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Since the link will disappear, I'm posting the article content. It would frustrating to come along in a few days and not know what all the fuss was about. Carol, I have to agree with you about the twee tone. I couldn't put my finger on what was bothering me, but you summed it up nicely. Leah Eskin A day in the country Four French friends make jam and mischief Published September 10, 2006 Christine Ferber calls Guy Untereiner her best friend. So when she mentions another best friend, Guy is heartbroken. Decu! Christine runs a patisserie in the unpronounceable French town of Niedermorschwihr. But today, in the Michigan sunlight, her new best friend is Herb Teichman. Herb grows fruit so sweet that Christine is moved to treasure these jewels not merely for a morning but forever-or as ever as fruit can get, which is to say as jam. "Elle est la fee de la confiture!" admires Guy. She is the fairy queen of jam. Indeed, her jam is so beautifully colored and richly flavored and endearingly packaged that it is famous far beyond Alsace. "They adore her in Japan!" swoons Guy. Christine caresses an apricot. "The colors do me good," she confides. "I could make more jam, I could make more money. But that is not what I want. I want a beautiful life." A life packed with good flavors and good friends like chef Jean Joho (of Everest and Brasserie Jo and Eiffel Tower fame), who has invited her and Guy and pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer for a day in the country. Christine strolls into the orchard with Herb. "Pas de betises!" teases Guy. No messing around! Herb is married. Has been for 52 years. But what is a walk among the peach trees if not an opportunity for juicy innuendo? Back in Joho's breezy Michigan kitchen, Christine sorts the cherries one by one, sliding the beauties into little faceted jars. She instructs Joho to prepare a brine from Alsatian honey vinegar and peppercorns and star anise. Guy gazes at the heap of glorious fruit. "Mais c'est chic!" he cries. Guy, who has a soft spot for Norman Rockwell and garden gnomes, designs table linens that are one part sentimental French country, one part water-resistant practicality. Guy knows chic. Joho fills the jars with the brine and twists on the tops, sealing in summer. "Sixty degrees," Christine commands. Jacquy flips open his phone and does the math: [60 x (9/5)] + 32 = 140 degrees. Celsius to Fahrenheit is nothing; he runs Chicago's French Pastry School. Joho slides the jars into the oven. Christine is already melting apricots into jam. "When I have things put up I feel rich, like a squirrel," Herb said, back in the orchard. The oven is packed with bounty enough to make the friends feel rich as squirrels. And clever as fairies. APRICOT AND VANILLA JAM Makes three to four 1-cup jars 2 1/2 pounds apricots 3 3/4 cups sugar 1 cup water 2 vanilla beans, split in half Juice of 1 small lemon 1. Pick: Only perfect and perfectly ripe apricots will do. 2. Array: Assemble your tools: Copper jam pan or other medium-sized heavy low stockpot, canner or large stock pot, ceramic bowl, skimmer, wooden spoon, ladle, sieve, jar-lifter, tongs, candy thermometer, timer, parchment paper, clean dish towel, 4 1-cup Mason jars plus new lids, bands and labels. 3. Macerate: Rinse apricots in cold water. Cut them in half; discard pits. Mix apricots, sugar, water, vanilla beans and lemon juice in the bowl. Cover with parchment paper, pressing gently so paper touches fruit. Refrigerate 1 hour. 4. Simmer: Scrape apricot mixture into the jam pan. Bring to a simmer. Pour back into bowl. Press on parchment paper and refrigerate overnight. 5. Sterilize: Next day, wash jars, bands and lids. Set aside bands. Put lids in a small saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Let lids sit in hot water. Set jars in a stockpot. Fill pot with water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Let jars sit in hot water. 6. Boil: Set the sieve over the jam pan. Pour apricot mixture through the sieve. Remove and discard apricot skins; set aside apricot halves. Bring accumulated juices to a boil. Skim thoroughly and continue cooking on high heat until syrup reaches 220 degrees on the candy thermometer. Add the reserved apricot halves. Bring to a boil again and cook 5 minutes. Continue to skim carefully and stir gently. Remove the vanilla beans and cut into 2-inch lengths. 7. Fill: Use jar-lifter to grab 1 jar in its hot water bath. Tilt to empty, carefully. Ladle hot jam into hot jar, right up to the top. Add a length of vanilla bean. Wipe top edge with a clean damp cloth. Use tongs to set 1 hot lid on top. Screw on band. Turn jar upside down to seal and cool.* Fill the rest of jars in the same way, one at a time. 8. Store: When cool, check that the lids are concave, indicating a good seal. Label and store on a cool, dark shelf up to 1 year. -Adapted from "Mes Confitures" by Christine Ferber *The USDA considers inversion canning inferior to this boiling-water process: Follow the recipe above, leaving 1/4-inch headroom in jars. Wipe rim, set on lid, screw band finger-tight. Keep jars upright. Transfer to a canner and process 5 minutes. Lacking canner, set a round cooling rack or several inverted ring bands in the bottom of a stockpot. Fill pot with water. Bring to a boil. Using a jar-lifter, lower filled, sealed jars into the pot until submerged by 1 inch. Cover pot. When water returns to a boil, time 5 minutes. Lift out jars. Cool. Store up to 1 year. For details and high-altitude adjustments, see homefoodpreservation.com. LeahREskin@aol.com Btw, Her comment that she could make more money but she wants a beautiful life is just so French - not that there is anything wrong with that.

Not sure if anybody from years ago is still following this forum. I totally forgot about it and could not remember my signing info so I had to re sign in and add another number 2 to my old name to get in. I just wanted to update on my now old LG washer and dryer. It is still working fine!. It is like 16-17 years old. The only little problem is, I think there is some recirculating pump that drives the water over the glass door rinsing it and that is not working but it really does not affect the cleaning. I just have to make sure the boot stays clean The regular pumping is fine. Still no rust, no smell or mildew. I still have the same washing habits. And dogs! Still using Persil most of the time. Above the glass door, where the top panel lays over the metal, it has this "lip line" like and tiny pieces of paint are missing. I guess it is from using the hot water, steam escaping. It is cosmetic. We did replace heater few years ago on the dryer-not sure if I posted it here. The set looks great and working great. I can't believe how long I have it and still going! I plan on fixing it if something goes wrong. Was looking into getting the recirculating pump but covid came and I wasn't able to get good answer on part to fix it myself. Getting service is tough so I let it go for now. LG rocks!

Ames011. I am sorry we are having to deal with other issues other than your home. I will address the concerns you are having wih the "crooked" tile and the corner gap. 1) Either the tub or the tile is not level. If that is a new tub then the tub should be level, sides and back. The tub is configured with a factory pitch to the drain, therefore there is no need for the installer to assign a pitch. The tile regardless of the tub level should always be level. The first course the tub should be an almost full tile. NOT A SLIVER as pictured. I pay the most attention to this course as they are the most dynamically challenged with watershed. Water flowing down the wall has to stop at the wall/tub juncture and change direction from vertical to horizontal flow. This is the potential for water penetration. I fit the tile with a maximum 1/16" at the tub and join with CR Laurence silicone caulk. NOT big box caulk. 2) I believe the tile has not been grouted. If not, the corner gap is appropriate assuming it is the same grout spacing as the field tile. If the remaining tile does not have a respectable grout space, then there an issue. Tiles with no grout joints will draw water and will need to be caulked as a fix. Tiles can be removed successfully, usually within 24 hrs of install, and replaced with a correct placement.