We had just helped my mom move to her retirement place, driving her car and a moving van down and flying back.... on September 10. It was my brother, my nephew, my son and myself, and believe me it went through my mind as they prepared the cabin for takeoff that it was probably not a good idea to have four family members on a plane together. September 11 was my first day back to work. The drive is about 30 minutes and I remember the morning so vividly. Fifteen minutes into the commute, at the exact moment the first plane was hitting the tower, I was overcome by a thought. "This is the most beautiful, perfect day. I can never remember such a clear, blue sky." I arrived at work and shortly after reporters started running downstairs to say, "A plane has hit the World Trade Center." And we all thought, oh, a small private plane. Our neighbors were in Bali that morning, on a business related trip. Their experience on that day was filled with danger. Americans were ordered out of their hotels. "Where are we suppposed to go?" We don't care was the answer. Somehow their group found someone that would take them to the airport where they waited. Think "A Year of Living Dangerougly." Their small children were back home in the U.S. with the grandparents and it was a tense time until they could return. Beanmomma - I'm sorry you're feeling alone. I noticed that hardly anyone spoke of the anniversary yesterday, choosing to reflect on the events quietly in their own way.

Since the link will disappear, I'm posting the article content. It would frustrating to come along in a few days and not know what all the fuss was about. Carol, I have to agree with you about the twee tone. I couldn't put my finger on what was bothering me, but you summed it up nicely. Leah Eskin A day in the country Four French friends make jam and mischief Published September 10, 2006 Christine Ferber calls Guy Untereiner her best friend. So when she mentions another best friend, Guy is heartbroken. Decu! Christine runs a patisserie in the unpronounceable French town of Niedermorschwihr. But today, in the Michigan sunlight, her new best friend is Herb Teichman. Herb grows fruit so sweet that Christine is moved to treasure these jewels not merely for a morning but forever-or as ever as fruit can get, which is to say as jam. "Elle est la fee de la confiture!" admires Guy. She is the fairy queen of jam. Indeed, her jam is so beautifully colored and richly flavored and endearingly packaged that it is famous far beyond Alsace. "They adore her in Japan!" swoons Guy. Christine caresses an apricot. "The colors do me good," she confides. "I could make more jam, I could make more money. But that is not what I want. I want a beautiful life." A life packed with good flavors and good friends like chef Jean Joho (of Everest and Brasserie Jo and Eiffel Tower fame), who has invited her and Guy and pastry chef Jacquy Pfeiffer for a day in the country. Christine strolls into the orchard with Herb. "Pas de betises!" teases Guy. No messing around! Herb is married. Has been for 52 years. But what is a walk among the peach trees if not an opportunity for juicy innuendo? Back in Joho's breezy Michigan kitchen, Christine sorts the cherries one by one, sliding the beauties into little faceted jars. She instructs Joho to prepare a brine from Alsatian honey vinegar and peppercorns and star anise. Guy gazes at the heap of glorious fruit. "Mais c'est chic!" he cries. Guy, who has a soft spot for Norman Rockwell and garden gnomes, designs table linens that are one part sentimental French country, one part water-resistant practicality. Guy knows chic. Joho fills the jars with the brine and twists on the tops, sealing in summer. "Sixty degrees," Christine commands. Jacquy flips open his phone and does the math: [60 x (9/5)] + 32 = 140 degrees. Celsius to Fahrenheit is nothing; he runs Chicago's French Pastry School. Joho slides the jars into the oven. Christine is already melting apricots into jam. "When I have things put up I feel rich, like a squirrel," Herb said, back in the orchard. The oven is packed with bounty enough to make the friends feel rich as squirrels. And clever as fairies. APRICOT AND VANILLA JAM Makes three to four 1-cup jars 2 1/2 pounds apricots 3 3/4 cups sugar 1 cup water 2 vanilla beans, split in half Juice of 1 small lemon 1. Pick: Only perfect and perfectly ripe apricots will do. 2. Array: Assemble your tools: Copper jam pan or other medium-sized heavy low stockpot, canner or large stock pot, ceramic bowl, skimmer, wooden spoon, ladle, sieve, jar-lifter, tongs, candy thermometer, timer, parchment paper, clean dish towel, 4 1-cup Mason jars plus new lids, bands and labels. 3. Macerate: Rinse apricots in cold water. Cut them in half; discard pits. Mix apricots, sugar, water, vanilla beans and lemon juice in the bowl. Cover with parchment paper, pressing gently so paper touches fruit. Refrigerate 1 hour. 4. Simmer: Scrape apricot mixture into the jam pan. Bring to a simmer. Pour back into bowl. Press on parchment paper and refrigerate overnight. 5. Sterilize: Next day, wash jars, bands and lids. Set aside bands. Put lids in a small saucepan. Simmer 5 minutes. Let lids sit in hot water. Set jars in a stockpot. Fill pot with water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, boil 10 minutes. Let jars sit in hot water. 6. Boil: Set the sieve over the jam pan. Pour apricot mixture through the sieve. Remove and discard apricot skins; set aside apricot halves. Bring accumulated juices to a boil. Skim thoroughly and continue cooking on high heat until syrup reaches 220 degrees on the candy thermometer. Add the reserved apricot halves. Bring to a boil again and cook 5 minutes. Continue to skim carefully and stir gently. Remove the vanilla beans and cut into 2-inch lengths. 7. Fill: Use jar-lifter to grab 1 jar in its hot water bath. Tilt to empty, carefully. Ladle hot jam into hot jar, right up to the top. Add a length of vanilla bean. Wipe top edge with a clean damp cloth. Use tongs to set 1 hot lid on top. Screw on band. Turn jar upside down to seal and cool.* Fill the rest of jars in the same way, one at a time. 8. Store: When cool, check that the lids are concave, indicating a good seal. Label and store on a cool, dark shelf up to 1 year. -Adapted from "Mes Confitures" by Christine Ferber *The USDA considers inversion canning inferior to this boiling-water process: Follow the recipe above, leaving 1/4-inch headroom in jars. Wipe rim, set on lid, screw band finger-tight. Keep jars upright. Transfer to a canner and process 5 minutes. Lacking canner, set a round cooling rack or several inverted ring bands in the bottom of a stockpot. Fill pot with water. Bring to a boil. Using a jar-lifter, lower filled, sealed jars into the pot until submerged by 1 inch. Cover pot. When water returns to a boil, time 5 minutes. Lift out jars. Cool. Store up to 1 year. For details and high-altitude adjustments, see homefoodpreservation.com. LeahREskin@aol.com Btw, Her comment that she could make more money but she wants a beautiful life is just so French - not that there is anything wrong with that.

Good afternoon! I recieved a fabulous box from Trina yesterday!!! Here is what she sent me: Southern Living Cookbook- So many great recipes in here!! I still haven't looked at everything! I love it!! Southern Living magazine Birdhouse Writing Tablet & Envelopes Matted & Framed Cross stich that says, Welcome Enter with a warm Heart. Did you make this Trina? Either way, I love it. It already has a home on my wall! Set of 4 Kitchen Towels (The Food Network) in beautiful colors, LOVE them! Set of 4 Kitchen Scrub Cloths (also The Food Network) I will get plenty use out of these! Oven Mitt with Silicone ( The Food Network) LOVE this also!! Cinnamon/Red Doile- Beautiful, its under a boquet of intense purple amaranth and Maximilum. Inside the doile were 2 beaded-handle spoons that are bent in a hook shape..I've never seen these before, but I'm using them to keep my towels in place on my oven door handle. (lol, Am I even close as to what these are for? I feel like a dummie) I do love them though!! and last but not least, a bag of mixed color Tulips. Trina, thank you sooo much for such a wonderful box of goodies. I hope you are doing fine, you are in my thoughts! Hugs, Karen

Wow! That's a LONG trip -- or trips, plural. We've always had nice cruises on Princess. We'd like to repeat the Baltic trip with days in St. Petersburg -- well, maybe not going to Russia just now! Are you talking about Road to Hana on Maui? Was it rough crossing the Pacific? (This winter we had lots of wind and rain on Maui.) How was the train itself? Was the food edible? My last time in a bunk was to and from the World's Fair in Montreal -- very overheated train, and very *slow going*. I'll be anxious to hear about your trip to Peru. An agronomist friend has driven all over South America; sounds beautiful!