Why do most apple pie recipes call for tart apples, like Granny Smith? I use what's on hand for eating fresh, like Galas. Using a naturally sweet apple cuts down on the amount of refined sugar I use.

Sometimes I add fresh cranberries to the apples, for a cranapple pie. Then I do use more sugar.

And I always use more cinnamon than recipes call for. I like spicy, and I like cinnamon.

with an obsession. She has discovered the fire alarm disc and sprinkler nozzle on the ceiling in my apartment. I've had her since she was 2 months old and she's 5 years old now. Don't know why this obsession only developed recently. Or how to get her over it.

She sits on the back of my couch and stares up at them. Then she meows at them, over and over. She has a quiet meow, but she looks at me as if she expects me to fix whatever it is that she thinks is wrong with them. The alarm is not beeping. A new battery was put in just a few weeks ago. It was not beeping then, either. So as far as I can see, there isn't any change that would get her attention.

This started during the day on Halloween, which sort of spooked me out a bit -- the staring at nothing. I've even wondered if she senses something about the apartment above me, but I don't know the people there so I'm not about to go up there and ask them.

Any ideas on why kitty is fixated on the alarm? Or how to ger her over it? She does this a few times every day.

NPR is reporting that conservative Maricopa County votes are being counted. They have narrowed Biden's lead and the count is not finished. More Maricopa County votes due later tonight. Votes are also coming in from Tucson, which is more Democratic, but in lower numbers than the votes from Maricopa Co.

But, even if Biden's lead does not hold in Arizona, there are still PA, GA, NV,and NC.

Disappointng if we lose AZ, but not the end of the story.

I just listened to Trump's speech on BBC Overnight.

He claimed a big victory tonight, including victory in states that are still undecided. To preserve that victory from Democrats who "are trying to steal the election," he said that all voting must stop now. He did not call it vote counting, which is what it is. He called it "continued voting" and said he will go to court to make it stop.

BBC commentators are not mincing words. They are calling it shocking, undemocratic, like nothing ever done in the US before. Not even 2000 was this bad. They are saying that the world reaction will be alarm at what is happening inside the US and that the US is no longer a model for democracy in the world.

They are emphasizing that the counting of votes in the days following an election is perfectly normal and legal but that Trump is twisting facts to manipulate his followers for his own political gain instead of supporting free elections.

For all you nail biters, check out the Huffpost map showing projected winners and which way others are leaning for the polls that have closed. There are charts showing the percentages of the leads in each state AND the percentages of votes counted in each state. Some showing a Trump lead have not counted all their votes yet and do not yet have a count on the mail ins.

From what I saw, FL is lost to us, but we might get PA, NC, and OH when mail ins are counted. In PA, and some other states, those results will not be in until Friday.

Remember, we were told that Trump might look good in the beginning, but to wait until the mail ins are counted.

My biggest disappointment so far is McConnell's win. If we take the Senate, that won't matter.

EDIT: The numbers and their direction will change off and on in some places and do not as yet include mail-in counts, which will trickle in from the various states in the next few days, depending on state laws about when and how to count them.

Hang in there.

how the voting is going there today and whether Erie will flip back to Democrats.

BBC now saying that Trump has tweeted that his and Melania's tests both came back positive.

She was working closely with Trump leading up to the debate and his rallies after it. She was on the plane with him. Trump says he and Melania have been tested and are in quarantine, but who knows what he means by quarantine?

Moral dilemma for those who are praying people - which outcome to pray for?

You tube has a good video of Helen Reddy singing I Am Woman on stage in 1971. I could not get a link that would work. If anyone else can, please add it to this thread.

That song gave me inspiration and courage at a time in my life when I badly needed it. Just watching the video and hearing those meaningful words today brought tears to my eyes, remembering how much it meant to me then and how much my life has changed since then.

R.I.P Ms. Reddy. And thank you.

What are your personal memories and experiences?

I remember job listings in the newspaper in separate columns labelled: Jobs for Men and Jobs for Women. The men's column listed openings for engineers, hospital staff doctors, accountants, department managers, retail managers, skilled trade jobs. The women's column listed office clerical positions, hairdressers, nurses.

I have a copy of Life Magazine from 1968 with an article about a "women's lib" call to eliminate gender divisions in job listings. The article ridicules the idea and says it is highly unlikely that such a radical idea would ever come to pass.

When I left my husband and filed for divorce, my father went with me to help choose a used car. I was steadily employed throughout my marriage and paid most of our bills because my ex could not hold a job for long. The car dealer said I could not get a bank loan in my name so my father co-signed. The next day, I took out a personal loan from my employer's credit union, with the car as collateral, and paid off the bank to get the car and the loan in my name

I divorced my husband because he was violent. A co-worker asked me, "Well, is it serious? Or does he just slap you around a little?"

So what do DUers here remember about the old gender attitudes and laws?