Linda et al, I'm fine and dandy as they say. Thanks for missing me!

I watched a great movie last night Cinema Paradiso, I recommend it highly.

Let's see, what else is new? Going on a mini day trip on Thursday, I think, to The Mount where Edith Wharton's estate is. It's in Lenox Mass and the leaf peeping should be pretty good as the dry weather has given a head start to the turning of the leaves. Once I collected leaves with the idea of finding a leaf for each color in the spectrum as in Roy G. Biv...remember that mnemonic?

Speaking of mnemonics, what's your favorite? I also love HOUSE (great lakes) -- these take me back to elementary school and the wonderful "maiden" teacher who taught me these and others.

Anyhow, I was able to create my spectrum with a stretch on indigo but other than that, I could find the colors in the leaves...who knew?

Every year with the first sniff of autumn weather I attempt to clean and organize my house. Every year I get a few things accomplished but never on the grand scale I dream of. My problem always is too much stuff. Way too much stuff, starting with books which slowly and surely are taking over my living space.

Here's a great recipe for the tomatoes you have sitting around with spots or flaws. Skin tomatoes, you know dip in boiling water then an ice water bath. Squeeze out extra juice and seeds, chunk and put in baking pan. Slice up some garlic and chop some onion, fine. About a tsp or less of hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper, lots of olive oil and toss. Bake in your oven at 350 till it's browned and mushy. Mash up a bit and you have one delicious roasted tomato sauce.

Want a very easy tapanade for crackers (I love Ka me wasabi crackers)- Chop up your eggplant and throw in some cherry tomatoes toss with olive oil - you can add garlic, I didn't and wish I had. Anyhow, cook away until it's well roasted. Smash it up add fresh olive oil and stir. It's delicious...

The sour pickles are done and delightful; neighbors gave us a jar of half sours which I love equally. I'd love to plant garlic this year, but Columbus day is creeping up on us (planting day) and I don't know what seed garlic to buy. Maybe next year.

Get the wasabi rice crackers...anything tastes marvelous on them...! xoxoxo

Crazy things happening.

A friend gave me my first Webkinz -- a cute kitty sitting on my computer hard drive, but I haven't registered her yet. Finbar, real kitty, has had an upset stomach the past few days so I'm worried about him, even if he is still filled with piss and vinegar.

I try to avoid work if at all possible, but I've been pulled screaming and kicking into doing some jobs recently. That really cuts into my fun time. Money is nice though.

Lately it seems a slew of family members and friends have had need for help and dammit if I can help I'm going to do it.

So OJ might finally go to jail? How odd that a robbery might carry more weight than double deaths.

Brittany is hell bent on losing her kids and doesn't seem to get it that even all the money in the world might not be enough to earn the right to raise your own children.

More Republican neocons are having troubles with male on male sex...wide stance or no wide stance.

Police are tasering college students for staying too long at the mic at a college lecture.

Finally I saw the word Blackwater in the newspapers: the Iraqis want them out of Iraq - nice to see the word published as one would think this group of christian vigilantes and paid killers didn't exist if you depended upon today's media to give you the news.

E coli is alive and well and living in bagged salads -- pet food and anything made in China are making us or our pets sick or hurt.

Bees are dying and there is less and less fish in the ocean.

Mice are thriving.

It will cost you $100 a day to heat a large pool with propane.

Brussel sprouts will be back in stores soon.

That's all the news that's fit to print.

HI Everyone!

I'm having some computer problems and also doing some ((heavens n0)) work at home, so my time here has been limited .

I'm sure I'll be a better friend when my project is done and my computer is fixed or replaced rather than this sickly one which of course makes my work take longer.

Thanks for everyone's responses and for checking back here from time to time.

I do hope that in a few weeks I'll have more leisure time, in the mean time...duty calls!!

xoxoxoxox