wow the coneflower rage is still on! I have to tell you I'm loving the blanket flowers & think I need to do a little hunting. I know I got some seeds in trades last year. Margo, sounds like you got some really sweet deals! I'm neck & neck with mamasllamas! I'm not really competitive. I just wanted an excuse to say mamasllamas. tee hee. Love that name! :) Shirley, I was in Milford PA / Lake Wallenpaupack area. Nice because it is always a few degrees cooler there, higher elevation, more dense forest & waterfalls than NYC. There's also a raptor rescue center that always has some amazing events. There was one including a golden eagle, peregrin falcon & snowy owl, with a surprise cameo from a wild bald eagle that happened to be around. Crazy. Also the most amazing sugar baby watermelons & local raspberries. Yum. I love summer fruit. Suzanne, I had a black goldfish that used to play with me. I would stick my hand in the water & she would swim into my open hand until I lightly pulled on her tail & she would swim away & then swim back into my hand for more! It started with an especially hot summer where I kept sticking my hand in the water to check the temp in there. She also loved it when I added "air conditioning" (aka ice cubes). I know it's not supposed to be good for their scales, but she *loved* it & would swim around in the cold meltoff. Holly, Suzanne, send some of that rain my way, because my garden is suffering. Unless Margo wants to pawn her hubby off to me in this trade to water my plants (will he fit in a large flat rate? I'm assuming he's considered a perenial) :0 stay cool, folks. grace

I'm not staying at my house this week so I took a look at what Amazon reviewers have to say. The book does not use canned soups. Though the attached review may not sound all that positive, it does answer the question of ingredients, etc. "I usually rave about Cooks Illustrated books because they are the best all-around cookbooks out there, but I have to rant a little about this one. The idea behind Cover and Bake is to improve on classic casseroles by getting rid of sub-par ingredients like cream of mushroom soup and pre-packaged bread crumbs, and simplifying cooking procedures so as to allow as much one-pot cooking as possible. The people at Cooks Illustrated make a lot of references to "Tuesday night dishes," i.e., main courses that can be prepared, cooked and served quickly and don't result in a lot of clean-up. This, however, isn't that book. The dishes that look so quick and easy when you watch them on America's Test Kitchen aren't so quick and easy at home because they have someone else to pull the leaves off of enough fresh tarragon that they have 3 tablespoons ready and waiting when they start cooking their Chicken with Spring Vegetables. When at home you have to trim and cut the chicken, pull the leaves off of the tarragon and chop them, wash and cut leeks, carrots, and asparagus and measure out cream (rather a lot of it) and chicken broth as well as various spices, and make home-made bread crumbs in the food processor, it all adds up to several hours of preparation before the casserole even makes it into the oven, and along with the casserole dish itself, you end up with a dutch oven, food processor, cutting board, knife and several prep bowls to clean. You can make the basic dish in advance, but you still have to wait for the mixture to chill down before you can put it in the refrigerator, and you have to leave it out at room temperature for an hour before you can put it in the oven. Yes, it tastes much better than the chicken casserole you would make with precut pieces of chicken and cream of mushroom soup, but unless you make it on a weekened and have someone to take it out of the refrigerator for you before you get home from work, it's not a quick and easy weeknight dinner. As mentioned by someone else, this also isn't healthy eating. Most of the dishes have cream or cheese, and vegetarian isn't a word the folks at Cooks Illustrated seem to have learned, although the dishes seem to have a lot of mushrooms. Even the side dishes aren't truly vegetarian as a lot of the recipes in the book use one form or another of pork for seasoning, or otherwise rely on cheese or cream. For a book called Cover and Bake, I certainly expected at least some recipes which make star use of grains, rice, beans and vegetables, which are nice to have even for meat eaters. Those also aren't here. These are basic beef, pork, chicken and fish with rice and/or potatoes and they are hearty dishes. The side dishes are basically rice dishes to serve with the meat. Don't get me wrong -- the resulting food tastes good. But their "paella," for instance, bears no resemblence to paella. It's shrimp with tomatoes and rice and while it's quite tasty, for an expensive dish, it just isn't the star it ought to be. When you make a dish that calls for 1 1/2 pounds of extra large shrimp, which is going to run you at least $25, plus the costs of the other ingredients, the dish should be more than tasty -- it should be spectacular. No one is going to complain about this dish, but it's doubtful they are going to rave about it either. On the plus side, everything is extremely easy to prepare, especially if you like making food that serves 4-6 people and makes use of 9"X13" baking dishes, dutch ovens, and large skillets. There are, as always, plenty of useful illustrations, and the instructions are easy to follow. I'll use this cookbook since I still like the idea of dishes I can make over the weekend and keep in the refrigerator for several weekday uses, but it's not going to replace Cooks Illustrated's New Best Recipe or The New Basics or other recipe collections I own. This is really for people who like chicken and rice, beef and potatoes and other combinations that classically go into casserole dishes with thick and creamy sauces. If that describes you, this book is probably a 5-star book for you. Otherwise, you may search hard for recipes that sound worth the trouble." I tried to link and for some reason it keeps being rejected.

WOW! You people are just wonderful!!! I'm so impressed with all the knowledge you've given me. It's so much nicer to read it from the "table members" than it is to go wandering around the internet. Pooh and Moni...I love the pictures. Thank you. I was wondering how the exterior bell button would look. I'm so pleased to see that it's about the same size...although cleaner looking...than the electric appliance I removed. That's going to eliminate any need to go back to plead my case to the association. That, in itself, is worth millions. :-) Mary...that range is more than enough for me. The top of my secretary is no more than 13' from the door...going up 13 stairs...and is at the base of the stair case leading to my second [bedroom/office/media room] floor level. It will be ideal for "ear" recognition. And I love the thought of a blue light. Once I come up here in the early evening...I rarely go back to the lower level. It would be wonderful to have the blinking light as as notifier, as well. I'm amazed at all these wonderful options. Where have I been all these years?!?!? LOL Flamingo...I'm a hobbyist much like you and am never without a supply of Velcro...both heavy duty as well as the sewing variety. I had been wondering about how it would weather. Initially...I may...thanks to you...use just the Velcro to affix the bell button to the siding. The area gets full sun light and constant "weather" so if the Velcro doesn't do the trick completely...I may use a combination of the Velcro and a couple of screws. Thanks for reminding me. Snidely...if I had an outlet at or near waist [or higher] level...I would do exactly as you suggest. But...alas...I do not so I'll either rest the chime on top of the secretary...or if that isn't the best place...I'll have to look for a wall area. My mind is working on that solution as I write. :-) Grandmamary...that neighbor is truly fortunate she's still standing. I, too, have the facilities to do serious harm if need be and under those circumstances...and considering my past history...she might have become a sieve. I don't know anyone in this day and age who would be as brazen as she's been. It's a shame her actions have made it necessary for you to be on constant guard...having to lock your doors all the time. There are enough things in life that need that kind of attention without it being so close to home. I wonder if she is suffering from dementia. That would account for her behavior. If she has family that you might be able to talk to...perhaps you could drop the info into their ears or a note to them. If it's dementia...her behavior will get more and more bazaar...and beyond annoying you...it may endanger her life. Thank y'all. You've been wonderful and I feel well informed to carry forth with this project. What a delightful relief that I don't have to wrestle with something more complicated.

Growing up in mid-Michigan (where I happen to be at this very moment) several of our neighbors had big schoolbells they used to call the kids in for dinner. We all knew whose mom (who's? that I've never known) was ringing. Love them. I have a collection of brass bells. Most are Indian, with their gorgeous tones used for ankles, wrists, and big ones for wedding vehicles. I just like bells. I tell myself they're good burglar alarms on the doors. I have only two exterior, swinging doors, so they hang on them. I JUST this last week finished installing 14 casement windows on the front of the house. Casement windows give me places to hang bells the sliders didn't. When I replace the patio sliders with swinging French doors, I'll be able to justify more bells. My barn has a little coupla on top with a tiny man on a horse weathervane. I like him. He's painted electric car paint blue, by a man who repaired the roof and found the coupla was rotting. Makes me laugh. I love gumbo. Hint hint. How do you spell that tiny little house on the top of a house, underneath the weathervanes?