Link Love 1.14.2010

(Here's my tom turkey Jackson; he's feeling frisky now that the holidays are over!)

Time Goes By is an excellent blog with a byline reading "what it's really like to get older". They have a very talented group of writers and their articles are always interesting, diverse and frequently entertaining. I was intrigued to read The Continuing Plot to Kill Social Security over there recently. I'm mostly a fan of The Washington Post and was dismayed by what I read in this article.

Most people are familiar with Roger Ebert and his struggles with salivary gland cancer. In addition to being a film critic, Ebert is a gifted writer. This piece, which appeared in Roger Ebert's Journal in the Chicago Sun Times titled Nil by Mouth is well worth the read.

I'm intrigued by the small or tiny house movement. The Osprey, made by Palm Harbor Homes, looks especially promising. Pricing still to come and clearly that's the kicker for most people, but it's attractive, it's green, and it can be off-grid if necessary. For those of you who equate off-grid exclusively with living in the woods, it's also handy when you would like to have a guest house on your property but the cost of running utilities is prohibitive. I'm going to be keeping my eye on this one. If anyone is heading to the International Builder's Show in Las Vegas at the end of the month and would be willing to check out the tiny houses debuting there (including the Osprey) and write about them for SimplyForties, let me know!

I think everyone should read How to be a Better Conversationalist at the Etiquette Expert Blog and then do a little self-check. I sure did!

There's a great recipe for Mississippi Mud Cake at Real Food Fast. As soon as I read it I had to drop everything and make it. It's delicious and quick! You can leave out the whiskey if you like. In her directions she says "add the whiskey through the water", that's not an instruction for mixing a drink, she means add all the ingredients from the whiskey down through the water. It was a funny instruction. I greased and "floured" the pan with confectioner's sugar even though that is not in the instructions.

If you are looking for a way to help with the tragedy in Haiti, Doctors Without Borders is an excellent organization with a proven track record to whom I donated. Flexo, over at Consumerism Commentary has a helpful post about safe donations to victims of the earthquake.

Last but not least (for me anyway) I won a fantastic cookbook this week called The Italian Farmer's Table from Scordo.com. Scordo's got a great blog that you should definitely be reading!

I've got a giveaway going on this week! Read about it here!

In order to get an entry in the giveaway, comment on this and any post running on SimplyForties this week. One comment per person per post will count. So if you comment on every post this week you would get six entries in the giveaway. If you Tweet about the giveaway (being sure to include @SimplyForties in your Tweet so I will be sure and get it) I’ll give you another entry, for a possible seven entries. I’ll use a random number drawing on Saturday, January 16th and your prize will be shipped directly from Striking. Be sure to use a valid email address when you comment so I will be able to get in touch with you.