Good Afternoon, Today is International Women's Day. How about that...it slipped in with little notice, unless you were looking forward to it. So, Happy International Women's Day! For all of us Women and, for all of us who love the women in our/their lives, Enjoy! Let Women know they are loved and valued. Where would we be without them? sooey who started out as a wee girl but who is now a card carring woman!

Faron - I start my Stihl on the floor by sliding my foot through the handle to help keep it steady. However I'm unable to start our generator - the pull cord is too high up and I can't get enough torque - I'd need a stepladder. My profession was dominated by women and I can readily say that I never faced discrimination at work. Of course like most women I've encountered my share of men making crude comments and insinuations and as a young woman was never taken seriously when I took my car in for repair. And there were a few alarming situations where I seriously worried about my safety. When DD was growing up I tried to set an example for her, I felt it was important for her to see me as a capable woman. I wanted her to be strong and independent . When she graduated from college we went to buy her first car. I had already locked in the price online and brought a copy of the sales agreement. However the salesman kept saying that certain items were omitted and he wanted to re-write the agreement and came back with a higher price. I walked out of the dealership. DD was crushed because she thought she wasn't going to get her car. The salesman came running after us and we did get the car - at the original price. It's a story she vividly remembers. However she is now working in a male dominated job and is facing discrimination, ridicule and even career sabotage. There is no HR department, she has to take these issues to her boss - who frequently says that she's whining and then later approaches her when she's alone and rubs her back and says he's sorry. The only other females at her work place are doing clerical or administrative work and are off premises. She's the only woman working on the job with 6 to 8 men. It has become a toxic work environment and she has consulted with an attorney as to how to proceed. I'm proud of her for taking the initiative to get legal advice but she's so disillusioned and stressed that she's also looking for another job.

Well, plllog, if I ever got to visit you, I'd even drink the water! Although coffee and tea are kind of like flavorings, aren't they? And our water is actually good, it's the same aquifer that Ice Mountain draws their water from, just a few miles away. I spent my childhood drinking it, usually out of the garden hose because if I went inside for a drink Grandma would put me to work ironing washcloths or something. I lived in White Cloud for 35 years though, and their water was dreadful, it smelled of sulfur and was always slightly brown. Maybe that's when I learned to dislike water. And now, of course, here in Michigan we have the Flint water crisis and all those PFAS pollution problems. All this water around us and we can't keep it fit to drink, sheesh. In spite of the cheese thing, though, I think I'd have to at least try those blue cheese shortbreads. Yes, I know that if a major component is something I don't like, I probably won't like the end product, but you never know. It's that "7 year rule" coming around again.... Annie

I have two that speak to me! This is dedicated to my husband of 30 years, Jeff. Hey Elmer, share your videos! Pam K, AKA pkponder and Pam in Texas (two identities after the Houzz assimilation)