Marybeth - That is very kind of you....I just - after much agonizing - came to the conclusion that the Amish Cook column - long term - simply isn't viable without reader support.  And certainly not every reader has to join the Friends Club for it to achieve its mission, only a small percentage of readers need to join....so if anyone out there loves the column but joining the Friend Clubs isn't within your budget, that's fine....I look at this like a "voluntary toll road"....if enough people drop some $$ in, that'll be enough to keep the road pot-hole and rut-free...Kevin