I love "might could", Nell. I get the biggest kick out of that, and I sometimes use it myself! I had thought that colloquialism originated in Texas. Quite a few Anglos in New Mexico speak with southern accents. Some are descendants of Confederate soldiers, the accent has been passed down through generations! There are a lot of relocated Canadians and descendants of Canadians in Massachusetts, Nancy. I agree that the accent for Anglo Canadians is similar to a Massachusetts, or New England, accent. In my own family, three of my paternal great grandparents came down from Canada. One of them came from an area in Nova Scotia where Scots Gaelic was the predominant language. (Martha Mora told me that my great gran probably came from Cape Breton, where Scots Gaelic is still prevalent.) One of my uncles, who married into the family, calls himself a Canuck. His heritage is French Canadian. He speaks French and English. There are some French Canadian communities in Massachusetts where French is the language people speak in their homes. I'm from Salem, which is near Boston. One of the Catholic churches in Salem celebrates two masses each Sunday in French. I attended one of the French services once. I used to know an older woman, who came from a French speaking Canadian family. She was born in Massachusetts. She didn't begin to learn English until she entered the first grade. She told me English was very difficult for her to learn because her parents would not allow her to speak English in their house! Lorna

Wow you guys! I LOVE every single one of them! Don't you? I'm glad you seem to enjoy the subject. I'm glad I'm not the only one here who loves vibrant and different flowers!! So far the only irises I have purchased are Kasperek's broken-colored ones (like your Gnus Flash, LeeAnne)...and I haven't gotten very many flowers from them, so I don't know if it's just part 'n parcel for the type, or if it's our lousy weather or what. I also have Siberian Caesar's Brother. Does anyone know if there are many Siberians and Spurias (I read are some of the best type of iris for cutting for lots of bouquets) that are not just blue and yellow? I don't mean to over-generalize, it's just that in pictures, the ones I've seen look so much alike...variations on blue and yellow. :0) "Flamboyant Phyl"

Thanks again for all your kind words. It means a lot. We had a busy day. The home health nurse and physical therapist both visited, and I spent quite a bit of time on the phone. My mom has had a lot of pain and has been very confused (and challenging) today. I had a productive day on the phone. The social worker from home health called me back. She advised me to apply for Medicaid again and gave me info about a respite care service. The fee is $16.50 an hour so that isn't an option for us. She also gave me some info about a local church that will make home repairs and modifications for seniors for a nominal cost. She was digging through her resources and said that she will call me back next week with more info. I spoke with the Alzheimer's Association and the local Council on Aging. The Alzheimer's Association hooked me up with a caregiving resource center for brain-impaired adults. I'll call them on Monday. The Agency on Aging gave me info about homemaking services and senior legal services. I got some good info, but my primary concern right now is getting help for my depression. I've got to get myself qualified for Medicaid and finish the financial planning to get my mom qualified also. I have a lot of work to do, but I know that it's got to be done. I'm pooped, but it feels good to know that I've made a little bit of progress. Nora, I'm going to take your advice tomorrow and set a timer for 30 minutes of cleaning. If I did that twice a day, I could start to make a dent in my BIG MESS. HA! Thanks once again to everyone for your kind words. Aunnie

Yes, kirby, you hit it on the head. The power goes off between clicks (it goes "click"-turn on, "buzz"-on, pause-off) and that's how they give you lower power. I figured this out when I was suateing zucchini on level 4 on Friday, and the sizzle went louder and softer in time with the clicks. You figured it out without even hearing it! I had two burners going on Friday, and they clicked in syncopated time. This was my own fault. I knew to stay away from the KA oven. I should have realized they aren't very good at electrical stuff. I'm amazed, though, that this bothers no one else but me. One other KA owner did respond to me, and she does not have constant clicking. It's possible that my clicking is louder than usual. I don't hear it as much with the hood going. Maybe others just don't notice it.