Cindy, that's exciting news about your son's engagement! Congratulations!

Thank you, Tep. He'll only be 26 in January, which past-me would have said feels young, but they've been together since their senior year in college and we just love her. We also love them together. They work. So we're just thrilled. It's nice to have something nice to look forward to.

I bought myself a Christmas present: a 3-D stereogram poster, replacing the one I had in the early '90s that I didn't take with me in a move. I have been regretting that ever since.

It is "Calypso Reef" from NVision Graphix.

The colors and the borders are nice enough, but what I really like about it is that the images of the humpback whale, the dolphins, the birds, the additional fish, the undersea cave, and the extra palm trees are only there if I am actively paying attention to the picture.

I have put a Flickr link in my profile, if you would like to see what I mean.

(Coming out of lurkerdom) Cindy, you can search Nova Scotia births up to 1920 online from the Archives. [link]

I've never heard anything about vital statistics records being destroyed in the Explosion. And I worked at the Archives for many years. I mean, if the birth was unregistered and you're looking for church records, you might be SOL. (Going back into lurkerdom)

I saw a news item that Nova Scotia had, once again, sent a Christmas tree to Boston.

Meara: This is very easy and tasty, and can hit the table in about 30 minutes: [link]

It's now a standard for me when we're in a cabin somewhere because easy, tasty. I double the marinade, because my daughter likes extra.

This is just a drive by, because I have to be out the door in a few minutes . . . HI BYE

Thanks Sparky! May try, but sadly the vegetarian also avoids soy, which makes it harder as well. We ended up with sheet pan nachos with quorn, last night.

Meanwhile, wish me gastrointestinal fortitude—my tummy has been rumbly all day and my friend apparently clogged the one toilet in this house—she went and bought a plunger but so far no luck. I may need to make a break for the gas station nearby.

Such great news, Cindy! Congrats to the happy couple and the whole family

Thanks Sparky! May try, but sadly the vegetarian also avoids soy, which makes it harder as well. We ended up with sheet pan nachos with quorn, last night.

Quorn makes "ground beef" crumbles that I use in chili and shepherd's pie as a ground beef substitute, and it works great.

Risotto with artichoke hearts is easy if you buy boxed risotto instead of making it all the way from scratch. And then the meat-eaters can have meat on the side.

TJs has some fried rices (one is Japanese fried rice and the other is just veggie fried rice) that I add a bunch of extra stir-fry veggies to, along with teriyaki marinated tofu (all of those -- the fried rices, the stir-fry veggies [frozen section], and the tofu [refrigerated section]) are at TJs.

How do you feel about quiche for dinner? You can throw so many kinds of vegetables into a quiche it's pretty ridiculous.

Meatless lasagna (or use the Quorn "ground beef" crumbles).

In the category of breakfast-for-dinner (in fact, I have literally NEVER made this for breakfast, only dinner): biscuits and gravy with Gimme Lean sausage -- it comes in a tube like Jimmy Dean and is in the refrigerated section (brand is LightLife, IIRC). And if you don't want to make biscuits, sausage gravy (whether real sausage or vegetarian fake sausage) is fucking AMAZING over tater tots. I cannot emphasize that strongly enough. FUCKING. AMAZEBALLS.

Meatless tamales and spanish rice is good.

Homemade burrito bowls (or get tortillas for burritos): make rice, get beans, salsa, jalapenos, cheese, avocado or guac, whatever else you like in burritos, and go wild. Plus the meat-eaters could throw whatever kind of meat they like in theirs.

Thank you, -t!

They send one every year, Toddson. My son and his fiancee went to the lighting and took pictures in front of the tree. That's how they informed their friends of their engagement.

A Sue sighting! Hi Sue Thank you for the link. I found my mother's father's record (which my mother might already have). He was born in 1899, but his is an affidavit his aunt swore out in 1931 (either because he didn't have an original, or his was lost as well).

My grandmother was born in Hants County in 1906. My Nana always said it was lost in the explosion. Her story was that my great-grandfather used to go to Halifax to register the children's births. Her brother had to swear to her birthdate and location, when she later (years after my mom was born) became a US citizen.

I tried the link (I know the county, etc.), but no luck. When I broadened my search (more years, no first name), I found four of her siblings (the two immediately 2 older and the 2 immediately younger). There were eight kids in all. Six were born there (the first two were born in the states). I saw my great-grandparents death certificates though, which was neat. They were both from NS, but met and married in Massachusetts, so their marriage certificate is here.