What a perfect package for Lars, and the potholders were even from Texas, what a great coincidence. I love the pie potholder Carol sent me, and the pizza one is just great too. The wine when Lars describes it sounds much better than "smoke, leather and tar", which is a very good thing, and the cookbook will be perfect. Good job Carol. Lars, enjoy everything. Annie

Thanks to the info given out regarding sending boxes to APO addresses to a soldier or sailor. It's all right on the money. I was advised to go to my local post office and get the customs form, label and the largest APO prepaid box to use for my son's things. The box costs just $12.50 for me to send, and it's one of those "whatever you can get in there; it all ships for the same price" boxes. They have specific boxes in 3 sizes to send to military personal overseas, so ask for those special boxes. There are pre-printed labels on each box to fill out for the soldier's name, rank and address numbers (they're all numbers). Thanks to all your very, very helpful suggestions, I came back home with enough to fill 2 of these boxes (LOL!)! So, I'm sending off one tomorrow and the other next week. BTW, the post mistress at our post office informed me that parents have been telling her the Army is removing all beef jerky before sending the boxes onto our service men and women. She has no idea why, as they're not the restricted pork products, but advised me not to waste my money sending any. Rose: thank you for thinking of me. I'm holding up well enough, although I shed a few tears in the middle of Target this afternoon, when a soldier in uniform stopped to help me pick out some items for my son. Sometimes, the reality of it all shakes me to my core, but then I pull myself together and get on with it. Again, many thank for all your great suggestions. The soldier helping me today at Target was VERY impressed with them all. Me, too!! Lynn

Ahem... OJ, my friend, your hypocrisy is showing! ;) As I understand it, you're a "bottle babe" too, right? But you're a closet bottle babe. You drink bottled water as I recall. In fact you drink nothing but if memory serves correctly. And you're a water bottler too so all these companies and people you go at about bottling water is done by that guy in the mirror? Or have things changed? :D I make no apology that I drink spring water. Can you carry 20-30 cups of tap water in your vehicle so you have it with you and available when needed and wanted? I think not. The cost? 7¢ to 9¢ a bottle is what I pay. Certainly not going to break me. And I'm not driving back and forth every day or two to get this water, burning gas, oil, tires and wear on the vehicle. :D (OK, end of the jabs!). Now to the "clubs". :D I know it's become fashionable to vilify water. Complain about "all those bottles in the landfills!!!!" LOL People who do this, I have to wonder what's in your water? Interesting how pop, tea, juice, milk and other containers can go in the same landfills and no problem with that right? How about all those foam coffee cups and plastic dome lids on the coffee cups that people insist on buying at Starbucks, Tim Horton's, Caribou and the like? Where's the screaming about that? Dead silence. Perhaps that foam and plastic doesn't use petroleum products? Or maybe they're 100% recycled? Or is there another reason? What about the pod coffee drinkers? Nobody's bothered by that plastic going into the landfills. Those little plastic cups going into the garbage don't seem to offend people? Why? OH, it's not water! I forgot that water is the target. I also have to ask, where's the same (manufactured) outrage over all the diapers that go into those landfills some are so concerned about? When's the last time anyone has recycled a diaper? 'Splain that one to me Lucy! Shall we talk about all the other stuff that goes in those beloved landfills? (Today they're "landfills". I remember when they were called "dumps"!) Light bulbs, batteries, packaging, greeting cards, expired gift cards, rotisserie chicken containers, fem hygiene products, toilet paper and paper towel rolls and wrappers, and so on and so on and so on. I realize that water has become a fashionable villain these days. Must be people having stock in Coke, Pepsi, Huggies and Starbucks. I used to have great water here. I don't anymore. And I am not going to have a cow over spending a few dollars a month to buy spring water, have it handy and not buy soft drinks, coffee and the like while out and about. So go ahead and yell and scream about people like me who drink water rather than sugar-laden or aspartame-filled drinks. I recycle my bottles. Coffee drinkers don't recycle many of their cups, lids, stir sticks, creamer/sugar containers, lids, etc, I'm sure. Every time there's a national disaster what's the first thing they ask for? Coffee pods? Diapers? Soft drinks? Nope. WATER! Perhaps we should never again send water to these people. Or the places with contaminated wells. They shouldn't drink bottled water. If tap water isn't good enough for you then you should go without? Hey, now THERE'S a possibility. I'm going to go have a bottle of water right now. Might have a bottle of juice to go with it. At least juice doesn't seem to be a villain like poor innocent water is! Proud to be a water drinker. Just noticed how old this thread is, but it was a good response that didn't deserve to be deleted. And after thinking about it, compared to many of the "current topics" being posted, it's more interesting, more thought provoking and far better than many of those topics. Moving on! :)

If one heats silicone to destruction, the most likely solid product will be silicon dioxide, or quartz, the primary compound in glass. It can be dissolved in hydrofluoric acid, but don't try this at home, or anywhere else. The metal it has coated may be dissolved faster and the fumes are toxic. The good news, such as it is, is that if the unbonded "glass" dust is vacuumed up or wiped up, the residue is unlikely to get in one's food, and would not be more harmful than eating outdoors in a dust storm, or eating a mud pie if one were young enough. Wiping may be better than vacuuming, depending on how well one's vacuum keeps dust out of its motor. Moving glass dust -- much like regular dust but possibly finer -- is not what you need in the vacuum's motor or in the exiting air. I would be concerned about the dust that makes it into the convection fan passages that are difficult to get to. Some consideration of the cost-effectiveness of oven replacement may be called for. In general, my condolences for the disasters that have befallen you.