Subj : Newspapers ws: More Cookw [1] To : Dave Drum From : Ruth Haffly Date : Fri Apr 19 2024 14:41:10 Hi Dave, RH> I never got into it that much but Dad did a lot for the paper, probably RH> more than I ever knew. I've done some writing, not a lot in the past RH> few years (except for Fido), published mostly in a (monthly) church RH> newsletter, but had some published in the paper as well. In the back of RH> my brain I think about getting back to it, but it hasn't happened yet. DD> I've got a lot of "round tuits" many of which may never be gotten DD> around to. But I do get a sense of satisfaction when I mark one off DD> the list. My list is probably longer than I realise but it does feel good to get items marked off from time to time. DD> I was young and energetic. These days I'm north of 80 and getting DD> tired. RH> I'm not there yet but times I feel much older. Other times I feel I'm RH> too young to be this old. (G) DD> I know the word to that song. Time has been kind to my physical shell DD> and many people are amazed when they lear that I'm the age I am. "You DD> sure don't look that old." To which my standard comeback is "Try DD> looking through my eyes" Bv)= Work/keeping you active has probably kept you going. DD> If I hit the lottery I'm going to have my dream kitchen designed as DD> the hub of my new home. Then hang the living, sleeping and home RH> office DD> space off of that. Wall ovens, walk-in reefer, dishwasher, RH> counter DD> seating for eat-in, nook for a table for six (or more), RH> etc. And lots DD> or cabinet and pantry space. I've mentally budgeted RH> U$50,000. DD> The problem with a house that fancy is that the local gummint wants DD> their "pound of flesh" every year at tax time. Bv)= RH> Tell me about it! Wake County re-evaluates property every 4 years as RH> compared to 8 years for the rest of the state. Our taxes more than RH> doubled with the last re-evaluation, done last year. According to them, RH> the house/lot is worth more than twice what we paid for it in fall of RH> 2014 but we can't sell it for that much. DD> Illiois has a "Homestead Act" for residential property that is DD> occupied by its owner or owners as his or their principal dwelling DD> place. Plus DD> the "Low-Income Senior Freeze" provides limited-income seniors with DD> protection against real estate tax increases due to rising property DD> values. I don't think we've got anything like that but it does sound nice. DD> My taxes haven't gone up since I moved into this home. Used to have to DD> make the trek to the Country Assessor's office to apply/renew the deal DD> in-person. And may have to in future. But, for now, the CoVid pandamic DD> has put the brakes on the in-person deal. Bv)= Probably a lot of formerly walk ins have gone to having everything done on line. Nice for those of us that have a computer at home but another twist in getting things done easy if you don't. Find a public space (library?) that has computers/meshes with the time you can get in to use them. But first, find public transportation that will get you there. RH> Meanwhile, local strawberries are beginning to hit the market. Steve RH> picked some up for me at the local farmer's market so we've had RH> strawberry short cake and a riff on a salad we'd had last year in RH> Fairbanks. Salad has candied pecans, craisins, bacon bits, feta cheese, RH> strawberries, greens (I used fresh spinach) and a balsamic vinegarette RH> dressing. We'll probably enjoy it a few more times before the end of RH> fresh strawberry season. (G) DD> We're a bit behind you. Our season is mid-May to ...... We have DD> several U-Pick and/or farm stands plus the farmer's market. I picked some up at one of the local grocery stores this afternoon. More strawberry salads and maybe a strawberry pie in the near future. --- Catch you later, Ruth rchaffly{at}earthlink{dot}net FIDO 1:396/45.28 .... It works! Now, if only I could remember what I did. --- PPoint 3.01 * Origin: Sew! That's My Point (1:396/45.28) .