Two weeks ago, on the first Thursday evening of December, the Johnson City Business and Professional Women put on the annual Johnson City Holiday Parade.
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Category Archives: Just my Thoughts
Two Flavored Fudge
I am posting several of my favorite holiday recipes. Once you see what is in this recipe, you will understand why I only make it at the holidays.
With us in the grasps of the holiday season, I know, as well as you all do, that a lot of celebrations center around food. In that vain, I am going to share several of my family holiday recipes over the next few days.
My grandmother always made a lot of goodies for the holidays. My favorite recipe is the one for Two Flavored Fudge. I have to admit that fudge is hard to make. I will also admit that I have made this one time when it did not set and we sat at my other grandmother’s table and at the soupy mess with spoons.
Two Flavored Fudge
2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
1 c. granulated sugar
1 c. evaporated milk
½ cup butter
1 7-oz. jar marshmallow cream
1 6-oz. pkg. butterscotch morsels
1 6-oz. pkg. semisweet chocolate morsels
1 c. walnuts, chopped
1 t. vanilla
Preparation Instructions
In a saucepan combine the first four ingredients.
Bring to a full boil over moderate heat, stirring frequently. Boil 15 minutes over moderate heat, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat. Add marshmallow cream, butterscotch morsels and chocolate morsels. Stir until morsels are melted and mixture is smooth. Blend in walnuts and vanilla. Pour onto a greased 9x 9 inch pan. Chill until firm. Makes about 2 ½ pounds.
Preserving the Cut Christmas Tree
I had a web site at Geocities for years. When they stopped offering free web sites, I saved most of my content as a lot of it had taken me years to accumulate or come up with personally. I do not recall where I first read the information below but I know that I did some checking on it. With a forestry degree, I have a lot of books that I could turn to to see if a lot of this rings true. As the local morning news crew went out to a local tree farm and cut down a fresh tree, I decided to post this particular article today in their honor.
This year, take the oath: there won’t be an accidental fire in your house or apartment. All you need do to stop this possibility is to PRESERVES the live evergreen displayed indoors at Christmas!
First, let us go through the materials you’ll need to fireproof your tree. You’ll need the following materials: Karo syrup from the supermarket, epsom salt from the drug store, a small can of “Boraxo” from the supermarket, liquid chlorine bleach from your laundry closet, and a small packet of chelated iron (it’s pronounced KEY-lated) from the garden shop or plant store. You’ll also need a two-gallon bucket or pail.
Secondly, here are some hints for choosing the freshest tree.
Keep in mind that most trees are cut six to ten weeks before you see them in your neighborhood, unless you are at a local tree farm or cut your tree yourself.
When you go shopping for your Christmas tree, find one that meets your standards for height, shape and fullness. When you’ve narrowed your choice to a few trees, check to see that each is healthy. Find a bad side of the tree, then try and snap a very small branch with your fingers. Preferably, this should be at the bottom of the tree because this is the first place where water would be in short supply. Try to snap the branch with your fingers; if it snaps easily, know right away that the tissue is dead, and the story is the same for the rest of the tree. DON’T BUY THAT TREE!
However, if the branch doesn’t snap easily, that’s a good indication that the tissue is very much alive. But don’t stop there. Snap the small branch just the same, then look at the woody tissue under the bark. If the color is white or a pale green, then the tissue is alive, and the tree is healthy. If the wood looks to be brown or close to it, that means the tissue is in the process of dying, in which case you do not buy that tree! No matter what, ALWAYS BUY A TREE THAT HAS LIVE TISSUE, either white or pale green. This means that the homemade preservative that you’re about to make will make it less likely to catch on fire!
Now that you’ve purchased your tree, let’s show you how to preserve it!
- Once you get home, get a saw and IMMEDIATELY make a fresh cut at the base of the tree trunk. This is MANDATORY for any tree you’ve bought. Go down about an inch ABOVE the bottom of the trunk and make a fresh cut there with your saw. Try to make a level cut when you do.
- Next, let’s consider a place for storing your tree because, ideally, YOU SHOULD BE BUYING YOUR TREE AT LEAST 10 DAYS BEFORE CHRISTMAS. If it’s longer that that, fine, but don’t buy it at the last minute and expect to have it fireproofed before it goes into the house. Storage should not be a problem as long as the tree is protected from the wind. An ideal place would be the garage, a carport, possibly a balcony for apartment dwellers. The last resort would be a basement, hopefully a cool one.
- Immediately after making your cut at the bottom of the tree trunk, mix your homemade preservative.
- Into the two-gallon bucket, add HOT WATER from the kitchen faucet. Fill the bucket with hot water to within an inch or so of the top of the bucket. Then, into the hot water, add the following ingredients: …two cups of Karo syrup …two ounces of liquid chlorine bleach …two pinches of epsom salt …one-half teaspoon of Boraxo …one teaspoon of chelated iron Stir these ingredients thoroughly in the bucket, then IMMEDIATELY stand the trunk of the tree in this solution. Leave the tree in the bucket until the day comes when you want to take the tree indoors for decoration.
- When the tree goes indoors, stand the trunk in the tree stand and decorate it as you always do, then move the tree into its final resting place in the house. THEN, GET THE BUCKET FILLED WITH YOUR INGREDIENTS, HAVE A PLASTIC CUP HANDY, DRAW OFF THE MIXTURE FROM THE BUCKET AND FILL THE WELL OF THE TREE STAND RIGHT UP TO THE TOP.
- Here, assign some responsibility for what happens after that. Someone in the family must see to it that, EVERY DAY WITHOUT EXCEPTION, THE WELL OF THE TREE STAND MUST BE KEPT FILLED WITH THE SOLUTION IN YOUR TWO-GALLON BUCKET.
- A hint: in the morning when you get up, FILL THE WELL OF THE TREE STAND WITH FLUID RIGHT UP TO THE TOP. When you retire for the evening AGAIN FILL THE WELL OF THE TREE STAND. The well must be kept filled so the solution is always readily available to your Christmas tree, and then IT IS PRESERVED.
How can the tree be preserved this way?
Actually, it’s very easy and let’s explain why…
The Karo syrup provides the SUGAR, and it is only in the presence of sugar that tremendous amounts of water will be taken up by the exposed tissue at the base of the tree trunk. Without the sugar, only the smallest bit of water will be absorbed. However, in the presence of the sugar, you can expect more than one and one-half gallons of the water to be absorbed by the tree during the 10 to 14-day period that the tree is exposed to your homemade preservative.
But there is more. Thanks to the boron you have supplied (in the Boraxo), the water and sugar will be moved to every needle and branch of your tree. Remember that boron is what makes sugar move, not only in trees, but vegetables, fruits and even house plants.
Then, there’s the epsom salt and the chelated iron. Epsom salt is magnesium sulfate, and magnesium (together with iron) are the center molecules in the process we know as chlorophyll production. By making the magnesium and iron available to the tree, you’re assuring yourself of green needles, even if the tree was not sprayed at the tree farm before it was shipped to market.
Oh yes, why the liquid chlorine bleach? Chlorine stops a mold from forming when water and sugar stand for any period of time. Here, the chlorine stops the mold from forming in the bucket and the material added to the well of your tree stand.
Finally, what are the benefits from preserving your tree this way?
- Your tree will be SOAKING WET with water, in fact, at least 800 per cent more water that when the tree was growing in the forest.
- The tree will NOT become a fire hazard in your house because it is soaking wet, almost like a sponge.
- No needles will drop, no matter what variety of evergreen you are displaying in your house. At the same time, the tree will give off a fragrance like that which you’ve sensed when walking through a forest of evergreens.
- Finally, make the test. When the holidays are over and the tree is taken down in the house, move the tree outdoors and cut one of the branches. Then, move away from the tree, light a match, and see if the branch will burn. IT WON’T…guaranteed!
- Also, if you have an outdoor garden of any size, be ecology conscious. Cut the branches from the tree, then scatter the branches over the mulch previously applied to your roses, tulip and bulb garden, atop the mulch over your flower bed. A thick layer of these evergreen boughs is added protection for your plants over the winter.
Then, cut up the tree trunk into small sections and add it to the trash can. If your municipality recycles Christmas trees, please participate in this particular practice. Many do and use the chopped up trees for mulch and/or trails.
So, preserve your live evergreen this Christmas and enjoy a safe holiday! 
Light
It is almost the shortest day of the year. Light is becoming less prevalent and you are probably thinking that I am a crazy person for wanting to write about light. Guess what? I may be a bit crazy but light is the one thing we all celebrate and want, particularly here in the Northern Hemisphere, during the winter months.
A few years back – my youngest is now a senior in high school and this was when he was in 3rd grade – I volunteered to go into his class for the winter holiday party. Elementary schools these days are very politically correct, even if the students do not understand what this is, so as to keep all the parents happy. I knew I could not go into this class and play a game that might be Christian or might be Jewish. I had to come up with something that was neutral. What did I decide to do? I decided, since they had spent time at the beginning of the month learning about holiday traditions in various countries, to play BINGO. Instead of the word BINGO across the top of the board, I looked for a five letter word that was holiday geared. LIGHT! That is what I came up with because think of all the country’s holiday traditions – and all the religions of the world whose traditions – involve light.
Christianity celebrates the birth of Jesus. This birth of the King was announced by a star in the sky – a light. Judaism celebrates Hanukkah – the time when there was not enough oil for the light in the temple yet the lights burned for eight days. Kwanzaa is a cultural celebration that celebrates family, community and culture. The Mishumaa Saba are the seven candles where each signifies a different principle. Candles equal light.
When we look to European traditions, I remember studying the Feast of Saint Lucia when I was young. In Sweden, Saint Lucia visits children with a crown of candles on her head. Again, there is light in this tradition.
So as we journey slowly towards the shortest day of the calendar year, remember that light is important. Light is what we all celebrate this time of year. Light is what we all seek this time of year. We want the days to get longer, the sun to shine bright and longer. We want light.
This is a second post in a series of four dealing with my thoughts on the Advent season. This particular post was updated from one posted last year on www.sarahstanleyinspired.com.
Turkey Trot – A Race Recap
Thanksgiving morning dawned sunny once the sun made its appearance. I live in a valley so even though sunrise may be at 7 AM, the sun may not get over the hill and down where I am until almost 8 AM. I awoke at 6 AM and made my sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner while having my morning coffee. My friend Jennifer should be at my house between 8:15 and 8:20 for the two of us to head to the local Turkey Trot.
Neither of us had registered yet. The cost of registration did not change from pre-registration to day of the race but pre-registered runners and walkers did receive a long sleeve tee shirt. The proceeds from the Turkey Trot go to the Triple Cities Runners’ Club scholarships which are given to graduating seniors who have run track or cross country in their local high schools. I would pay for the race even if I wasn’t running to be sure there was the money for these scholarships.
The race is set to run in Otsiningo Park in Binghamton. This park is part of the Broome County Parks and Recreation Department. There is a series of paved trails in the park that runners will traverse to get in the 8K of the Turkey Trot. Normally, a runner would also get a preview of the local Southern Tier Independence Center’s holiday lights festival. The lights themselves would not be turned on but one would see many of them. Unfortunately, the September flooding of the park has caused STIC to cancel this year’s lights festival due to no electricity in the park.
I wore what I call my “don’t mistake me for a deer” running gear. I live in a rural area. While hunting is not allowed near homes and roads, I still worry about being mistaken for a deer so I dress in such a manner that it would be truly hard to mistake me for any kind of animal. Most would just think I am extremely color blind.
The start was crowded. There is an area towards the north end of the park that use to be a rest area off Interstate 81. There is an actual bathroom there and this is where the race starts. The race does two loops around this building and as those of us at the back of the pack were getting to the turn for the second loop, those who had been in the front of the pack were finishing up the second loop.
Jennifer and I started out together. Our first mile was under a 10 minute mile which is very fast for both of us. I wanted to slow to about a 10:30 pace but kept going with Jennifer for about two miles. I finally told her to keep going and I would either catch up with her or see her at the end. I frequently see this older gentleman running on Hooper or Country Club Roads. Jennifer and I passed him at one point. After Jennifer had gone ahead, he and I would leapfrog each other several times throughout the race. I got a push from a woman that jumped in near the end to help him finish. On top of that, Jennifer came to meet up with me near the end, having already finished herself, and gave me a push to sprint into the finish.
Kudos to Triple Cities Runners’ Club for another wonderful and well-attended local race. Grace Tabeek runs clean races and this was no exception. With the holiday, we all had other things to do but made it a priority to stay healthy by working off some calories before eating some.
Photo credits: Top photo – Arianna Young, Bottom photo – Grace Tabeek
New York’s Tax Levy LIMIT
Back in the 2011 NYS legislative session, there was a law passed dealing with municipal and school district taxes. This limit had been a huge talking point in the 2010 gubernatorial election. The biggest problem is the way it has been presented to the public. The legislators who wrote and passed the law and the media both call it a tax cap. That is a fallacy.
First, the law effects the tax levy, not individual tax bills, directly. Tax levies are limited by the law but that does not mean that an individual property tax bill will have the same limit as the levy does. Tax bills involve equalization rates and for years have not been the same as the levy increase. People need to realize that if a municipality or a school district has a 0.8% tax levy increase, that does not mean the individual tax bill on a given piece of property will only go up 0.8%.
Second, the law is not a straight levy limit. There is a complicated formula that must be dealt with to obtain the amount of increase available to a specific municipality or a specific school district. There are some exemptions but these are few. There is also the opportunity, after the first year, for carryover.
Third, the idea that this levy limit is a set limit of two per cent is not totally true either. This limit is what must be met if the vote to approve is a simple majority. A school district can increase the tax levy by more than that specific district’s calculated limit if the voters in that district approve the increase by 60% of the voters or more.
All voters and the media need to realize that the “tax cap” that has been in the news is not an actual cap. Chapter 97 of the Laws of 2011 sets a tax levy limit. The limit is calculated individually for each school district and each taxing municipality within the state. This limit will be different for each taxing entity and will vary each year.
Come Visit
I have a guest post up at Shooting for the Show. It is a look at the traditions in the Cornell Hockey program. Totally different from my post here yesterday. Hope you go check it out.
If you are a hockey fan, you should bookmark Justin’s site.
Holiday Planning and Holiday Plans
Have you ever thought of the holiday season that just began with Thanksgiving with disgust? I do every now and then. Usually, my disgust stems from a lack of planning. If I plan out my holidays – from gifts to wrapping time to shipping to baking, I love how the days flow and how I feel at the end of the holidays. If I forget to follow a plan or make my own, the holidays become one big mess of trying to get it all in.
The big mess can be complicated by children. When children are young, you have to worry about them allowing you time to do what needs to be done and, in many cases, how to allow them to be a part of the holiday prep as well as the holiday season itself. When the children are older, there comes the problem of fitting their activities – from school concerts to friends’ gatherings to pick ups from college – into the family holiday schedule.
So what’s an organized person to do? Find a plan, or make your own, and follow it.
First, a word about plans. The internet is full of great plans to help you get through the holiday season. You can also seem to find one on the cover of every women’s magazine at the check-out at the grocery. Plans that are developed by someone else are great but realize that your life is unique and the plan may need some tweaking. Any plan also needs to have some flexibility. If you are following a rigid plan, you may not enjoy your time or your holidays. Just keep in mind that you want flexibility and something that can be re-worked to fit your family and your holidays.
Second, ask friends what they do. Maybe you don’t need to look for a plan. Maybe you know a family that always seems to get everything done during the holiday season that you want to do. They work at a soup kitchen, bake cookies as a family, have the perfectly decorated tree. Ask how they get it all to work. If you don’t know anyone like that, don’t worry. Ask anyway. You may be surprised at what friends will tell you. They may have a plan but just still be working at getting it to seem “perfect” to the world.
Third, plans become habits. Do not think that you are going to have to stare at some plan for years to come. As you work a plan, the plan itself will evolve and take on a living, breathing existence. The plan will become a habit and you will do the items on it without thought. It may take a year or two through a plan for you to not have to think about it or write it on the family calendar but it will happen.
Whatever you decide to do, realize the holidays are for celebrating family, friends and whatever your beliefs may be. Enjoy the time you have with those you cherish and the holidays will be great.
Cornell Hockey
Last week, my daughter and I picked up a former classmate of hers from university and made what seems to be our annual trek to Cornell University. We live about 40 miles from Ithaca, New York and Cornell is an easy drive for a game or event, providing weather cooperates.
The reason for the trip this time was the Niagara University men’s ice hockey team was going to be playing Cornell. The 7 pm start made it easy to get her friend from college and get to Lynah Rink with time to spare. I will say I have never before had to park in the garage for a hockey, soccer or basketball game at Cornell but, even with the Thanksgiving break beginning, the parking lots around the rink were full.
Lynah and Cornell have some great hockey traditions. The banners that hang from the rafters tell the story of a program that wins and produces championships. Games are very hard to get tickets for, between the student section – which was full last week despite the impending break – and the season ticket holders. While there were seats in the area of the season ticket holders that looked empty, those seats most likely belonged to someone who was out of town for the holiday.
We saw some great hockey played by both teams. Niagara, who is not having a great season as far as wins, played very well and almost took the game to overtime. Unfortunately, a goal went in for Cornell with approximately 8 minutes left in the third period.
Enjoy the slideshow of sights from the game. Please realize the red you will see is mostly on the fans as I was looking to get good shots of Niagara players. Also realize that all photos were taken through glass. While our seats were practically on the ice, section O – where Cornell puts visiting fans – is not conducive to great photos of the entire ice.
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