text:
Polish Linguisa
Would anyone else here recommend Polish Linguisa. I grew several this year for the first time. I wanted to try a new paste tomato. Like most others in my area my garden has been plagued with diseases this year. The plants that are partialy surviving have numerous fruits but they seem to ripen at the bottom of the fruit and then the top half stays green. If I wait till the top ripens the bottom is past its prime. I have tried to remove them early and let them ripen inside but I did not have any better results. I wasn't sure if it was the crazy season this year or if others have had the same problems.
What do others in the New England area recommend for paste tomatoes? This is my second year making my own sauce. If others have had problems with Polish Linguisa before than I will not give them another shot next year. I don't want to go through the same thing again. I find it too watery to make sauce without any paste tomaotes. I would like to use a good mix of tomatoes for the floavor.
I've grown Polish Linguisa and find them to be very similar to Opalka. In this cooler summer, I find that many of my varieties, especially the larger ones, have more green shoulders or uneven ripening of one whole side than in a normal summer. That said, I do remember both long pastes in other years may have been a little slow to color up the stem end, but normally a couple of days in the house would take care of it. I don't think Polish Linguisa is unusual for this, in my experience.
I've grown Polish Linguisa two times, once in a very dry year and this year in a very wet season. Both times Polish Linguisa showed high susceptibility to leaf wilt.
Grown at the same time, Ludmilla's Red Plum and Opalka were both more productive and less susceptible to leaf diseases than Polish Linguisa, in my limited experience with those three varieties ... and they tasted just as good or better. Heidi is another productive, open pollinated Roma type tomato.
Plum Regal is a new hybrid plum saladette/paste tomato that is highly disease resistant, tasty, high-vitamin content, etc. And it gives two huge concentrated sets of tomatoes per plant before going out of production as a determinate short bush. Great tomato.
I have been growing Polish linguisa for 5 years. They are the best tomatoes. I have never ever had any problem with them. I am very surprised to learn that you guys have problems with them. Maybe it is climate related but I've never experienced that phenomenon of uneven ripening, and I've been growing tomatoes for 10 years. Polish linguisa in very sweet, delicious to eat raw, and very productive until frost.
I agree with you that Polish Linguisa is a good flavored tomato, but I continued to have disease problems every time I grew them. So, I recommend Opalka as an alternate. I never had a problem with Opalka when grown in same conditions, same year, same gardens. And I've grown Linguisa from two commercial sources with same results, same symptoms. That was enough for me. Glad someone else was able to enjoy a good tasting paste, though.


text:
ATLANTA, Ga. – The LSU men's basketball team buried a season's best 11 three-pointers, and the Tigers won their third consecutive opening game at the SEC Tournament with a 68-56 victory over Alabama Thursday at the Georgia Dome.
Click here for the original story.
Welcome to SECTalk.com
|Welcome to SECTalk.com -- The Home of 6 Straight National Titles!
You are currently accessing our site as a guest which means you can't access all of our features such as social groups, sports betting, and many more. By joining our free community you will have access to all of these great features as well as to participating in our forums, contacting other members, and much more. Registration only takes a minute and SECTalk.com is absolutely free, so please join today!
If you have any problems registering or signing in, please contact us.
Latest Topics
Latest News
Top Bettors
Top High Fived
Men's Basketball Shoots Past Bama; Kentucky Next
Started by SECTalk.com, Mar 13 2014 08:15 PM
Similar Topics
|Started By
|Last Post Info
Bama gonna offer Greg Marshall
Started by UK4Life, 23 Mar 2015 In: SEC Sports → SEC Basketball Talk
- Hot 116 replies
- 1,965 views
Pinned Official 2014-2015 Basketball Thread
Started by Mizzou_Fan, 12 Nov 2014 In: SEC Sports → Official Game Threads
- Hot 5,081 replies
- 63,818 views
This is Kentucky Basketball (March 29)
Started by UKat, Today, 03:03 PM In: The East → Kentucky Sports → Kentucky News
- 0 replies
- 25 views
Men's Basketball Salute To The Fans
Started by TheRealBrave, Today, 10:58 AM In: The East → Georgia Sports → Georgia News
- 0 replies
- 25 views
Kentucky Takes Baseball Series in 11 Innings
Started by SECTalk.com, Yesterday, 05:30 PM In: The West → LSU Sports → LSU News
- 0 replies
- 41 views

subset: commoncrawl


text:
We've lived at our current residence for over 10 years and have had dealings with three different pest control companies, and by far this is the best company I have dealt with and Ed Sakugawa is the best technician we've had service our home. He is always professional as well as reliable and personable.
St. George, UT


text:
Prairie Horizons
Nature & Books belong to the eyes that see them.
- Emerson
March 22, 2015
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast
Nonfiction – Graphic Memoir
2014 Bloomsbury USA
Finished on February 27, 2015
Rating: 2/5 (OK)
In her first memoir, Roz Chast brings her signature wit to the topic of aging parents. Spanning the last several years of their lives and told through four-color cartoons, family photos, and documents, and a narrative as rife with laughs as it is with tears, Chast's memoir is both comfort and comic relief for anyone experiencing the life-altering loss of elderly parents.
When it came to her elderly mother and father, Roz held to the practices of denial, avoidance, and distraction. But when Elizabeth Chast climbed a ladder to locate an old souvenir from the "crazy closet"--with predictable results--the tools that had served Roz well through her parents' seventies, eighties, and into their early nineties could no longer be deployed.
While the particulars are Chast-ian in their idiosyncrasies--an anxious father who had relied heavily on his wife for stability as he slipped into dementia and a former assistant principal mother whose overbearing personality had sidelined Roz for decades--the themes are universal: adult children accepting a parental role; aging and unstable parents leaving a family home for an institution; dealing with uncomfortable physical intimacies; managing logistics; and hiring strangers to provide the most personal care.
An amazing portrait of two lives at their end and an only child coping as best she can, Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant will show the full range of Roz Chast's talent as cartoonist and storyteller.
#1 New York Times Bestseller
2014 National Book Critics Circle Award Winner for Autobiography
2014 National Book Award Finalist for Nonfiction
2014 Kirkus Prize for Nonfiction Winner
One of the New York Times Book Review's 10 Best Books of 2014
Having just read Being Mortal, Atul Gawande's remarkable book on medicine and the end of life, I was sadly disappointed with Roz Chast's graphic memoir, Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? I've only read a couple of books in this format and it takes a little getting used to reading the text and looking at the cartoons. However, that wasn't the cause of my displeasure. I understand that Chast was trying to be completely, perhaps brutally, honest about her experience with the care of her aging parents, but I felt she was a little too candid and somewhat hurtful in the way she expressed her annoyance and frustrations toward her mother and father. Not every negative thought needed to be shared to convey how difficult it was to take care of her parents as they grew more and more unable to do so themselves. I found myself cringing every so often, putting myself in Chast's shoes, wondering how my mother would feel if I published a book about her final years. This tell-all felt somewhat disrespectful and in poor taste.
With that said, there was a series of drawings that made me laugh out loud. I used to have an oven mitt with holes and scorch marks, dating back to at least 1992. I have since thrown it away. I do, however, own a plastic pasta serving fork that has been missing a couple of tines for many, many years. But, hey! It still works! ;)
As you can see, my attempt to take a few shots of this graphic memoir failed miserably. You can see more and read a portion of the memoir here.
Click here to listen to an interview with the author on NPR's Fresh Air.
Final Thoughts:
Judging from a wide variety of online reviews, I see that I'm in the minority with my less than stellar rating for this graphic memoir. It quickly became quite apparent that the author did not share a close relationship with her mother and I felt bad that Chast was compelled to express her unhappiness about that relationship in a public format. The details centered around the care of aging parents (the expense, the stress, the overwhelming sense of the unknown) were helpful, not to mention eye-opening. And yet, I believe Atul Gawande was able to achieve the same effect with much more empathy and tenderness, both toward his father and other seniors, than Chast did toward her own parents. If you plan to read both books, borrow Chast's from the library and read it first. Then buy two copies of Gawande's: one for you and one for either your parents or your children.
Posted by Les at 8:04 AM 7 comments:
Labels: 2/5, Aging, graphic memoir, Memoir, New-To-Me Author, Nonfiction
March 15, 2015
Being Mortal
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande
Nonfiction – Medicine
2014 Metropolitan Books
Finished on February 24, 2015
Rating: 4.5/5 (Terrific!)
Being Mortal is an AARP, Amazon, Apple iBooks, Astoria Bookshop, Book Riot, Business Standard, Chicago Tribune, The Daily Beast, The Economist, Financial Times, The Globe and Mail, The Guardian, Houston Chronicle, Huffington Post, LA Times, Maclean's Magazine, Mother Jones, New Hampshire Public Radio, The New Statesman, The New York Times, NPR, NPR's Science Friday, Oprah, Politics & Prose, Shelf Awareness, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Wired Magazine Bestseller. [It was also a Barnes & Noble Best Book of 2014.]
Publisher's Blurb:
Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming the dangers of childbirth, injury, and disease from harrowing to manageable. But when it comes to the inescapable realities of aging and death, what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should.
Through eye-opening research and gripping stories of his own patients and family, Gawande reveals the suffering this dynamic has produced. Nursing homes, devoted above all to safety, battle with residents over the food they are allowed to eat and the choices they are allowed to make. Doctors, uncomfortable discussing patients' anxieties about death, fall back on false hopes and treatments that are actually shortening lives instead of improving them. And families go along with all of it.
In his bestselling books, Atul Gawande, a practicing surgeon, has fearlessly revealed the struggles of his profession. Now he examines its ultimate limitations and failures – in his own practices as well as others' – as life draws to a close. And he discovers how we can do better. He follows a hospice nurse on her rounds, a geriatrician in his clinic, and reformers turning nursing homes upside down. He finds people who show us how to have the hard conversations and how to ensure we never sacrifice what people really care about.
Riveting, honest, and humane, Being Mortal shows that the ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life – all the way to the very end.
"You're as young as you feel!"
Or, maybe it's more like, "You're not getting any younger!"
I've always felt much younger than the date on my driver's license, but last week, while writing about a book in which a 53-year-old woman is referred to as middle-aged, I stopped dead in my tracks. Really? Middle-aged? But, 53 is middle-aged. So why is that so difficult for me to accept? Isn't 50 the new 30? (Someone really should mention this to my back and knees.)
I had my first experience of extreme back pain a couple of years ago (who knew lifting one large duffel bag into the back of an SUV could cause such pain!) and now I need to be extra careful when lifting heavy boxes of books at work. Gone are the days of running 3-5 miles, thanks to over 30 years of pounding the pavement, so walking and biking have replaced that passion for a runner's high. I now own a half dozen pairs of readers, as well as my first pair of bifocals (which I never got used to and have stashed in my purse for emergencies), and while I hate to admit it, I think my hearing is not what it used to be. If there's too much background noise and I have my back to the room (washing dishes, for instance), I really can't hear what my husband is saying if he's in an adjacent room. And, those extra pounds that used to be so easy to drop with just a few simple modifications to my diet, combined with an increase in my exercise routine? Ha! I'm falling apart. Thankfully, more slowly than my husband, but then, he has a decade on me.
So what does all this whining have to do with Atul Gawande's latest book? Well, it's pretty obvious that one day we're all going to die, but this book really got me thinking about how we are treating our elders and how I hope to enjoy my final years of life. Never too early to start worrying, right?
I started listening to Being Mortal on audio, but found my mind wandering, so I decided to switch over to the print edition. This turned out to be a good thing, since I wound up with over a dozen passages marked for future reference. This book is filled with many anecdotes and much information about aging, nursing homes, hospice, etc., and it's one you'll want to share with your spouse, hopefully inspiring some heartfelt discussions about planning for "the golden years." It's also a great book to share and discuss with your parents, although that might prove to be a bit more uncomfortable than with your spouse. We are a society that loathes to talk about grief, let alone dying. But if we don't learn our loved-ones' wishes while they can still share them with us, we might not know what their desires are when it's too late to discuss.
On scientific advances in medicine:
Modern scientific capability has profoundly altered the course of human life. People live longer and better than at any other time in history. But scientific advances have turned the processes of aging and dying into medical experiences, matters to be managed by health care professionals. And we in the medical world have proved alarmingly unprepared for it.
This reality has been largely hidden, as the final phases of life become less familiar to people. As recently as 1945, most deaths occurred in the home. By the 1980s, just 17 percent did. Those who somehow did die at home likely died too suddenly to make it to the hospital—say, from a massive heart attack, stroke, or violent injury—or were too isolated to get somewhere that could provide help. Across not just the United States but also the entire industrialized world, the experience of advanced aging and death has shifted to hospitals and nursing homes.
There's no escaping the tragedy of life, which is that we are all aging from the day we are born. One may even come to understand and accept this fact. My dead and dying patients don't haunt my dreams anymore. But that's not the same as saying one knows how to cope with what cannot be mended. I am in a profession that has succeeded because of its ability to fix. If your problem is fixable, we know just what to do. But if it's not? The fact that we have had no adequate answers to this question is troubling and has caused callousness, inhumanity, and extraordinary suffering.
This experiment of making mortality a medical experience is just decades old. It is young. And the evidence is it is failing.
On nursing homes:
It is a near-universal reality. Nursing home priorities are matters like avoiding bedsores and maintaining residents' weight—important medical goals, to be sure, but they are means, not ends. The woman had left an airy apartment she furnished herself for a small beige hospital-like room with a stranger for a roommate. Her belongings were stripped down to what she could fit into the one cupboard and shelf they gave her. Basic matters, like when she went to bed, woke up, dressed, and ate, were subject to the rigid schedule of institutional life. She couldn't have her own furniture or a cocktail before dinner, because it wasn't safe.
There was so much more she felt she could do in her life. "I want to be helpful, play a role," she said. She used to make her own jewelry, volunteer at the library. Now, her main activities were bingo, DVD movies, and other forms of passive group entertainment. The things she missed most, she told me, were her friendships, privacy, and a purpose to her days. Nursing homes have come a long way from the firetrap warehouses of neglect they used to be. But it seems we've succumbed to a belief that, once you lose your physical independence, a life of worth and freedom is simply not possible.
On simple pleasures:
As our time winds down, we all seek comfort in simple pleasures—companionship, everyday routines, the taste of good food, the warmth of sunlight on our faces. We become less interested in the rewards of achieving and accumulating, and more interested in the rewards of simply being. Yet while we may feel less ambitious, we also become concerned for our legacy. And we have a deep need to identify purposes outside ourselves that make living feel meaningful and worthwhile.
On the dying role:
Technological society has forgotten what scholars call the "dying role" and its importance to people as life approaches its end. People want to share memories, pass on wisdoms and keepsakes, settle relationships, establish their legacies, make peace with God, and ensure that those who are left behind will be okay. They want to end their stories on their own terms. This role is, observers argue, among life's most important, for both the dying and those left behind. And if it is, the way we deny people this role, out of obtuseness and neglect, is cause for everlasting shame. Over and over, we in medicine inflict deep gouges at the end of people's lives and then stand oblivious to the harm done.
As I finished the final chapter of Atul Gawande's thought-provoking work, I felt a sense of deep sadness, perhaps because his father's final days reminded me of the last days I spent with my stepfather, who died on December 15, 2013. Both men died of cancer, in their homes, surrounded by their families, under the care of hospice. It may sound strange to those who have never experienced the passing of a loved one in hospice, but as my stepdad took his final breath, with only candles burning to illuminate the bedroom, his wife and adult children holding his hands and gently touching his arms and back, I couldn't help but think that it was one of the most beautiful and peaceful moments I'd ever experienced. Of course it was extremely sad, but I can't think of a better place to say our goodbyes. Certainly not a noisy, sterile hospital room, that's for certain.
Final Thoughts:
If you only read one book in 2015, Being Mortal is my #1 recommendation for a nonfiction title. I can't recommend it highly enough. Couples will find plenty of information to use in discussions about their futures as senior citizens, as will adult children with their aging parents. And, of course, members of book groups will have plenty to share about their individual hopes (and fears) to live out their final years not simply with good health and comfort, but also with pleasure and dignity.
Middle-aged? I guess it's really just a state of mind. While I'm not quite ready to order off the senior menu at Las Margaritas, I do have lots to look forward to in the coming years.
Joie de vivre!
Atul Gawande is the author of The Checklist Manifesto, Better, and Complications. He is also a MacArthur Fellow, a general surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital, a staff writer at The New Yorker, and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School and the Harvard School of Public Health. He lives with his wife and three children in Newton, Massachusetts.
Go here to listen to Atul Gawande's interview with Diane Rehm on NPR.
Posted by Les at 6:22 PM 8 comments:
Labels: 4.5/5, Aging, Medicine, New-To-Me Author, Nonfiction
March 8, 2015
The Various Haunts of Men
The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill
A Simon Serrailler Crime Novel (#1)
2011 Blackstone Audio
Reader: Steven Pacey
Finished on February 22, 2015
Rating: 4.5/5 (Terrific!)
Publisher's Blurb:
A woman vanishes in the fog on "the Hill," an area known locally for its tranquility and peace. The police are not alarmed; people usually disappear for their own reasons. But when a young girl, an old man and even a dog disappear no-one can deny that something untoward is happening in this quiet cathedral town. Young policewoman Freya Graffham is assigned to the case; she's new to the job, compassionate, inquisitive, dedicated and needs to know - perhaps too much. She and the enigmatic Detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler have the task of unravelling the mystery behind this gruesome sequence of events. From the passages revealing the killer's mind to the final heart-stopping twist, The Various Haunts of Men is a masterly crime debut.
From Amazon:
When Susan Hill first introduced us to the city of Lafferton, to its meticulously crafted cast of characters, and to its chief police inspector Simon Serrailler, readers went wild. When it was released in hardcover, The Various Haunts of Men was named a BookSense Pick and was immediately on the must-read list of every mystery fan. Now out in paperback, Hill's intricate and pulse-pounding novel will reach an even wider audience.
As the story begins, a lonely woman vanishes while out on her morning run. Then a 22-year-old girl never returns from a walk. An old man disappears too. When fresh-faced policewoman Freya Graffham is assigned to the case, she runs the risk of getting too invested--too involved--in the action. Alongside the enigmatic detective Chief Inspector Simon Serrailler, she must unravel the mystery before events turn too gruesome.
Written with intelligence, compassion, and a knowing eye--in the tradition of the fabulous mysteries of Ruth Rendell and P.D. James--The Various Haunts of Men is an enthralling journey into the heart of a wonderfully developed town, and into the very mind of a killer.
This is a marvelous book! I accidentally read The Shadows in the Street, which is the fifth installment in the Simon Serrailler series, a couple of years ago and enjoyed it immensely. After reading Kay's review for another book in the series, I remembered that I wanted to get back to this author's books and decided to see if I could borrow The Various Haunts of Men from my library. I was able to get it on audio and it was top-notch listening experience. I got so caught up in the narration, I found myself holding my breath, anxious to hear what was about to happen next. One of the nice things about listening to an audio book is that I am never really sure where I am or how much further it is to the last chapter. I find that this intensifies the suspense more than when I'm reading a print edition of a mystery or thriller. On the negative side, I missed out on a two-page detailed map of Lafferton, which is presented at the beginning of the book and which I only happened to stumble upon while looking up a couple of passages to share.
I don't remember too much about the mystery in the other book I read, but I do remember that I liked the characters, so it was nice to start at the beginning of the series and get some background history on the main cast. Hill's characters are fleshed out and the dialogue rings true, although I had to laugh at one point when one of the characters was referred to as middle aged. She is 53. Seriously? I don't think I've ever considered myself middle aged!
I love a good mystery and Hill kept me guessing up until the end of the book, but I also enjoyed the domestic details (reminiscent of Rosamunde Pilcher's) of the narrative.
On simple comforts of home:
Simon went into the kitchen but Cat did not follow, not yet, she wanted to luxuriate in this room. It ran the length of the house and had long windows. From the kitchen there was a glimpse of the Hill.
The white-painted wooden shutters were folded back. The polished old elm floorboards had two large good rugs. Light poured in, on to Simon's pictures and his few carefully chosen pieces of furniture which mixed antiques and contemporary classics with confident success. Beyond this one huge room, he had a small bedroom and a bathroom tucked out of the way, and then the galley kitchen. Everything centred here, in this one calm room, where Cat came, she thought, for almost the same reasons she went to church—peace, quiet, beauty and spiritual and visual recharging of her batteries. Nothing about her brother's flat bore any relation to her own hugger-mugger farmhouse, always noisy and untidy, spilling over with children, dogs, wellington boots, bridles and medical journals. She loved it, that was where her heart was, where she had deep roots. But a small, vital nugget of herself belonged here, in this sanctuary of light and tranquility. She thought it was probably what kept Simon sane and able to do his often stressful and distressing job as well as he did.
On house calls and death:
She prayed that her phone would not ring. Spending some time now with a dying patient—doing something so ordinary as making tea in this kitchen, helping an ordinary couple through the most momentous and distressing parting of all—put the hassle and increasing administrative burden of general practice in its place. Medicine was changing, or being changed, by the grey men who managed but did not understand it. A lot of Cat and Chris Deerborn's colleagues were becoming cynical, burned out and demoralized. It would be easy to give in, to process people through the surgery like cans on a conveyor belt and palm the out-of-hours stuff on to locums. That way you got a good night's sleep—and precious little job satisfaction. Cat was having none of it. What she was doing now was not cost-effective and no one could put a price on it. Helping Harry Chater through his dying, and looking after his wife as well as she could, were the jobs that mattered and as important to her as to them.
Excellent British series! I can't wait to return to the cathedral town of Lafferton to see what's in store for DC Simon Serrailler. Next up The Pure in Heart. British actor Steven Pacey is a wonderful reader and it appears that he is the reader for all the audio books in this series. If I can't download the remaining seven from my library, I may have to break down and join Audible.com.
Go here to read Kay's excellent review of The Pure in Heart.
You can find my review of The Shadow in the Streets here.
Posted by Les at 6:43 PM 10 comments:
Labels: 2015, 4.5/5, Audio, British, First in Series, Mystery, Series, Steven Pacey
March 5, 2015
Everything I Never Told You
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
2014 Penguin Press
Finished on February 14, 2015
Rating: 3/5 (Good)
Publisher's Blurb:
Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet . . .
So begins the story of this exquisite debut novel, about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her mother's bright blue eyes and her father's jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue—in Marilyn's case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James's case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the center of every party.
{spoiler removed}… the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. James, consumed by guilt, sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to find a responsible party, no matter what the cost. Lydia's older brother, Nathan, is certain that the neighborhood bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it's the youngest of the family—Hannah—who observes far more than anyone realizes and who may be the only one who knows the truth about what happened.
A profoundly moving story of family, history, and the meaning of home, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, exploring the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family, and uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.
I first heard about Everything I Never Told You early in the holiday season last year when it was named Amazon's #1 Best Book of 2014. It was also named a best book of the year by NPR, Huffington Post, Shelf Awareness and many others. This debut novel quickly became a popular pick in our store, not to mention with a lot of my blogging friends, so I was intrigued. I had hoped to read it before Christmas, in order to recommend it to shoppers, but I didn't get to it until after the holidays. That turned out not to be a problem since word of mouth recommendations made it easy to convince readers to get a copy, which was probably a good thing in this case, since I didn't love it. I read the book over the course of a week and while I certainly don't have any complaints about the author's writing ability, I simply didn't care for the story. It's a terribly sad story, but not because of the loss of a child (which we all know is the worst loss anyone should ever have to endure), but because of the underlying dysfunction within the Lee family. Marilyn and James' disappointments in their individual lives become their children's burdens to bear. The entire novel is filled with such loneliness and misunderstandings, that had it not been such a compelling story, I probably wouldn't have finished. The mystery of Lydia's death played a huge role in sustaining my interest, as did all the glowing reviews I read prior to picking up the book.
Final Thoughts:
Ng's debut novel is well-written and completely absorbing, and yet I found it too sad to enjoy. Loneliness permeates the entire Lee family; each member a loner or virtually invisible to those around them. These misunderstood people, who really just might have felt loved if only they could communicate and share their true feelings, were lost in their own sad worlds. Good, but not great.
Posted by Les at 12:00 AM 13 comments:
Labels: 2015, 3/5, Debut, New-To-Me Author
March 1, 2015
Slow Dancing with a Stranger
Slow Dancing with a Stranger by Meryl Comer
Nonfiction – Memoir
2014 HarperOne
Finished on February 13, 2015
Rating: 3/5 (Good)
The man I live with is not the man I fell in love with and married.
He has slowly been robbed of something we all take for granted: the ability to navigate the mundane activities of living—bathing, shaving, dressing, feeding, and using the bathroom. His inner clock is confused and can't be reset. His eyes are vacant and unaware—as if an internal window shade veils our access.
Before I grasped what was happening, I was hurt and annoyed by my husband's behavior. Those feelings dissolved into unconditional empathy once I understood the cruelty of his diagnosis: early-onset Alzheimer's disease. He was fifty-eight.
Publisher's Blurb:
From Emmy award-winning broadcast journalist and leading Alzheimer's advocate Meryl Comer comes a profoundly intimate and unflinching account of her husband's battle with Alzheimer's disease, one of today's most pressing—and least-understood—health epidemics.
When Meryl Comer's husband, Dr. Harvey Gralnick, chief of hematology and oncology at the National Institutes of Health, began forgetting routine things and demonstrating abrupt changes in behavior, doctors were confounded as to what was wrong. Diagnoses ranged from stress and depression to Lyme disease, from pernicious anemia to mad cow's disease supposedly acquired from a trip to London. Finally, after years of inconclusive tests, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's, a seemingly impossible disease for a man in his prime.
Comer gave up her television career and for the next two decades cared for Harvey in their home, tending to his every need while watching him regress into an emotionally distant and sometimes violent stranger. "The man I live with is not the man I fell in love with and married," she writes. "He has slowly been robbed of what we all take for granted—the ability to navigate the mundane activities of daily living: bathing, shaving, dressing, feeding, and using the bathroom. His inner clock is confused and can't be reset. His eyes are vacant and unaware."
In Slow Dancing with a Stranger, Comer brings readers face-to-face with Alzheimer's, detailing the realities, its stressful emotional and financial hardships for families, as well as the limitations of doctors and assisted living and long term care facilities to manage difficult patient behaviors. With candor and grace, Comer chronicles her personal experiences—her mistakes, her heartbreaks, her minor victories—to paint an intimate and moving portrait of Alzheimer's and, in the process, she reveals the truth about the disease and everyone it affects.
Six years ago I read Lisa Genova's amazing debut novel, Still Alice. I couldn't put the book down, reading it in less than two days, and I gave it a perfect 5/5 rating. Genova's story put a face on Alzheimer's, reading more like a memoir than a novel. When I came across Meryl Comer's memoir, Slow Dancing with a Stranger, I was immediately intrigued, eager to read another account of one couple's experience with this awful disease. I was also curious to see how a real account compares to Genova's work of fiction.
Slow Dancing with a Stranger is sad, sad, sad. Some reviews say that the book provides inspiration and hope, but I found it bleak and depressing. Told from Comer's point of view (as opposed to that of the afflicted, as in Still Alice), we see what an exhausting and depressing role the caretaker is thrown into. I don't remember a lot of violence on the part of Alice in Genova's book, but Comer's husband becomes very angry and, quite often, extremely violent. I can understand the incredible financial burden for the care of someone suffering from Alzheimer's, especially for two decades, but I can't begin to imagine what it must be like to take on the physical and emotional burden to care for that person in one's own home with the assistance of just a couple of nurses and aides.
On the unfairness of the disease:
Neither a scientist nor a neurologist, I have spent close to two decades trying to decipher what's going on in my husband's head. How hard and unfair it is for such a smart man to lose pieces of his intellect and independence as the circuitry of his brain misfires and corrodes. No new short-term memories stick: his internal navigational compass has shut down. His disease is my crossword puzzle.On the loss of friendships:
It was too disconcerting to walk through our door and see someone who was once just like them being destroyed in slow motion by an insidious disease for which there is no cure. I understand how they feel, even though I was left behind too and I'm not sick. How do I write about a twenty-year gaping hole in our lives—an intimate part of our history—when it's still not over?On the violence:
The nurses and I worked together, always aware that Harvey could strike out without any warning. I brought in an instructor for a session in self-defense and to demonstrate how to unlock Harvey's vice-like grip. My personal survival regimen—a weekly weight-training session with a former pro athlete nicknamed Huggy, who pushed me to my physical max and pumped up my courage.On the emptiness and loneliness:
Winter approached, and soon the holidays were upon us…. As his brain shut down, so did his vision. He lost much of his ability to speak. One of the only words he could still say was his name. Our twenty-third wedding anniversary and my birthday went by as forgotten, irrelevant dates.
There was a deep emptiness in my life; sometimes I felt as if I didn't exist.
Final Thoughts:
Good, but not great. Like Genova's novel Still Alice, Slow Dancing with a Stranger is a very readable (yet brutally honest) account of a couple dealing with a spouse's decline from Alzheimer's. However, I never felt an emotional pull while reading Comer's memoir, in spite of all the passages I marked with Post-It notes. Perhaps that's the difference, at least in this case, between fact and fiction. Both books are medically and practically informative (I really need to look into long-term health care insurance!), and yet Lisa's book tugged at my heartstrings, while Comer's held me at an arm's length. If you haven't read either of these two books, I strongly recommend Still Alice. And yes, the book is better than the movie, in spite of Julianne Moore's amazing performance as Alice.
Click here to read my review (and lovely comment from the author) of Still Alice.
Click here to listen to Meryl Comer's interview with Diane Rehm on NPR.
Posted by Les at 12:00 AM 4 comments:
Labels: 2015, 3/5, Alzheimer's, Memoir, New-To-Me Author, Nonfiction
February 28, 2015
February Reading
I read a little bit more this month than I did in January, but one book (Chast's) was a graphic memoir, and I was able to read it on my lunch breaks in just a couple of days. All three nonfiction titles focus on disease and dying; probably not the most uplifting type of books to read in such a sort span of time, but for comparison sake, it makes it easier to decide which I liked better and which I would recommend.
My favorite of the month? I'm going to pick two since they were both very good. The Various Haunts of Men is my fiction choice and Being Mortal is my pick for nonfiction. Reviews to follow, but you can click on the books in my sidebar to read more about them on B&N.
Slow Dancing with a Stranger by Meryl Comer
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
The Various Haunts of Men by Susan Hill
Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? by Roz Chast
5 books
1 novel
1 mystery
3 nonfiction
2 memoirs
1 graphic book
4 new-to-me authors
4 print books
1 audio book
4 female authors
1 male author
5 borrowed
0 from my stacks
More 2015 Monthly Summaries:
Posted by Les at 1:51 PM 6 comments:
Labels: 2015, Monthly Summary
February 24, 2015
The Girl on the Train
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
2015 Riverhead Books
Finished on January 24, 2015
Rating: 4.5 (Terrific!)
The train crawls along; it judders past warehouses and water towers, bridges and sheds, past modest Victorian houses, their backs turned squarely to the track.
My head leaning against the carriage window, I watch these houses roll past me like a tracking shot in a film. I see them as others do not; even their owners probably don't see them from this perspective. Twice a day, I am offered a view into other lives, just for a moment. There's something comforting about the sight of strangers safe at home.
Someone's phone is ringing, an incongruously joyful and upbeat song. They're slow to answer, it jingles on and on around me. I can feel my fellow commuters shift in their seats, rustle their newspapers, tap at their computers. The train lurches and sways around the bend, slowing as it approaches a red signal. I try not to look up, I try to read the free newspaper I was handed on my way into the station, but the words blur in front of my eyes, nothing holds my interest. In my head I can still see that little pile of clothing lying at the edge of the track, abandoned.
Publisher's Blurb:
There she sits, the girl on the train. What she sees, gazing out the window, will change everything.
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She looks forward to it. She's even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.
And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?
Compulsively readable, The Girl on the Train is an emotionally immersive, Hitchcockian thriller and an electrifying debut.
This chilling psychological tale has everything: Obsession, jealousy, scorned lovers and canned gin & tonics. Definitely not a good mix. With alternating points-of-view and multiple flashbacks, Paula Hawkins has herself a best-selling thriller that never loosens its grip. From cover to cover, this debut is one intense read!
As usual, I went into this book completely blind, which is exactly how everyone should approach The Girl on the Train. Spoiler-free. Remember when everyone was reading Gone Girl, but couldn't talk about it? Or looking further back, there was all the hush-hush about The Sixth Sense and Dennis Lehane's Shutter Island. Even the season finale to The Sopranos had everyone tightlipped. Well, I can't talk about this book. The most I can do is give you the publisher's blurb and a few quotes from those who have read and loved the book, just as I have. You'll just have to read it for yourself. Then let's talk!
What really makes The Girl on the Train such a gripping novel is Hawkins' remarkable understanding of the limits of human knowledge, and the degree to which memory and imagination can become confused. (NPR.org)
Psychologically astute debut . . . The surprise-packed narratives hurtle toward a stunning climax, horrifying as a train wreck and just as riveting. (Publishers Weekly, starred review)Ok. I'll tell you a little more.
I finished The Girl on the Train almost a month ago and I still think it's outstanding read, one I know I'd like to eventually listen to on audio. It's not great literature, but it's without doubt a breathtaking thriller, which pulled me in from the opening lines and didn't let me go until I finished the very last paragraph. Yes, all of the characters are unlikeable and I especially had a tough time with Rachel's constant drinking problem, but Hawkins does such a great job making the reader care just enough to want to continue and find out how it all ends. I knocked it down from a perfect 5/5, as there weren't any lyrical passages to mark and the ending felt a little anticlimactic, although I usually feel that way about most mysteries/thrillers. It's the getting there that's all the fun.
Final Thoughts:
If this is Hawkins' debut thriller, I can't imagine how amazing her second endeavor is going to be. Someone buy that woman a cabin on a lake and let her write another book! Until then, I'll be first in line to see this on the big screen. Move over, Gone Girl! This one's got you beat. I think Patricia Highsmith and Hitchcock would approve.
February 22, 2015
Slow Cooker Mexican Pork Carnitas
Carnitas, literally "little meats," is a dish of Mexican cuisine originating from the state of Michoacán. Carnitas are made by braising or simmering pork in oil or preferably lard until tender. The process takes three or four hours and the result is very tender and juicy meat, which is then typically served with chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) and diced onion, salsa, guacamole, tortillas, and refried beans (frijoles refritos). (Wikipedia)
My love for great Mexican food dates back to the late 1960s. As I've mentioned in previous posts, my grandparents had a beautiful beach house in Leucadia, California and every summer my family would make the long drive down I-5 from Central California to visit for several blissful weeks. Highlights of those memorable vacations are forever engrained in my mind. We enjoyed long days at the beach, playing in the chilly water, building sandcastles, and hunting for sand dollars. There were day trips to Disneyland, the San Diego Zoo, and Balboa Park, where I remember savoring a warm homemade corn tortilla from a historical exhibition at the Museum of Man.
We gazed out the large picture windows that spanned the full length of the house, watching for whales, and occasionally spotting a pod of dolphin riding the waves with the surfers. And of course, there were always the breathtaking sunsets. We dug for sand crabs to use as bait when we fished from the shore and jigged for bait when we went to the pier up in Oceanside. We sneaked jelly beans and gumdrops from my grandfather's candy jars and learned how to play Mah Jong with our North Carolina cousins. The one thing I don't remember is eating out anywhere other than Tony's Jacal in Solana Beach. I think it was at Tony's that I tasted my very first taco, enchilada and guacamole dip. I've been in love with Mexican food ever since.
Oh, my. This picture. So many, many memories of sitting in this back room... my grandmother's memorial lunch was held here. I ate here with my parents, my grandparents, my first husband... my baby girl.
Best rice, beans and enchilada sauce ever.
This past month, my daughter's Instagram feed (yes, you really should follow her!) has been full of tantalizing meals at Mexican restaurants in the Dallas area, making me drool with envy and hit the cookbooks in search of more recipes to add to my repertoire. I have an old recipe for carnitas, which requires simmering a pork roast on the stove top for several hours. In an effort to use my slow cooker as often as possible, I was excited to find this recipe in, yes, you guessed it, The Skinnytaste Cookbook. I made the carnitas a couple of weeks ago and dinner turned out great! Of course, a taco is merely a vehicle for the transfer of guacamole, but these tacos were seriously good. I used the leftover meat for quesadillas later in the week and they were just as amazing.
You're welcome!
Slow-Cooker Mexican Pork Carnitas
2 lbs. boneless pork shoulder roast, trimmed
6 garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced (or more if you like it spicy)
1 1/4 tsp. ground cumin, divided
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 1/4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Season the pork all over with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Set in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat, add the pork, and brown on all sides for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
For the dry adobo rub:
In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon of the cumin, the garlic powder, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper.
Using a sharp knife, insert the knife into the pork about 1 inch deep and insert the crushed garlic, rubbing any excess over the pork. Rub the pork all over with the dry adobo rub.
Pour the chicken broth into the slow cooker and add the bay leaves, chipotle peppers, and the pork. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. After 8 hours, transfer the pork to a large dish. Discard the bay leaves. Shred the pork using two forks and return it to the slow cooker with the juices. Add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cumin and the 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Serves 10
My Notes:
This recipe made enough for 6 tacos and 2 large quesadillas. If I'm going to make this for a group, I'll definitely want to use 4-5 pounds of pork. The roast I bought was 4 pounds, so I cut it in half and put it in the freezer for future use. I was worried that 2 pounds wasn't going to be enough for a couple of meals, but there was plenty. However, I think next time, I'll just double the recipe and freeze the cooked meat for tacos, quesadillas and burritos.
I didn't use the garlic and the meat still tasted flavorful.
I've never cooked with chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, and I wasn't sure how spicy they would make the meat, so I decided to just use one pepper. I didn't dice it up, either; just set it in the broth and stirred it around. I'm not sure if I'd bother with it next time around. Maybe some cayenne added to the rub would be sufficient for a little kick.
After shredding the pork, I decided to throw it in a hot skillet to make the meat a bit more crispy. I didn't have to add any oil or fat since the pork is already a little fatty.
Serve with warm tortillas, shredded jack & cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, chopped cilantro, guacamole and sour cream. Don't forget the Negra Modelo!
Please visit Beth Fish Reads for Weekend Cooking.
Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend.
I'm also participating in Trish's Cook it Up! Cookbook Challenge. Click on over to see what she has going on!
Welcome to the Seventh Edition of Cook It Up! Feel free to join in the challenge at any time, any month. The idea is to pull those cookbooks off your shelves and use them. These can be cookbooks that you already own or cookbooks that you'd like to check out from the library (or borrow from a friend?). You can cook from one cookbook over the course of the month or pick and choose recipes from different cookbooks. And feel free to make a dozen recipes or just one. You make the rules!
Posted by Les at 1:01 PM 14 comments:
Labels: Beach, Carnitas, Childhood Memories, Cookbooks, Cooking, crock pot, Kiss the Cook, Mexican Food, Skinnytaste, Tony's Jacal, Trish's Cook it Up Challenge, Weekend Cooking
February 20, 2015
The Silkworm
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith (aka J.K. Rowling)
Cormoran Strike Series #2
2014 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Reader: Robert Glenister
Finished on January 24, 2015
Rating: 4/5 (Really liked it)
Publisher's Blurb:
When novelist Owen Quine goes missing, his wife calls in private detective Cormoran Strike. At first, Mrs. Quine just thinks her husband has gone off by himself for a few days—as he has done before—and she wants Strike to find him and bring him home.
But as Strike investigates, it becomes clear that there is more to Quine's disappearance than his wife realizes. The novelist has just completed a manuscript featuring poison-pen portraits of almost everyone he knows. If the novel were to be published, it would ruin lives—meaning there are a lot of people who might want him silenced.
When Quine is found brutally murdered under bizarre circumstances, it becomes a race against time to understand the motivation of a ruthless killer—a killer unlike any Strike has encountered before.
A compulsively readable crime novel with twists at every turn, The Silkworm is the second in the highly acclaimed series featuring Cormoran Strike and his determined young assistant, Robin Ellacott.
This is a wonderful series, especially on audio. The pacing is taut, the plot full of twists & turns, and Robert Glenister proves, once again, to be an excellent reader. Unlike other male readers, I'm never annoyed with his female characterizations. As with The Cuckoo's Calling (the first in this series), I was more interested in the character development and not quite as engrossed in the actual mystery. I'm eager to see what's in store for Cormoran and Robin and hope I don't have to wait too long!
Final Thoughts:
No sophomoric slump for Robert Galbraith! The Silkworm is another entertaining installment to the Cormoran Strike series. If you haven't read either of these mysteries, you're missing out.
February 17, 2015
The Long Winter
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Fiction – Children's
Original Copyright 1940
1971 Harper Trophy Book
Finished on January 14, 2015
Rating: 4/5 (Really liked it)
Publisher's Blurb:
On the empty winter prairie, gray clouds to the northwest meant only one thing: a blizzard was seconds away. The first blizzard came in October. It snowed almost without stopping until April. The temperature dropped to forty below. Snow reached to rooftops. An no trains could get through with food and coal. The townspeople began to starve. The Ingalls family barely lived through that winter. And Almanzo Wilder knew he would have to risk his life to save the town.
The "Little House" books tell the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder's life. She was born in 1867 in the little log cabin on the edge of the Big Woods of Wisconsin, and through the years she traveled with her family by covered wagon through Kansas, Minnesota, and finally the Dakota Territory, where she met and married Almanzo Wilder.
There was deprivation and hard work. Crops were ruined by storms and grasshopper plagues. But there were also the happy times of love and laughter; sleigh rides, holiday celebrations, and socials. These eight titles now in paperback bring the Ingalls family vividly alive and capture the best of the American pioneer spirit.
The illustrations by Garth Williams are the results of 10 years of research. Mr. Williams actually followed the path of the Ingalls family during the period 1870-1889. No wonder, then, that the pictures have a special quality for the children who have loved these stories through the years.
It is currently overcast and 11 degrees outside. While we have had some unseasonably warm days this winter, we have also had some extremely cold (subzero) temps, lasting for days on end. And we've had quite a bit of snow, but nothing like what the Northeast has experienced. As I sit in my cozy room, sipping my hot cup of tea, I hear the furnace kick on once again and I feel especially thankful that it is 2015 and not the late 1800s! As I read The Long Winter, I was constantly reminded of how lucky we are to have heat, hot water, a refrigerator full of food, and a car to take us to the store should we need anything else. I would not have been a very good pioneer!
I first read The Long Winter in 1972, after receiving it for my 11th birthday from my best friend. I've been meaning to go back and re-read this entire series, but decided to skip ahead to The Long Winter after reading Bellezza's comments about this favorite book of hers. As far as I can remember, I've only read the book once, maybe two times, and I was so surprised that it has a more mature feel to it than most young reader books I've read as an adult. The dialogue and detailed narrative doesn't sound light or childish, and I found myself commenting to my husband about the excellent writing on more than one occasion.
On the arrival of yet another blizzard:
The cold and the dark had come again. The nails in the roof were white with frost, the windowpanes were gray. Scraping a peephole only showed the blank, whirling whiteness against the other side of the glass. The stout house quivered and shook; the wind roared and howled. Ma kept the rag rugs tightly against the bottom of the doors, and the cold came crawling in.and
It was hard to be cheerful. Morning and afternoon, holding the clothesline, Pa went to the stable to feed the horses, the cow, and the heifer. He had to be sparing of the hay. He came in so cold that he could hardly get warm. Sitting before the oven, he took Grace on his knee and hugged Carrie close to him, and he told them the stories of bears and panthers that he used to tell Mary and Laura. Then in the evening he took his fiddle and played the merry tunes.
It helped some. Laura hoped that she seemed cheerful enough to encourage the others. But all the time she knew that this storm had blocked the train again. She knew that almost all the coal was gone from the pile in the lean-to. There was no more coal in town. The kerosene was low in the lamp though Ma lighted it only while they ate supper. There would be no meat until the train came. There was no butter and only a little fat-meat dripping was left to spread on bread. There was still potatoes, but no more than flour enough for one more bread baking.On pancakes and the generosity of neighbors:
When Laura had thought of all this, she thought that surely a train must come before the last bread was gone. Then she began to think about the coal, the kerosene, the little bit of dripping left, and the flour in the bottom of the flour sack. But surely, surely, the train must come.
All day and all night, the house trembled, the winds roared and screamed, the snow scoured against the walls of over the roof where the frosty nails came through. In the other houses there were people, there must be lights, but they were too far away to seem real.
Almanzo waved that away, "What's a little wheat between neighbors? You're welcome to it, Mr. Ingalls. Draw up a chair and sample these pancakes before they get cold."Random thoughts:
But Pa insisted on paying for the wheat. After some talk about it, Almanzo charged a quarter and Pa paid it. Then he did sit down, as they urged him, and lifting the blanket cake on the untouched pile, he slipped from under it a section of the stack of hot, syrupy pancakes. Royal forked a brown slice of ham from the frying pan onto Pa's plate and Almanzo filled his coffee cup.
"You boys certainly live in the lap of luxury," Pa remarked. The pancakes were no ordinary buckwheat pancakes. Almanzo followed his mother's pancake rule and the cakes were light as foam, soaked through with melted brown sugar. The ham was sugar-cured and hickory-smoked, from the Wilder farm in Minnesota. "I don't know when I've eaten a tastier meal," said Pa.
Did Pa mention this meal to his family? If this book is part of Laura's biography, he must have or how else would she have known? And how could he enjoy such delicious food while his wife and children were practically starving to death? Of course, he was doing most of the physical labor to take care of his family and livestock, but still!
On the howl of the wind:
The constant beating of the winds against the house, the roaring, shrieking, howling of the storm, made it hard even to think. It was possible only to wait for the storm to stop. All the time, while they ground wheat, twisted hay, kept the fire burning in the stove, and huddled over it to thaw their chapped, numb hands and their itching, burning, chilblained feet, and while they chewed and swallowed the coarse bread, they were all waiting until the storm stopped.Final Thoughts:
Reading about blizzards as the wind howled outside our bedroom window in early January, with the temperature plummeting once again, made me so thankful I wasn't a pioneer girl! I love my creature comforts and can't imagine living in such harsh conditions during a long winter. Running out of coal, having to burn twisted hay, eating a single piece of brown bread with some tea for an evening meal once the food has run out, the isolation, the constant noise of the wind and the fear of dying are almost impossible to imagine. Now that I've read The Long Winter, I'm eager to re-read O.E. Rolvaag's Giants in the Earth. Maybe next winter, though. Right now, I'm ready for something a little more uplifting.
Posted by Les at 12:00 AM 4 comments:
Labels: 2015, 4/5, Juvenile Fiction, Re-read
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Grand Forks schools' Thompson honored for immunization work
Jody Thompson, assistant superintendent at Grand Forks Public School District, has been named the Childhood Immunization Champion for North Dakota by the national Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention, the district said Monday.
Get the full story
Subscribe or Log In
Are you a newspaper subscriber but you don't have a Digital Access account yet? Activate your account.
You will need your subscription account number and phone number. Not sure if you have an account? Email us or call (701) 780-1100 and we can help you.


text:
Newegg.com - A great place to buy computers, computer parts, electronics, software, accessories, and DVDs online. With great prices, fast shipping, and top-rated customer service - once you know, you Newegg.
If you are reading this message, Please click this link to reload this page.(Do not use your browser's "Refresh" button). Please email us if you're running the latest version of your browser and you still see this message.
Newegg.com - Computer Parts, Laptops, Electronics, HDTVs, Digital Cameras and More!
Showing Results: Most Recent
This review is from: Toshiba Q Series HDTS225XZSTA 256GB SATA III Internal Solid State Drive (SSD)
Pros: I only use it to store my System Image so I can only say that the Write speeds are very good cutting down the time to backup my entire OS from 1+ hours to under 10 minutes.
Cons: None after almost 1 year of ownership. Purchased in October of 2013 and working like a champ every day since installation.READ FULL REVIEW
This review is from: MSI Z97-Gaming 7 LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard
Pros: It's an extra dark black which really makes this board stand out from the others. The lighted circuit trace around the audio amp is a nice touch. DeBug LED reads out CPU temps once system is booted. All error codes are in the manual. Enters correct XMP values automatically when selected. Overclocks easily and has my Devil's Canyon i7-4790k running stable at 4.6 GHz @ 1.260 volts with manually entered settings.
Cons: The BIOS needs one or two adjustments to get a DC to boost to 4.4 GHz. It won't detect your CPU's default clock rates and enter them automatically. The MSI logo on the South Bridge is lighted too but you won't be able to see it or the lighted audio amp if you have CrossFire or SLI video boards.
Other Thoughts: I had a MSI Z77A-G45 Gaming with a 2600k and it was a solid performing motherboard for me. I'm glad I spent the extra money this time and got the better board with the DeBug LED module. It makes things nice. I won't hesitate to recommend MSI over any other brand out there.READ FULL REVIEW
This review is from: Cooler Master Sleeve Bearing 120mm Blue LED Silent Fan for Computer Cases, CPU Coolers, and Radiators (Value 2-Pack)
Pros: Nice blue color. Quiet. Move a decent amount of air.
Cons: Forget about any rebate. I haven't even got an acknowledgement that they received my rebate form. You thought getting a rebate from that California company was bad? This Texas company has no redeeming qualities.
Other Thoughts: Just count on paying full price. You'll never see a rebate or hear from anyone except the SPAMMERS that the rebate company is selling your email address and other personal information to. This is truly a new low for what used to be a good company to buy hardware from.
R.I.P. Cooler Master. The CM that we all knew and loved is no more. Fading into obscurity.
Display Name: George S.
Date Joined: 09/02/09
Some manufacturers place restrictions on how details of their products may be communicated.


text:
#trending right now
Duplex by Kevin Schaller (Instant Download) A FREE card rising effect without magnets, threads or weights
In stock: Download INSTANTLY.
Duplex is a card rising effect from the mind of Kevin Schaller that you are definitely going to love!
Have a question about this product?
Customer Reviews (showing 1 - 5 of 5)2 of 2 magicians found the following review helpful:
Worth the "price"! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on April 19th, 2014
I got this as a free download. It is merely an updated version of the first "card rise" every child learns. However, Schaller adds a "gimmick" to make this more magical looking. It is a worthy update to an outdated trick.
I highly recommend checking this one out.
Did this review help you? 2 comments
Duplex Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on July 25th, 2014
I recommend this. Don't be put off by it costing nothing, the gimmick really is very clever, easy to construct and hides in plain sight. I made one in about 15 minutes and you can use it as a regular card box, then do the rising card effect whenever you feel like it. I fooled a couple of magician friends with it as it's a regular deck and there's no holes in the card case.
Too good to be free! Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 16th, 2014
Awesome! You should really buy this trick, it is a great efect. I think it is too good to be free! It uses a very smart methode and it is quite easy to do! And the tutorial is great too!
wow this was free? Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on September 29th, 2014
This is an awesome utility that any card worker can carry with him. Not being much of a move monkey myself I rarely do cards and having these sorts of gimmicks that blend easily enough with the few tricks I do do is what I look for in any purchase
Easy to make easy to carry and perform, not as exanimble as I like but it is a nice gimmikck, I carry it every time I have a deck of cards, hope this dude was paid somehow for this one it rocks!
Great ingenious concept. Except.... Report this review
Verified buyer Pro Privacy ON (login to see reviewer names) on January 20th, 2015
I like the effect and the concept is simply brilliant. You will have a bit of preparation to do but it is worth it. The "gimmick" is indectable and fool-proof. You can hand it out for inspection and it would never be noticed. The video is good and Kevin is a pretty good teacher. Don't expect anything professional, but for free magic it's simply stunning!!!
The only downside is that for buyers outside the U.S. (like myself) this effect cannot be done. In Canada (where I am from) the boxes are made differently and had a different design, so the gimmick won't work. You can always buy card boxes online, but you'd have to pay 10 bucks just in shipping. So for buyers outside of the U.S. I wouldn't really recommend this effect to. Use the original method instead. It won't be as clean, but it would work.
But check it out anyway, after all it is free and the gimmick will make you smile :)
More Featured Magic Tricks
0 0 : 0 0 : 0 0 remaining
Pip Streak by Gregory Wilson
Every minute the price goes down. Only 1 available.
Updated hourly
0 0 : 0 0 : 0 0 remaining
Penguin Monte 2.0 presented by Rick Lax
See the next offer NOW with the CoolBox app
Act Builder beta
Top Recent Reviewers
Get To Know Us
Shipping and Store Policies
Need Help?


text:
Town Square
Slain activist Dave Lewis is celebrated
Original post made on Sep 21, 2012
Read the full story here Web Link posted Thursday, September 20, 2012, 8:03 AM
Comments (1)
a resident of another community
on Sep 21, 2012 at 12:41 pm
David Lewis was a very special person. Anyone who knew him soon realized that. He was a man that never wanted credit for what he did on a day to day basis. There will never be another person like him. David would be honored to know that his many accomplishments will be remembered with the naming of David Lewis Community Reentry Program after him. All that he did for the San Mateo County Community and beyond may never fully be realized May he rest in peace knowing that others will continue with his goal of saving the many souls needing help. God Bless you David, I will forever remember our friendship.
Don't miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to be notified of new comments on this topic.
Freebirds Palo Alto shutters, Pieology to move in
By Elena Kadvany | 15 comments | 4,086 views
A Glimpse into local HS Suicide
By Chandrama Anderson | 16 comments | 3,334 views
Deny the 429 Univ Ave Project Appeal
By Steve Levy | 11 comments | 2,084 views
Now Playing - Your Dinner!
By Laura Stec | 0 comments | 1,107 views
Water War & Peace
By Paul Bendix | 1 comment | 405 views


text:
Legislative Affairs
Publication Type
Coalition Letter to the CDC Regarding Access to Immunizations
Government bureaucrats should not block parental access to life-saving vaccinations.
We Need Tax Reform NOW
More than 70 organizations unite in the message of this coalition letter to send a powerful message to Congress that there is momentum around tax reform, and that it should become one of their very top priorities.
Coalition Letter to Congress Emphasizing the Importance of IP Protection
Signed by 66 think tanks, advocacy groups, scholars, issue experts and stakeholders, the letter expresses strong support for all types of IP. Instead of weakening the rights of innovators, creators, and entrepreneurs Congress should reflect on the integral role IP rights plays in American economic, technological, and cultural leadership. As such, Congress should focus on preserving and enhancing IP rights by fostering market based solutions to widespread IP theft.
Coalition Letter Urging Congress to Preempt the FCC's Title II Regulatory Power Grab
Comments to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)
Comments to the FCC Opposing Federal Preemption of State Municipal Broadband Limitation
It would be unconstitutional for the FCC to preempt prudent state laws restricting municipal broadband projects, which have largely been wastes of taxpayer dollars,
Comments to the Federal Communications Commission on the Comcast \ Time Warner Cable Merger
Letter to Senator Thune Regarding STELA
IPI recommends passage of a "clean" reauthorization of the Satellite Television Extension and Localism Act (STELA).
Coalition Letter Regarding Net Neutrality
Coalition letter urging Congress to act expeditiously in expressing its understanding of the proper role of the FCC in regard to regulating the Internet, and urging the FCC to wait for Congressional direction.
Coalition Letter Regarding Online Gaming Ban
|Total Records: 83


text:
Phototherapy And Hiv
Here's a taste of what TheBody.com has to offer on this topic:
Get the Facts
Women and HIV/AIDS...Treatment in HIV+ Women: Efficacy, Side Effects, and Drug Interactions Gynecological Issues in HIV+ Women Pregnancy and HIV In Conclusion A Look at the Numbers Over 25 years have passed since the first diagnosis of AIDS in America.While there were a handful of women among the first cases, AIDS was thought toprimarily affect gay men. However, as the years passed, women have emerged asanother group hard hit by the AIDS...
Ask the Experts
Managing folliculitisI read through the postings here (including one of my own) regarding the problem of folliculitis. I have some more questions.Recently, as far back as a few months, I experienced a very painful outbreak on my back. Antibiotics cleared it up, but...
Response from Keith Henry, M.D.
University of Minnesota, School of Medicine...patients. In severe cases of eosinophilic folliculitis use of bursts of systemic corticosteroids, local steroids, isotretinoin, or phototherapy may be needed and of some benefit. KH Read more »
Plaque Psoriasis Treatment OptionsBetamethason Cream 0.05 % and moisturizing adequately kept my psoriasis undercontrol until in the past 2-3 years and I now have a severe red plaque patch on my triceps. I have been HIV positive since 01/2002 and on successful HAART since...
Response from Joseph McGowan, M.D., F.A.C.P.
North Shore University Hospital...conditions such as psoriasis can get worse. It is best to try to exhaust safer options such as steroids, occlusive dressings, or phototherapy. For more severe disease using tar, retinoids or other topical treatments may be needed. Sometimes... Read more »
PsoriasisI am an AIDS patient, on diagnosis in 1999 I had 30 CD4s & 750,000vl. Today I am maintaining CD4 of 500+ & undetectable. Within the past 2 months I have developed psoriasis, legs, elbows, naval. I have an appointment with a dermatologist, but am...
Response from Keith Henry, M.D.
University of Minnesota, School of Medicine...steroids, coal tar derivatives, anthralinm retinoids and/or vitamin D derivatives). Most are well tolerated by HIV+ persons. Phototherapy is often the next option. More severe cases may need systemic therapy (oral retiniods or... Read more »
HIV/AIDS (HIV TRANSMISSION BETWEEN TWO HIV NEGATIVES, 2010)Can two HIV negative men develop HIV/AIDS from having unprotected sex with each other?
Response from Robert J. Frascino, M.D.
The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation...her menstrual period, is there a possibility of contracting HIV just because she is on her period? even if both dont have HIV/AIDS?Response from Dr. FrascinoHello,Once again a QTND (question that never dies) arises! And of course the ATNC (answer... Read more »
How to Spot HIV/AIDS Fraud... What Is HIV/AIDS Fraud? Warning Signs of an HIV Fraud Common Sense About Unproven Treatments Questions You Should Ask Take Your Time; Read more »
What Are the Symptoms of HIV and AIDS?... When it comes to the symptoms of HIV/AIDS, there are three major points to keep in mind: There's a big difference between the symptoms of HIV and the symptoms of advanced Read more »
HIV/AIDS Among Hispanics/Latinos...Subpopulation Estimates from the HIV Incidence Surveillance System -- United States, 2006. MMWR . 2008; 57(36):985-989. HIV and AIDS Diagnoses 4 and Deaths At some point in life, 1 in 36 Hispanic/Latino men will be diagnosed with... Read more »
Coping With an HIV/AIDS Diagnosis...just celebrate my life and beat it. That was my choice." Click here to read or listen to how other people disclosed their HIV status. D'Jaun Black Diagnosed in 2004 "Being HIV positive has been the greatest adventure I've ever... Read more »
Connect With Others
Workplace issues and HIV/AIDS
Posted by ScotCharles...http://www.thebody.com/workplace.html Check out this link for workplace issues with HIV/AIDS. It is very thorough. Read more »
HIV/AIDS Blogging/Blogs
Posted by DaveyBoy, 2 Replies...Blog is online (web based) journal or small blurbs people can read or comment. My HIV/AIDS blog is on http://hiv-aids.blog-city.com Other POZ blogz on http://www.HIVforum.com/blogs/ Read more »
Lesbians & HIV/AIDS
Posted by Smiley, 1 Reply...Hello Everyone: I would like to get in touch, stay in touch and network with other WSW that are HIV+ or have AIDS. ThANKS!!!!!! Read more »
HIV/AIDS jobs in S.CALIFORNIA
Posted by tre, 1 Reply...I have a science background and years of experience in HIV/AIDS education, outreach and research and would like a F/T or P/T job in the southern california area. Any suggestions? Read more »
Resource Centers
Guides for People With HIV


text:
No automatic posts, ever.
The director will personally post on your Facebook wall with a song and/or gif that reminds them of you! (Must be friends with Christy Morgenroth on Facebook!)
3 claimed
Your name or Twitter handle featured in the credits of the film, as well as a link to view the film before it's released.
7 claimed
The above perk AND a digital download of the film when it's all done.
7 claimed
All of the above, AND a link to download high-quality production stills taken by cinematographer Valerie Chiang.
1 claimed
All of the above, AND a DVD copy of the film with cover art made by the director.
2 out of 25 claimed
All of the above, AND an invitation to the screening of the film at USC with the director and cinematographer.
3 out of 15 claimed
All of the above, AND a copy of the shooting script signed by the cast and crew.
0 out of 5 claimed
All of the above, AND a personal Thank You in front of everyone at USC's screening, AND a prop used in the film.
0 out of 2 claimed
Copy the code below and paste it into your website or blog.
Now spread the word
Reach out to your social networks and start raising funds now!
Email or text your campaign link
Personal messages work best at exciting your community.Copy Link


text:
Sheila Mwanyiga is without a doubt an influential media personality thanks to her prime media roles such as – Radio-presenting and television hosting – but it must be her captivating beauty that landed her a role as the Kenyan Vaseline role ambassador.
As the Vaseline Lotion brand ambassador she is without a doubt expected to promote the brand in the most memorable and captivating way possible, a challenge that she seems to have gracefully taken by the horns, if her recent Vaseline advertisement billboards along the Nairobi high-ways are anything to go by.
Apart from her showcasing her flawlessly African skin all up on the bill-boards, one cannot help but notice that she is almost nude.
Perhaps the nudity implored on those billboards is in a bid to show how Vaseline is bound to transform one's physique….
In Case You Missed It
- Memorable Speech by Idi Amin
- A Good Wife's Guide – 10 things you need to DO to be a GOOD wife.
- Top 20 things men should never, ever, do — Just don't do it
- 20 Things Women Should Never, Ever, Do
- 20 Things 20 – Year-Olds Don't Get


text:
The best free open source software for Mac OS X
If you live and work on a Mac, you'll want to try these 10 killer open source apps -- InfoWorld's top picks
Most Mac lovers love the Mac for the carefully wrought user interfaces and the crisp design, and never pay attention to the open source at the heart of the operating system. But underneath this beautiful facade is a heart built upon the rich -- if often chaotic -- world of open source software.
If you want to go through the pain and joy of building the OS yourself from scratch, you can even download the open source core of Mac OS X known as Darwin.
[ See the slideshow summary of the 10 best open source apps for Mac OS X. Read about the winners of InfoWorld's 2009 Best of Open Source Software Awards. ]
That's just the foundation. There are thousands of open source tools available for the Mac, some built for the Mac alone and others that are translations of software created for other operating systems. Some are aimed at a niche of programmers or scientists, but a good number are supremely useful tools for everyone.
This list includes just 10 of the most essential open source applications for a Mac, all precompiled, polished, and ready to run.
Downloading the software is just the beginning because many of them have yet another layer of openness hidden inside. Several of the applications have their own built-in environment for extending the software. Some accept plug-ins, some have pop-up windows for writing short extensions, and some have both -- so you have even more options for customization.
In many cases, you're not just getting an open source tool; you're getting a range of options to add to that tool.
Windows 7 is suddenly telling users it isn't genuine -- and it has nothing to do with Windows being...
Windows users are reporting significant problems with four more October Black Tuesday patches
Microsoft sends KB 2952664 through the automatic update chute for the seventh time -- and still can't...
Sponsored by Nuage Networks
Sponsored by Fibre Channel Industry Association
Your next nerd fight will be over who has the best framework APIs, not syntax
Slimming down your JSON payload can bring significant savings in the mobile era, but beware overdoing...
Owen Garrett of Nginx explains why microservices are taking Web and mobile development by storm and...
Linux's package management headaches could be solved by way of containers, but experts warn it's only...
- Save on electronics from Dell's deals of the week!
- See the Infographic: The Critical Path to an Agile Data Center
- Top 10 Reasons Enterprises Choose Veeam
- Jaspersoft for AWS Cloud BI: Starting at <$1/hr – Get Your Free eBook!


text:
Mark Shuttleworth Resigns as Canonical CEO
Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Ubuntu and CEO of Canonical has announced the transfer of his post to Canonical COO Jane Silber.
Shuttleworth intends to concentrate his energy on product design, partnerships, customer contact and relationship building. The current CEO reported in his blog that these are the areas he thrives most in. Furthermore, these are points where he can use his abilities and influence most effectively. Shuttleworth intends to transfer the reigns to Jane Silber, who has been a trusted colleague of his since the beginning (more or less), in the year 2004, at Canonical. Silber is the chief operating officer and also lead the Ubuntu One project. Due to her change of positions, the post of COO and leadership of Ubuntu One will be open and the new occupant will take on both duties.
Mark Shuttleworth considers his commitment to Ubuntu very high: "I am more committed now than I have ever been." His positions at the Ubuntu Community Council and in the Ubuntu Technical Board will not be affected by his change of position at Canonical. Shuttleworth and Silber answered questions in an interview regarding the switch.
Issue 174/2015
Buy this issue as a PDF
Microsoft Frees Code for .NET Build Engine
MSBuild is now just another GitHub project as Redmond continues its path to the light.
Researchers Demonstrate Hack by Heat
Malware could pass data and commands between disconnected computers without leaving a trace on the network.
Kernel Developers Adopt Code of Conflict
New rules emphasize collegiality in coding.
Ubuntu Switches to systemd
Upstart lands in the dust bin as a new era begins for Linux.
Old Vulnerabilities Are Kept Alive Through Bad Configuration
HP's annual Cyber Risk report offers a bleak look at the state of IT.
Linus Torvalds Announces Linux 4.0
But what do the big numbers really mean?
Microsoft Frees CoreCLR
.NET Core execution engine is the basis for cross-platform .NET implementations.
New Trojan Attacks Linux Servers
The Xnote trojan hides itself on the target system and will launch a variety of attacks on command.
Cisco Releases Annual Security Report
Spammers go low-volume, and 90% of IE browsers are unpatched.
Zero Day Exploits Target Flash
Adobe scrambles to release patches for vulnerable Flash Player.


text:
A fun, interactive gift book for adults, this coloring book is filled with every variety of alluring, healthy, happy female pulchritude: big, bigger, buxom, cantaloupes, torpedos, milk jugs, side boob, underboob, and much, much more.Showcasing the work of two talented artists, these line drawings also feature character boobs: a showgirl, pirate, cheerleader, goddess, hot teacher and much more.
B.B. Stacks has had a long, intimate relationship with bosoms. She also likes to color.
There are currently no product reviews for this product.
Overstock.com values your opinion. Please take a moment and share what you like or don't like about a product.
This item will be delivered to you via USPS Trackable Media Mail or UPS Mail Innovations and will take from 2 days to 3 weeks from the time the item leaves our warehouse. *
Items must be returned in new or unused condition and contain all original materials included with the shipment. More details
FINAL SALE EXCLUSION: Items marked as FINAL SALE are not returnable unless the problem you experience is the result of our error.
* For your protection, all orders are screened for security purposes. If your order is selected for review, our Loss Prevention Team may contact you by phone or email. There may be a two business day delay to process your order.
** Most Oversize orders are delivered within 1-4 weeks. Some orders may take 6 weeks to be delivered.


text:
Sign in now to view, license and download this image or contact us to see this image without a watermark. Want to embed this image on a non-commercial website or blog? Learn more.
Similar imagesView all
Four Seasons Montage Oak Tree Stock PhotoFour Seasons,Autumn,Winter,Summer,Tree,Bare Tree,British Culture,Change,Color Image,Continuity,Day,Development,English Culture,Horizontal,Montage,Multiple Image,Nature,New Life,No People,Non-Urban Scene,Oak Tree,Outdoors,Photography,ScenicsPhotographer Harry Sieplinga/HMS ImagesCollection: The Image Bank


text:
Lei Jun, founder of China's largest smartphone vendor Xiaomi, spent half an hour Tuesday waxing lyrical...
Justin Timberlake advises "Drop the My, It's Cleaner." http://www.themortonreport.com/celebrity/hollywood/justin-timberlake-to-revamp-myspace-advises-drop-the-my-its-cleaner/
Digits delivers breaking news and insights about the technology landscape, including Q&As with newsmakers, product news and strategic moves. Send news items, comments and questions to firstname.lastname@example.com.
Content engaging our readers now, with additional prominence accorded if the story is rapidly gaining attention. Our WSJ algorithm comprises 30% page views, 20% Facebook, 20% Twitter, 20% email shares and 10% comments.


text:
How to shore up part of a hill?
Hi --
I've been struggling with (and learning about) my steeply-sloping, ghetto-terraced (ancient wood planks held up by stakes made of machete-chopped tree branches in earthquake country, anyone?), clay-soiled, ivy and tree-of-heaven overrun "garden" since we moved in a year and a half ago, and my question is this -- I have some cement stairs that go almost all the way up to the flat area at the top of the garden, but at the top of the stairs there's this weird sloping depression where the soil must have washed away a zillion years ago and you sort of have to pick your way up to the flat area (climbing back down is sorta scary, especially if the clay soil is wet).
My question is this: how can I fill in that depression? Will bagged soil/mulch/gravel be OK if it's tamped down hard enough, or will it just wash away in our rainy season (it won't rain here for another 4-5 months)? Should I ... I don't know, pour concrete there, or something? Grow some sort of wicked-sturdy groundcover over it? Just ignore it?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated,
is there any way of you taking a picture of that? I THINK I know what you're describing, but I don't have DH's visualization skills.
and if it's steep enough to make footing weird, fixing it (putting a landing in, leveling the ground, stepping stones, or real concrete work) might be worth the bother-
but I so know what you mean- it was mildewy roses and grapes on mine, though thankfully there's no slope to deal with.
Well, my camera's software doesn't like my computer, so ... no pictures, sadly. And I don't think I could grow grass on it .. it's hard-baked full-sun So-Cal clay ... to plant anything, I'd have to dig it up and amend, and I'm worried about destabilizing the slope as it is.
Perhaps (sigh) I'm going to have to call in a professional for this one. Thanks for the suggestions, though!
-- Heather
When you look down your slope - where did the debris from the slump end up???
If the slope continues on past your garden boundary - what's above you?
I have this picture in mind of quantities of water coming downslope in the wet season, getting in behind a slice of clay and slumping gracelessly toward the bottom - where I'm guessing your house is sitting.
Within the last couple of years we've had some serious 100 year weather events and scenarios such as the one I've outlined are reality - even on old clay cuttings that have been stable since early last century.
If you get a combination of wet weather plus an earthquake then some forms of clay turn into jelly for a while.
It may not be elegant but it should get you across the dip so you can work further up the garden - you might want to install the sort of boardwalking that gets used in national parks for crossing sensitive or sloshy areas on a walkway. Rot-proof rounds driven into the soil for at least a third of their length. Joined by long 2x4s with planking on top - used widthways to reduce the bounce! as you walk.
What you've probably got showing is an infertile subsoil that isn't very weathered yet. As you put the Ailanthus(?) through the mulcher you could add some of the mulch on the bare patch to start forming a pad of humus.
When that has formed you could look around for 'pioneer' shrubs - ones that grow quickly, even have a tendency to weediness, and can cope with the dry. There are also plenty of plants which will do the same. Perhaps even Californian poppies... I know they grow in very difficult soils.
Meantime, do keep an eye on what the water patterns are for that part of the garden, and what the impact might be of removing too much cover - however scruffy - from such a fragile slope.


text:
Dwarf Alberta spruce trees
Hi folks,
We planted some Albertas 7 years ago...last year they started to turn brown and this year they are worse looking(sob).We're thinking mites are bugging them so been using Seven on them but they still look brown...they are in front of our houses foundation and porch.what other type of small and medium evergreen can we plant if we lose the Alberta's?Looking for low matinance ,full sun or shade(house is half sun/shade)a nice shape and pest free,any Ideas?
Thanks ):
I have a hunch that your problem with the Albertas is your climate. These spruces are native to Alberta, Canada where it is cool/cold and moist. Here in central Virginia the climate is like yours...hot and mostly dry. I have found that Hick's Yew, a variety of Taxus media, to be a satisfactory substitute as long as it is wind-protected and assured of adequate drainage. Your local nusery can probably suggest several very good substitutes.
Good Luck!!!


text:
4 bedroom semi-detached house for sale St. Pauls Close, Hounslow, TW3This substantially extended semi detached family home situated upon a residential cul-de-sac in close proximity to Hounslow West tube station and shops. In brief the property comprises of entrance porch, entrance hall, through lounge, modern fitted kitchen, office, downstairs shower room/WC. T... More details ›
4 bedroom house for sale Martindale Road, HounslowA beautifully presented semi- detached Victorian family home. The property comprises of a large entrance hall opening to a large family/dining room, a bay fronted reception room with feature fire place, a modern fitted kitchen leading to the family bathroom. On the first floor, there are four wel... More details ›
4 bedroom semi-detached house for sale HounslowStewart Hunter are delighted to be favoured to offer for sale this amazing extended family home located in 'Stansfield Road, Hounslow. In brief the property features: paved driveway offering off street parking for several cars, side access to house, entrance porch, spacious entrance hallway, (cont.) More details ›
4 bedroom semi-detached house for sale Haslemere Avenue, Hounslow, TW5HUNTERS HOUNSLOW are proud to list this immaculate four bedroom extended semi-detached house within a quiet residential cul-de-sac. The property comprises of two reception rooms, a well fitted modern kitchen, dining area, downstairs wc/shower room and an upstairs family bathroom. Outside is a wo... More details ›
3 bedroom house for sale Great West Road, HounslowRolfe East are proud to offer, new to the market, this charming three bedroom semi detached family home situated in an ideal location. This amazing family home boasts of a spacious lounge with an extremely good sized kitchen, three good sized bedrooms, off street parking for two cars, private rea... More details ›
3 bedroom semi-detached house for sale Great West Road,Hounslow,TW5A bright and spacious three bedroom family home in Hounslow. More details ›
4 bedroom semi-detached house for sale Hounslow, TW4tamfords are pleased to offer for sale this extended three/four bedroom semi-detached house comprising two reception rooms, extended kitchen, study/bedroom four with shower room, downstairs bathroom and first floor family bathroom. Benefits include mostly double glazed windows, central heating, ... More details ›
£464,950 Guide Price
Guide Price £464,950
4 bedroom semi-detached house for sale Manor Avenue, Hounslow, TW4EXTENDED Semi Detached house comprising FOUR bedrooms (4th bedroom with en suite), two reception rooms, extended kitchen with breakfast bar, family bathroom & additional downstairs bathroom. Great scope to further extend (stpp) and other benefits include an approx 60ft rear garden with outbuildin... More details ›
£435,000 Guide Price
Guide Price £435,000
4 bedroom semi-detached house for sale Solway Close, Hounslow, TW4EXCELLENT DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY! Offering ample Scope to extend (stpp). At present this Extended Semi Detached property consists of four bedrooms, two receptions, kitchen & family bathroom with separate WC. Other benefits include an approx 40ft rear garden, approx 30ft side space (max) and larg... More details ›
£424,950 Guide Price
Guide Price £424,950
3 bedroom semi-detached house for sale Lela Avenue, Hounslow, TW4BRILLIANT DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY! With ample scope to develop; measuring approx 80ft x 80ft (max) lies a three bedroom semi detached house with land on side offering a full development opportunity for potentially another dwelling. Calling all Investors and Developers...NO ONWARD CHAIN! More details ›
Thank you.
Your information has been sent to 0 out of 14 agents who have property to sell in the area you specified.


text:
I got mine today.
It is a very tight fit for sure. Ultimately, I ended up heating a Phillip's head screwdriver over a flame and shoving that in to widen it up. I left that in while I heated the shank fitting for a bit and then took the screwdriver out of the tubing and quickly shoved it on the heated fitting. It worked but I was still only able to get it about half way on. I also used some clamps just in case. *
I used twenty feet like Demon did for 38F, 11 PSI and get a nice slow pour which is what I like personally. I think my vinyl tubing was 15ft if I remember correctly and it seems to be about the same speed.
* EDIT: This was with 1/4" barbs
Thanks Outside, it couldn't have been easy to measure all of this stiff line out.
I brew lots of beer.
Originally Posted by Toecutter View Post
Let me know. I have Paypal money waiting for ya
Mine just came in. Thanks for doing this!
Happy Dog Brewing
if you have any unclaimed let me know. I would be interested in getting some of the unpaid for line.
Mine should be coming within the next day or so. Has anyone tried a Heat Gun for shrink tubing? I'm not keen on taking a flame to it. Don't want to melt or leave char marks on it.
I don't have mine yet, but I'll try out my heat gun first
let me know how it works emjay. I can borrow one from work for the night when I get ready to install it.
so i just got mine in the mail and can not believe how fast it got here. ordered sat am and it was here on mon. crazy. so this will fit where my old lines were? seems soo much smaller.


text:
i love to have fun,and live life,i love to travel,joke and am looking for someone to spoile in and out of bed and share my life with
Join OkCupid
Find better matches with our advanced
Find better matches with our advanced
matching system
—% Match
—% Enemy
46 • Bronx, NY • Man
I'm looking for
- Women
- Ages 21–55
- Near me
- Who are single
- For new friends, long-term dating, short-term dating, casual sex
My details
- Last online
- Aug 15, 2014
- Orientation
- Straight
- Ethnicity
- Hispanic / Latin
- Height
- 5′ 8″ (1.73m)
- Body type
- Athletic
- Diet
- Mostly anything
- Smokes
- No
- Drinks
- Not at all
- Drugs
- Never
- Religion
- —
- Sign
- Cancer, but it doesn't matter
- Education
- Graduated from high school
- Job
- Education
- Income
- —
- Status
- Single
- Type
- —
- Offspring
- Has kids, but doesn't want more
- Pets
- Likes dogs and has cats
- Speaks
- English (Fluently), Spanish (Fluently)
Similar Users
My self-summary
Write a little about yourself. Just a paragraph will do.
What I'm doing with my life
Don't overthink this one; tell us what you're doing day-to-day.
growing,and bettering my futuer,for me and my kids and learning
I'm really good at
Go on, brag a little (or a lot). We won't judge.
Making ppl laugh and careing for others ,
The first things people usually notice about me
I'm an empty essay… fill me out!
i am a joker ,and love to laugh
Favorite books, movies, shows, music, and food
Help your potential matches find common interests.
action,horror,and somesci fi
The six things I could never do without
Think outside the box. Sometimes the little things can say a lot.
my kids,food,water sex,workingout,laughter
I spend a lot of time thinking about
Global warming, lunch, or your next vacation… it's all fair game.
family ,and how to improve my life
On a typical Friday night I am
Netflix and takeout, or getting your party on — how do you let loose?
relaxing at home ,or hanging my kik is ilove268
The most private thing I'm willing to admit
I'm an empty essay… fill me out!
I would like to marry someday ,and love oral to give and get
You should message me if
Offer a few tips to help matches win you over.
You want to take a chance ,maybe just make a friend if anything
Connect your existing OkCupid account
Sign in
Welcome Back!
Restore your account to continue meeting new people.
Reset your password
We'll email you a link to reset it.
Email sent!
An email is on its way to . If you don't see it, try checking your Spam folder.