The AllAmerican RunnerDuck Review, a newsletter for friends and family 03-07-03

March 7, 2003

WELCOME BACK: Welcome to March. We think it's coming in like a lion but not with a very big roar. I did encounter some really wet snow flakes on my way to work this morning. That doesn't happen very often here in the Seattle area. Nothing is going to stick but it sure was a surprise.

Oh boy, here we go again. For those of you that are new with us let me bring you up to date. Two years ago Marilyn fell and broke her leg. After a few months on crutches she progressed to a cane and then nothing. Things never seemed right after that and her knee always hurt a lot. A year later, upon closer examination, they discovered that the fall had also dislocated her knee cap and chipped it. This required a surgery that didn't go well because a week after the surgery a blood vessel broke in her knee and put her in the hospital for another two days and more surgery. After another couple of months on crutches and then months with a cane she has been walking pretty much unassisted. Now comes the clincher, she's been noticing some pain in her arm along with some tingling. She went to the doctor this week and it looks like all the crutch and cane walking has resulted in a partially separated shoulder. She's now wearing a sling and taking muscle relaxers. It almost makes you wonder what's next in this chain of events. Lets hope this is the end of the chain and everything is on the mend. Of course she blames it all on me since she never had any problems like this before we were married ;-)

We are pleased to announce that Ken's daughter is doing just great with this pregnancy. As some of you may remember she lost her last baby late last year and we have been very concerned about this one. Because of her past problems they are keeping a close eye on her and everything is progressing just great. The baby is still on target for late July or early August. Since Ken's birthday is on August 19th that would make a nice birthday present for grandpa but I doubt that she'll hold out that long. All prayers are accepted for her, her husband, baby brother and baby to be.

It won't be long and you'll be getting your summer cabin ready to enjoy. One really nice thing that you could do for it is to order a custom Adirondack sign from Ron Godin's rustic Adirondack art. He'll make a wonderful sign that says anything you want. To check them out just go to www.runnerduck.com/crafts.htm and see what he has for you.

You are logged on to this newsletter as [[-Email-]] and receiving it because you are a friend of mine or a friend of theirs.
If you would like to be removed from receiving this newsletter just send an email to unsubscribe@runnerduck.com leaving the Subject and Body blank.

Thank you,
Ken and Marilyn

Check out our time saving QuickLinks.

(CLICK)

VISIT OUR HOME PAGE AT www.runnerduck.com

Check Out Archive Newsletters Here

Please visit our affiliate
sites listed below. Your
purchases help us keep
this newsletter going.
Thank you!

Click here for thousands of old-time goods!

Please vote for our newsletter at

Launch your
web site for
only $9.95 per
month with your
special Duck Discount at

What's New This Week? We don't particularly like large institutions like banks or insurance companies but we stumbled on something neat at Citi Bank. They have a new credit card for on line purchases that generates a new random credit card number that's only good for ten minutes. That gives you enough time to place your on line order. If someone should hack into the company you purchased something from they will get a credit card number for you that is no longer any good. The only down side I've seen is that you can't set up recurring credit card information on a site like Amazon because the next time you use it the number would not be valid. Entering a new randomly generated number is easy though because you just click and drag the new number into the form you are filling out. The other down side is if you order something that requires your credit card when you pick it up. The random number will not match your plastic card number but not a big deal. We don't endorse Citi Bank or their credit cards, we just think it's a cool idea you might want to check out.

DigiTalk

There is a fun contest going on intended for the kids. Our friend Philip Straiger of Eovia fame has told us about a drawing contest for children. Philip is the one that gave us the great deals on Amapi 3D and Carrara 3D Basics software. We hope you took advantage of those specials a few months ago. He also told us about Dogwaffle, the fantastic free drawing program. You can use these programs or any other to create your drawing.
The contest is based on the total eclipse of the sun that is going to take place in Antarctica this November. They are asking you to make a drawing that represents the eclipse and penguins. We thought it would be fun to make a Runner Duck part of the drawing. Something like a Runner Duck shaking hands with a penguin or a Runner Duck and penguin with sunglasses watching the eclipse. Just let your mind run wild. Submit your drawings to www.thebest3d.com/dogwaffle/contest before November. The prizes are yet to be announced but don't expect a bazillion dollars or anything like that. It's mostly for fun and chance to show off your creativity.

SITE OF THE WEEK

Since none of you shared your favorite site with us this week we are going to have to send you to this strange little site, "Which Is Worse". It is so appropriate because which is worse, having to go to one of our recommended sites or going to a terrific site someone shared with us?

Have you ever wondered when given two choices as to which is worse how other people might vote? Well this site has about a bazillion different questions for you to ponder. Once you decide which way to vote click the vote button and you will see how you compared to other people. Be forewarned that some of the questions are a little crude but I didn't see any fowl language. Just go to www.whichisworse.com and start answering those perplexing questions.

If you have a favorite site please send it to us so we may share it with the rest of our readers. Send it to duckmaster@runnerduck.com.

MARILYN'S CORNER

Bird Feeder

With Marilyn's shoulder out of sorts we thought we'd recycle a project from a couple of years ago that a lot of people liked. With spring comes lots of birds and it's always fun to feed the birds. This is a really simple bird feeder that you can make really fast.

Here is a list of the things you will need.

A small plastic jar like a peanut butter jar.
3 inches of 1/8 inch dowel (round wood).
8 inches of wire or string.
Waterproof glue or hot melt glue.

Be sure to have your parents help you with the cutting so you don't cut yourself!

Wash out a small empty plastic peanut butter container or something similar.
Remove the label using hot soapy water. If you let it soak a while it will come off a lot easier.
Cut a 1 inch hole so the bottom of the hole is about 1 to 1 1/2 inches up from the bottom of the container.
Make a small hole just below the 1 inch hole, big enough for the piece of wood dowel.
Poke the 1/8 inch dowel into the small hole and glue it in place.
Poke another small hole in the middle of the lid for the wire or string to go through.
Run the string or wire through the hole in a loop and tie it off in a big knot so it won't pull out.
Put the lid on the jar and there you have it, a bird feeder.

Since some parents don't like bird seeds sprouting in their flower gardens here's a little tip you can share with them. Spread the bird seed out on a cookie sheet and bake in a 250 degree oven for 1/2 hour.

We hope you enjoy Marilyn's Corner and look forward to all the fun things she brings you each week. If you have a fun project that would be suitable for our newsletter we'd love to share it with our readers. Just contact marilyn@runnerduck.com and we'll do the rest.

Remember we have all of our past projects archived on our web site at www.runnerduck.com. Just click on the Projects or Kids Only Eggs.

KIDS TOOLS

We showed you this site last week and had a pretty good response so we thought we'd leave it up for another week. Home Depot along with Toys R Us has a really great selection of kids tools at really good prices. They make doing projects a whole bunch of fun. Check them out by clicking on the link below.

The Tempos
News and CD of the Week

The Tempos will be playing for a wedding fair next Wednesday at the Country Village in Bothell, Washington. We will be performing from 6:00 to 8:00PM, March 12th. If you are in the area stop by and check us out. It's free and we'll be playing only until 8:00. This is a great opportunity to make your summer wedding plans.
You can check out our summer schedule at the Tempos web site www.thetempos.com/jobs.htm. If you are making plans to visit Seattle this summer try to fit in one of our fun concerts.

Don't forget that The Tempos big swing band is available for hire. If you have a special event that could use the wonderful music of a classic big band be sure to contact thetempos@runnerduck.com.

We are working hard on a new Grammy award site that will give you a quick access to all the award winners CD's. In the mean time we are leaving our selection of Jazz winners for you to take a look at.

Just Click on an album cover to check it out!

Best Contemporary Jazz Album

Speaking Of Now
Pat Metheny Group

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Live In Paris
Diana Krall

Best Jazz Instrumental Solo and
Best Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group

My Ship
Herbie Hancock, soloist

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

What Goes Around
Dave Holland Big Band

Best Latin Jazz Album

The Gathering
Caribbean Jazz Project

CONSERVATION TIP

We Americans have a tendency to go out and buy an appliance with the neatest whiz bang features we can afford. We bring them home and then run them the same way we ran the old ones. Many of the whiz bang features are designed to conserve energy or water. The next time you go to use your dishwasher, clothes washer, dryer, stove or other appliance take a second look at the features and start using the ones that save you energy and money. An example is a clothes washer that has a water depth control. If you are only washing a few things turn it down low. Better yet, turn it up and wash a big load all at once. You might just be surprised at the results you get from using a lot less energy and water.

If you have a conservation tip please send it to conservation@runnerduck.com and we'll post it in our newsletter.

Questions and Answers

Welcome to our new Q&A center.
Got questions? We've got answers.
Got answers? We've got questions.

James writes:
Q: Why do you call your web page RunnerDuck "Eggspress" and why do you use eggs for links to other pages. I thought eggs were for chickens.
A: Actually when you think of eggs you do think of chickens but Indian Runner Ducks, sometimes called Indian Runners, are the most prolific egg layers around. A single female can lay up to 300 eggs a year which far out paces any chicken.

Lisa writes:
Q: I put a picture of my dog on my computer for wallpaper but there are several pictures of him some of which go off the edge of the screen. How do I just get one picture on the screen?
A: Right click on the computer screen desktop when no programs are displayed, all you should see is your wallpaper. Click on "Properties" and then the "Desktop" tab. You will see a box that says something like "Position". You will have choices like, "tile", "center" or "stretch". Tile takes what ever picture you have and spreads is evenly all over the screen. Center will center your single picture on the screen and Stretch will take your single picture and stretch it to fill the whole screen. I hope this helps and I hope it makes sense.

The RunnerDuck web site is hosted by

If you are looking for a great hosting service at a terrific price check them out at www.fastwirenetwork.com. If you mention that you heard about them from RunnerDuck you will get a $5.00 per month "Duck Discount" for as long as you have your account.

THIS WEEK'S FREE RECIPE
Holiday Pecan Cookies We have another sweet recipe from Andrea, the same person that sent us that wonderful Texas Pecan Pie. While there is no particular holiday we think these Holiday Pecan Cookies might just make any day a holiday.

1/2 Cup Butter
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
1 Cup Ground Pecan Meat
1 Cup Cake Flour or regular flour sifted several times

Beat Butter until soft.
Blend in two Tablespoons Sugar.
Add Vanilla, Pecan Meats and Flour.
Roll into (32) 1/2 inch balls, one teaspoon full at a time.
Place on greased baking sheet. Bake in 300 degree oven for 45 minutes or 375 for 25 minutes.
While cookies are still hot, roll in confectioner's sugar.
Roll again after cookies cool.
Stored in air-tight tins, these cookies will keep indefinitely.

Thanks Andrea, I can't wait to try them.

Remember, if you have a recipe you'd like to share please send it to marilyn@runnerduck.com.

Every month we post a new recipe on our web page. Be sure and check out the NEW March recipe at the RunnerDuck Kitchen Store.
We'd be happy to post your favorite recipe there or in our newsletter and give you credit. Just drop a line to marilyn@runnerduck.com.

A GREAT DEAL FOR RunnerDuck SUBSCRIBERS

The Cooking.com Semi-annual Cookware and Bakeware SALE continues this week featuring 20-60% Off on Calphalon! Just click on the banner below for these great deals.

COOKBOOK
SUGGESTION OF THE WEEK

(click)

"My Mother's Southern Desserts"
by James Villas, Martha Pearl Villas (Contributor) and Pam Hoenig (Editor)

Pecans are a favorite of Southern cooking and this weeks cookbook recommendation is all about Southern desserts. One reviewer of this book wrote, "My Mother's Southern Desserts" is a praiseworthy compilation of recipes from Jim Villas and his mother, Martha Pearl. Her repertoire of sumptuous sweets is organized by holidays and special events. And each recipe has a side-panel, in which Martha Pearl pens an engaging bit of background on the dish at hand. Being both Southern and a dessert lover, I perused this volume with a growling stomach. A handful of dishes that I wanted to bounce up and bake included Chewy Peanut-Chocolate Chip Drop Cookies, The Delta Queen's Pralines, Chocolate Pecan Pie, and--believe it or not--mango ice cream! The book's layout is superb: Simple red dots and lines separate the recipes' titles, comments, and lists of ingredients. And there are 16, full-page color pictures at the center of the book. Southern food lovers will crave this work.

Be sure and visit the RunnerDuck Cookbook Store for other great savings on cookbooks and cooking supplies.

PROJECTS

Flower Cart, Last Step

Last week we put the wheels, bottom shelf and top on our flower cart. If you missed it you can always go back and check it out at www.runnerduck.com/02-28-03.htm and scroll down to this project.
This week we'll finish it up.

Click on Picture for a bigger view of the whole project.
Here's a total list of what you'll need for the flower cart;

4 Cedar 2" X 4"s 8' long
2 Cedar 1" X 4"s 8' long
6 Cedar 1" X 6"s 8' long
8 Carriage blots 3/8" X 3 1/2" with nuts, flat washers and lock washers.
4 - 2 1/2" 1/4-20 bolts, washers and nuts
2 1/2" X # 10 deck screws.
1 5/8" X #6 deck screws.
24" steel wheels. You can get them at www.meiselwoodhobby.com or search the web.

Cut (2) 1" X 6"'s 51" long.
Cut (3) 1" X 6"'s 24" long.
Using the 2 patterns at
1. www.runnerduck.com/fc-side-pattern.gif and
2. www.runnerduck.com/fc-side-pattern-mirror.gif,
lay out the lines for cutting the pattern. Notice that there is a mirrored pattern. These go out from the middle of each side.
Clamp the two 51" pieces together and cut them out together using a jig saw.
Round over the edges using a 3/8" router bit.
Cut two of the 24" pieces 4 3/16" wide with a 15 degree bevel these will be the front and back.
Cut the third 24" piece 4 1/2" wide with a 5 degree bevel.
Mount the front and back ends inside the sides.
Mount the 4 1/2" piece 6 1/4" from the back. This will make a tool tray for you.
That pretty much does it. Just add some finish and go sell some flowers. We hope you've enjoyed this project. If you are proud of your work please send us a picture that we might share with the rest of our readers.

If you have a project that you would like to share please drop us a line and we'll help get it published in the RunnerDuck review. We are looking for woodworking, gardening, crafts and kids projects so send us your thoughts at projects@runnerduck.com .

The RunnerDuck Goodies Store
Check out all the great products in the RunnerDuck Goodies Store. Show the world that you love RunnerDuck!

There is lots of other cool stuff at the RunnerDuck Goodies Store.

JOKE OF THE WEEK

After being nearly snowbound for two weeks last winter, a Seattle man departed for his vacation in Miami Beach, where he was to meet his wife the next day at the conclusion of her business trip to Minneapolis. They were looking forward to pleasant weather and a nice time together. Unfortunately, there was some sort of mix-up at the boarding gate, and the man was told he would have to wait for a later flight. He tried to appeal to a supervisor but was told the airline was not responsible for the problem and it would do no good to complain.

Upon arrival at the hotel the next day, he discovered that Miami Beach was having a heat wave, and its weather was almost as uncomfortably hot as Seattle's was cold. The desk clerk gave him a message that his wife would arrive as planned. He could hardly wait to get to the pool area to cool off, and quickly sent his wife an e-mail, but due to his haste, he made an error in the e-mail address. His message therefore arrived at the home of an elderly preacher's wife whose even older husband had died only the day before!

When the grieving widow opened her e-mail, she took one look at the monitor, let out an anguished scream, and fell to the floor dead. Her family rushed to her room where they saw this message on the screen: Dearest wife, Departed yesterday as you know. Just now got checked in. Some confusion at the gate. Appeal was denied. Received confirmation of your arrival tomorrow. Your loving husband. PS Things are not as we thought. You're going to be surprised at how hot it is down here.

If you want to talk about something just drop us a line at duckmaster@runnerduck.com any time, we like to talk about most anything. We are always looking for content for our newsletter so if you have something to add we'd love to publish it. Assuming it meets our strict family oriented requirements!

If you forward these newsletters to your friends just drop us a line and we'll do it for you. Just send us their email address and we'll do the rest. Remember, we never share our email list with anyone, period! Just drop me a line or go to our registration page and sign up your friend.

If you enjoyed this newsletter please tell a friend, if you didn't please tell us but in a nice way, we're very sensitive.

To unsubscribe just click HERE. or send an email to unsubscribe@runnerduck.com.

duckmaster@runnerduck.com

Please tell a friend about RunnerDuck Review

It only takes a second and you can
use the simple little form at
www.runnerduck.com/
register_a_friend.htm.

All rights reserved, RunnerDuck Productions, 2000, 2001, 2002.
RunnerDuck and its logos are property of
RunnerDuck Productions.
All other logos are property of the individual companies.
We can be contacted at duckmaster@runnerduck.com.