Duh. I stand corrected. Me foolish, not them. I meant to say black on white. I'd be surprised if the 9/64 is the security type because it is not even laminated. Too small maybe for that? I have see the security kind, also very new, in a different section with a different code format. Can't find out much about it. Not really sure what it does when it gets "tampered with". Be cool if it beeped or smoked or threw red dye, but I doubt it does much other than "show" it has been messed with.

Hi all. Ten minutes ago, I finished The Forgotten Garden. There was so much going on in that book that a synopisis is rather difficult to formulate. At first, I was interested in the book but could definitely put it down. Then slowly, it grabbed hold of me. I found myself out in the garden and having to stop my gardening to grab a quick chapter. How do I rate it? An enjoyable read but not a book I will keep or re-read. I will be getting it in the mail to my aunt tomorrow morning. Next up? When I figure it out I shall let you know. As I sit here typing, I can count my downstairs TBR pile... 36 books. And before you ask, yes, I have an upstairs TBR pile, too. I am afraid to count the titles in that pile. I have come to terms with the fact that I shall always have a TBR pile (Or two, or three) so rather than worry about their sheer volume, I am rejoicing in the fact that I always have so many choices at my fingertips! PAM P.S. to both AnnPan and Woodnymph, Thank you both for your dog breed suggestions! I had friends who had Samoyeds. I always felt that they were lovely dogs. But the long coats have me wondering about grooming and bathing. Scottish deerhounds! Never heard of them before! I will look into them because I don't even know what they look like. Sadly, I am still a one-dog person. The good part is that my black lab, Captain Nemo, is really bonding more deeply than he had before. He was always second fiddle to Snoopy. Without Snoopy here to guide him, Nemo is becoming more confident, and more protective of the family. It is nice to see him growing up! I will keep you all posted on my doggie status. My daughter (12) has petfinder.com memorized. She was ready to jump in the car and have me drive her to Indiana for a puppy just last week. (If the puppy had been within a five-hour drive from me, I would have jumped in the car and consented. But Indiana? That's a bit too far.)

My soon-to-be ex-husband said that I had to be out of our inn by the beginning of the tourist season - July 4. For me, this would be not only our nation's day of independence, but a celebration of my own independence, too. I bought 20 acres of my very own. It is not accessible by car since there are no roads. But I have a canoe. With the help of some friends, I built my own cabin. Shut off, alone except for my dog Pitka, I am exactly where I want to be. Some people think my book is like Walden but written by a woman. I say that I simply love these Adirondack Mountains and am simply writing about my life. PAM

merry, the chap on the right could almost pass as English! A couple of books I just finished: Two Feet Four Paws by Spud Talbot-Ponsonby (a 'she' despite the odd name) who, with her dog, walked round the coast of England/Scotland/Wales starting and finishing at Tower Bridge in London. She covered about 4500 miles and raised money for a homeless people's charity as she went. Using family and friends as 'back up' she slept/ate in a 'mobile home' and took about ten months to complete the journey. Not a great piece of literature but it gives a good account of the odd people she met, the terrible weather conditions she faced and the sheer determination that helped her overcome aching limbs and exhaustion. I had earlier read her later book Small Steps with Paws and Hooves about a trek through Scotland she undertook with her toddler strapped onto a horse and the same dog. This journey was made after a diagnosis and treatment for cancer, which sadly did for her soon afterwards when the disease spread to her lungs and brain. It seems the walking even while having chemo gave her something to cling to. On quite a different note . . . I picked up a paperback The Edge of Nowhere by Elizabeth George. Probably a mistake as it turned out to be a 'teen read'. I suppose I learnt how US young people speak/behave, or maybe how Ms George thinks they do. I doubt that the average young person would have stuck with this book for long as, although the premise was 'promising' with a girl who can 'hear' people's thoughts, the plot rambled all over an island in the Pacific NW (where EG lives in 'real life) each road, highway, lane was described in detail, what house was near what store/school/church etc. A map could have been provided to save reading-time. I kept going to the end only to discover it is the first book of three and I don't care enough about the heroine to read the rest. Question. Do US teenagers of both sexes refer to girls as 'chicks'? Somehow it seems dated. And does everyone live on fast-food and endless 'snacks'? I wont ask about drugs as most of these teens seemed to be 'high' from snorting, sniffing, swallowing illegal substances.