Thanks for sharing that Ron. I did not know any of those stories. They all touched me, and they made me think of many other stories there are out there. I travel a lot on my job and in pursuit of my other passion in life; trout fishing. I see men and women in uniform in almost every airport I travel to, but I particularly see many on my trips to Charlotte. Some of these folks are going "over there" (or getting ready to) and a few of them I've met were coming home. I never go by without letting these people know that many people here at home, whom they have never met, care deeply about them, worry for them, wish them a swift and safe return, and thank them for their service. I hope these people never ever want for their fellow Americans respect and concern. And I hope that if you are reading this that you will reach out to these people when you see them in your own life, shake their hand, thank them for the job they do, and let them know in some small but sincere way that you care. You'll be doing that person and yourself a great deal of good in the process.

That pile of poop story is one of the best stories I've ever heard! Bwahahaha! If I'm ever snippy or obnoxious, please nobody take me seriously. I'll love you again in a half second. I just come from a long line of people who would argue over poop. Like generations of folks known for their bickering, seriously. These tough old women out here who raised my dad did not hold back! Some people may be like my quirky elders that way. It's still rude (even if they'd never admit that), but it might not be meant to be actually hurtful.

Thank’s everyone. DMForcier, I could have used one of those. I had my safety goggles and respirator on for most of the grinding. When I did my mixing and final grind I got lazy and didn’t use them. All was going well until I got an itch in the corner of my left eye. Being smarter than your average bear, I stopped myself from using a finger to rub the itch. Instead I did that blowing up out of the corner of my mouth thing. It never occurred to me that I’d have powder and flakes on my cheeks between the glasses and respirator. Ended up blowing stupid hot powder in my eye. While I soaked my left eye with a wet face cloth my right eye started to burn. Again, being smarter that your average bear, I turned the cloth upside down to cool off my right eye. It never occurred to me that the bottom of the cloth was soaking up the pepper powder on my face. Ended up blinding myself for half an hour. Armageddon, you’re crazier than me. 10 lbs on the dehydrator! Pam, I usually grind each variety individually. It’s more time consuming but I find doing smaller batches gives me better control over the grind. Once I put my blend of individual powdered varieties together I do one final blend to mix. I guess the trick is multiple grinds. rick_in_va, I used to use a cheap coffee grinder until I burnt it out. I’ve now commandeered my GF’s Magic Bullet. I also use a KitchenAid blender for larger batches. I’m seriously thinking of “investing” in a burr grinder. Tim, I sent you an email. I don’t know if most would think it tastes good but I’m willing to use you as a Guinea Pig to test it out. If it doesn’t kill you then blend #5 can’t be that bad ;-)) OK folks, I wasn’t trying to show off like cruel, insensitive and crusty Tim insinuated Truth be told, the “sand art” look that Josh referred to was not by design. It was one of those purely serendipitous things. I was just over half way through adding powders when I noticed the look. Thought it was cool and wanted to share. Also, there is no way I could design a final product based on the tongue “taste” of 12 hot and super hot powders. Heck, my face is numb after sampling the first couple. Since most of what we perceive as "taste" actually is a result from our sense of smell, I usually use my nose to get a final blend. Each of my individual powdered varieties has varying levels of heat, fundamental pepper flavour and smoke. I start with 4 or 5 varieties I think would go together well and then add more or less of others one at a time to tweak the blend until I can’t smell or see anymore (a little to hot - cut it with this milder one, a little to smoky - add some of this, etc. etc.). I document what amount of various powder goes into my blends. I was pretty happy with a couple I mixed up last year BUT they included a good proportion of that not-Jonah pepper. Since it's not stable I'm back to square one trying to get back to where I was. I won't complain, it's fun playing with powders! Bill

Hi - My brother and I had a 60th anniversary party for my parents last August. We decided the following: - tell them about it ahead of time (we, too, had given surprise parties before) - have it at an actual place/restaurant (as opposed to back yard barbecues) - ask them to choose who to invite - - they know their favorite friends more than we do. We didn't limit them to a particular number - they should have anyone they want there. - make it a more formal event (not formal dress, but not a casual cook-out) - make it a brunch, because many/most "older" people are less reluctant to drive at night. We anticipated our parents saying "oh, no - - we don't want a party", but were pleasantly surprised when they thanked us and agreed. It turned out wonderfully, and planning the event turned into a nice thing that they got involved in together. After a few weeks they gave us a list of about 40 people (more got added subsequently - they were trying to hold back so as to reduce our expense - but we really only ended up with about 50 people there). I made up some photo boards. I just bought some display boards from Staples and taped nice family and friends photos to them and put them around the room. I also created a wedding memories board. I got my nephew and niece involved so that they felt a part of it, too. We did a great thing (it wasn't my idea - so I'm not bragging!) ... we went out and bought flower pots, scanned and printed several old photos of my parents, my brother and I, friends, beloved pets, etc., then cut them into flower shapes, glued them back-to-back with a pretty pipe-cleaner in between, and stuck them into florist "stuff" (I don't know what you call that green stuff) in the flower pot, and filled the pots with Hershey's kisses. Those were the centerpieces, and people were out of control about them. Oh - - and I had the kids paint the flower pots first(they were terra cotta). My parents loved it, too, because the kids were really involved and not just tag-alongs. Also, I made up a list of "How Much Do You Know About ..." (my parents) questions. I had questions and multiple choice answers - - some were funny. I printed them on pretty party-type paper, and during the "pre-brunch" time - - socializing, cocktails, the kids passed them out to people who were mingling. It really got people talking to each other trying to figure out the (sometimes obscure) questions/answers about my parents. Then we went over them after the meal and got people involved and joking about what the right answer might be. (This was something my folks didn't know I was going to do - - they were laughing at the questions, too). Oh - I also had a surprise limo arrive to take them to the event. This is a wonderful thing - - imagine being married 60 years!!! Congratulations to your parents. Remember that the family can have as much fun planning the event as you do at the event. Best regards, Suzieque