Fie on those who diss your use for cottage cheese! It makes a great substitute for buttermilk and mayo as a base for ranch dip.

Go with "died." It is what it is.

Amen.

1982? I was the Salem Statesman-Journal's Linn County news bureau in Albany, across the street from the Democrat-Herald, when the SJ considered itself a regional newspaper.

You ought to invite Hasso along next time. He can't seem to find any life downtown after 5.

No kidding. Both of us chez Smith are grateful for a hometown paper. Thanks for sticking with it.

Bug bites: the only thing that works for sure is prescription-strength hydrocortisone cream. My bicycling pal, the late Carl Deming, gave me some samples from his traveling little black bag while I was being masticated by mosquitoes at Fort Stevens State Park on a bike trip in 1992. A little dab will do. I never leave home without it. If you can't get any, try full-strength tea tree oil. It workes pretty well and the nice smell will make you forget that you itch quite so much.

I've passed your kind words on to Public Works. We used a new process, something called "warm asphalt," which is supposed to last longer in good condition than the old surface. Glad to see you gave it the true ride test, like I do, on skinny, unforgiving,high-pressure tires.

Great idea, Graham! I've sent a link to this post to members of the Human Relations Commission.