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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> The editors and writers on this list have long since learned to adapt.
> 
> I find that drinking beer helps.

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I'll drink to that!    

If anyone is tempted to ask "Beer helps with what?", they must soon or late 
learn that beer is not transitive.

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Along those lines, on the way from town there is one of those enlighted 
convenience stores, half way to town in fact, that stock in a dozen or so 
feet of 
cooler space at least 70 different types of beer, most of it available by the 
bottle.  A week or so ago I was on my way home from a successful business 
engagement and I stopped by said store.  My hand was just about on the neck 
of a 
couple of brewskis when I stopped short.  The price had gone up over on third 
in 
only a week!   

A pox on that!    Fuel, food, clothing, medicine, and education .. fine... 
times are hard and things are bound to go up ..... but beer!!?   This 
apocalypitic recession has gone too far this time!

Haven't these people read Poor Richard's Almanac?  "Beer is the proof that 
God loves us and wants us to be happy."  So, what?, God doesn't love us as 
much 
any more?

I made my way back sans-brewski to the homestead in an ever darkening mood.  
Damn brewing company profits ... what lame excuse are they going to use ... 
peak hops or something!   But somewhere on that lonely highway I made a vow 
to 
St Arnold (patron saint of brewers, even in Cahleefohrneeah) that I would 
never 
again chafe under the bottle capper of Big Beer.

I went to the recesses of the basement and there amid the cobweb festooned  
experimental jars of pickled gooseberries and marinated radish leaves were 
two 
dusty bottles of a batch of homebrew from many moons ago.  It turned out to 
be 
the Black and Evil bew, so called because I negleted the malt and it darkened 
into a sort of ... eh ... charcoal.   But the beer was excellent, five years 
ago.  Beer doesn't age well like wine and it was still OK, but just OK, but 
plenty good enough to inspire a snort of distain in the direction of the beer 
companies or the universe, whichever, little odds.

So here on this day of the full moon I have taken vows in the order of St. 
Arnold, the vows of poverty .... eh .... fermentation ... ah ... and 
indulgence. 
 Yeah, that's the ticket!   

You are all invited.


James

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