spyke

Somehow, some way, you and I must be related from my mother's side of the family! I read this and just got to laughing. My mother would always go around to the drug stores (Peoples, Drug Fair, etc) the day after Christmas to score 1/2 price Russell Stover boxed chocolates. She did this for years and years. The reason they were 1/2 priced was because they used to have a seasonal wrapper on the box--Christmas, Valentines Day, Easter, etc., so they really couldn't hold them over. She'd "stock up" and put the candy in her freezer in the basement. Eventually, they changed packaging to a clear cellophane, and the "seasonal wrapper" was a removable sleeve of cellophane that was imprinted with the specific holiday decoration. That year, she enlisted me to drive her around so she could get her Russell Stover 1/2 price chocolates. I must have had a moment of weakness, because I really hate doing this type of sale shopping and standing in long lines. We rolled into one store and found 2 employees sitting on the floor removing the seasonal cellophane sleeves from the candy and placing the candy back on the shelves. My mother asked where the 1/2 price candy was and they said that Russell Stover wasn't doing that any more. My mom was so shocked that all she could say was "That's not fair!" It was all I could do not to start laughing out loud. We went to a few other stores and the same thing was happening. So, my mother's 40+ year 1/2 price Russell Stover candy tradition had ended, and she was not a happy camper! Don't get the idea that she gave up on her Russell Stover. She got her supply from gifts or she paid full price for it. Thanks @Ryan Jones for sparking what has now become a sweet memory.

Milky Way Bar. Hands Down. BTW, Aldi has some really good peanut butter cups, but it's a case of you can't just eat one.

I'm good with spiders. Snakes on the other hand....well let's just say scream like a little girl. 🤣 Oh, and BTW, it's good to see you back on a regular basis @rickproehl! Your posts always brighten up my day.

No he wasn't teasing. No you aren't over reacting. Yes, he's using a classic gaslighting technique. Yes, he is pissed off and back peddling because you aren't falling for any of it. You are owed a big apology. And paraphrasing @Mikiesboy, rant away! We're here for you.

I live in a rural area of NC in a mid sized town of about 25,000, so we don't really have that big of a rush hour compared to D.C. However, on Fridays around lunch time, traffic is just crazy. People here don't believe in direct deposit, so they're out getting their paychecks cashed. I don't miss the traffic in DC at all. On a good day, it would take me 45 minutes to drive 24 miles to my mother's house. On a bad day, it would be 4 hours. Nothing like having to cool your jets on the American Legion Bridge while they land a Medivac chopper to an accident scene.

Check the date of manufacture on the outside unit and make sure it's 100% brand new and not just "brand new to your house." Landlords can do some really shady mess when it comes to replacing big ticket items.

I do that to keep up with the DC news on occasion, particularly if there's something brewing that my small town local news isn't covering enough. Now if we can just figure out a way to silence the telephones during campaign seasons...

You're lucky you can tolerate lisinopril. A lot of folks (me included) develop a dry hacking cough on the medicine after being on it for awhile. You're spot on about amlodipine. At the end of the day, my feet looked like Fred Flinstone's feet and it really hurt. They switched me to Diltiazem and no problems since.

I hate that you've injured your knee, but in a way it may be a blessing. Your blood pressure was up to the point that the doctor put you on medicine. If you hadn't hurt your knee, you may have gone un-diagnosed and that could have been really dangerous. Take it easy the first couple of weeks on the medicine as your body adjusts. You'll feel like crap for a while, but it won't be long before you'll be feeling like yourself again.

Howdy Wayne. Happy Saturday to you too!

Yep, all your fault. LOL All is forgiven as long as you keep gifting us with your wonderful stories.

Ha! You made me and @drsawzall curious and then hungry with that reference. I'll have to settle for baking because York would be a very long reach for me--a transatlantic reach! LOL.

Date night!! You and your husband so deserve this. Hope the evening is absolutely wonderful for you both.

Give this man a good raise! I live in what has to be the laziest county in the state. Trying to find reliable tradesman is next to impossible. They start out good and then hunting or beach season sets in and they disappear. Time and time again people have asked me how to be successful in my area. I tell them that showing up is half the battle. The ones who are reliable and hard working make a tremendous living. I don't have a beach house, but guess who does? Yep, that would be my HVAC vendor. He always answers when I call. He even left church early one Sunday to help out one of my elderly tenants who didn't have any heat during a really cold snap.

There are some words and descriptions in this chapter that are just clawing at the back of my brain. I think that we may be in for a plot twist that isn't the twist that everyone is anticipating or hoping for. Then there's this little gem above from our beloved author...hmmmm. Don't forget that the leaning tree isn't always the first to fall. Another wonderful chapter @Headstall! Next Monday can't get here quick enough!

Try soaking the shredded mozzarella in good quality olive oil for about 1 hour before using it. It'll be so much better and not dry at all. I read that trick in a pizza cookbook years ago and still use it to this day if I can't find fresh.

Tea and a handshake. Emily is in good graces with Eric. I'm glad because I feel she'll keep an eye out for him. And I'm sure Andy will be working at her house shortly. I do hope that Felicity takes a chance and makes friends with Emily. I had to Google to find out about the Yorkshire Fat Rascals and the second entry down was for a copy cat recipe from..............BETTY'S! Another wonderful chapter @northie.

Happy Belated Birthday rick! I'm glad that you're feeling better and I hope we get to see a bit more of you in the DiC.

Nah, planned outage after that whistle blower interview over the weekend. Got to distract and deflect. 🤣

I really hate that for you Chris. I've got my fingers crossed that they can get you into the correct hospital quickly.

Don't be too sure about that. It took me 6 months from diagnosis to get my cancer treatment done because of screw ups. Then to top it off, I had to have the procedure re-done because the machine broke mid-way through. That said, I'm doing really well now with no re-occurrance.

I have always found that the ones who have the most to say are the ones who have the most to hide. I'm saddened by what seems to be forming around Eric, but I'm also glad that Brian reached out to him. I think that was just the lift that Eric needed. I'm worried about those pesky kids though. Nothing but trouble if you ask me.

Hope you have a very Happy Birthday @Wayne Gray!

@kbois 👏👏👏 50 lbs is just so amazing! Congratulations and well done. Do I recall that you had started Noom as well? If so, do you think that had anything to do with changing your mindset and lifestyle?

I'm thinking we need some new rules around here. When the chapter reactions hit 50 or the chapter comments go longer than 2 pages, authors should have to release the next chapter of their story 3 days early as a reward to their readers. This is not unheard of in the GA universe. What say you all?