Stop, Stop! It's not fair. I am turning green with envy. Things are only just getting started up here. We overwintered some stuff from last year so we have pipevine and zebra eggs, orange sulphur larvae, and some black, spicebush, and tiger adults in the house, but in the great big wild outdoors, close to nada. Mostly the old cabbage white and something large and black that zips through my yard now and again. I was complaining to my girls that I wanted to see something different and we walked outside and a spring azure was sipping from the clover patch. My little one actually got on her belly and was nose to nose with it watching it rub it's wings. She said "I can see it's toungue!" I feel sorry for those who feel it is necessary to kill every bit of clover in their yard. Anyway, with all the warm weather maybe a few other things will visit my yard soon. -Elisabeth

I made another pie on Tuesday (because I had made enough pie dough for two 2-crust pies) and brought it to work for our product development meeting. Two people were absent from the meeting, and so I have two pieces left over, and I'll probably refrigerate those this evening, if we don't eat them. Next time I'll consider freezing part of it. BTW, Tuesday after work we went to BBB and I bought a rotary device that peels, cores, and slices the apples in one fell swoop. This saved immeasurable time from having to do all the apples by hand, as I am very slow at peeling and coring otherwise. So now I am ready to make another batch of pies! I might freeze one raw and freeze part of another one after baking. I really do want to make good use of the huge amount of apples we have, but I was not up to the task until I got this device. I enjoy making pie crust, but peeling and coring apples was another story. Thanks for the advice! It's going to be nice to be able to have pie that can hang out in the fridge or freezer without getting moldy. I like to heat it up in the toaster oven before I serve - it tastes better warm to me than cold, but my co-workers eagerly ate it cold. Lars

Any chance you could get her to an emergency/24 hr vet? If not, try to get her in tomorrow. You don't want her to go too long without eating. Good luck!!!

What a great thread...just found it today as I was surfing GW - I live mostly on the Kitchen & Home building forums :) Ilene - I was particularly interested in hearing your story - how is your daughter doing? I, too, had gastric bypass in Jan 06...my only regret was that I didn't do it earlier. I was indeed 'dying' a slow death & to me, it was the last resort, too. It took me 20 years to finally decide. I researched until all the cows came home...I am one to research something to death - I had to be sure. I'm almost 5 years post-op & I feel great! I've lost about 165 lbs & feel so much better. Hubby likes it, too ;) (Before & after pic below). The bypass is by no means a 'free pass'...it's a tool that, if used correctly, can have dramatic results. There is no magic solution...one still has to work. Yes, it does make it easier in some areas but the surgeon's knife didn't work on my brain. I had to use the 'honeymoon' period to build the good habits that will keep the weight off. I'm not perfect but like with anything you do...you just keep shooting toward the mark. :) Sugar was the reason I weighed 333 lbs. I was blessed with an intense sweets aversion from the moment I woke up. God must've said, "This gal needs this!" LOL A lot of people have sweets aversion following surgery (along with other weird food tastes that do eventually change) but they most often 'train' themselves right back into the sugar habit by just switching to sugar-free or even with the real stuff. I just chose to keep the white stuff out of my life. I was the dessert queen so it was kind of a challenge to hand off my 'crown' :) I do have to be careful, though...my sweet tooth has become very salty - love salt (funny, I have low blood pressure). I love those new Pop Chips - very low calories & fat. My favorite snack is the Revival Soy Jalapeno Cheddar protein chips...yum! The thing that helps me is cooking in bulk & freezing in portions. I make a lot of Arrabbiata Sauce (a spicy Italian sauce) & either combine it with meatballs or 'chunky' cooked hamburger (when I cook I don't mash the meat into tiny bits...I keep it 'chunky' so it's meaty.) I eat that with cottage cheese & don't miss the pasta at all. When hamburger is on sale, I make 2 huge pans of meatballs & cook them in the oven & store in Ziploc bags in the freezer. I can use these in so many different ways. I also make a boatload of chili at a time - one of my favorite meals. I've gathered a lot of favorite recipes & try to always have something on hand. For me, planning is essential. I fill my fridge with in-season produce & veggies. I make a lot of roasted veggies & eat with cottage cheese. I make tons of homemade salsas & use Mission extra-thin corn tortillas for my 'chips'. Quarter them, zap in micro for about 1:30 until crispy, 1 oz cheese on top, zap, serve with salsa, sour cream & a few grapes. I make a lot of beans, rice for...