Skip the 4 Calling Birds

I must start out by expressing my delight about the fact that the 12 Days of Drifunkmas coincide with the final days of school before Christmas break. Working in an elementary school at this time of year is truly a mixed blessing. Watching those little faces as they take great care in describing what it is that they want brings an instant smile to my face, not to mention the teary eyes that I get watching the annual 2nd grade play. On the other hand the kids are completely out of control with excitement, which makes academics nearly impossible. It's exhausting.

That being said, a refreshing beverage is greatly appreciated after work. That leads me to tonight's drink (that I'm still enjoying).

Orange Bourbon Sour

3/4 c. Bourbon
2 c. Orange Juice
1/2 c. lemon juice
1/4 c. sugar

Combine all ingredients. Stir or shake until sugar is dissolved. Pour into glasses filled with ice. Serves 4.



This one is definitely a keeper. We had to run down to 20 Main to get some Christmas drink chips, so I made this up ahead of time. I figured it would give the sugar some time to dissolve and save me from stirring it for too long. This is the perfect beverage to mix up ahead of time to bring somewhere. I would recommend this as a beach drink due to the fact that it's tart and loaded with juice. Mike and I both liked it immediately. It was refreshing and delicious. We did adjust the recipe though, as it was a bit tart at first. Mike gave it an 8.5 and I gave it an 8 (bourbon is his liquor of choice). Give this one a try!

On the 3rd Day of Drifunkmas My True Love Gave to Me...

...a B-53! I'm getting ahead of myself though. Now that my energy level has returned to its normal turbo-boost state, I really should share the adventures of the 2nd day. I'm a day late, but I am NOT a drink short. Day 2 brought the following refreshing beverage:

Bacardi Cocktail



3/4 oz. light rum
1 oz. lime juice
1/2 tsp. sugar syrup
1 dash Granadine

Combine all ingredients in a shaker. Shake and pour over ice.

This was not the intended drink for the day, but sometimes you just have to fly by the seat of your pants. Simply stated, it was what we had in the house for mixers. This definitely was not a drink that would be considered memorable at all. It's not that it was bad, it was just too typical. It was a little too sour for my taste too. I added more Grenadine twice. I highly recommend more than just a "dash" of Grenadine. Mike and I both rated it a 5 out of 10. I don't have much more to add about this one. It was that boring, and the 3rd day's drink was soooooo much better.

The B-53 Shooter

2/3 oz. Kahlua
2/3 oz. Bailey's
2/3 oz. Vodka

Pour one at a time in that order over a spoon in a shooter glass.



Since we don't own any shooter glasses, I thought this might look pretty good in a martini glass. I took my sweet time pouring those fine liquids over the spoon to create the triple-layered yumminess and it really paid off. They were gorgeous! Mike quickly asked, "So we drink this all at once?" It really was impressive in size. We toasted to the 3rd day of Drifunkmas and pounded those bad boys. Mike gave this one a 7.5. I rated it an 8.5 because I love Kahlua... and Bailey's... and vodka. Three great tastes that taste great together. I definitely recommend this as a fun, "quick one" that will leave a fabulous taste in your mouth without any amount of burn.

Tomorrow brings the Orange Bourbon Sour. I can't wait! It serves 4. Anyone in?

Drifunkmas 2011

I can't believe that it has already been a year since last year's challenge of 12 different drinks in 12 days, but indeed it has. The beginning of Drifunkmas marks the return of my wonderful husband who has been working in Telluride for 14 long days. This year a day was added unexpectedly when the Telluride Express, scheduled to pick Mike up at 3:30 a.m. and sweep him off to the airport to return to his beloved wife, broke down. No shuttle to the airport means missed flight. His 7 o'clock arrival turned into the next day. That sure was a big disappointment to all of the Kirchners.

It didn't stop Mike and I from starting the 12 Days of Drifunkmas though. He walked in the door at 3 a.m. this morning and I was ready to pour. The first drink was The Nignog. Yeah, we kind of made it up. If you care to indulge yourselves, here is the recipe:

The Nignog

1 shot of bourbon
1 shot of light eggnog
Dash of nutmeg

Add bourbon to glass. Slowly pour in the nutmeg for a nice two-layer concoction. Top with nutmeg and slam it. You'll get a quick, flavorful burn followed by the taste of sweet eggnog. It's delicious and oh-so-easy to make.

I've decided to hold today's drink report until tomorrow. I'm pretty tired. It was a late night. Glad I arranged for a personal day today.

A Lady's Challenge

It isn't news to anyone at this point that certain regions of the North Country sustained a significant amount of damage from Irene. That storm impacted so many people that all of us probably know at least one person who fell victim to it. One of the Ladies was one of them. Oof.


I must say that I was one of those "Looky-Loos" (as my family calls them) that was driving around Sunday night in extreme awe over the height of the water at Stickney Bridge. "Can you believe this?" I said to Mike. "Holy shit!" I knew in the back of my mind that it was undoubtedly going to wreak havoc on the lives of many, but I never thought that it would be THAT bad. I write this as a person who lives in a location that only dealt with flickering lights on occasion. I'm sorry. I wish everyone had been that lucky.


Sierra was one of those that was not so lucky. She lives in the lower area of Jersey. As if that isn't enough, she owns the theatre on Main Street that is conveniently located next to the river. Her house on Monday morning was a disaster. She had at least one inch of silt covering the floor in some rooms with 2-3 inches in others. It was so slimy that you had to walk very carefully through the house in an attempt to keep your backside from looking like the floor. When I first saw it, my immediate thought was, "Where in the hell do you start?"

Perhaps it was instinct on the part of Cory and Sierra, but they immediately started moving furniture outside to clear the place. We all followed suit. Once that was done it was a free-for-all. Folks just saw what needed to be done and did it. I had the very distinct pleasure of cleaning out the silt from the refrigerator and freezer. Let's just say that river water and perishables don't mix.

I understand that this is not, in any way, a unique situation that Cory and Sierra have faced. All you have to do is drive around, watch the news or check out Facebook to know that so very many have felt the wrath of this storm. Mike and I talked about how we would have handled dealing with the loss that so many others have had to deal with. I told Mike that I would be a wreck and he quickly agreed. Sierra has handled it like a champ. She admitted that she had indeed lost it at one point, but you'd never know it. She and many others in many communities have handled this situation brilliantly. The human spirit is truly amazing.

The Joys of Summer

Ahhhhhh... summer. I just love it. Except for one thing. It goes WAY too quickly. I had every intention of spending quite a bit more time writing this summer but alas, I've been too busy yet again.

It all started with summer school, which started only 11 days after the regular school year ended. Not much of a break there. Add that to the goat milking schedule, and I'm pretty much spending a lot of my time working.

That doesn't mean that I'm not having a bunch of fun as well though. I have joined Mike at the tennis center on Thursday nights for the Spirited Mixed Doubles League this summer. The league is a pleasant mix of fun, exercise and frustration. All of that combined with after-play drinks makes for a good evening. No complaints there!

We also made our annual July trek to North Beach in Burlington to enjoy some serious beach time too. I do believe it was the hottest camping we've ever done, as it was still in the 80's at 10 o'clock at night, which makes for a sweltering tent indeed.

We are truly enjoying our busy summer, but there has not been a weekend that was as interesting, entertaining and full as this last one. Saturday turned out to be one of the most memorable days of my life. It all started out with my weekly 4:45 alarm to do my a.m. shift at the farm staring down the back ends of the does....

It ended with officiating my first wedding...



It was a tremendous honor, and I would do it again in a heart beat. I have had the pleasure of singing for several ceremonies, but this was much less stressful and a great deal more intimate.

Today was another fabulous summer day, and extremely necessary. We did some obligatory grocery shopping and household chores and ended the day in the most peaceful way. We headed for the Covered Bridge to hang out at the falls.






Just look at how relaxed he is! It is now August and certainly not a time to take summer for granted. I plan to continue to focus on enjoying the activities that we can only take advantage of three months of the year.

All Women Should Try This (at least once)!

Sorry I couldn't write about this last night while it was still fresh in my mind, but I was too tired and hadn't seen my husband all day. I thought that he might get a little annoyed if I went straight to my computer when I got home....

Last night was Ladies' Night at the Hollywood Theatre for the first time in a long time. If you've never gone to one, you just have to try it. Ladies' Night happens on a night that the theatre is usually closed and is for, obviously, women only AND it's BYOB. There is nothing like sitting in the movies and cracking open a can of beer without having to cough to cover up the sound of it being opened.

Sierra was showing "Bridesmaids" last night, and it was a perfect movie for a "ladies only" crowd. The theatre was packed! I was almost as entertained by the sight and sound of all of those women (about 80-90 of them) laughing together as I was by the movie itself.

I really wish we could have those nights more often. If you haven't gone to a Ladies' Night at the Hollywood Theatre, you don't know what you're missing!

One of the Ladies and One of Her Missions

Years ago I decided to go for a run with a purpose other than just exercise.... What about going for a run and finishing it up with a beer? I mean really, we all get thirsty when we run. Beer is 90% water. Why not? I decided to run from my house down to 20 Main for a total of about 3.5 miles. I carried some cash and my cell phone for the trip. I got there, had a bottle of water and a beer, and called Mike for a ride home. It was a stellar experience. Right then and there I decided that I needed to share this experience with others. I mean really, what could be better than celebrating exercise with a refreshing beverage when you're done??? The Beer Run Association was born that day.

After careful consideration I decided that a charity organization was what the Beer Run Association would be. Want to raise money? Call the Beer Run Association and I'll organize a run to make money for your organization. I still anticipate that one of the major beer distributors will sponsor one of my events... how can they not?

I am currently in the midst of the beginning of my dream. Some fabulous folks in my town hold an event to make money to go towards research for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a disease that has hit more than one prominent person in our community. What better organization could I choose to start my quest? None.

On June 4th, the Beer Run Association will hold its first charity event, and I couldn't be more proud. I don't care if it's only 5 people (although I'm hoping for 10 times that amount). My idea of fun is becoming functional and that's what it's all about.

I hope that anyone reading this participates in one way or another... either volunteering for the event, participating in the motorcycle ride, shaking their groove thing at the Zumbathon that is going on at the same time or bidding on something at the silent auction.... be a part of this. It's really important.