Hi everyone, Sorry I've ebeen AWOL for awhile. Spring is always such a busy time. I've been trying to get the yard & gardens cleaned up. DH is expecting to start a new job in a couple of weeks, its suppose to pay about twice as much. He'll be driving OTR again with only one day home per week so we're trying to get stuff here taken care of beforehand (building GH, fixing stuff, etc).He gave his current job his 2 wk notice just 2 days ago and they called today letting him go (on his day off)! Now we're really hoping the new job is as good as it sounds!! I got the last of my WS potted yesterday. Out of 160+ jugs there were only about 15-20 that didn't sprout...not bad I guess for my first WS attempt. I'm waiting for my BIL to till my new gardens so I can plant stuff...alot of my potted seedlings have bloomed! Bluebonnets, Lacy Phacelia, and Nasturtiums of every color! I hope they're still blooming by the time I get them in the gardens! Kym, thanks for sending the May list in advance! At least I won't get behind on that! LOL I'm fine with recieving emails from forum members...sounds like you have an interesting game up your sleeve. Count me in! I hope all April Bday buddies are having a wonderful BDay month!!!!! Chell

LOL! Carol, don't worry about Stella. In this house (according to her) it's all about Stella! Those two cats are still rolling around in the catnip, and enjoying a bite of it too, from time to time. I've got a couple of stoners here! I tried to hide the package from them, but they found it while I was at work and "spread the love" all over the office while I was at work. I swept it back up, but they'll probably be into it again today. Who needs cable when I've got Bump and Stella for entertainment? ((chuckle)) And the birthday goes on! This is sooo cool! Yesterday I received 2 great cards in the mail, one from Sue/suecirish and one from Andrea/appaloosa909. They both had some great seeds in them. THANK YOU LADIES!!! After this month, I kind of pity the seed companies. I don't think I'll be making a seed order for next year. I'm getting plenty of seeds from my friends here on the GW! Lol!..... Well, maybe I could make a small order, right? What's a gardener to do? Have A Great Day Everyone! -Dan

FEIJAO A PORTUGUESA Active time: 30 min Start to finish: 10 hr Well, if you do Portuguese-style potatoes, may as well do Portuguese -style beans. :) 1 lb dried navy or Great Northern beans, picked over 1 lb sliced bacon 1 large onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, minced 4 to 5 cups water 1 (6-oz) can tomato paste 1 lb Portuguese chouri or Spanish chorizo (cured spicy pork sausage), cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices 1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes, or to taste 1 tablespoon paprika Soak beans in cold water to cover by 2 inches 8 hours. Cook bacon in a 4- to 6-quart heavy pot until crisp. Transfer to paper towels to drain. Spoon off (and discard) all but about 3 tablespoons fat in pot. Cook onion in reserved fat over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, 7 to 9 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until it begins to turn golden. Drain beans and add to onion mixture with remaining ingredients (except bacon). Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender, about 1 1/2 hours. (Older beans will take longer to cook and require more water during cooking.) Crumble bacon into beans and season with salt and pepper before serving. Serves: 6 Source: David Leite I hope Annie doesn't mind how this thread got hijacked!

Thank you, ssommerville, NancyLouise and cynic! NancyLouise, the movie was very fun and I can't for it to be released on DVD. The trailer for the movie I posted, isn't the best acted or highly recommended film of all time, but I love the music and it never fails to entertain me :-). My favorite characters from the new Oz movie were The Wicked Witches, especially Theodora (Wicked Witch Of The West). Cynic, I bought the Director's Cut of Little Shop Of Horrors a month or so ago and I love how true to the musical it is. Our day yesterday was a lot of fun and the food at Red Lobster was fantastic as always :-). Dad and I didn't have room for dessert, but we enjoyed it very much. I haven't been cooking anything special lately or used my new skillets yet, but, I was texting my one best friend and former high school classmate yesterday and she and I made plans for a picnic sometime soon. We have to work out the details (like what food we want to make, if we just want it for us or to bring a few friends along), but we know we want to make some sangria at least lol. I think she'll like the idea of inviting a few people along, but, like I said, she and I have to work on it. Thank you again, everyone, and Happy Easter. Brad AKA Moonwolf