Language Defects. Chewbacca Mask,

I am really, really tired of people, particularly on the air, who um and ah constantly or use "you know" to death or maybe "like". A lot of the ums and ahs are because they haven't arranged their thoughts clearly before they started to speak. Most of these people have no conception of their bad speech habits, but to inflict it over the air waves is a crime, in my opinion. There are very few young people around who can hold a conversation without using the word "like" constantly. I once asked a friend's daughter to try and speak without using it. She was unable to converse at all. Then, of course there are all the grammatical errors around. There are constant reminders on Facebook by "The Grammar Police"  but it doesn't seem to improve anything. I have no objection to contractions, but when people say such things as "could of" when they mean "could have" I begin to steam. I am even seeing this kind of thing in prose a lot too. What is happening to the English Language? Doesn't anyone teach it properly any more? What happened to all the editors and proof readers who should catch this kind of thing? Doesn't anyone care? I am not even including swearing.

Have any of you seen the video of the woman who bought herself a Chewbacca face mask? It is

apparently holding the record for the most viewed clip on Facebook. They have even had the woman on TV, Good Morning America interviewed her this morning (Monday). Personally, I think it is a dreadful video and don't find anything remotely funny about it. The raucous laughter reminds me of fair grounds of old. However, that's just me. Thousands appear to find it hilarious. I was thinking maybe I should include it; I decided not to do so but to at least to show a picture of Chewbacca. I wouldn't want to inflict the video on anyone. If you really want to listen to it, I have no doubt one can find it on YouTube.

This is one of my very favourite asparagus recipes. Not only is it delicious, but it freezes well.

Asparagus Pesto Toasts

1 lb trimmed green asparagus

1 cup toasted walnut halves (I used pecans)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup olive oil
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Freshly ground pepper

1. Cook asparagus until just tender. Refresh in cold water, then drain and dry well. Place asparagus, walnuts, garlic and salt in food  processor. Process until blended.

2. With motor running, gradually add olive oil, then add cheese and pepper. Blend together and check seasoning. Place in a covered bowl.

3. It shows the recipe served on crunchy toasted French or Italian bread with a curl or two of parmesan on top and some asparagus at the side.

4. We freeze this in ice cube trays, then wrap the cubes in pairs (separated by Saran wrap, and put in a bag in the freezer until we need them.

Source: Food and Drink

Have a great day