There is also the question of overall quantity. I get a daily, full-length, multi-sectional newspaper as well as all the usual junk mail and normal paper scrap, and accumulate well over two cubic yards of newsprint in a year. I also have to do a 15 mile round trip to get to the recycle place. I produce a huge amount of grass clippings every year, and that can seriously reek for days in the compost. I live in a very dry climate, and keeping compost moist is a challenge. I've tried tossing the newspaper sections in whole, they come out a year later in much the same condition. I've tried soaking the sections first and then tossing them in, they still come out whole a year later, just harder to pull the pages apart. Then I tried to soak them overnight, then tear them into strips, and then mix that in with the grass clippings. A year later, I had strips of newspaper blowing all over the place. I can make a newspaper slurry, like one would do for paper maché, using an electric drill, a 5 gal bucket, and a bulb auger. That works very well. It is also somewhat of a mess since there are flying bits of newspaper slurry going every which way. Yesterday, I found out in the border a newspaper from June 12, 2003 that I'd put down for mulch and covered with grass clippings. I could still read the date, and open the pages. Things are pretty dry around here.

Hi again - When I try to open the file, I get the generic "Word experienced an error trying to open the file message." The standard fixes, like renaming it, using "open and repair," etc. don't work. I tried a freebie utility (saved it in rich text format) and got some of it back (several pages were garbled letters) but got all the content back with a different program I paid for. PAM - I don't know anything about the compatibility pack you mention. I never did anything specific to open docs created in Word 2007 with Word 2003 other than making sure to save them in the old format. Maybe I'm missing this piece? The first time this happened, I thought it was because I had forgotten to save in the old format, but this time it seems random. I had worked on my outline an hour before, saved as usual and then couldn't open it when I got to class. Sue

I'll guess that you are huge help to your kids who need furniture arrangement advice, when they ask! I probably wasn't very clear...I meant that when we built our house, I let my 15 yo dd pick the tile, counter, and overall color scheme for the bathroom that she, her sisters, and one brother would use. Our 10 yo dd chose the tile for our entry 'rug' and also was a big help with kitchen tile choices. Our oldest chose paint and lighting for the library and main bath. The boys had input, too, just weren't as interested in much more than their own rooms, which they did participate in. If someone had a strong opinion about something I was ambivalent or undecided about, I went with their choice, so that it was everyone's house, not just Mom's. (took off some of the responsibility, too!) I was along side them every step of the way, of course, but they weren't doing anything too wild (no Kermit green), so it worked. Maddiesmom had a very colorful kitchen, so the green was an OK choice for them. I"m sure they get questions all the time. (Like "Are ALL of those yours?!?" Sometimes when I'm out with only 4 or 6 of our kids, someone will ask, "Are those all your kids?" They expect 'yes' or 'no,' but the way they've asked allows me to smile and say, "No, there are 2 (or 4) more at home!" If your brother's oldest is a girl, there are those who probably think the baby is hers...That happened to my dd, who was 16 when our youngest was born...Several times, even though I was the one carrying the baby. My dd was most upset that they thought she was such a bad mother as to not be holding her own child. ;-) And I wasn't thrilled to be taken as his grandmother either...

I also found a site with generic bags they say they work in kenmore/sears it also has free shipping if you buy 3 rolls. I don't have a food sealer yet but now will look out at garage sales I always thought the bags were expensive but I always have ziplocs on hand. Thanks for asking the question it made me look into it. oops forgot the website http://www.sealerbags.com/ Cindy This post was edited by CLBlakey on Fri, Dec 14, 12 at 18:35