We used to have really great water. It tastes okay now. But it leaves big white calcium build up on pots, glasses, etc. I have two lovely red wine glasses with marks half way up that look as if I was rooting plants in them & I have no idea on how to get rid of the spots.

Angelface, have you tried filling the wine glasses with vinegar and letting them sit for several days?  Sometimes vinegar can remove wine stains.

SCFSue

It isn't wine but a white spot or haze from the water that several people have said is calicum. It reminds me of the white spots in the bottom of my pots after boiling a large quanity of water.

Patricia,  here is a suggestion for trying to get the stains off of your glasses.  Worth a try !!!

I just "googled"   How to get calcium deposits  off of glasses and this, along with a lot more suggestions came up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1kTbOoVhJk

Joy

Hi everyone.  We finally got down to 32 degrees last night and the mid-50's will be out high today.  We did get to Costco yesterday and did a lot of restocking of the refrigerator.  The meal at church last night was tasty and then we had a nice visit with Scott and Jennifer. 

This is coffee day with the men and I will drop off at the cafe the man I pick up on Thursday and go on to the hospital to have routine blood drawn.  My doctor's appointment was moved up from next Wednesday to tomorrow morning so must get the blood work done today.  After I return the man to his retirement home I will stop at Walmart to pick up prescriptions for Pat and get a couple of vegetable items we need although may make a very brief stop at Aldi's. 

We don't have the Wisdom Group at the Church this morning as the minister has once again been called away for a meeting.  I am looking forward to watching a lot of college basketball as the game start today a little before 1 pm.

Mary Ann, did Tom have to take his car to a specific garage that Uber directed or could he select his own? I have never heard of the Orange Irish but see that Patricia has provided some background on them.

Sandy, I expect the store owners are very concerned to have the walks cleared and free of ice or snow due to the liability issues. 

deAngel, we had corned beef and cabbage last year at the St. Patrick's Day dinner at church.  However, I understand the kitchen budget is basically broke so expect the Irish Stew fit better into the available funds.  It was served with mashed potatoes and peas as well as the soda bread, salad and dessert. It sounds like you get to see a lot of nature from your windows. Your area's problem with farm noises is like it was in Atlanta where people bought or build home near one of the airport and then complained about the noise of the airplanes. 

Joan, I agree with you that Alaska is a beautiful place. 

Patricia, I hadn't realized the porcupine lived so far North.  I also have trouble remembering to wear green on St. Patrick's Day. 

Larry, yes, Tom had to take his car to Belle Tire and fortunately there is one close to us.  Uber pays for the inspection.  Tom does have a small mark where a stone hit his windshield shortly after he got the car.  The mark in on the passenger side and barely visible so he hasn't had it replaced.  He probably will have it replaced now.

Orange Irish, I always heard, is the Protestant Irish, whereas the Green Irish are the Catholics.  I will say that today most people wear green - kelly green - on St Patrick's day, if they wear any particular color, and regardless of any religion. 

We still are in the teens as far as temperature is concerned, but again, the sun is shining, so it is a beautiful day!  I think we are to get up into the mid-thirties today.

I think it is nice that you, Pat, Scott and Jennifer eat together on Wednesdays - or at least some of you. 

Mary Ann

MaryAnn and Larry, I'm a history buff and you may be more familiar with the Jacobites and the failure of the uprising in Ireland, then England in 1688 and then again in 1745 with the attempt of Charles Edward Stuart to regain the British throne. The Irish, being primarily Catholic, supported the Stuarts against Protestant England.

After losing and Stuart escaping back to France; England invaded Ireland and imposed draconian punishments against the people. They also awarded large tracts of Irish Land, forfeited by the losers to the English in border communities. Some stayed in England becoming absentee landlords, evicting the farmers and running sheep on the grounds.

The Crown moved in English settlers along the border and some other strategic areas to squash any further rebellions. These English colonists became the Orangemen of Ulster and Northern Ireland. This is the basis for the religious wars and conflict going on to this day. It was during this period that my ancestor and his family were transported to Charleston in 1748.

Thanks, Joy, I watched the video and bookmarked it. I hope the lemon and salt work on crystal flutes. It talked about lime which may be a better term than calcium.

Larry, i believed porcupines to be just about everywhere so after your coment made me curious, I Googled.  "Distribution and habitat. North American porcupines range from Canada, Alaska, and into northern Mexico. They are commonly found in coniferous and mixed forested areas, but have adapted to harsh environments such as shrublands, tundra, and deserts."

I had another night working on the computer and when I saw it was three AM, decided to see if I can stay up without a nap, so as to get back into a schedule. Here's hoping!

Angel, interesting about your family being transported to Charleston after the Jacobite Rebellion. It certainly sounds as if they had little choice in the migration. I know very little about Ireland and its struggles against the England. I've read about the Highland Clearances, but didn't realize the English did the same thing to the Irish.

The Irish and the Scots shared more than religion. As I recall, and it was a long time ago I read this, but in reading a history of Robert the Bruce I remember something about his family history dating back to migrations of Irish to the west coast of Scotland.

Thanks, Patricia, for the history lesson.  I didn't know the details, but I knew everything was not friendly between Northern Ireland and Ireland proper.  We got a dose of it when Jim and I were in Northern Ireland on a tour in 2010.  Since I can't find information on my William Fleming, I don't know how he got to Northern Ireland, I have only heard about his being Scots-Irish.  I know the Fleming name goes back to Scotland.

You would have laughed at Kendrick a while ago.  He looks out the slider, sometimes as if he wants to go out.  There is snow on the deck, but between the boards of the deck, the snow has either fallen between the boards or melted because the sun is shining.  Anyway, I let the cat out on the deck and he tiptoed between the boards where there was no snow.  He turned around and headed for the slider and dashed in when I opened the door.  Funny cat.

Tom just returned from eating with a friend and I think it is time for me to find something to eat too.  I'm going to browse the few folders I read in S&F first.

Mary Ann

As I understand it, the primary route for the Celtic people along with others was from Russia, over the Russian steppes. From there they spread out, as the Asians, did from the Alaskan land bridge. Everything my family knows is attributed to my maternal great uncle who died in 1963. He never married or had children, but spent his life documenting the Tinkler and Shannon families back to the early sixteen hundreds. And all before computers.

He self-published nine hardback books. One for each head of the family back then. The first part was about family origins, location and geographic and climate area as well as some history of the people. The second half was all begats. My older sister and I are in the begats, but my younger sister was born too late to be included.

I am mainly Irish, (Tinkler, and Shannon), and my father was Irish, Scotch, and Welsh. I do have a little Johnston watch kilt in black with a thin green line along the bottom from my paternal grandmother. Someday I want to do a DNA test because not only from the earliest migrations but also because early Ireland was a favorite haunt of the Norse.

What I know is that my ancestor supposedly sold a horse to an English officer or soldier and the horse threw the man. The entire family was arrested and put on a transport to Charleston where they were sold as indentured for years.

It took over 25 years for the family to rejoin and they moved first to the area of Gipsum, Kansas and then to Grand Junction, Ouray, and Montrose. That was how it was in the nineteen fifties, and much has changed since then. But other than my immediate family, all were farmers. And you know you're not going to get wealthy from that!

James I and VI (1566 - 1625) - king of England and Scotland, first Stuart monarch
James II (1633 - 1701) - Stuart king of England, Scotland and Ireland, deposed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/bruce_robert_the.shtml

MaryAnn, I think everyone understands about me and trivia now. I do have two history degrees, one in medieval warfare and tacticians and one on the Celts. I was lucky to have worked for nine years at the University in Media Services and your classes were free if they could be linked to your employment.

Farrah will not go willingly out either door but she is now playing with the ball in her cylinder. Tossing it around with her paw and then dashing away growling, then back again to shoot that ball again!

I wonder if she and Kendrick would get along?

MarsGal, I remembered that the English king kept Bruce's female relatives in cages over a castle's gateway, so I looked it up and found this.

http://historyandotherthoughts.blogspot.com/2014/06/the-tragic-life-of-marjorie-bruce.html

I do know this about William Fleming - he was a brick layer in Northern Ireland and took his talent with him when he came to the US.  He came with  one or two brothers when he was in his teens.  Not wanting to be in the way of his older brother(s) he joined the Merchant Marine and went around the world before ending up in Canada.  His wife was Margaret Tees and much was found about the Tees family in Montreal, just nothing that led to Margaret (or her sister Marjorie who married Samuel Buchanan).  Eventually the Flemings went to Lake Mills, Wisconsin where William continued as a brick layer.  According to my aunt (Mother's sister), the governor, in a speech, referred to William Fleming as a good, hard worker. 

I will now leave it up to the next generations to find out more about William Fleming, however, no one seems interested.  But they may in the future. 

Mary Ann

Thanks, Angel. I don't remember reading about how the women were treated in captivity. I do remember the book saying that Stewart was originally a title bestowed on the King's man in charge of keeping the estates running. I don't remember his original clan name, but King Robert, in another honor to the man, allowed Walter to change his name to Stewart. Stuart is the French spelling. George's mother was, as she liked to say, a Bonnie Prince Charlie Stuart. She and her sister never failed to wear the royal tartan on special occasions.

I wish I still had my book about Robert the Bruce. I lent it to George's Mom years ago but it never got returned. After she passed, George could not find it in the house. I expect she passed it on to her sister or George's cousin.

Hi everyone on another sunny but chilly morning. Happy St. Patrick's Day.  My family line for the Hanna name comes for a man who migrated from Ireland.  I have a doctor's appointment this morning and then plan on watching a lot of the basketball games, as I did yesterday.  That will be my exciting day.

Mary Ann, thanks for the information related to the Uber inspection.  I may be wrong but I think most insurance companies will replace windshields without applying the deductible as it is a safety issue.  Your explanation of the Orange Irish makes sense. 

Patricia, thanks for expanding on the Orange and Green Irish history.  We recently watched three seasons of a Netflix Original called "The Reign" that revolved around Mary, Queen of Scots and tying into that history and her constant efforts to protect Scotland from England in her younger years.  Thanks for the info on porcupines and I hope I never have one in my yard although I checked and we do have them in South Carolina.  I so enjoy the historical information you share with us.  You have a very interesting background. One of the most useful courses I took in college was Humanities I and II as it introduced me to ancient history, art and music and certainly expanded by world.  It was a hard course but we had a wonderful teacher who brought things to life. 

MarsGal, if you have Netflix you might enjoy the series I mentioned above.  While it is a drama I found it very interesting and has a historical basis.   

Larry, here in Alabama, it's not porcupines, but armadillos that are migrating north that cause all the damage, plus are often road kill as they are slow when crossing roads.  Before my husband died and after, when I sold our farm, we had armadillos digging holes in our 40 acres almost every day--and it was hard to get rid of them.  They are very pesky creatures!

Sue

Sue - Porcupines and armadillos are two wild animals that we don't have here in N. California . . . yet!  Our critters consist of possum, skunk, mountain lion/cougar, bobcat, raccoons, and of course the ever present, coyote!  Now that so many homes here have surveillance cameras, it's fascinating to look at the footage, and see the wild beasties that visit during the night!

Another beautiful day expected here today.  Highs in the low 70's.  I'm really enjoying the warm weather, but my allergies are driving me crazy.  Everything is in bloom, plus pollen from junipers and other evergreens.

Wishing you all a pleasant St Patricks Day!

I think we have porcupines in our area, but I've never seen one.  We do have raccoons and used to have them around here, but it could be with all of the building done in our township that they decided to go elsewhere.  We do have a pond that they like.  When I would visit Norm and Dot, we'd see armadillos, possums, raccoons, and other animals we don't see around here.  Dot would get so upset with the armadillos because they'd leave those little pointed holes all over the yard.  They had a fox that showed up sometimes and one time we saw a river otter go across their yard.  Their yard backed up to a swamp so we never knew what we would see. 

Mary Ann

Everyone is talking about blooms and here we sit with minus thirty as it hasn't done its daily warm up yet. Our temperatures haven't really changed since late December...BUT, they should!   

I had an eventful week, unable to sleep Sunday night and then Wednesday night. So I forced myself to stay up until 10:30 last night. I knew if I napped, I'd be right back to square one. It was odd, however, to be standing at the sink, washing dishes and drifting off before coming back to full consciousness. I did sleep in until 5 AM and for me, that was solid without once awakening.

This grammar class, I'm taking is odd with their nomenclature. I have an excellent vocabulary due to reading, but my grammar is horrible, thus this course. I have always said, I know what the word means...I just can't spell it or pronounce it!

I have issues with quotes and commas. Who really knows how to use them? I remember my second-year English professor commenting that he could always tell when I took a breath as I would insert a comma in my written work. Now, this course sticks commas everywhere, willy-nilly. That was the same professor who said he could tell I read several books by English authors because of my spelling. He told me I needed to watch that if I wanted to get ahead.

My main disagreement with the coursework is it keeps penalizing me for "passive language" and overuse of "adjectives." That is some of my best writing too! Take away my adjectives and you take away me! I keep getting marked for those and for ending with a preposition or using words like "really."

MarsGal, thanks for the info on Stuart versus Stewart. But wasn't James I. the son of Mary Queen of Scots and didn't Elizabeth I. of England have him brought up Protestant and designated as her heir? Or am I getting my Stewarts/Stuarts mixed? Mary spent so much time in France, growing up and it was easy to see why two such strong women clashed and they were cousins as well.

Larry, I tell people my mind is like a Magpie's. It's attracted to bright and shiny things, i. e. trivia. My mother and grandparents were very prejudiced against the English due to my ancestors. However, I saw it as centuries ago and a practice of the times. The Scots, Irish and Welsh were no different. The English just had modern weapons and were used to working in a group while the others took pride in their independence.

If you want to feel the weight of history, go to the battlefield of Culloden. It is a park now and so many people say they feel the sorrow, anguish, and death of a people, way of life there. That it is overwhelming to the senses.

When the Romans conquered the British Isles they were never able to conquer the Welsh. To a people who valued conformity in battle strategy, to have a  group of small stature folk paint themselves blue and fight naked in guerrilla warfare totally unnerved them. Those Welsh and early American Apache would have gotten along.

Marilyn, since 2004, we have gotten prairie dogs and coyotes in the Fairbanks area. So far they are staying in the Sanctuary and have yet to venture into town. Our most dangerous small animal is the wolverine which has upon occasion killed moose. Most of our animals are larger such as various species of bear, lynx and moose. Southeast has Dall Sheep, mountain goats, and Sitka Black tailed deer that we do not.

MaryAnn, I live almost right on the riverbank so it is the same here. Many animals use the waterways as highways and Fairbanks was built right in the middle of some of the best Athapascan hunting grounds!

Good afternoon, not a cloud in the sky. It is windy, but not as bad as yesterday.

Patrician, I also thank you for all the information you post. As the saying goes Never to Old to learn. When I retired from the hospital, I went to night school.

Thank you Gloria. I believe that when you stop learning, you die'

And with that, I wonder what you folks think about this?

"Maybe this will be you one day. Yesterday, British officials gave a group of doctors there the go-ahead to start making babies using DNA from three people. The UK’s the first country to give the method an official thumbs up. It’s a procedure meant to prevent mothers from passing along certain genetic diseases to their kids. Scientists take the parts of the mother’s DNA that are risky and swap it with a donor’s healthy DNA. DNA from both women gets thrown in with the father’s DNA to make one big DNA cocktail. Meaning the birds and the bees just got even more awkward. Last year, a group of US doctors went to Mexico - because the US isn’t on board with this procedure yet - to help a couple conceive this way. Critics say this may not be totally safe, plus it crosses an ethical boundary that could one day lead to “designer babies” (picking and choosing your kid’s gene pool). British scientists are hoping to start baby making this summer. Let’s get it on."

  Joy, you are my new hero! my wine flutes sparkle after the lemon and salt scrub! Thank you for that!

Then today, I saw a note about using distilled white vinegar and baking soda that is said to also work so I am slowly building a stockpile of useful tips.

Patricia, I've read something previously about creating babies in a selective method, but I don't remember how it was to be accomplished.  I think it had to do with Germany during Hitler's time. 

As for writing, my grammar is pretty good, but I usually find it necessary to include too much detail.  I think I do that so others will know where I'm "coming from" and won't have to ask so many questions.  It isn't that I mind the questions, I don't, but I just have to get that information out there!!!

Mary Ann

Patricia - I'll have to read more about the science of the DNA/baby making, before I have an opinion, however just thinking about it, puts a "bad taste in my mouth", as the saying goes.  I'm fearful of experimenting with human beings, and afraid that it would quickly get out of hand in certain parts of the world. 

Countries where unscrupulous leaders are in control, such as Russia, North Korea, or China, could never be trusted to stay within certain ethical guidelines. It makes me shudder to think about it. 

Technology is moving way too fast for me, as it is. Do we really need driverless cars?  Do we really need "Alexa", in our lives, so we can issue commands, or get immediate answers to mundane questions?  When is it ever going to stop, or where is it all going to lead??

MaryAnn, it seems like every single descriptive word in my writing is redlined! Also, that last sentence would be considered written in a passive voice. Two things I don't know how to readily correct.

When you use the word "they," it is often called an unclear antecedent. Should you say they, the people or they, the cows? What? Also, the word readily would probably be redlined. If I wrote "Precisely MaryAnn," they would expect a comma after "Precisely" as well. How is that different from my old professor saying I inserted commas each time I paused for breath?

In Nazi Germany, blonde, blue-eyed women of traceable Germanic ancestry were prized and paid to have babies. Some went to live in specific compounds where they repeatedly had sex with males said to be of good German stock, in hopes of creating an enduring master race. The children, surviving from those experiments, still living, were interviewed for a book not long ago.

Other than a noticeable hesitancy in revealing their origins, nothing about them was different or better than others of their generation. Now I only read the one book, admittedly a small sampling, but it stands to reason that evolution and individual genes play more of a part than a person's ancestry. That is other than the propensity for various illnesses or conditions such as sickle cell anemia.

With the current DNA processes, they are attempting to block hereditary diseases such as Huntington's or Tay-Sachs disease.

There is a problem in China already Marilyne. The first generation of boys from China's one child only policy are grown up and ready to be married. Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming preference for males, there are few if any brides in their age group. There are now successful rings that kidnap young women in other Asian countries and Muslim countries, to sell as "brides" to these Chinese. Can you really respect a woman you have purchased? OOPs, shouldn't have posted the word really.

I just had something happen that I brought on myself and with Tom's help got myself out of it.  A young man came to the door from Anderson Windows.  His jacket and hat both had Anderson on them and I really believe he was from Anderson.  Anyway, they wanted to check windows in our complex (he said they had checked with Board) and would give an estimate for replacement, good for a year.  I have no plans to get new windows, but I did say someone could come at 2 pm Saturday to check the windows.  I do not have Anderson windows, by the way.  Tom wasn't here but came home shortly after.  I told him about the conversation and I'm sure he thought senility was setting in.  And he might not be here at 2 pm.  I was having second thoughts anyway so decided that when the company called at 2 pm I'd tell them I did not want them to come.  About a half hour after the young man left, he came back and said 2 pm was not open, would 12:30 be OK.  I told him I had changed my mind and I did not want the company to come; I had no intention of getting new windows so there was no reason they should come.  He was trying to persuade me to at least get the estimate and Tom heard the conversation, came upstairs and told the young man "we don't need windows" in a "and that's that! voice.  The young man left.  I am sure I would have had more conversation with the man, but the result would have been the same - don't come. 

Marilyne, I think it was Hitler who wanted a "pure" Aryan race and suggested something that would attain it.  You're right, there are people in countries who would misuse the DNA and who knows what would result.  They might even mix human DNA with that of an animal to see what would happen.  I don't expect it in my lifetime, but I hate to think of the possibilities for generations to come.

Patricia, I have trouble with the word "it", using the word too often.  I will then go back and insert the word it represents.  I have a tendency to use commas too, put them in sometimes and leave them out other times.  Also, when I was doing typing at work, the company decided to eliminate a lot of punctuation.  I do use commas, but in address labels, I do not use commas or periods.  Mr. became Mr and I'm not sure I even use that term any more.  My address includes "northeast" and I abbreviate it as NE, not N. E.  Just little things like that.

Mary Ann

Patricia,  I am so glad that you were able to remove the "film" from your wine glasses.   It was just by chance that I googled that solution.  Now you will have nice and sparkly wine glasses to enjoy your "spirits" in.  I used to have lots of nice glassware, but slowly they have gotten broken.  I do now keep a wine glass on my counter top to use when I occasionally do like a glass of wine.  I only like sweet wine.  In the summer, I like Crème de Menthe over crushed ice.  Sometimes I will mix in a little heavy whipping cream if I have it.   I also was introduced to Margarita's not too long ago, and I did enjoy that.  Last Easter, my DIL and son gave me an assortment of 6 or 7 bottles of all different kinds of wine, wanting me to pick the one I liked best.  I have asked them to get me a bottle of Sangria sometime, but so far, haven't gotten any.

My son and DIL are big wine drinkers  and he even has a small wine cellar in their basement.   Last summer when I was at their house, he had some really good Sangria that, believe it or not, had come from Walmart.  Unfortunately, you can't get it in Maryland.  He had picked some up in Virginia when he was there for work.  I forget what the brand name is they use, but it only cost $2.99.  For someone who doesn't mind spending big bucks on wine,  he was so surprised to find out how good the Walmart wine was.  I think it was "Oak" something or other.

Again, glad the glass cleaner worked.

Shirley,  you know we would all be very unhappy if you didn't show up here at least once a week.  Your stories are always so entertaining.  I am another one who likes French Toast, but don't always feel like making it.  Good idea to make up some and freeze it.
Will have to try to remember that idea.

Joy

Patricia, my thoughts only, and remember the age it is coming from.
Let God be in charge.  i remember when Hitler was going to make a super race also.

I have to say my grammar will never change, I use a lot of comas. I still use the palmer  method .My spelling is bad

MaryAnn, they are already mixing human and animal DNA. There was the first animal-human transplant with a pig's heart in 1964. A baboon has lived for three years so far with a pig's heart. Since 2011, they have been working with and mixing human and animal stem cells in research for human conditions. There is a human hybrid dog if you count some of its cells incorporated such as Dolly the sheep was.

Gloria, in the case of things such as infant mortality or organ transplants, do we say it's up to God? That is hard to say looking back over human history. Thousands of folks were upset when transplants first came out saying it was against God's will.There is even now a lot of controversy over donors for infertility and saving your sperm or eggs for later.

I started the grammar course because I didn't know how to correctly use punctuation, use a paragraph or write succinctly.

Many people are now upset with search engines like Google, saying it's not good for children, adults, and learning.

in my own opinion, we can't go back. We have been in another industrial revolution with advances coming so fast and furious. Look at how cell phone use has exploded, Look at Social Medial usage, fitbits such as Shirley uses and computers that can be worn as a tattoo and work!

There are a lot of people out trying these scams, MaryAnn. Anytime they try to rush you, its a scam in my opinion. I always tell them I will get back to them later, period.

Joy, I like a god Merlot but rarely drink that much anymore. Sometimes I can get a headache from just a few sips. Here is a simple Sangria recipe from Allrecipes.

In a large pitcher or bowl, mix together the brandy, lemon juice, lemonade concentrate, orange juice, red wine, triple sec, and sugar. Float slices of lemon, orange and lime, and maraschino cherries in the mixture. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. For a fizzy sangria, add club soda just before serving.

Angel, keeping the Stuart/Stewart name straight is a bit of a task for me. James (VI of Scotland, I of England) was born of Mary's second marriage which was to Henry Stewart (Lord Darnley) who died before Henry's first year. James retained his mother's spelling of the name. He was only one when he became King of Scotland. I think you are right about James being brought up Protestant, but he probably had some Catholic instruction too. Being brought up during the Reformation must have given him an opportunity to study both religious viewpoints. Encyclopedia Britannica says he was a "convinced" Presbyterian; not converted, convinced. I suppose that means he made a choice at some point to follow the Protestant view, maybe before he was baptized into either one. Not sure what the term "convinced" means here.  At any rate, he used his knowledge of both religious factions when dealing with the Scottish Lords. He was not as successful in dealing with the Catholics in England and, I suppose, Ireland since he also was monarch there.

Hi everyone.  It is an overcast 55 degree morning but headed into the low 70's this afternoon.  The only thing on my calendar is to make a quick trip at Aldi's and then go on to Walmart to pick up the online order that Pat placed.  I will take it easy the rest of the day and watch some of the NCAA College basketball games.  There have been some really good games so far and some that were not competitive at all. 

SCF, sure hope those armadillos don't find their way to the Augusta area. 

Marilyne, before these critters would get to you they are probably going to have to get to our area.  The only wild animals I have seen around here are squirrels and deer although I know there are a lot of wild turkeys nearby as well as other animals. 

Mary Ann, I remember Norm speaking of the wild animals in their yard in Florida. 

Patricia, I do hope you begin to warm up soon.  We had two night where it got down to freezing and I see that it killed the blooms on my azalea bushes around my front porch.  Glad you are getting your sleeping patterns back in order.  I know that my grammar and punctuation are sometimes not in good form.  The major problem I have is knowing when to use the apostrophe before the "s" at the end of the word.  I have always been a pretty good speller but now do appreciate the built in dictionary and spelling corrections in these forms and other computer programs.  I know a few of my sentences end with a preposition and sometimes I will rephrase the sentence to avoid that happening but sometimes they just need to be there to complete my thoughts.  At this point in my life I don't consider it all that important.  I do appreciate the historical insight you provide.   

Mary Ann, I also have the problem of including too much detail and that creates these long postings.  You and I think alike on why we write the detail. 

Joy, I have no clue as to what is good wine as have never purchased it except a couple of times when Pat a small bottle to use in cooking.  The few times I have drunk wine one glass has usually given me a headache.