Hi Michael,

there is anything meaningful to lose.

And at this point, does it matter much in the greater scheme of

things?

Nothing matters in the greater scheme of things
except (if one believes anything at all) mercy
towards one's fellows.

Probably more matters than we care to think about, or discuss in an echo
like this.

modified version of what my brother does,
but less severe. It wasn't necessarily
always this way, but I can say pretty
firmly that my desires did not seriously
affect my wandering path.

We'd thought about travel, but in the pre Amy years, there was no

way we > could have done so. We did visit family, but that was about
the extent > of our wandering other than a conference in KY one
summer.

In my wanderings I've met people who have
figured out how to indulge their urges via
becoming an escort or guide or travel agent.

If you're determined enough to want to do it, there's usually a way to accomplish it. For us, it was a dead end job that didn't pay enough to
decently live on. Government help (food stamps) turned the corner--Steve
had to take a day off of work, no pay, to certify that our finances
hadn't changed in 6 months. After that meeting, he saw a recruiting poster/started talking with the Army recruiter.............and we began
the process that allowed us to travel.

Or work for the airlines. Funny thing about
my military friends is that a lot of them
don't want ever to go anyplace again. You
of course are different.

Depends on the person/the job they had in the military and other
factors. To some, it's a temporary "this will only be for a few years
and on to better things" job. Others, it's a career--go in as a Private
and come out as a Sergeant Major. For us, it was a chance to break out
of a path that had little to no chance for change and move into what
turned out to be a life changing career. Gave us the chance to travel
and try all kinds of new to us foods too. (G)

Quite so--#1 grandson turned 15 yesterday.

Time does fly ... faster than even I do.

It does, very fast at times.

At my gig I ran into this girl I'd gone touring
with thirty years ago, and all we did was talk
about our aches and pains (she's a decade and
half younger than me and went into the traveling
musician stuff right after graduating from
conservatory). Though she's as lovely as ever,
with that unlined face that comes of lack of
care and guilt, apparently age is catching up
in invisible ways.

Life has a way of doing that. (G)

Showing up at short notice, though, would
be a suboptimal experience for everyone.

We also have to figure out what cities/towns/villages the family

came > from, if there's any family over there yet, etc.

All the more reason for starting early on the
research. Maybe Nancy can help you out with the
genealogical resources that would be helpful.

Steve has done some research but there are area best left undisturbed
for a few more years.

I'd have had problems with the hike after I did in the knee

but > ML> could > have done the mule ride. Never had the chance to
try it tho. > ML> Have you read what Swisher said about taking

a mule ride? Doesn't seem to be anything to
be undertaken voluntarily.

Read some about it; doubt we'd ever do it.

I get saddle sore just thinking about it.

Especially since there's probably few chances to get off and walk for a
bit. (G)

The only thing I do that for is Unicef cards.
And I don't send cards any more anyway, haven't
for probably a couple decades.

We've not done anything in a few years but for our daughters/their families and parents. Last year we went over to the Southern Supreme (fruitcakes, etc) establishement in Bear Creek, NC and bought

goodies > there to send. We did the same for this year, and like last year, will > probably send something later for the grand kids.

For in-person gifts of course I do either Rocas
or Sweet Sloops, having had connections with both

Sounds good; IIRC, you brought some of the latter to HI.

companies. Those who attended the Camp Lion Clam
Crawl may remember that Harbor Sweets helped out
with 50 sampler boxes of Sweet Sloops. That was
the picnic where the fabled Patrick brought 20 lbs
of steaks and proceeded to burn the heck out of
them on the campfire. They all ended up between
well-done and incinerated.

I missed that one.

Chuck eye with carrot top salsa verde
Place steaks oil-side down onto the grill.
Season again and add a little more oil and
let the meat char about 3 min per side for
medium rare, less for rare or a few min more
for well-done. Take your steaks off the grill
and let them rest. M's note: cook no more
than 2 min per side. M's other note: I find
this actually a fairly dreadful recipe in general.

I'd cook my steak a bit longer, but overall, I agree, it's not a

recipe > I'd really consider trying.

And carrot tops taste like parsley anyway, only
bitter and unpleasant.

Not a workable sub, IMO.

... Books are better than TV; they exercise your imagination.

Screen adaptations, even when I could look at TV
and the movies, drove me up the wall, because the
pictures in my head from the reading were always so
superior to what the directors cound come up with.

The differences, especially if you were well familiar with the book,
are sometimes too glaring. Sometimes your mind has one picture and the
movie makes it totally different from what you expect. For better or not
is a matter of opinion. Also, seeing something in person--this past June
we drove thru Montanna, Wyoming and South Dakota on our way home. Having
read "Dances With Wolves", seen the movie and read any number of other
books about the area ("Centennial" by Michener, for one), I still
didn't get a feel for the vastness of the northern plains until we went
thru them.

Keto pudding
categories: low-carb, diet, dessert
servings: 2

1 c heavy cream
1 vanilla bean
3 egg yolks
3 Tb erythritol

I'd use stevia instead of erythritol.


... ... Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans-J. Lennon

--- PPoint 3.01
* Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28)