Newest update ... ... I did finally get around to sewing one of the new elastic free-flowing girdles the other day, when I anticipated a need. I sewed (at one end) a sextuple thickness of hem from an old sheet to the yard-long piece of elastic from the dollar store. Since I'd found that I'd never used the hook and loop (read "Velcro" substitute) on the original, so wouldn't have an option regarding length if I sewed the other end ... ... I tied it down with safety pins, till I got a handle on its tautness ... and my resultant comfort, as secondary issue when considering the main task needed. Works - so far. And another breath-taking piece of information learned on Sunday afternoon, when visiting my friend's house (who's familiar with this situation). Telling me that he had earth-shaking news, he rose from his seat and demonstrated the latest thing in men's lower-level underwear ... ... a drawstring! Who wouldda thunk! Now ... why didn't I think of that ... and patented it: I'd be set for life! Don't anyone tell the underwear maker, please, that, the elastic being the shortest-lived part of the underwear project ... ... that ones with drawstrings'll last much longer ... ... resulting in fewer sales!! Or they'll deep-six the whole idea! ole joyfuelled (with a bit o' help from a coookie or two, on occasion)

I used to recommend to clients (and others - mostly anyone who would listen) that they have a 3 - 6 months worth of wage income in a financial cushion, in case of layoff, emergency or other need ... and in the volatile economy and employment situation we've seen in recent years, more like 9 months' worth to a year's usual income in the cushion. And to some I said that I didn't always have such myself, but had a credit card whose balance owing I paid in full every month, and a fully secured line of credit at the bank (with interest rate level below what they charge on unsecured lines) which I'd draw on to pay off the credit card in full monthly, then save strenuously to retire the debt owing on the line of credit as soon as possible. I want my savings working for me ... not my debts working for someone else or another entity. When I have that ... I say that part of my work is producing nothing (current result) for me. Wait a minute ... since I've been retired, I'm not "working", right? Oh, well ... part of the pension goes to pay someone or an agency whose money I used temporarily. I want it working for me ... or one of the charities/churches that I choose to support. ole joyful

Someone asked about my carrying water from the city for drinking and some of the cooking. There are two wells on the farm. The one that feeds the house is about a hundred feet away, just this side of a lower level of ground, sometimes a watercourse after a rain, and the barn is a couple of hundred feet on the other side, with a barnyard, partly concrete, on this side of it, about upwards of a hundred feet from the well. Old uncle, in his mid-80s, had had three hip replacements, all the left one, I think, and he had bad back, bad hip and bad leg, using a cane most of the time. He'd raised beef cattle, and had several in the barn, and we suggested that he get rid of the cattle, as he had no offspring from two marriages and was well off. He said that he'd got rid of most of them, but we said that one still had to go to the barn for feeding, watering, and occasional dealing with the residue, whether one had 2 or 35 animals there. When his wife was there, if he didn't show up after an hour or so of choring ... things'd happen. After her death in February about 14 years ago, some of us were worried that if he fell into a snowbank, with no one aware, he might not be able to get out. While we felt that rather improbable, I went back to spend quite a lot of most days with him for a couple of months, till his cattle went to pasture ... and I drank the water, as he did. One day, when we went to the town for groceries, I picked up a bag of milk and put it on the checkout counter. On the way home, he wondered whether I'd like to pay him for the milk. He had rather a dry sense of humour ... and when dealing with such people, if he's serious ... and the listener treats it as a joke and replies accordingly ... it can lead to serious consequences. Actually, I laughed and said to him to not forget ... that when about a dozen or so neighbours came to help with threshing grain, filling silo or repairing a barn, etc. ... the farmer wouldn't dream of sending them home hungry. That was the last that I heard of maybe paying for the milk. A couple of years later, following his death, when the farm was to be sold, they tested the water and fond it bad for e-Coli and coliform. There's another well, on the same side of the low ground as the barnyard, but a couple of hundred feet farther down, that fed the barn, that was O.K. for e-Coli, but bad for coliform, and later the landlord ran a pipe into his shop. I drove out there, some over 10 miles, pretty well daily, for almost a year, sleeping there and making the place look lived in, until it was sold. I don't remember whether I drank the water then, but doubt it, due to the results of the testing. My landlord said several years ago that he'd drunk from it, on occasion, without bad results, and I said that I had, as well, when watering the garden with a long plastic pipe from the barn, without deleterious effect. There haven't been any cattle around for twelve years, so it'd likely be a good idea to test the water again ... but pollution in the ground has a tendency to persist for long periods. Thunderstorm this morning ... so garden's just to be looked at, for a couple of days till dry. Hope you all had a lovely, even memorable, day. ole joyfuelled

Happy 89.5 Ed. And I hope we are ALL around to wish you a happy 90th. edited to add: yes you can freeze the cake. I wrap fairly large pieces (uncut) in plastic wrap or a ziploc getting as much air out as possible. Then wrap again in foil. Label and freeze. Depending on how much you have left, you could freeze multiple packages to enjoy later, just don’t wait too long or it will be dry.