Hi Michael,

 ML> > We'd probably get a Eu-rail pass (Do they still have such things?)
 ML> so we > could stop at other places along the way. Florence, Venice,
 ML> Rome (and > probably others) are ones that come to mind.

 ML> Great idea. There were Eurailpasses a year ago,
 ML> don't know about now, though when things settle
 ML> down a bit no doubt you'll be able to get them.

Just have to decide when to make the trip. Figure out finances, when the
best time to go, etc., then take off. We renewed our passports last year
in anticipation of travel this year so that's not a problem until 2029.

 ML> >  ML> were often barely able to scrape by when they
 ML> >  ML> were working.
 ML> > The proverbial starving artists.

 ML> Massachusetts Arts Council (or perhaps its
 ML> predecessor) did a study that showed that the
 ML> typical musician, artist, or dancer earned
 ML> approximately 1/3 what your average worker did
 ML> for a full-time equivalent.

Not really a surprise.

 ML> > True, but my parents weren't into such things and the cost for our
 ML> > family would have been rather much. It wasn't until my mother
 ML> started > working for the school (especially after moving from aide to
 ML> librarian) > that the financial picture eased up a bit. I was in 6th
 ML> grade when she > started, 8th when she moved to the library job.

 ML> Priorities - I'd go lengthy periods on pasta and
 ML> tomato sauce and rice and cabbage (my equivalent of
 ML> bread and water) in order to afford those tickets.

But in a town of about 800 people there weren't that many cultural
events. School concerts, dramas, etc were probably the main ones. (G)
The "big cities" that would have more events were an hour or so away and
in the winter, more of a challenge over mountain roads.


 ML> > Possibly so, we've not made yogurt in years (used to have a yogurt
 ML> maker > but it bit the dust a long time ago).

 ML> I haven't seen one of those in years.

We saw a used one a week or so ago but passed on it.

 ML> >  ML> A defect or a safety feature?
 ML> > I think a safety feature. Anyway, I use the stove top when I know
 ML> I'm > going to be cooking something that takes more than a couple of
 ML> hours.

 ML> I've kept stuff at the bubble on Lilli's for days
 ML> at a time without incident. She also has a single
 ML> burner unit that can be hauled outdoors for smelly
 ML> jobs (but she doesn't eat fish!), but I've not
 ML> tried long cooking on it.

Could be the difference between a stove and a single burner unit. We
bought the single burner unit some years ago, an off brand which may
explain the difference.

 ML> >  ML> That's the only way I can think to explain
 ML> >  ML> her cutting off everybody.
 ML> > Sad, you were close at one time.

 ML> I dreamed last night that I ran into her and asked
 ML> how it was going, and she turned away and said
 ML> "I'm not responding." Pretty much what happened
 ML> in real life.

Maybe some day she will turn back around.


 ML> >  ML> And that, basically, is why terminology matters.
 ML> > Altho "that blueberry thingy, dessert, what have you" may work just
 ML> as > well in some instances. (G)

 ML> In many settings, at a home or a restaurant with a
 ML> smallish menu, sure. At a bakery, not so much.

Unless it's a small town bakery and you know the owners. (G) The people
who owned the bakery in the town I grew up in were parents of one of my
class mates.

 ML> > I did a rather detailed write up in a message to Dave Drum in the
 ML> packet > I uploaded this morning. Turns out the tornado was an EF-3.
 ML> We were down > in Raleigh earlier today, started sprinkling on our way
 ML> home and it
 ML> > turned into a full blown thunderstorm the further we went. Steve
 ML> checked > the rain gauge after it tapered off--2.2 inches from just
 ML> one storm.
 ML> > That was almost as much rain as we got out of Isaias.

 ML> They often blame on-the-heels occurrences on the
 ML> "aftermath" of a big storm. Certainly there's a
 ML> lot of unrest up above.

We got 1.8" of rain from a passing storm last night and a 5.1 earthquake
about 3 hours west of here this morning. It rattled our dishes but other
than that, no damage around here.


---
Catch you later,
Ruth
rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net  FIDO 1:396/45.28


... Gone crazy, be back later. leave a message at the Beep!

--- PPoint 3.01