When I was fifteen, I was focused on school and investments. I had bought my first stock at the tender age of ten, 3500 shares of Ophir gold Mining and Milling, an inactive Cripple Creek company, for the munificent sum of $27.50. The price didn't budge for many years. However, sixteen years later in 1969 it was selling for thirty cents per share. I debated selling it and decided to hold. I did sell in 1974 when gold was up but the market seemed shaky to me. I picked a good time, not the best...

The human skull seems to have been the most commonly used body part for thousands of years. It has been used as a sign of conquest, ritual, and, in at least one well-documented case, for amusement.

''In 19th century England, the poet Lord Byron used a skull his gardener had found at Newstead Abbey as a drinking vessel. "There had been found by the gardener, in digging, a skull that had probably belonged to some jolly monk or friar of the Abbey, about the time it was demonasteried....

I love plinking. It's fun. I have a Browning Medalist, the pistol that didn't quite make it in competition, but for about a thousand dollars provides as much or more accuracy than 99% of shooters will ever need. It's important that the gun be more accurate than the shooter. Otherwise, shooting becomes frustrating. The Medalist is still a favorite of competition shooters for plinking. Yes, they enjoy plinking just as much as anyone.

The pistol has a feature that allows dry firing...

12 large eggs
2 tsp cider vinegar
6 dashes Tabasco, original
1 tbsp Grey Poupon Dijon
1'' ribbon of anchovy paste
salt
pepper, preferably white
mayo, preferably Best Foods or Hellman's
smokexd Spanish paprika

Boil eggs medium hard. Slice and remove the yolks. Add the mustard, anchovy paste, Tabasco, vinegar, and small amounts of mayo, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Taste. Add more mayo, salt, and pepper as needed for taste and...

When I began second grade one of the books we received was the Thorndike Barnhart Dictionary; it was and still is an excellent beginner's dictionary. However, I soon discovered my aunt's immense dictionary. I went there with my mother every Saturday as my grandmother had the upper apartment; the two combined formed the family gathering place. I had plenty of free time there to browse and explore. The huge dictionary opened my eyes to the world; it had everything. There was a perpetual calendar;...