Red Gauntlet , SASS 60619

It's a good read, though I've only read sections. Gibbon's prose is good stuff.

On a related note, chew that steak well. We had a "men's breakfast" Saturday mornings once monthly at my church for several years. Fun, and it got guys in who were members but seldom attended services-- a familiar situation. A couple times per year were steak and eggs, instead of the usual bacon or sausage. One time, a heavyset gent began to choke on his steak; his breathing stopped, he stood up, and his tablemates called for help. I was the only one big enough to get my arms totally around him. Did the Heimlich maneuver. It worked; steak popped out. I had to do the maneuver one other time; a lady choking at a restaurant. It worked then, too. So chew the steak well. And learn the Heimlich thing. It works.

He was great as Irwin Irving in Bosch. Took a bit to get used to, as did Tolliver. Then it fell into place. In the books, Irving was mostly a bad guy. Not totally, but his antagonism to Bosch was ultimately total. Much less so in the series; the conflict was there, but it played differently. One of the several ways that to some degree it even improved on the great books.

Likewise, out West anyway.

Protein is a very major nutrient. We're made of a lot of it. Turkeys are mostly protein, along with some fat. So, yes, they have considerable nutritional value.

And the Tuscaloosa came through WWII unscathed, unlike its sisters...

I don't know the politics of my many in-laws, at least in any detail. I don't know the politics of my four brothers in any specific ways, having never had an expressly political discussion with any of them. Among other things, this makes all holidays, dinners, and gatherings happy and pleasant ocassions.

I disagree with this proposition. An invitation to dinner at a private home gives rise to no 'right to record' in the first place, quite apart from 'revocation'. I'd be interested in seeing some authority for the proposition, in the context of a social occassion in a private home. Note: that it may not be a crime does not make it a right.

I think you've got it! A conspiracy between Johnson, the mob, and the Republicans in the person of George Bush. Yet it might have failed but for the intervention of a bumbling Secret Service agent. Lucky break for them! But wait, maybe the Secret Service was in on it. I think that's the last element. I need to get it out there before th

Myself, I neither know nor care about the endless conspiracy theories. It was a terrible day for the country and lots of bad stuff happened to the nation. Culminating maybe in 1968 which was a bad year indeed.

I too was 15, in 10th grade. A bad day.

We also in them days had lots of different casseroles. Multiple variations on Spanish Rice, one from a popular cookbook called "Western Meal in One". My favorite was one based on rice and sausage. Baked eggs (called sheared eggs by some). Beef was always the inexpensive cuts; lot of chuck steak and roast. Pounded round for Swiss steak. Everybody was on a budget back then; even people doing well didn't have the kind of money they do today.

Canned or 'rote' prayers are especially good because they cover all the bases. The stuff you'd leave out if every day was extemporanious. I use them all the time and add a few new petitions as needed. Prayers before meals should have a regular form. We always say grace. As the head of a large progeny it usually falls to me. I have two or three that I will vary from time to time but they are 'canned'. The Lord's Prayer is the ultimate rote prayer. "When you pray, say this......"

Nothing weird about it. I eat beets once a year in homemade Borscht at Easter. Asparagus I regard as the king of vegetables. Overcooking ruins them; just right they are the tops. Green beans are good. Fresh garden-grown are superb.

"You take Mary, I'll take Sue, Ain't no diff'rence twixt the two." Dave Van Ronk

A very interesting guy. His turn as the villain in Will Penny was wild. He was the homicidal wine connoisseur in one of the best Columbo episodes. And dozens of other roles....

Though my dad's bourbon was Old Grandad, I too buy mostly Jim Beam. Good quality with reasonable price. Always know what you're getting.

When it comes to Scotch (which I only drink at long intervals) I still prefer blends. Call me old fashioned. Johnny Walker, red or black, I'm fine. Cutty Sark good too.

Like others, we had a lot of organ meats when I was a kid. Tongue sandwiches; I remember them well but haven't seen one for over 55 years. Liver and onions, if the liver not cooked to death. Always liked it. You used to see it on cafe menus all the time, but I haven't around here for a long time. Stuffed beef heart my mom made a lot. I'd eat it again if I was ever presented with it. Haven't seen or hear of it for generations.

Somehow I don't think that would be Ronald Reagan's recommendation....

I had more than a couple of jobs that would fit that!

Well, we're all different in outlook. I have a great many friends whose personal views conflict with mine.

I second the sauteed mushrooms and I'd ditch the peas. I guess you gotta have carrots....

I'm glad I'm not a hypocrite like those d@mn actors! I suppose you could call all actors hypocrites if you confuse their actual persons with the characters they play. So if an actor does very well at certain roles, you can't like his movies because you find his personal views bad. And vice versa. This has always seemed a little strange to me.

He was a great man. A uniter, not a divider. A sense of humor and humility. A smiler and a laugher, not a glowering scowler. Wish we had someone who was even a quarter of that man.