Ellendi and Lyfia, You are both so right about the mental illness issue here. I think that is a much tougher problem to address then some of the "common sense" curbs on gun ownership being proposed. I'm not an expert on the history, but as I think it was back in the 60s that many mental institutions were shuttered and we revolutionized how we treat mental illness. I know some think the pendulum has swung too far, but I really scratch my head as to how to help these people and protect the rest of us with minimal impingement on their rights? While Sandy Hook was the "tipping point" for my own personal involvement in gun control (and, to some, extent, shame on me for that), the point of gun control is far broader. Of course, and as I already have said, no law can prevent every tragedy. But IMHO the are several aspects of existing gun control laws that are indefensible loopholes, for which there is simply no rational argument. These loopholes exist because people like me have not had the interest or political will to follow this issue, while the gun manufacturers and fringe survivalist groups have had the will --- and the means --- to force their agenda. I simply believe that sometimes the rest of us, the silent reasonable majority, has a responsibility to get involved. Shame on me that it took the pre-holiday grisly point blank murders of dozens of cute little white kids before I got involved, while lax gun control has quietly taken others' lives every day. Newtown is pretty far down on the list of reasons to want gun control, even if it is the impetus for some. Preventing accidents, suicides and crimes of passion all loom much larger than school shootings, even if they tug less at the emotions. There are three main reasons the NRA seeks largely unfettered access to guns. None of them justify the state of gun control today. 1. As a sport, a tradition, a hobby, and for food. I don't think there is anything wrong with guns for these purposes. But, if that is the intended purpose, then the design of the weapon should reflect that purpose. And, moreover, in weighing these gun uses against the risk of fatalities, we should accept some restrictions. For example, there is no reason any functioning gun should be sold to anyone ever without a background check. There is no reason a gun needs to shoot dozens of rounds without reloading. 2. As a means of protection. Again, fine (although all the data shows this is totally illusory, if people feel safer with a gun they should have one). But they might feel even safer with a tank, but they can't have that. Be reasonable about the types of guns. 3. In order to prevent tyranny, eg allow private citizens to form a militia. This is totally out of date in times of modern warfare. It no more fits the modern world then does the 3rd amendment. (quick, who knows that one). All I want to say is, if you think that we should have better gun control, make sure you speak up. Take the time to do it, or the agenda will continue to be controlled by narrow and moneyed interests.

Al, actually, I made those a few weeks ago before I got sick. Like Dcarch mentioned, those lasts a loooong time! Back during the prehistoric time when refrigerators weren't around yet, many of our New Year food were made in a way that it wouldn't spoil and lasted as long as they could. The rice cakes, when done right, would lasted for weeks without refrigerating. Many New Year food were made a week or 2 in advance. This way, food were always ready for unexpected visits of family and friends during this busiest time of the year. My family has lots of memories making rice cakes. Because of its looong period of cooking (6-8 hrs.), when we were little, we would all begging my mom to let us stay up at night to keep on the watch for the fire. When we made rice cake back in Vietnam, we didn't just made a few. We would make at least 40-50 to give out as gifts. A gigantic pot was a must in order to boil that many rice cakes. That means, an outside camp fire was needed to accomodate this gigantic pot. Someone would have to stay up to keep the fire going. It was like sitting around a camp fire and chit chatting, telling ghost stories and having a good laugh. In case you were wondering why we didn't cook them during the day, that was because it took all day to prepare and wrap those rice cakes. By the time they were all done, evening approached. What I love about our New Year vs. Christmas is the gifts. Our New Year gifts are mostly consisted of food, fruits and flowers/plants. LOL.... It's hard to disappoint anyone with these gifts, don't you agree?

Hazel- very nice job on both!!! Judy

I had originally planned a stay at The Georgian Terrace in Atlanta with a few activities and dinner at Livingston’s but canceled because the restaurant is STILL not open for dinner since their pandemic closing. We substituted a trip elsewhere a couple of weeks ago, and, thankfully, still had the club reservations I made as a backup. As a rule we don’t care for crowds either but over the years have enjoyed looking at all the couples celebrating Valentine’s Day and wondering about their stories and lives. The first timers are usually easy to spot 🙂