Pie in the Sky is wonderful, quirky take on the British detective genre with subtle conservative undertones.  I hate to try any more gustatory puns but I savored every morsel.  Another British recommendation is Lark Rise to Candleford that compares favorably with Downton Abbey. 

No one seems to have asked:  why was a good idea to have sex when one or the other partner had no intention of getting married before the "oops" happened?  If the couple intended to marry anyway, why wouldn't getting married for the child's sake be a good enough idea and require another reason?

Just asking. 

I agree with the comments about ads on talk radio.  My faves for TR are Bill Bennett in the AM or Dennis Prager in the slot up against Rushbo, when I can.  I work in an office where listening to the radio is frowned on so I don't listen to Dennis that much.  Nonetheless, although I look forward to listening to these two, the ads can get to me after awhile.  The Ricochet podcasts are so wonderful by comparison.  The Salem podcasts are okay but don't work as well as radio listening.  I predict WABC will suffer if they lose Rush. 

Thanks, Maggie. 

I am a social conservative & believe that the best life is living according to traditional values and morals.  That doesn't mean that I want to outlaw all behavior I consider immoral.  Is it asking the Republican Party too much to defend my rights against secularists who will dictate their values on me & other social conservatives.  What I fear most about the whole SSM issue is that everyone who objects to it will be treated as criminals & denied religious liberty & freedom of speech.  I strongly resent my money paying for abortions.  Can't the Republican Party be the one to defend us all in a civil society?  As horrific I find abortion to be, if other Republicans don't think it is bad enough to outlaw, why can't they stand up & insist that those who find abortion the same as murder to not have our money pay for abortions?  That seems to be the way out of this endless handwringing.  That would make the Republican Party the truly tolerant & open-minded party that stands for both freedom & justice. 

Yes, I have an Advent wreath & lit the 1st purple candle on Sunday & said the Advent collect prayer from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.  There are three cats but two are more likely to get up on the table than the other one.  They kind of run the household for me but balk at doing any of the work.  

 There is more to Philadelphia & the rest of PA east of Pittsburgh.  Cheese steaks are too common but the cheese whiz has its own tradition & charm that provolone snobs should learn to enjoy.  The Pennsylvania Dutch should take credit for funnel cakes although these have become too common.  And the delights of good scrapple cannot be described although the taste for it might best be acquired as a child before you are that curious about what is in something that everyone else in the family is eating & enjoying.  The PA Dutch put maple syrup on it but Philadelphians enjoy it with ketchup.  One more item: chicken salad served with fried oysters.