"I believe that technology has cheated them out of some of the good times that my generation enjoyed. I believe that more and more children are chubby and out of shape and have a stifled imagination as a direct result of todays electronic driven society." Billy, I agree with you wholeheartedly. I remember as a child that I was outside all of the time. We played house, checkers, made crafty stuff, and bicycled everywhere. We had big swamp coolers and no AC so summers were hot in the rooms without the swamp coolers but somehow, we didn't feel it. I have a new grand baby and I worry. Will today's society wring all of the imagination out of her? Linda, I can identify with you in many ways even though I don't have ADD. In the 4th grade, my mother took a teaching job at a college in a tiny Texas town. I didn't fit in. We moved there from Colorado, and I'd gone to Catholic school and was used to wearing skirts. Everyone in the new town wore jeans. I was highly imaginative, played make-believe a lot, and wrote stories & poems. They didn't. I was made fun of because I was different. In the 6th grade, in the same tiny town, I can remember another new girl coming from Arizona who was of course "different." They picked on her too, made fun of her, and she cried. Her parents decided "our town" wasn't where they wanted to live, and they moved. Good for them! However, in the 7th grade (yes, I'm bragging), I was making A's, had some close smart friends, and all of those who picked on me were left behind in the dust to later get pregnant or drink. Sorry, I went off topic on this off-topic. :-) I'm going to try and make sure my grand baby has lots of outside time.

I was watching a news program the other day, when the talking head clearly said, "he has a tough road to hoe." I think hoeing any road would be pretty darned tough. The expression is clearly supposed to be "a tough row to hoe," yet I constantly hear people say it as road.

My favorite rosy perfume is 'Voleur de Roses', but there are many rose fragrances I haven't smelled. In winter I like woodsy or oriental fragrances, but I do try not to wear anything strongly scented in public... too many people have been sensitized to fragrance by the overuse of synthetic fragrances in pretty much everything. (Can anyone explain why dishwasher detergent needs to be fragrant? And don't get me started on fabric softeners and air "fresheners"...) In warmer weather I prefer greens and fresh florals, sometimes with a hint of fruit. I loathe sharp-smelling or plastic-smelling synthetic scents. I used to love a lot of the classic French perfumes, but so many of them have been changed or discontinued. as has already been noted. For ages, my fave was Chanel No.19, which for me hit all the 'sweet spots' of florals, woods and greens. It has been reformulated at least once, though, and the magic is gone. I tend to like different scents for different seasons/ moods, but can't afford to buy nice stuff in bulk. What I do now to splurge is buy samples of things I can't otherwise afford. A $3-5 sample will last me a long time, especially if I buy some other $3-5 samples at the same time. I generally know what kinds of things I like and don't think it's a crisis if I try a sample of something I end up not liking much. A few perfumes I love, and look for in sample sizes are Méchant Loup, Déclaration, Infusion d'Iris and Chinatown. I used to really like Magie Noire and Rive gauche, but haven't smelled them in ages; probably they have changed? I think of most of these as unisex fragrances, though some are sold as men's fragrances. Perfumes are extraordinarily evocative for me. Smelling L'heure bleue or Ma Griffe reminds me of my grandmother. L'Air du temps makes me think of my mom, though I don't think she still wears it- or any perfume- anymore. Those are scents that don't suit me, but I loved smelling them then, and smelling them now brings back memories. For those of you who like sandalwood, a fairly inexpensive (and all-natural) soap to try is made by Sappo Hill; my local health food store sells it, but I often buy it online. I also like their almond-scented soap and oatmeal fragranced soap. Interesting thread- thanks, Linda! Virginia

I gave up my car when I moved to downtown Charleston, so I spend a lot of time just walking and riding my bicycle to get around the city. I used to do yoga and ballet, but thus far have not found any classes here that I can afford. I do enjoy cooking, but do not like to bake, as I seem to have no "sweet tooth." I love to try new dishes. I am in a lively French conversation group that meets weekly; our "leader" is a French native. I also enroll each semester in history classes at the nearby college, which is only 7 minutes away by bicycle. That enables me to utilize the wonderful college library. I enjoy being on campus and talking to the students. When I have free time, I also like to explore on foot the historic neighborhoods of Charleston, and take in the gardens. Day-trips with friends to visit the plantations are also enjoyable. I used to dabble a bit in genealogy, but seem to have gotten away from that. I do like to "surf" the Internet and am in a few "chatrooms" (forums).