America First
09/06/18 07:47
It's good to mix things up every once in a while. To that end, I decided to make my own cold brew coffee. I like Dunkin Donut's version of this summer beverage although Starbuck's has one that comes in a very close second. No reason to run out to buy one if you can just grab it out of the refrigerator. Right? I followed a recipe I found on the internet and after all was said and done it came up a little short. It was weaker than both the DD and Starbuck's brand. I suppose I could have made it stronger but I was faithful to the recipe so there you have it.
La Colombe advertises a cold brew for $28 and I'm more than a little tempted to give it a whirl. I buy coffee frequently from La Colombe so I guess I trust them to do the right thing when it comes to this product. Then again, I'm a faithful customer of Trader Joe's but find their Cold Brew to be maybe a little bitter. Not sure bitter is the right word but there is just something about it that bothers me. Maybe I just don't like the taste?
It is a lot cheaper than the $28 version by La Colombe and maybe that explains it. Keep in mind that when you buy cold brew that you are buying a concentrate so a small container goes a long way after you add in all the extras like ice, milk, and water. I'm not sure I'll be trying to make my own any more or at least not anytime soon so will have to be satisfied with keeping a jug of purchased concentrate in the fridge. Okay, that works.
Nancy is heading down to Portsmouth this morning to attend the annual Market Square event. I reminded her to pick up a couple of Portsmouth Hospital caps like she always does and she promised she would. One cap is for me and one is for uncle Wally. Last year was a complete bust as the hats were a fluorescent orange and more befitting of something you might wear deer hunting instead of around town. Not something that you would fancy wearing one way or another.
Oh, and don't forget to keep your eyes open for a nice little something for your mums upcoming birthday. And, if you see something for Carli the high school graduation girl, all the better. What do you buy for a niece who lacks for nothing?
It's a beautiful day here on the seacoast without a cloud in the sky, not even a smidge of humidity, and temps currently in the mid sixties. We all remember those events in years past when the rain ruined everything from attendance to the hopes of vendors who asked nothing more of Mother Nature than to hold off the rain until they had a chance to empty their push carts. Neither Evan or I am inclined to join Nancy but wish her well on her outing. She who peruses alone peruses best is what I say. I think she would agree with me.
I think Evan wasn't looking forward to the volleyball game that Katie had planned but was determined to go through with it come hell or high water. Worse case scenario was that he would show up and be nothing more than a half hearted participant. It's all about the anticipation sometimes and that may have gotten the better of him but as the morning wore on it became clear that he was not only willing to go but he was going to throw himself into the experience for better or worse.
The proof of the pudding was when he arrived back home later that afternoon and he was brimming with relief and maybe even a little excitement at having gone and made the best of it. I think he surprised even himself and that is a good thing. It's all about baby steps for all of us and every step counts. You learn quickly that once you are on your feet you are good to go and there is no turning back. Having a spring in your step helps.
This whole "America first" trade thing that Trump has been working on is interesting. The more he talks about it the more I'm of the mind that he's right about previous administrations not standing up for America when it comes to the issue of fair trade. We have the biggest market in the world and we have been bending over for decades when making trade deals with allies and other countries.
In other words, we allow their goods to freely flow into our country while they charge us or limit the flow of our goods into their countries. Maybe I haven't been paying attention but I don't recall Trump's predecessors making an issue out of this one way or another. There is no question that Obama did everything he could to bring our country to its knees but that doesn't explain Bush, etc.
The globalists might well have us paying our dues to the globalist gods by opening up our markets and shipping our jobs and our industries to these less advantaged nations. You can see how deleterious trade deals like NAFTA were and continue to be for our country - just look at hollowed out places like Detroit and Flint Michigan. Maybe it took a business man like Trump to understand and articulate an altogether different vision. A vision where America is no longer on the losing end of these horrible trade deals. We want free but fair trade. Nobody says it better than Trump.
According to Trump, if we're in bad trade deals and they can't be renegotiated we're getting out of them. Exiting the Paris Accords was a good start. The good news is that given the size of our markets, countries around the world cannot afford to not trade with us. Our relative size gives us the advantage we need to negotiate fair trade deals. Trade wars are off the table since cutting off trade with the US will decimate the GDP's of our allies and friends around the globe. Again, advantage Trump. And he reminds us every day and in every way, he is working for the American people. Did I mention that he donates his salary?
La Colombe advertises a cold brew for $28 and I'm more than a little tempted to give it a whirl. I buy coffee frequently from La Colombe so I guess I trust them to do the right thing when it comes to this product. Then again, I'm a faithful customer of Trader Joe's but find their Cold Brew to be maybe a little bitter. Not sure bitter is the right word but there is just something about it that bothers me. Maybe I just don't like the taste?
It is a lot cheaper than the $28 version by La Colombe and maybe that explains it. Keep in mind that when you buy cold brew that you are buying a concentrate so a small container goes a long way after you add in all the extras like ice, milk, and water. I'm not sure I'll be trying to make my own any more or at least not anytime soon so will have to be satisfied with keeping a jug of purchased concentrate in the fridge. Okay, that works.
Nancy is heading down to Portsmouth this morning to attend the annual Market Square event. I reminded her to pick up a couple of Portsmouth Hospital caps like she always does and she promised she would. One cap is for me and one is for uncle Wally. Last year was a complete bust as the hats were a fluorescent orange and more befitting of something you might wear deer hunting instead of around town. Not something that you would fancy wearing one way or another.
Oh, and don't forget to keep your eyes open for a nice little something for your mums upcoming birthday. And, if you see something for Carli the high school graduation girl, all the better. What do you buy for a niece who lacks for nothing?
It's a beautiful day here on the seacoast without a cloud in the sky, not even a smidge of humidity, and temps currently in the mid sixties. We all remember those events in years past when the rain ruined everything from attendance to the hopes of vendors who asked nothing more of Mother Nature than to hold off the rain until they had a chance to empty their push carts. Neither Evan or I am inclined to join Nancy but wish her well on her outing. She who peruses alone peruses best is what I say. I think she would agree with me.
I think Evan wasn't looking forward to the volleyball game that Katie had planned but was determined to go through with it come hell or high water. Worse case scenario was that he would show up and be nothing more than a half hearted participant. It's all about the anticipation sometimes and that may have gotten the better of him but as the morning wore on it became clear that he was not only willing to go but he was going to throw himself into the experience for better or worse.
The proof of the pudding was when he arrived back home later that afternoon and he was brimming with relief and maybe even a little excitement at having gone and made the best of it. I think he surprised even himself and that is a good thing. It's all about baby steps for all of us and every step counts. You learn quickly that once you are on your feet you are good to go and there is no turning back. Having a spring in your step helps.
This whole "America first" trade thing that Trump has been working on is interesting. The more he talks about it the more I'm of the mind that he's right about previous administrations not standing up for America when it comes to the issue of fair trade. We have the biggest market in the world and we have been bending over for decades when making trade deals with allies and other countries.
In other words, we allow their goods to freely flow into our country while they charge us or limit the flow of our goods into their countries. Maybe I haven't been paying attention but I don't recall Trump's predecessors making an issue out of this one way or another. There is no question that Obama did everything he could to bring our country to its knees but that doesn't explain Bush, etc.
The globalists might well have us paying our dues to the globalist gods by opening up our markets and shipping our jobs and our industries to these less advantaged nations. You can see how deleterious trade deals like NAFTA were and continue to be for our country - just look at hollowed out places like Detroit and Flint Michigan. Maybe it took a business man like Trump to understand and articulate an altogether different vision. A vision where America is no longer on the losing end of these horrible trade deals. We want free but fair trade. Nobody says it better than Trump.
According to Trump, if we're in bad trade deals and they can't be renegotiated we're getting out of them. Exiting the Paris Accords was a good start. The good news is that given the size of our markets, countries around the world cannot afford to not trade with us. Our relative size gives us the advantage we need to negotiate fair trade deals. Trade wars are off the table since cutting off trade with the US will decimate the GDP's of our allies and friends around the globe. Again, advantage Trump. And he reminds us every day and in every way, he is working for the American people. Did I mention that he donates his salary?