Mabelline

I started on this thread this morning, and have faithfully read every single bit, and adored my vicarious thrill at reading some of the ups, downs, and absolutely poetic posts on this thread. Snowangel and Sparrowgrass, Maggiethe Cat, Hopleaf, and Jackl10, my envy is so green it could glow in the dark. My SO and I are seeking a country place to turn into a no kill animal sanctuary, and I have always gardened, so it has brightened my condo-life to read all this. I would like to add a couple of flower suggestions, if I may; one of the most spectacular tender vines is without a doubt the moonflower ( it would be sooo perfect with your wisteria pergola,Snowangel) and one of the "thugs" that love heat, sun, less than perfect spots, Hopleaf, is Mexican torchflower, Tithonia, aka Mex. Sunflower. Big gorgeous and easy, easy, easy keeper. The moonflower opens at night and has the most heavenly scent imaginable! And Sparrowgrass, you can grow absolutely delicious onions by using your chicken pooh and straw in your row. If you get your row ready now and incorporate this in this fall, you will be a happy onion eater next year.

OOPS! Guess I should've read further before inserting foot in moth (sorry, I couldn't pass that up)

Have you ever tried putting whole bay leaves in your container?

For the DFW area people, there's a good farmer's market out to Weatherford, and a hellish fun First Monday alot easier to get to than Canton. And yep, they hand out gimmes. Parker county grows peaches every bit as good as the hill country, too.

Just some miscellany: Carry one heavy-weight welder's glove, at least, with you, so that you can work your fire, grab dutch oven bails, arrange coals without various poking tools or sticks. Once you use one and find out how exceptional they work at getting you home with no burned body parts, you'll make room for a pair. Hobo packs are SOOO good when out camping, and one year my daughter decided to make a different S'more. She used strawberry preserves, saltines, and marshmallows,and damnme if they weren't excellent!

You can call me a foodstalker or a flavor extremist

I guess I better get in line with the anti-sweet steak eaters, because Jinmyo's choice made me salivate. I would never miss chocolate if it quit existing tomorrow. As a kid I used to love Bonanno's Turkish Taffy & Sugar Babies, though.

To say nothing of the kids on dates who go "all out" to impress by taking their girl to a sit down restaurant.

Thanx so much for your wonderful account!!! It was a remarkable trip,to be sure.I am totally in awe of your ability to capture & recount such a cool experience. You deserve a travel show of your own, in MHO. The culture seems like such an odd tossup of archaic and weird modern that it kind of reminds you of a post-apocalyptic fiction, like Mad Max or something. It seems as though the women enjoy a relatively non-subservient role, Ellen, is that how it is? I will forever watch for any more of your works.Bravo!

First I want to apologize for my unforgivable rudeness yesterday. I did not realize I was on a downhill curve to an insulin crash. My better half tells me that's how he knows my sugar is whacked. But , having said that, Beto, was The Manor House the show where they got modern Brits to step into the Upstairs, Downstairs sort of setting? If so, after seeing it, I fully understood hordes of people coming statesidefor something better.

Aw, come on. Nearly every time something is said about the way the business is affecting the help(and I am not addressing the star trackers-I'm talking about the people who seriously thought that perhaps the'd be part of a class act)there is a corresponding comment about yeah, he's that, but he's getting rich. All I've said the whole time is that money and notiriety won't make you a man/woman.

I directly replied to not just your comment about armchair quarterbacking but also the nibbles I've gotten all day long about integrity vs. money. Like I said before,money ain't shit. It won't buy you self-respect, nor the respect of others. As an example, I worked a couple of times for Ross Perot(remember him- the nit of all wits) till I caught him reaming two of my employees. We finished the job, then hauled ourselves out of Dodge. All my business associates at the time said you must be crazy, but I felt good. And I'd do it again.

However you care to take it. I really find it amazing that I'm having to defend a position of treating your help and your customers with respect and dignity. I stick by it, so there you go. I don't apologize for thinking some of the crap pulled on the help on that show was shameful. There were plenty of hard working, energetic, and sincere people who were reamed in the process of making rocco the "man" of six weeks. That stinks.

You mean for someone who knows what they're doing, can be a professional and is willing to stand up for themselves (and the industry)? Well, it's much easier to be an armchair quarterback, you know. I would love to be an advisor, but they'd have to keep in contact via email and cell phone. It would be too much culture shock for me to be plunked down in the big city!! Don't crap me about that. I said business, and that means any kind you care to name. If you shit in your own nest, it'll come back on you.

Neilsen and all his sponsors.

Could you imagine walking behind her and gettin a big ole whack of salt in the eye? Yep, here's your bad luck.

It'll make points

Okay, things being how they were, let's see how many hands go up for someone serious about cooking, eating, or business, for that matter, who volunteer to join Rocco II as one of his Strange Parade?

Absolutely. Sometimes you look in the mirror and say "What the Hell was I thinking?" particularly when you turn down big bucks in a compromise of your principles. DON'T get me confused with a sellout. But in the long run integrity makes you way more comfortable with your skin (besides not ever requiring rear-view mirrors on your shades).

Really "dumb" is a much better catch-all. Then again, he's made himself rich. Can't be TOO dumb. rich people do really stupid stuff too. This is probably going to result in my guts skewered over charcoal, but at what price fame? If you ain't got your pride in yourself at the end of the day, whatcha got? Money? BFD! Money comes and goes, but your pride in yourself, and the way you handle your actions with those you surround yourself with- that lasts; sometimes beyond you.

Thanks so much for giving my braincells a cooldown! I have been trying to figure out where that little nematode was from! Now I can go back to particle physics (j/k).

Ooh, now I know what the second seaon will be: ROCCO II: the paternity tests.

You know, that makes me think about the difference between comedy and tragedy. Would that same scene have been used if it were (God Forbid) Mama that took a butt dive?

This was such an embarressment. First, did they wet down that passageway and then set up cameras to catch someone on their hiney like a frat prank? Second, I think both the dishwasher bit and the triumph of the underdog grill cook were contrived to make good impressions after the way it came across in the previous episode. What's up with the Hamptons after you couldn't pay people last week? And Rocco, a lot of people out there may want to hear about your sexuality, but after the way you came across, I ain't real sure I want you cookin for me.

For Soba,Elyse, Sladeums and the other holiday gypped: I guarantee I know your feelings of being screwed . My oldest daughter was 7-30-70, but my other 2 were 12-25-73, and 12-31-75. The younger 2 were gettin shorted on Christmas and b'days being so close together, so when my oldest turned 10, I declared everyone would have their birthday on the 4th of July. It worked out so well in so many ways I can't begin to say! The family was already there for a big ole doings, and by July my budget was recovered from holiday strain. The only downside was one of my youngest daughter's teachers asking her her birthday, and she says"Which one-my real one or my mom's day for me? I'm not real sure if the teacher ever believed my explanation.