A long time ago apple schnapps had a (thankfully) brief popularity. I bought a bottle and it was terrible - much too sweet.

Not wanting to waste it I came up with this and it has proven popular with my guests. I started with the fact that apple and grape go well together.

In a tall glass put some ice and squeeze a wedge of lime in it. Add a jigger of apple schnapps and fill the glass with champagne or riesling. Garnish with the above lime wedge. Stir and serve

At the risk of taking this thread off track and getting into gin reviews - I agree Bombay Sapphire while an excellent gin is not my favorite in a G&T.Better in a martini and even there I prefer plain Bombay with its slight anise finish. I like strong botanicals in gin so I love Plymouth(hard to find in my town), Tanqueray, Tanqueray One, Hendricks of course and Cittadelle and Boodles. When I was a poor student I settled on Gordons as the best of the lower priced drinks, but the above gins are wonderful. They sure make summer drinking a greater pleasure.

If one is tired of plain G&T you can spruce them up with a splash of cranberry juice.

An inexpensive program ($24) called Sound Taxi lets you convert MP4s to mp3s quickly and easily. There are a host of other programs that convert itunes to mp3 too.

Cemeteryman

A little sign I saw in an Irish pub.

" Never complain about getting old. Many are denied the privilege."

Reading this has made me hungry. I am going to toast two slices of good italian bread and let them cool. Fry six slices of bacon to still-soft-but-not-quite-crisp. Then spread Hellman's mayonnaise (has to be Hellman's)on the bread follewd by sliced jersey tomato, romaine lettuce and the bacon. Then I am going to eat it and go to heaven.

For those who wonder what is great when drinking beer try this: good bread spread with a good peanut butter and bacon fried, but still soft. To die for. And it probably will kill you, but do you want to live to be one-hundred if it seems like two-hundred.

Frank

Abbot & Costello Meet Frankenstein

The Secret Garden - 1949 - Margaret O'Brian-Dean Stockwell

The Boy With Green Hair 1948

Scaramouche - Stewart Granger 1952

Moonlight Bay - 1951

Andy Hardy Movies - shows your kids how times have really changed

The Luck of the Irish - 1947

Captains from Castille - 1948

The Prince of Foxes 1949

The Black Swan 1942 - might as well get all of Sabatini's swashbucklers- these are all great for young boys

The Uninvited - 1949 (i think) one of the best ghost stories ever filmed- for older kids - not a gross out one like todays

While we are throwing out names I have to throw in Joe Bonamasa

"Never complain about growing old.

Many are denied the privilege."

There is also an old New England saying-

"You've got to be alive to complain."