Divorce -and- Turkey Soup

Divorce - woman wins 10,000-year settlement

The sun was shining when I awakened this morning! It disappeared an hour later, but it was beautiful while it lasted. It is dry but cold and overcast. More rain is predicted.

Laura has been suffering from a cold since Friday. She is much recovered today -- due, to a great extent, to the wonderfully restorative turkey soup I made last evening! She took a goodly portion of this delightful soup to work with her this morning to enjoy for lunch. While eating soup last night, her sinuses cleared, sweat beads appeared on her brow, and her fever broke. Never underestimate the curative power of turkey soup -- particularly when it is replete with Jalapeños, Habaneros, and garlic!

I was notified that the new HP hx2790 Pocket PC shipped yesterday. It is estimated to arrive here December 6. When it arrives, I shall, of course, make it the subject of that day's post!

Burger Madness

Burger Madness - Ronald MacDonald robs Wendy's!

Brrrrrr! It is warm here in my office, but it is cold outside! It snowed in the foothills last night, only a few miles from here. Watching cars covered with snow drive by on my Web cam makes me shiver!

If you have not already determined this: I am a warm-weather lover! I loathe wearing heavy clothing. I could never live somewhere that has long, cold winters. I know people who prefer the cold weather, and I am completely amazed by this preference. There are times here that it becomes a bit too hot (110 degrees and higher), but even on those days I am much happier than I am on cold, wet days such as today!

The weatherman says we may get some sunshine this afternoon. I hope this is one of those rare times when he is correct!

It's Tough Being a Superhero!

It's Tough Being a Superhero! - Spiderman arrested

Whew! It is difficult returning to work after four days of relaxation! Following four days of warm, sunny weather, relaxing at home, it was difficult indeed to look out the window at the rain and convince myself it was time to return to work! It appears that our beautiful weather is gone -- replaced by this dismal, wet, cold, windy weather. This was inevitable, but it was such a rude awakening this morning seeing that winter weather had arrived!

We simmered the turkey carcass for six hours yesterday. Tonight, we will add vegetables, turkey, herbs, and spices and produce approximately eight quarts of premium turkey soup. Seven quarts will go into the freezer in one-quart containers. It is a wonderful feeling knowing all that delightful turkey soup awaits our dining pleasure. The eighth quart of soup will be enjoyed tonight -- a perfect meal for such foul weather! There is a beautiful 3-pound London Broil waiting to be grilled tomorrow evening, along with giant white mushrooms, Jalapeños, and asparagus.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! My brother, Phillip, (I have another brother, Jeffrey, who lives in Southern California) arrived here yesterday from Santa Cruz with his wife, Susan, and sons, Alex and Dillon. Laura and I had planned to have my mother here for Thanksgiving dinner, but she is now preparing Thanksgiving dinner at her house. We shall visit there later. Without a guest for dinner, the quantity of hot peppers in our dressing has been increased greatly! We enjoy heat levels in our food that others would consider abusive.

The dressing is made and awaits only a final baking prior to serving. The turkey is in the oven. It is time to relax! Laura bought me a jug of Cabo Wabo Reposado Beach Party Pack. I graciously share it with her, giving her the blue agave glass and taking the autographed Sammy Hagar red guitar glass for my own use. Ah, what a palatable nectar this is!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't Shoot!

Don't Shoot! - man holds up bar with a ham sandwich

Where's the Fire? - man takes fire trucks for joy rides

I enjoyed a bottle of Sierra Nevada 25th Anniversary Ale with my perfect (charred nicely on the outside and rare on the inside) top sirloin steak last night, and what a treat it was! As I mentioned in a previous post, this brew was produced in limited quantity and given to employees as part of the 25th anniversary of the company. Each employee was given six 24-ounce bottles. It is not available to the public. It is a wonderful India Pale Ale brew, and the relative unavailability makes it all the tastier!

It is warm again today, and this wonderful weather is predicted to last another week or more. What glorious weather this is!

While driving to the office this morning, my alertness and quick response saved RAMMMMM from being struck by a Lincoln Navigator. The woman driving the Navigator was ignorant of my presence, devoting her attention to the conversation she was having on her cellular telephone. She did not appear to realize that she had nearly crashed into me. There is no conversation so important that it cannot be delayed until it can be made safely in a parked vehicle.

These Shoes Were Made for Sneakin'

These Shoes Were Made for Sneakin' - shoes made specially for sneaking across border

Cold Turkey - frozen turkey saves couple from burning car

It is a particularly quiet day here at my office. I enjoy quiet times such as this. The entire city seems quiet. Traffic on the main street is very light, and there are only a few parked cars. Generally, at this time of day, traffic is heavy and parking spaces are few. This morning on the way to my office I noticed that the gas station near my house was doing a brisk business. Apparently, many are traveling to celebrate Thanksgiving elsewhere.

I will be closing early tomorrow and will remain closed until Monday morning. Laura is working a half day tomorrow and has Friday off as well. It is beautiful weather during the day and chilly at night. We will be grilling some top sirloin steaks, giant white mushrooms, and red bell peppers tonight. I shall also make a batch of garlic/broccoli mashed potatoes. I am drooling copiously in anticipation!

We will be attending a special service at Harvest Christian Center tomorrow night.

Thursday morning, we will begin the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner. We shall have turkey, asparagus, Cajun dressing (toasted sourdough bread cubes, sausage, mushrooms, garlic, onions, red bell peppers, Jalapeño peppers, Habanero peppers, chicken stock, and various herbs and spices), cranberry sauce, and Almaden Chardonnay. Over the weekend, we will make a huge batch of turkey soup.

Well, now that I have worked myself into a feeding frenzy, I shall have a Fuji apple and a Diet Pepsi!

Stop Snoring! -and- HP iPAQ hx2790

Stop Snoring! - sleep apnea may double risk of stroke and death

Following intensive research (and considerable fretting over Laura's safety -- realizing the risk that she might be tempted to engage in Mah Jongg play once she has Penelope with her during her commute), I have decided upon the new HP iPAQ hx2790 Pocket PC. This device runs Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0, which affords significant improvements and enhancements over Penelope's Microsoft Windows Mobile 2002. Wireless Internet has not been possible with 2002 and should work flawlessly with 5.0.

One of the most innovative features of the hx2790 is the biometric fingerprint scanner. This level of security ensures that personal information remains personal.

The hx2790 was not available yet when I pre-ordered it from my HP distributor. It is expected to arrive here December 6. Penelope -- an ASUS A600 -- has served me well for over three years. She shall doubtlessly serve Laura well now.

What a Party!

What a party! The food was incredible, the music was great, and there were over 600 in attendance.

Good night!

Party Time!

Tomorrow is the celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., and what a party it will be! I am greatly anticipating this event, as one might well imagine.

Admission to the party will be limited to Sierra Nevada employees, spouses, and guests. A special brew -- 25th Anniversary Ale -- has been produced especially for this event. This special production is extremely limited and will not be made available for sale to the public. Distribution will be limited solely to employees, as a gift in the form of a case of 24-ounce bottles for each of the more than 400 employees!

The menu is astounding; I am salivating uncontrollably as I view it.

To be passed: Butternut Squash Samosas, with cilantro mint dipping sauce; Mushroom and Goat Cheese Bundles, with filo pastry; Shrimp Toasts, with Thai dipping sauce; Spiced Crab with Artichoke and Parmesan, served warm on garlic toasts.

Downstairs: Cheese Display - three tables, three themes, featuring California, Spanish, and English cheeses, with fall fruits and sliced breads; Korean BBQ Beef - staff will be slicing marinated grilled beef and instructing guests how to wrap with lettuce and herbs, two dipping sauces (sweet chili and peanut); Mims Desserts - bite-sized sweets and delicious cakes.

Mezzanine: Chicken Marsala - a sauce with tomato, Indian spices, toasted cashews, and coconut; Chicken Ragout with Pancetta - Italian style, with fresh herbs; Rice Pilaf - with spices and crisp fried onions; Mushroom Risotto; Roasted Autumn Vegetables - preserved lemon and fresh thyme; Roasted Pork Loin - with fall fruits; Roasted Garlic Potatoes; Market Green Salad - a salad display with choice of two dressings (sherry wine vinaigrette with pomegranate and Pointe Reyes blue cheese dressing.

There will be live music, a dazzling array of Sierra Nevada ales and lagers, and fine California wines.

YES!

Spammer Goes to the Slammer

Spammer Goes to the Slammer - Weaselboy sentenced to six years for spamming/scamming

Spam is abhorrent. It clutters our in boxes. The best anti-spam techniques are imperfect. I use Microsoft Outlook 2003. It does a good job of detecting spam and moving it to the Junk E-Mail folder. Sometimes, a valid email will be sent to the Junk E-Mail folder, so it is necessary to view the contents of that folder to ensure that no valid email is missed. This methodology is preferable, I feel, to ISP spam filters, since valid email may be deleted by ISP spam filters, leaving one without knowledge of its existence.

In an ideal world, of course, no anti-spam, anti-virus, or anti-spyware techniques would be necessary. This is not an ideal world, however, and spam, viruses, and spyware are constant threats to all computer users.

It is very encouraging to see stiff prison sentences given to those who are convicted of sending these threats.

The Name Game -and- Windows Mobile 5.0

Texas Town Changes Name to "Dish" - residents get free satellite service for 10 years

Sheriff's Hot Line Misprint sends calls from retirees to sex line

Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 is now available. Its enhancements and added features make my current Pocket PC running Windows Mobile 2002 seem very dated. Add to this the annoyance of a broken on/off button (other buttons power the device on, but only leaving the device idle will power it off), and it would seem that this is a perfect time to upgrade.

I have a fear, however, and it causes me to hesitate: Laura takes possession of Penelope (my Pocket PC) upon her arrival after work and plays Mah Jongg feverishly, stopping only when her fingers begin to cramp. My fear is if I replace Penelope and give her to Laura, Laura might easily fall prey to the lure of Mah Jongg while she is commuting. The vision of her engaged in gameplay at 60 miles an hour is extremely frightening. My lust for a new device is at odds with my concern for Laura's safety. Whatever shall I do?

David Ludwig and Kara Beth Borden

I was watching the latest update on the saga of David Ludwig and Kara Beth Borden on Fox News this morning. A client entered my office, looked at the television for a moment, turned to me, and said, "Home-schooling."

"I beg your pardon," I said. "Home-schooling," she repeated. "They were home-schooled, and that is an unhealthy way for kids to grow up." I knew this lady was a school teacher, so I assumed that she considered home-schooling a threat to her career. I ignored her remark. "How are you this morning," I said, "and how may I be of service to you?" "You're a Republican, aren't you?" she asked. "Of course," I said, smiling. "I knew it," she said. "Only Republicans watch Fox News. I watch CNN." "Ah," I said. "No doubt that is where you learned of the evils of home-schooling." I smiled, assuming this would end the discussion. It did not.

"Republicans are ruining this country," she continued. "Republicans are for big business, so they're pro-war, 'cause war is good for business. Republicans want lower taxes so they can shrink the federal government and make people more dependent on local government. Republicans want to allow religion into schools where it doesn't belong. They want to take away our freedom of speech and do away with National Public Radio and the National Endowment of the Arts by doing away with the tax money that makes these programs possible. They support home-schooling because it does away with jobs for teachers and makes it possible to lower taxes. The oil companies are getting rich because Republicans have us in a war where we don't belong."

She would most likely have continued for hours had I not taken control and said, "I am certain you recall war protesters during the Vietnam era burning their draft cards in protest." "Of course," she said, a confused look upon her face. "Well, you have the opportunity to protest similarly," I said. Still looking confused, she said, "How's that?" "Burn your voter registration card," I replied.

A Girl Named Moon Unit

A Girl Named Moon Unit - top 10 celebrity children bizarre name poll

It is sunny and warm (66 degrees at 8 AM), but it is very windy -- 40 mph-plus! Generally, when it is windy early in the day the wind abates in the afternoon. Public Works employees are affixing Christmas trees to the street light poles, and the wind is making this task an unpleasant one.

Scientists Decipher Squirrel-speak - huh?!?

Speaking of San Francisco, the NRA is preparing a lawsuit against the San Francisco gun ban. I predicted the NRA would do this when I first heard of the ban. It is very encouraging to see that my prediction will soon be realized. San Francisco is dangerously out of control. In the absence of a controlled earthquake, the NRA will hopefully bring about a resolution to this insanity.

Look out Godzilla!

Giant Jellyfish Menace Japan - Look out, Godzilla!

Corning is preparing for its annual Hometown Christmas. The event will take place this Saturday and will feature arts and crafts booths, food vendors, a visit from Santa, a live Nativity scene, and a lighted parade. Hopefully, this wonderful weather we are enjoying will continue.

Although this event has taken place prior to Thanksgiving for many years, I believe that a date after Thanksgiving would be more appropriate. I often hear others opine similarly. Most of the store windows along Solano Street are adorned with Christmas decorations. I adhere strongly to tradition, however, and have Thanksgiving decorations in my window. Following Thanksgiving, the Christmas decorations will appear there. I will enjoy the parade, however.

Be Careful, Dorothy!

Huge Meteorite Found in Kansas - be careful, Dorothy!

What a beautiful day this is! It is sunny and very warm, with a gentle breeze. There will be some grilling (teriyaki chicken breasts and giant shrimp!) done here this afternoon, I guarantee.

We watched Finding Neverland. What a wonderful movie!

I have been thinking about San Francisco, their new anti-gun legislation, and the 9th Circuit Court: The most reasonable and judicious remedy would be for California to return San Francisco to Mexico -- on the condition, of course, that San Francisco be physically severed (an induced earthquake would be efficacious) from California and positioned as an island in the Sea of Cortez.

Can Your Cat Make You Crazy? -and- Veterans' Day

Can Your Cat Make You Crazy? - a scientific study!

Granny's Got a Gun! - and she uses it!

Today is Veterans' Day. Most businesses are closed for this holiday, but here I am, slaving away. The weather is beautiful, and it is my expectation to leave at 2 PM and enjoy the balance of the day eschewing the glow of the monitor and enjoying the glow of the sun.

This morning, I serviced a notebook that exhibited signs of infestation. I installed anti-spyware and anti-virus applications, which detected and removed 468 spyware/adware objects and 12 viruses/worms. People who create and spread these threats are vermin, and I am greatly pleased whenever I read of the capture of one of these creatures. Common decency prohibits me from opining upon what I consider to be appropriate punishment for such abhorrent individuals.

Sushi Time -and- the Saga Continues

Sushi Time! - a 382-pound yellowfin tuna, caught off the waters of Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, on Thursday, October 13.

The saga continues: HotFax MessageCenter had this pleasantry awaiting my listening pleasure when I arrived at my office this morning: "Hello? I guess you're not there." (The voice mail date/time was last night, 10:52 PM, so her assumption was correct.) "This is Debby. I was there yesterday about the Internet. I got hooked up through Netscape and everything worked fine for a long time but now everything's messed up. Can you call me please?"

She left no telephone number, but through the miracle of Caller ID, it was displayed by HotFax MessageCenter. I made a cup of hot tea with raw clover honey, settled into a comfortable slouch in my chair, and returned her call.

"Hello." It was after 9 AM, but the sound of her voice indicated that my call had awakened her. "Good morning, this is David from California Technologies, returning your call." "Oh, yeah," she said. "I got Netscape hooked up yesterday." "That should compliment your Wal-Mart computer," I interjected. There was a long silence. "Anyway, something happened, and now everything's messed up." I asked her to detail what she meant by "messed up," and her response indicated that her system was suffering from a severe spyware infestation. I told her this and said that I had time this afternoon to remove the spyware and install protection against future threats. I told her the charge would be $60. "I just bought this computer. It's under warranty." "Explain your problem to Wal-Mart," I suggested. "I went there last night, and they said they couldn't help." "I can help," I said, "and the charge for this service is $60." "That's nuts," she said. "Have a nice day," I said and returned the telephone to its cradle.

Just Because You Have Her Attention...

A lady came to my office this morning to inquire about Internet access. She said that she and her husband had just bought a computer at Wal-Mart. I cringed and gave her an overview of the various plans we offer -- dial-up, DSL, and wireless. She asked me what could be done to keep her teenaged daughter from "...going places we don't want her to go." I said that what her daughter chose to do or not do on the Internet would follow as a direct result of how well her daughter had been raised and what moral values she had developed.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked. I replied, "Your daughter will be guided on the Internet by the same moral values that guide her throughout her daily life." She shrugged and said, "Isn't there some way to just put contols on where she goes on the Internet?" "Yes," I said. "You tell her what is expected of her. If you employ software control upon her Internet use, she will be unduly restricted by the key-word restrictions used by software control. The Internet can be an incredible research tool and a great benefit to her for homework, but restricting her search results would be very counter-productive."

"So what are you saying?" she asked. I was amazed but longed for her $15 sign-up fee, so I continued. "You have had many years to impart to your daughter what is expected of her. If you have done this well and properly, you need fear nothing from her Internet usage. The basic operative principle here is respect." "She is a good girl and always does what I tell her," she replied, inappropriately sternly. "Just because you have her attention does not mean you have her respect," I said.

She shook her head so violently from side to side that I feared greatly that it would surely leave her body. Then, she departed.

The sun is shining. It is 68 degrees. All is well.

Cold But Dry -- Time to Vote

"A guy witnesses an accident." Get your morning's laugh here!

The rain stopped during the night, and it is 61 degrees but seems much colder because of the wind. Brrrr.

I am pleased that the rain has stopped for now, since this presents a greater potential for a good voter turnout for today's election here in California. As I mentioned in a previous entry, I vote absentee and recommend this highly. It costs 74 cents to mail my absentee ballot, but RAMMMMM would guzzle more than 74 cents worth of fuel to travel the six blocks to the polling place.

The sun is peeking out from the clouds! The wind appears to be abating. The Web cam is active on my desktop as a 30fps live video feed, which allows me to monitor the weather from the relative safety of my desk.

It seems that this month is passing quickly. Soon, it will be Thanksgiving. If someone is addicted to Thanksgiving leftovers, can he quit cold turkey?

The Rain Is Here

In case you have not noticed the Web cam today, the rain is here. It is still fairly warm (high 60s), but it is definitely wet here!

There will be no grilling tonight! Catfish is on the menu tonight, and it shall be cooked indoors! Wild rice will accompany the catfish. I am salivating at the thought; I have had only an apple today and am ready for a nice meal!

Today was spent removing some particularly nasty Trojans and a quantity of spyware from two clients' systems. I am weary from the travail. Regardless of how much I deal with worms, Trojans, viruses, spyware, and adware I always find it draining and loathsome work. It wearies me unduly.

6:40 PM Update: When I left my office at 4 PM, the rain was falling so violently that RAMMMMM's wipers were barely able to keep the windshield clear. It is still pouring, and if this continues much longer there will be significant flooding. The flooding here is not generally dangerous, but it can certainly be inconvenient!

The wild rice is cooking in the rice cooker and smells wonderful. It is time to put a dry rub on the catfish. Yum!

Sunday and Some Sunshine

This morning was breezy but not particularly cold. We departed for church sans jackets and were comfortable. We shopped at Sav-Mor Foods following church. Beautiful, ripe avocadoes were on sale at three for a dollar! We bought six. There were about thirty cases of avocadoes on display! We found an incredible London Broil -- nearly four pounds -- at only $2.68 per pound. We had intended to cook a cross-rib roast today, but this London Broil called out to me! I showed it to Laura, and she said, "That's beautiful, but we will have to grill it; we can't cook it like a roast." "Oh, yes we can," I assured her.

While Laura stowed our purchases, I sipped a frosty beverage (Smirnoff, orange juice, and lime juice) and made a batch of guacamole, with a quantity of hot, fresh salsa and two of the avocadoes. We enjoyed the guacamole with some Mission Salsa Roja tortilla chips, smoked turkey sandwiches, and Sierra Nevada Celebration Ales.

The London Broil was seared on all surfaces in some La Conda Ranch extra-virgin olive oil. A cup of California Merlot joined the meat, along with baby red potatoes, a quartered Maui onion, celery, baby carrots, onion soup mix, garlic powder, ground black pepper, and Cajun seasoning. It has been cooking since 2 PM and should be ready at 7 PM. It smells wonderful!

Voting -and- No Pizza

We vote absentee. I have done so for about 30 years, and Laura began doing so several years ago. I much prefer the comfort of my home or office, with research information at hand, to the polling place. Laura is voting today. She has been very tardy and must now take her ballot to the polling place in order that it is received in time to be counted.

I cast my ballot two weeks ago. I was doing so at my office and was interrupted by a client who asked what I was doing. I thought it was obvious, but I told her that I was voting. She told me, "Only people who can't make it to the polling place are supposed to vote absentee." A discussion followed, during which it became apparent that not only did this lady have no clear understanding of the absentee voting process, she had no understanding whatever of the measures. Her voting "strategy" employed using a pamphlet sent out by our Governor, casting her vote in direct opposition to Arnold's suggestions. I said, "All things considered, California would be better served were you to stay in bed on election day." She frowned and said, "Voting is a right that cannot be taken away." "Actually," I said, "voting is a privilege that can be taken away. At that point, she grimaced and turned the discussion to her computer. Her description of the problems she was experiencing indicated to me that her computer was infected with spyware. I told her this and quoted an estimate for the removal of the spyware. She thanked me and left. She returned the following day with her computer. There were no political discussions.

Generally, we have pizza on Friday nights. We enjoy pizza, beverages, and a movie or two on Fridays, because (in part) preparation and cleanup are minimal, and relaxation and entertainment are primary. Since we had so much pizza earlier in the week, it was decided that we would seek an alternate -- albeit similarly "easy" -- meal. We happened upon Country Crock Macaroni and Cheese at Safeway. We had seen this product advertised on television. We generally eschew such prepared foods but decided to try it. We added a large kielbasa and a large jug of Smirnoff to the shopping cart. We grilled the kielbasa and put the tub of macaroni and cheese in the microwave for five minutes, as directed. With a spicy horseradish mustard dip for the grilled kielbasa and a healthy sprinkling of chrushed red peppers on the macaroni and cheese, all was very tasty. I recommend Country Crock Macaroni and Cheese.

Where Is the Storm?

Where is the storm that was predicted? Yesterday was windy and chilly, but there was no rain. Today, the wind is gone, and the sun is shining. I am not complaining, since I loathe rain and cold weather. Hopefully, we will be grilling this weekend!

RAMMMMM was dangerously thirsty for fuel this morning; in fact, he has been dangerously thirsty for several days. The lines at the gas station near my house have been discouragingly long, however. This morning, the needle on RAMMMMM's fuel gauge cried out to me, demanding attention. Never underestimate the power of prayer: As I departed my parking space in front of my house, I thanked God for facilitating access to the fuel pumps. When I turned the corner and the gas pumps came into view, I was thankful (but not surprised) to see that the path to the pumps was clear. There were no vehicles ahead of me!

The credit card processing system at the pumping station was inoperative. I went inside to pay and was asked for my driver's license. I displayed it but said, "Think about this, if you will: Had the machine been operative, it would not have asked to see my driver's license." The clerk admitted that this was a valid observation.

Fuel prices remain high here. Premium was $2.89 per gallon this morning. $40.00 worth of this precious fluid moved the needle of RAMMMMM's fuel gauge barely 1/3 of the distance between E and F. RAMMMMM was dangerously thirsty.

DogCatRadio.com

DogCatRadio.com - "The radio station all pets enjoy!"

Start your day off right with a little laughter, a variety of up-beat music, morning give-a-ways and Jane’s trivia surprises (6am-12pm PST).

Get through the second half of your day with a little wackiness. You won't believe what goes on in the studio when surprise guests visit (12pm-6pm PST).

Leftover Pizza -and- the Ugly Building

We enjoyed the remaining half of the Safeway deli pizza for dinner last night, and it was very nearly as good reheated as it was when freshly cooked Monday night. We enjoy cooking -- particularly grilling meats, fish, seafood, and vegetables -- but we enjoy a nice pizza at times. This was a particularly delightful pizza.

I have received several emails inquiring about the hideous empty building across the street, asking just how hideous it is! Well, by any standard, it is most hideous indeed. Only the addition of a gargoyle atop this building is requisite to complete it as a true paradigm of hideousness.

You shall now have the opportunity to view this monstrosity for yourself, but be warned before you cast your eyes upon it: It is truly frightening to behold!

THERE! I warned you! Click upon the image of this horrid structure if you dare!

Legends concerning this building are many; common decency does not permit recounting them. Suffice it to say that the attic, it is said, is home to thousands of bats, and cats and dogs cross the street to avoid passing near the building!

Pizza -and- the Harvest Festival

While shopping at Safeway on Sunday, we picked up a fresh pizza from the deli there. Laura had volunteered to work at the Harvest Festival, beginning at 7:30 PM, so we decided that a pizza prior to her departing for the event would be a great choice for dinner, rather than eating late following her return. The pizza was called "The Works" and was HUGE! We ate and ate and ate, and there was half remaining when we could eat no more. It was easily the best non-delivery pizza I have ever eaten! It was also an incredible bargain at only $7.00!

We have made a discovery, certainly, and will enjoy Safeway deli pizzas often in the future. A Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale was an excellent accompaniment.

The Harvest Festival was a great success! The weather was perfect. Over 4,000 people enjoyed this Christian alternative to Halloween. This event is presented each year by Harvest Christian Center. There were games, music, cookies, and lots of candy. The event is an example of Harvest Christian Center's dedication to the salvation and spiritual growth of the youth of this area.

It is overcast today and 63 degrees at 8 AM. It is entirely possible that our beautiful weather will soon be a fond memory.