The Kitchen's Seventh Incarnation

In which *no one* is allowed to be mean to me because it's easy for me to lose weight!

Yeah, right.

OK, since Jim is not here yet, I will heat the water for the tea, brew some coffee, and put out muffins this time I think, instead of cookies.

You set a lovely table. I'll take the tea cup with the kitty, since I know Richard will be repulsed by it.

Thanks, Lynda. Shall I pour?

Please do. What is today's flavor?

I have a lovely Spiced Apple Chai.

Spiced Apple Chai! I'll take some of that! I love chai, but I haven't heard of that particular flavor before. It sounds delicious!

It is wonderful! I was not sure if I would like it or not, but I really do.

I would love a muffin--I was going to make some, but this will be much easier. Thanks!

Looks like I posted in the old thread while the new thread was under construction. Summary, I started a new thread for bragging and congratulations for finishing 75 and a new thread for introductions. Both can be found on the group home page.

I just got home from picking Beth up at the oral surgeon. She is very wobbly, but otherwise OK.

Now, I am going to get some sleep since I have been up for somewhere in the neighborhood of 27 hours.

Glad to hear she's okay! Yes, do get some sleep... though hallucinations from sleep-deprivation can get rather interesting... :)

It is a lovely summer day in NE Pennsylvania. Stasia, get some rest please!

It is perfectly beautiful here in SWPA as well....
and rd, I make no rash promises... hah!

Red tea with bergamot for me....

*sets out plate of sugar cookies*

That sparkly tea table looks very inviting. Earl Grey for me - or better still, Lapsang Souchong with a slice of lemon.

I bought some chewy fruit and oak cookies for a church meeting this afternoon, and then forgot to put them out - so plenty to share on here...
*adds them to the plate of sugar cookies*

>15 gennyt: I definitely want to try the chewy oak cookies . . .

I'll bring ham, swiss cheese and broccoli quiche. It is yummy.

It has been a long, difficult day..heck with the tea, I'm bringing white wine.

#16 Lol - I could pretend they are a British speciality, rather than admit my mistyping fingers ran away with me...

Since it is a chilly, overcast day here, I'll join Genny with some Lapsang Souchong. That deep, smoky flavor is perfect for days like this.

Why does the tablecloth sparkle? Is it of the blood-sucking variety?

Third martininini on board. Hell wi' tea. C ook ues too.

checking in with a giant mug of green tea and a slice of Mississippi Mud Pie

I've reviewed Lonelyhearts in my thread...post #37.

I am off to do errands.. mail packages, etc. I may have to go to Walmart, because Angus needs a new tent. ugh.

I will miss you all :)

I will bring back a pie !

Blueberry? Blueberry pie is worth going off my diet for!

All sounds very yummy!

I'm fixing a mug of peach white tea. Maybe a piece of multigrain toast and spiced jam would be good with it? Must eat and depart for work.

One mug of peach white tea, coming up. Multigrain toast and apple butter on the side.

*slurps second 96oz "mug" of coffee*

*munches extra-crispy bacon*

Mornin' y'all. Anything happen while I was making breakfast?

#28: Kath is bringing back pie. That is the most important thing!

Pie! What kind? NOT cherry, eww ewww, that's like eating bloody tick-bodies.

I asked for blueberry, so I am hopeful.

Where's the coffee? Please tell me Richard hasn't drunk it all.

*Looks up current time in the US*

How can you eat pie at this time of the morning? Ugh. Far better to hand it over to those of us in need of a mid-afternoon snack.

*Looks up current time in the US*

I love the way our different time zones means that all kinds of meals and snacks are being eaten in this Kitchen at all times of the day and night!

#32: When you have been up all night long, pie in the morning only makes sense :)

My son ignored the egg & toast I prepared for his breakfast this morning; instead, he raided the fridge and finished off some of the leftover Chinese food from dinner last night.

Not exactly a traditional breakfast . . .

Cold pizza for breakfast is still a favorite of mine, lol.

Peach pie.. hope no one is disappointed

I will probably have a sandwich ... but that isn't what I want. I would have liked some of rdears bacon.... I am craving a BLT but have no B

#37: Rats. I cannot have peach pie. I am allergic to peaches. Oh well, my diet thanks you anyway, Kath :)

35: Awww, but what good are leftovers except for a quick and easy breakfast? Just this morning I had leftover spaghetti myself. :)

Leftover curry is wonderful for breakfast!

#38 Allergic to peaches, Stasia? Oh, how awful!

#37 Kath, I love peach pie. Maybe I'll have another cup of my peach white tea with it.

#38 : Stas : I made a blueberry pie today. It's currently cooling on a rack but I couldn't wait and cut myself an oozing slice, currently trying not to burn my mouth eating it with a giant dollop of fresh whipped cream.

I just marinated 100 chicken wings for a chicken wing face off tomorrow afternoon with some friends. I'm making 3 different types of chicken wings, fried chicken wings with a pink peppercorn honey-lime sauce, chinese 5 spice chicken wings with a sweet chili sauce on the side, and sriracha chicken wings

caro, you exhaust me.....

they sound yummy though!

marinating is easy, and fun because it's messy. I love mixing marinade with my fingers and rubbing the mixture into the pieces .... reminds me of my childhood making mud pies....... like making pastry crust and cookies reminds me of building sandcastles :-)

#44 I hate handling raw chicken. I think it's mostly a sensory thing (the way raw chicken feels) though it may partly be a germ thing (having to be careful about salmonella and not cross-contaminating kitchen surafces).

Now, making cookies can be fun . . .

When I think of blueberry pie I instantly flash back to wonderful, special times with my charming great grandmother.

I was young, perhaps six or seven years old when she periodically took me to an old hotel with etched glass double doors, wide planked varnished floors, a high ceiling with wide fans and there were long, deep windows with heavy draperies.

I ordered blue berry pie with chocolate ice cream. We dined on a round table with a lace tablecloth. The chairs were heavy and my feet dangled, not reaching the floor.

She gently removed her small coin purse from her bosom where she kept her money. Now, it seems funny, but back then it was very natural.

After our treat, we walked to her house. I remember wide steps that seemed very steep. We went inside where she had a delightful collection of snow globes that she carefully placed in my hand and I gently shook the magical trinket until the soft white flakes covered the teeny tiny roofs of the little houses.

Oh, now I'm smiling and also missing her terribly.

#46 What a marvelous memory! Isn't it amazing how we can associate certain foods with certain special people?

Cherry pie always reminds me of my mom. *smiling at one particular memory -- and missing her, too.*

My great grandmother made the best bread in the world. It is one of the reasons that I enjoy making bread. The yeasty smell, the baking.. takes me back. My grandmother was not a good cook.. but she could make the most delicious pies in the world. They were very ugly, but so so good.

Sadly the food memory I associate with my mother makes me gag. Warning.. do not force your children to eat something they swear that they just cannot eat..

Kath..Once again our paths cross in similar fashion. As I was remembering beautiful memories of my great grandmother, I realized the memories of food and my mother were any thing but pleasant.

do not force your children to eat something they swear that they just cannot eat.".

Sad to have that eh? But I learned from it. My kids usually had to at least taste something before declaring it hated... but now and then when just looking or smelling turned them off .. I let it go.

My grandmother made the best roast chicken in the world. She knew I loved her roast chicken and whenever we went over to visit, regardless of whatever else she made, she always made sure also made a roast chicken for me.

My mom's a great cook and there isn't much she makes that I don't like to eat. When we were growing up, we would turn up our noses at store bought cakes that visitors brought us because my mom's cakes were all so much better. It's a little odd I know but even now when my brother or I visit my mom and she has a cake on the table and offers us a slice, we always ask if she made it, and if she said someone gave it to her and it was store bought, we'd decline and sniff around her fridge to see what else we can eat instead.

On the other hand, if my sister-in-law or mother-in-law cooks, I try to eat before hand so that I take the edge off my hunger before going to their homes. They are terrible cooks and have not made a single thing I'm aware of that isn't either overcooked, underdone or just plain awful tasting

Does anyone have a fair bit of experience with noise-cancelling headphones for plane flights? Worth it? Not worth it? I find listening to my iPod on a plane pretty hard but I don't want to spend the high price on NC headphones only to have them be meh.

Bose is the only way to go, Tad. They're a little more pricey than some other brands on the market but they really do the job. When you plug your iPod in or even the airline's entertainment system, and switch your headset on, you really don't get the hum of the plane's engine, the kid crying 2 rows back or the annoying passenger next to you who is jabbering away

Thanks, Caroline. Somehow, I knew if any of them were any good, it would be the expensive ones! :-)

my sister is a good cook.. my son in lawa is a fantastic cook! lol
I would choose his cooking over any one else in the family these days...
I ALWAYS take his suggestions when cooking..

For me, it was my father who made me eat things I didn't want to--specifically, asparagus. My mother was gone (the only time she ever left when I was a child--but it was for her mother's funeral)* and I came down with measles. I told him what would happen if he made me eat asparagus, and it did, and he had to clean up.

My mother cooked vegetables and hamburgers to within an inch of their lives, but she had a few things she did really well--pepper steak, baked beans, scalloped potatoes, potato salad, and, of course--apple pie!

*ETA: She came back with boxes and boxes of books; I was eight and I devoured them.

My mother wasn't a fantastic cook, but she wasn't bad, and there were a few things we loved that she always made when we came to visit as adults - sausages with peppers (I mean the Italian kind of sausages), stuffed cabbage, spaghetti and meatballs. Then, when my husband and I became vegetarian, she, who never cooked a single meatless meal in her life, tried hard to make veggie versions of the above, which was kind of pointless, really. It was so nice of her, it broke my heart, but at that point, I was really really adamant about my new found vegetarianism - today, if she were still alive, I'd probably still eat her originals, since they were so much a thing she wanted to do for us.

My mom was a good cook too.. plain like me.. and mostly it was fine. I don't remember her ever cooking that particular dish again. She must have, since my sister makes it, but I guess I was allowed to eat something else.
Stuffed cabbage ( halupki) is a favorite of mine.

>57 JanetinLondon: That is the single most heartbreaking/heartwarming thing I have ever read on LT. I almost cried reading it.

Today is flying by, which makes me sad. I am not in a hurry for this week to go by, even though I am working a short schedule when I go back, and I have saved personal time to make my days even shorter.

The kids leave at 1 and we have to stay till 4.. not me tho!

:)

I thought it was going to rain this morning and decided to work from home .... who knew the clouds changed course and it's been a nice sunny day! worked out on the deck, went out for lunch with my husband, got an ER in the mail, just 1 short conference call at 6.30pm, and my husband did the laundry! I call this a blissful day. :-)

Must chime in on the baking stories...
Every year at Christmas, my grandmother would make dozens of loaves of cinnamon bread and give one to every married descendant of hers (you had to be married to get a loaf--I guess that was her definition of a separate family!). The year she died, my cousin found her recipe and gave it to me, and I made a loaf for my father. Now I make 20-30 loaves a year for each of my siblings, nieces and nephews, one aunt whose daughters don't bake (the daughters, too). You have to be married to get your own loaf; otherwise, you mooch off your parents. It takes every weekend hour in December to do it, but every time I start a loaf, my grandmother appears in the kitchen and chats with me, and it is wonderful. Sigh.
Hey, don't people usually bring cakes over when you're post-surgery? Why hasn't anyone brought me a cake?

send them the recipe !

Wonderful thing to do for your family, terri. Say hi to yr grandma for me :)

What a beautiful story about your grandma and your annual chats with her when you make the loaves. Thanks for sharing, Terri. oh, and will you accept cakes in the mail?

TLo, I am all caked out after The Divine Miss's birthday debauch this weekend. I never want to see a maple walnut cake again!

Perhaps a pie? Rhubarb custard, with candied ginger in the crumb crust?

cherry pie.....

Cherries, when cooked, resemble uncomfortably closely ticks from whom life is fled, snapping in one's teeth like tick-bodies do between one's thumb-nails, and submerged in a goopy sea of the dog-blood that the ticks contain.

I'll pass on the cherry pie.

Is that a double bluff to put the rest of us off the idea of cherry pie, thereby securing extra helpings?

No, it's a lifetime's aversion to the nasty stuff put down in short form. *shudder*

Pie?? Strawberry/Rhubarb, definitely! Fresh peach w/custard...Blueberry, for sure...Apple, w/raisins & pecans.....chocolate!!! of course....and I haven't baked a pie since 2005..before my Dad died....

Bacon? yep..the more the better

And coffee..should be one of the "five food groups"

;-}

And coffee..should be one of the "five food groups"

Or two, if you take milk.

There seem to be a lot more varieties of fruit pie over the pond than this side - I guess it depends on the locally available fruits? But here in the UK crumble is a big favourite - apple crumble, rhubarb crumble, blackberry and apple...

I've finished and reviewed Lester Higata's 20th Century, an ARC from the University of Iowa Press through the Early Reviewers program, in my thread...post #75.

Very, very good collection of short stories!

>67 richardderus:: LOL, Richard, you've totally ruined cherry pie for me forever. I'm glad it was on my like-not-love list. Now, if there's a stray piece left of that maple walnut cake that you're snubbing, I'd love to give it a try.

>74 Donna828: Sorry, Donna, they practically licked the serving platter clean of the maple walnut numminess.

Fresh cherries or nothin' should be a motto around here.

>67 richardderus:: Hear, hear! Fresh cherries or bust. None of those nasty bright-red ones stuck in Shirley Temples, either. *gag*

Fresh cherries (Bings)...are good. The maraschino jobs are too, too fake (though I loved them when I was a kid). Bad thing is...Bings are on sale at my local super market this week..but when i was there this morning I sampled a few......tasteless Blah.....juicy..."interesting water"...for $2/pound..I think I'll wait a bit longer to buy..

>72 gennyt: what you call "crumble" i call "crisp"....fruit baked with a crumbly topping (in my case Oats/Brown sugar/Butter) strewn liberally on top. My favorite way to "do" fresh fruit (or canned, in a pinch)..no crust to fuss with...easily spooned into a bowl and covered w/ice cream/whipped cream/"plain" cream

;-}

#72 I guessed there might be a different name for crumble - yes that's it, oats, sugar and butter in a crumbly mixture spread on top and baked till it goes crunchy and crisp (both names are properly descriptive!). Sometimes nuts can be added to the crumble mixture, or a bit of spice perhaps. Much easier than rolling out pie crusts, certainly. Often served with custard over here, but cream is also good!

Plum crumble with ice cream. Yum.

Now I feel hungry.

Indeed, all this talk of crisps and crumbles - time to see what I can rustle up for dinner...

mmmm good food talk..
*ignores rdears cherry pie description*

nothing good in the house, I fear...

>67 richardderus: That description of cherry pie must be a pie made from canned cherry pie filling. Try using freshly picked sour cherries. An entirely different, and wonderful animal. Served warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream....it's to die for.

I started to read richard's description of cherry pie but the minute I saw the word 'flea' i quickly skimmed past so I wouldn't be nauseated out of my love for cherry pies.

Didn't get to read this until after dinner and surprise, surprise .. now I want pie! and I'm all out of blueberry pie at home ... grrr .... I made a tiramisu yesterday, but it's really no substitute for something with a crust on it. Hmm... I think maybe tomorrow calls for a peach or plum tart

Today has been extra nice in food matters--started the day by making English muffins and having a couple with scrambled eggs; visited my niece and had Indian food (chicken tikka marsala) and tried a new ice cream place (pralines and cream). Even the banana I just had was really good!

And a book from a fellow LT'er came in the mail. Nice!

#84: Especially that last bit: a book in the mail!

Just received a book from an LT'er in the post too - a nice dessert after my lunch of sandwiches at the local retirement home.

yesterday was not a nice food day, and today promises not to be as well..
turky burger yesterday, regular burger today. Yesterday dan worked and he leaves at 12:40 . We spent the morning running around to stores and then planted a few plants. I had found a couple large tomato plants with blossoms for half price at lowes. I wanted to try tomatoes in a pot so they came home with me. Dan wanted hot peppers in one of those hanging things.. so he got peppers.

Today, the electrician is coming back. That means cooking is going to be something quick ...

pros and cons. I am desperate to get this all finished...

Breathe, Kath, breathe........ close your eyes and think of ...... a warm cookie and a glass of milk. Salads are quick and no cooking required, especially if you have any leftover chicken or fish in the fridge.

I've got a few tomato plants in pots and some in the ground. I wanted to see which ones did better this year.

Chipmunks keep digging into my pots of marigolds! Why do I have demented wild animals instead of the cute entertaining ones who sit up and blink at me as I throw out pieces of fruit and bread to them? I'm feeding the blighters after all and they thank me by digging into my pots and throwing out my plants?!

Rotten sleazy squirrels treat our annuals as a salad bar, I hate their little rats-with-perms hides so much! And they also dig up our daylilies, decide they don't taste good, and bury them in random spots. I saw some blooming across the street in the wooded patch, and I know for sure we've never planted them over there.

Humpf, those rascally deer! I left the house with beautiful yellow tulips all in a row, when I returned home, all chomped off to the stem. Tulips out - Hostas in.

Deer: Rats on stilts. Tasty, though.

Someone at the office just told me that I should sprinkle garlic powder around the plants and it'll keep the squirrels and chipmunks away. Any truth in this? *notice how I place greater credibility in the wisdom of LTers than my own colleagues!*

I once planted some flowering kale on one side of the house, walked over to the opposite side of the house. Returned in approximately 15 minutes and the kale was gone, mowed down at ground level. The phone is ringing so I run into answer and it's the neighbors across the street. "Hi, we just watched the deer eat all the plants you just planted. They were gone in an instant."

>92 cameling: Not if my experience is any guide...squirrels just ate a little faster, and you could trail them by their burps.

>93 brenzi: *vibrates with remembered fury at the deer*

I've finished and reviewed the dreary, dull Paddy Clarke, Ha-Ha-Ha in my thread...post #247.

94- Just laughed out loud at the office...picturing squirrels with garlic breath!

Cayenne, I think Caro.. sprinkle it round..

rdear, why all of this attitude toward the fourleggeds?
Clearly, it was not my native american lifetime that you shared.

Harumph!

Electrician gone for the day/week. The main floor is almost done, all but one plug is in. Next week, the upstairs.. then done for a few months.

dinner? salad is a good idea.. not sure ...not hungry right now.. not caring what it ends up being.. maybe CHERRY PIE.

:)

better than picturing me at the office with margarita breath, i guess. ;-) Went out for lunch with my usual 2 musketeers and we inadvertently ended up with 3 strong margaritas each .. .actually we only had 2, but then the waiter forgot our appetizer and gave us a freebie margarita each.

Surreal day .... first i had to have a long meeting with my boss about a really complicated global project (and trying to convince him I do NOT need to go to Romania and Honduras) but then I meet our corporate Sr VP in the hallway back to my office who just had a meniscus operation, and in asking after his recovery, he tells me that that his knee was recovering but is swollen now because it may be infected... and that he's probably doing things he shouldn't .. like being on his knees having sex! OK ... now this guy is my boss's boss's boss and is in charge of 3 corporate units. need I say I was like a deer in the headlights ... .quick rejoinder from me though, was that he really should be on his back and then he wouldn't have aggravate his knee.... and then I switched the conversation to flying

(edited to correct a boatload of typos)

the supervisor of my daughters coporate HR is a gay porn star on the side. No joke

and he has this tattoo... and everyone in the corporation knows.....

eta no going to honduras young lady!! or Romania!

I don't like anything uninvited eating at my house. Don't care a toss how many legs it has/hasn't.

Caro...ROFL

And Kath, I got a package today...a fat one...you sweetie!

OMG...I finally caught up with this thread and its predecessor. Sheesh...you'd think I'd been occupied with a wedding or something. (Yes, my daughter got married on Saturday, and it was lovely. And I will never ever plan another one, so there.)

So, where are all the recipes for these fabulous rhubarb concoctions? (My grandmother called it "pie plant".)

Pie is absolutely breakfast food. When my mother went into labor with me, she had just packed my dad's lunchbox for the next day, including a slice of homemade apple pie. So off to the hospital they went, lunchbox and all, plowing snow with the front bumper of their '47 Buick (which was really really old at the time *wink, wink*). By the time I appeared at around 7:00 a.m., my Dad had become very hungry from all the pacing, and had eaten the pie. So I think I was imprinted with an early-morning urge for crusty fruity goodness.

Richard, you are officially nuts about the cherry pie thing. And I loved Paddy Clarke. But I agree with you on so many other things--the tastiness of venison being way up there-- that I will overlook it. Putting out garlic for the squirrels is a grand idea. If they eat it, think of the succulence of the stew that would eventually result. Last year the squirrels had a fine time taking bites out of the apples on my one and only tree---while the fruit was still attached and developing. Not one apple did I get. As for the chipmunks---damned little miners---is it just me, or has there been a population explosion this year? They're everywhere. I hesitate to open the front door for fear a troop of them will scurry right into the house and take up residence in the piano. I fear there is one trapped in the garage, and it will eventually die in there. This has happened before. Amazing how long that smell of decomposition can linger from such a small animal.

#62 every time I start a loaf, my grandmother appears in the kitchen and chats with me Terri, I could have written that. My grandmother made such good bread, and taught me how. And I never knead dough without feeling her at my elbow. What a gift.

#90 I once watched a woodchuck devour a huge bed of hosta in one sitting. It wasn't MY hosta, so it was rather amusing.

#100 : Kath, I managed to swap out Honduras and Romania for Taiwan and Hong Kong.... and not until end of July at the earliest! I consider this a triumph because it means I'm still getting at least 2 months to enjoy the summer with no travel.

#103: I am glad to hear that you will be sticking around for a bit, Caroline!

much better.... ( I think) caro :)

Caroline, I'm going to suggest, charitably, that perhaps the guy who over-shared was on pain meds because of his knees and didn't know what he was saying! (Either that or he was hitting on you . . .)

106: No no no, if he was hitting on her, it would have been more like: "I think me knee's ok, but I'd like to test it out...hmmm, maybe by having sex...if only I knew such a kind, gentle soul to aid me in my knee-injury woes!"

*ahem* Except worded more convincingly, of course. I was never good at that stuff, so you'll have to use your imagination a bit. :)

I was thinking that the subtext went something like this: "I may be in pain, but I'm such a sex machine that I ignored it to a) satisfy my unquenchable desire, and/or b) bring pleasure to the lucky woman I was with (it could be you)."

Maybe I've been cooped up at home a bit too long?

My brother sent me this link; very funny video about "grammar Nazis":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4vf8N6GpdM&feature=topvideos

Creative, funny, and chillingly reminiscent of my oldest sister!

>109 ejj1955: Hysterical!

Extremely important debate on where/when/how your Internet provider is legally able to limit your access to sites like YouTube is over here.

I hate being told what I can and can't do, within the bounds of the law, by profiteering SOBs.

I hate being told what I can and can't do

Me too, in most cases, and that is no different.

Okay, maybe it's because I live in England, or maybe I'm just stupid, but I read the article about the internet regulation, and I don't understand a word of it. What is the current situation, and what does this new proposal change?

If someone tells you what you can and can't do and you tell them they can't do that, aren't you telling them what they can't do??

114: I only skimmed the article, but I think the key paragraph is here:

The plan has the backing of many big Internet companies, which say it would ensure the FCC can prevent phone and cable companies from using their control over broadband connections to determine what subscribers can do online.

I guess phone companies can basically censor your internet to their liking, if they wanted to.

I can attest to something similar to this. When I was a teenager, I had AOL and they blocked a site because it was a popular source of spam email. I can't speak for the site's actions, all I know is I enjoyed the site and AOL was censoring it from me, which should be illegal. The internet is a free space and it should be my choice where I can and can't go, AOL shouldn't be allowed to regulate it.

Phone and cable companies can, and do, limit subscriber access to sites where one can download or watch movie/TV content at equal-to-TV quality. This also affects videoconferencing companies like Skype. They claim it's to prevent users from clogging up their data networks. Oddly, the same complaint isn't made against businesses that routinely share very large files over these selfsame networks.

It's designed to strangle future competition from entertainment providers like Google's new TV-watching software, which is finally being installed in some new Sony (?) HDTVs. It's designed to enable back-door censorship of Internet porn. It's designed to benefit the bottom lines of these corporations, as they determine what exorbitant extra fee they will impose to "allow" access to such services.

It's disgusting.

I already feel outrage over what I pay monthly for my cable/internet/phone bundle--it's the largest bill I pay (except food some months); I don't have a car payment or a mortgage. Still.

Way too late here..to make any sense

My Buddies...anything you say is totally Intellectual and Correct (if not..we make intelligent excuses)

I just think I'm lucky to have such Wacky Friends

;-}

>99 cameling: & ff: Wow! That story sounds like the quintessential "If you do this, we will fire you" story used in the Harassment & Discrimination videos we have to watch each year at work. And here I thought they were pretty lame because...well...who would do that?

>112 richardderus: & ff: Well, in general, I'm in favor of some regulation in this particular area. I don't particularly blame the telephone or cable companies for being restrictive or discriminatory in a deregulated environment. After all, it's silly to expect them to operate counter to their incentives when our whole economy is set up to encourage exactly that behavior. When the free market gets a little too free market, it seems to me the role of the government (embodied in the FCC in this case) is to safeguard the common weal by regulating a common resource.

>120 TadAD: It's more of a semi-free market, isn't it?--or I would have a choice of cable companies instead of only one. I realize that satellites offer a theoretical choice, but only (as I understand it) if you have a southern exposure without too many trees. And comparison is difficult, as each piece of the service adds to the price, but it doesn't look as though I'd save any money by changing to DISH or DirectTV or whatever.

>121 ejj1955:: I'm not sure I understand your question. You only have a choice of one cable company because of local franchise agreements...nothing to do with the FCC. In essence, the competition occurs at the municipality level rather than the householder level. Some municipalities don't go along with this trend (though it costs their taxpayers) and provide multiple options to their citizens.

My point was that, if we have unfettered capitalism in effect, then of course telecom companies will do what they can to maximize their profits. The whole system is set up for that purpose. If we don't want that because their is some social value we want considered, we need to regulate away from pure market economies to some extent or another.

if we have unfettered capitalism in effect, then of course telecom companies will do what they can to maximize their profits It's their fiduciary responsibility to maximize profits by any means necessary and at the lowest conceivable cost. We DON'T have unfetteresd capitalism in effect, ask any corporate robber baron; I'm all for making the market a whole helluva lot less free than it is right now.

>122 TadAD: My point is that, whatever the agent causing the apparent monopoly, that's how it appears to me, the consumer. Which is not what I think of when I hear the phrase "free market." I hasten to say that I'm sure my understanding of economics is elementary at best.

>123 richardderus: I'd quibble only with the phrase "by any means necessary," as they really don't have the responsibility to maximize profits if it means breaking the law, although many corporations seem to interpret it in precisely that way.

I've posted my review of Montana 1948 at long last, if anyone's interested, in my Homeless Reviews second thread...post #2.

It holds up so well to re-reading that I feel like I've come back to an old friend's hearth on a cold winter of the heart.

It holds up so well to re-reading that I feel like I've come back to an old friend's hearth on a cold winter of the heart.

That is purely beautiful and possibly the best recommendation of a book ever.

#125: In case you do not see the message on the other thread: I get an error message when I try to click on your link.

>126 ejj1955: Thanks, Elizabeth!

>127 alcottacre: *whew* Stasia, thank you so much! I've fixed it.

#128: Ah! There it is. Thanks, Richard.

>123 richardderus:: I'm not sure if you're making a point, Richard, or just expressing an opinion. Unfettered is a continuum--I think we are less fettered now than 50 years ago but more than a century ago. Nonetheless, I agree with the sentiment about needing more controls now.

>124 ejj1955:: I think we are just looking at things at different levels. I see the market for cable as being at the level of municipality-as-agent-for-citizen. Much like electricity was a few years ago. At that level there are fewer regulations than I'd like. Of course, I'd like to see the individual become the unit of consumption, the way electricity is now. However, that wouldn't change my argument, just the level at which it is applied.

Typing on the phone too hard...I will have to come back to this later.

Perhaps it's that the village in which I reside doesn't rise to the level of a municipality; the cable company I use covers not only a large territory hereabouts, but a huge portion of the country. How many major cable providers are there, anyway? (Okay, I found a list of the top 25, so there are more than I thought.)

But how many people in the US don't have Time Warner, Comcast, Adelphia, Cox, Charter, or Cablevision? And how many have a choice of which of them to use?

Perhaps I should say that I have no objection to regulation, especially if it were to bring the cost down. I also wish I could select just the channels I actually want, cafeteria style.

>131 ejj1955:: I don't have a choice either—Cablevision it is.

I'm not particularly in favor of federal regulation in the areas of who gets what company. I could go either way: if free competition would bring better service (price, variety, etc.), that's fine...if an apportionment would bring better service, that's also fine. I tend to think that apportionment would stifle infrastructure improvements, so I tend to be in favor of competition until shown differently.

But local restriction is a different issue...it's not policy; it's economics. A town nearby tried to allow multiple cable companies—legal, technically possible and actually permitted by the cable providers. However, since they weren't guaranteed a local monopoly, the prices quoted were significantly higher. In the end, the voters went back to the single provider system because they wanted their cable bills to be lower. *shrug*

My concern is elsewhere; I'd like to see regulation in the area of the original post. Given that...at this point in time...a choice of providers is limited, I don't think they should be permitted to restrict services. Since you can't go elsewhere, it nets out to a denial of service. Since I don't think you can reasonably expect providers to act against their own self-interest in an unregulated market, I favor the regulation.

But, I've beaten this horse, enough. :-D

Yes, I'm pretty much of the opinion that I don't know how to make it better, but I wish it were.

To change the topic completely, I made a loaf of Italian bread based on Emeril's recipe on the Food Network site. It is really, really good--probably the best loaf of bread I've ever made.

mmmmmmmmmm home made bread!

Quote for the day from High Rising by Angela Thirkell:

"All publishers are a race inhuman, set apart, flourishing in wickedness, but probably doomed to eternal fires."

I can hear Richard saying that :)

(posted to my thread too)

#133 Darn it---I looked at that recipe, and it lost me at "electric mixer". I have nothing in that category except a 30 year old hand mixer that barely handles 3 eggs at once. I'm strictly a hands-in-the-dough kind of girl. I wonder if it would turn out just as well without the power assist?

I agree .. hands in the dough! Impeccably clean hands of course!

I agree .. hands in the dough! Impeccably clean hands of course!

TGIF!!!

Though, it's going to be rather crazy. We've got an all-day party tomorrow for what now looks like about 40ish people that's an annual affair. This year we're going with a much-reduced menu: Grilled Buttermilk-Marinated Chicken, some locally made Southwest sausages in Mexican Rice, homemade Baked Beans, salad and lots of beer. I'm praying that all the folks who said, "We'll bring something" will bring desserts. :-)

And, of course, I have to get packed to leave on a two-week business trip Sunday morning.

Sounds like a good time for tomorrow...enjoy!

>136 laytonwoman3rd: & 137

Well, I have a stand mixer that is probably 50 years old, and there's no dough hook attachment for it. I tried to mix the dough using regular beaters. Soooo not a good idea! The dough kept climbing the beaters . . . so, I cleaned them off as best I could; used a wooden spoon to mix it and then kneaded it for maybe 10 minutes.

My advice would be to skip the mixer entirely! (I also skipped the egg white wash, which I won't next time, although it's still good; I didn't have brown sugar, so I substituted white, and I didn't have sesame seeds.) Still the best bread I've ever made!

#139: Sounds like a great party menu, Tad! Have a wonderful time.

>141 ejj1955:: Elizabeth, I got a KitchenAid mixer for Christmas and I've never tried the dough hook. If it's the best bread you've ever made, I'll have to try it!

OK, then, as soon as I have a day off when the temperature doesn't approach 90 F, I'll give it a try. Good to know the recipe is flexible.

I hope I haven't oversold it! It has a nice flavor and a dense texture; it slices really well. I'm thinking about making some French toast with it tonight . . .

All recipes are flexible.. I know some cooks that aren't :)

I've finished and reviewed the bitter, beautiful collection of stories American Salvage by Bonnie Jo Campbell in my thread...post #167.

I'm off to find more books by this terrific, fearless author!

>147 richardderus: Oh God Richard that's my favorite book of the year so far. Intense.

A cute youtube clip that powers up the Bronte Sisters!

>149 avatiakh:: LOL. I particularly like the Brontësaurus!

I kind of liked the moustaches myself :)

:) cute !!

A while back, someone asked for the rhubarb chicken recipe to share...there are several that I use, but this one's a favorite of my auntie's so herewith reproducing:

Curried Rhubarb Chicken

2 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon + 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1 bunch fresh coriander, aka cilantro, minced fine with stems (about 4 tablespoons), divided
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3-1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 small sweet white onion, halved, sliced thin
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound rhubarb, trimmed, cut into 1/2” pieces
(NOTE: Rhubarb benefits from being destringed, just like celery)
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1 lb boneless chicken breasts, cut thin (or buy the thin-cut Perdue breasts)
freshly ground black pepper to taste (don't use white pepper, it throws something out of balance in the flavors)

Preheat oven to 325F.

In a medium saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, ginger, curry powder and paprika; sauté 1 minute. Add onion and garlic and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion and garlic soften. Add rhubarb, orange juice, brown sugar and 1/2 cup water; cover and cook 10 minutes. Stir, add half the fresh coriander/cilantro, then re-cover and cook 10 more minutes until rhubarb has broken down into a sauce.

Meanwhile, season the chicken and place on a baking sheet. Bake until no longer pink while the sauce is cooking, about 15 minutes. Place chicken into a greased (I use Pam) 9”x13” baking dish, and pour rhubarb sauce over it.

Place baking dish into the oven and bake chicken for 20-25 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the other half of the coriander/cilantro. Serves 4 normal, and 2 hungry people. Can be doubled. I *always* double it, and freeze the leftovers.

Serve over well-seasoned basmati rice...at the least seasoned with a cube of chicken bouillon and a stick of real butter, or rice is so blah as to be unpleasant. Alternatively, use jasmine rice, which is delicious with this recipe.

ETA clarity

I am not sure that would work for me...I do live chicken and rice though... but I am not a fan of sweet sauce or fruit on or with my meat... usually. I know, but what can I say?

eta

stick of butter on rice does work for me !

You're a better person than I am, Kath, if you can eat live chicken...with or without rice!

Not sure that's the criterion I'd use for better person . . .

oops! blasted typos ...

Haha, poor Kath! Don't worry, we all knew it was a typo. We know you're not the kind of pwople to eat live chickens. ;)

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there!

Just bumping up the poor neglected kitchen.......

One hundred sixty-one messages in ten days isn't a serious case of neglect, is it? But hey, a bump every now and again is fine. Especially when accompanied by a grind.

Not serious, no.. but it was way down at the bottom of my page, looking sad.

I am off to buy some black olives, cheeses and peperoni for some pasta salad..
back soon to my shuddering internet and a good book..

I finished, reviewed, and loved The Uncommon Reader, just like everyone else. The review's in my thread...post #10.

I love looking out at my vegetable patch now ... all the plants are growing, flowers are starting to bloom which means I might be looking forward to some tomatoes and eggplant in the not too distant future, I hope.

Saturday was a glorious sunny day and we had an impromptu cookout with some neighbors. I love summer cookouts - fresh Maine lobsters, bluecheese bacon burgers, mozzarella artichoke stuffed sausages and steaks on the barbie. A raspberry spinach salad, beautiful cheeses, crusty bread a neighbor made and brought over, and eclairs, fudge brownies and a cherry pie stuffed us all to the gills.

It made the Father's Day brunch pale in comparison. My father-in-law was asked what he wanted and he voted turkey and all the trimmings! My poor sis-in-law had to buy canned pumpkin filling to make a pie. I wisely ate fruit for dessert.

I think I hate you, Caroline, after reading that second paragraph. Sigh. Yum. Sigh.

Oops.. err.... sorry...... if it makes you feel any better, I only had steamed buttered corn, grilled chicken and salad for dinner.

Wow -- you're eating well! Not quite ready for corn here in CO. What exactly are mozzarella artichoke stuffed sausages? Sounds incredible.

That does not sound like any cookout I have ever been to.............

I had a piece of leftover chicken.. and some coleslaw . good..
I had a frustrating day yesterday, but it is over and it is a new day...
and I get to go back to work.

( I am trying to whine in at least 5 threads before I go. Time is flying by though, so I don't think I will make it..

So off I go.. see y'all later.....

I had suasage cassarole and 2 glasses of red wine.

#168: Anne .. I love buying fresh sausages .. the butcher I go to sometimes has interesting sausages, such as apple and sage chicken sausages, or rosemary and garlic pork sausages. On Saturday morning among some of the others he had, he also had pork sausages that had pieces of mozzarella and artichoke in amidst the meat. It was delicious because when grilled, the cheese oozes out when you cut into it and the artichoke adds a nice enough flavor to make it different.

I managed to get home early enough today to go out for a nice run in the woods with my husband. Instead of joining some friends for dinner at a Mexican restaurant, we decided to stay in, enjoy the rest of the cool evening light, and I threw a red snapper on the grill and tossed a quick salad to go with it. Glass of wine and life is fine ..... except for a conference call I have to get on at 11pm. ugh

"Chicken" and "sausage" are words that should only appear together in a description of "Chicken Scarpariello" or similar. Sausage cannot be made out of chicken. Or turkey. Or tofu.

I've just reviewed The Basque History of the World in my thread...post #18.

No one loves the pig more than I do, but I have to respectfully disagree on this one, Richard. I've had some really tasty chicken sausage.

"Chicken" and "sausage" are words that should only appear together in a description of "Chicken Scarpariello" or similar.

Does gumbo count as similar? 'Cause I make a mean chicken and sausage gumbo...

>174 drneutron:

Chicken Gumbo with Andouille Sausage?

Nothing beats that..and I live in Ohio!

Anybody feel that earthquake??

I love gumbo with Andouille sausage... actually I love Andouille sausage with anything.. including other Andouille sausages. ;-)

Is anyone watching the crazy Mahut/Isner Wimbledon match? 9 hours? 9 hours? How do they play for 9 hours and still match up? This is the most insane match I've ever watched (while at work) .. and they don't seem to be flagging. Right now it's 59 games a piece in the 5th set.

>174 drneutron: Yeup, that's "similar", and I'm passin' my big ol' bowl for a heap of that please.

Isner played the last thirty or so games looking as though he could barely stand up - but somehow he kept on serving aces and winning points.

... and now they have to somehow get themselves in a state to finish the match off tomorrow. It's just amazing.

ETA I think it was more like 10 hours by the time they came off.

#177

Wow!!!!!!
59 GAMES to 59 GAMES 6 3/4 hours without breaks before being called for dark making the fifth set longer than the previous match record.

I'm betting they're going to need massages this evening .. I can't believe they've played for more than 10 hours without someone cramping up or just falling from exhaustion. They both deserve the standing ovation.... and really a wheelchair so they get off their feet

I don't normally watched tennis, but I tuned into 7 hours into the game, and watched the last 2-3 hours of it. Pretty crazy.

They both deserve the standing ovation

They certainly do.

(I felt just as sorry for the umpire - nearly seven hours without being able to leave his chair, except for when the net fault doodad fell of the net and had to be replaced).

I was reading some of the spectator blogs and most of them wanted to leave but were afraid to leave incase one of them actually won spectacularly. One guy stood his date up to stay at the match, and a woman tossed a coin with her husband to see which one would go get food

I rarely watch sports, although my husband does, but this tennis play is amazing... What will tomorrow bring???

>183 Eat_Read_Knit:: indeed, poor umpire... although this is going to be the match of his life!

11 hours over 3 days
Isner finally wins match 70 games to 68

I missed the end of the match :( But I'm watching the post-game stuff now.

If you do not want to purchase books to add to your already expanding collection, then pay no heed to this link regarding Bookcloseouts.com $1.99 fiction sale.

http://www.bookcloseouts.com/default.asp?N=0&merch=promotions&utm_source...

#189: Don't I know it!

I'm lucky I'm unemployed and broke, so I know the link is useless since I can't afford anything. Phew, I can easily resist clicking it this time.

...

*clicks the link*

*grumble*

Arrrghhhh........ Linda .. how could do this to me ... again?!! You know I have to read the entire post and how does one not pay heed to a sparkly $1.99 price tag on books? That's like dangling a piece of crispy bacon in front of carnivore who hasn't eaten for 3 days! *grumbling whilst running to the Bookcloseouts sale...fishing out wallet at the same time*

We had our annual summer potluck at the office today and it was amazing. Almost everyone brought something ... mostly home made, although for those who can't cook, they buy something from the stores to bring in. We have an open area just outside our training rooms that we lay out tables to put the food on .... we had 1 long table groaning under the weight of cupcakes, keylime pie, boston cream pie, brownies, cookies, cheesecake, smores pie, strawberry shortcake, strawberries and cream and about 10 flavors of ice cream.

3 long tables of turkey chilli, a 3 alarm beef chili, a 5 alarm beef chilli, different kinds of salads, fried rice, spring rolls, about 3 different noodle dishes, fried chicken, corn, carnitas, fish and shrimp tacos, samosas, lasagne, pizza, sausage bread, raisin bread, briyani rice, lamb curry, chicken curry, vegetable curry, naan, chicken tagine, eggplant parmigiana, hot dogs (3 people brought electric grills in to grill the hotdogs then and there), and various chips, crudites and dips. I think there was more but I can't remember what else there was .... oh yeah, someone brought a huge bowl of guacamole that I wanted to sneak back into my office because it was so good.

We had fun quizzes during the lunch (we opened up the sliding doors between all our training rooms so that all 120 people could fit in there to eat) and someone morphed pictures of all our executives heads onto Chippendale dancers' bodies on a laptop and we projected that onto one of our screens ... it was hilarious ... they did seek approval first before they did this, to make sure it wouldn't be an HR issue. but the 'dancers' didn't strip .. just were shirt-less ... but still rather provocative dancing ... just too funny.

So a happy day at work - it's amazing what food and a 3 hour lunch break will do for the morale. :-) even if we all did have to get back to our offices and desks after ...

* sneaks away, successfully avoiding link** unfortunately remembering site*

wow, caro......wow! sounds a blast :)

someone just strolled past my office holding one of the tubs of ice cream leftover and eating straight out of it! I guess he's not stuffed silly like I am ....

:P so what will you make for dinner? chili?

*trying not to think of eating for a few hours*

Okay, don't think about eating! Think about reading This Book is Overdue!, which I just reviewed in my thread...post #31.

Caroline

What a wonderful work day!

Quote for the day (it has been a while!) from Freak the Mighty by Rodman Philbrick:

"Of course I have a television," he says. "How else could I watch Star Trek? Matter of fact, I watch tons of tube, but I also read tons of books so I can figure out what's true and what's fake, which isn't always easy. Books are like truth serum - if you don't read, you can't figure out what's real."

(posted to my thread too)

Great quote!

>201 alcottacre: So I decided, given this quote's perfect reference to what I see as the point of LT, to put up a thread in the "Recommend Site Improvements" forum to see if this will fly. I expect it won't, but what the heck...can't hang a boy for tryin'!

I'm not sure that this is the right place for a general question, but I'm going to ask it anyway because you guys are so nice that you'll likely take care of the lost one. I thought that there was a thread about Orange July and that I had starred it. Now I can't find it with or without a star. Can anybody direct me the way I should go? I'll be most grateful!

#204: Peggy, I think this is the one you are looking for: http://www.librarything.com/topic/91995

Thank you very much, Stasia. That's what I wanted - and I have it starred already. No telling what goes on in my little brain.

#206: No problem. Happy to be able to help.

Started with some garlic, onion and green pepper ( just a touch ) .. added smoked sausage... then Zatarain's Jambalaya mix, diced tomatoes with hot peppers, red beans, a bit more rice and then Tony Chachere's Original Creole seasoning. A day with nothing planned to give dan to eat, turned into a creole flavored feast..

* tries to pat self on back* *fails*

doesn't care...

*skips away*

>208 mckait: GOD, that sounds good!! What time shall I be over?

In my thread, a chat got going about our local libraries that ended up with more than 10 photos of local branches being posted. Seems like we're all interested in sharing that with each other.

Since it seems the idea of sharing our spiritual homes with each other is really appealing, here's a thread where we can do that!

Seriously~ is it too much to ask to be able to sit on my front porch with my dog and a book and just have some peace? For the second time this week a dog came into the yard and headed for us on the porch. This one was a beautiful dark colored lab mix.. the one earlier. which is often loose is a lab/dane ? mix
Both male. Due to the fact that so many dogs go right for him ( theory being due to his "illness") I am not up for a meet and greet when I am alone and the other dogs person is nowhere about .. just in case..

I am frustrated and weepy ( frustrating day ) and just.. annoyed!
What good is my sanctuary if I can't use it? I already gave up walking Dunkers anywhere but in the yard... due to other dogs going for him.

:( argh!

Kath, I'm sorry! That does sound frustrating, and no fun for your dog either. Hope you have a better day tomorrow.

I am so conflicted about these things.. I worry about the dog..
this one I found, had been in my trash. And I worry about my dog. Before being rescued ( and about a yr before being diagnosed) he was a stray . I have a thing about it.. can hardly bear to think of it.

The dog last night was a beauty.. and had a collar.. seemed friendly, but just wouldn't let me get close enough to see if he had tags. :(
It makes me sad for the dog and frustrated for Dunc and me ...

yesterday was just one of those days.. thanks for the support :)

I hope today is better, Kath. :)

Has anyone read this series? It sounds interesting. The author is showing up at our independent bookstore, Mysterious Galaxy, this week.

Vish Puri, India’s Most Private Investigator, debuted in The Case of the Missing Servant, named one of The New York Times 10 Best Mysteries of 2009. In The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing, Vish investigates when a prominent Indian scientist is apparently murdered by a supernatural apparition, and a renowned guru, whose authenticity was questioned by the scientist, is the main suspect. Author and journalist Tarquin Hall’s travels have taken him to England, South Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and now, on Tuesday, June 29, at 7:00 PM, San Diego.

Roni....I LOVE this series. I reviewed the first one back in February, and after a blog post about how much I wanted this new one The Case of the Man who Died Laughing, his publicist sent me the second one for review--I'm about 1/2 through it right now. Just need to settle down and stay involved...my brain has been so fragmented this week. Anyway, I also have a giveaway contest for 2 copies of the first one Case of the Missing servant on my blog. Stop by and enter, you don't have to have a blog to enter.

My review for Missing Servant is in the book. It's a great, fun, almost laugh out loud series, but good mysteries, and an excellent way to learn about another culture. I'm also listening to the audio book which gives me a better feel for the cadence of the language, although the author has done a terrific job with getting it textually. Oh...and there's a great glossary of terms included so you can really immerse yourself in modern day India....altogether a 4-5 star read (both of them).

The final goodie is Vish's mother....In my mind I keep seeing an Indian Estelle Getty from Golden Girls, or Janet Evanovitch's Grandma Mazur....you have to love this woman.

I hope you get a chance to go to the book signing, and heartily suggest we (his fans) would like more please. ....I should have my review of this one up by the end of the week.

*Adds The Case of the Man Who Died Laughing to wishlist*

Is there no thread around here that's safe to visit?!

Kath : I'm so sorry that what should have been an idyllic time spent with book and Dunc was spoiled by a wandering dog. Sad for Dunc too that he gets set on.

*wonders if Kath should build an electric fence around her porch so she and Dunc can be at peace*

Kath, I hope the remainder of your day was good. I can relate to your frustration. A few weeks ago, new neighbors moved down the street. They weren't in the neighborhood more than 1/2 hour when they decided to walk their pit bull, who promptly bite the face and neck of a wonderful, wonderful, calm golden retriever that we all love. The dog's owner was bitten in the nand.grrrr..How I hate pit bulls. Now I worry about my sheltie Simon.

It was a very hot day here and thus I stayed inside ..ironing..getting my closets in order..Now, I'm exceedingly tired and will try to read before I fall asleep...Oh, my it is only 8:00 p.m. I'm feeling old these days.

Linda: Oh, I hate pit bulls too! My cousin has one...it's incredibly nice, really. Very playful and submissive around people. But...It still scares the hell out of me, and I wouldn't want it around other dogs. Pit bull owners will swear that it's all a big misconception, and I'm an animal lover though and through...but they're just so vicious... =/

#219--sure hope you were listening to a good audio book while you were ironing! Don't blame it on getting old....blame it on the hot weather - it's just plain enervating.

There are good pit bulls.. honest, there are . So much depends on breeding and environment. Having said that, there is one in our neighborhood that concerns me because I know nothing of the first and too much of the second to think it could turn out to be a good dog.

More to the dog in yard story.. all told in my thread....he came back :(

Hot here yesterday too... very nice this morning though.. so far :)

I agree Kath .... I know Rottweilers and Dobermans have always been the receiving end of bum raps for being aggressive and violent but I've known some sweetheart Rotts and Dobs who have been wonderfully gentle and friendly with children and adults alike because they had owners who loved them, treat them well and don't train them to be mean vicious attack dogs.

Horribly muggy out here by my way ..... have holed up in my cool bedroom for the evening.

horribly muggy in NE PA today. We have a few sporadic storms and then the sun shone. When I walked out of my office to my car, the humidity was so thick, I swear you could cut it with a knife.

The good thing about my office? Fantastic air conditioning ... makes going to work to attend boring meetings something to look forward to

No storms passed through here, but the air does seem to have changed. It needed to.

work today

do not want~

Cool here today after heavy rain last night. My washing, which was bone dry on the line, is now soaked!

In theory the cooler weather should make it easier to get on with work, but I am finding it hard to face it today.

It rained last night, but I haven't been outside to assess the changes if any...but the thermometer says 80F and it's 8a, so my hopes aren't up.

73F here. Slight Breeze

possibly in the 40's tonight

neener

75F here now ... light breeze ... could be worse.

sitting on the couch and eating a delish mango. Need to decide on my next book to read.

63F here in Maine at 11P - maybe we can put a mention of where we are in our weather links---my poor brain does not always remember where everyone is, and it would save having to click on your profile to jog my brain.

Off to tucky tuck to fall asleep reading in the cool sea breeze.

Congratulations to the University of South Carolina in winning its first NCAA baseball championship!

Seventy-un-fun-one at midnight! Long Island, Texas! This **has** to stop.

It is 75 here, Richard. Why are you complaining?

Weather.com says it is 54 here now, but it's 73 in my living room despite the open front door and window fan whirring away in my bedroom. Should be perfect sleeping weather tonight after a couple of warm humid ones that weren't so good.

Oh--upstate NY here.

51 F here right now . in SW PA

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

mid 70's today

>237 mckait:: it cooled overnight in SE PA also; 57F at 6am. Lovely. Expecting highs in the 80s but that's much better than the 90s!

Overnight lows expected in the 40's (that's F not C) tonight here in NNE Pennsylvania. That means there will be strong local resistance to the alarm clock tomorrow morning!

63 degrees and mostly sunny here south of Buffalo. We went through some very hot and humid weather recently so this is heavenly. They're predicting 88 and humid on the 4th.

73F, under 30% humidity, sunshiney, and breezy today. Texas has left Long Island! W00t!

Gosh you guys post some great recipes/food ideas. Thanks!

Visiting the parents in Louisiana-stinking hot, stinking humid...

Finally... quarter closed, reports submitted and I'm finally able to relax a little this evening. Got me a cup of dark chocolate ice cream with lashes of peanut butter mixed in. *sigh* ..... Trying not to think of the meeting with our corporate president tomorrow to go over our numbers for the quarter and forecast for the second half of the year.

Quote for the day from Swann's Way by Marcel Proust:

"The fault I find with our journalism is that it forces us to take an interest in some fresh triviality or other every day, whereas only three or four books in a lifetime give us anything that is of real importance. Suppose that, every morning, when we tore the wrapper off our paper with fevered hands, a transmutation were to take place, and we were to find inside it - oh! I don't know; shall we say Pascal's Pensees?"

I like that quote a lot - reminds me of how much triviality we run into on the Internet.

(posted to my thread too)

> 244

Got me a cup of dark chocolate ice cream with lashes of peanut butter mixed in.

*bursts through the kitchen door, homemade ice cream in hand...*

Offers everyone some blueberry ice cream, freshly made with the pint of blueberries that came in my CSA box.

P.S. Don't mind the dark purplish-blue color, it's strictly from the blueberries and not from food coloring.

P.P.S. If you want to make some yourself (you need an ice cream maker), this is the recipe I used.

Madelaine....were they regular blueberries, or the tiny small ones we grow here in Maine? The "big" boys are delicious, but the baby ones are to die for. And I agree, even the blue color (normally very suspect in our food) is just plain gorgeous when it comes from one of life's best foods--the blueberry. YUM YUM YUM.

Blueberry ice cream? YUM!

Blueberries will be "in" early August, and I always make bb ice cream. Of course, that means I'll need more exercise to work off the delights. mutter mutter, but hark--what's this? A box from Amazon?

Well the evil daughter has gone and done it now! She decided I was getting enough books on my own, so she called and said to be on the lookout for the Amazon (via UPS) delivery bringing my belated birthday cum mother's day present (they're only a day apart so I always get a bundled gift.) The first box arrived yesterday - it's a WII with the sports and sports resort package (so hubbie can play along too!!), and she assured me when I called to say thank you) that the WII Fit board and program would be arriving today. So now I have no excuse not to work out while I'm listening to audio books, or ate too much BB icecream (or any other flavor) or it's too far, too dark, too cold, too hot, etc to drive to the pool.

I'm excited --we've had WII demonstrations at the library, and it is really fun. With grandbaby coming in August, we can have some great tournaments.

of course now we just have to figure out how to reconfigure the space to have room for a bowling alley, tennis court, etc etc.

I could use such an evil daughter, if you are willing to share!

Rain! We have rain! 63F and rain! Normal weather, none of that weird, hot sunshiny stuff!

Wow, Tina, that's some birthday present - even if it's not books. Try not to break too many ornaments (or for that matter bones) waving those console things around! :)

>249 tututhefirst: Yay for the Wii. I think you will love it. We enjoy the Sports Resort and Wii Fit. It is great family fun for us...love having Mom/daughter versus Dad/son canoe races. My daughter and I practiced for days secretly before nonchalantly challenging my husband and son to a race. Needless to say , we won! Wii ski is another fun one that can use the Wii fit board.

>251 Eat_Read_Knit: We are having rain here in Texas also, and temps in the 80s rather than the high 90s and low 100s that we had been having. It is a blessed relief.

> 247

Tina, we only have one size of blueberry (that I know of) here in Maryland. I don't know if they are big or small relative to the sizes you know. :)

Arrgghh... I don't have an ice cream maker although I'm very tempted to get one. Saw one on Amazon.com on sale but I'm worried I'll go bananas and start whipping up ice cream every other day!

I'm so looking forward to the long weekend holiday. Decided to have a hot dog party at my house tomorrow. We're going to grill jumbo dogs, cheddarwursts, Kielbasa, Chorizo and whatever other sausages anyone else brings. Making an array of toppings like jalapeno cheese sauce, chili, baked beans, guacamole, chopped onions, mango chutney, and bacon (to wrap around some of the dogs before grilling) oh and chopped grilled pineapple. No ketchup or mustard allowed for tomorrow. Someone suggested tzatziki and taramasalata as toppings too so I hope he brings those.

No clue yet what to make for dessert. I guess I'll have to see what's in my pantry and fridge.

Then a mega cook out at a friend's house on July 4th... with Monday to recuperate. ;-)

I kill at Wii tennis. Ranking was 2900 at last check. Willing to take on all comers! :)

Went to Toledo Bend lake today (it's the big lake between Texas and Louisiana) and rode my sister's jet skis. 50 mph across the waves, bouncing off the tops. It was a great say, but now I'm soooo sunburned.

#255: Ouch, Jim! Aloe works wonders on sunburn. I hope you find something cooling to put on it.

Yes, take Stasia's advice, Jim. I had a bad sunburn some years back and almost denuded my mom's aloe plant, but it really worked, and I didn't suffer any peeling skin at all.

Yeah, I've already been dosing up with after-burn cream. It's aloe and lidocaine so I'm doing ok.

#258: I am glad to hear it!

Quote for the day from How Proust Can Change Your Life by Alain de Botton:

"Psychoanalytic literature tells of a woman who felt faint whenever she sat in a library. Surrounded by books, she would develop nausea and could gain relief only by leaving their vicinity. It was not, as might be supposed, that she was averse to books, but rather that she wanted them and the knowledge they contained far too badly, that she felt her lack of knowledge far too strongly and wanted to have read everything on the shelves at once - and because she could not, needed to flee her unbearable ignorance by surrounding herself with a less knowledge-laden environment."

I can so identify with 'wanting to read everything on the shelves at once.'

(Posted to my thread too)

Caro... I wish I could be your neighbor...
I am not a party person, but I think it would be fun just to
be on the edges of your life. That is some "hot dog" party :) lol
I am sure that your neighbors marvel at your energy ..lol

Nothing planned here. Neighbor having a cook out and invited us... not sure about that. Might, or might not...

( see told ya, not a party person)

haha, Kath, I'm not a big party person ... I just like food and most of the friends I hang out with are also foodies .... we gravitate towards places where lots of food and drinks are likely to be had. I'm also fortunate in that Edd loves to clean up while I like the prep work. So if we're hosting stuff at our house,then we split the duties up nicely.

And yes, you can be my neighbor any day, Kath ... so when are you moving to MA? we have no mean dogs in my neighborhood (anymore) so Dunkers would be safe from attacks.

Almost a month for the seventh thread! Not a bad average. The eighth thread is up and ready for us to romp and play and so forth and so on.

Stasia, will you please repost the Alain de Botton quote in thread 8?

Yes, I will take care of it!

My husband got me a five speed. It is used but it is called Free Spirit. I love it. It beats walking at the mall and getting lapped by stuck up women. Have nose in air, cut into your lane of walking are skinnier. I feel like a free spirit when I ride. It has been 20 years since I've ridden a bike. My first attempt was not graceful but my body is gradually remembering how. Say yeah summer! Please to check out Easy Bake Coven by J.D.Shaw. Elmira New York native. Good friend. Better author. I never would have thought he had it in him.