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I did manage to get a refund from the company, but I'm officially on a watch list now.

More than 30 years ago, I had to haul a couple mares from NY state to Michigan. Going through Ontario province was much shorter. WEEKS prior to my departure, I contacted my veterinarian, who contacted Albany and got the straight word on all the required paperwork to take horses through Ontario (they would never leave the trailer). Paperwork was generated, tests made. Just short of Canada, I stopped at a USDA stop and had the papers checked and the mares inspected. All was fine.

Then I crossed into Canada, and the Canadians DID NOT like my paperwork (and there was a lot of it). It was HOT, HOT, HOT, the kind of weather where you sweat so much much you can hardly keep up drinking fluid. The mares were dehydrating; I pinched the skin on their necks and knew they were not wonderful. Horses WILL NOT drink water in a trailer. I've never seen it. I eventually threw myself onto the trunk of my car (yes, I had a car with a BIG engine in the early 1980s)....

The Canadian vet took pity on me, and sent me through...warning me that the Sarnia crossing would close at 5 PM...I drove across and made it in time, presented my pile of paperwork to the Americans...who didn't want ANY OF IT, and they waved me through without looking at anything!

Weeks later, I got a letter in the mail, an irate one, from the Canadians about ILLEGALLY IMPORTING HORSES INTO CANADA!

I went back to Canada in 2004 to see some plays in Stratford, Ontario, and showed my passport at the crossing (how things have changed!) and glided through. I must not be a wanted woman in Ontario...

Chili always tastes better on the second day.

While working at a chemical plant that I came to refer to as "Hell" (everyone expected the place to blow up or burn to the ground any day), one of the production guys shared his secret one night to making chili that tasted done with the flavor nicely mellowed immediately, upon being warmed up!

It's simple--start with Ragu spaghetti sauce as the base! (I suppose any sauce would work)Sly made chili for the whole crew one night (lunch was at 1.30 in the morning!)and it was wonderful stuff.

So, when you cannot wait, break out the spaghetti sauce!