I'm going to regret this... Note: phrases in [brackets] must be read together quickly in order to compensate for too many syllables. Ahem. My name's Big Rob and I'm dressed to kill Got my arm hangin' out of my Caddy Deville I got Catts, Paphs, Oncidiums too [The best day of the month is when I get a plant thats new] ------------Urban Beats---------------- 300 watts of light so bright [At 5:45 in the morning]; it wakes me up alright Got Orchid Bark, Perlite, Sphagnum Moss My closet's overflowing My roommate's getting cross ------------Urban Beats---------------- Now don't be confused; don't be misled Orchids aren't the only plants next to my bed Nepenthes Ventrata, Drosera times two [They eat the bugs around my lights at night for food] Dyckia Platphylla, the pineapple from hell Sits next to Lavender, so all is well. Huernia Zebrina - Mr. Prickles is his name; Blooms all the time, it's his claim to fame Now these are just a few; Of the babies in my room They number thirty in all I hope you'll visit soon Word. Now, I don't mean to toot my own horn, but c'mon, as far as raps about orchids go, that's not bad.

Grilled Tomato Sauce From Steven Raichlen Like soup, tomato sauce is one of the dishes you're least likely to think of grilling. But there is a powerful reason to try this sauce. Beyond the mere novelty factor, grilling imparts a gutsy smoke flavor to the sauce and heightens the natural sweetness of the vegetables. Don't take just my word for it. For thousands of years, Mexicans have grilled tomatoes, onions and peppers to make rich-tasting salsas. I have adapted the technique to make an exceptionally flavorful tomato sauce. Serve the sauce over grilled polenta, with any simple grilled fish, or with just about any cooked pasta. Makes about 3 1/2 cups. 5 lucious, ripe red tomatoes 2 - 2 1/4 pounds total, cut in half crosswise, and stem ends removed 1 medium size white onion, peeled and cut into quarters 1 rib celery 4 cloves garlic, peeled and skewered on a wooden toothpick or small bamboo skewer 3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp. oregano 1/2 tsp. hot pepper flakes 1 bay leaf 6 fresh basil leaves coarse salt (Kosher or Sea salt) freshly ground black pepper 1/4 to 3/4 cup chicken stock, vegetable stock or water Cook the tomatoes, onions, celery and garlic in greased and preheated grill (George Foreman grill) until nicely browned. You may need to cook the vegetables in more than one batch. Transfer the grilled vegetables and let cool. Finely chop the onions, celery and garlic by hand or in a food processor. If using a food processor, run machine in spurts. Heat olive oil in large non-reactive sauce pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, celery and garlic, oregano, hot pepper flakes and bay leaf and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Coarsely puree tomatoes and juices with the basil in a food processor. Add the tomato mixture to the sauce pan, with the vegetables. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then let sauce simmer gently until thick and richly flavored 8-10 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. The sauce should be thick but pourable. If it is too thick, add a little stock or water. Remove and discard the bay leaf. The sauce can be refrigerated, covered up to 4 days. Or frozen for up to 2 months. Let the sauce come to room temperature then reheat it in a non-reactive sauce pan over medium heat, stirring often.

I love going to garage sales. Here's my take on it. Some people have garage sales where they are selling about $15 total worth of stuff. My sister who comes with me sometimes always marvels at these sales. She can't fathom why anyone would sit in their garage all day for that bit of money. My answer is, well, because they enjoy it! There are people who really don't have a lot to do and enjoy sitting there, striking up conversations with customers, etc. For them, a low $ garage sale isn't so much about the $, it's about the activity itself. The $$ are just a bonus. So... in your case, I'd say donate. I love going TO garage sales, but in my life I've had only about two of them, both times selling large items (furniture and such), thus making it worth my while. You kind of have to use dd50's logic. Estimate how much you will make vs how many hours you'll be sitting there and come up with an amount per hour. Then figure if your time is worth that or not. If not, skip it and donate.

I came here today because I have 3 days left before my mothers yearly visit. She flies out from the east coast on Monday. I have been working at decluttering and organizing for the last few months, but today as I look around...I am thinking I didn't do enough...there is still so much stuff! I am between putting myself down and patting myself on the back for what I did do. When my too much stuff really shows up is before my mothers visit every year! She is neat and clutter free...I am just the opposite! We have moved a number of times in my marriage, but each move was provided by my DH employer. I had a number of young children and got rid of nothing! They packed us up and they moved us. The extra stuff staying in boxes in the garage. Really, I love to shop and buy...it is a favorite pass time for me...other than grocery and necessary hardware type shopping. I have really been working on it to make a change in my behavior, but like someone said...I have not under gone a personality change. This is going to take continued effort on my part to get things in order and keep them there. Thanks...I needed to vent before I get onto dusting and vacuuming this morning. When I go to dust and vacuum is when I really know that I have too much stuff!