It is certainly no Little Debbie Snack Cake.

Around here the locals consume lutefisk. Dried cod from Norway and essentially reanimated. No thanks!

I was looking at Amazon reviews of a cheap Chinese 400-800 non AF "pre-set" zoom that uses T-mounts [like Spiratone and others did in the 60's].

These younger photographers were totally flabbergasted that there was NOTHING done automatically for them.

Perhaps they could stop over here for some pointers.

The bones are already doing OK, it is all the musculature they had to disrupt to get to the bones. Gotta keep flexing the knee to keep it from stiffening in one position.

Happily, I'm essentially retired and my weekly recorded interviews are done via the Internet these days. I even connected with an orphange in Peru, me with laptop and mic, them as well. Sounded like they were in te room!

You have company this Christmas! We are home as my wife slipped on the next-to-bottom stair and did a real number on her leg and knee. 4 hours to fix it and her x-ray looks more like someone went in with an Erector Set.

She's doing OK, but it will be about a year for a full recovery.

Hapilly, I can cook, clean and do cat-boxes!

She got an old-fashioned bed jacket from Vermont Country Store as we have a bed downstairs for a very long time!

[Cats love it.]

My best cameras for 2023 are from 2018. I can only afford to stay behind the curve, not ahead if it.

""Are these times so devastating and harsh to humanity, that people need to light up, inject or,
swallow a drug to subdue the best life available. for themselves?"

They think so.

We live in a country that grew up on "plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is."

There are now perceived quick fixes for everything.

My opinion of my fellow citizens has dropped a lot in the past five years. The distrust of science and neglect of simple self-preservation is astounding.

"Minolta MC 50mm f1.4. I have read reviews that this may be the sharpest 50mm lens ever made."

I believe it was Modern or Popular photography who said it was the sharpest lens they had ever tested. [at that time]

That was about the time when Kodak was making specially designed plastic lenses for disposable 35mm cameras that "approached" the performance of "some" 50mm lenses!

As I have often thought, some things become really good right before they become obsolete!

I miss GOOD fruitcake and that is complicated by my wife's need to be gluten-free.
We were looking at her grandmother's hand-written recipes from the depression era and found one for "inexepensive fruitcake." Basically raisins, prunes and dates with no glazed, colored fruit.

I adapted it with 2 cups of white rice flour, 2 cups of buckwheat flour, 1 cup of almond flour, blackstrap molasses, pinch of apple pie seasoning a a fair amount of domestic brandy + sufficient water to mix. Made two solid loaves.

Came out great!

"She is 92 and does have some lines on her face. Now she is ending our friendship."

It is very hard to discern what will "trigger" a person. We cannot accomodate everyone's personal insecurities or unknown quirks.

She may get over it.

I work side-by-side with Catholic Charities and THEY work side-by-side with Lutheran Relief, Salvation Army, etc. Generally speaking, recognizable religion-based charities are FAR more efficient, often getting 95% of your dollar into action.

The one I cover on my show was called, at the last minute, by the State Department to help with a large number of Afghan refugees being housed at Ft. McCoy in Wisconsin. They came with almost nothing.

CC borrowed and bought sewing machines and BOLTS of black cloth to allow the women to make appropriate clothes. They set up traditional tea rooms and got soccer balls & toys for the kids.

Every April 15th, CC helps tons of people who got behind on their power bills when power shut-offs are banned in the local winters. They also do free credit counseling to help folks budget.

They do not care if you are Catholic, atheist or none of the above. They are also the largest supplier of low cost housing in the USA.

Actually Harry & Mr. Chin.

Two of our [not as serious as they look] litter mate housecats.

(Download)

A usable 14 MP Fuji bridge camera, used, goes for about $35.

There are quite a few 100% free editing programs.

So it doesn't take much money to ignite a person's interest in photography IF the interest is there.

My first commercial audiobook cassette tutorial was "The Dos Tape."

Later, "What Is Windows [3.1]?, "What is Windows 95?' and "What's a Modem?"

I had something like this that came in a "kit" with an early Oly point and shoot. It also had a marked tripod mount so you could take successive slightly overlapping shots and stitch them together. The lens was made to mount on THAT particular camera, with camera zoom probably set to WA and made wider with the aux WA lens.

Somebody was serious about it, as the camera, Manifroto tripod lens ad tripod head came in a big waterproof case with gasket, foam inset and holes for locks!