<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Courtesy of <i>The Slice</i> in today's (December 4, 2015) Spokesman-Review.</div><div id="AppleMailSignature"><br></div><div id="AppleMailSignature">---------------------------------</div><div id="AppleMailSignature"><p style="margin-bottom: 21px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><strong>Tweaking the rum ration: </strong>The Slice’s recent mention of rum balls reminded Florence Young of a story.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Back in 1979, her husband, Harold, served aboard the USS Kitty Hawk. It was heading home to San Diego after a six-month deployment. But in response to the seizing of the U.S. embassy in Iran, the ship was turned around and headed for the Indian Ocean.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“Supply lines were few but the Navy guaranteed delivery of one Christmas package per sailor if it was ready to go in five days,” wrote Florence.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Most families assembled a care package with items such as cookies, books, puzzles, et cetera.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">But Florence sent rum balls. And as these treats might be in transit for several weeks, she decided to more than double the rum in the recipe to keep them moist.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">“The opening of the package in an office on board ship resulted in a virtual cloud of rum vapor enveloping the crew members.”</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 21px;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">It was agreed that anyone eating a rum ball had to wait an hour before going on watch, lest he be accused of being drunk on duty.</span></p></div><div id="AppleMailSignature">---------------------------------<br><br><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><br></span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)</span></div><div><a href="http://www.moscowcares.com/" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000">http://www.MoscowCares.com</font></a></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"> </span></div><div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Tom Hansen</span></div><div><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Moscow, Idaho</span></div></div><div> </div></div></body></html>