Here in Virginia it's winter one day, summer the next. Which means of course that it's spring. My daffodils think so and have started blooming, and our hyperactive cat Tivoli spends more time outdoors. She has developed a little tummy and, possibly as a result, hasn't caught a squirrel for months. She's five years old, and Bill and I are hoping that she now feels middle aged. I'm sure the squirrels are hoping the same thing.

     In this newsletter we're celebrating spring with fr*ee software. The Internet is loaded with it, and if you're thus inclined you can have a really good time. Let me point out one "treasure" you might otherwise overlook. In item 9, "Fr*ee Computer Help, Fr*ee Software," don't overlook that Google offer for people with Windows XP. I don't know how they can offer so much for fr*ee, but they do.

     And note that in item 8, "Building or Financing a New Home?" Lendingtree.com will get quotes for financing any just-purchased home, whether it's newly built or not.

1. A Most Pleasant Surprise
2. Rare Disease?
3. Senior?
4. Fr*ee Guide to Wildflowers
5. Fr*ee Gourmet Coffee
6. Find Walking Comradship
7. The Glorious Flylady!
8. Building or Financing a New Home?
9. Fr*ee Computer Help, Fr*ee Software
10. Computers 101 -- Not Just For Beginners
11. Computers 102 -- Freeware and Shareware
12. Seamstresses, Embroiderers, Quilters
13. An Alberta Family Cookbook
14. Recipe: Lorney's Chocolate Drop Cookies

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     Once in awhile a site delivers much more than I expect. And you'll never guess which one did it this time. It's the new and improved FirstGov.gov, the entrance website for the U.S. federal, state, and local governments! Don't snicker. Give it a test: go to FirstGov:

http://firstgov.gov/

     Now, in the search box at the top of the page, put "safety" and the make and year of your automobile.

     Amazing, isn't it? You get both gas mileage and safety, plus the option to learn much more. You can do the same with a car you're thinking of buying. The left column of the page offers many more possibilities.

     This is so different from the bad old days, when your telephone call was transferred from one bored, ignorant operator to another and you spent hours on hold. Years ago, when I worked for Senator Specter, I got fast action by saying I worked for him. And after two or three transfers I'd find myself talking to the government researcher who knew more about some obscure matter than anyone else in the world -- because the U.S. government has an unbelievable variety of experts in every field. But the fun ended as soon as I left the Senate. I went back on hold, and the experts were no longer interested in talking to me.

     NOW THE FUN IS BACK, the obscure information is yours for the asking, and you'll never get put on hold! To compare fuel economy in different makes of automobile -- and to find the lowest gas prices in your area! -- FirstGov sends you to:

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/

     For tire ratings and crash test and rollover ratings of automobiles, go to:

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/ncap/index.cfm

     Now test the FirstGov site. Do you or someone you know have a rare disease? Put it in the search box. I did and was amazed at the results. You can also get the latest research on more common diseases. (It has great material on Alzheimer's.)

     You say, "But won't Google do the same thing?" Yes and no. Google will give you both accurate and inaccurate medical information. It doesn't know how to weed out the quacks and the cranks. But FirstGov only gives results of government funded research. Government funded researchers must submit to peer review, which pretty well weeds out the weeds.

     FirstGov.gov is particularly useful in the field of nutrition, which is loaded with self-appointed "experts." Let's say you've heard that blueberries are valuable to your health. Put "blueberries" into FirstGov and find the research indicating that blueberries may improve your memory. (I eat frozen blueberries every night as a snack. Would my memory be even worse if I didn't?)

http://firstgov.gov/

     If you're a senior, or if you have relatives who are seniors, which means almost all of us, click on

http://www.firstgov.gov/Topics/Seniors.shtml

     Isn't it amazing? The list of helps just goes on and on.

     If you find another nifty thing FirstGov can do, please e-mail me and let me know. I'd love to hear about it. And I'd love to hear about any other unusually good site you come across. I get some great tips from friends!

     For a fr*ee wildflower reference guide, which comes with a wildflower seed catalog, fill out the form on the following site. (I'm sorry to say that people from countries other than the U.S. have to send $2.00. Unfortunately many Internet freebies are like this, and there's nothing I can do about it.)

http://www.wildseedfarms.com/catalog.html

     A good offer, though you will of course get some coffee related e-mails if you take it up.

http://www.freecoffeesite.com/

     The U.S. South is enjoying its best walking weather, while the North is still thawing and drying out. When YOUR walking weather arrives, do look up the great walking group Sandra Barnes, a friend I grew up with in Montana, told me about.

     Sandra says, "We belong to the Winston Wanderers Volksmarch Club. There are clubs in every state, often more than one in a state, who maintain over 1,400 Volksmarch trails in the U.S. There are many more in Canada and overseas." Anyone wanting to learn more can go to the website of the American Volkssport Association:

http://ava.org/

     Using the site's left column you can find a walking club near you. You'll also notice a link on that site to "Tater Tours," which buses you to scenic U.S. spots, whereupon you of course walk. Sandra says she's really enjoyed the tours she's taken. Plus you'll find a link to Walking Adventures, which she also praises highly.

     The Flylady says, "Are YOU living in CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome)? Do you feel overwhelmed, overextended, and overdrawn? Hopeless and you don't know where to start? Don't worry friend, we've been there, too.

     "Step through the door and follow FlyLady as she weaves her way through housecleaning and organizing tips with homespun humor, daily musings about life and love."

     It doesn't matter whether you have zero small children or six, whether you work outside your home or not, the glorious Flylady is here to help you take baby steps out of the mess and into sanity!

http://flylady.net/

     If you're thinking of building, Homebuilder.com can help you find a builder, architect, and attorney, locate a lot, and/or select and purchase home plans. (Note that pretty soon the site is going to be part of Move.com, which combines Realtor.com, Homebuilder.com, and Rentnet.com.)

http://homebuilder.com/default.aspx?poe=homebuilder

     TO FINANCE your new home, go to Lendingtree.com, where you can get mortgage bids from lenders all over the U.S. Even if you go with a local lender, you can still use these bids to negotiate better terms.

http://lendingtree.com/

     When you're profoundly irritated because your computer's not working right, what you DON'T need is being told that you have to pay to learn how to fix it. That's when San PC Guide can help. Click on "Applications" in the lefthand column to see a long list of annoying problems with which they can help.

     San PC Guide has some great buys in Amazon books, as it is an Amazon affiliate. But before you purchase computer software or hardware, you'd do well to try Google's "Froogle" option, which will tell you what merchants all over the Internet are charging for the item you have in mind. Or read on and see what you can get absolutely fr*ee.

http://www.sanpcguide.com/about.html

     FR*EE SOFTWARE: If you have Windows XP you can get an amazing selection of fr*ee software from Google, including Ad-Aware Professional and the top Norton antivirus, plus much else! If you already have some of these items, they'll update the software for you. Check it out at

http://pack.google.com/pack_installer_required.html

     If you're new to the Internet, Joe Robson's Newbie Club is one of the best ways to learn the basics. It's also good for people who know the basics but want to learn more. As one person described the Newbie Club experience, "I've learned more about e-mail in two hours than I have in two years of stumbling around the Internet."

     The site slogan is, "I'm a newbie not a dummy. Just show me how." By joining the Newbie Club, for fr*ee, you become eligible for the weekly newsletter. You can also go on the site and cruise among fr*ee articles with all sorts of basic computer/Internet information. For a reasonable price you can even learn to build your own first website. It's a good deal.

     (I can hear my computer mentors snickering softly. I never learn anything about computers until a crisis erupts and I HAVE to. On the other hand, we just had the Microsoft Patch crisis, and didn't I rise to the occasion? So snicker on, beloved computer mentors. Without whose help I would be an off-line quivering jelly.)

     The fact remains -- a broad range of basic computer information is waiting for you at the Newbie Club, and most of it is fr*ee.

     If you never have to pull up your socks because they ARE up, the Newbie Club is your meat. If your socks droop but you're tired of it, the Newbie Club is also for you. Click below to learn more:

http://www.newbieclub.com/index.php?

     Now that your socks are up, you can enjoy the complex world of computer freeware and shareware. In many ways it's a guy thing, appealing to the kind of person who, fifty years ago, would have spent Saturday afternoon doing manly stuff to his automobile or hotrod. Now he spends them doing technical stuff to his computer. Computer software has the advantage of not requiring that you lie in an oil puddle on cold concrete. Perhaps for this reason, more likely for other reasons, it is popular with a modest number of women.

     Freeware is of course free. With shareware you promise that, if you like it, you'll pay later. You don't HAVE to pay, but it's the honorable thing to do.

     Tucows is a good source of information on both freeware and shareware. It has been around a long time, as long times are measured on the Internet, and has an excellent reputation. Its products are all reviewed. Put "freeware reviews" or "shareware reviews" into the searchbox to find many rated products, each with a "more info" option. And if you want to learn about certain aspects of software, click on "articles" at the top of the page. There were 256 when I last looked!

http://www.tucows.com/

     DOWNLOAD.COM is another good site for fr*ee and not-fr*ee software. (Don't know how to download? The Newbie Club will tell you, for fr*ee, and without saying, "You don't know how to DOWNLOAD?" in a superior tone of voice.)

     Download.com says,"Safe, trusted, and spyware-free," which they mean. I'm working on an e-book, "How to Protect Yourself from Internet Predators" and have discovered that there are more than 32,000 Internet sites that will infect you with spyware. Actual count, I kid you not. Download.com, on the other hand, belongs to the Anti-Spyware Coalition. They are the Good Guys, and I recommend them heartily. To get the latest news on all aspects of software, scroll down the main page a ways and check out their BLOGS.

http://www.download.com/

     As a complete change of pace, try the peaceful pursuits on this website recommended by my friend Deanna Keele, who has given me so many great newsletter hints down through the years.

     She loves Martha Pullen's website and her newsletter. Deanna says, "It's a fun site for sewers, embroiderers, quilters, etc. I also love reading her inspirational messages -- she uses her newsletter, website, and magazine, 'Sew Beautiful,' to testify of her Christian faith."

     To enjoy Martha Pullen's offerings, click on

http://marthapullen.com/

     The Lien family of good cooks are happy to share their best recipes with you. And what a selection! They must have a couple hundred recipes, each one sounding more delicious than the rest. The sections are in alphabetical order, which puts Candies, Cookies, and Desserts up high on the list, with Meats in the middle, and Vegetables at the end. Which some would say is the proper order.

http://www.compusmart.ab.ca/elien/recipes.htm

     This is an old Montana recipe. Lorney Faber says, "This recipe came to me from an old ranch cook who has since passed away. I think it is the very best chocolate drop cookie I've ever tried. Just be sure to use either buttermilk or sour milk. The cake flour makes them extra light."

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1-oz. chocolate squares, melted
1-3/4 cups sifted cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped nuts

     Cream shortening, sugar and egg together well. Add vanilla and melted chocolate and mix. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk. Stir in nuts last. Chill dough for 1 hour and drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake 12 to 15 minutes at 350 or 375 depending on your elevation.

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     Tour the Sites newsletter comes out on the first and fifteenth of each month, and we'll NEVER give or sell your e-mail address to anyone else. Plus, these breathtaking "tours of the sites" are absolutely free!

     So add your name to our Tour the Sites mailing list at the bottom of this page, and let's dig up more exciting treasures!

     Janette Blackwell