this as a type of solicitation. Just my thoughts wonder if anyone else feels this way?
3. Why would anyone park their car for days and nights on end in front of a neighbor's house blocking their mailbox and almost their driveway?
4. I work at a bar where the owner TAKES tips from reglars who dont tip good by adding a beer or two to ther tab. But to him anything less than 25% is a bad tip. Andthen he does shit to ther food in the kitchen but is nice to ther face. This is the only bar manager I know that does it-most are ok. But you better tip good at OWT, or youll end up with piss in your pizza, REALLY!
5. My faith in humanity has been restored! Having been unemployed for about 6 weeks, I was looking for someone to donate a bicycle so that I could expand my job search. Of course, I got the usual responses (i.e., people who, despite reading that I am unemployed, still offered to SELL me one--what's up with that? don't they teach reading COMPREHENSION anymore?) not to mention a ton of spam.
   Then, this lady named Patty, who works in midtown, contacted me and said that she had one her son used to ride. Not only did she offer to let me have it for free, but she even put it in the trunk of her car and brought it to work with her so that I could walk down and pick it up. She also brought a bike lock with it, and as I was going out the door, slipped a 20 in my hand.
   It's too small for me, the seat is uncomfortable as hell, and it squeaks.
   It's also the best Christmas present I ever got.
   Thanks again, Patty!
   When I get work, I intend to buy a bigger one and then find a kid whose parents can't afford to give him a bike and pay it forward.
6. I heard that some people are registered sex offenders to the government and can't open their door to kids on Halloween, so I wanna register as a sex offender so I don't have to let kids in. I know some sex offenders, and I think it would be really cool to join their club!!! Do you agree, and how can I register as a sex offender? Do I have to pay a membership fee or do some kind of crazy initiation? I hope not. That's why I was never in any college clubs... So anyway, do sex offenders get any other special privileges? I gotta know!!! Tell me!
7. Dear Sir:
   I am Bornfrxcz from Trillfid Nine.
   I apologize for the green light display the other night over Mud Island. My broodmates, I believe you would say, got into the gojop juice and got snookered very badly. They jettisoned the contents of our waste disposal unit and then destroyed it with the ship's laser. So the white light was the laser that caused the waste to phosphoresce the green color usually only available on a 1969 Volkswagon Thing. I am extremely sorry for this happening.
   I must now confess the following as a way to make amends for our unplanned fireworks.
   We have been visiting your planet for the past century or so, and it is we who run all the Nigerian email scams here on craigslist. We also like to post as 23 year olds who like older men in your Casual encounter section. So be warned and stop mailing your money to our PO Box in Skokie.
   Oh yes, before I forget, the spent radium containers we left on the curb in front of The Olive Garden on Poplar are now gone, but the clothes hangars and Mardi-gras beads are still there awaiting pickup. Do not ring the doorbell, just take the stuff and do not make a mess.
   Your friend,
   Bornfrxcz from Trillfid NINE
   PS Please remember, even though we do resemble your own planetary system's Neptunian lungsuckers, we are not from Neptune and none of us would ever suck your lungs out.
8. as the previous responder said, the whole city is pretty much a toilet. but the area you are describing is usually on fire from the frequent drive by shootings and arson.

Godspeed, John Mohringer

John Mohringer’s obituary in the Lebanon Reporter:

Mr. John Phillip Mohringer, 53, of Lebanon, entered into eternal rest Sunday, Dec. 26, 2010, at Indiana University Hospital in Indianapolis.
John was born on June 1, 1957, to Johannes and Johanna (VanDongen)
Mohringer, in Decatur, Ill. His parents survive.
Shortly after graduating Lebanon High School in 1975, John met his best friend
and love of his life, Sally Ayres. They were married at the Herr Cabin in a
traditional Indian ceremony on Jan. 20, 1979, officiated by his father.
John was a certified nuclear welder and had been employed as a welder for
several years at Commercial Filters, Amtrak, and most recently as a car man at
CSX Railroad.
He and Sally enjoyed traveling the country on his BMW motorcycle. He was an
avid BMW motorcyclist and outdoorsman, and mastered everything he ever attempted. John was also especially fond of going up in his power parachute,
where he could get his own bird’s-eye view of God’s creation. John had several friends and never met a stranger. His smile, laughter and sense of humor were always present, no matter what life dealt him.
John was a member of several clubs, including the Indianapolis BMW Club.
Along with his parents and his wife, Sally, John is survived by his large family who will miss him more and more as every day goes by, including brothers, Peter Mohringer of Lebanon, Thomas (wife Shannon) Mohringer of Elizaville, James (wife Wendy) Mohringer of Darlington and Steve (wife Terri) Mohringer; sister, Maria (husband Louis) Shepherd of Lebanon; and several nieces and nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews. One brother, Fred Mohringer, preceded him in death.
Visitation will be 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 30, at Myers Chapel of Memories,
1502 N Lebanon St., Lebanon. Services will follow visitation at 7 p.m. Thursday at Myers Chapel of Memories, with the Rev. Howard Barefoot officiating.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to the American Cancer Society, or to the donor’s favorite charity.
Online condolences may be made at www.myersmortuary.com.

I shot this picture the day John and Sally and I spent panning for gold in the Colorado high country. The stream was just west of Fairplay, Colo.

Raccoon drama

Not long after we went to bed last night, we heard a dog bowl being batted around on the back porch.

Since Pete was in his kennel and Ruthie was snoring on the carpet, we knew we had an intruder.

I went to the back door and snapped on the lights, startling a medium-sized raccoon who had come in through the dog door.

The raccoon shot me a look and then ambled out the way it had come.

I waited a few seconds to give it a decent head start – don’t want my dogs in any fights to the death with a raccoon – and then released the hounds.

The raccoon’s scent was fresh in the air, so they were properly indignant when they charged through the dog door and tore around the yard, barking murderous threats to anything that would dare to trespass in their domain.

When they came back to bed, Ruthie was still in a high state of agitation. Her senility makes her crazy restless sometimes at bedtime and she roams the house aimlessly and sometimes scratches on the bedroom door, even though it’s wide open. It’s like she’s looking for a portal to another dimension.

I drifted off to sleep, but she started whining, which woke us up and prompted Maria to give her a dose of Valium (as prescribed by the vet). It took about a half-hour for the drug to kick in, and then she was out like a light. I had to gently shake her for several seconds to wake her up this morning.

Looks like we’ll have to start bringing the dog bowls in at night.

Gone too soon

We were stunned this morning to learn that longtime BMW friend John Mohringer died yesterday.

John was a good friend and a solid member of the Indianapolis BMW Club. He consistently rode 10,000 or more miles a year and won the club’s high mileage award for 1999 with 22,945 BMW miles ridden that year.

Besides being an avid motorcyclist, John was an ultralight aircraft pilot. We exchanged waves many times when he flew over our house in Thorntown, Ind. I stole this picture of him cruising above his native Boone County from his Facebook profile.

John had been in poor health and had undergone surgery recently. He packed a lot of joyful living into his 57 years, but he deserved more.

Flakes!

What better time than the beginning of winter to take a closer look at snowflakes?

Thanks to Maggie’s Farm, I discovered Kenneth Libbrecht’s fabulous web site snowcrystals.com. Libbrecht is one of the foremost experts on snowflakes. His pioneering snowflake photography was featured on this set of U.S. postage stamps issued in 2006. Austria also issued stamps adorned with his snowflake photos.

His Guide to Snowflakes page is particularly fascinating.

Christmas Day

It doesn’t take much to make me happy.

In this case, it’s the last of the bagels that Austin brought from Shapiro’s Delicatessen in Indianapolis a few weeks ago and a well-stocked wine rack.

We watched Maria’s new colorized copy of “Holiday Inn” last night and we’re having a calm, low-key Christmas Day today.

We Skyped with Steve and Lisa yesterday and I had a nice telephone chat with Sean this afternoon, so I feel connected to my far-flung DNA on this Christmas.

Christmas Eve

I’m hanging out at Books-A-Million while Maria does a little last-minute grocery shopping next door at Kroger.

Judging from the crowded parking lot, it’s going to take her a little longer than usual.

We hit Sam’s Club first and I checked out the Samsung 3D LED TV. Yeah, it’s 3D. Kinda. I was not impressed. I certainly wouldn’t pay nearly $2,000 for the 46”, let alone about $2,500 for the 55” version. The technology isn’t mature yet, and I’m not sure it will be in the foreseeable future. Our 2D 42” Sharp Aquos fits nicely in our armoire and suits me just fine. I did notice, however, that they have at least one home theatre sound system with wireless rear speakers. I haven’t hooked up our rear speakers because I’m loathe to run speaker wire under the carpet or through the walls. Maybe next year…

This is a surreal feeling Christmas Eve. The temperature is 36 and there’s a light drizzle. The National Weather Service has issued a Special Weather Statement talking about light snow accumulation overnight and tomorrow, but I suspect it’s mostly just wishful thinking among those who fancy a white Christmas – kinda like the way forecasters in Indianapolis like to pretend the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race will have good weather, even when radar shows a storm front bearing down on Indy.

The Weather Channel was asking viewers to weigh in on how far they would drive to see snow. Most of the responses seemed to be coming from the Sun Belt, except maybe the guy who said, “I wouldn’t even drive to McDonald’s to see snow.” I’ve seen enough snow in 60-some Indiana winters to know that I’m perfectly happy without it. Snow in the high passes of the Rocky Mountains in July is one thing. Snow in the winter in Arkansas isn’t nearly as interesting.

We had a fun Skype visit with Steve and Lisa this morning. She showed us her new pair of goldfish and her electric Santa Claus who dances to Jinglebell Rock. Steve wondered out loud what would happen if he plugged a higher voltage AC adapter into it. Heh heh.

Maria doesn’t have enough time off for us to travel to visit relatives this year. Las Vegas and Portland and Arizona are out of reach and a drive to Indiana would involve almost as much time in the car as we’d have for visiting. So we’ll have a quiet Christmas at home watching movies on DVD and opening the back door for the dogs whenever they decide they want out or in.

Merry Christmas to all. Especially the ACLU.

Ghost of Christmas Past

Sixty Christmases ago, my parents gave me this really cool cowboy outfit – hat, shirt, pants, boots, Hopalong Cassidy jacket and cap gun and a length of rope.

I loved that outfit. The shirt was black, trimmed in chartreuse satin with pearl snaps instead of buttons. I was desperately sad when I outgrew each of the components of the ensemble.

If we lived in Arizona or Colorado, this is how I’d dress every day. Probably even down to the gun. Open carry is legal in Arizona and Colorado.

Well, I think I’d lose the rope. I never could keep it untangled anyway.