The AllAmerican RunnerDuck Review, a newsletter for friends and family 06-28-02

June 28, 2002

WELCOME BACK: What the heck happened to June? We can't believe how fast it blew by. Now it's time to get out the sparklers and snakes and enjoy the 4th of July. We are going to head up to Port Susan for the 4th. Our dog Ginger really doesn't like fireworks and up there it is dead quiet. Absolutely no fireworks are allowed. With all the drought around the country this year it's probably a good idea to be extra careful with any fireworks you plan to use. Better yet just go to a public display and enjoy the really big ones. Well we are on the mend after our surgeries. We really appreciate your comments and prayers. While there is residual pain in both of us we are doing pretty good. As many of you know we have an interesting back yard with a waterfall, waterwheel and pond. In the pond we have gold fish. When we started the pond a year ago we put around 50 gold fish in. We only had a couple of floaters over the winter and spring. All of a sudden we seem to be down to about 15 fish. Not only are there a lot less fish but they have really gotten skittish. We use to have them come swimming when it was feeding time but now they scurry whenever we come near. This morning I may have seen the reason. A huge Great Blue Heron came flying right next to our deck. We've seen them flying out over the valley before but never close to the house. I think it might just be the source of our reduced fish population. I have set up our web cam to keep an eye on the pond for a while. If you want to help watch you can go to www.runnerduck.com/webcam.htm and keep an eye on the pond for us. If you should see a Heron or anything else unusual we'd love to have you capture a picture of it for us. All you have to do is right click on the picture and select Save Picture As. Then save it to your temp folder on your hard drive and email it to us. We sure would appreciate it if you saw something to let us know. Be sure to check out Ron Godin's art in the RunnerDuck Craft Store. His rustic Adirondack art is really something to see. Just go to www.runnerduck.com/crafts.htm and see what we have 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 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!



	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? The space shuttle program is grounded! As many of you know from our past newsletters we really enjoy keeping an eye on the International Space Station (ISS) and the space shuttle flights. Every since we visited Kennedy Space Center with Ken's aunt Shirley and Uncle Jim and got to watch a shuttle launch we've been hooked.
The reason for the grounding is some cracks were found in the metal linings inside fuel pipes in the engines of both Atlantis and Discovery. This will be especially difficult to repair because some of the manufacturers of these components may be out of business since the space shuttle program is over 20 years old.
This could have a serious impact on the time line for the ISS completion and the restocking flights that are scheduled. You can read a pretty good story about it at www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99992473.

DigiTalk

     Here we go again with another round of viruses. McAfee.com has raised the risk assessment of W32/Yaha.g@MM to MEDIUM RISK FOR HOME USERS. This mass-mailing worm attempts to disable security software, including anti-virus and firewall protection, leaving infected systems vulnerable. It is important to have your security software completely updated. We strongly recommend that you DOWNLOAD ALL AVAILABLE UPDATES NOW.
      It depends on what firewall or virus software you are using as to how you handle the updates but just go to your virus/firewall suppliers site and find the latest updates. This is always a good thing to do every now and then just because there are always new viruses being unleashed on us poor unsuspecting everyday users.
      For virus software we use McAfee and one of the nice features of it is an automatic notification whenever a new virus is started or when a virus has been upgraded to a more serious threat. If you don't have a good virus protection program you might want to check out McAfee software. They are having a special right now where you can save over 30% on McAfee.com VirusScan Online.

SITE OF THE WEEK

     We got an email from a gentleman that tweaked our interest. Like we always say at the bottom of this sections, please share your favorite sites with us. Well I think Jerry's favorite site is his own. Here's what he wrote:
Hello...my name is Jerry Aragon, and I'm out on my Learning and Getting Acquainted Expedition, and I enjoyed visiting your site, and learning about your publication (AllAmerican RunnerDuck Review).
      As part of getting acquainted, I would like to invite you to visit my web site, where there are 110 pages up and running, and I certainly hope you enjoy.
      Well we went there and had a really nice time poking around. One of the things I like about it is that he has something for everyone. Spend a little time with Jerry and you just might have a better day. He calls himself the Humor Doctor MD and once you spend some time at his sight you'll see why. Just go to www.humordoctormd.homestead.com and enjoy.

We are always looking for new and interesting sites. If you know of a site that you think our readers would like please share it with us and our readers. Let us know and we'll share your favorite with everyone else. The Internet is growing every day and we can't check all those great sites out by ourselves so please share your favorites with us.

KIDS CORNER

Fourth of July Fun Rocket

We all know that many fireworks are unsafe and can cause fires. Well here's a little Fourth of July fun that is relatively safe. It does require some adult supervision but what the heck, it's always fun to play with your folks.

Here's what you'll need:

A plastic 35mm film canister

Baking Soda

Vinegar

One square of bathroom tissue

This is definitely an out of doors project. Unless your folks have a great sense of humor about getting vinegar all over the house please keep this outside. It has somewhat unpredictable results so stand back. We found that with some film canisters the rocket would get much higher than with others so you may have to experiment a little bit.
Put about a 3/4 tablespoon of baking soda into the middle of a 4" X 4" piece of tissue paper. Fold up the corners and twist the ends so the baking soda will stay inside the tissue. This makes the release of the gasses a little slower so you have time to put in the vinegar, put on the lid, put it down and stand back. Poke the tissue down into the film canister.
Put 1 tablespoons of vinegar into a small container.
Have an adult help with the next step.
Pour the vinegar into the film canister, put the lid on, place it on a flat surface with the lid down and stand back.
It should take about 2 seconds for it to "pop-off". Remember the results are unpredictable so you may have to play around with it and try different film canisters to get the best results.
It can be fun to decorate your rocket with paint and even a paper nose cone.
Have fun and enjoy the Fourth!

If you have a kids 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 kids projects archived on our web site at www.runnerduck.com/kids_corner.htm.

We sure do like special bears and we think you'll like Freedom the Fourth of July Bear. It's all decked out for the Fourth and would make a great present. You can order the Freedom the Fourth of July Bear from the RunnerDuck toy store at www.vstore.com/cgi-bin/pagegen/bcentral-vstore/runnerducktoys for only $12.99.

Be sure and also visit the
RunnerDuck Toy Store.

The Tempos News and CD of the Week

Well another one is about to tie the knot. Steve, one of our trumpet players has announced his intentions to get married. This is what Steve writes: So the other day the phone rang, and on the other end, I heard the most beautiful voice that I'd every dreamed, a voice that I'd had hoped to meet and get to know. Well, after we talked for about 15 minutes we set up a dinner and a concert to go to together. Hence started my relationship with this woman, the woman whom I have been praying for all my life. It's been five months that we've been together, and a week ago Thursday, I did the bended knee thing. And hence, the answer was yes, and so now I have a companion for the rest of my life. Her name is Coni, she's the same age as me, and she's the librarian at Sacred Heart School in downtown Bellevue. The date to walk the plank hasn't been totally set in stone, as she's currently away for a week, but after we confirm everything, I'll let ya know some more.
Isn't that nice? It looks like the band will have another event to play for. If you have a special event that could use the wonderful music of a classic big band be sure to contact The Tempos at thetempos@runnerduck.com.

We always try to tie our selection in with something that is currently going on. The only tie in this week is that Paul Bley, a wonderful but little known piano player, recorded this CD on the 4th of July last year. Paul has been playing for nearly 50 years and all this experience really comes through on this solo album called "Basics". If you are not familiar with Paul Bley this is a wonderful introduction. We have "Basics" this week at a savings of $2.49 off the regular price at www.runnerduckmusic.bcentral-vstore.com

Click HERE for "Basics" by Paul Bley , our featured CD of the week.

Joke of the Week

Matt went into Doc Steven's office for his annual checkup, and the Doc asked if there was anything unusual he should know about.
That left it pretty wide open, so he told the Doc that he found it real strange how his suit must've shrunk just sittin' in his closet, because it didn't fit when he went to get ready for a wedding recently.
The Doc said, "Suits don't shrink just sittin' there. You probably just put on a few pounds, Matt."
"That's just it, Doc, I know I haven't gained a single pound since the last time I wore it."
"Well, then," said Doc, "You must have a case of Furniture Disease." "What in the world is Furniture Disease?" Matt asked.
"Furniture Disease, Matt, is when you reach that stage in life when your chest starts slidin' down into your drawers."

The RunnerDuck Goodies Store

We have a new polo shirt at the RunnerDuck Goodies Store for you to check out. There are lots of other nice RunnerDuck items also.

THIS WEEKS FREE RECIPE Quick Summer Chicken

This weeks recipe is from Marie Ory. We haven't tried it yet but it sure sounds great!

1 Boned Chicken Breast per person

1/2 Cup Cooked Rice per person

1 Fresh Mango per person

1/4 Cup Papaya Puree per person (canned, bottled or homemade*)

1/4 teaspoon Ground Ginger per person

Dash of Salt

Prepare rice (instant or regular, as you wish) and set aside.
Cook chicken: if you're in a hurry, microwave is OK Otherwise, grill or broil the chicken breasts. Leave them in their stove top or oven pan.
Add ginger and salt to papaya puree.
Place sliced mango in chicken pan and pour papaya over all.
Heat combination (mango, papaya puree and chicken) on low for 5 minutes, or just enough to warm the fruit, but not enough to lose all the vitamin C.
Serve over rice.
Enjoy. Delicious!!!
NOTE:
* To make homemade puree, mash fresh ripe papaya with a fork, add a little honey and water, stir. Can be refrigerated for a few days.

Thanks a bunch Marie for a great recipe.

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 our NEW July recipe next Monday 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

COOKBOOK SUGGESTION OF THE WEEK

This week in celebration of the Fourth of July we offer you "To Every Season: A Holiday Family Cookbook" by Jane B. Zalben. This elegantly designed cookbook includes background information on such holidays as Valentine's Day, Easter, Passover, the Fourth of July, and Kwanzaa, plus a wealth of recipes for holiday dishes and treats.
You can find "To Every Season: A Holiday Family Cookbook" by Jane B. Zalben at the RunnerDuck Cookbook Store this week for $2.96 off the regular price.

Click HERE for "To Every Season: A Holiday Family Cookbook" by Jane B. Zalben.

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.

PROJECTS

Condiment Picnic Table

     Here's a fun little one-day project that will make your summer dining table look extra special.
For this project I used some 3/4" X 6" cedar fencing scraps.
The first step we'll cut all the pieces.
Cut some 3/4" wide strips, you'll need about 65" total.
Cut these strips as follows;
   Base:
(2) 6 3/4"
(3) 7 1/2"
(1) 4 3/4"
   Legs:
(4) 4 3/8" cut at 60 degrees on each end, /====/.
   Leg Brace:
(2) 3 3/4" cut at 60 degrees on each end, /====\.
   Tabletop: 10" X 5 1/4"
   Benches: (2) 10" X 1 1/2"

Drill (2) 2 1/8" diameter holes centered 2 1/4" in from each end.
Drill (2) 1 7/8" diameter holes centered 1 1/2" in from each side.
Here are the parts for the table, legs, braces, and benches.

For larger pictures click HERE!
Set your table saw so the blade will cut an 3/16" deep groove.
On the tabletop cut a groove 1 1/2" in from each side. Turn the wood on each end to "wrap" the cut. It gives it the look of separate pieces of wood.
Do the same thing for the benches but cut the groove down the middle. Glue and nail the bottom frame together as shown below.

Glue and nail the leg braces to the table. Use a leg to space them in from the table ends.
Glue and nail THREE of the legs to the braces. Place them with a 1/4" space between them.
Position the base 1" from the bottom of the legs, glue and nail in place.
NOW install the last leg. If you didn't do this you will not get the base into place!

You can stain your project or leave it natural like we did. Now all you have to do is put your condiments into it and put it on the table.

We are always looking for new projects to feature in our newsletter. 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.

CONSERVATION TIP

      One of the best ways to waste water is to improperly water your yard. How can you possibly "improperly" water your yard? By watering at the wrong time, too much, too often or use a fine spray high in the air.
      Some experts like Tom B. recommend watering early in the morning. The reason for this is two fold. First it gets the water into the soil before it gets hot and evaporates a lot of the surface water and secondly any water that gets on your decorative plants will evaporate fairly quickly helping to prevent mildew. The second best time to water is late in the evening after the sun is off of the yard.
      You do not need to water every day either. Soak the soil good, about 2" deep, and then don't water again for a couple or three days. The exception to this is planters. Because they do not have the good old earth to retain moisture you will have to water them every day during really hot weather.

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

Until Next Time...

We hope you have a really fun and safe Fourth of July. With all the terrible fires raging across the country right now it would be awful to start another one. If you have to torch off some small explosives be sure to do it where things won't catch fire. While you are having this fun be sure to protect yourself and others from the hazards associated with fireworks.

If you want to talk about something just drop us a line any time, we like to talk about most anything.

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.

The DuckMaster

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

VISIT OUR HOME PAGE AT www.runnerduck.com