Here's my story: I've spent $700 bucks for 13 years of mowing. And I've been ridin' in the saddle. I mow about an acre, two or three times a month. I let the grass get a little too tall sometimes, but these mowers have had no problem cutting it down. My first was a Craftsman 14 or a 16 hp that I paid 100 bucks for. I only bought one battery in 5 years. It was probably from the 80s or 90s. The engine was still strong but the rest was shot. Time for a new one. So, I ended up calling a guy and he said "come on by, I have one for sale." He had a Murray he wanted 200 for. But I noticed a larger yard man sitting under a tree, it was a hydraulic 18 hp Yard Man that he said needed some TLC. I asked him what it needed. He said just a "little this and that." I've heard that before! Dig? I said, does it Run?" He said yes, and after some effort we got it cranked. I bought it. I just had a feeling about it. The quality stuck out. Hydraulics will last longer. I know a little something. But It was a little risky. I knew it needed a little help under the deck. I paid $225.00 for it. But 8 years later, it!'s still running. That Kohler engine is great. It's a 1996 model. It takes a little effort to get it cranked, I use a little ether and have a process, because I don't want to kill my battery with excess cranks.? I've spent $400 over the last 8 years on it. There's a pro mechanic who has put a belt on it. and some pulleys and such under the deck, batteries. I mow my lawn in 30 to 40 minutes. That saves me an hour versus the push type. Saves my back even more. My mechanic said the Kohler engine is as good as a Honda. This was a high time machine before I got it. I can just tell. But I've only put about 100 hours on it or so. I'm trying to stretch the life out by mowing only 2, maybe 3 times a month. If I mow every week, there's no need for the ether -- but I like for my grass to grow tall before cutting -- it keeps it thicker and better looking. My neighbors have a love- hate relationship with me.

I HATE my school computer! Chuck has left for his meeting, so I have taken over his office and the Mac! Okay, here we go. # 1 Annette, you were so close! The soil of the famed Clos de Vougeot (A vineyard in the Burgundy district of France) is considered so precious that vineyard workers are required to scrape it from their shoes before they leave for home each night. #2 * for Nancy and Bobbie The term 'Blanc de Noir' refers to white wine made from red/black grapes. #3 * for Bobbie and Annette Robert Louis Stevenson referred to wine as "bottled poetry" #4 * for Bobbie, Annette, and Nancy Yes, champagne is the answer. I always used to have at least one bottle in the fridge. I imagine Lilly Bollinger had quite a few more since that was the family business. It was Dom Perignon who referred to drinking his first taste of champagne as tasting stars. "The 17th century Benedictine monk, Dom Perignon, is credited with discovering the cork as a means to seal wine and champagne bottles. He is also credited with discovering the process of making champagne. It is said that upon his first taste of champagne he cried, 'Come quickly, I am tasting stars'." One more interesting tidbit I had never heard before: During prohibition, an interesting product called the 'Grape Brick' was sold to thousands of wine-parched households across America. Attached to the 'brick' of dried and pressed winegrape concentrate was a packet of yeast, and the stern warning, "Do not add yeast or fermentation will result." Off to see Nancy's trivia. Have a wonderful, sparkling, champagne-y day all. Cynthia

Jlc, you're stunning dear. Your hair is faboo… Like the others, it's not at all what I expected. I have seriously curly hair, and wear it just past my shoulders with very long layers. Any other cut would be treacherous on a humid day. I'm a bit older than you, and that style works for me. I have had too many bad haircuts to worry about if I'm too old for what works best. I color it because I don't feel old enough to be all grey. Maybe one day I'll move to a silver bob, but probably not for another decade or so… Ellendi and BBee3 mentioned Keratin. I tried about 5 different professional Keratin treatments, and there is a wide range of results. Some are poker straight, others hardly any difference. I like the one that just makes the curls "drop" a little, and still take a curling iron if I want more "boing." There are temporary 30 day treatments, others last about 6 months. The 30 day doesn't make a huge difference, but it will make blow drying time shorter. It's a nice entree into the keratin products, and maintains the flat iron even on rainy days. I remember when Laurie Partridge and Marsha Brady hair was the style. After one of the Keratin treatments where my hair wouldn't hold a curl, I was cured of wishing for that. I'm accustomed to big hair, and it's just not me in pin straight. You rock those curls Jlc! Here is another great Dove Campaign: Dove Curly Hair Campaign

PKponder said, "I keep less than $5. in cash because I'm a bleeding heart that cannot pass up someone begging for cash on a street corner. I really can't afford to give up the money, but I always think...I have a home, cars and food, this person has none of that." While I know it's true that some of the folks who are begging for cash on street corners really are destitute and need the money, I also know that some of them are not. Quite a few years ago, there was a woman who would stand near a light rail station in downtown Sacramento at the end of the day when state workers were going home. She was always there on payday and for several days after payday. She also always had a baby in a stroller with her, no matter what the weather was like. Can you imagine how that tugged at people's hearts, to see a mother and child in the rain or bitter cold, begging for money for food? Well, one day someone happened to see her leave the area and walk to one of the side streets, where she got into a Mercedes driven by a well-dressed man about her age. The guy who saw this told his girlfriend, who was a reporter. The reporter followed up on what she thought, rightly so, would be an interesting story. Turned out the "destitute mother" was taking in close to $100,000 a year (on which she was not paying taxes) by her little begging routine. Child protective services threatened to take the baby away, saying the mother and father were unfit, since they were subjecting the baby to being outside for hours and hours in horrible weather so that they could conduct a scam. FlamingO said, "We keep enough on hand that if we needed to leave town on a moments notice, we would have enough to pay a house-sitter and have cash in our wallets to spare." Hubs and I did have to leave town once on a moment's notice very late one night, when my brother was hospitalized and wasn't expected to live through the night. I was gone for over 9 weeks -- and glad that I had a bunch of cash with me.