My cousin sent me an interesting link today…here’re the results:

My date of conception was on or about 29 September 1956 which was a Saturday (waaaay too much info!)

I was born on a Saturday under the astrological sign Cancer. My Life path number is 5.
- most compatible with 1, 5 & 7
- get along well with 3 & 9
- may or may not get along well with 8
- least compatible with 2, 4, 6, 11 & 22 [ok, who of you are these numbers, I wanna know so I know who to avoid!]

I were born in the Chinese year of the Rooster; my Native American Zodiac sign is Woodpecker and my plant is the Wild Rose.

I’m 592 months old [that one's for you, ME!]

My age is the equivalent of a dog that is 7.05 years old.

My birthstone is Alexandrite, the mystical properties of which include: assisting one in centering the self, reinforcing self-esteem, and augmenting ones ability to experience joy. [funny...I think I need one of these!!!]

Some lists consider these stones to be my birthstone: Pearl, Moonstone, Opal

My birth tree is the Fig Tree, the Sensibility: Very strong, a bit self-willed, independent, does not allow contradiction or arguments, loves life, its family, children and animals, a bit of a butterfly, good sense of humour, likes idleness and laziness, of practical talent and intelligence. [totally sounds like me!]

The moon’s phase on the day I was born was waning crescent.

1. The Joy of Cooking by Rombauer & Becker: I’ve had this since the early 80s and used it VERY often
2. Julia’s Kitchen Wisdom by Julia Child. THE best potato salad recipe ever. Just ask Jack!
3. Japanese Cooking: A Simple Art by Shizuo Tsuji with an introduction by MFK Fisher
4. The Japanese Kitchen by Hiroko Shimbo
5. At The Japanese Table by Leslie Downer (When I moved back from Japan, I was SO homesick for it I went out and bought these three books because some of the recipes in them were exactly how things had been cooked in Japan. Fantastic, all three of them!)
6. The Cotton Country Collection by the Monroe, LA Junior League. My friend Gaylen gave this to me for my birthday one year; I can remember laying out on a blanket in her yard, sunbathing and lazily flipping through the pages. One of my staples for Thanksgiving, Sweet Potato Casserole, I found in this one.
7. The Frugal Gourmet by Jeff Smith: Yes, he may or may not have done some horrible things, but prior to finding that out, I so enjoyed his shows and books. Every Saturday morning, and old boyfriend and live in love, Michael and I would watch Julia, Jeff, Justin (Wilson, the Cajun Chef) and PeeWee’s Playhouse before we’d go do whatever the day had in store.
8. Wild Women In The Kitchen: 101 Rambunctions Recipes & 99 Tasty Dips: My friend MaryEllen gave this to me as a joke, but I love the little stories and recipes.
9. Nantucket Open House Cookbook by Sarah Lee Chase. I think I bought this for my friend Diane, but fell in love with it and kept it for myself. The design of it alone is pleasing to the eye
10. Celebrate San Antonio: A Cookbook by the San Antonio Junior League. Michael (mentioned above) traveled to San Antonio area often for work (Azzy, you know what I’m talking about) and he’d always bring me back something. He knew I collected cookbooks and gave me this…it has a fanTAStic recipe for gumbo in it!
11. Scottish Cookery by Christopher Trotter. Bought this on a trip to Scotland, hey, a girl might need to make a haggis sometime, och aye!
12. Betty Crocker’s New Picture Cookbook: My first MIL gave me this book for Christmas one year…in the book was a note she’d written to me: I got this cookbook at a yard sale. They don’t make new ones like this. If you don’t want it, just bring it back, okay. The frosting you like is on page 174, white mtn. frosting. Make sure you cover saucepan immediately when you put it on flame. If you guessed by that note that we had a difficult relationship, you’d've guessed right. Love this cookbook!
13. 100 Years of Family Recipes & Memories 1890-1990 by Rosamond Stevens. This book was put together with much love by my Auntie Rosa (MB & Mel’s Mom). She not only wrote down all the old recipes, but she included many of her memories of her entire family. I treasure this book!