Nottawayfer

Happiest Birthday to the eloquent-tongued dude who moved back to God's Country!

Thanks for the meatball help. I obviously didn't know a thing about making meatballs. That recipe helped a lot Dooj! Thanks! They were tender and yummy! I made the albondigas soup. I put garlic salt and cayenne pepper in my meatballs for the soup. Hubby LOVES it!

Hmmmm...how do I find that bulldozer for some of my neighbors??

My dad was a 2 pack a day Camel smoker for almost 40 years. He quit cold turkey one day and never looked back. Some people can do it. I think the motivator for him was when he realized he wanted good health. Not everyone is like this, and it doesn't necessarily mean that it works that way for each person. He still says he would love a cigarette. Ironically he is the most judgmental arse when it comes to others having a hard time quitting. I worked with another lady who experienced SEVERE depression when she tried to quit. She acted as if she had broken up with a lover. That was kind of weird.

I would use it. Hubby says "Hell NO!!!!" He doesn't even like it when I try to talk to him through the door when he's on the john.

I don't talk a certain way; I speak.

I quit cold turkey 13 years ago. It was the weirdest thing; all of a sudden the smell of cigarettes REPULSED me. I couldn't stand smelling them on me or in my car. I do remember putting my fingers up to my mouth when I would drive away from work for lunch or going home for a few weeks after I quit. I didn't smoke that much--mabe 2/3 a pack a day, but the ones I had I REALLY liked having. I wish weight loss was as easy for me. Addiction sucks. I really feel for anyone trying to quit today. I really thinks cigarettes have a lot more in them than they did when I smoked. They just seem to smell worse than they used to. I did try one time about a year after I quit. I lived with a couple who rolled their own cigarettes. I tried one hit, and it was an instant reminder as I gasped for air why I didn't want to do it anymore.

That Oprah show did spark my interest with much curiosity and skepticism. I'm sure there are points to it, but the thing WW brings up about those who brought illnes, misfortune, and pain to their lives attracted it is alarming and unreal. What is the REAL answer these SECRET people have to that?

(((((FULL CIRCLE)))))

I wonder what that SOB would say or think if it were one of his kids?

Those are expensive taxes you guys post about. Here in Northern Arizona, that would get you at least a $700K house, which would be almost cream of the crop. But then your electric bill would be expensive. We have a $1,300 sq ft house and our electric bill is NEVER under $220 (closer to $300 in August) in the summers. We are on a plan with the electric company to pay the same amount each month for electricity so we can make up for the big usage times without feeling like we are broke.

I was thinking the same thing. I bet JN has dated that woman......maybe not.....Alizee DEFINITELY has more back than Lara Flynn Boyle (and Alizee is obviously sexier). She should thank her mother for a but like that; even I can't stop looking. :o

We gave some William Sonoma cook books to a friend for a gift. This friend likes to cook a lot. Do you think those kind of cook books are worthless? I am truly just asking. If they are, tell me which books you have that are your prized possessions. I will put it on my list for next time.

That's is the best statement I've heard so far. That is soooooooo TRUE!

It's weird this comes up. My in-laws were watching our dog last weekend when we went to San Francisco. I reminded them that the dog can eat only HIS food because they are notorious for feeding dogs all the wrong stuff. When I showed the list from the internet to my mother-in-law, she said "They can go to HELL!!! I feed my dogs this stuff!!" She thinks she knows everything. She's 80 and has weird remedies like feeding the dog milk and raw egg to calm their stomach when they vomit. I asked her how she would like to have something like that after she barfed. Geez! I ended the conversation by saing "Please don't feed my dog anything OTHER than what I give you for him." I feel so bad for her dog. She said her vet told her to feed him garlic cloves for a natural dewormer. I told her anything in the onion family is bad for them. I think she determined all this stuff herself. I want to take her dog away. Maybe I will when I move to another state....She'll never know. Maybe she won't get another. She sure doesn't deserve one. I do give my dog mozarella cheese bits. I wonder about the salt content in those.

I've fried fish in olive oil without any bitterness. I've sauteed vegetable too.

Great ideas! Thanks! I will try that with my albondiagas soup next time. I can't wait!!

I start with 80% fat ground beef because I don't think less fat will give me a tender meatball. Then I add bread crumbs about 1/2 cup per pound of meat, and then season with usually garlic salt and pepper usually. I never claimed to be Italian, but I love meatballs.

I love making meatballs especially for soups. Albondigas soup is one of my favorites, but I cannot seem to make the meatballs tender. Anyone have any ideas for making moist, tender meatballs?

I agree that it is not just the woman's responsibility. My ex husband had many illegitimate children all over the nation. Most of the women ended up on welfare. Some had more children to stay in the system. My ex husband paid child support to the system because these women still refused to work and add to the pot. One of his exes had 2 teenage daughters and got pregnant again to keep herself in for another 18 years. She never wanted to work. The mother bought cigarettes and alcohol for herself and the teenage daughters. THe teenage daughters grew to be the same. Now they are in the system, and don't want to work. Who knows if the fathers of their children are paying the system. It sure seems that if fathers are paying the system, that the system would would out a situation for able-bodied mothers to get to working as well so they can stop sucking off society.

Psalmie, I had this happen after an oil change once. It was because a rubber hose was disconnected from the air filter. I reconnected it, and all was well. Did you check your hoses?

You will be missed; there's no doubt about that. You are a good man, Jonny Lingo! Godspeed, Nottawayfer

Whoa.....that is eerily familiar.

You wouldn't believe how many times I have heard "Shame on YOU!!!!" from taxpayers calling to see if there is a break for veterans. It's hard not to take it personally because personally I would jump through hoops to see that people get what is due to them. Most government works could care less. They would let the person complain and send them on their way. However, laws set by legislators are the ones who make the rules. People come in and don't see that. In their eyes, my office sets the laws, sets the tax rates, send the tax bills, and causes their pockets to be lempty no matter how much they smoke or drink. Our office does none of those things. In reality, we locate, identify, and value property. That's it. Trust me, if the valuations were lower, the taxing authorities will jack up their tax rate to get the budget they set. So in reality, our valuations don't really mean anything when it comes to a tax bill. A few years ago there was a major flood along the Virgin River in the Strip Country of Arizona. It is north of the Grand Canyon. It is part of our county, but we have to drive through Nevada to get there. We went in and lowered values immediately to bottom low valuations. However, when tax bills came out, we got screamed at because the school district jacked up their tax rate to be able to function. Their taxes weren't cut to bottom of the barrel. I believe in education, and I don't think the school should have suffered just because the community did. That is an investment in our future. You would not believe the complaints I heard. "Well I don't have kids!! WHY should I pay???" I answered that I did not have kids either, and I am more than happy to pay toward education because our future needs them to be educated. Those kids are going to be adults some day, and their decisions will affect us as old people. We need to take care of them. I would even jump through hoops for people if there were programs set up for those who became unemployed because of illness, layoff, or any other life catastrophies other than they just don't want to work. For those who can't afford their taxes. Yes, it is a shame. My first question to those who can't afford their taxes because they don't work is "How much do you smoke?" I am referring to my town only. I see people who complain they can't afford all kinds of things, but they can afford to spend $4 to $5 on a pack of cigarettes or two each day. That would pay their for most of their taxes and then leave quite a bit left over. Sure, it's not my business on how they spend their money. But they can't expect to have habits like smoking and then expect others to pick up the tab on their property taxes because they can't afford them. I have an average home in my town, and my taxes were $650 this year. Most of those who complain there are not programs to help those who don't work would have tax bills amounting to approximately $300 if that because most live in mobile homes. It is hard for me to be sympathetic in this scenario.

Correct. I am not allowed to express my opionion about how to go about things. Howver, I can say that changes are made at the legislative level, and anyone who is passionate enough to go about it should do something to change the laws. Laws are made all day long without regard as to which government office is required to implement the laws and what it takes to impement those laws. I hear veterans come to our state and complain there is no relief for veterans. I believe wholeheartedly there should be some break for them. You would think John McCain would have started something in Arizona. But nobody has. Or if it has been started, it never makes it to vote. I hate legislators. Most are self-serving pompass jerks.