What's New This Week? We all took a moment to stop and reflect on the second anniversary of September 11th. It's still so hard to believe that all those poor souls were lost in such a senseless act. While we hate to see our fine American solders over seas fighting against this terrible enemy we must keep the reflection of September 11th ever present. We may not like a lot of things that our Government is doing but some of the alternatives aren't much better. Peace to the families and friends of all those who lost their lives both in the attacks here and over seas.

Now that we have our boat up at Sandy Point and the dock is done it's time to start working on the boat. We have an overheating problem in the port engine that we hope to resolve this weekend. Hopefully we'll have some great news for you next week on how successful we were at getting things fixed. We should just about have everything done and in ship shape by the time the weather turns so crappy we can't go out!

     While we are on the subject of junk mail and spam we thought we'd tell you about a free program that we've downloaded and are running. POPFile is basically a spam email filter that gets smarter with time. The installation is a little challenging but the instructions are pretty complete and in relatively plain English. We'd recommend reading all the installation instructions first before actually trying to install the program. It might even be a good idea to print them so they are easy to refer to.
The program uses Internet Explorer for the user interface (UI) which works quite well for this application. POPFile filters the mail and classifies it to that every you have defined. We have our email filtered to "Spam" and "Inbox". You create a matching folder in your email program so that the filtered mail will be delivered to the correct folder. Initially the program will try to guess whether it is junk or real. You open the program and correct any decisions that were incorrect. Every time you do that the program is learning what mail to put where. It has an indicator that tells you how accurately it is filtering your email. After about a week it is nailing over 95% of our email correctly. With all the email in your email program spam folder I just select "Empty Folder" or what ever clears out your mail box and it's all gone.
You can check out the program and download it at http://popfile.sourceforge.net/. Good luck and we hope you get a handle on your email.

Harvest Bread Loaf

     We almost hate to mention it but Fall is not far away but with it brings lots of pretty colors and fun holidays. This project will add to that Fall atmosphere as a great room decoration or a pretty addition to your table. Just don't let you guests try to eat it ;-)

Here's what you'll need:

Frozen Rhodes Dough or other bread dough.
A 1/2" to 3/4" piece of wood, Pine works great.
Glue
Stain
Shellac
Raffia
Wheat Stems

Cut out the wooden bread board using this pattern.

Click on picture for full pattern.
Sand the edges smooth, stain and shellac.
Bake a real mini loaf of bread.
After the bread loaf is cool, microwave it for three minutes.
Cool and microwave another three minutes. This will dry out the inside and kill any remaining yeast.
Tie Raffia around the bread loaf.
Place two wheat stems under the loaf and glue to the board.

That's it! Now see at how nice it looks? Everyone will enjoy this and ask where you got it. You can then proudly announce that "I made it, thanks to the help of the RunnerDuck Review". Yes we're always looking for a plug!

     We hope you enjoy Marilyn's Corner and look forward to all the fun things she brings you each week. If you have a fun 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 projects archived on our web site at www.runnerduck.com. Just click on the Projects or Kids Only Eggs.

Well The Tempos had their first rehearsal of the season this past Tuesday. We were off to a slow start with several absences but that won't last long. We still have a couple of stragglers taking late vacation. I looks like we'll be working on lots of great new music this year and we hope that you get an opportunity to hear it. We are working on a public event at the Boeing Museum of Flight later this fall. If that comes through we'll let you know so you can all come out and hear us.

     The Tempos big swing band is available for hire. If you have a special event that could use the wonderful music of a classic sixteen piece big band be sure to contact thetempos@runnerduck.com. We perform all over the Seattle area for all sorts of events.

      Once again we've lost a wonderful musician, singer and story teller. Warren Zevon may not be a name that jumps to the mainstream of you music list but he wrote and performed many wonderful songs. A music fan from Hawaii summed it up this way, "From your first listen this amazing compilation will bring tears to your eyes both from sadness and from laughter. This is an artist that defies labeling. A man confident enough to buck the establishment and go his own, lonely way. His brilliant songwriting abilities coupled with an eye for the wondrous and absurd make for true genius. In a world sorely in need of his kind it saddens me to know that his days are now numbered from the cancer ravaging his body. As a high school dropout he has since learned to speak multiple languages, taught himself to play numerous instruments, writes and conducts his own string arrangements; all this and still remain true to himself.
If you are tired of listening to the meaningless noise of today's so-called 'music' and you really are beginning to wonder if there is anyone 'out there' who matters look no further than Warren Zevon. But look fast before he is gone.
Like someone else said before me: if you've read this far you know you want to buy this so get on with it! And like Warren said to David Letterman, make sure to "Enjoy every sandwich" while you still can. Thanks for the ride Warren, you'll be sorely missed.

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Remember, we have a link on our web site, www.runnerduck.com, to our ever popular Grammy® Shopper site. If you haven't been there yet just click HERE to see all the 2003 Grammy® winners complete with links to purchase any one of them.

The RunnerDuck web site is hosted by

      We ran out of suggestions from you guys so we have to use one of our own again. If you think you can do better, (or not), please send you tips to us at conservation@runnerduck.com.
OK you've procrastinated all summer long and now the weather is starting to change. It's about time that you got out your calking gun and started sealing up things. Calk around the window frames and doors. Check for any place that cold air might come in and give it a blast also. If you do it now you'll be a lot warmer and happier later.

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

   THIS WEEK'S FREE 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 the September recipe 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.

"Pancakes A to Z" by Marie Simmons

If you like pancakes there are more than just our Spiced Apple ones. This Pancake cookbook is loaded with great recipes. A reader from Santa Fe, NM writes, if you want to give yourself or someone else breakfast in bed, this is the book for you -- the recipes are beautifully presented, simple, and the ones I've tried are utterly delicious. I recommend the Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes w/Blueberry Sauce and the New Year's Eve Popover Pancake W/Smoked Salmon & Dill Butter -- both are heavenly. This is a perfect little book to give someone as a gift. Enjoy!

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Be sure and visit the RunnerDuck Cookbook Store for other great savings on cookbooks and cooking supplies.

Safety Tips

We're working on our next project and thought this might be a good time to remind you about safety in the wood shop. Winter is coming and there is a good chance that you'll be spending more time working on those holiday projects and all those need wood projects you just never could get to all summer long. It's always better to take a few minutes and think about safety then it is to spend a lifetime in pain.

1. Power tools come with lots of instructions, take time to read through them so you understand the real dangers associated with the particular tool.

2. Your eyes and ears are irreplaceable, protect them with safety glasses and ear protectors. There are some very comfortable styles out now so there is no good excuse not to wear them.

3. Unbuttoned coats, loose sleeves, and other loose clothing can get caught in saws and pull you in behind them. Wear clothing that is appropriate for the job you are doing.

4. We hate them but safety guards are there for a reason. If you don't like the ones that came with you equipment then find one that will work with it and provide the same protection. Don't just remove them and think nothing will happen.

5. Nobody likes a messy shop but if you don't keep you shop picked up then there is an accident waiting to happen. Sweep the floors, sawdust is slippery. Pick up tools and keep power cords out of the way.

6. Do be distracted while you are running power tools. If your mind is preoccupied with other thoughts then there is an accident waiting to happen. Never operate equipment when you've been drinking or using medications that might cause drowsiness.

7. Don't force your work. If something feels like it's binding then stop and fix the problem. Improper feed speeds not only can mess up your project it can really mess up your day.

8. There are lots of things that can cut you in a wood shop. If you are going to be handling sharp tools that might cut you wear non-cut safety gloves. Otherwise keep your fingers out of the way.

9. Make sure you have a solid work surface. Don't balance something that you are working on because you don't have the proper clamps. Make your project secure and then power up your tool.

10. Last but not least teach your kids and grandkids the proper way to use tools. Make sure they understand why it's important to use tools correctly. They need to know that power tools are not toys but things that can hurt you if not used with supervision and proper instruction.

We hope you've enjoyed these words of wisdom. Remember, if you ever have any problems with our projects just drop us a line and we'll try to help. Since we build every one of these projects we have a pretty good idea of how to get through them. We also make lots of mistakes so we can help avoid them. 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 .

Our friend and RunnerDuck reader, Dave K., just couldn't resist sending in a dumb blond joke. No offense to the blonds out there but to Dave, "this is really dumb"!

A blonde had just gotten a new sports car and was out for a drive when she accidentally cut off a truck driver. He motioned for her to pull over.
When she did, he got out of his truck and pulled a piece of chalk from his pocket. He drew a circle on the side of the road and gruffly commanded the blonde "stand in that circle and DON'T MOVE!". He then went to her car and cut up her leather seats.
When he turned around she had a slight grin on her face, so he said "Oh you think that's funny? Watch this!" He gets a baseball bat out of his truck and breaks every window in her car.
When he turns and looks at her she has a smile on her face.
He is getting really mad. He gets his knife back out and slices all her tires.
Now she's laughing. The truck driver is really starting to lose it.
He goes back to his truck and gets a can of gas, pours it on her car and sets it on fire. He turns around and she is laughing so hard she is about to fall down.
"What's so funny?" the truck driver asked the blonde.
She replied, "Every time you weren't looking, I stepped outside the circle!"

Boo, bad Dave!

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