My grandparents were mostly born not only in the US, but in Chicago before the turn of the century, unusual for our tribe. Before the Depression, my grandfather was very wealthy, and his young bride had a number of "Depression glass" pieces. They lost every penny in the Crash, and my mother grew up bewtween that and WW2 rationing. When grandma died, I asked for the glass candy dishes and crocks in ruby red and green, plus her 1920 Deco dishes. I have carried those keepsakes with me for the past 20 years, over international water, moving to new countries, new houses, you name it. I also have my paternal grandmother's soup pot, which I still use all the time; it must be at least 60-70 years old. But the most missed thing for me are the stories of my great uncle, grandma's brother. As a young Jewish boy in the 1920's, the story goes that 6 months before completing dental school, he upped and left to be a hobo and ride the rails. The family was so ashamed that they never allowed him to tell the stories, especially to us kids growing up in the 60's. He died never having told any of the family of his travels. My sisters and I always felt that this was a huge loss.

I found out why Julian Lennon wasn't there. "Well, let me see here. IâÂÂll do a little roundabout. So there were talks about the whole Grammy thing, being involved or being part of that. It was all a bit mad and trying to get information out of that scenario was like blood from a stone. WhoâÂÂs playing what, everybody was keeping schtum about whoâÂÂs doing this, that, and the other. And I live in Europe anyway, not that I canâÂÂt get on a plane, but it was like if IâÂÂm going to be involved in any way, shape or form then I need to come out there for rehearsals. Like I said, blood from a stone. At the end of it I said, âÂÂYou know what, IâÂÂm just gonna wish you all well. Have a great time. I love you dearly, but uhâ¦â Another thing I wanted to do was stand in the audience, you know, clapping with the audience (laughs), watching other people sing Beatles songs (laughs)? For me it would be Celebs Do Beatles Karaoke Night. I donâÂÂt need to see that (laughs). IâÂÂm not being rude. That whole thing is not my cup of tea. IâÂÂm just not wired that way. Again, I wish them well. I just think events like that can be�"not saying that it is because I havenâÂÂt seen the performances yet�"can be a little on the cheese factor side. I prefer to know The Beatles as they were, when they were. There can never be a reunion anyway so I just thought IâÂÂll send them my love, wish them well, hope they have a great time."

Sorry to hear of your grandmother's passing. I am glad that she got to see and use your beautiful quilt. I also like your photo. I do genealogy and always appreciate the great value of family photos. Do you have the names on the back? I have seen so many old and new family photos without the names and it is such a pity. Later generations will appreciate seeing the names and how each is related to the others. TFS. ~Geraldine

Ron,, You are absolutely correct. As a whole we all prefer the finer cuts but in butcher parlance the term "Offal" refers to the internal organs and portions of the animal that we would normally think is discarded, but many ppl would be surprised to find that some of the Offal is highly prized in other cultures... By example, back in the slave days they would butcher a hog and save to better cuts for the masters house and the offal was given to the slaves. As a result, many of the items that are highly prized as "Soul Food" come from the Offal, by example, chitterlings (small intestines), Hogs Mauls (the ears), Neck Bones, Short Ribs, pigs feet, tail bones and one of my favorites, Liver & Onions. In England they not only consume the offal, one of the dishes that is highly prized is "Steak & Kidney pie". In Scotland they make a dish that is definitely an acquired taste, but they all seem to love it, it is called "Haggis" and made from the intestines. And even in our culture many would be surprised at what they are actually eating..... By example, hot dogs and sausages are primarily made with a plastic casing that is removed at the factory, but some ppl insist on having hot dogs or sausages with a natural casing, little do they know, that natural casing is actually the small intestine. Brains & eggs used to be considered a delicacy but with the advent of Mad Cow disease the FDA has banned the sale of brains. One of my absolute favorite beef meals is "Stuffed Baked Beef heart". The cavity of the heart is opened up and all the tough grisle is removed, then it is stuffed with bread stuffing and baked in a slow oven. When your buying lunch meat, note where is says "contains meat by products" that is more offal...LOL. And next time your in a Jewish deli try the beef tongue,,that is absolutely delicious. I once worked maintenance in a chicken slaughter house for a short time and was I surprised. What part of the chicken do you think fetches the highest price on the wholesale market? If you guessed the breast you are wrong..... On the wholesale market the feet cost nearly twice the price of breast meat. The feet were run through a cleaning machine that takes all the yellow scales off the skin leaving them a pale white color almost an exact match to causasion ppl's skin, The feet were then packed in 40lb boxes packed with dry ice and a truck ran them to the airport where they were air freigthed to Japan daily. In Japan they make a chicken noodle soup that has a chicken foot on top and those feet sell for nearly $5 each in a restaraunt in Japan. And on the gourmet level in the USA, what do you think Liver Pate' is made from? You guessed it, liver, which is listed as part of the offal.