actually, i thought the barbados cherry wasnt bad- it was some other chlorine flavored hideosity that sheehan devoured that astounded me. mauritius, farwell and early red are really similar to each other and would be tough for me identify on a blind taste testing- i'd say my chances are 50-50. but mauritius versus brewster, or hak ip, or emperor, or kaimana or peerless or bengal or sweet cliff, id say id be able to identify which is the mauritius almost every time. full FL fruit tour report, with pics, to follow, hopefully later tonight

Total hijack here, but I lost my electronic car key with house key on it before Christmas. I knew it had fallen out of my pocket at work somewhere between the parking lot and the main doors. We had sooooo much snow this winter, I didn't have a hope of finding it. The school where I teach is in a very bad area of town and I've been worrying all this time that someone would find it and steal the car (and then find our address in the glove box and let themselves in our house). Not to mention the $350 replacement cost of the key. Well, it has finally started to melt here and as we were walking to the car yesterday, my daughter gave a yell, leaned down and picked the keys out of a half melted snow bank - and they still work!!!

It's a good idea and it would probably scare off an intruder, I think. I would test it though, to make sure it'll work from your bedroom to the garage. I keep my keys in the car, which is probably not smart, but it's locked into the garage which is right under our house so if the garage door goes up we know it instantly. The four dogs (big, mean and scary sounding) would let us know if anything was happening that we weren't aware of. Do you ever watch "It Takes a Thief"? It's about home protection and one of the biggest things the thieves worry about is barking dogs. They target homes that don't have any of them. So obviously, noise is a huge factor.

My Mazda 323 with standard tranny was 24 years old when it bit the dust last summer ('88 to '12 is 24, isn't it?) ... garage told me that the $65. for a replacement water pump ... and the $300. or so needed to install it wasn't worth it. The electrical connection to the thermostat-controlled fan at the radiator had gone bad, so the superheated coolant (if you'll pardon the expression: I claim to know whether I'm coming or going) had blown the seals in the water pump. What was that about, " ... for the want of a nail ... the shoe was lost ... for a want of a shoe the horse was lost ... and for the want of a horse ... the king was lost ... and for the want of a king, the nation was lost"? The '05 Cobalt that replaced it (for a modest price, paid in cash without strain: a financial cushion causes less stress, on occasion) ... ... doesn't have a light inside the ignition lock that "tells you where to put it", so to speak. And doesn't have two little lights over the front seats, that one can push one side of to turn on a light concentrated on one's lap, then push the other side of it to turn off. Gotta reach around behind one's right shoulder ... using the arthritic right shoulder that doesn't like to push the arm up high, to push the switch on the light that lights up the interior. Glucosamine sulphate started a few months ago is causing some improvement, there - less onerous to reach breakfast cereal on the top shelf, recently. As the kid replied when the oldsters, after church, were complaining about this and that regarding the service, "What do you want for a nickel - chimes?" Hope you're enjoying your wheels. ole joyfuelled ... who also needs a bit o' gas, at times