My friend in Detroit had a pet store and with the moartality being as high as it is, the owner I know has to at least double the wholesale price to make a profit, and cover the losses from fish, that die on the way and also soon after delivery and before they're sold. I guess it's almost the same for other pets as well. I'm still wondering obout that on-line ordering, since I think it's a similar situation, where the price is high , but up to a certain point you can order many more fish for the same shipping price , provided they're not large fish. I guess in a sense the shipping direct wouldnt' be that different than many fish store owners get , since I know my friend had to order his fish direct from the breeders in Florida or wherever they came from and he'd have to drive a long ways to the airport to pick them up at the airport , I guess. I imagine though in some large cities the retailers might have local wholesalers to buy from??? I am thinking about "Freecycle" to locate possibly even a free aquarium, and setup, but I can't seem to get back on their site, and it's maybe a matter of fogetting my right memebership name and password. Seems I have so many different ones nowdays I can't remember them all sometimes, and I must start writing them down. I've heard of numerous people , who for various reasons decide not to continue their aquarium hobby and then just give away all their equipment and aquariums etc. I'd be willing to pay for a used one, but is there a problem with disease or "sterilizing' all that old equipment??

Lots of things found on the produce clearance rack can also be dehydrated. I especially like to get sweet bell peppers (all colors) and dehydrate them. Good fruit can easily be made into fruit leather. Dehydrated mushrooms are also a useful ingredient in the kitchen. I just avoid anything that has mold growing on it. Not only can you get perfectly good food from the clearance rack and dehydrate it, instead of wasting a lot of produce in your refrigerator, get out the dehydrator and dry it. You can make up your own packets of soup mix from your dehydrated "goodies". Cream of Mushroom Soup Mix 1 c. (250 ml) dried mushrooms 1/2 t. (2 ml) dried onions 1/2 t. (2 ml) grated dried lemon rind 3 T. (45 ml) all-purpose flour 1 t. (5 ml) salt 1/8 t. pepper (1/2 ml) 1 c. (250 ml) dry milk powder Combine all ingredients and store in a tightly sealed container. To use: add to 1-1/2 quarts (1-1/2 litres) boiling water. Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened. Cover and cook over very low heat for 20-30 minutes. Serves 4-6. For more dehydrating information and recipes, check out a copy of "Making & Using Dried Foods" by Phyllis Hobson. -Grainlady

Was blown away by Selma Hayek's article. To have a meaningful discussion we need to differentiate between rape, sexual assault, and harassment. Hayek DID say no, repeatedly, and did fight against Weinstein. But he continued to bully her in a sexual way, which is harassment. And he got away with it because of the power he wielded in her industry and a lack of an accountability force in his work. Weinstein seems to fit standard psychopath behaviors--charming and charismatic on the surface, good at manipulating people, gets a kick out of pushing boundaries, and has the inability to ever respect them because to respect social boundaries you have to be able to empathize with your fellow humans. The golden rule of how to treat people which is totally logical, makes no sense if you cannot imagine an "other" as being anything outside of an object. And that goes for the way psychopaths treat both men and women. Psychopaths are not all Hannibal Lecter's, many are highly functioning and respected members of our society, due to their charm and for some, intelligence. And many do not "mean" to harm people and can be taught to treat people well, but in a mechanistic way. But by the time someone is in the position of Weinstein, too many people are invested so it will take a "village" so to speak, to hold them accountable. It takes quite a while for enough people to understand how twisted the person is, because if you have never seen it or experienced it in person, based on the person's outside face, you find it unbelievable. They can hold it together for a while and say just the right things to gain sympathy and positive attention. Ask me how I know . . . Years ago I had a very weird boss, who everyone thought was a saint but could be casually cruel just as easily as casually eloquent and charming. He would mouth the words about how we were all one big family and folks would believe him . . . until they experienced his dark side. One of the people who worked with him told me once, "I used to think he was a great guy and my friend, and then I realized he was NOT a great guy, and NOT my friend, and the only person he cared about was himself." But hard to pin anything on him since so many folks practically worshiped him.

LOL That's right, Maire_Cate, and we all either passed or failed the psychological quiz--I'm not sure which. :-) Maifleur, whatever you spotted in the photo must be a result of the lighting. I didn't use my normal lighting setup for either picture; I just snapped them on a white piece of paper at my desk. The ring is completely smooth inside and out. Unlike most of the rest of the jewelry, there's no obvious sign that it has been worn. As I mentioned above, the ring was made in China. The China stamp is farther along inside the band. I'm sorry it won't fit you, Raven. It does fit me, and the more I look at it on my hand the more I'm tempted to keep it. It would be an easier decision without the pandemic. Since I don't go anywhere these days, I haven't been wearing any jewelry.