I didn't read the, I think, two westerns by Robert B. Parker, nor the follow-up one you mentioned. However, I have read all of Parker's other books as well as those written by other authors after his death. I think those authors, Ace Atkins and Michael Brandman, have done a very nice job of capturing Parker's style of writing. What they haven't done, at least as of now, is move either character forward. Instead, they've just added what I will call episodes to the characters as those characters existed at the time of Parker's death. As for the new trend of a living author adding his name and some (or no) amount of collaboration to a series, I withhold judgment until I read the book. One of my favorite storytellers, Clive Cussler, has been doing this for years and, so far, I've enjoyed the collaborational series just as much as the original. I think Cussler writes rather formulaically anyway, so that probably makes it easier to make a collaboration successful. This post was edited by Fun2BHere on Thu, Feb 27, 14 at 17:21

Mexican Skillet Meal 1-1/2 lbs. ground meat 1 small onion, chopped 1 clove garlic, minced 1 c. chicken stock (or broth) 1 can Ranch Style beans 1 can Rotel tomatoes (hot or mild) 1 can corn 1 small can chopped green chilis 1 T. chili powder (or to taste) 1 tsp. paprika 1 tsp. cumin 1 c. hot water salt/pepper to taste 8 oz. wide egg noodles, uncooked 1 c. sour cream 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese 10 oz. pkg. Mexican mix cheese picante sauce (optional) In a large skillet, brown ground meat with onion and garlic; drain. Stir in chicken stock, beans, tomatoes, corn, green chilis, chili powder, paprika, cumin and hot water. Bring to a boil. Stir in noodles and lower heat to simmer. Cover and let simmer until noodles are tender. Stir in sour cream and Parmesan cheese. Top evenly with Mexican mix cheese and let simmer until melted but don't stir! Serve with additional sour cream dollups and picante sauce drizzled over each serving, if desired. Serves: 8 I have not made this in a while now but we always loved it. USE a BIG skillet or wok pan. and in general when a can of rotel is called for you use the entire can, if it is to be drained it will specify that.

I just took the plunge and painted our orangey oak bannister a few weeks ago. I barely sanded, then used Zinsser primer, and then painted with a Rustoleum shiny black (BM white dove for the spindles). It's fantastic and has held up to 2 messy big boys without any problems so far. I also wondered about staining vs. painting, and searched the blogosphere without any clear answers. In the end, I figured painting would be easier and there was nothing worth preserving about my bannister. I had a trickier time with the balustrades (is that what the spindles are called.) This was mostly because I was rushing, I'd underestimated the amount of time it would take to do an even job. One good tip that I read on a blog somewhere - use a kid's paint brush to do some of the tricky spots where the spindles meet the bannister. I'm still in the process of painting the surrounding rooms (I can only do it while my kids are at school, and when I can get a day away from work.) But doing the bannister was such a pick-me-up - a great result from not too much of an effort. I sometimes overthink these projects, and this one motivated me to do some more DIY fixes.

Whether one has a house worth 100 and no other assets or liabilities, or a house worth 100, a mortgage of 50, and another asset of 50 which can appreciate in addition, the house is entirely owned by its owner all the same. The negative of having no loan on real estate is that it prevents the diversification and additional amounts of investments that would be possible if the money that was otherwise used to repay the loan were invested separately in other investments. Borrowing money for real estate has nothing at all to do with living beyond one's means if the payments can be afforded. Those who are the most sophisticated with financial matters, that being large business and companies actually in the finance industry, borrow money. Those least knowledgeable, mostly individuals with no finance experience or knowledge, think of paying off a mortgage as a desirable goal. Take that truthful observation and reach your own conclusions.