Komi, that's too bad those wines give you a headache. I used to make lots of Chinese foods from scratch, including sauces. The ones I made turned out but don't remember specific sauces. My mom always said if you can read, you can cook, and I believed her. Mostly, it works. Me - your idea about pairing orchids and wine is terrific. Maybe I could give orchids to clients, prospective clients, vendors, etc. as marketing and write off the whole home operation. (Call tax person.) T-bred - the dairy farmer fed his t-breds cheese curds before/during/after mating and swore by them? Not quite picturing this. Huge treat early this a.m. - FOUR hoot owls calling outside!! One was on our next-door neighbors' roof, and I saw it fly off. It and another were in trees just across the street, calling, and DH and I went outside and could hear 2 other owls answering way in the distance. It went on for about an hour. We live in the 'burbs and have never heard owls before. Sure hope this is a good sign. Whitecat8

YES! Sun care is the most important thing. Once you have found that perfect sunblock for your skin, the rest is easy. I wish I had known this in my twenties and I could have saved my skin from a lot of environmental damage. browntoestoo, have you heard about this product called Meladerm? I SWEAR by this stuff. I used it to lighten some age spots on my hands and even my husband was shocked how much they faded. I know melasma and age spots are different, but I think meladerm is supposed to lighten all kinds of pigmentation. Also, my sister's doctor had given her a product called triluma for her melasma several years ago. I did help her a bit, but I think she was allergic to it so had to stop. You can also look into this. But I believe it requires a prescription. If you are looking for triluma, their website is www.triluma.com. The Meladerm website is from a company called Civant. I found it through google. Here is a link that might be useful: Meladerm

Found the solution quite by accident. Construction adhesive PL from lowes. Big patch on both hands. Wear nitrile glove/s overnight. Your hands sweat and it comes right off right down to the pores :) Tried everything to dissolve it. Nothing worked. But the project also called for pouring concrete and I wore nitrile gloves under the work gloves. Took them off at lunch and it was falling off.

I haven't worn a foundation in at least five years & don't miss it. As I've aged ('m 70) I seem to want less 'heaviness' or 'weight' on my skin. (I also don't miss having to put it on.) However, I have discovered a product this past year that I'm really pleased with: Olay Definity Color Recapture. It's a lightly tinted sheer moisturizer, light in texture & not sparkley. It makes my skin looks lighter & almost dewy. I find it at Target, Rite-Aid, CVS, etc. You could check products at these stores; they carry Maybelline, Olay, Neutrogena, L'Oreal, Max Factor & other lines that don't necessarily cater to the under-50 crowd. I use a powder blush & want to share a hint I read years ago. Instead of using a separate eye shadow (which may no longer look good at upper ages), stroke on powder blush under the brow above the eyelid. Also use it on the tip of the chin to add definition to the face. I'm echoing moonshadow - you are a good daughter. When we get so old, we age in ways we don't expect & it's pretty discouraging & depressing. We think & feel the same inside as we did years ago, but there's this ugly person on the outside.