Christan, I'm with you. Those tastykakes are might tasty, all of them! After Linda got to talking so much about them last spring, I ordered a box of them to try out, and I've been wishing there was an outlet here in Michigan ever since. Now, this is for all of you who knew me last year. Tomorrow, November 30th, is the 1st anniversary of the accident which took Paula away from me. It's been an extremely rough year, but you've all been a great help in getting me through it all. You've put up with a lot, encouraging me and providing some big shoulders to lean on the whole way. The Day started looming in my mind even more a little over a month ago, driving me to distraction and a lot of mood swings, as Linda can attest to. I was thinking that I'd be a complete basket-case by this time, but I'm doing okay. I've been listening to a lot of music today, wrapping Christmas gifts, making out cards for Kym's Secret Santa Seed Swap, and just generally quietly enjoying the day. Anyway, knowing all of you wonderful people and how much you care, I just wanted to let you know I'm okay. It's kind of funny, in an ironic sort of way, that the one song that's helped the most today is by Savage Garden. Savage Garden also did the song "Truly Madly Deeply", which was the theme song for Paula and myself. I guess it's kind of fitting that today I find myself turning to the same group, and their song "Crash and Burn". It says a lot about the friendships I've found here in the threads of the GW, and about the relationship I was lucky enough to have with Paula. here are the lyrics... "Crash And Burn" When you feel all alone And the world has turned its back on you Give me a moment please to tame your wild wild heart I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you It's hard to find relief and people can be so cold When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore Let me be the one you call If you jump I'll break your fall Lift you up and fly away with you into the night If you need to fall apart I can mend a broken heart If you need to crash then crash and burn You're not alone When you feel all alone And a loyal friend is hard to find You're caught in a one way street With the monsters in your head When hopes and dreams are far away and You feel like you can't face the day Let me be the one you call If you jump I'll break your fall Lift you up and fly away with you into the night If you need to fall apart I can mend a broken heart If you need to crash then crash and burn You're not alone 'Cause there has always been heartache and pain And when it's over you'll breathe again You'll breath again When you feel all alone And the world has turned its back on you Give me a moment please To tame your wild wild heart Let me be the one you call If you jump I'll break your fall Lift you up and fly away with you into the night If you need to fall apart I can mend a broken heart If you need to crash then crash and burn You're not alone Everyone Have A Good Week Peace. -Dan

I will hunt down Deliver and recommend it to dad's nurse. Hopefully she knows all about it since she is an experienced hospice caregiver. The most current info from the team of doctors working on him was that dad could recover to the point of being strong enough to care for himself but will be bed ridden and homebound for most of the day - that he will never be strong enough to walk great distances or take care of my mother (who has her own monumental health issues). But in order to achieve this level he must eat more and drink more and exercise every day - all of which he isn't doing! He is not in any pain, nor is he mentally impaired or even depressed. For some reason he just can't grasp how serious the situation is and that he doesn't have a choice about the eating and exercising demands - it's a 'do it or die' situation. I could understand his actions if he had recently injured himself but he got hurt in October of '05 and the year he spent in the hospital he wasn't in a coma. How can a person experience all that, the surgeries, the invasive tests, and not think they needed to follow the doctors orders? The entire time he has been in the various hospitals and now that he is home - one of us kids has been there with him. For the first 5 months we even stayed with him 24 hours a day because he often panicked when he slept (he kept thinking he was falling). Only my older brother lives in that state and he had to go to work during the day so my little sister and I (on leave from my job) took the day shifts and let my brother sit with him at night. In the past 14 months I have traveled back home 5 times, often for three weeks each visit. Needless to say this has really hurt my paycheck (since it is all leave without pay). We thought he was improving after he came home but he caught some sort of bug (digestive) and went downhill. So we changed our plan of attack and hired a live-in nurse who will stay with him until he either dies or gets sent to a nursing home (against his wishes) or improves to the point that he only needs a daytime caregiver. My other sister is there now and we have this rule that no ones gets to make demands unless they are there doing the work. So whatever she decides to do is what will happen, because I'm not going back for a while. After the dad crisis settles a bit we will all have to focus on mom who is also in need of major medical work. If this sounds like a classic old person situation, I am only in my 40's and my folks are in their 70's. If you had met my father before he broke his neck & back you would've thought he was in his early 60's. Now you'd think he was close to 100. We used to call him 'dynamo grandpa' because he was so healthy and athletic for his age. I've come to terms with all of this. Anything can happen now, it is beyond my control. In the end I will get to say that my dad died after falling through the roof and breaking his neck. The sad truth is that he really died after catching a bug while recuperating in the hospital.

Sounds like a wonderful meal, san! And sounds expensive!! I try to keep costs to absolutely under $2 per person and I am a lot more comfortable with $1.50...and have even done a few for about $1 per person....but that was when I found a great deal on ham and the church had a lot of pasta from another thing. No way could we afford stuffed haddock! We cound on donations from the family to keep this service from costing the church anything. Most families donate between $200 and $300 regardless of whether we serve a meal for 50 or 150 people. A couple of families have stiffed us altogether...but the generosity of other's have made it possible for us to tell a few families not to even think about trying to make a donation to cover costs...we knew money was tight. Nope....queen of the penny pinchers and reduced for quick sale items here!! I insist on real butter, high quality olive oil, real garlic, real cream for coffee and mostly fresh veggies, but am vry willing to buy day old bread and "cook tomorrow or freeze" meats...and I am willing to cook an uncooked ham and pick meat from a whole chicken! Hmmm....ham loaf...speaking of day old bread....there is a freezer full of day old bread slices that have spent time on the table, but would be perfect in a meat loaf.... Hmm......ham loaf, scalloped potatoes, and either salad or green beans....hmmmmm... What can I make out of stale bread but bread pudding, cheese strata or crumbs? Linda C

Luvs, it's been a while since I thought about "child proofing" my house, but with a new niece coming in Feb I have been looking at things more carefully. Guess you will have to do the same! He is a little stinker! lol Have to start calling him Piro! I have a few friends who use the Peapod grocery delivery and love it. We don't have it here yet or I would consider it especially in winter!! Unfortunately I have not had time to paint yet. I have a few ideas of some things I want to get done, but no time to work on any of them yet. Hope to get working on them this week, but I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year so probably not gonna get anything significant done til after that holiday. I want to do the 12 days of Christmas, but so far no family has stood out to me that I know. Still thinking on it. Was thinking about finding some little platters at the $1 store and attaching a little poem "When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang out of my bed and tripped over this platter" for my neighbor gifts. Most people can use an extra tray or platter for goodies during the season. Will maybe make some goodies to go on the platter and maybe add "So I filled it with goodies in hopes it makes your season gladder"?? I don't know...kinda sounds cheesy! lol Still thinking about it. Also thought about making "snowball" cookies and putting them in a pail or something painted with a snowman head?? Oh actually I just remembered I bought some small snowman head cookie jars on clearance last year so that would be perfect!! Woot! Thanks for helping me brainstorm! lol I am running out of time, but I seem to work better under pressure! ha Well, just wanted to check in with you ladies. I promised I'd do better and I'm sincerely trying to get here a few times a week! I have to do my Thanksgiving shopping on Monday but perhaps I'll be back here on Tues. Talk to y'all then. ~Anj