I must admit I’ve never in my life wanted only one glass of sweet tea, especially in the months March through November. Topping off is just the normal way of life around here, so I make it a gallon at a time, decanting it from the gallon pickle jar I use for brewing into 2 glass Tropicana orange juice half-gallon jars…

Or people who do not worry about ever having to find any book easily again. “One and done” readers, perhaps. That is not me. If a book is in my house, it’s been read more than once. If I don’t like it enough to reread, it is passed along.

Or “at.” As in: where’s [whoever or whatever] at? That’ll get you judged oh-so-quickly around here in the Piedmont North Carolina area.

Berners are such cool dogs! I’ve totally loved everyone I’ve ever met (all 3 of them, lol) and I bet yours is such a darling. Big dogs do intimidate people, no matter how sweet-natured they are. My parents’ Weimaraners were always well-trained and loveable, but very protective of us (as kids) and then the grandkids…

My mother-in-law had a mixed breed chihuahua/fox terrier which —I swear— is the main reason 2 of my 3 children are now cat owners. That was one mean little bitch of a dog. I myself rescue Westies, but there for a while (when the kids were still at home) we had cats. And all my mother-in-law said when that dog lunged…

This July will mark our 49th year of marriage, and we shared a bed that entire time. However, about 5 years ago we traded in our ‘regular’ king-size bed for a split-king with the adjustable base, and it is wonderful! Now either of us elevate our heads or our feet or both without disturbing the other, and even better,…

I understand Queen Mary bought quite a bit emigré jewelry from some of the Tsar’s female relatives who made it to England.

I’m also retired, and I feel the same way; sure plays havoc with doctors’ appointments though.

My boy Westie’s favorite ball is a large Hartz Duraplay one. It is soft enough to grab easily, it squeaks pleasingly (to his ears, at least), and it smells of bacon. He carries it around, and even sleeps with it. I have several back-up balls in reserve should he ever lose it. My girl Westie could care less about the…

The best way we’ve found to cook okra is grilling it, trimming the ends only enough to remove tough pieces: do NOT cut enough to open the pod! Grilling the okra (or oven roasting if weather prevents the outdoor grill) this way prevents the slime. My husband (the former okra-hater) loves it this way.

Oh, no, no, no...Nathan’s Bun-Length Skinless weinies are the best!

My Scottish Great-Granny Armstrong always told us ‘neeps were just as good as taties, and she was right. I try, but I never quite get mine tasting as good as I remember hers did. (And yes, turnips are a staple in the South - at least, all the South I’ve lived in: TX, AR, TN, and NC. Especially NC.)

We’ve spoken of him as “Orange Twitler” for quite some time now. When typing of him, he’s 45* - always with the asterisk.

What you can do is give the someone you want to give a pet to a “Pet Gift Certificate.” If it’s for a child, maybe put the GC inside a How To Care For book for a dog or a cat. In 1997, my husband gave me a pet gift certificate and after researching for over a month, I was ready to start looking. I chose a West…

I was just thinking that around these parts (North Carolina) and in Texas, where most of my relatives still live, buttermilk is like that hot sauce commerical: “We put that sh¡t [in] everything.” And my grandparents also differentiated the 2 most common milks in their ”icebox” as buttermilk and sweet milk.  Oh, and…

Uh-oh! Thanks for the heads-up. I also use Super Duper; like you, I’ll wait to upgrade when I can use it.

Unique coasters like this would be appreciated by everyone I know.

Exactly! And seriously, chili shouldn’t have tomatoes, whether canned, whole, paste, or sauce. The only color should come from the chili powder.

I suggest you could actually use the type of bottles pictured above as long as you put something in them that is harmless, say a bit of water, as opposed to ketchup, mustard, or mayo. But yes, never-opened bottles of something with very secure closure would probably be better.

I wish I could give you 1,000 stars. All I can do is glare at the maskless, which are few these days, thank goodness. Fools. Idiots. Asshats.