Happy New Year 2009

This weekend OkieLegacy will be a bit short on this last Sunday of December 2008 as we are enjoying the 3 to 4 feet of snow in the SW Colorado Rockies.

The last couple of days have brought colder temperatures and finally the sunshine brightens up the skies instead of snowfalling.

As we wind down the old year (2008) here in the southwest rockies of Colorado, we share this photo of our mountain cabin decked out in christmas lights on the evening of Christmas.

You have probably noticed that this holiday weekend has produced a short than usual newsletter for the end of the 2008 year! We are celebrating and enjoying college & pro football in the SW Colorado Rockies!

Happy New Year 2009! AND ... See You ALL Next Year at this time, Sunday, January 4, 2009! -- NW Okie, Duchess & Sadie
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Highlights of 2008

Just to touch upon some of the highlights of 2008 we see that the beginning of 2008 was when our winter storm come through the first week of January 2008.

That 2008 Winter storm of January remained in effect from 6 P.M. MST through Sunday afternoon. The Animas River Basin, San Juan River Basin - including the Cities of Durango, Bayfield, Ignacio, Pagosa Springs and surrounding vicinities were in the Winter Storm Watch. AND ... Northeast Kansas was experiencing a Winter ice storm.

An Arctic low front dipped down through Colorado and New Mexico with frigid chilly temperatures of -4 degrees. As January 2008 ended another winter storm was rolling through.

The beginning of 2008 we shared a few bio's of northwest Oklahoma pioneers. Just a few of those pioneers were: Lynn G. White; William Franklin Harfield; George A. Harbaugh; Henry E. Noble; Romulus Z. Linney; John B. Doolin; Lewis A. Salter; Thomas Jefferson; William E. Eutsler; Raphael H. Ross; Samuel Truitt Carrico; Lee A. Walton; J. Everett Smith; Jay H. Reigner; William P. Campbell; William Thomas Little; Claud Baird; W. Milton Bickel; George W. Snyder; Joseph Lamar Griffitts; Lindsey Lowder Long, MD; .

As we move into the 2009 New Year, Durango, Colorado's regular gas prices are down to $1.85.9 while gas prices (with ethynol) in Perry, Oklahoma are showing up at$1.36.9.

Last Year gas prices in the first week of January, 2008 in Oklahoma and Colorado were hanging around $2.99.9. In March of 2008 gas prices were creeping up into the $3.21.9 figure in southwest Colorado while Oklahoma was seeing $3.15.9 gas prices and Oregon's gas prices were at $3.41.9.

Summer brought financial disaster that spread around the world. AND... American voters were being persuaded for their their November 2008 votes as McCain/Palin and the extremists of the Republican party pulled out all sorts of tricks from their political playbook.

November 2008 saw those American voters unanimously going to the polls to vote in the historical 2008 presidential election for Obama/Biden and the Democrats.

Ellis Raymer reminded us that the famous "Alva Rest Room" in downtown Alva, Oklahoma was located, "On the westside of the downtown square, in a little brown building just west of the fish pond, also located on the downtown square in Alva, Oklahoma. It was a resting place for the women folk, and similar to a pool hall for the men, a chance to visit, gossip and catch up on everything happening before returning back home on the farm by Avard."

The Dacoma School alumni of Dacoma, Oklahoma were preparing for an all school reunion around the last part of March, 2008.
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Digging Out 2008 & Looking for '66 Goldbugs

December 27, 2008, Saturday, we spent the morning (while the sun finally decided to shine) digging out our driveway so we could get into our home North of Bayfield, in southwest Colorado. We also caught a view of the giant icicles forming off the roof on our back pation.

My oldest son has started a website called "The Pub & Goldbug Review" to network all classes of Alva High Goldbugs. His is the class of '89 and notice that he has connected at least 50 of his "Class of '89 gGoldbugs.

Who wants to help this NW Okie take on the challenge to out do the Class of '89?

I have started the Class of '66 list. We need all the help we can get. So ... Help us out and sign-in with your Class of Alva High Bugs. Join! and see if we can collect more than the class of '89? I need all the help Take on the challenge and see if you can overtake the Class of '89.

Go to THE PUB & GOLDBUG REVIEW -- on the right side of the browser there is a place to put in your graduating AHS Class Year (i.e. 1966, or whatever). Type in your "Name" where it states "Name." Then add your email and click the "Subscribe" box and "Submit" your entry to the Goldbug Review.

Our McWagner Snow Gauge showed a total of 23-1/2 inches on Saturday, December 27, 2008. Comparing that to what they received in the higher elevations around here, we are a foot less on the snow measuring gauge as of December 27, 2008.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! -- NW Okie
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Perry OK Gas Prices

"Today (Saturday) our Conoco dropped it's price to $1.37.9 for a gallon of gasohol and I presume that the other stations are 5 to 10 cents higher (no alcohol in the others).

We've also had 3 days of 70 degree weather but expect cooler temps for the next few days. Friday night (actually Saturday morning) we had thunder showers but I forgot to check my rain gauges. Central Oklahoma had somewhere in the neighborhood of a half-inch of rain according to the TV weather folks." -- Roy K.
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Calling ALL Alva High (Gold) Bugs

"I have a lot of programming done on the navigation, but I still need to develop the comment submission, BugNet submission, and the Comments viewing area. I should be done before Christmas.

This project is to help serve as a refresher to web programming before my advanced web programming class this Spring. Let me know what you think so far.

The comments are moderated, but I added one more option. If you click on the group number at the left and then click on a person’s name link, you can send a private message (not moderated or public). I have not updated the member profile area where they can edit info and view message yet though. I am working on the comment display area.

I need a graphic designer to come up with a new modern goldbug logo. Thanks." -- Mike Wagner - Email: mcwags@earthlink.net
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Carmon/Bridges Genealogy Website

"Did you make it through the Big Day? We just stayed home and enjoyed delicious Pot Roast that Jill made. So it was a good day. Now I've started a new quest in my family genealogy. I mailed out 8 letters today to people with the last name of Carmon and Jacobs in Altoona and Huntingdon, PA. See if I get a response. The info in the letters where similiar to the info in the webpage below I made today." -- Butch & Jill - Carmon Genealogy
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AHS Class of '66 Alumni

"I was surprised and brought back nice memories to see your picture and name appear after all these years. I am working in China, training managers. My wife and I have a home in Oklahoma City where she is and I am in Lanzhou, China. Drop me a line and I will get back to you. What are you doing? where are you now? How are you doing? I am looking forward to hearing from you." -- Harold Rodgers Email: china-traveler@hotmail.com
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Col. Kirkbride's Peanut Brittle Legacy

Fred Neuman's Boys choir tradition of making and selling peanut brittle makes news in Iowa. KWWL.com - TV

Another NW Okie has been spreading Col. Kirkbride's famous peanut brittle recipe in SW Colorado this holiday. NW Okie has printed out the history and story of Col. Kirkbride, "Candy Bob," recipe for large batches of peanut brittle that he started making for the youngsters in norhwest Oklahoma during WWII. See recipe and history below:

Col. Bob “Candy Bob” Kirkbride Peanut Brittle
This peanut brittle came from Col. Bob Kirkbride’s recipe that he used back in northwest Oklahoma during the 2nd World War when sugar and other groceries were rationed. Candy Bob would make big batches of candy (peanut brittle & taffy) for the children. Colonel Bob Kirkbride's recipe for peanut brittle as given to Fred Neuman of the Neuman’s Boys Choir, in Alva, Oklahoma. Fred and the Boys Choir would make thousands of pounds over the last 50 years to raise money for the boys choir.

Col. Kirkbride’s Original Recipe
In a large (3 gal or larger) cast aluminum kettle add: 5 lb raw peanuts; 5 lb sugar; 2-32-oz bottles Griffins Corn Syrup; 1/4 cup water. On a large burner at full blast bring the sugar-peanut mixture to 287 degrees (hard crack stage) stirring constantly with a wood paddle. Take the kettle off the fire and immediately add the following pre-prepared ingredients: 1/4 cup vanilla (the real stuff from Mexico); 2/3 cup baking soda; 1/2 stick real butter. Mix the ingredients with a paint mixer in an elecric drill for about 5-10 seconds. The mixture will foam up to several times its volume. Pour a 3 to 4-in. wide string from the kettle onto a strip of aluminum foil about 15-ft. long. Quickly trowel the mixture with a Pam-coated mason's trowel to one peanut thick. The fewer passes with the trowel the better. Let sit until cool then break up into pieces. Makes about 15 lb.

Smaller Version of Candy Bob’s Peanut Brittle - from NW Okie’s Mother’s recipe file:

1 Cup hot water
1 Cup White Karo syrup
2 Cups Sugar
2 Cups Raw Peanuts

Mix into a ball and set aside:
2 Tbsp. Real Butter
2 tsp. Baking Soda
½ tsp. Salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix butter, baking soda, salt & vanilla in to a ball and set aside. Mix Karo in hot water and add to sugar in heavy pan. Cook over high heat until boiling. Add peanuts and cook to hard crack (290 degrees). Quickly, but thoroughly, stir in butter, soda, salt & vanilla mixture. Quickly pour and spread evenly on buttered aluminum foil that you have laid out on your counter top. Using a buttered spatula or spreader to one peanut thickness. Buttering the aluminum foil and spatula helps keep the brittle from sticking to the foil and spreader. Let Cool! Break into pieces.

Happy Holidays!
David & Linda McGill Wagner & The Pugs (Duchess & Sadie)
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