Book Board Chat

Top five sellers for June:

$510.00 New England Glass Co Opaque Green Toothpick Holder

$504.00 Steuben Blue Aurene Glass Ashtray

$180.50 Loetz Formosa Pattern Glass Vase

$114.50 Fenton Carnival Glass Bowl

$99.99 Camark Pottery Wall Climbing Cat

Diane,

Can't say as I do. I'd like to see the bottom just to see how it's constructed. You could also post to ebay"s P, G & P Board here: (They will definitely want to see the bottom - and also the back. Also dimensions can be key.)

http://community.ebay.com/t5/Pottery-Glass-Porcelain/bd-p/275

Good morning, all. Sunny and warm now but rain moving in later. Just turned the central air on for the first time this year - always glad when it starts up as it's original to the house and about 30 years old.

Sincere thanks to all those who served in the military and their families.

Strange goings on around here in the bird world. We always have suet cakes placed for the woodpeckers which visit us. Of course the nuthatches and chickadees also eat a bit of that but this year we have 2 catbirds dining on them. We've never seen the catbirds do that before. Here's what one online source says about their eating habits: In summer, Gray Catbirds eat mainly ants, beetles, grasshoppers, midges, caterpillars, and moths. When fruits are available they also eat holly berries, cherries, elderberries, poison ivy, greenbrier, bay, and blackberries.

mystery,

Thanks for asking. She's doing better every day with really noticeable progress today. I do still stand very close by when she's getting up, sitting or lying down. The long incision looked much better today when I cleaned and redressed it. Best thing is, she's feeling how well she's progressing. Mother's day and her birthday in the next week along with a couple doctors' appointments but no going out for dinner I'm afraid. Will probably fix her surf and turf on the grill on one of those.

Top 5 sellers for April:

$1250.00 Pair of Durand Glass Lamps
$605.00 Rookwood Pottery Vase
$79.99 Fenton Glass Vase
$76.56 Custard Glass Mug
$69.99 Kralik Glass Czech Vase

Will probably be taking most of May off.

Thank you, Paula.

Patsy, Diane and mystery,

Thank you for the wishes for Diane. I brought her home late yesterday so we're adjusting to doing the rehab here. We hope it will go at least as well as 13 years ago when she had both hips replaced at the same time. Home health care nurse was here this morning and pleased with how well she's doing. A different nurse will be here Friday and an occupational therapist will be calling to schedule his visits. It sounds like it will be a busy week and a half or so.

I won't be going on any buying trips for a while!!

We are forecast to have at least a 40% chance of rain every day through Friday with a 90% chance through tomorrow. We've received almost 2" of rain since Friday so things have really greened up. Now if we can get some sunshine and warmth all will be better.

My wife had one of her replacement hip joints redone Friday and is doing great so no more dislocations! She'll be coming home tonight or tomorrow morning since she doesn't need to go to a rehab site for a day or two. Guess I'd better get busy policing this place!!

Irene,

Thanks for the warning. I haven't received any from you but I have received a couple SPAM emails from someone on AOL who posts here occasionally.

So nice and warm here that I have the sliding glass door open beside me. There is a very large group of crows going crazy out there, with more rushing in to join them. I can see them hopping around in the trees but don't see an owl - that's what usually sets them off. Wish this weather would continue but forecast highs are for the 50's starting Tuesday and for the next 8 days.

Gail,

Thanks for that link! Starting in early spring, we have cardinals whistling (to establish territory or attract females, I suppose) and I enjoy talking with them when I go out to get the paper in the morning. Chickadees also respond to my attempts. I suppose this may have been posted years ago, but here's a link to an eagle cam near Decorah, Iowa. I have it on my computer most of the day - fun to watch the family from before laying the first egg until after the young leave the nest. They do return off and on for quite some time after that.

http://sportsmansparadiseonline.com/Decorah_Bald_Eagle_Nest.html

We were fortunate here as the weather stayed warm enough that almost all of the precipitation came down as rain rather than snow. My rain gauge showed an inch this morning - that would have been anywhere between 5" and 10" of snow had it been colder. Forecast is for warmer weather the next week, up to about 70 deg. That and the rain should green things up pretty well.

mystery,

I believe you said you used eBay/Paypal shipping. If so, the eBay item number is printed on the label if you have that box checked. Of course it is in very small print, but if this is a middleman who does high volume, he should know about that. I would not respond to the message.

SIGH.............................

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN TWIN CITIES/CHANHASSEN HAS ISSUED
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 7 AM
WEDNESDAY TO 4 AM CDT THURSDAY.

* TIMING...SNOW WILL DEVELOP LATE TONIGHT...AND CONTINUE THROUGH
MUCH OF THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY AND WEDNESDAY NIGHT. THE SNOW MAY
MIX WITH OR CHANGE TO RAIN DURING THE DAY ON WEDNESDAY BEFORE
CHANGING BACK TO ALL SNOW WEDNESDAY EVENING. THE SNOW WILL TAPER
OFF EARLY THURSDAY MORNING.

* SNOW ACCUMULATION...3 TO 5 INCHES...BUT THIS IS HIGHLY DEPENDENT
ON HOW MUCH RAIN OCCURS ON WEDNESDAY.

* OTHER IMPACTS...TRAVEL MAY BE HAZARDOUS AT TIMES FROM LATE
TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. THIS WILL BE A WET SNOW
WHICH WILL BE DIFFICULT TO SHOVEL.

jude51,

Yes, Twinkies would be the Minnesota Twins. We went to quite a few games when they played in Bloomington - easy to get in and out and an enjoyable summer evening outdoors. Went to 2 games after they moved into the Metrodome (big blecchh!!) and have not gone to any at Target Field as I dislike Minneapolis - plus high prices. Nearly all their games are televised and it's a lot more comfortable to watch from a recliner.

Diane,

Twinkies won 3 in a row so now a 0.500 ball club.... After a couple years of 90+ losses, that's progress... I've always been a Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers fan but never liked the Milwaukee baseball team.

In the 60's here on the Minn-Wis border, same tomorrow and then back to highs in the 40's for a week or so. The wild turkeys certainly thought it was spring here yesterday - I drove past a field where I frequently see them. There were 3 Toms in full breeding display but I didn't see any hens admiring them.

Diane,

I collected stamps as a kid, then as an adult I collected used USA stamps, primarily pre-1920. Also collected Wisconsin postal history from stampless covers to more modern postcards with unusual cancels or from towns which no longer had post offices. I sold all a few years ago and must admit it was an excellent investment in addition to providing lots of hours of enjoyment. (Much better than the glass I love!)

Jim,

There were (and probably still are) people who thought buying new stamps at the post office was a good investment. Some bought sheets, some plate blocks and some only 1 or 2 copies. Whatever, when those people go to dispose of their "investment" (or the heirs want to get rid of them), they find there is no market for mint stamps made within the past 80 years or so (with a few exceptions). They're lucky to get 50% of face value simply because of supply and demand.

Good morning all. It looks like a Christmas card outside again this morning although we didn't get as much snow as forecast. Snow on the driveway was about 3" deep but had compacted some because of the high moisture content, weight and near thawing air temperature. Trees have a nice blanket but that should be gone by mid-day tomorrow as we're forecast for highs of 36 today and 44 tomorrow.

Patsy,

You have the same first name as my all-time favorite female singer - Miss Patsy Cline. That's the way she signed her name on a guest register at a home which let rooms near the Wisconsin state fairgrounds where she performed. I rather wish I hadn't sold that.

Favorite male singer - Roy Orbison.

I must admit I haven't enjoyed much music since the Beatles became popular. (Exception - Mungo Jerry In the Summertime http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvUQcnfwUUM&feature=kp.) Thanks to PATSY for that link.

Top 5 sellers for March:

$889.88 - Loetz Astglas Vase, pre 1900
$325.00 - Mt. Washington Glass Albertine Bowl
$301.50 - Mt Washington Glass Peppermint Stick Open Sugar Bowl
$85.00 - Copper Spoon Souvenir from Colorado Copper Mine
$80.99 - Repair Kit for Ronson Cigarette Lighters

Here's a site which talks about Federal Holidays.

http://www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/Federal_Holidays.pdf

It states in the abstract: "Congress has statutorily established 11 permanent federal holidays, which are legally applicable only to federal employees and the District of Columbia. Neither Congress nor the President has asserted the authority to declare a “national holiday” which would be binding on the 50 states."

First time they met this year, thee Badgers beat the Gators 59 - 53.

The "little snow expected tonight" by mystery turned out to be a fair amount. I was driving home and figured I'd be there before it turned to snow at the predicted 6 p.m. Actually it turned to snow about 5 p.m. - big beautiful nickel sized flakes. As I drove they became the size of quarters, then half dollars, then silver dollars. It was warm enough that most of it melted but there was still a couple of inches of slush to drive through before I made it home. Supposed to get down to the mid 20's tonite, then 40 tomorrow. Weather people had been predicting near 60 for Sunday but I'll believe it when I see it.

mystery: I've sold all of those items.....hmmm, a misspent youth.

The bluebirds must think it's spring as they're pairing up. Here they are at our heated birdbath. Still snow on the ground (with LOTS of birdseed).

http://www.deadzoom.com/member/itsagas/bblrg1.jpg

Tiny flakes on this side of the St. Croix.

I would think the mathematicians might go a little crazier in 2016 as pi is 3.14159... or rounded goes to 3.1416.

I'm glad that we only have to take our recyclables to the end of the driveway. Wednesday is our garbage pickup and Thursday is recycling. Aluminum, glass and plastic go in one paper bag, paper in another. Garbage is easier for the guy doing pickup, has an arm that picks up the plastic can and dumps it behind him. Recycling has 2 guys - bags of mixed materials are dumped in one spot with the paper bag being crunched up and put in the other slot along with bags containing paper.

Beth,

Yes, too cold there but we've had a number of days in the 40's with below freezing night temps. There certainly have been significant changes in that operation since I was a youngster. Back then, everyone used tin pails hanging from the taps and had to go tree to tree emptying the pails into a larger container on the back of a truck or wagon. Next came plastic bags and then plastic lines running through the woods to one or a few collection points. The sugar bushes all used wood to fire their boilers; now it's almost entirely powered by gas. Even with all the changes, it's still not an occupation for someone afraid of physical work.

Snow on the ground has decreased from 20" to 13" over the past week or so. Only in the 20's today but 40's predicted for tomorrow and Friday so we should lose a few more inches. Perfect weather for maple syruping but it may be too difficult to get around in the woods.

I received an interesting phishing email earlier today, purporting to be from service.paypal.de. It said in part:

Lieber kunde,

Wir arbeitet fortlaufend an der Gewährleistung der Sicherheit. Dazu werden die Konten in unserem System regelmäßig überprüft.
Kürzlich haben wir Ihr Konto geprüft und benötigen weitere Informationen, damit wir Ihnen einen sicheren Service anbieten können.
Solange uns diese Informationen nicht zur Verfügung stehen, ist Ihr Zugang zu vertraulichen Kontofunktionen eingeschränkt.
Wir möchten Ihren Zugang schnellstmöglich wiederherstellen und entschuldigen uns für diese Unannehmlichkeit.

I have a piece of Bohemian glass up on ebay doing rather well and I suspect that this was automatically generated from Germany because of that.

If I remember correctly, when I retired (15 years ago the end of this month) it felt no different than the previous week. Of course it was nice to not have to set an alarm clock and fight traffic morning and evening. I thought I remembered it was much nicer so looked that up. Temperature range on retirement day ranged from 54 to 68. This year it'll probably be 20 degrees colder with snow still on the ground.

Not just yet - waiting for driveway to be ice and snow free. I'd always used a snowblower but it gave up the ghost last winter so I've had the guy who mows our lawn plow us out. Just not as clean as I could get it - of course on a heavy snow it might take me an hour and a half and he's done in 10 minutes. On the other hand, it used to take me 3 hours to mow with our rider. When that went to John Deere heaven, I contracted him. He gets it done in 20 minutes and it looks better than when I mowed. I am enjoying not having to get bundled up so well to get the papers or mail.

I got all our information for taxes entered for our preparer today so that's a good job done. Going to take a BAD hit on taxes this year and I am NOT looking forward to the final numbers!

mystery,

Ellsworth won the championship 46 - 12, making for their sixth team title. They have a young fellow at 126 pounds who won his fourth individual state title. For such a little guy, he's a terror! Good program there, have had only 3 head coaches in about the 56 years they've had a team.

Wonders of the internet! Wife and I were just able to view (live on computer) our old high school's wrestling team win their semifinal match by a score of 65 - 6. We'll be tight to the screen at 3 this afternoon when they compete for the state championship. I feel invested as I wrestled 51 years ago and even though I wasn't very good, it's great to see the old team going for their sixth state title.

Paula,

Looks to me like an EAPG pattern called Late Paneled Grape, Indiana Glass Co., made as late as early 1900's. Not Goofus painted but rather stained. Here's a link to a water set:

http://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/eapg-indiana-late-paneled-grape-piece-290415636

My top 5 sales in February were:

Loetz Glass Vase $624.00

Spear Fishing Decoy $155.00

Red Candlewick Glass Bowl $105.00

Niloak Pottery Match Holder $102.50

Wild Flowers of Western Pennsylvania - 2 Volumes $69.99

Patsy,

I'm with you on food textures. My mother told me that when I was a baby she tried to feed me Jello (all kids love Jello, right?) and I'd hold it in my mouth until it melted and then let it run out. Still can't abide much of anything with a soft texture, hate mashed potatoes, cooked cereals without texture (and can no longer find Red River cereal around here, darnit!) and other squishy foods. I would eat an occasional marshmallow if it were cooked over fire and had a charred, crispy exterior. I can't imagine I'd like peeps but have never tried one. Good thing we don't all have the same likes/dislikes.

Here's a view out the back toward the woods about 75 feet away. The white streaks are huge snowflakes coming down. We are forecast to receive about a foot, then back into the deep freeze with highs barely above zero the middle of next week.

http://www.deadzoom.com/member/itsagas/feb20.jpg

It looks like we’re going to break our string of consecutive below zero days at 17. So far this season we’ve had 42 days of below zero temps. Our first day of such temps was December 7, so that means about 63% of the days since then have been ”chilly”. Long range forecast is to get highs above freezing next week. Time to break out the shorts.

There’s also a new one listed with a starting bid of $1495 and a BIN of nearly $2500 – I bet it won’t sell, LOL. I also used the second search string on closed auctions and see one sold for $418.99 and another for a BIN of $925.

Out of curiosity, I looked at closed ebay auctions for ”Shirley temple doll”. There were over 3000 of them so I just looked at the first 2 pages. Out of 400 closed auctions, 70 had sold, a sell rate of 17.5%. Then I looked for closed ”Shirley temple doll” cowgirl closed auctions. Here’s a link to the only one – which didn’t sell:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ideal-1930s-sgnd-compo-18-SHIRLEY-TEMPLE-doll-Texas-Ranger-outfit-orig-wig-/370995527183?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item56610e7e0f.

Top 5 sellers for January

Noritake Incense Burner $140.00
Pairpoint Tavern Glass Vase $132.50
Findlay Onyx Toothpick Holder $125.00
Syroco Corkscrew $93.00
Glass Cake Stand $84.86

There are few round houses around here but a few more geodesic domes. We looked at one of those when we moved back here - the only thing it had going for it was its unique look. There were quite a few round barns in Wisconsin when I was growing up - the old joke was the Norwegian farmers went crazy trying to find a corner to pee in.

Patsy,

Wish I could send you some heat but global warming is bypassing us - high of 4 tomorrow and 14 below forecast low for tomorrow night. Unseasonably cold even for us - stay warm!!

As a youngster, my favorite short story author was W. Somerset Maugham - I remember reading very late at night, under the covers with a flashlight. Later came science fiction, loved the Analog, Galaxy and If magazines.

Mystery,

Apparently they have fun going back and forth across the river.

We received about 5 inches of snow and we have a big flock of robins in the back yard now flitting from tree to tree. I wonder if someone around here is feeding them fruit.

mystery,

Whenever we wake up - nice to be able to sleep without setting an alarm. We haven't gone out for brunch in quite a while - Dixie's on Grand was the last as I recall. They have a champagne brunch every Sunday I believe. We tried Paddy Ryan's and it was OK - but no champagne!! Perhaps they've rectified that by now.

mystery - I dunno - I fix Sunday brunch here every week. I think the champagne is the highlight!!!

I’ve been retired almost 15 years and Diane retired the end of last month. I’ve been doing all the cooking and grocery shopping and she does the cleanup. In warm months it's easy as I do a lot on a charcoal grill so little cleanup and simpler meals. She’s on restrictions as far as sodium intake so it’s been rougher to come up with tasty, interesting meals – no longer can I rely on takeout or store bought meals in a pinch. Tomorrow we’re having fried sunfish so she’s doing that one – ah, a day of no planning or fixing for me – except for brunch.

We have a wide variety of birds here at our feeders and bird bath. So far today we've had Chickadees, House Finches, Cardinals, Downy, Hairy and Red Bellied Woodpeckers, Juncos and crows as well as the unusual Bluebirds and Robins. Spring and fall are always fun for the migrating birds coming through which we only see twice a year. Year around we have occasional hawks and bald eagles as well as geese and swans flying over the house on their way to and from the river and feeding grounds.

It's all the way up to 9 above zero here and sunny. Bluebirds must have decided it was time for their usual midwinter appearance as we had at least 7 of them at our heated birdbath this morning. Robins were here yesterday.

At early afternoon it's worked its way up to -15 degrees with further warming today forecast to be 2 more degrees. Low tonite of -23 and high tomorrow of -1 according to the National Weather Service. Probably will not venture out (other than to get mail) until tomorrow.

Liz - I'm sure you can still find Honey Boo Boo if you look really hard (LOL). Yes, this Sony can do all that stuff - assuming we can learn all the ins and outs. We liked the picture on it the best of any we checked.

mystery,

We're leaving shortly to do a bit of grocery shopping and I imagine it'll be crowded. Also picking up some medicine for the cat as we'd probably run out about Tuesday and I don't plan on leaving the house again until Wednesday. Son will be here for birthday dinner tomorrow - hard to believe he'll be 38!! Also need to pick up a TV stand as we have a 55" HD coming in next week.

It was 23 deg when I got up 2 1/2 hours ago and is now down to 16 on its way to tonite’s low of minus 18. Will warm up tomorrow all the way to minus 11, then a low of -28 and a Monday HIGH of -18. Forecast is to get slightly above zero by Wednesday. Thank goodness for attached garage which, although unheated, is about 20 degrees warmer than outside - much easier on the cars.

mystery,

I just checked the National Weather Service site and they're predicting a high of about 15 below on Monday. I don't think I'll be going to check out Tracy's auction!!

I took nearly the whole month off but these were my top 5:

$49.99 - Murano Glass Bowl

$41.00 - Dewey Green EAPG Glass Cruet

$39.99 - EAPG Marmalade Jar, Elk Medallion

$38.00 - MIJ Figural Muffineer

$29.99 - Deck of Fortune Telling Cards

We've found that a heated birdbath brings in a lot more birds than just feeding them. A bonus is that we occasionally have winter robins and bluebirds, even in below zero weather. It's amazing how much water a large flock of robins or cedar waxwings will consume. The birds do NOT take baths in the winter, LOL.

June,

I've seen a number of sellers who have maps showing where they've shipped items. I suppose they think that's supposed to impress would-be buyers but I automatically tune it out. It's not as bad as those sellers who had music playing as soon as their auction came up. I wonder if eBay has made it impossible to do that, if sellers have wised up and learned it's annoying to many and stopped or if I've just been lucky and not opened one in a few years.

Another thing that annoys me is auctions which are of a width that I can't read everything. I at first thought perhaps it was my fault for having my Zoom set at 125% but turning it to 100% or lower didn't help. I was looking at a friend's auction that was that way. His wife told me that the bar at the bottom could be used to fix that. No bar at the bottom of my screen so I scrolled through the listing slowly and found that Auctiva had an internal scroll bar at the bottom of their frame. Their frame was well above the bottom of the listing so one has to search for it and then try to center everything. Now when I come across one of those I just decide it isn't worth my time looking.

It's a reasonable day here today, cloudy with snow flurries but fairly warm at 23 F right now. We had a couple huge flocks of robins at the heated bird feeder this morning - but we haven't seen a bluebird in a long time.

Gas has been going down here - bought in nearby station yesterday for $2.82 - after using a 7 cent per gallon coupon.

mystery,

Looks like Magnum PI isn't available on DirecTV but quite a few episodes are available on Xfinity On Demand either on TV or online.

Good morning, all. We just finished our usual once a week breakfast (brunch) of southwestern hash brown potatoes with onion and green pepper, basted eggs on top, bacon and champagne. We both like hot cereal as long as it has texture - don't particularly care for cream of wheat or rice and definitely not grits! Our favorite is a Canadian brand called Red River cereal but I haven't been able to locate it in our usual grocery stores this year. We'll occasionally use the packet type oatmeal, usually maple and brown sugar flavor, particularly when we stay at a motel that has that as an available option. Most mornings my breakfast is cold cereal and 2 pieces of toast, peanut butter on one and preserves on the other.

There are still mosquitoes here - just not flying around until it warms up in late spring or early summer. We always welcome that first frost - or extended streak of really cool weather.

jude51,

Because (s)he had 10.487 total feedbacks in the last 12 months. Neutrals don't count and 4 negatives out of that many feedbacks gives him/her a positive rating of 99.962% which rounds up to 100%.

Anything over 74 is too hot for this old bod - I can always put more clothes on but there's a limit to what can be taken off. The cold keeps some of the riffraff out, LOL.

Currently at 4 below zero in this part of Minnesnowta with a low of - 8 tonite - and - 11 tomorrow. Great to be a retiree on a fixed income!! Heat wave may bring us up to 20 deg by Friday....

I don’t remember a thing about WW II as I was born the day after D-Day. I do remember listening to the radio news at breakfast and learning that we had lost fewer F-86 Sabre Jets than ”they” had lost MIG fighters in Korea.

Some buyers have too much time on their hands - should be bidding a lot more often!

Good morning, all. After the snow, the cold has come in. Bright and sunny with a temp of 9 deg, our high for the day. Low tonite is forecasted to be 8 below zero, coldest of the season so far. I may have to think about starting Christmas shopping.

We had rain/sleet most of the day so not much snow here, maybe 2” max out of a predicted 5 to 10 inches. It’s pretty out the back door, though.

http://www.deadzoom.com/member/itsagas/snow.jpg

http://www.deadzoom.com/member/itsagas/snow1.jpg

Helen,

Here's what I found by Googling. Read the first Community review.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/511784.Cat_and_Dog

June,

Another possibility is that as we grow older our taste buds are less sensitive. I recall my parents saying - back in the 60's - that food didn't taste as good as it used to when they were children.

Liz,

For a short time here chicken also tasted a bit fishy for the same reason. I think there was enough of an outcry from customers that it didn't last long. It's tough to beat corn for livestock feed and I always enjoy seeing the huge cornfields when I go to Iowa on a summer buying trip. I imagine some of those corn mazes are difficult to get through around Halloween. I know I certainly wouldn't want to get stuck in the middle of a corn field. (Although it was kind of fun as a kid.)

These days everything tastes like chicken except chicken. When I was growing up on the farm, Mom had Leghorn hens for eggs - and the occasional chicken dinner. They were allowed to be outside, dig in the dirt, run around and eat grains, grasses, bugs and worms. The dark meat was DARK, not the off-pink of today's pen raised chickens, and TASTY!! We've tried some Amish raised chicken last year and even that wasn't like what we had when I was a youngster. The best beef I ever had was from a young cow which had turned mean so my dad decided it was better to eat her than risk someone getting hurt. It was a Jersey, normally the gentlest of animals but apparently some cows, just like some people, turn out to be troublemakers. Dad fed the cows some special fermented sprouts and that apparently gave the meat a great flavor. I remember the fat on the steaks being a deep yellow - not white like we see on today's. Enough memories - I've probably put everyone to sleep - or worse!

I fixed roasted veggies for din-din tonite - green pepper, onion, yam, parsnips and carrots with EVOO and salt free seasoning along with pork steak seasoned with garlic, pepper and rosemary. LIZ mentioned the too lean pork a week or two ago and I tend to agree. I've recently been buying pork steak (well marbled) instead of boneless pork chops - half the price, better tasting and moist and flavorful. I suppose my arteries may be clogging but at age 69 I really don't care.

Here's a Yankee who likes collard greens - especially when cooked with bacon. I like most veggies including some of the "weird" ones. Parsnips are a special favorite. About the only thing I can't abide are beets - I've never had any that didn't taste like mud to me - even pickled beets. One interesting thing I recently read is that there are two types of people in the world when it comes to cilantro. Some love it and the more the better. Others think it's horrible because it tastes or smells like soap. (That was my impression before I read the article.) Here's another article which may be of interest:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/09/14/161057954/love-to-hate-cilantro-its-in-your-genes-and-maybe-in-your-head

Liver and onions??? There have been times when I've craved it and others when I can't handle it. And sometimes those two happened at the same time.

Top 5 November sales:

$250.99 Carnival Glass Vase

$152.50 Carnival Glass Plate

$149.99 Noritake Powder Jar

$120.50 Royal Copenhagen Pitcher

$99.99 Carnival Glass Powder Jar

Sam,

I'm not a big Brady Hoke fan but he gained points with me today going for the win against the Buckeyes.

Never did like Michigan Wolverines - except when they played Ohio State. Badgers certainly wet all over themselves today - not a good weekend for Wisconsin fans. Except for the basketball team winning the Cancun tournament. I always wondered if Bo Ryan could coach an athletic, quick team. Guess we'll find out this year. Was also pleased when Arkansas finally lost in a close game yesterday(?). Always thought coach Bielema looked like he was smelling something bad. Would love to see him out of the coaching profession.

Janice,

Razzleberry pie is a made up name that the company which makes Maria Callender foods coined. It's actually a combination of raspberries and blackberries giving it a taste closer to boysenberries.

Ooooohhhh....Fruit Cake!! Nothing better than a piece of GOOD fruit cake with a cold glass of milk. We make our own every 2 or 3 years but have also found that Figi's sells a darned good one (but no Brazil nuts in it). Of course we doctor it with rum and brandy and let it sit for a couple weeks before starting to eat it. I always laughed at Johnny Carson's fruit cake jokes - but felt he'd never tried one made correctly.

Liz,

We always used the None Such condensed mince meat, adding water, brandy and some extra diced apple, then cooking it for about 20 minutes before adding it to the crust. That also makes excellent filled cookies - we use the same dough as we use to make date filled cookies. Those actually remind me a bit of your mini pies.

Diane,

We have that sort of breakfast once a week, on the weekend, late in the morning. Sometimes the meat will be bacon and sometimes sausage but nearly always hash browns (usually with onions, green pepper and southwest seasoning), basted eggs and champagne. Occasionally we'll change and have pancakes in place of the hash browns and eggs.

Diane,

Why not mince pie for breakfast? We ate about 3 yesterday afternoon, intending to have pie in the evening, but weren’t hungry when we went to bed at midnight. Diane did some quick Black Friday shopping and returned home about 9:45 – so breakfast this morning was razzleberry pie with ice cream. I figure we got our carbs, fruit and dairy so it wasn’t much different than my usual breakfast of cereal, toast with PB, jam and milk. Think I’m good until 5:30 dinner.

Diane,

Mincemeat pie used to be our favorite - especially with brandy added. Now we're partial to Boysenberry pies but today I'll be baking a Marie Callender's Razzleberry. Much easier than real baking and nearly as good.

Liz,

Someone sent me a picture of an old man bundled up against the cold. Looked to me like the aged Emperor Palpatine of the original Star Wars trilogy. See here:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://starwarsspoilers.com/wp-content/uploads/emperor-palpatine.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.starwarsspoilers.com/rumor-palpatines-apprentice/&h=541&w=800&sz=15&tbnid=khXHz0at-wnpfM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=133&zoom=1&usg=__Ikt3K1gfS5hzA6XtLpccA7kzpdQ=&docid=h-pKk_QJm5ij6M&sa=X&ei=_ziWUqKfOanXygHJnoDQBA&ved=0CDQQ9QEwAw

Good morning. It’s currently up to 14 after an earlier low of 7 – warmer than predicted! We have enough wind this morning that the wind chill is still 10 below zero.

mystery,

We've had the same result without the lounge chairs and TV.

I thought I should see if the Pac 10 was " the Conference of Champions". Unless Wikipedia is wrong or I missed something, always a possibility, the Pac 10 has had 20 national college football champs and the Big 10 has had 32 (NOT counting Nebraska and Penn State who have not won one since becoming members of the conference). I would not argue that the SEC now has the best football teams year in and out. Of course counting other (minor) sports, the numbers by conference may be different.

So is USC playing better now that they shipped off Kiffin??

No excitement on college football games here today - Wisconsin simply beat up another mediocre Big 10 team - the conference which currently has 12 teams but is expanding and will still be called the Big 10. Perhaps math is no longer being taught??

Just glanced up and saw a HUGE buck sauntering across our back yard. Unfortunately, he was entering the woods by the time I got my camera. I knew we’d had visiting deer overnight as our heated bird bath was empty this morning. We’ve often seen a doe or her 2 fawns this year but this is the first time we’ve seen ”Daddy”. The gun hunting season opened last Saturday, so maybe he’s staying out of the woods. You’re not going to believe this but the doe just followed in his same path while I was typing. Perhaps the rut has started.

I took almost the whole month off but these are my top 5:

Carnival glass bowl - $192.50
Northwood glass pitcher and 4 tumblers - $157.50
Welz Bohemia vase - $39.99
Rubina Glass Muffineer - $37.00
Playboy Club Demitasse Cup & Saucer - $28.99

Better to miss the "U" of Public rather than the "L".

Liz,

Knowing you, I'm sure you probably checked Snopes - they say the threat is real. See here:

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/cryptolocker.asp

Diane and mystery,

Thanks for the kind words. My Diane knows she was lucky and I found it hard to believe I could bring her home just a couple hours after she was admitted to the ER. She was given propofol before they popped it back in place so had no pain at the time and no memory of its having been done. She is feeling quite well today but cancelled out of her bridge game this afternoon and will take it easy for a couple days.