WTF-Beta

"Yogurt works, but plain yogurt tastes awful without a whole lot of sugar which seems to defeat the purpose. I’ve never tried kefir or kombucha -what do you do with it? What else is there?"

I only eat yogurt plain and unsweetened. Maybe try some different brands? They aren't all alike. Costco sells Bellewether plain yogurt and I think it is especially yummy.

Kefir is just liquid yogurt. I drink straight kombucha only rarely. I usually put the ginger-lemon kombucha from Costco in my pomegranate lemonade to zing it up a bit.

Costco also has dried apricots with probiotics in them now. Mr Pique bought it and they are good!

I loves me a good dill pickle, but other than that I don't go in much for fermented foods except in very small doses.

Hi Bootsy! So glad you are here!

Thank you so much for sharing your trip with us. I have long wished to visit both Budapest and Romania. Both my mother's parents were from Budapest --my great-great grandfather opened the very first photography studio there--and there are many fine and commercial photographers still on that side of the family.

My Hungarian grandmother was a fantastic cook, and judging from your report, many of her specialties were on your foodie tour.

I have been wondering about going on a Viking river tour. I was interested to learn that you stayed in hotels and not on the ship part of the time. Would you tell us more about your experience with Viking? Do you recommend them?

My main concern is having to stick to a strict itinerary.

I was amazed to hear about the pomegranate lemonade. I am drinking one right now. It's my favorite drink, and I make it myself. I thought I had invented it!

My father's mother was born in Romania and left for America when she was 12. One day, my father watched amazed as I mixed up my own lemonade. He wondered aloud if such things were genetic as his mother had drunk the same concoction every day when he was growing up.

Absolutely gorgeous, all of it. I especially like the interior doors with the glass, and the plum colored siding. Very chic.

Recently an article came out saying that Montana now has the most unaffordable homes in the entire country. That's been my impression for quite some time, as I have also been looking at markets that have been historically considered unaffordable, like MA and NY and CA. Apparently since Covid, Montana property values have gone up over 60 percent, and higher in some towns. We're all choking on the resulting property taxes.

This was I place I moved to (in part) because a freelance writer with inconsistent and sketchy income could afford to buy herself a house. No longer. It seems weird to be looking at houses close to the Pacific Ocean and near San Francisco that we can now afford if we sell what we have. Five years ago that was unthinkable. It was the reverse. The Californians were moving here because they could pay cash and have some left over after selling their homes in CA.

If only there were fewer people and less traffic in those places, moving would make total sense.

@Big_Al said in RIP Tom Lehrer:

it's disturbing how timeless some of the songs are

I know, right?

Just listen to the song "National Brotherhood Week":

"Step up and take the hand of someone you can't stand
You can tolerate 'em if you try."

Where at the Jersey shore? When I was a teen our family always rented a house on Long Beach Island.

I was was watching lighting exploding over the Divide tonight from my back yard. Huge black hammerhead clouds shooting out bolts in the distance. For once I just enjoyed watching without taking photos. Jodi there will definitely be fires from all these electrical storms we've been having. So much more rain than usual for this time of year! But not enough to prevent the fires.

OK the Marx one is funny

Utterly fascinating. I couldn't stop watching. Bernard, I see a new endeavor in your future...

what a fabulous feast! Any recordings of the performances?

And how reassuring to see how everyone else has aged as much as I have.

PD
We were forbidden from playing Vatican Rag when my parent's Catholic friends were visiting. My parents bought us "That Was The Year That Was" when it first came out, and my brother and I wore a hole in that LP

I loved him! I still sing some of his songs in the shower.

@AndyD said in Mountain top home anyone?:

BTW
MrsA quite likes it

She immediately had the idea of using the 'garage' as an archery range

LMAO

Looking forward to pics and video. Miss you all!

I seriously hope a wildfire destroys the house.

My first thought: Abomination. Putting something like that on a mountain top in wildlife habitat is an abomination. And judging from those interior finishes, I don't understand why these people would live in Colorado.

@Steve-Miller said in Fab house for sale near me (UK):

Very nice and very well done.

I may be the only one left who likes carpet. Cant wait for it to come back in to style.

Because it always does.

I like carpet, too. And light, warm colors. Can't wait for black, gray, and LVP floors to be banished to the dustbin of interior decorating.

Glad to hear you made it over and home without issues. Looking forward to your pics when you get a chance.

@CHAS said in Fab house for sale near me:

More space than I want to heat and care for in Montana.

yeah. way too much dusting! and it would be "interesting" to see the untility bills.