Book Board Chat

Well, I took your suggestion Jude and sent it to the jewelry board. Diane, I agree that it looks Egyptian or possibly Persian. Another thought I had was that it could be part of a ceremonial robe for a group like the Masons or Oddfellows.

Thanks for the compliment on my photography Jim. I've taken thousands of Ebay pictures with it. Right after I took the pictures and sent them to all of you, I dropped my trusty little Sony camera and now it won't work. Everything comes out way too light or dark. Very upsetting as I've been using it for years. I hope I can get it fixed.

Good morning. It's a beautiful day here in West Allis, Wisconsin - 62 and sunny.

I have a metal cape or cloak closer that I want to list on Ebay. It's really pretty, but it has a metal design that looks like symbols of something and I know it will go higher if I can figure out the meaning (if there is one). I put it on Facebook, but so far nothing. Maybe someone here will recognize it. This link will (I hope) take you to a Photobucket album with pictures. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. http://tiny.cc/nhp4zx

Got my motion detector lights yesterday. They are wonderful! Installed 3 on the stair landings and one each under the sink in the kitchen and bathroom. Amazing how much light they put out for being so small. LED's are a great invention. I don't understand how such little bulbs can be so bright. Thanks again for the tip. One less way to kill myself in my own house.

Thanks Diane, I'll stop there tomorrow.

Beth, I ordered these "OxyLED® T-02 DIY Stick-on Anywhere Portable 10-LED Wireless Motion Sensing Closet Cabinet LED Night Light / Stairs Light / Step Light Bar with Magnetic Strip (Battery Operated) - Silver" and I just got a notice that they are out of stock and they don't know when they will have any more. What kind do you use?

It seems that almost every time I read this board I learn something new. I didn't know there was such a thing as inexpensive motion lights. Now I won’t trip over my granddaughter’s cat. My granddaughter Holly, her SO Nick and their daughter Ivy Rose live downstairs from me in our duplex. The stairs leading down have dark carpeting and their black cat Guinness loves to lay on those steps. As much as I love him, I've often thought “He’s going to kill me one of these days if I forget to turn the hall light on.” I ordered the lights. Thank you for the tip Beth.

Hi Book Board. When I haven't read the board for a while, I try to catch up.

Saw that JoAnne was looking for some suggestions for new shows. My favorites are English mystery series. So, if you're a fan of Midsommer Murders, Agatha Christie, Morse, Endeavour or Granchester, I think you'll love Vera or the George Gently series. Vera is a middle aged rather dowdy single woman who lives alone on the moors in Newcastle. She's the head of the Murder squad. She's very intelligent and the mysteries are more cerebral than gory. George Gently is a widowed Police Inspector on the verge of retiring and training a narrow-minded younger man. It takes place in the 1960's also on the moors. Great scenery! Both are available from Acorn or Amazon.

I'm going to try to stop in more often now that I'm almost done with my consignment buttons. I've been selling this lot that my consignor found in a storage locker for 3 years now and it's been a real experience. I've sold over $100,000 worth of those buttons and have learned so much. Between that and babysitting for my great granddaughter, I keep pretty busy.

June, I see that you have a new grand niece called Matilda. What a pretty name! I think it’s so nice that the old names are coming back. My 20-month-old great-granddaughter is called Ivy Rose. Remember the old Perry Como song?

Love your Chinese Woman painting Diane. It's really fun to see a work in progress like that.

Hi all. Just happened to see JoAnne's message about sleep aids. I have been using tart cherry juice. It contains melatonin. Doesn't seem to work for everyone according to what I've read. There is a lot about it on the web. I started using it about two weeks ago (8 ounces before bed) and it works wonders for me. Was having a lot of problems sleeping, probably because I don't get enough exercise. I love cherries so I was glad to try it. I haven't had any of the morning drowsiness that occured with over the counter sleep meds. Just a suggestion.

Hi Book Board. Just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Easter!

Hi,
Just wanted to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Hi Book Board. I haven't been around for awhile but I thought about you recently and managed to find the Book Board Chat again. I see that some of you are having problems with Windows 8. So I thought maybe I could help. There is a thing called Classic Shell. It will make your screen look like and work like any other version of Windows. I have been using it for a year now and have never had to revert to the Windows 8 screen which I hated! The link is http://download.cnet.com/Classic-Shell/3000-2072_4-75553853.html

It has very good reviews and everyone I know that has used it is very happy with it. Hope you are all doing well. I will try to stop by more often.

Bob, just wanted to say how sorry I am that you lost your Mama Mia.

Patsy (grano9) Thanks for posting that picture. It's the most beautiful bookstore I've ever seen. Wish I could visit it!

Hi all,
I guess I’m a little late for National Pie Day, but I can’t believe nobody mentioned my favorite pie which is cherry. For a non-dessert pie though, my grandmother was French Canadian and made Tourtiere every New Years Day for good luck. It’s like a pasty with meat and potatoes, onions and the most important spice – allspice.

Casinokat - Saw the 60 minutes interview with Jake last night. You must just be bursting with pride! I know I would be. What an amazing boy - and really cute too.

Hi everyone, I am really enjoying my Kindle Fire. I also like the chapters you can read in Amazon and the book reviews. I love P. D. James, and ordinarily I would buy anything she wrote, but her new book "Death Comes to Pemberly" sounded odd, and most of the reviews were not good. It's about Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy about 6 years after their marriage. Sort of a mystery. I love Jane Austen (thanks for quiz, Kathleen, I did well), but haven't cared too much for the newer type Jane Austen books.

I just bought the new Louise Penny book "A Trick of the Light", but I'm saving it for a treat. I tell myself I can't read it until the kitchen is completely cleaned! It gives me incentive. It made it to number 4 on the New York Times Bestseller List.

Thanks for the video Chris - it was really beautiful!

Thanks Kathleen for the quizzes - only got one wrong on each quiz. I haven't read them all, but I put a few on my reading list. I got a Kindle Fire for Christmas from my son and am having so much fun with it. I didn't like the nook, so I'm going to sell that.

Thanks also for the comments on my button sales. Mom and I were passionate collectors for many years. We had so many good times going to swap meets and conventions and entering contests. If anyone has any buttons they need to have identified or priced, I'd be very glad to help.

Sorry to hear about your problems Laurie. You certainly have had a dark cloud lately. Let's hope it goes away soon and the sun starts shining on you.

Hello Bookboard,
Just wanted to drop in and wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. I hope the new year will bring you all health, wealth and happiness.

I have been very busy between trips to Florida to see my son and grandson (I agree there's nothing like a real hug). Also I've been listing and selling many buttons for a friend who bought a storage locker filled with wonderful old buttons. I agreed to 30%, but I'm shocked by the fees Ebay charges. I've only listed one or two things before, but now I'm listing 50 to 100 a week and never realised how expensive it was! I stopped listing for awhile, but will start again on the 29th. These buttons were in an attic for 30 years and then put in storage for another year. If anyone is interested in looking at the completed listings. Here is the link http://tiny.cc/j875u. Some of them are very beautiful and unusual and I'm having fun listing them.

I loved your Christmas card Patsy!

Here is mine for all of you: http://tiny.cc/6k47k

Re: Scary movies. The two best I've ever seen were "The Others" with Nicole Kidman, a 2001 movie, and "The Changeling", a 1980 movie with George C. Scott. Neither movie has gore or teenagers, but both are very scary!

Thanks Patsy/Grano. I guess I forgot about the old board. Went over to look, but I prefer it here.

Happy Birthday Wellington/Laurie!

I was wondering where Lludwig/Kathleen is? I haven't seen her posts for awhile and I miss them. Even if I don't know the answers to the quizzes, I always learn something new.

This link combines internet dating and books. What a rotten guy! http://tiny.cc/4zvuo
I've never read anything by this author, but he must be pretty popular.

The meanest book reviews - http://tiny.cc/9wf8z Some are awfully mean, but funny too.

Mim Your first paragraph read just like a poem. I'm not crazy about spiders, but the way you wrote it was beautiful.

OMG Beth what a frightening thing to happen! You were so lucky to get out when you did. Could have been a terrible tragedy.

Patsy/Grano Nasty about the fall. I think everyone who has ever had a cat has done it at one time or another, but when you're older, the consequences can be much more serious,

Has anyone been watching "New Tricks" on PBS? It's a great show about retired police in England working cold cases. It's been on for awhile, but I just discovered it. It's funny and serious at the same time, but no gore or nasty language. Everyone is slightly eccentric as is usual with British shows. Here's a wiki link if you're interested.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Tricks_(TV_series)

Another one I've just found is "Outnumbered" about a British family with three children, none of whom are smart alec, know it all brats. It's a nice funny/serious show. I get it on BBCA which surprised me because usually there's nothing on BBCA except Gordon Ramsay, Top Speed and Dr Who. Here's a link.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outnumbered

Good luck on your catherization MIM. I hope you get some answers.

Belated Happy Birthday Wishes LLUDWIG/KATHLEEN. Guess I haven't been around long enough to collect the birtdays.

PATSY/GRANO Hope your arm improves soon.

I'm have a hard time putting in Bold. If I do it for one it disappears on the other one. Strange.

aegbooks: Yes I have several of them in my collection. They are very pretty and the larger ones are quite expensive.

Diane/Furtima: You said your dad loved books and had many but you never saw him read them. My dad loved to read and even when he became legally blind (macular degeneration) he listened to at least 2 or 3 books a week that he got from the National Library Service for the Blind. When my mother suggested he donate or sell some of his books, he was horrified at the suggestion. He loved his books even though he couldn’t read them, and he wanted them nearby. Sometimes he would stand at the bookcase and pull out a book and ask which book it was.

Casinokat: I have been reading that Einstein's theory of relativity is being challenged and I wondered if your grandson had any input in that. I remembered on Glen Beck's show that (I think) he said he was working on disproving that theory.

Diane/Furtima: When listing buttons that look like ivory, but are molded celluloid, we use the word Ivoroid. Ivoroid buttons and jewelry usually sell quite well. You could try that word in your listing. Here is a link for ivoroid buttons. http://tiny.cc/42c8q

JHill - I like Daniel O'Donnell too. I love his Danny boy. Of course, since my son is named Daniel O'Connell, Danny Boy gets to me no matter who sings it. Always brings tears to my eyes.

We had a lovely visit to Washington Island. It’s a beautiful place. I haven’t seen such spectacular sunsets since I was in Florida and these lasted over an hour. Only wish the trip could have lasted a little longer. Laurie/Wellington lent me The Help, so I don’t have to wait for the library copy now. I had planned to take lots of pictures, but I was having so much fun watching Teddy, I didn’t even get a picture of him. I will next time.

Laurie was such a gracious hostess, the horses were beautiful, and Teddy the wonder dog was amazing. He waved, bowed, jumped through hoops, scrambled through tunnels, rolled and danced. What a cutie! I got to ride through woods and fields and on and off roads, and Laurie knew the name of every bit of flora and fauna we saw. I was a little nervous. I used to ride a lot when I was younger and thought was maybe I was too old to take it up again, but the Icelandic horses’ gaits are so smooth I didn’t even get saddle sore or have any aches or pains the next day. If we were closer (it’s a four hour drive and ½ hour ferry trip) I’d be hanging around all the time. The horses are hypoallergenic which was great for an animal lover like me who’s developed allergies to fur and feathers. Here we are tolting on down the road.

I was so sorry to hear about the problems many of you Easterners are having with flooding and rain. I thought things were improving with the weather there, but apparently that’s not the case. We’ve been really lucky. Our only problem in Wisconsin this year was the terrible heat of the summer, but we’re having perfect weather now. I hope it gets better there for you all soon.

My brother sent tme this clever idea for a book case, of course it takes up a lot of room for very few books, but pretty cute anyway.

I know that Helen was worried about Mim, but I see she is posting on the Advertising Board.

Thank you kathleen/lludwig for including my mother (really-ruth) in the beautiful In Memoriam list. She was a faithful reader for so long and brought me to the board. It was kind of you.

Very nice article Laurie. Interesting background information. It's all about coffee, LOL. I can't wait to see the island for myself and those beautiful horses, and of course you and Teddy too.

I think this is the covered bridge that Beth was talking about earlier.

http://tiny.cc/flk3f

How about

They call the Wind Mariah by the Kingston Trio http://tiny.cc/k05s5

My heart goes out to all of you in the path of Irene, especially the elderly and handicapped with no one to help. Hope you all remain snug, safe and unharmed in any way.

Fake Steve Jobs book becomes a best seller. http://tiny.cc/ybyef

My SO thought he had Lyme's Disease about a month ago. He went to two doctors, both said the rash wasn't Lyme's. He started having severe headaches and neck stiffness and went back to the doctor who sent him straight to the hospital where they diagnosed arterial thrombosis and removed an artery from his head. They then took blood tests and found out he did have Lyme's. He is on agressive antibiotic treatment now, but is having some slight memory problems. If they had only listened to him....

oklahomasong_gail You've had a lot of good suggestions, but there is also a site you might enjoy looking at called Cozy-Mystery.com. I know what you mean about the gore being too much and I've found a lot of writers on this site.

Welcome to the Cozy Mystery site!

My all time favorite first line is "Last night I dreamed I went to Manderley again." I really loved that book. Read it when I was about 15 and was enthralled. I don't think DuMaurier ever topped Rebecca. I read all her other books, but only remember that one.

Patsy/Grano9 Your Alaska pictures inspired me when I went to the Library to try a book by Dana Stabenow. She is a mystery writer I hadn't yet read. Her heroine is Kate Shugak a private investigator in Alaska. However I gave it up after the second time she was attacked and knocked unconscious (she was also shot in the head, but it was just a flesh wound) while her 140 lb guardian wolf dog just happened to be doing something else. It got a little silly. Still the descriptions of Alaska and it's native people were very interesting.

Thanks Bob and Kathleen/lludwig for the Addall information - I just couldn't understand the variance in price from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Patsy/Grano9 I remember when your grandaughter had her accident and how long it took her to recover. Wonderful news. And now great news about your grandson too. You must be awfully proud. I know I would be.

Question about a book I wanted to buy recently. I checked prices on the web and decided I couldn't afford it, but then found I could order it from Australia for $60. Are these prices real or made up because people don't want to sell the book? Look at the last price! Must be some kind of mistake. http://tiny.cc/svkcg

Patsy/Grano9 I also want to thank you for the pictures. An Alaskan cruise is my dream vacation. Maybe someday...

Diane/Furtime Loved the painting and looking forward to seeing more.

The movie "The Help" is being critiqued as racist by some even though it won't open in theatres until tomorrow.
http://tiny.cc/sjlze

I have mentioned before (on the other board) that I am a volunteer keyer for Ancestry.com. We’re working on keying all the records of the New South Wales Police Gazette for 1854 through 1930. We have been working on it for 20 months now and we’re halfway through. There were some really interesting things going on in those days. It was just like the Wild West at it’s woolliest. The Gazette was sent to every police department in Australia. In the early days they had to be as detailed as possible in their descriptions as there were no pictures on wanted posters until the early 1900’s. I thought you might like seeing one of these wanted articles from 1880. I think I could pick this guy out in a crowd.
http://tiny.cc/nzr9r

WEBMASTER - Thanks for putting up the donation link. Really appreciate all the great work you've done.

I've always loved thunder and lightening, but my grandmother was so frightened that she would hide in the back of a closet. When I was very young, I thought it was funny, but my mother told me this story. When grandma was little they lived in Superior, Wisconsin. There was a lightening storm and her mother and brothers and sister were frightened which made her father angry. He said God sent the storms to help the farmers, and what God sent wouldn't harm you. So he went out on the porch and (of course) was struck by lightening. It didn't kill him but it turned him into a religious fanatic who gave away everything they had to the church. Often there wasn't enough to eat. He didn't live too long after that, but I could see why grandma was so scared and I was much more sympathetic after that.

Beth Those hummingbird pictures are really nice! I bet that first one could win a prize if you sent it to Birds and Blooms magazine.

I was just told that if someone buys something from you, they have 90 days in which to return it and get their money back. I can't find this on Ebay. Is that true?

I hope Briguy joins. His posts are so funny.

Llyn/Danedottir Thanks. I'm trying it out now. It's a nice program.

Llyn/danedottir That was a beautiful poem. May I ask what program you use to enhance your photos? I love doing that too.

My hearing is terrible and I have a hearing aid, but hate to wear it. All of the women in my family on my mother's side have hearing problems. My cousin who is also hard of hearing sent me this joke recently.

A man goes to the doctor and complains that his wife can`t hear him.
"How bad is it?" the doctor asks.
"I have no idea", says the husband.
"Well, test her. Stand 20 feet away from her and say something. If she doesn’t hear you, get closer and say the same thing. Keep moving closer repeating the comment until she does hear you. That way we’ll have an idea of her range of hearing loss."
So the man goes home and sees his wife in the kitchen chopping up vegetables for dinner.
From 20 feet: "What are we having for dinner?"
No answer. From 10 feet, same thing. From 5 feet, same thing. Finally he’s standing right behind her ...
"What’s for dinner?"
She turns around, looks at him and says, "For the FOURTH time ... BEEF STEW!"

Liz Your new kittens are so cute! I know that calicoes are feisty, because I had one in the 70's. Everyone in our neighborhood had "pigeons on the roof" problems except us because Priscilla prowled the roof (two stories up) every day and no pigeon ever dared.

furtima So sorry to hear of your loss. From reading this board and the other, I know that you and your sister were tireless caretakers. It’s the hardest thing to lose a parent because you’ve never known life without them. My deepest sympathies to you and your sister.

Can your dog read your mind? One recent study found that dogs have the developmental abilities of a human 2-year-old, with the average dog capable of learning the meanings of 165 words. Interesting article.
http://tiny.cc/o7pk4

Dupo I am so sorry about your Miss Kitty.

our NOT are

Sometimes are government can really be silly. I needed a good laugh today and got it with the article.
http://tiny.cc/n72nx

Milwaukee area miserable too. It's 8:52 pm and 90 degrees out there with a dewpoint of 75. Love my AC, but I'm not looking forward to next month's bill.

Kathleen Using your method works! Thanks.

Wishing you a speedy recovery Jeanine.

Diane That's a beautiful medicine man picture. I envy people with artistic talent. Never had any myself so I make do with a program called "Gertrudis". It turns my photos into paintings. Here are a few that I worked on. If you use the slide show they will show up larger. One of them shows the before and after pictures. http://s1082.photobucket.com/albums/j363/buttonbook/Gertrudis%20Pics/

Oh well, guess I still haven't got the bolds down pat. Just because I learn something new doesn't necessarily mean I will retain it:)

Got the emails <b/.Kathleen thanks for the explanation. I personally think this is much nicer and simpler than threads. I also think the webmaster is a genius! Don't know how he can do this without some compensation.

I googled Howard Terpning. I had never heard of him before. I loved his pictures. It said that one of him original paintings had recently been sold for $1,500,000! I especially liked one called "Where the Spirits Live".

There's an old saying that you learn something new every day, and, on this board, it's really true. Here you can learn lots of new things every day.

Kathleen I think I understand now. I see that just below the place I'm posting there is a section that says "@bouton Mentions". If someone used that for me, it would show up when I logged in. Very clever!

Thanks Diane I think I'll use the person's real name if listed unless anyone objects. Is your avatar a picture that you painted? It's beautiful!

Thanks June/dupo I'm going to watch for them at sales from now on. I want to read them in order.

I'm confused as to how to address people here. Should you use the name in parentheses or the other name or both? Is there a preference or a rule about it somewhere?

acuity4u Thanks for pointing out the info about the unfinished Jane Austen manuscript auction. I hope they will publish it someday. She's an all time favorite of mine.

michelle There's an awful lot to think about in the article your mother sent you. Unfortunately so much of it seems to be coming true. They are so busy trying to keep us safe that they're treading on many of our individual freedoms. I think it's the insurance companies that are behind most of it - JMHO.

I'm starting a new mystery series by Ann Purser - Murder on Monday. Has anyone else read her books?. The blurb says, "Maeve Binchy’s readers will enjoy this warmhearted but candid look at English village life". I'm a sucker for mystery series that take place in small towns. I like getting to know the characters and watching their lives unfold in subsequent books. I think this chat line is sort of like one of those small villages (without a murder mystery of course).

I've been enjoying all the cat and dog and steer stories and pictures lately. I love all animals, but about 15 years ago (after having had pets all my life) I became allergic to fur and feathers. So I switched to reptiles and had a little rosy boa for many years. His name was Lambchop. His favorite trick was pulling peoples glasses off and dropping them on the floor. He was so pretty and cute that he fascinated even people who didn’t like snakes. If they didn’t wear glasses they got a snake kiss, but if they did – in a second their glasses were on the floor! I should have entered him in Silly Pet Tricks. A young boy next door would come over often to play with him (they need constant socialization) and since they were moving and he was so sad about leaving him, I gave him Lambchop.

Then I had a Siberian cat named Mikki. They are non-allergenic. I lived upstairs from my parents then and, when he was kitten, he played with my parent’s two Yorkies, but as he got older, he decided he wanted to be the only pet in the household and tried to kill one of them. He went back to the breeder. Haven't had a pet since and I do miss them

Interesting article on the writings of Jane Austen. I thought I had read everything she wrote, but I guess not. It's titled "Jane Austen Books You May Not Have Discovered Yet"
http://tinyurl.com/68lpmj4

Good morning all. It's a beautiful day here in West Allis. Since you're showing cute dog and cat pictures, I wanted to show this one of my cousin's two dogs, Sisters named Little Bear and Missy. They've crossed the rainbow bridge now, but their picture still makes me smile.

Tried Tinyurl again, but now it tells me I have something wrong with my flash?

Well, I found the book in the archives sections, but it seems that some books are OK to lend and other aren't. I only have 2 books that I bought from B&N. The Tin Ticket and Miss Peregrine. Neither are lendable. That's not right.

Jude and Aquiltmaven - Thanks for the information about free ebooks. I'm going to try that.

Kathleen - That is sooo funny!

Bookleaves - Glad to hear you DIL is getting better.

I just found a site where it tells you how to lend ebooks to friends so I was going to let all of you know that I would be happy to lend the Miss Peregrine book, but I went to my Nook and the book is gone. Now I have to figure out how to get it back.

Has anyone read "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"? I like quirky books and it was the first one I bought when I got my Nook. It was really a fascinating story, and now they're making a movie out of it. Unfortunately, I can't sell it now or even lend it to anyone because it's not a real book! I decided not to buy any more books and just use it for getting books from the library. The Milwaukee Federated Library System doesn't have much of a variety on ebooks yet though, so I'm not real happy with the Nook. Here's a trailer from the movie. I'm trying the tinyurl again. Hope it works. http://tinyurl.com/3k84j6l

Liz - We actually have a store here where you CAN tasted the produce before you buy. It's a PickNSave in downtown Milwaukee. They will peel an orange, slice up an apple or let you try samples of grapes or cherries. I think it's a great idea, but I still wouldn't have thought to ask to taste the kumatos.

Thank you all for the nice comments about Mom's story. Whisper was a very sweet dog. <b"Kathleen are you planning to get one? You won't be disappointed.

I wrote about Kumato tomatoes yesterday. I got some for my brother and they were great so I got some more today and they were awful! Bitter and funny tasting. Haven't a clue why. They didn't look any different.

I bought one of the topsy turvy tomato planters for a friend last year and they used so much water that she had to water them every day and the plant kind of rotted. Maybe she didn't do it right.

Recently, someone on the board wrote that they had fallen in love with Yorkies. My parents had yorkies for 36 years. The last one was a rescue dog named Whisper. She was perfect for older people. She passed away just 3 weeks after Mom did and just 2 weeks before Dad. Mom wrote a very short illustrated story about her for the grandkids. Thought you might like to read it.

Tried to make a tinyurl out of this but it kept giving me error messages.

Beth I've been making the cake the wrong way. I added all the things that the package tells you to add, and then I add the pumpkin. It's really good, but now I will try another one with just the dry cake mix and the pumpkin.

bookleaves Sorry to hear about your DIL. That's scary - sending prayers your way.

An article I came across by Wray Herbert titled "The Psychology Behind Interest (and Beach Reads)" Why we all have different tastes in reading and art. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/wray-herbert/science-of-interest_b_891423.html?icid=main%7Chtmlws-main-n%7Cdl4%7Csec3_lnk3%7C218556
Guess I should have tried the tiny url for that one.

Jeanine The recipe I got from Beth is for a Pumpkin Spice Cake. It's just a packaged spice cake. You follow the directions for the spice cake and then at the end you add a small can of pumpkin. Then bake about 5 minutes longer than the directions on the cake box. I use cream cheese frosting. Somehow the pumpkin makes it twice as good and it's so moist! I'd show you a picture but it's all gone.

About an hour ago I made the pumpkin spice cake (Beth's recipe) for my brother. It's almost gone already! I'll admit I had one or two or three very small slabs myself. 🙂

Yes Liz, but we aren't the only ones who think so. Here is a quote from an article in the New York Times.

"Flavor chemists have found that cilantro aroma is created by a half-dozen or so substances, and most of these are modified fragments of fat molecules called aldehydes. The same or similar aldehydes are also found in soaps and lotions and the bug family of insects." And here is the article link http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html

It's titled "Cilantro Haters, It's Not Your Fault!".

There's an interesting site on Yahoo that tells you what different herbs taste like. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090829062157AAzSpGl

I know there are some that I don't care for at all. One of those is rosemary. To me it tastes like I'm eating a pine tree. The other is cilantro. I think it tastes like soap. Love Mexican food (especially huevos rancheros), but I always check to see if there is going to be any cilantro in it. My favorite of all the herbs and spices is garlic. I occasionally make 40 clove garlic chicken soup which is just my regular recipe with 40 cloves of garlic added toward the end so they are just tender and smushy.

Talking of herbs made me think of the song. Anyone remember Marianne Faithfull's song Parsley Sage Rosemary and Thyme? I think I'll look it up on YouTube and reminisce about my long lost hippie days.

Hi all,
I also want to thank the webmaster for this beautiful site and would certainly be willing to chip in if it's ever needed.

I think those of you who try kumatos will be surprised at their flavor. My brother is visiting from Las Vegas and he is a very, very fussy eater. He eats beef, tomatoes, corn, ham and mashed potatoes (separately because no food can touch another food) and that's all he will eat. He was very disappointed that our tomatoes weren't ready yet so I got some kumatos for him and he was leery at first because of the odd color, but he tasted them and just loved them. I actually got him to try something new - and he liked it!

Speaking of tomatoes, last winter I had a craving for a BLT, but the tomatoes in the store didn't look too good. They had something call Kumatos in a box. They look just like plums, kind of expensive, but I thought I'd give them a try. I was really surprised at the great flavor. They tasted as though I had just picked them in my garden. I've been buying them ever since and am never disappointed. Here's a link. http://www.kumato.com/en/Kumato.aspx

Hello New Book Board. No time right now for much of a post. Thanks for inviting me.