Update time, I think. Original purchase: 100 shares at $16.64, which later became 400 shares due to stock splits, so original price per share became the original $16.64 divided by four, to be $4.16. Current price per share ... about $80.00 (though I could have sold some or all of them earlier for something over $100.00 each). I can live with that. Originally paid annual dividend of 10 or 12 cents, taxed at lower than usual rate (1). Where the earlier message went off of the rails: Annual dividend had risen from the 10 or 12 cents to $3.08 when the share price was over $100.00, and was later raised to $3.48 ... at an even lower tax rate than earlier. When the share price fell over the cliff, the annual dividend stayed at the same rate for a time, then as share prices began to rise again, was increased again to about $3.76. Actually, that was a while ago ... it's now $3.84 per share, and if I can arrange to stay alive for several more years, it may go as high as the $4.16 that each share cost me, 46 years ago ... (or maybe my [middle age] kids collect, after I'm gone). I can live with that, as well ... well, I can as of the present ... but who knows about the future? I included the matter of the increasing dividends in the earlier message to illustrate to interest-earning addicts the matter that, while, over the long term, stock prices of quality companies tend to rise ... so do the rates of dividends that they pay. ole joyful 1. Employment earnings (with few offsetting tax credits), or the pension that has in the past ensued for quite a number of people, but these days for fewer and fewer, (with small offsetting tax credits) and interest earnings (with zero offsetting tax credits) ... ... is the kind of income that most folks earn. When the tax level on dividend earnings was cut even more (while the tax rates for the corporation that had earned the profit also has been going down) ... I said that it was our prime minister taking care of his rich friends. Which is also not relevant to the issue at hand - but this addendum isn't part of this main story, either, is it? o j

Given increasing and probably irreversible globalization, in ten years it may be hard to have a varied diet if one limits oneself to "grown/processed/packaged in the USA." Look at Walmart: they'd go out of business next week if consumers refused to buy stuff from them of foreign origin. A lot of raw veggies and fruits in my grocery stores, local produce stands, and even "farmers markets" do not indicate country of origin. When they get unboxed and put out for sale, the employees may not even know for sure where some of them originally came from.

Found the recipe below in a cook book "A New Way to Cook" which I modifed to make it vegetarian and simpler and also added celery because I was going grocery shopping and needed to clean out the residual produce tidbits in my fridge. It works and tastes pretty good. I have started keeping leeks in my fridge on a regular basis because they really "mellow out" recipes. They are a bit expensive here in Houston now but I find them worth it. I did do some approximation on the recipe below and not suprisingly they worked. The potato I used was large. Maybe the leeks too because it took more than 6 cups of cold water to cover the veggies. I also modified the method of cooking. I put all ingredients in a slow cooker, setting low and cooked for 8 hours. I put this on when I was cleaning out my fridge to go grocery shopping. ================ (This is mostly the way it was in the book except for elimination of meet and addition of celery) Leek Broth (or Vegetarian Stock) 3 medium leeks , trimmed, coarsely chopped and rinsed 1 small potato, (about 3 ounces, peeled and cut into chunks) 1 medium shallot (thinly sliced) 1 celery stalk/stick 2 teaspoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil 6 cups cold water 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon sugar In a large heavy saucepan, combine all the ingredients. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, reduce the heat, and simmer until the liquid is reduced to 4 cups, about 45 minutes. Straing the broth hrough a fine sieve set over a bowl, pressing on the vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible, discard the solids. The broth can be refrigerated, covered, for about 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.

barb roselover in- Yes, I do keep a "grocery store" on hand as a matter of fact, it's called our home food storage (LOL). I live in the middle of "Nowhere" Kansas, just outside of "Nothing" where the wheat grows (a 1/2-mile from my home on the edge of town and the cattle graze not far from there), and most things I use I have to order via Amazon.com, Vitacost, Swanson Vitamins.... Although our new Dillon's Super Store (Kroger affiliate) has a pretty good health food and International Foods section. dcarch mentioned miso. When I was following Macrobiotic Dietary Recommendations for my health back in the late 80's, I ate vegetable broth two or three times a day and usually added miso, which was available at the lone health food store in town (it wasn't even a mom and pop store, just pop ;-). Now I avoid soy so I don't use miso any longer, but I still make vegetable broth all the time because it's a good use of food that normally gets tossed, or dies of loneliness in the refrigerator. (Wasted food is the most expensive we purchase; and on a $125/month food budget for two adults, not much gets wasted.) And I'll be adding more dehydrated veggies (something I have an abundance of - thanks for that tip as well dcarch ;-). Plllog mentioned pea protein (great tip BTW! - it's so good for the kidneys) while I've occasionally added agar-agar (gelatin derived from seaweed). I never quit studying foods and their health effects, so that's how I've managed to find so many odd-ball ingredients to incorporate into our diet, and with my insatiable need-to-know, I have a lot of books to support it. -Nourishing Traditions - by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. -Zen Macrobiotic Cooking - by Michel Abehsera -The Ayurvedic Cookbook - by Amadea Morningstar with Urmila Desai -The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia - by Rebecca Wood (author of The Splendid Grain, another great book) Just to name a few.... -Grainlady