Welcome new family member!

Before anyone gets too excited, please understand that the new member is not a child—at 47 years old, I consider this new family member better than a child because I'm too old to take care of an infant! It's a new Viking range. A gigantic 60-inch-6-open-burners-with-24-inch-griddle/simmer-plate-and-two-ovens-hallelujah-Viking range. For a cook it's definitely the holy grail of ranges.

I got it from a couple who are interior design clients. I love these clients for so many reasons. Yes, they are very picky and occasionally make me do something over, but they always pay me for my time realizing that it would be impossible for me to always know their taste as it is very, very specific. They never quibble about bills, they understand me and my aesthetic, they trust my taste and are extremely loyal. So when they began redesigning their Madison-area kitchen (they also have homes in Illinois and Florida), they asked if I'd like their range as they didn't like the gas ovens and wanted something different. Of course, I said yes.

We're going to have to reconfigure a part of our kitchen to make it work, but we'll make it work 'as God is my witness!'

As for my latest nutrition research, I've been checking out Matt Stone's Web site at 180-Degree Health. He's another of those who believe that eating Whole Foods is the way to go, that diet foods ruin your metabolism by affecting your endocrine system and other ideas.