First update: The principal survived. From all accounts he enjoyed his evening outdoors. However none of the kids have seen him without his shoes on, so we cannot verify that he still has the same number of toes he had when he began the night. Frostbite can be sneaky.
Last night I was a bad husband. My wife left me a voicemail at work letting me know she was taking the kids to the Y and that they might not be home when I got home. I took this as a good opportunity to run an errand. I swung over into St. Paul to pick up some brewing supplies at Northern Brewer, but severely underestimated how long the detour and the shopping would take me. So they were all home when I got home, and had been worried that something happened to me, since I was about 45 minutes behind my normal arrival time. And of course, I had forgotten my cell phone yesterday. Note to self: Even if you think the errand will be quick, let the family know about it so they don't worry.
While at the brew store I picked up ingredients to make Mead. I've never made it before, but the instructions don't seem to hard and it's similar to making beer. My brother in law is a big Renaissance Fair guy and wants to try mead-making. So he and a buddy are coming over Saturday afternoon around 1:00 to do a batch. If you're interested, you're more than welcome to join us. Note to self #2: 12 pounds of honey is a really heavy thing to carry in a messenger bag for 9 miles.
After biking 25 miles yesterday in single digits and another 18 today with (negative) double digit windchill, I don't have a strong desire to leave the house until June or so. Plus, the forecast for tomorrow told me not to leave the house:
THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PORTIONS OF CENTRAL AND
SOUTHERN MINNESOTA...AND WEST CENTRAL WISCONSIN.
.DAY ONE...TONIGHT
BITTERLY COLD AIR WILL CONTINUE TO POUR ACROSS THE UPPER MIDWEST
TONIGHT. BY DAYBREAK...TEMPERATURES ARE EXPECTED TO BOTTOM OUT IN
THE TEENS AND LOWER 20S BELOW ZERO. THESE COLD TEMPERATURES
COMBINED WITH NORTHWEST WINDS OF 10 TO 20 MPH WILL PRODUCE WIND
CHILL VALUES BETWEEN 25 TO 45 BELOW ZERO. WIND CHILL ADVISORIES
AND WARNINGS HAVE BEEN POSTED FOR MUCH OF THE AREA. DO NOT VENTURE
OUTDOORS...UNLESS YOU WELL PROTECTED FROM THESE DANGEROUS COLD
TEMPERATURES.
I think I'm going to skip the Hiawatha ride, stay warm and get things ready for the mead fest. I did bring my computer home, so theoretically I could work from home until June but I know it's not going to work out that way. So perhaps I'll just stay inside until Tuesday. I've got a wheel to build and mead to make, so that should keep me plenty busy.
Date: January 16
Mileage: 18
Ride type/Bike: Commute/Triumph
January mileage: 183
Year to date mileage: 183
Date: January 17
Mileage: 20
Ride type/Bike: Commute/Triumph
January mileage: 203
Year to date mileage: 203
Date: January 17
Mileage: 5
Ride type/Bike: Errand/Triumph
January mileage: 208
Year to date mileage: 208
Date: January 18
Mileage: 18
Ride type/Bike: Errand/Triumph
January mileage: 226
Year to date mileage: 226
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5 comments:
So I finally found someone in MN with a breaking point, albeit at a ridiculous "teens below zero" range. Yet again I have to stop bitching about riding in the 20s. Do youall have to ride all summer in the 90s with 100% humidity? It's probably equally as unpleasant. Happy festering honey, though.
I'm ready for some meade. Do they sell it at liquor stores?
You can buy mead at liquor stores.
I made some in 1990. The recipe in Charlie Papazian's homebrewing book said it was so great it was the reason lots of people got into homebrewing. So, I made some. Man, that honey ferments very vigourously! I think I ended up with a SG of .990. I dutifully bottled the stuff up and gave it a year (he said it got better as it aged). It was vile. I gave it another year....no improvement. When I introduced a chum to homebrewing in 1996 I fed him some. Now it has become a running joke. I still have two bottles left. At 15 years, the promised sublime flavour was still buried under a harsh grating edge that could strip paint, but maybe at 18 years it's ok? I should try another.
Another thing; you think mead is going to be some thick porter-like beer? Nope. It's light and clear and as welcoming as naptha.
Have fun!
I bought some sweet mead at Surdyk's that was good, but a bit sweet for my tastes. When I made my own, I decided to make a semi-dry mead by adding about half of that acid pack that came with the kit. The sweetness was effectively killed and it tasted like paint thinner. Potent stuff though. I was more desperate than Matt and it only took me about a year to drink and give away my shit-tasting mead.
I enjoy mead occasionally. I'm curious to hear how yours turns out.
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