Solid state Kitchenaid mixers were introduced in 1978 (the K45SS and the K5SS). In 1986 the line was sold to Whirlpool and all the Artisan, Classic etc. mixers sold today are basically the same models as made in 1986 (some improvements and efficiencies in the machining but anyone who has an old "original" K45SS or K5SS can repair it using today's parts). The Pro line was developed as something entirely new so it doesn't have the same history, but the company has worked very hard to upgrade and improve the model since its inception. There was a period of time when people were having a lot of trouble with their Kitchenaid mixers and the company had to work very hard to restore the reputation of the product. That's when they instituted the one-year no-questions-asked full replacement policy. It's still the best guarantee in the business (my opinion). I'm not convinced the old Hobart mixers are inherently superior to the Kitchenaids made today. I think there's a lot of mythology attached to the brand, but my take on it is people have trouble with the newer mixers because they ask them to do more than they were designed for, especially kneading bread. 50 or 60 years ago women (and it was women in the home kitchen) fortunate enough to have mixers used them for cakes, cookies, meringues, whipped cream, etc. They didn't use them for bread dough, which was generally kneaded by hand. My MIL baked 4 loaves every other day and her old Dormeyer never saw the dough. There's a lot of discussion on The Fresh Loaf about people who burn out their mixers with stiff doughs mixed at speeds higher than the recommended "2" setting. Bread is not the KitchenAid's strong point, though you can mix a perfectly fine one or two-loaf batch or autolyse a portion of a bigger recipe and finish by hand. For bread the Bosch (stiff doughs) or the Ankarsrum/Electrolux Assistant/Magic Mill, etc. (wet doughs) are more suitable. Getting back to the original discussion, the two attachments I use most often on the KA are the grinder and the colander/sieve. The colander/sieve is wonderful, but you have to purchase a vintage one and the K5 is the biggest mixer one will fit. Why the company doesn't offer a new colander/sieve for the 6 quart I do not know. The Viking/Cuisinart/De Longhi (all the same machine) did have a colander/sieve attachment available. I use the shredder attachment less frequently, but I do use it, and even though I have a 14-cup Cuisinart, I prefer the shredder attachment because I find since the mixer is already on the counter, it's less fuss for me to use. Just one of those individual quirks we all have. Carol

the articles pertained to perchlorates... In 2002,the EPA rcommended regulation of perchlorates in drinking water at 1ppb base on a rat study involving 3000 mother,pups,and fetal rats where abnormalities in brain development,thyroid and hormone output were found at low exposure: (0.01 milligrams /kilogram rat body wt.)The 1ppb assessment also considered risk to babies and other sources of perchlorate contaminants:vegetables,fruits,some dairy products and breast milk...Critics argued that the study design was flawed and the National Research Council stated that the rat study was inconclusive and recommended 24ppb standard for drinking water. __________________________________________ (2002)(WSJ) Peter Waldman articles on perchlorates can be found at http://www.mindfully.org/ (left margin)>pesticides/toxins/endocrine disruptors>>2002; Perchlorates and Perchlorate Salts:EPA site http://www.epa.gov/iris/subst/1007.htm some debate--letters to the editors:(Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology: 40(2004)...having difficulty linking directly....will try again later... see EWG for some updates...

Thanks, ladies. Yes, it's a lot of fun and it seems like the ladies are really outdoing themselves every year. I do have an idea for next years ornie, in fact I have almost everything I need to make them. I saw on FlickR some ornaments that look like those candied fruit slices, you know the ones you see in the nice candy stores, they look like a slice of orange, or lemon, lime, etc. They make them in citrus colors and red.... well, these were felt, 2 colors in each one, like dark green/lime green or dark yellow/bright yellow, etc, and covered with "sugar", which was a square crystal glitter. Simple, but VERY CUTE. I was thinking of making a set of 3 for each lady. I bought all the stuff to make them in case my ships didn't turn out. So I'll be making those, and I won't wait until early December, either! lol bRAT Kat- those are his little mittened hands you're seeing, ya perv! lol It's not a good photo, I realize that. He is absolutely the most charming, old-fashioned little guy, we all flipped over him. The 2 girls on either side of me, their guys had glittery felt shoes- mine has plain. I told them their little guys were gay. lolol And their little scarves are so cute, a tiny button holds it in place. He is perfection. I recommend these kinds of parties to everyone. What a great way to get together, have lots of fun and good food and be creative AND get a huge assortment of ornies. Oh. I don't do a tree anymore, I'm sad to say. Too many cheesy cats in this house that would tear it up. I keep some of the ornaments and share some with friends. I have a lovely assortment in boxes! lol Thanks, WC, about the cat. I hope to hear from the vet this morning that I can pick him up. Fingers crossed!

We waste more than I like, but we do try hard not to. Any fruit or veggies we don't eat, I either feed to the chickens or feed to the compost pile, so something eats it. I didn't see the TV special you mentioned, but I read an article a while back about how many gallons of water it takes over a season in California to produce different kinds of fruits, veggies and nuts and it was astonishing. One thing that I've noticed is that we are more prone to waste purchased produce than to waste anything raised here at home into which we have invested our own blood, sweat and tears. Loretta, I don't water unless I have to, and even in drought I am stingy with watering. With two large garden plots and several smaller ones, watering is expensive even when done sparingly. Long ago, I let any ornamental plants that were water hogs just die. It was hard to let some of them go, but I wanted a landscape where watering would be minimal. So far this year, the only watering I've done in the garden was to hand water, with a watering can, to settle in the soil around new transplants. We've been very fortunate to have had plentiful rainfall every month since last June except for a brief period in part of August and part of September. Despite that, the Drought Monitor still has us classified as Abnormally Dry, which I guess shows that we are only wet on the surface and still dry down deeper. I suppose we'd be in the same type of drought and water restrictions y'all have if all that rain hadn't fallen since June. We've been in one stage of drought or another for so long that I think I have forgotten what it is like to get normal rainfall. When we get normal rainfall, I feel like we are flooded with water. When we get above-average rainfall, I worry the plants will drown and die, which is rare here, but it happened in 2007. I hope y'all get enough rainfall there this year to replenish the reservoirs and get your water restrictions eased. I doubt one year's rainfall would do it, but if it would rain consistently there all year at least you'd start seeing some improvement. At this time last year Lake Texoma was 8 or 9 ' below normal and now it is 100% full at the conservation pool level, so there's always hope.