Linda Z

That's so wonderful, Oak!! I can't imagine being estranged from my son, and it must do your heart so much good to be reuiniting with yours!!

Well, today's a perfectly awful snowy day. We got walloped with about a foot yesterday, followed by freezing rain this morning just in time for rush hour. Ice rinks all over the west side of town. There are far too many accidents for the police to get to. A stretch of I-480 in both directions is closed. Many people I work with couldn't even get out of their driveways, much less navigate their streets to get out to the clearer main roads. But here comes the good news! I had the foresight to bring work home just in case and told my staff to do the same, so those who didn't feel safe driving or couldn't get to work today are working at home in their jammies. So maybe it is another perfect snowy day after all. :)--> I'd invite you up to our Winter Wonderland, Matilda my snowless friend, but alas, your flight would probably be cancelled! Ah, winter in northern Ohio.

Shaz, I don't think we were ever given a reason for GB's taking over Children's Activites once he and C married. I remember having the sense that it was for exactly the reason you've guessed--because he was the man. Many of us were quite astounded, since C had done such a fantastic job our first year and G was such a jerk.

Shaz, you're right. CB had (and probably still has) a huge heart for kids. Our first year in the FC she and another woman, R, ran children's activities, and they were wonderful--qualified and so enthusiastic. All the kids I knew adored them. They were strict and could smell BS a mile away, but they were very, very loving.

I don't know about the pervert part, but I do know that the Mr. B in question was very rough with the teens when he arrived on the scene our last year in the Family Corps. He was a bully when he didn't get instant and complete obedience. When he kicked (kicked!) my 13-year-old son, I complained loudly about it to him and to Bob M. I told Bob the guy had no business having any kind of oversight of children whatsoever and that he'd better not lay another finger (or foot) on my child ever again. He never did, but I see from this thread that they kept him around. His a$$ should have been booted off that campus his first year there. Because I heard some rumors a few years later, I did ask my son if anyone (male or female) in twi, particularly at the Indiana Campus, had ever tried anything sexual with him. He said no, and I know he would have said so if anyone had, because he's very open with me.

Ooh, share the stuffed mushrooms recipe here, please, Cindy!

I don't know what she's doing now--I haven't seen her in about 15 years. But I know what she used to do when I worked for her. She sat in her office sipping coffee (or was it tea?) from a dainty, costly Belleek teacup, holding court with a parade of people. She hung out with Donna Martindale. A lot. At HQ. At her house. At Donna's house (mansion). In Europe. Oh, and she made rules. Lots and lots of rules. She was also quite adept at stabbing people in the back, all the while with a shinola-eating grin on her face. My old friend MMF used to say (and I paraphrase), "She can stab you in the back and you don't even realize it until you've walked away and thought about it." RFR had the reputation for being able to get things done around HQ. She had the power to pull the strings, and she used it. Never mind whose toes she stepped on in the process. I'm sure she thinks she's right. I'm sure she thinks her actions, no matter how manipulative or deceitful, are "for a good cause."

I guess this is as good a place as any to let you know I've left you a PT. At least I"m not interrupting a conversation!! Heh heh

Okay, dessert first! Forget 'Em Cookies Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat 2 egg whites till frothy. Gradually add 3/4 cup sugar and continue beating till mixture forms stiff peaks. Fold in 1 cup chopped nuts and 1 C Brickle Bits (they sell them in the baking aisle, where the chocolate chips are). Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets lined with brown paper (I've used the inside of a brown grocery bag in a pinch). Place in oven and turn oven off. Leave overnight. Store in covered container. (Sorry, I forget how many cookies this recipe makes.) Everyone I've made them for has liked them, and it doesn't get any easier! For something that takes only a little more effort but has great eye appeal and is really yummy... Mini Cherry Cheesecakes Preheat oven to 350 degrees 1 lb cream cheese (room temp) 3/4 cup sugar 1 t. lemon juice 2 eggs 1 teaspon vanilla 1 can Comstock cherry pie filling 1 box 'Nilla Wafers Miniature cupcake liners (the kind with foil on the outside are great...you can just put them on a cookie sheet) Beat cream cheese with sugar, then add lemon juice, eggs, and vanilla. Beat until fluffly. Put one 'Nilla Wafer at the bottom of each cupcake liner, followed by a rounded tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture. Top each with a cherry and some of the filling. Bake 15 minutes...voila, baby cheesecakes. Festive and tasty! For an easy brunch type sandwich: Make ham and swiss sandwiches on good sandwich rolls (Kaiser or something more substantial than a hamburger bun). Add a dab of your favorite mustard. Wrap each sandwich in foil in put them on a cookie sheet. Heat in 350-degree oven until the cheese melts and the sandwich is nice and warm. Serve them right ouf of the oven. (You can assemble them the day before and just pop them in the oven at the last minute. Hope these help!

Sure there is Geo! It's the kind where you don't have to go outside! Tomorrow driving to work will be another matter. But for now, it's lovely.

Aw, My Tilde, I can so sympathize. Christmas tree shopping in California in shorts just never cut it for me. I wish I could send you some snowflakes and some warm-from-the-oven cookies!

Sudo, 'tis a cozy time of year, for sure. I don't know about that running part, though. Brrrrrr!

My son's adding a few Christmas decorations and watching the Browns, who might have a remote chance of not embarrassing themselves too badly, since the Chargers probably aren't so used to playing in a blizzard. Meanwhile, I'm starting the annual cookie-baking extravaganza. I stopped to search online for a few new recipes and found a GREAT Web site, Allrecipes.com. The cool thing, besides the fact that it has lots and lots of recipes, is that it gives you the option of printing them in recipe card size. Here's the link: http://allrecipes.com/directory/599.asp Soon the fragrance of cookies will be wafting through the house. This might help my son overcome his grumpiness about how lame the Browns are. :D-->

DMiller said: "...I find it mildly amusing that those who wish for total separation of church and state, will go to a church, to cast their vote for the state." That's easy. :)--> A church isn't a building. The places where people vote are simply buildings where church is held. I vote at an elementrary school building. That doesn't tempt me to become a third-grader again. :D--> I also play bingo sometimes at a Catholic school building, which is attached to a Catholic church building, and the last time I made the sign of the cross was when I went to church with my Catholic friend in high school. Back to the topic: I'm a Christian, but I don't think a judge should have the 10 Commandments embroidered on his robe, because he's there to represent the court, not his religious beliefs. I'm highly suspicious of people who wear their religious beliefs on their sleeves, or robes, or bumpers. I don't know how many times I've been cut off on an interstate by a 19982 station wagon with 10 "Jesus" bumper stickers slapped on its backend. I'd rather see a sermon than to hear (or read or get run over by) one, y'know? Oh, and no cracks about the association between old ladies and bingo, guys. I'd prefer a casino, but our conservative Republican politicans have so far prevented us from having any of those in our state! -->

Congrats! I'm so happy for you, and that company has a gem!

No wonder people think I'm ignoring them when they send me PTs. Um, if you've ever sent me a PT, I replied. To the moderators!!! :o-->

I liked him the first few times I watched him, but now he annoys me. I think he gets too full of himself and too condescending to the people he's trying to help.

Can you just imagine the challenges for Amazing Race-New Knoxville competitors? They could have teams of three instead of two, since there are three thrones to be filled. It might go something like this: Okay teams. You will first string 144 chairs in the OSC Dining Room while reciting the "What is the Way" definition. Once that task is completed, you will race to the Way Woods and build a bonfire. You will light that bonfire by striking your holy spirit dove against your holy spirit ring. In the rain. The fire will ignite a string that, when it burns through, will open the (servants') entrance to the "Corps Chalet," that building that looks like it's constructed of Lincoln Logs out in the woods. You will go in and scrub that building from top to bottom. When it passes Donna Martindale's white-glove test, you will receive your clue for the next leg of the race. Next clue is a Detour! Your first option is to go door-to-door witnessing at the Greasespot Cafe. You must convince someone there to let you come to their home, set up a television and VCR, provide cookies, coffee, and a hundred or so rolls of toilet paper and not and guffaw while L. Craig Martindale WAPs people over the head with his goofy doctrines. If you are awake and straight-faced at the completion of the video, you'll receive your next clue. The second option: Go to the Clubhouse next to the barn. There, you will find a tape recorder. Close the door, turn the volume on the machine all the way up, and listen to Beautiful Ohio at full volume for a solid hour. If you can restrain yourself from bolting out the door before the hour's up, you will receive your next clue. Next challenge: Roadblock! Who has a strong stomach? Only one of you may complete this task. Placed before you will be a plate containing a large mound of millet covered with fig pep, gorp, and borscht. If you succeed in eating it all without barfing, you will be handed a can labeled "Shinola." What's in the can, however, ain't no shoe polish. Eat it. (You'll have to eat a lot of it anyway if you're going to make it in the twi organization.) Once they have completed the Roadblock, the teams will hitchhike to a little town called Emporia, Kansas, for a mandatory rest period called a Pit Stop. The last team to arrive will be marked and avoided. Go!

My Man Godfrey, 1936, with William Powell and Carole Lombard. It's a romantic comedy that's also thought provoking.

"She Came in through the Bathroom Window by Joe Cocker" Very festive, Paw. Very, very festive.

Hey ex-70s, the beauty of this place is that you can start a discussion on any topic you like. People may join in if they like. And you can ignore any topics that don't interest you if you like. By the way, David isn't a new poster; he just hasn't been posting lately. He's started discussions on twi, on horses, and even on chickens! He's a pretty versatile guy. :D-->

What a great photo of a great guy! Thanks for sharing it, Paw.

Hey exsie, I'd rather gamble and sip Bailey's on the rocks with ya than talk to the nanoo nanoo people. Oh wait, that's Mork. Well, anyway, it could be fun. It's not like there'd be nothing to do while the Trekkies are doing their thing!

JT: I thought it was Ozzie O. in a Pope costume!

Whitedove: Since you know about Geer's operation, can you tell us about the "franchises" for his class? My understanding is that he has to approve you to run a franchise, and then you have to commit to X percent of your fellowship's ABS, or offerings or whatever they're calling them, to his organization. Or maybe it's just the fees people pay to take his class. I'm not sure. I'd love to hear the straight scoop. If the teachings are as boring as the ones he did on the "Gartmore tapes," which I could only stomach for a little while, I can't imagine anyone going for them, but I know there are people in Cleveland who are WAY into Geer's thing. I just don't get it, except my sense is that he appealed to the people who thought that without PFAL, we'd all go to hell in a handbasket, so he repackaged it and capitalized on their fear.