Electric Blankets?

[Crankin]

Off topic here, but what Port did you end up buying?

[Catrin]

Off topic here, but what Port did you end up buying?

As it is related to "winterization" I don't think it is off topic at all

I currently have two, both from Trader Joe's:

Porto Morgado Tawny Port (Aged 10 Years) probably the best 10 year aged Tawny out there for $11 I like this one
Just picked up a bottle of Quarles Harris 2008 (Late Bottled Vintage), which I am told is considered a good year - but it is only $12 at Trader Joe's. They do carry a $40 bottle of Port from Quarles Harris but I am not going there. I've not yet tried it, but will try it soon.

I find I really like Tawny Port - been curious about Ruby Port, but have been told since Ruby Port isn't aged at all that it is much sweeter...and the Tawny is sweet enough for me!

[Crankin]

Very few grocery stores in MA are allowed to sell liquor, so my Trader Joe's does not. My local grocery store does, and we have a really good liquor store close, too. Based on your recommendations, I will be heading to Colonial Spirits tomorrow... everytime I say that, I think of my friend and former colleague who always says, "the bad boys in high school hung out at Colonial Spirits." This must have been when the drinking age was 18; I know by the time my kids got to the high school, they did not hang out there!
We belong to a wine club and get wine every month through that, so it's pretty rare for me to go to the liquor store.

[Catrin]

Very few grocery stores in MA are allowed to sell liquor, so my Trader Joe's does not. My local grocery store does, and we have a really good liquor store close, too. Based on your recommendations, I will be heading to Colonial Spirits tomorrow... everytime I say that, I think of my friend and former colleague who always says, "the bad boys in high school hung out at Colonial Spirits." This must have been when the drinking age was 18; I know by the time my kids got to the high school, they did not hang out there!
We belong to a wine club and get wine every month through that, so it's pretty rare for me to go to the liquor store.

Crankin - in Indiana grocery stores may sell wine and beer - but it can't be cold. Anything else must come from the liquor store, and many of the local stores have a limited choice. We do have a couple of specialty liquor stores that carry a nice variety of fortified wines and liqueurs. Well, they all can't have the same stock but it would be nice if the good place was less than a 30 minute drive from my apartment. Perhaps that is a good thing :-) I DID try the 3-star (4 year) Barbancourt Rum last night, very nice. When that bottle is empty I will try the 5-star (8 year).

[Crankin]

Very good, Catrin. You'd fit right in with myself and my cycling friends!
The worst liquor buying situation I've lived in was in PA. There's state stores, but I remember that I had to go into an actual bar to buy beer, and that was a little scary to me. It was really weird. Like you couldn't buy beer and wine at the state store. Of course, this was in the 70s, so my memory is hazy, and it may have changed since then.

[Pax]

Very good, Catrin. You'd fit right in with myself and my cycling friends!
The worst liquor buying situation I've lived in was in PA. There's state stores, but I remember that I had to go into an actual bar to buy beer, and that was a little scary to me. It was really weird. Like you couldn't buy beer and wine at the state store. Of course, this was in the 70s, so my memory is hazy, and it may have changed since then.

I have friends who moved to PA a few years ago, it's still a very strange place to try and buy alcohol. When they come home to visit the buy stuff by the case to take home.

[Blueberry]

One of our local runs had beer. The problem was that the run was on Sunday morning - so they couldn't *sell* beer according to our blue laws. They gave it away I have friends who really enjoyed that!

[OakLeaf]

And in North Carolina, carryouts can't sell beer on Sundays, but bars can pour all week long. So as long as you're driving, it's just fine to drink on Sundays.

[Crankin]

You couldn't buy alcohol on Sunday in MA until about ten years ago. There was an exception for towns that were within 10 miles of the NH border (so they didn't lose business) which started sometime in the early 90s, and when I first moved here, I lived within that 10 mile radius. Heck, stores weren't even open on Sundays in 1990.
So, now we're fully alcohol legal and they just changed the opening hour/serving hour on Sundays from noon to 10 AM. I guess brunch business was being affected. Money talks.
One of the issues here has been the strong lobby of the liquor store owners, who are, let's just say not the most savory group of people. A couple of years ago they finally changed the law, to allow delivery of alcohol from other states (i.e. wine clubs), but forgot about the truckers/shippers who had their own rules about this. The shippers wanted each individual driver to have a special license. Another sort of sketchy group, with Teamster/organized crime connections (I have a foster parent of a client who was on the bad end of this group, not just making this up). The legislature just remedied it, I think it will change in 2015. Our wine club got around this, by having a legal distributor in the state. So the club ships it there, and then they ship to us.
About 15 years ago, we found a wine we loved at a winery on the south coast. We couldn't even have them ship us the wine! We had the liquor store order it for us and then we bought it there... of course, now, we ride past this winery on one of our most beloved rides, and always include a stop here on the way home in the car.

[Blueberry]

And in North Carolina, carryouts can't sell beer on Sundays, but bars can pour all week long. So as long as you're driving, it's just fine to drink on Sundays.

Nope - I think it's changed! You can buy beer after noon (in most counties) - and bars can serve after noon. No one can do anything before that.

[Catrin]

Just order a few cases of brandy, and forget the new blanket. Problem solved.

That is funny Murienn :-) I do appreciate all of the good suggestions that you, and everyone has made. If my current course doesn't prove to be warm enough for me, then thanks to your links I already know which one I would purchase.

The new blanket and flannel sheets with my usual quilt/comforter/whatever-it-is was MUCH warmer last night. Indeed, I had to kick my seed-corn foot warmer out of the bed after about 4 minutes. I will wait to add to my blanket collection until it is colder, but I got the best night's sleep that I've had in a long time. Apparently my cold room has been affecting my sleep far more than I had realized, I thought it was stress! I only had about a 3/4 shot of the rum 6 hours before bed between a sip and some decaff so I can't credit it on that

In Indiana there is currently a move to allow cold beer sales in grocery stores and to all non-restaurant/non-brewery sales on Sunday. I can understand the liquor store's resistance to the former as there are far more grocery/convenience stores than there are actual liquor stores and this would impact their sales further. I am less clear of their opposition to Sunday sales - the best I can understand is they feel this would force them to open on Sundays to try and compete with the grocers, whether they want to or not, and thus increase their operating cost. Considering some of the best liquor stores in Indianapolis are family operations and not chain stores I can see part of that. The chain stores appear to have the smallest selection and focus on cheap - at least that is how it seems to me. Personally I am agnostic on both questions as I can equally argue both sides. It will interesting to see if/how this develops.