Update on the peel: Did a TCA peel at home, 30-35%. Results were awesome, I'm definitely glad I did it. I waited until late in the year when I wouldn't be outdoors as much, and don't step out the door wearing less than spf30. (spf50 during peak hours) Before the peel: you have to know someone who knows this stuff or do a good deal of digging to find this out: a common cause for an uneven at-home peel is that most people don't use acetone to clean the skin beforehand. (Washing your face won't do it.) So, I used acetone on a cottonball and swiped it over my face well, avoiding the eye area. Also, I mixed my TCA solution, measuring carefully. Be sure to dilute with a purified bottled water. During: I swiped the TCA solution over my face with a cotton pad, without 'rubbing' my skin. With a Q-tip, I reapplied the solution precisely onto a particularly dark freckle on my forehead. This process is the most unpleasant. If you've ever had anything pierced, the pain is similar to that - except it's all over your face. You'll notice a frosting effect on the treated skin - frosted like frosted glass. Pain subsided considerably after 3 minutes, and my face just felt 'funny' after 5-6 minutes. Frosted appearance was gone completely after 8-10 minutes. After the peel, I washed my face as gently as possible to remove the acid residue with Cetaphil. I patted my skin mostly dry and applied the contents of a vitamin E capsule onto my face. Over the next two days, I reapplied the vitamin E as needed to keep the skin from drying. After that, it required less upkeep to keep the skin moist. It took about a week for my skin to mostly peel, and it was completely peeled after 10 days. As my skin peeled, most of the photodamage and freckling went with it. There is no evidence of the nearly-black freckle from my forehead. Only one line remains on my face, a brow furrow that I've been working on since I was 12 - and it is so much more shallow... not the constant crease it was before. The 'new' skin was sensitive and a bit pinkish, and coated in SPF. All the time. Now, about two weeks later, I am consistent with the sunscreen and hat-wearing. I can't recommend this enough if you've got the guts to try it at home. Especially for what I spent for it - less than ten bucks! (Well, more if you count the numerous sunscreens I've been through.... I'm sensitive to some brands and have settled on Coppertone Oil Free For Faces.) I must stress the importance of treating your 'new' skin well - sunscreen is not optional!

I made these last year and although it sounds like an unusual combination of ingredients, after people tried them, they didn't last long. SAVORY DATE RUGELACH  makes 4 dozen 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened 1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened 2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 tsp salt 1 1/2 cups walnuts, divided 4 oz. blue cheese, cut into cubes 48 pitted dates (about 12 oz.) 1 large egg white 1 tsp. water Dough: In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Stir in flour and salt just until blended (or use mixer on low speed). Divide dough into 4 equal pieces; flatten each into a disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Filling: In food processor with knife blade attached, pulse ½ cup walnuts until finely chopped; reserve in small bowl. In same food processor, pulse blue cheese and remaining 1 cup of walnuts 7 to 8 times or until a coarse mixture forms. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 large cookie sheets with foil; grease foil. (I used parchment paper.) On floured surface with floured rolling pin, roll 1 disk of dough into a 10-inch round. Cut into 12 equal wedges. Beginning 1 inch from outside edge, sprinkle 1/2 cup blue cheese mixture in 2 Âinch wide ring on dough, leaving dough exposed in center. Place one whole date crosswise on wide end of each wedge. Starting at wide end, roll up each wedge, jelly-roll fashion. Place rugelach, 1 inch apart, on cookie sheets, point side down. Repeat with remaining four dough disks. In small bowl, beat egg white and water. Brush rolls with egg white and sprinkle with reserved walnuts. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until golden, rotating sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through baking. Let stand for a minute or two and then transfer to wire racks to cool. Store in a tightly covered container at room temperature up to 3 days. To make ahead: Arrange unbaked rugelach in single layer in jelly roll pan; cover and freeze until firm. Remove from pan and place in freezer containers with waxed paper in between each layer. Seal and freeze up to 3 months. About 45 minutes before serving, preheat oven to 350. Line 2 large cookie sheets with foil; grease foil. Arrange frozen rugelach on prepared cookie sheets and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until golden.

Diane, I wish I had stood up for Sow What. Good on you. (An Australian phrase - in the UK they say 'good for you'.) It was a complete mystery to me why she was being attacked. I also remember another one where the fellow left, after being told he had no right to voice an opinion as he didn't live in a similar climate/location. And several people backed up the perpetrator, and said how gracious she was! He has/had a beautiful garden, and I loved his posts, so that was very disappointing. I had similar treatment from the same person, but decided to hang on anyway! I don't think I saw the hilarious one. I was worried for a while that I might not be able to afford the repairs to the house, but a fellow who lives over the road, and is a retired structural engineer, came over when he saw the van of one of the remedial builders, and had a look. He thinks the house is fine, but in the next year or two, the large terrace will have to be demolished. We manage the dogs by keeping them separate, and it looks like this will be for the rest of their natural lives! My daughter is coping pretty well, thanks. Money is her main worry, as the dogs are costing her a lot to feed. One has a digestive problem. And she's applying for jobs constantly, but without success. She did get one interview for a 2 day a week job. She was told 10 people were being interviewed, and 258 had applied! As for the virus, who knows what the upshot will be. At least the planet is getting a bit of a rest from less pollution. I love seeing the stars again. We are having a few days of glorious sunshine. We've had so much rain since February, though it hasn't been torrential for the last while, thank goodness. After years of drought, months of thickish smoke from bushfires, it poured, and the ground is still waterlogged. My roses are mostly poor things. Too much shade, and the disease. Though I started pruning Summer Memories the other day, and didn't see any dieback so far. I pruned it from a 4 metre bush last winter to 6 or so 2' long canes, and painted them with Phyton. It was pretty diseased then, so maybe there's hope, and they will Fight On! Where are the photos you have promised us? I know you've had another disappointing Spring and Summer, but I bet your garden looked glorious for a while. It was great to see the photos above. I love your snaps and hollyhocks. I've tried both here, but without success, except for a Nigra hollyhock, which developed a tree-like stem and meandered over anything it could find, looking hideously ugly, with a very occasional almost black flower. I tried the yellow Russian ones too, but without much success. Not enough to be worth repeating.

I don't have a picture of it, but our mantle holds a 'craft' my mother in law made. It's a blue wine bottle with a string of little Christmas lights stuffed into it, with a grape cluster (purple disks and artificial leaf) hot-glued to it. Not everyone's cup of tea, but it's colorful, kind of cute, and reminds us of happy times. The man who built this house in 1940 included two outlets set into the top of the mantle itself -- for a pair of lamps? a clock? holiday lights? I wonder what. In winter, I like plain white artificial candles for a touch of friendly light.