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"The sun is brilliant in the sky but its warmth does not reach my face.
The breeze stirs the trees but leaves my hair unmoved.
The cooling rain will feed the grass but will not slake my thirst.
It is all inches away but further from me than my dreams."
M.Romeo LaFlamme
, The First of March
What is it about the month of March that places it so firmly in a never-never land? We know that it comes in like a lion and often goes out like a lamb, but it is neither. It is cruelly cold and tantalizingly warm. It is snow when we need sun. Sun that never inspires the soul.
Yet, it is the month with the greatest promise. It suggests the end of that long winter and the beginning of new life and new opportunities. We hope that March brings you new adventures and new discoveries. And...thank you for joining in this month's "This Just In..."
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"In the Spring,
I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside 24 hours"
Mark Twain
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MONEY MONEY MONEY
A few months back we saw this story about putting a woman on the $10 bill.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said a woman will be featured on a redesigned $10 bill in 2020 -- the 100th anniversary of the Constitution's 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote.
A decision on who the woman will be won't be made for several months.
The last woman on U.S. paper currency was Martha Washington, who was on the $1 Silver Certificate between 1891 and 1896.
Lew, who will make the final decision on who will grace the currency, is asking the public for help.
The department will launch a website, and is asking for input over social media with the hashtag #TheNew10. What's his criteria? Lew wants the next generation of U.S. currency to underscore the theme of American democracy. The portrait must also -- by law -- be of someone who is no longer living.
That got us wondering if anyone has actually thought about re-designing America's money - from scratch. Why not ditch the greenback and go for some color, size differential, akin to the Euro. Well, here are a few ideas for just that.
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"Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush."
Doug Larson
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March Means Spring Is Here...
Can Summer Be Far Behind?
Daniels Energy's
Mitsubishi Home Comfort Sale
Save up to $1,000 NOW!
Now is the best time to think about - AC. In particular - Mitsubishi Ductless Home Comfort System. Whether you want to cool (or heat) one small room or the entire upstairs in your home without having to install space-eating ducts - this is the solution you need!
Save up to $1,000 off the price
of a new installed unit. Minimum size restrictions apply as there are Energize CT rebates and Mitsubishi rebates that specify size and SEER ratings. Ask your Daniels Energy representative for complete details.
Hurry this offer ends - April 30
th
- And the heat is on the way!
Let Daniels Do It!
CALL
860.813.9122
$300 Energize CT rebate req. min 18 SEER unit.
CT License S1385517 Reg#HOD19
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"Loveliest of trees, the cherry now
Is hung with bloom along the bough."
A. E. Houseman,
Shropshire Lad
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Yes, our travelogue continues! Identify this location and you will be eligible to win a $25 Target gift card. It's so easy. Just tell
us here.
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"Spring is nature's way of saying, "Let's party!"
Robin Williams
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Dinner & a TV Show
It is March. And somewhere, deep inside, there's a bit of Irish in all of us. So we thought we salute the St. Patrick's Day (and Ides of March) with something tasty and...adventuresome. From the NY Times...
It's Guinness Pie!
Beef in dark, silky gravy composed of fat and reduced stout, flecked with tender vegetables, covered in pastry: This is a dish that delivers good cheer and contentment in equal measure. We built it out of advice and instruction from the British chefs Jamie Oliver (the stew) and Fergus Henderson (the pastry). Eating it - salty and rich, buttoned with sweetness - will occasion thoughts of a coming walk or a nap on the couch with the dog. You'll want some red wine to drink. It's awesome.
INGREDIENTS FOR THE STEW
* 4 tablespoons butter
* 2 large red onions, chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, minced
* 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
* 2 ribs celery, chopped
* 10 mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
* 3 pounds brisket ( preferably second-cut ) or stew meat, chopped into
bite-size pieces
* Kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 1 sprig rosemary
* About 4 cups (2 cans) Guiness or other stout
* 1 cup trotter gear or 8 ounces freshly grated Chedder
FOR THE PASTRY
* 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
* 2 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 cup ( 1 stick) very cold, unsalted butter, diced
* 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
PREPARATION FOR THE STEW
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large ovenproof pan fitted with a lid, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until soft, about 10 minutes.
3. Add teh carrots, celery, mushrooms and remaining 2 tablespoons butter and cook over medium heat, stirrring frequently, until the mushrooms are dark in color and the moisture released by them has evaporated, about 15 minutes.
4. Season the beef pieces all over with salt and pepper. Add the beef, flour and rosemary to the pan and cook over high heat, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
5. Add enough Guinness to just cover the beef. Cover the pan and put it in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and stir. If using trotter gear, stir it in now. Return to the oven and cook for 1 hour more. If it remains thin, set the pan over medium-low heat, remove the lid and reduce the liquid. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If using Chedder, fold in about half.
6. While the stew is cooking, prepare the pastry: sift together the flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your hands, quickly work the butter into the dough until it is the texture of coarse meal. Add ice water, a splash at a time, until a firm dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
7. Place the dough between two sheets of plastic wrap and, using a rolling pin, roll to the thickness of a computer mouse pad. Pour the stew into an 8-inch square, 2-inch high Pyrex dish or a deep 9-inch pie pan. If using Cheddar, scatter the remaining cheese across the top. Place the dough on top of the pie and pinch it closed around the edges using the tines of a fork, then slash the center lightly with a knife. Brush with the egg yol, place on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes, or until the pastry is puffy and golden.
Now that you've got the meal of the month
- check out this amazing 1990's TV Series -
Cop Rock!
The musical drama about police officers is one of television's most notorious flops. Just 11 episodes aired on ABC during the 1990-1991 season but despite its brief run the series has never been forgotten. It has aired several times on cable since its original network run, most recently on Trio in June 2004. Yet I doubt anybody ever expected it to be released on DVD.
Shout! Factory will release the series this spring. The 3-disc set will include the 11 episodes plus new interviews with creator Steven Bochco, co-star Anne Bobby, and others. Shout! calls the release a "cause for both celebration and a long-overdue reappraisal of a series that has been called one of the most unusual programs of all time."
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"
Indoors or out, no one relaxes in March, that month of wind and taxes, the wind will presently disappear, the taxes last us all the year."
- Ogden Nash
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A Cautionary Tale
We've mentioned on more than one occasion that you should replace your oil tank if it is 25-30 years old or older. Here's a note from a customer:
Went to see my in-laws, as they smelled oil in their basement. Checked out the tank, lines, filter, fill pipe and everything looked good. Went back on Sunday as the smell was a bit stronger and there was a wet spot under the tank and could see that the tank was slowly dripping oil. Put down speedy dry and called your office first thing on Monday.
Your office had someone come out pronto and after the inspection it was evident a new tank was needed. You scheduled the work for Tuesday afternoon and it was done. On behalf of my mother in law and family we really appreciate your team taking care of this so fast and it was a tough job with no walk-in basement.
Give my sincere thanks to all involved for a job well done!
Inspired by this - Daniels is proud to make the following offer:
Daniels Energy Tank Replacement Sale
SAVE $250 OFF
Any New Tank Replacement Job*
Plus
Add a second 275 or 330 gallon tank and
save up to an additional $1,000!*
Let Daniels Do It!
CALL
860.813.9122
*$250 off standard installation cost. $1000 off offer must install both units at the same time. Must be installed by June 30, 2016.
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"Springtime is the land awakening.
The March winds are the morning yawn."
Lewis Grizzard and Kathy Sue Loudermilk
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Baby Elephant
Dressing Triplets
If you have kids or grandkids going to school...
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"No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn."
Hal Borland
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Did you know that NBC's local station, WVIT-30, broadcasts a "golden oldies" station - called COZI-TV. If you are of a certain age - or if you just love looking back at some of the earliest television shows - find COZI TV on your cable network. Here's a snapshot of some of their programming highlights for 2016: The Life & Legend of Wyatt Earp, Make Room for Daddy,The Lone Ranger, Maverick, Simon and Simon, Adam 12, Charlie's Angels, The Munsters, The Avengers!,The Dick Van Dyke Show, Baywatch and more. Think some of them will bring a smile to your face. Here's their schedule ... http://www.cozitv.com
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Our Towns
We thought that we'd like to feature a bit of history about each of the towns that Daniels Energy serves. So, that should take up about 80 issues of This Just In...
First up - Killingworth, CT.
Killingworth was once divided into two eclassiastical societies. The northern society's first meeting house (1736) was located on "Stoney Hill, just north of the bridge across Bear Swamp," (near the intersection of the present Routes 80 and 81). This initial building was replaced by a new one in 1743. The third and current house of worship of the Congregational Church in Killingworth, at 273
Route 81, was built between 1817 and 1820. The bell was installed in 1870 and the organ in 1875.
A town of 6500 people today, it was named after Kenilworth, England in honor of one of the first settlers, Edward Griswold.[3] Kenilworth's name was more similar to "Killingworth" during the American colonial period, and over time the pronunciation and spelling drifted towards the modern one. In the late 17th century, Killingworth became the birthplace of what would eventually become Yale University. The Rev. Abraham Pierson, the college's first president, taught some of the first classes in his Killingworth home. However in 1701, the college's first official home was constructed in Old Saybrook on the peninsula known as Saybrook Point. Eventually the school was moved to its present-day home in New Haven.
Little Known Facts:
Killingworth was home to Baseball star Jeff Bagwell.
The town was the subject of the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "The Birds of Killingworth" published in Tales of a Wayside Inn.
1999: The largest tree in Rockefeller Center history, 100 feet (30 m) high, was chosen from Killingworth, CT.
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"It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade."
Charles Dickens
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March Art
Reminder...It's possible, even with a lot of weight on your shoulders,
to stay balanced.
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"Daffodils,that come before the swallow dares, and take
The winds of March with beauty."
William Shakespeare
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