Sunday, December 31, 2006

Happy 40th

Before it's too late, Happy 40th to the Class of 1966.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Oct. 27th Post - too many cakes

Something's going on with the photo of the birthday cake.
In Firefox, there is one cake photo with two tiny rectangle outlines underneath the photo.
In IE, there are THREE photos of the cake.
I don't know what the problem is, and I don't feel like editing the HTML.

I fixed it by opening it up in IE and editing it there - backspacing out two of the photos.
That must be why those little rectangle outlines were at the bottom of the photo (in Firefox).
Maybe I should do all the editing in IE.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Muscats

I forgot to mention ...

Muscats are raisins which have had their seeds removed mechanically, leaving little holes in them.
Seedless raisins never had seeds to begin with.

Best Fruitcake Recipe

Fruitcake

Mix the following ingredients together in the boiling water, turn down and simmer for 20 minutes.
Let cool.

1 1/2 C. muscats - forget finding them at the store, but you can order them in bulk from Sun-Maid. I use the regular Sun-Maid raisins.
1 1/2 C. chopped, pitted dates
2 C. sugar
2 C. boiling water
1/3 C. shortening

In a bowl, mix together:

3 C. flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. ground cloves

Add the cooked ingredients to the dry ones. Mix thoroughly.
Add 1 - 3 ounce package of the following candied fruits: orange peel, lemon peel, pineapple, citron and cherries.
Add 1 C. chopped walnuts

Bake in one, greased and floured, 7.5 inch by 12 inch pan
Bake at 325 degrees for about 90 minutes.
I use empty coffee cans, or mini loaf pans, which will bake about 5 small cakes.
The batter will be heavy and sticky.
They will rise about an inch, or so.
*I tried adding the fruit & nuts to the cooked dates & raisins BEFORE adding the flour mixture. I like it better - it's easier to mix. - Dec. 15, 2007

When they're done, let them cool on a rack, then wrap them in brandy soaked cheesecloth, wrap in aluminum foil, and store for a few days, week, etc. Best to cool them in a cool place.

Updates:
http://deskdiva.blogspot.com/2008/11/time-to-think-about-fruitcake.html

http://deskdiva.blogspot.com/2008/11/first-batch-of-fruitcakes.html

Friday, December 08, 2006

Fave Books of 2006

Here's the list, not in any particular order:

Wild Fire - Nelson DeMille - extra fun because it takes place in the north country of NY state

Mayflower - Nathaniel Philbrick

Possible Side Effects - Augusten Burroughs

The Cold Moon - Jeffery Deaver another Lincoln Rhyme

The Messenger - Daniel Silva

Friday, October 27, 2006

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Exhibit

I'm having my own little exhibit at the library!
Very exciting. The title is, 'Pinellas'.
I had to think of a theme, and the only one I could come up with
where I have a fair amount of decent photos, is Pinellas.
They're all framed and ready to go.
When I look at them now, they look boring and crooked.
I wonder if I should put prices on them.
One has already been sold, and to someone I don't know,
which makes it more legitimate.

Here's a sample.


Thursday, August 31, 2006

Books and Music

Stellar season for books and music ...

All the Roadrunning - Emmylou Harris and Mark Knopfler. I think Love and Happiness for You, is my favorite.

Pay the Devil - Van Morrison Van's gone country on this one.

Modern Times - Bob Dylan Faves - Spirit on the Water, Thunder on the Mountain, When the Deal Goes Down

Face the Promise - Bob Seger - release date Sept. 6 Everything he does is great.



Possible Side Effects - Augusten Burroughs

The Cold Moon - Jeffery Deaver another Lincoln Rhyme

The Messenger - Daniel Silva

Wild Fire - Nelson DeMille - not until November!

I Feel Bad About My Neck, and Other Thoughts on Being a Woman - Nora Ephron - disappointing

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

BMI

Here's an easy way to figure out my BMI.
http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

The formula: dividing a person's weight in pounds by his height in inches, squared, and multiplying that total by 703.
I must have done it wrong- it was in the 100's.

Here's the report on my state -

http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2006/release.php?StateID=NY

Monday, August 28, 2006

Summer Project

What I Did on My Summer Vacation



thanks, Picasa

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

It's Hot

Wouldn't it be nice to have just one day of snow?
Just a light flurry?
It used to be that we'd only need the AC for a total of a week for an entire summer.
Now, the AC is on more than it's off.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

Identifying Stephen King 1sts

Leave it to a daughter to bring this to my attention:
Identifying First Editions of Stephen King's books.

http://www.stephenking.com/IdentifyingFirstEditions.pdf

Excellent!

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Ahhhhh

Quench it ...

Poolside, it's going to be ...

Saranac Ginger Beer

www.saranac.com

Saratoga Sparkling Water in the cobalt blue glass bottle

www.saratogaspringwater.com/index.html

I can't wait. Maybe tomorrow.

Friday, May 26, 2006

PC World's 25 Worst Tech Products

PC World Magazine's List of the 25 Worst Tech Products
by Dan Tynan, May 26, 2006

http://www.pcworld.com/resource/printable/article/0,aid,125772,00.asp

(printer friendly version)

I figured AOL would be on the list, but I was surprised that it was listed as # 1.
That's kind of mean. AOL did serve a purpose.
It got new users online.
For a long time, it was the only ISP easily available.
There was a sense of community in the early to mid 90's.
I'll always have a soft spot for AOL.

Thursday, May 25, 2006

Clinton Square

When you're too tired to go anywhere - too tired to even go downtown.

http://www.syracuse.com/clintoncam/

Saturday, May 20, 2006

Waikiki Beach

When you want to get away right this very minute ...

http://www.co.honolulu.hi.us/cameras/waikiki_beach/waikiki.htm

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Challenge Continues

Bedbugs can be extremely tenacious. I can't bear to put a photograph of one here. They're too disgusting for words. I should point out that there are no bedbugs in MY house. Anyway, if you call on ORKIN to do the job, make sure they come back often for rechecks and second and third treatments. Make sure they don't damage your furniture. If they do, point it out to them, get it repaired, and send them the bill.

You might also want to try Diatect stuff. It's at www.diatectresults.com
The active ingredients are Pyrethrins (African Daisy extract), Diatomaceous Earth (silicon dioxide), Piperonyl Butoxide (synthetic sassafras oil). They've got a very informative Website, and they send nice emails to you offering lots of encouragement.

And, put Vaseline on your bed's legs, and a piece of packing tape (sticky side up) underneath each bed leg.

Launder, or dryclean all your clothing, bedding and linens. Another option is to place stuff in sealed bags and put them in the freezer, but they have to be in there for TWO weeks.

That should do it. Remember, this is war. They aren't going to win. Creepy little critters. Worse than spiders.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Stumbled Upon - April 2006

April, 2006 Looks like they're all libraries. That's ok. Next time you're out, stop at the library and browse.

Carnegie Libraries of Scotland
http://www.scotcities.com/carnegie/index.htm

Clifton Park - Halfmoon Library, New York
http://www.cphlibrary.org/index.shtml

Brunswick Community Library, Eagle Mills, NY
http://www.brunswicklibrary.org/

Seymour Public Library, Auburn, NY
http://www.seymourlibrary.org/

Saratoga Springs Public Library, Saratoga Springs, NY
http://www.sspl.org/

Sunday, April 23, 2006

New Challenge

Harvard School of Public Health on Bed Bugs

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Booklist Online

ALA, the American Library Association, finally put Booklist online. So far, I'm not impressed.
I'll have to look at it more carefully, but looks and feels like nothing more than a teaser. I'd love to subscribe to the print version, but I can't afford $ 295.00 for a one a year subscription. That's why I was so excited to see it was going to be available online.
I wonder why they feel it's necessary to include a blog. It's written by Keir Graff.

Here's a link to the official blog: http://www.booklistonline.com/blog/

Here's the link to the practice blog:
http://alaboldev.ctt-inc.com/default.aspx?page=general_info&id=55

Ho-hum.

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

Complaint Letters

Instead of complaining to friends about things, I'm going to start writing letters.

So far, I've written to Senators Hillary Clinton, and Chuck Schumer. I received decent replies within two days from both of their offices. Schumer's staff sent the same form letter twice.

I was going to write to Rep. James Walsh with lots of complaints, but his record at Vote Smart isn't that terribly bad. He does have a scary stand on abortion, however. He thinks they should only be legal if the life of the mother is in danger. He probably carried that over from Catechism days.

I wrote to Kohler about their lousy Staccato sink. Model K-3361-3. It's too deep, the edge in the back is too small, the bottom of the sink is completely flat. It's such a dumb sink. I wonder if there were any women on the design team. I am not going to stand on a stool to use it. Maybe some high wedgie shoes would work.

Next was Jessica McClintock to complain about the lack of sleeves on wedding dresses. You cannot find a wedding dress with a sleeve. They have a couple in the Women's sizes. Not every bride wants to have a strapless, or halter gown. David's Bridal doesn't have any contact or feedback form. Figures. Alfred Angelo has one, and it's pretty. I'll have to write and tell them.

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Stumbled Upon - March, 2006

March
22 Controversial ad by Australia Tourism
www.wherethebloodyhellareyou.com
23 Niko's Mediterranean Grill & Bistro
http://nikosgrillnyc.com/page/o5pw/Home_Page.html
24 Eliot Spitzer's remarks at Maxwell School, Syracuse University, March 21, 2006
http://www.spitzer2006.com/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=cmpSpeeches&htmlId=5263
25 Steve Ellwood's photographs of Northeast England
http://www.steve-ellwood.org.uk/
31 Nellie and Joe's Lime Juice http://www.keylimejuice.com/

Tuesday, March 21, 2006

Favorite Places

I wonder why I can't settle on a theme for this little blog. Some of the very best blogs stick to one topic, tho the political and news oriented ones get so tedious. They also tend to have links to other blogs running down the entire sidebar. Boring.
I really would like to do just one topic, but it's never going to happen, no matter how much I want to. One Bookmarked site leads to another, and before I know it, I'm somewhere totally off in w.w.w.land.
Here's what I've been doing tonight - wandering around looking at my favorite local restaurants.

My favorite sub shop is Jreck's. I've been eating them since the 60's, back in the Potsdam days. A Jreck's sub meant spring had arrived. We'd get a couple and eat them down by the Raquette River. Heaven. Now, I've got a brand new Jreck's right up on the corner of Kasson Rd. and W. Genesee St. (Route 5). They're way better than Wegmans subs, or Subway.

Tucked in Elm Hill Plaza, maybe it's called Town Center, or something, is Cora D's. Either way, it's at the corner of Hinsdale Rd. and Milton Ave. Classy with a good menu, but not as fun as the three below. It's a decent replacement for Poor Richard's, which used to be at the mall.
Now, we get to have Walmart, Lowe's, and Applebee's. Add in Wendy's, Dunkin Donuts and Quiznos, and we'll all be fat and happy. I can't even think about Camillus Mall. It's so depressing.

First is Victor's Inn in Camillus. Many happy memories here. It used to be the Green Gate Inn. Some of us think they should have kept the name. We still call it that, so I guess it doesn't really matter. It's cozy and comfy, all done up with Victorian furnishings.
Have a look at it Victor's Inn. It's right in the heart of the Village of Camillus. They have these divine little onion rings they serve with the open steak sandwich. They pile them up on top - yummy.

Heading west out of the village on Route 5 is Gilfillan's West Hill Catering Club. It's a great place for a wedding reception, and the food is excellent. Every reception I've been to there has been a lot of fun. The only drawback is the brown wood paneling in the upstairs room. It makes it hard to get a decent photograph. Also, the cord from the big wall air conditioner hanging down to where it plugs into the wall isn't too attractive. Come to think of it, the restrooms could be spiffed up.
February 22, 2008 update: They don't have a website anymore. I hope they get one back up and running soon.

West of Gilfillan's, on Route 5, is The Inn Between. The salmon with asparagus and dill sauce is good, but they only serve it at private parties. I think. It's the perfect place for a baby or bridal shower. You don't have to lift a finger, and the porch is gorgeous. The price isn't bad considering the meal and service. It's worth every penny.

**Update January 22, 2008 - Gilfillan's doesn't have a website anymore. Victor's Inn was bought, and now it's back to its original name, The Green Gate. Reviews are mixed. The two times I went there, the service was so slow, I felt like leaving. Skip it, and go to Cora D's.

Monday, March 20, 2006

This is Spring?














This is the first day of Spring?
Clinton Square in downtown Syracuse looks a tad bleak.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Monday, March 13, 2006

March Madness

Syracuse Orange - wins the Big East Championship at MSG!

Wednesday, March 8
74-73 vs. Cincinnati
Thursday, March 9
86-84 vs. Connecticut
Friday, March 10 58-57 vs. Georgetown
Saturday, March 11 65-61 vs. Pittsburgh

Syracuse Basketball photos and scores for the 2005 - 2006 Season

Monday, February 27, 2006

A Really Gone Oldie

Cleaning out Bookmarks

Came across this little gem. In the old days, AOL had a software download area.
There were some goodies, like Ghostools and AOLPress.
I've got to stop being sentimental about these things!
Here's the description for AOLPress:

Subject: AOLpress 2.0 for Win95/98
Author: America Online
Uploaded By: Mary UKDate: 6/15/2001
File: AOLP2032.EXE (3600609 bytes)
Estimated Download Time (61570 baud): < 16 minutesDownload Count: 12643
Needs: AOL 3.0 or 4.0 for Windows 95/98 (32bit versions only)
AOLpress 2.0 for Windows 95/98/NT (32-bit)

NOTE: AOLPress 2.0 requires AOL 3.0 or 4.0 for Windows 95/98 *unless* you have another method of connecting to the Internet (such as an Internet Service Provider account). If you are using AOL 3.0 or later for Windows 3.x for your Internet access, you should download the 16-bit AOLPress 2.0 instead.

See below for requirements and installation instructions. For help publishing to your members.aol.com web space, please see aolpress.com/press/documentation.html
Please see the readme file (included with AOLpress) for known bugs and tips.
AOLpress is an integrated browsing and WYSIWYG authoring tool for the World Wide Web. AOLpress was designed both to make WWW authoring more accessible to beginners and to save valuable time and effort for professional Web publishers.

1. System Requirements
RAM: 8 megabytes or more recommended, 16 megabytes when using AOL and AOLpress simultaneously
Display: 256 or more colors
Processor: 486 (AOL 3.0/4.0 for Win95/98 requires at least a Pentium)
System: Windows 95/98 and AOL 3.0 or 4.0 for Windows 95 or 98
Disk Space Free: 8 megabytes
Note: AOL 3.0 or 4.0 for Win95 or Win98 is recommended for a Pentium and 16 megabytes of RAM

2. Networking Requirements
If you plan to use AOLpress as a browser and/or remote authoring tool, you will need the following:
Internet service provider
Modem
Connection software (Trumpet winsock, Chameleon, etc.) If you do not already have a WINSOCK.DLL, one will be installed that allows you to operate AOLpress locally.

AOLpress can also be installed locally. If you later decide to install AOLpress with a network connection you will need to delete the winsock.dll in the AOLpress directory for AOLpress to use the network.

3. Installation and Configuration
1.Download the aolp2032.exe self-extracting executable.
2.Double click on this self-extracting executable to extract its contents to a temp directory and it will automatically run setup.exe to install AOLpress.
3.Setup.exe will prompt you for a directory in which to install AOLpress.
4.Launch AOLpress by double-clicking on its icon.

AOLpress does not insist that you set a proxy server and a name server but when using an ISP it is highly recommended that you set them using Tools=>Preferences=>Network. AOL members only need to use screenname@aol.com as the Return address and a.mx.aol.com as the Mail Host in this dialog.

Known Problems with Installation and Download:
1) Extract=-9 If you receive an Extract=-9 when installing AOLpress it means that the installer was damaged during the download.
Workaround: The solution here is to download the file again.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Fort De Soto Park

This is one of my favorite spots at Fort De Soto. It's probably one of my most favorite places anywhere.
The St. Petersburg Times is one of the best newspapers in the country.
Howard Troxler is one of its best columnists.
His column of February 14 is a must read.
It's about Fort De Soto Park and what Pinellas County wants to do with it to make it 'better'.

If you've ever been to Fort De Soto, you know that it's fine just the way it is.
I hope enough people will write to the Pinellas County Commissioners to voice their opinion about this development project. Please.

Troxler's column can be read at:
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/02/14/news_pf/Columns/
Who_wants_all_that_ic.shtml


The Pinellas County Commissioners can be contacted at:
http://www.pinellascounty.org/

Tuesday, January 31, 2006

State of the Union

I think we already know what the state of the Union is.
All I want to watch tonight is House, and instead American Idol is on.
Maybe I'll tune into NBC to see what tie Brian Williams is wearing.

Monday, January 30, 2006

This & That

I could have sworn I had two cookie sheets here in the RV. I could only find one this afternoon. Everyday is a bad hair day in FL. It looks ok for about ten minutes, and then it starts to go all weird on me. And, every morning at 10:00 am, I have a hot flash, and I have to stick my head in the freezer for a few minutes. That doesn't help the hair either. I suppose things could be worse. A lot worse.

Here's a photo of the backside of my favorite beach - Indian Rocks Beach. I think it's at 18th St.

Tuesday, January 24, 2006

$$$ Procedure and Renters, cont'd.

Got another bill for the biopsy: $1000.00. Now, it's up to $5000.00. Still no bill from the radiologist.

My bathing suit is missing, along with my nail clippers, and I Love NY hat. The lasagna pan is chipped, and the chopping board was dirty. No more renting, tho maybe the money was worth the aggravation. Who would take someone else's bathing suit?

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

$$$ Procedure

I got the bill for the stereotactic breast biopsy: $4000.00. That doesn't include the radiologist's bill. Pretty expensive porcedure. One of the x-rays was $1780.

On another note, here we are in Florida. The last renters washed my pretty crocheted doily on the glass table, and it shrank. About two inches. It's disappointing because it was really big and pretty, covering almost the entire tabletop. The woman must have tossed it into the washer and dryer. I washed it last year, but by hand, and I dried it over the railing outside.
I guess that's what you have to expect from renters.

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

2006

I don't know where the rest of 2005 went. That's not exactly true.
I had two suspicious mammograms which led to a stereotactic biopsy.
Not fun, but it wasn't THAT bad. It's just kind of bizarre.
The surgeon said my chances of the cluster of uneven microcalcifications being OK, were 30%.
I lucked out. They were ok. I was ready to do battle.
I have a little metal marker inside just in case they need to locate the area again.
The whole thing started when I thought I'd be clever and get the mammogram out of the way before the holidays. Not smart.

Bad things tend to happen on ordinary days. That's today's deep thought

I do hope it's a better year.