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General Information

Word Games:  Live trivia at various times and places throughout the week.

#International: We hope to bring together folks from all nations and languages .. come join us for chat, good friends, and if you can volunteer to translate, all the better. Even a smattering of another language is welcome!

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Your BIRTHDAY TREE
January's gemstone is Garnet, the symbol of Sincerity.  Flower is the Carnation
February's gemstone is Amethyst, the symbol of Sobriety. Flower is the Violet

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EVENTS

In an attempt to get more of our chatters involved in our newsletter and to make it more interesting, we are adding several new columns.  The recipe column has been very popular!  I hear tell there is a movie critic's corner starting soon.  That's exciting!!  I'd love to see a gardening column if that's an area of expertice for any of you.  Maybe even a book review column would be nice?  Please get together with me if you have other ideas or if you're willing to do a column!

COOKING ON THE WILD SIDE Recipes and more    ...by Wildchild.

Hiya chat friends,
I hope everyone had a wonderful and joyful Christmas and New Years. Here are some good recipes, both of them using chicken, that I use and my girls love. Then the peanut butter pie is from millie in #autism. Please remember to send your favorites to cookingonthewildside at yahoo.com.  Until next month lets remember to keep cooking on the wildside.

Bruschetta Chicken Bake Prep Time: 10 min | Total Time: 40 min 1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 pkg. (6 oz.) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken 1/2 cup water 1-1/2 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces 1 tsp. dried basil leaves 1 cup Kraft Shredded Mozzarella Cheese PREHEAT oven to 400°F. Place tomatoes with liquid in medium bowl. Add garlic, stuffing mix and water; stir just until stuffing mix is moistened. Set aside. PLACE chicken in 13x9 inch baking dish; sprinkle with basil and cheese. Top with stuffing mixture. BAKE 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through. 6 small boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.) 3 cups frozen oriental mixed vegetables, thawed 2 cups milk 1/4 cup flour 1/2 cup (1/2 of 8-oz. container) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread 1 cup KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Spray large nonstick oven proof skillet with cooking spray. Heat on medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 4 minutes on each side or until lightly browned on both sides. Remove from heat. Add vegetables to chicken in skillet; stir gently. Set aside. ADD milk to flour in deep microwavable bowl; beat with wire whisk until well blended. Microwave on HIGH 8 minutes, stirring with wire whisk every 2 minutes. Add cream cheese spread; beat until completely melted. Add mozzarella cheese; stir until melted. Pour evenly over chicken and vegetables. BAKE 20 to 25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Stir sauce just before serving. .

Peanut Butter Pie 1 1/2 c p-butter Can use either smooth or crunchy 2 8 oz pks cream cheese 16 oz cool whip 1 1/2 c powder sugar 2 Oreo pie crusts Soften cream cheese and thaw cool whip mix cream cheese and sugar, add p-butter and mix really well, then add cool whip it makes two pies. put the pies in the freezer, when they get really chilled or frozen eat them up.

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MAYBE MABLE KNOWS?     Advice

Suggestions and comments .. submit them to the newsletter with Mable in the subject line.
Reserved for those who have questions which can benefit from answers with a fresh perspective!

MOVIES                 Movie Reviews - by Zadi of #Lupuschat

Suggestions and comments .. submit them to the newsletter with Movies  in the subject line.
Keep watching this spot for future reviews from Zadi!

THE BOOK NOOK         Book Nook by Lorellei

Suggestions and comments .. submit them to the newsletter with Book Nook in the subject line.

Dean Koontz won an Atlantic Monthly writing competition when he was a senior in college and has been writing since that achievement. Published in at least 38 languages, his books number about 17 million copies sold a year. Ten of his novels have been on the New York Times Bestseller List; (this one has been on the current list for 4 weeks and was 4th the week ending January 18th.) Twelve of his paperback books have risen to first place; Rolling Stone Magazine has hailed him as "America's most popular suspense novelist." He has recently been on a few TV shows; he is as personable on TV as his books are worth reading; and so to the story.

The night of his birth, Jimmy Tock's paternal grandfather, Josef, is dying of a stroke in the same hospital. Jimmy's father, Rudy, moves between the expectant fathers' waiting room and his dying father's bedside. A storm is raging outside and at the peak of the storm, Josef suddenly sits up in bed, (although aphasic since his stroke), regains his speaking ability and describes in great detail the birth of his grandson, Jimmy, being born in another ward. Josef reveals five dates to Rudy, dates to be remembered, dates that will be important in Jimmy's life. As he dies, Josef manages to make clear that these dates are dark ones, heralding terrible events for Jimmy, who must prepare himself. These events will occur on Jimmy's 20th birthday, his 23rd, his 28th, his 29th and his 30th. Sure enough, the first prophecy comes true and Jimmy meets his wife-to-be during a deadly encounter on his first "terrible day."

The story weaves around the five "terrible" days, with narrative by Jimmy Tock in between. The book is full of dark humor, witty dialogue, unexpected characters and surprisingly empathetic psychopaths; demented circus performers abound. Life Expectancy is a fast read and there were few bogged down spots. Koontz portrays the struggle against a very dark evil equally as well as he has in the past, again pointing out the extraordinary strength of positive human spirit. If you haven't read anything by Koontz, this one is worthy of your attention. It is an extension of basic Koontz, and written with the same attention to detail, story strength and human interest. This one will not put you to sleep.

If you have a book you'd like to see reviewed, let us know. If you'd like to write a review yourself, please let us know. Books open the windows of the world. Always keep them around.

Lorellei

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If you have a book you'd like reviewed, send an email with the subject "For Book Nook"; we're glad to have suggestions! If you'd like to review a book yourself, let us know. It's good to have fresh viewpoints!

PETS AND PESTS         Critters   by Momma

If you have questions, interesting facts or suggestions, other notable news concerning pets and pests, please submit them to the newsletter with Pets and Pests in the subject line

It is winter time for most of us. And with the winter comes cold temperatures and snow, often resulting in yet another unwanted house guest...or 300+! MICE!

The common "House Mouse" can be found worldwide, in the country home or in the city-dweller's home, and on rare occasion in apartment complexes. These cute little critters can carry germs that could make your family ill, not to mention that they can be very destructive. And trust me, they are not like Stewart Little or Mickey! They leave droppings, never clean up after themselves, help themselves to any food stuff laying about, never pay rent, and bring ALL their relatives, and breed like...well mice!

There are four basic steps to implement when confronting a mouse infestation:
Inspection
Sanitation
Exclusion
Population Reduction(Traps, Baits, Repellents)

In order for your rodent control program to be effective (as well as efficient) on a long term basis, all four basic steps should be implemented. (If these don't work, get a snake!)
Inspection: There are ten signs that you should look for when conducting your initial (and follow-up) inspection: Droppings, tracks, gnaw marks, burrowing, runways, grease marks, urine stains, live or dead rodents, rodents sounds and rodent odors. A good inspection gives you a better idea of the size of the population and the routes taken by the rodents. You must intercept the rodents. Proper placements of baits, traps or live traps depend on your inspection!

Sanitation: In order for a large population of rodents to flourish, there has to be an abundance of food and water, as well as easy access to a cozy nesting site. By removing or reducing the factors that make any pest population abundant, you remove and reduce the pest. Sanitation does not imply that you live in a pig pen. However,proper storage of possible rodent food, removal of undesirable vegetation (grass, weeds) and taking care of rubbish, lumber piles or old equipment are just a few examples of good sanitation practices. Homeowners must also realize that pet foods and wild bird feed are all tasty meals for rodents.
Exclusion: Controlling rats and mice by making it impossible for them to enter structures is the best way to eliminate and control indoor populations. Although this is not always feasible, exclusion should not be ignored. It is not always possible to do extensive rodent proofing, but in many cases it can be accomplished with minimum effort. A building can be rodent proofed by eliminating all openings larger than 1/2 inch for rats and 1/4 for mice. Even after this is done, rodents can slip through open doors and windows, gain access along plumbing and other utility lines or (especially in the case of mice) be transported indoors with any merchandise. Exclusion also includes repairing doors and windows that do not operate properly or shut securely. Do not forget to inspect and repair air vents that may not be in sound working order. Incorporating the use of a good quality "rodent repellant" will also help in exclusion.

Population Reduction: To quickly reduce the population of mice, traps and/or baits are used. There are some excellent products on the market. In some situations, the use of toxic baits are not safe, legal or desired because of possible odors. When dealing with mice, it might be a good idea to use both traps and baits/repellents. Consider your building, children, pets, ability to deal with possible odors and dangers to none target animals when choosing products to eliminate your mouse problem. I do prefer "live traps" for many reasons. I don't like to kill anything, plus I have seen what poisons can do to the family cat or dog. The idea of a child suffering that fate is unimaginable. The only advice I can give you when incorporating the "live trap" in your population control is to make sure that you deposit your catch far enough away from your home, so that these industrious pests do not return. I speak from personal experience. Two years ago. I would empty my traps at the back of my yard, and I swear I would catch the same mice the next evening. I was tipped off when a cute little brown critter waved at me! Last year I started taking the captured mice on a road trip. I heard that the village of Lyons had record numbers of mice. Wonder how that happened?

Odors: The one problem associated with using baits/poisons to rid your home of mice is the odor of dead mouse. Again, there are many good products on the market. Air neutralizers are a good way to reduce an odor problem. Check with your local feed store or hardware store to see what is available. Nature's Air Sponge is a good quality product, and will also take care of cooking and/or smoking and pet odors.

Contributed by Makk

Firefox Browser

Whether it's lighthearted, serious, poignant, or just plain silly, send your contributios to the newsletter with LIBRARY in the subject line.

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