So...whats for dinner?
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It's from the fruit of the prickly pear cactus. I tried to get the image to come up in-line, but couldn't...so here's a link.
http://www.pdphoto.org/PictureDetail.php?mat=pdef&pg=8387
I have a set of foot long hot dog tongs I use to pick the fruit and I'm very careful to not fall.
The little round white spots on the red fruit are patches of fuzzy spines that can (if it gets in you) act just like fiberglass. This is a fruit that can bite back and it is probably one of the very few that don't work well in jams. :-) Besides the thorns, there are a "ton" of tiny black seeds.....
The juice reminds me of a slightly cloudy adriamycin, but the jelly is a much more pleasing crystal clear orange.
Apple... I seem to recall you saying you like hot stuff. Look up Jalapeno Poppers. It sounds a lot like what your son made. I love those things!
Marble counter tops. What a "score". The house I grew up in had marble counter tops, but I didn't cook back then, so I never appreciated them. Every since then all I've had was the Formica counter tops. In the early 80s, it was bright red, orange and yellow to match the avocado green appliances...and now it's all the blah "sort of off white" colors.
I wish it would rain here. It's around 110F right now. Some rain would be really nice, but I don't think it's going to happen anytime soon. One nice thing about the heat...it's too hot to paint..the paint dries too fast....gotta look for the positive everything! :-)
Michelle..that's the best way to eat..a little bit of a lot of different things. Before the company was bought out, the whole work department would do that for lunch once or twice per month...I miss it.
Sharon is out in the kitchen and adding some balsamic vinegar to cabbage. She and Chrissy wanted to cook tonight.
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Last night my brother and girlfriend watched the boys and we went to a retirement party fot he owner of DH's company. I love the people he works with and lets face it- it is a beer company so everyone knows how to party! The food was amazing, steamers and a pork BBQ, Greek salad, clam chowder it was all really good. It was held outside and the rain held off until the very end and we all had a great time. I came home feeling no pain from the open bar!! LOL!
Tonight for dinner we sauteed up a bunch of veggies- zucchini, yellow squash, eggplant, red onion, mushrooms and peppers and topped it with some cheese and had wraps for dinner. Both boys said it was "disgusting" so we ended up feeding them fruit, cucumber and tomato salad and bagels with cream cheese and they were thrilled. You win some you lose some!
Getting ready to head to bed early for work in the a.m. Hope everyone had a great weekend!
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Eric - your culinary skills know no bounds, I am duly impressed! And I think I'd leave cactus-pear-picking to the experts. One false move...oweee!
Carrie - the riesling party sounds like lots of fun!
Laurie - and the retirement party sounds like a great outing for you...glad you got to go and have fun! Nothing wrong with feeling no pain
Just got home from a fantabulous evening with Lacey and her DH. We had margaritas at their beautiful lake house then went to a restaurant on Newfound Lake for dinner, followed by another inn for dessert and coffee on the porch overlooking the lake. It would have all been perfect, except for that "little" rainstorm (read that - tropical downpour) that started as we walked out of their house and drove to the restaurant. Mother Nature's timing was just a tad off, as we had planned to eat out on the deck. But we got a nice window seat and once the clouds cleared, we had a great view of a lake I hadn't seen in 40 years! And it's only 1 hour 20 minutes away, so I suspect we'll head back up there soon. Our ride home was uneventful - no traffic at all. And we explored the area a little bit before heading to their house. We came upon a farmstand/gift shop with lots of local products. We brought home some lasagna using local cheeses and some locally smoked chorizo with brandy sausage...now doesn't that sound interesting? Not sure how I'll use it, but I'll think of something. We also found an artisan shop in Holderness that had some really interesting pottery. Two more new mugs for us by "Spider's Hand Pottery."
Moving day for my mom tomorrow...yeah!
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So here's the food side to the wonderful evening spent at Newfound Lake. DH and I absolutely loved spending the time with Michelle and her DH. This afternoon when they arrived, we had frozen Margaritas and easy Trader Joe's apps.....spinach and kale dip and assorted cheeses...while we chatted and watched the soaring hummingbirds from our deck. They must have been trying to warn us about the impending downpour, which arrived twenty minutes before our dinner reservation. Perfect....NOT! We got totally drenched and walked thru inches of water on the way to Ledgewater restaurant....known for its beautiful views of the lake. We had to be patient....and finally did enjoy the overview. For dinner we all enjoyed their tenderloin beef, with house and caesar salads, special thick cut chips (Michelle, who shares:), asparagus with Hollandaise (Lacey), escarole with bacon (DHs). Then my DH decided we should head to the Pasquaney Inn, up the road a bit to have dessert on their lovely big porch overlooking the lake. The sunset was beautiful....Michelle got some shots if it. The strawberry/blackberry and blueberry/strawberry pies drew rave reviews as did the coconut custard pie. All in all, we had a great time together....good food, great conversation! And we actually dried off during the evening!
Michelle, I'll be interested to hear how that lasagna is!
Ahhhh, tomorrow we expect sun...a day for the beach, after a long walk to burn up tonight's calorie intake.0 -
AWWW sounds like you guys had a great time at dinner...didnt know you were located so close to each other. Funny too how you both have the same writing style...LOVE to read your posts.
Celebrated my dad's 80th birthday yesterday. I bought hime a beautiful "rose of sharon" tree in white. We share the same love of gardening, except his thumb is a little greener than mine. So we had pizza and cake mid-afternoon, and even though I had planned a dinner we were not hungry and skipped it all together.
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Ah, the sunset picture:
The hanging baskets at the inn...the biggest baskets we've ever seen:
The lake is just beautiful and the company was equally delightful!
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Carrie, what a lovely gift for your dad! Pizza and cake in the afternoon....I could go for that!
Great photos, Michelle....tho we should have placed a tall human next to that planter to show how really huge it is!
Looking at the Inn's dock brings back some very funny and scary memories of rides across the lake to have dinner...then back in the dark. Was always an adventure....once it stormed as we were leaving and the guys took the boat back while we hitched a ride with sensible friends. The DHs first ended up in the swamp at the north end...we live at the South end! Not sure they noticed!
Just had a call from DS1...He and DDIL are at the hospital getting ready to greet our new little granddaughter....so we are suddenly packing up to head home....to re-pack and head to NJ!
Have a great day everyone!0 -
my poor husband.. i used to be such a good cook.. (former chef) but now, i have no energy for cooking. MY kids have really picked up the slack, but they are still going thru their mistakes. they don't like to be instructed too much. thank goodness they love it tho.
my daughter makes guacamole and mac and cheese
my sons grill.. they make marinades, baste, and really get into it. I especially like son #1's sweet potatoes. he slices them in long 1/2 inch slices and bastes them with garlic oil.. man they are good! they grill alot of vegetables and rarely get the meat right.. it's either under or over done.. but i am so happy they love to cook. son #2 is the baconator.. he has so many excellent recipes.. green pepper cut into 6ths, stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped with bacon. I guess i am glad that i feel the need to eat plenty.
Son #2 will make anything i instruct.
congrats on the granddaughter Lacey.
Dx 4/10/2008, IDC, 5cm, Stage IV, Grade 3, 4/9 nodes, mets, ER+, HER2+
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oh i did make a marvelous little dessert.. i soaked dried cherries, mixed them with real vanilla pudding (home made) and whipped cream.. yum
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Apple, your descriptions of your sons and daughter makes me smile.
When I started college in Aug '79 cooking was a horrible chore that I wasn't very good at doing. I met Mickey during her first semester of college in Feb of 80 and her views on cooking were very similar. We could boil water without burning the place down....one of us with the fire extinguisher and the other at the stove kind of thing. Baked potatos in the microwave and spaghetti were pretty much the limit of our skills.
My mom bought a paperback Betty Crocker cookbook and gave it to me. I didn't do much with it, but one day Mickey decided it might be fun to give it a try..the directions didn't look that hard to follow.....and that's how things started.
Cooking went from a hated chore to enjoyable "us" time. Instead of going out on Friday and Saturday, we'd get together and cook and study...her pre-med biology and me engineering.
Mickey liked the stovetop cooking and I tended toward the baking, breads and jellies kind of thing...something you can tell now! :-)
When I met Sharon, our 1st date was a long drive along a dirt mountain road and the 2nd date was getting together to cook...and the "us" time aspect of cooking was handed to Sharon.
It's now being passed to Chrissy. I know she carefully watches Sharon and I work/interact in the kitchen and yesterday she was carefully watching me in my jelly factory. She has been helping Sharon cook and I wouldn't be surprised if she helps me when it's time to make orange marmalade.
I guess I'm kind of pensive today. I was over at my mom's house yesterday and mom was showing me some recipes that Mickey had given her. Mickey's mom wasn't the most agreeable person to her, so she sort of adopted my mom. I still shake my head in wonderment at her mom.... "Mickey. You, of all people, should know that there are doctors that can make you bigger. You should look into that. It would help your social life." Or, "Denice. For God's sake, GROW YOUR HAIR. Between your figure and *THAT* short hair, you look like a boy. Don't you want to attract a man?" I'm not quite sure where that last one put me in the scheme of things..as she was wearing an engagement ring by then... :-) Her dad, on the other hand, more than made up for her mom. He was great.
Lacey...A granddaughter! That's sooooooo cool.....It's probably hard to tell if you or DS1 and DDIL are more thrilled.... :-)
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Thanks for the suggestion of changing my avatar. That is a good idea.
Lacey, congrats! Can't wait to see a picture.
Apple, sorry you're having a difficult time. I think Carrie is right, give in to the tiredness. It will probably just get worse if you don't.
Eric, we went to Phoenix two years ago for vacation and loved those prickly pears! We had prickly pear ice cream and whatever we could find that was made from it. Hope your canning turns out well.
I had such a strange meal yesterday. I thought I had half of a cooked turkey breast in the freezer and took it out. When I got home from back to school shopping with my DD, I saw that what I took out of the freezer was two uncooked chicken breasts. And it was 5:30 at night and there were four of us to eat dinner. So I took out a steak for my son who would rather have that any way and cooked the chicken breasts in the oven with barbecue sauce on them. My DD and I shared the biggest one which was plenty big enough for us. Also had some corn on the cob, sweet potatoes, some frozen potatoes Au Gratin from Omaha Steaks, and a salad. The potatoes Au Gratin were a big hit with the kids. My DS actually thanked me for the dinner. I guess I have been doing a lot of hamburgers, fish and vegetarian lately. At least he really did enjoy the red meat. I don't mind him having it, I just don't want to have it myself that often. The chicken came out really well, especially just throwing it in at the last minute like that.
Have a great day everyone!
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The jelly all jelled up nicely.
Right now I'm waiting for Sharon to get back from a biopsy. A lump developed in a node under her ear and while the doctors don't think it's anything worth worrying about....they still want to check it out.
Eric0 -
Gorgeous sunset picture, Michelle. The evening out with Lacey and the dh's sounds like great fun.
Glad your jelly came out good, Eric. Sounds pretty hazardous making it!
Apple, I enjoy the glimpses of your family in the kitchen.
Eric mentioned jalapeno poppers. I had some good ones a couple of weeks ago at a food festival in one of the nearby small towns. Pretty standard with cream cheese filling. Breaded and deep-fried.
The meal rotation has come around to pasta for dinner. Italian sausage crumbled and browned in a skillet. Add a jar of Heart Healthy Sal & Judy's red sauce (sausage and sauce brought from Louisiana). Spoon over Dreamfield linguini. Garden salad with tomato, cucumber, yellow bell pepper, sweet onion in dh's salad, and iceburg lettuce. May make it a chopped salad with dressing of mayo and red wine vinegar. That's the only time I buy iceburg, when I'm into making chopped salads.
I MUST cut down my portions because despite exercise, my weight is creeping up.
Hope everyone had a good Mon.
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I love Newfound Lake.
I have the entire collection of Woman's Day Cookbooks/Encylopedias. I always follow the French Onion Soup recipe for Christmas Eve party. I didn't have a party this year, we went to Bermuda to visit DD and FSIL. We leave this Saturday for the UK, looking forward for some Yorkshire Pudding.
FSIL loves to cook, that is how he paid his way through college, worked as a chef all over Europe. I think my DD caught a great one.
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Enjoy the UK deborye... whereabouts you visiting ? I emigrated to Canada in 2000.
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Excellent timing, Lacey!!! Can't wait to see a picture of your new granddaughter. I'm sure she'll be a beautiful little princess!
Apple - sorry you are so tired, but happy that your kids are so willing to pitch in and take over KP duty! You have raised some lovely, thoughtful, self-sufficient kids who are making you proud every day.
Deb - you must be so excited about the trip to the UK, have a fabulous time!
Kay - you know it's good when the kids say thanks! Au gratin potatoes sound pretty yummy right now!
Eric - I am sending positive thoughts for Sharon's biopsy results - b9, b9, b9!!!
Carole - I love Dreamfield's pasta! Even my fussy grandkids can't tell the difference!
I am so tired tonight...mom is moved and is now 9 minutes away. Everything, and I mean everything is done, put away, pictures on the walls, etc. We tried to replicate her other studio but we had to put the bed on a different wall and she figured out that she had moved. And she was not a happy camper after she came back from a walk and the social hour. But I was able to settle her down a bit, we left while she went to dinner, and when we left after setting up her new remote control for her TV, she seemed to be ok. She'll adjust but every move takes its toll on her.
I cooked the lasagna that we had picked up at the farmstand yesterday. It was quite good, although much different from my traditional recipe. The homemade bolognese was really good and the noodles were very light, so it was a hit. And it was a better option than the pizza that would have happened if I didn't have that dish in the fridge ready to go. I may not leave my recliner for the rest of the evening! And tomorrow will be an easy day, too, after I show up for labwork at 9:15.
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Michele and Apple get some rest. I am glad your kid are.picking up in the kitchen for.you Apple. Michelle, that lasagna sounded good. My DH went to Culvers and got me soup and chicken tenders. I ate two and half the soup. Didn't want to eat too much, but wanted to eat something with the vicodan. I truly.don't know how.I managed with the BMX. Just getting the TE put back in hurts. LOL but hopefully it will be worth.it. well at least I wasn't throwing up in the post op. But, remember all the trouble I.had with the d train? LOL, guess who had to use the bedpan in post op. LOL. How weird is that. LOL. Hope it won't continue, I was making good progress toward normal before the surgery. oh, and I have to admit I had an ice cream cone with my last set of pills, I just wanted it, and I ate it. So take that BC! LOL
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Lacey. Any news?
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Hi all....little Ava Sofia was born yesterday morning while we were on the first leg of our trip down here.....7 lbs. 12 oz., 20 inches long. By the time I was holding her in my arms last evening she found her thumb and put it to good use....then promptly eliminated the first batch of meconium from her tiny body. Always forget how doll-like those infant diapers are. I'm here with my Ipad, so pictures will have to wait.
DDIL is doing great....her energy kniws no bounds. She's an OB/gyn at the hospital where she delivered, so no surprises for her there. Am trying to convince her to remain there for one more night before facing reality at home with big brother. She physically feels great and has that loyalty to numero uno. He was asleep by the time we got to the house, so I'm dying to see him this AM (can you tell?) DH and I got a kick out of how low key this birth of the second child has been....and since we are both second children, understand our place!
Apple, love the sound of your dessert!
Michelle, kudos to you for getting your mom settled so quickly and thoroughly. Hopefully, she will adjust well soon, and you will all appreciate the new setting. Well earned time for you in your recliner!
The crew here (while we didn't plan on it, Persian hospitality required us to stay at the house) has a large mound of very ripe gorgeous Jersey peaches they picked on Sunday at a local farm. I know how quickly they will go bad....so today I am charged with baking peach something....maybe many somethings. Do I feel like buying canning jars and making preserves? Hmmmmm.
We had a variety of Persian dishes waiting for us when we got to the house last night, and I can never remember their names...one is a stew with pomegranate and walnuts and chicken, a favorite of mine.
Little DGS is not up yet, so maybe I'll take a catnap.....
Thanks for all of your well wishes.0 -
Lacey, CONGRATULATIONS! How marvelous. Give DGS a big hug from us! And send pics of your new DGD ASAP! Also remember to get some rest yourself. Much love, and we really LOVE happy news!
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Lacey: Congratulations on the new DGD! They are so special! I love mine so much and miss them terribly.
Michelle: I just love reading all the things that you are doing...making some really good memories. Again, my heart aches for you with the progression and I pray that it can be stopped in it's tracks. Sending you healing prayers!
Eric: Sorry about your DW's issues with rads...I guess some react more than others. The good news is...it passes, and she has a wonderful support system in her DH!
Carole: Love hearing about your adventures and you are so "right on" about living in the NOW. There is a great book that deals with that exact issue and it's worth reading..."The Power of Now" by Eckart Tolle.
Debbie: Hope your DH is doing better and your DD is holding his own.
I know I've forgotten many, but I took a break from the site for a couple of days and will be gone again for another several days as I travel over to visit some friends. It's overwhelming when you come back on to see how many posts have been made.
I'm alone right now, so my cooking skills have gone rapidly downhill..lol! Surviving on salads and soups...lol!
Have a great day everyone!
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Moonflwr - wishing you a speedy, uncomplicated recovery...and ice cream!
Lacey - congratulations to all of you, I can tell you're just a little excited! Let's see, peach cobbler, peach pie, peach preserves, peach melba, and I think you can freeze peaches! And since we were talking about trifles Sunday night, I can vision a nice peach blueberry trifle!
Kaara - I think I saw a post on another discussion thread about your being alone. I hate cooking for one, I understand what you mean. Find a nice grocer with some good pre-made entrees for a little variety. And have a good visit with your friends!
I have labs at 9:15 then I need to make a quick stop at the grocery store. We received our shipment of La Tiara taco shells yesterday and it is, after all, taco Tuesday. If I were really ambitious, I'd make some with pork, peppers and onions. Or maybe a pre-roasted chicken for chicken tacos. Hmmm... that sounds good. And I need to get a new mattress cover for my mom - I tossed hers yesterday, it was in bad shape.
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Wow, you have a busy day linedup Michelle! Good luck and don't o too much. Chicken tacos sound great. KAARA, I too am alone quite a bit. (Most of the week, DH is usually only home on weekends) I do hat Michelle does too,go.o the deli where they make real good food and buy am entree once in a while. There are also some Greek style restaurants around that have turkey dinners. Etc, when I need a real meal. They are also pretty cheap. And serve enough for the next days lunch as well. much love.
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I'm stuck in a traffic jam....the transmission is in park, so I guess I can text...
Peach ice cream for preserving those peaches???? :-)
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I'm back from my labs and shopping. I was going to go to my mom's and put on the mattress pad, but it can wait until tomorrow afternoon. I need to throw my sheets in the washer - one bed is enough for today. I have more than one set, but I bought bamboo sheets a few weeks ago and... oh my, they are so cool and comfy that they go from washer to dryer to back on the bed.
This afternoon I am going to take a closer look at all the clinical trials that my onc team mentioned in their emails to each other. I want to look at the pros and cons, document it on my blog so I don't have to look them up again, then think about which direction I might prefer. I actually wouldn't mind hair loss again, but I need to consider things like oral over IV (I'd need a port) frequency of treatments, can I do it locally or do I need to go to Boston for treatment, etc. And I guess we'll have a crowd at my appointment. My daughter and my DH are coming along. It's great to have extra "ears" to hear everything.
DH decided that he wants traditional ground beef tacos, so that's what it will be. It's a little easier for me and it will be a quick fix. Why is it so hard to find a ripe avocado around here? They were all like rocks, except for one package of four. The produce manager opened the bag and gave me one, but it may have the opposite problem...ever cut into one and have it be all brown? Yeah, not pretty!
Peach ice cream is a brilliant suggestion, Eric!
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So basic peach blueberry pie is what it will be.... as soon as DDIL's parents get back from the store with a few ingredients. DS1 scooped a lot of the peaches to bring to his lovely wife, so if I want to try making all of the suggested items (and I do!) I might need to go peach picking myself while here.
Waiting for DGS to get up from his nap to visit baby Ava again.
Those bamboo sheets sound heavenly. Am in the market for some new ones, so that sounds like a good idea.
I'm glad you are taking a crew with you to see the onc team, Michelle. Best of luck with that appt.
Moonflower, hope your recovery speeds up!
Thanks everyone for your well wishes!0 -
congrats Lacey to you and yours.Luv.... good luck with all your research.
Take care all xxx
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Michelle and Lacey- Great reading about your get together, sounds like you had a wonderful time (minus the downpour) Congrats on the new baby grand-daughter Lacey.
Deb- Have a great time in the UK and safe travels.
Kaara- I know what you mean about all the post it took me quite awhile to catch up. Have a nice time with friends hope you have a good time.
Eric- Hope the cream is helping Sharons sunburn from Rads. And its good to know you waited until you were in park while texting (smiles)
Michelle-You sure have been mega busy but no surprise when it comes to you (the energizer bunny) ha! I am glad you have an extra set of ears when you go to the dr it does help I am sure.
Had a nice but emotional visit with my dad. Roberta (his wife) made some very good tamales some had spinach, garlic and jack cheese and the others had black beans and chilis both were delicious. Topped with home made quacamole and sour cream and salsa. Fresh veggies from the garden, zuccini (no surprise) with basil and evoo. carrots, tomatoes with basil and mozzerella. Also some hummus with wheat crackers. I had told her not to cook anything before we left to go there that we would fend for ourselves but she decided to cook anyway, it was much appreciated but did not like eating all that food in front of my dad. Tonight after work we will drive to Portland to spend the night and Chuck will do his stress test in the morning. Will drive there next week for the airport to pick up my sister who is going to be flying in from Hawaii the we will drive down to see my dad again. Much to do. as far as getting my house cleaned before her arrival. Ughh!
Too many post to address everyone but thinking about you all.
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Hey Deb, missing even one day makes it hard to catch up! I don't think anyone will hold it against you! LOL
I like the idea of bamboo sheets. I really like 450-500 sheets and am willing to pay for those, so I will check out the bamboo ones, thanks for the suggestion!0 -
Bamboo sheets? Sounds kind of rough!
Chicken drama this morning. I seasoned a chicken that must have been the largest fowl in the flock. When I put the bird in the slow cooker, I could hardly put the lid on. SO... I cut off the legs and put them in the crock. Also put in the breast, split into two pieces. The rest of the pieces will go in the freezer for future use. We'll have chicken for dinner with sauteed veggies and a salad.
Tazzy, how are you doing? Still on pain med?
Debbie, your dad's wife probably was glad for something to do. The food sounds like a feast.
Deb, enjoy your travels in the UK.
Lacey, congrats on the new member of the family. I'm sure she will be a joy.
Kaara, welcome back. I noticed your absence.
Greetings to all.
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