77 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 1-20-16”

  4. Had a nice first day of the term The students were all eager and excited to be back. It was a long day for them going from noon dismissal to a full day. One boy asked if he could go to sleep after lunch and I said yes.

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  6. I usually have a short wake up break around 4 a.m. and usually get back to sleep soon after. I think it is a normal wake cycle unless I am physically exhausted and I sleep through it for that reason.

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  8. I know it’s not the political thread, but are you seeing any yard signs for candidates? In our highly Democratic vicinity within this red state we have only seen Bernie signs. Not a single Hillary sign.

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  10. I suppose non of us got much sleep.
    Chas, I read your post last night about starting to help out with the cooking. It made me sad for all of you. I have nothing to add to the cooking suggestions you received on the chicken soup except to say I hate poultry seasoning and sage makes me nauseous.
    I might suggest as you gradually take over these chores you look into E-Mealz dot com. It allows you to choose a grocery store, picks out sale items, prints a shopping list (and coupons if there are any) and has very simple instructions for how to cook it. The food tastes good and is nutritious. I used to do it when it was just BG and me.

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  11. Kim, I did not feel sad about Chas being in the kitchen. It made me feel happy because I love to get the guys involved in the kitchen, unless my husband engages with Glad wrap. We don’t want to ever go there again 🙂

    One Thanksgiving I got Art to make a simple pumpkin pie that had a crumb topping. It turned out great and made me happy. Son and I learned to cook together when he had Cook duty with the Scouts and he would practice recipes at home before camping trips.

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  12. Fair warning this is a rant:
    What is up with Black people boycotting the Academy of Awards?
    1. No one outside of Hollywood cares about these awards.
    2. I can’t tell you the last time I even knew it was on TV
    3. If you have to gripe and complain to get an award is it really worth it? I mean haven’t you stripped it of any pride in receiving it?
    4. It is a peer awarded honor. If your peers don’t think you deserve it, then maybe you ought to take a look at what you are doing and see if you need to make changes/

    On the heels of that there was some talk show on last night as I was falling asleep about a new children’s book about George Washington where the slaves all looked happy. George Washington lived in the 1700’s. We live in the 2000’s. Life was a lot harder for everyone then and all slaves weren’t from Africa. Do we presume to think that slaves never experienced a moment of happiness? Some of the happiest people I have known were in situations I wouldn’t have wanted to be in for two hot minutes. Happiness is a choice and an attitude. It isn’t something that comes easy to me but there are moments in the midst of despair that I am truly happy. Anyway there was a big stink about it and the book was recalled.

    I am not a huge fan of Dr. Ben Carson. I don’t think he has a chance of becoming President but I am absolutely astounded by how the Black community is attacking this man. Where is the pride that they had in Obama? Why are they skewering him at every chance? Where is the pride that ANOTHER black man has risen to the level of being able to run for President of the United States? Is it because he is off the plantation and on the wrong ticket?

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  14. We are living in an entitled society Kim….they deserve the award above anyone else…because of their skin color?
    I do like Ben Carson…he is a man of principle and integrity….and he happens to be a follower of Christ….those are huge differences between him and that person sitting in the White House right now…..

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  15. Genealogy research said you could tell if the owners were good masters or not by the last name the slaves took once freed. Washington freed his slaves with his death, didn’t he?

    I had a physical yesterday, everything looked good numbers and all–which was a shock given how I indulged at Christmas!

    I told him my main problem was insomnia.

    He said in his experience that was a psychological problem and maybe I needed to see a psychiatrist or a counselor.

    As he started to write out a list, I thanked him and said I had a lot of friends who are counselors.

    I slept great last night! LOL

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  16. Nancy Jill, I didn’t mean that I don’t respect Dr. Carson. I do. I don’t think he has a chance of becoming POTUS and I hate the way he is being treated. ( I have a friend whose daughter baby sits for someone on his staff who lives here. She has met both Dr. Carson and his wife and has nothing but good things to say about them both)

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  17. I like Carson. I like Cruz better. I like Sarah less today than I did Monday..
    I don’t like Trump. I’m afraid of him. He has no core convictions. He is a deal maker.
    But I will vote for him against Hillary.

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  19. Chas in the kitchen. I think it is wonderful. When my mom had cancer, I watched the transition. He had been a Boy Scout but it had been her territory. Slowly and gently, with her direction and recommendations, he took over the dishes and the cooking and the laundry. It was a thing of love and I remember it well thirty three years later.

    It has played out here in our own home as husband has taken over the kitchen duties. He understood that it had been my territory and he was respectful and I knew I had seen it well done years before. We share and hopefully, the children watch and learn.

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  20. I like Carson and think he would be our best choice. The people would know where he stood. Of course, I don’t much follow this part. How is Rubio doing? I read his interview in Newsmax and liked his reason for wanting to run. He knew this was the best country in the world and knew there is not a replacement if this fails.

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  22. I’ve been up since 6 (I usually let the animals out about that time but then go back to bed for another hour).

    But today’s the plumber day — have to find out why (and how to fix) water that is accumulating under that dreadfully old tub liner. 😦 😦 He’s due to arrive shortly so I need to corral the dogs into the kitchen.

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  23. OK, that’s done.

    It’s been lightly raining all night and this morning still, enough to make everything consistently wet. Including the cat who still wanted out this morning.

    I like Carson but have been disappointed as I feel he didn’t really buckle down in being more prepared for the race & the policy questions he’d be getting. He seems to be caught off-guard too often.

    I’m still not all that fond of Cruz. And, like Chas, I distrust Trump (and Palin has been a huge disappointment ever since her stint as the VP nominee — she strikes me as erratic, not very thoughtful, as a publicity hound, and frankly not particularly stable, a far different image than I had of her in the beginning 😦 ).

    Sigh.

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  24. The header photo is proof that in the bird world, might makes right. The downy woodpecker was on the suet feeder, the flicker on the tree, so I focused my camera and waited to get the flicker flying in, the downy flying out. I don’t know if the flicker has shut his outer eyelid or if that’s a piece of snow flying by his eye, but I like getting both birds in action.

    Re men in the kitchen: my sister expressed great happiness before marriage that her husband had no interest in the kitchen, and that made no sense to me. (She wanted eight or ten children, and had five.) I think she thought that a man with no cooking skills would be more impressed by her (real) ability in the kitchen. But in my mind, a husband who is at least willing to try is going to be more help when the baby is an infant and mama is exhausted, or mama is sick, or whatever.

    My husband was a single dad for years after his wife died, and he made it clear to me before we married that he was happily handing over the keys to the kitchen, that in spite of it having been his responsibility, he’d done it reluctantly and minimally. Nevertheless, he has two dishes he takes pride in and cooks periodically, and he is also willing to make burgers or spaghetti or a sandwich. I don’t take advantage of that willingness, since I know he doesn’t want to do it often, but the reality of freelance is that work is sometimes slow and sometimes crazy busy, and it’s helpful during the busy season to ask him to take care of supper tomorrow night. (And sometimes he takes care of it by getting a pizza or taking me out to eat, and that works well too.)

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  25. that is definitely an action shot — needs a dramatic soundtrack. 🙂

    Plumber called, he’s about 10 minutes away … I sure hope this isn’t going to be a huge deal, but I fear it may be.

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  26. I think you all misunderstood my comment. Chas is perfectly capable in the kitchen as most men are. My comment was that Elvera may have progressed to the point that he does need to help out more and more. My own husband made spaghetti last night (he forgot to buy any meat to go in it so we have Prego sauce and spaghetti, but I didn’t feel like cooking when I got home at 6 do I certainly didn’t complain and ate it with a smile on my face). Come to think of it, he made French toast for dinner Monday night when I wasn’t feeling well…so maybe I best think of something to make tonight so he doesn’t feel I am slacking.

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  27. I missed the discussion about the chicken soup. I see there was a lot of good advice given. I make chicken soup most of the time with a whole chicken, but have also done it with a left-over one. I started many, many years ago using the basic recipe from The Betty Crocker Cookbook. If you have that, Chas, you may want to check it out. It is a very simple, basic recipe.

    When I boil my chicken (at least 1 1/2 hours) I add any celery tops I have. The leafy parts we use for nothing else is great for adding flavor and nutrients in the broth. I also add a quartered onion (Chas does NOT need to do this!) and a whole carrot cut in half or so. I usually add several peppercorns, which I remove with all of this before making the actual soup.

    The soup only uses salt and the peppercorns. Later a bay leaf can be thrown in when making the soup and parsley. I like some thyme, although, I like that better in turkey soup.

    I like the thin noodles, which I can buy here, but could not find in TN. I like potatoes, carrots, celery for turkey soup. Rice is also good. The wonderful thing about soup is you can make it any way you like.

    I boil it the chicken or turkey, remove all the vegies and clean the meat off the bones. I will take out anything I want to make into soup immediately. The rest I will divide into containers, making sure broth and meat are evenly divided. I label and freeze for future meals. These are wonderful to have to pull out and just add ingredients to for a quick meal. I also scrape off any fat which has come to the surface when frozen.

    I do add more salt, but no pepper, and whatever other seasonings wanted when I make the actual final soup. My husband has disliked sage from his time in the military, so I seldom use it.

    Cheers to Chas for helping in the kitchen. My dad took over all baking for my mom. He loved sweets and my mom seldom ate them, except for chocolate. He even made pies. Where there is a will (or a need) there is a way.

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  28. Mumsee – Is there a reason that Mike is taking over in the kitchen? Or is it something he just wants to do?

    *******
    Lee was a cook (chef-manager was his title) when we met, & enjoys cooking now & then. I am an okay cook, but he & Emily are the talented ones. But I take care of the daily cooking, except that he makes the hamburgers when we have them, & some other things occasionally. He & Emily do the holiday cooking, which is a huge blessing. Chrissy’s specialty is pancakes.

    ********
    One thing about Cruz that has bothered me is his willingness – even seeming eagerness – to carpet bomb ISIS, even knowing so many civilians will be killed.

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  30. Whew. Maybe not so bad.

    Plumber thinks the gasket at the drain, where there’s a gap, is where the water is seeping in and then collecting under the liner. He’d mentioned noticing it the last time he was here (6 months ago) but said it wasn’t urgent to replace and since the last job was so expensive, I gave it a pass. Now, of course, it’ll cost a little more since he’s gotta go down under the house and take everything apart again.

    He’s getting his tools & then is off to Home Depot. Hopefully won’t take too long.

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  33. My husband also has his specialties that he cooks. He is the chief breakfast maker. I can do with toast and fruit. He wants more. I am happy not to cook it, but will gladly eat it. Marriage is give and take, after all. 😉

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  34. I knew what you were talking about and there certainly is that side of it.

    As to our kitchen, another amazing thing I have noticed is, with husband cooking more, our appliances and pots and pans have certainly upgraded. He gave me new cast iron and cast iron with ceramic surface and stainless steel with ceramic surface pans. Pretty nice!

    This morning, fourteen year old had French toast and cottage cheese that I fixed for him while he was out doing the chores. Eight year old made herself a pot of oatmeal she does not use instant or minute) and nine year old fixed himself some eggs with cheese. Meanwhile, seventeen went up and cleaned the chimney and caulked it so I did not have to and eighteen year old left at six to get to his GED class on time. Other fourteen had a bowl of Chex. Busy busy. I did the dishes and brought in the firewood so I was not totally unhelpful. Eight year old usually does the breakfast dishes but she is out getting tinder and kindling. In a few minutes, we will head upstairs to school.

    Fourteen year old girl will stay downstairs where she is working on a self assigned research paper comparing evolution to creation. And working on her math and grammar and health. She is loving school again.

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  35. Cruz is trying to capture (and be a more serious alternative for) Trump’s (angry) followers I think, so the rhetoric is ramped up beyond what he’d probably actually carry out if elected. People are frustrated with our current weak leader so the tough talk is appealing to many.

    But I’ve never found Cruz to be terribly appealing and I think that could play into his electability factor. We’ll see. It’s all so up in the air right now, hard to tell how it’ll play out, although the next few months should make things a little more predictable.

    On lawn signs, no, I haven’t seen any yet — but I do see Bernie T-shirts, window signs (in the downtown commercial area) and bumper stickers, none so far for anyone else.

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  36. I’ve picked up some new cookware as well, some heavier, all-clad stainless pans which are wonderful, although definitely not non-stick. I let some oatmeal simmer a bit too long one day and wound up soaking & scrubbing that pan out for the better part of a week, a little bit each night until I finally got the burned areas cleaned off. 😦

    Now I use one of my older non-stick sauce pans for oatmeal that has to simmer.

    And I’ve had an enamel-coated cast iron dutch oven which I love-love-love (but it is heavy) for years. It’s a go-to piece for big recipes. Holds everything (at 7 qt) and is easy to clean.

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  37. Karen, for years, as Husband was off working, I did all of the home stuff. Indoors and outdoors and going to ball games. Now that he is here, he wants things to do as well. He does not do yard work due to his allergies and because I enjoy it. He used to be a cook and enjoys that. He has worked with the children at building outbuildings but there are only so many outbuildings to be built on five acres, so he does cooking. He also keeps the pantry very well stocked, does all of the shopping, and keeps the bills paid. What more could I ask? Oh, and he goes to the games.

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  38. When I was visiting my friend last summer I noticed a Hillary bumper sticker on her nightstand and had to bite my tongue. 🙂

    I thought at the time it might have been a handout from the L.A. teachers’ union she’s a member of since she’s a not-overly-political Republican (but she really can’t stand either Trump or Cruz and her daughter & Muslim son-in-law are quite liberal and probably are trying to “work” on her a bit 🙂 ).

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  41. Chas, look for the worn pages and you will find things you have eaten before. And look for her recipe box.

    Donna, nope, but he does pay for any jobs I can’t do myself or get one of the children to do.

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  43. Here’s a question I’ve been wondering about:

    What times do you think constitute “evening”, & when does “night” begin?

    I have usually thought of night beginning around 8pm, with around 6pm – 8pm being evening.

    In the past, if I would be telling you that Emily & I had a talk, or Forrest did a particular thing, in the time frame between 8pm (or even as early as 7) & bedtime (that being 10 – 10:30 for me), I would have begun with, “Last night. . .” But lately I would begin that sentence with, “Last evening. . .” (or “Yesterday evening. . .”)

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  44. Mumsee – Lee & I have a similar kind of marriage in that he does the shopping, errands, & occasional cooking, & our particular division of labor works well for us. We each enjoy blessing the other in the things we do.

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  45. My other all-time favorite cooking pan is a ceramic grill pan.

    Since I don’t get home from work before 7 p.m. or later on most nights, I guess I always think of evening lasting a little longer, maybe until 9 p.m. (when it becomes officially “night”).

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  47. I haven’t seen lawn signs for president around here, but when we went to Iowa they were everywhere.

    Kim- the reason blacks don’t seem to like Carson is because he made it on his own for the most part. He doesn’t fit the victim picture the “leardership” wants to portray. They have always been jealous of any black who was successful and conservative: Clarence Thomas, Condi Rice, Herman Cain, and now Ben Carson. But for some reason Colin Powell doesn’t get the cold-shoulder treatment.

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  48. Same phenomenon with women conservatives, I think — they’re especially detested by feminists because of their conservative positions. Emily’s List supports only women on the left but I believe when it started its purpose was to support all women running for public office.

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  49. Thanks, Kim. I was going to look it up myself for the “correct” answer, but I was also wondering what all of you thought. It is interesting how different people use different terms for various things.

    *******
    YF doesn’t use “Uncle Tom”, but her attitude towards conservative blacks says it for her. Also, according to her, conservative women who are not feminists are misogynistic against their own sex (she once called Concerned Women for America “the most terrifyingly misogynistic group”), & gays who are against same-sex marriage (or other “gay agenda” type issues) are obviously self-hating.

    I’m sure she is not alone in the liberal/progressive world in those views.

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  53. With Lee getting up a little after midnight, there are times when I’m still awake (having trouble getting to sleep), & it occurs to me that I’m still ending one day while he is starting the next day.

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  55. Mumsee – That raises another question: Is it moral to play the lottery & accept the money, considering how the lottery takes advantage of the poor? Then again, do we merely think, well, it’s the poor man’s choice to play the lottery & get even poorer?

    I’ve heard of churches that have refused to accept tithes or offerings coming from a lottery win.

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  57. 1. Pay the taxes on it.
    2. Annuitize half of what was left
    3. Set up trusts ( right now I would have to set up about 10)
    4. Send the large sums to deserving people that I know about so they could go about the work they have been called to do and that I support.
    5. Pay off my house and buy a new vehicle (nothing ostentatious)
    6. Ignore anyone ASKING for money

    Oh, and for at least a week I would go sit on a tropical island somewhere drinking fruity drinks and re-applying sunscreen as I rotated on schedule.

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  58. I would use a lot of the money to set up scholarship funds for children to attend Christian summer camps (like Angel Tree and the camps for families with disabled children), to fund college scholarships at Covenant C9llegeand maybe others, to fund the summer scholarships for Warrior Leadership training for Native American young people through On Eagle’s Wings, and to help fund the land and building needs of Christian Library International. I would choose to help more ministries and missionaries I know of personally here and elsewhere. This is all purely hypothetical since I have never bought a lottery ticket and have no plans to buy one.

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  59. The funeral was very nice. I found out the man had received the call around 4 a.m. from the hospital that his wife was calling for him. He always tried to be so independent and not ask for help. He may have been about 90. They are not sure if he went to sleep at the wheel. The funeral was upbeat about he and his wife ordering their home from Sears and Roebuck and they lived so far out it could not be delivered to their property. They had to go pick it up (it had to be put together).

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  60. What would I do with a lottery ticket that won a Billion?
    1. I would run for president.
    2. Seriously? I would sell it to y ou for a million dollars.
    A million I could handle. A billion would be a nightmare.

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  63. Well, today I’d remodel my bathroom. 🙂

    Plumber “fixed” the drain (can’t use it for 24 hours due to calking that has to dry) but he cautioned it may not be a forever fix and that a new tub/shower would be that.

    Problem is, the tub is literally attached to the tile on the built-in (tiny) vanity cabinet (seriously, I have the smallest bathroom ever). So demo work required that also would need me to replace the cabinet with a free-standing one …

    I’m trying not to worry about it. Hopefully this fix today will buy me some time.

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  65. I can now return to the land of the living–sent the revised proposal off to my agent just now. FYI, as of yesterday, I had spent 900 minutes writing it. (After I cleared all the extra information off the manuscript, I lost that data today). You can understand why my eyes are crossing!

    I can now attempt to cook some of these organic meals for this detox I’m on. Folks, I’ve been starving out here, not having time to cook stuff from scratch!

    Well, not starving, but I’m hungry right now. At least I’ve got hard boiled organic eggs to snack on–and fruit–and more carrots.

    But I really want a forbidden graham cracker! 🙂

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  66. I can’t decide if this goes on politics or not, so here goes.

    A woman in the gym today told me she saw The Big Short last night and described it as “fantastic.”

    “Wasn’t it frustrating?”

    “Terribly! But so good.”

    I shook my head. “It sounds interesting, but I can’t bear to see the story. We thought all along people were crazy. It’s just like The Spotlight. I can’t bear to watch a film about the poor handling of the abuse cases by the Catholic Church, it would make me too angry. Just like 13 Hours–I can’t sit through the horror of Bengazi when I thought it was questionable at the time.”

    She agreed.

    But it’s lead me to wonder if we are condemned (or not since I won’t see those films), to not only live through these crises but then have them filmed as “entertainment,” when they’re all tragedies.

    Can’t we have something happy with a positive?

    Oh, yes, Same Kind of Different as Me releases in April–that, hopefully, will make me happy!

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  67. I worked with old-timers who talked about “evening” as any time after noon.

    What would I do $1 billion? Buy a big house for the daughter who lives in a small 3 bedroom ranch style and is expecting child #5. The house would be big enough for her growing family with a guest house for Grandparents to use when visiting. I would also buy a house for the daughter getting married, once she and her man settle down somewhere.

    I would also invest a million for each child, and grandchild, then give it to them over time in $10,000 installments, since that’s the amount Uncle Sam lets you give as gifts without the recipient paying taxes on it.

    I would put a few million away for retirement, then retire.

    I would take a trip to all the places I’ve wanted to go but can’t afford.

    And I would give a lot of it away.

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  68. Pay the bills.
    I already have everything I need or want and have already traveled.
    Set up some sort of trust for adoptive families to pay off their bills associated with raising special children.
    Set up some sort of recreation fund so husband and I could go on a cruise to Alaska and another to the fjords. That would require medical intervention as I get extremely sea sick, even at the dock. So we would have to begin our cruise in Lewiston.
    Offer support to various ministries such as the Salvation Army.
    If I could find somebody to help out around here, adopt more children.
    Set aside some for when the twenty year old cars die, they can be replaced.
    Well, that should cover the first ten million, if we find lots of adoptive families.
    Try to get some food and water to the real Syrian sufferers, the ones starving in Syria due to their government and their militant neighbors.

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  72. Similar to what I wrote above. . .Chrissy tends to stay up late & then sleep late. Since the McKs cannot pick her up tonight, Lee will be driving her back on his way to work. She will still be living in Wednesday (no matter if it is after midnight) & he will be living in Thursday. 🙂

    (He offered to drop her off because he goes right by their apartment on his way to work.)

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  75. Hi, Jo. I made hummus once and it was ok. I did not use tahini which would have made a good difference.

    I enjoy hummus with blue corn chips, preferably the unsalted ones, but any common corn chips, yellow or white, are good, too.

    I have used hummus with saltiness when without chips. I have also used it as part of the filling for a pita bread sandwich. And as a dip for baby carrots. How do you use your hummus?

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  76. Mostly with a very plain cracker, letting the hummus do the flavoring. I am trying not to eat crackers and such so will probably use with cucumber wedges. I need to get some fresh lemons at market in the morning.

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