Shopping...

Good - Alert readers will remember my love affair with Polar Fleece Funnel-neck tops. Curious I went back to landsend.com to see if by any chance they made Polar Fleece pants and they do! Mine arrived yesterday morning and they are wonderful - a low, wide waistband that softly squashes belly fat and legs long enough to cover my Uggs to the foot. They were $24.95 which is pricy, so I checked out Target and while they have varous styles of tops/hoodies, no pants. Other sites listed were in Pakistan, etc., but Land's End tops and bottoms are made in Jordan.

Perhaps Not So Good - A catalog arrived for Richie the other day called "Joie de Vivre - Authentic French Specialities" - you can visit at frenchselections.com.

The front section covers various food products (fois gras, escargots, jams, jellies, etc.) But I soon became extremely suspicious of their mark-up in prices. Because we stay with Michelle in her condo, we cook and grocery shop; thus I know what Amora mustard (sort of the French's of France) costs and it is most decidedly NOT $6.95 for a 15.5 oz. jar.

The back half of the catalog covers bistro-ware, tea towels, oven pads, boxed cookies and so forth. One item did catch my eye and it is this: a doormat (made of coconut fiber so it'd last approximately 30 minutes in any rain) that has a horizontal line dividing it. If you are facing the front door, it says "Bonjour." If you are leaving the house, it says, "Au revoir" which I think is funny. But it's $30 plus shipping to have a laugh so ... fuhgeddaboutit.

Very Fair Price - They sell an 8-person raclette set for $119 plus shipping. "Raclette" is the French name for the Swiss custom of melting cheese at the table.

It's a rectangular or round grill top with an electric heating unit directly under it; then an open space of some 2 inches and the individual "skillets" to hold the cheese. The grill is used to heat up ham, salami, cured meats. The melted cheese is poured over boiled potatoes and the traditional garnish is those little bitsy French pickles called "cornichons." Each guest does his/her own cooking.

It's a great, informal way to entertain dinner guests and I recommend getting one. Comparison shop! Don 't buy the very first one!