Mountain S.

Admittedly, freshly cooked and prepared meals are always preferable. However, in a pinch, or when tired or under-the-weather, Stouffer's frozen foods are very good. I love their lasagne, meatloaf, stuffed peppers and Swedish meatballs.

These items are readily available at most grocery stores and even at Dollar General discount boutiques.

Please note that their dinners vary in servings from single serving to party size.

Just toss a little salad, and pop the Stouffers in the MW -- and voila -- dinner!

I am happy to be the first to review this wonderful old stand-by of a product.

Four tasty and convenient stars for you, Stouffers.

Honestly, I am stunned and flabbergasted by some of these reviews.

PBS is the pinnacle of American mainstream television. It gave us everything from Mr. Rogers to Masterpiece Theatre to McNeill-Lehrer.

If Fox News is P.S. 101 -- then PBS is Choate Rosemary Hall or Phillips Andover.

Elevate your tastes and sphere of reference, my fellow Americans -- join me at PBS.

Five stars for you, Public Broadcasting Serivce.

I just love Clearly Natural Aloe Vera liquid (and bar soap).

It is priced well at $3.99 per bottle and sold in health food stores as well as places like BB&B, Home Depot and the like.

Its scent is fresh and clean... and the bottle looks stylish in kitchen or bathroom.

I do see some poor reviews here... but do not confuse a five star product with human ineptitude from some mail-order warehouse.

An array of scents is offered... but I stick with aloe vera.

Five lovely stars.

I have had two Hotmail accounts for many years: one for professional use; the other for personal.

In all these years the formatting has undergone redesign about four times -- each time it is bothersome. I wish they would leave well enough alone, as they say.

All in all I have been pleased with this email service, and it is free; I have never upgraded to a paid account.

Other than format redesign, my only other complaint would be that I am often shut out when trying to access my account when out of the country. But I realize that this is a security issue for my own well-being. Otherwise I am pleased with this email service. It was a professor who turned me onto it back in the day.

The interface is pretty intuitive to use.

Four stars.

This organization is sketchy. Yet appears so legit.

They collect credit card data, then reject and cancel orders for no apparent reason -- then deny explication.

Life is frustrating enough without this kind of runaround.

GiftCards.Com... I wish I could give you zero stars.

Boooooooo!

I hold onto a sentimentality for this store.

First it was Leggett's.

Then it was just Leggett.

Later it became Belk - Leggett.

Now it is just Belk.

This old company has been a regional fixture for generations... I knew the Leggett family, and was sorry to see it merge. Old Leggett stores used to be located in the downtowns of regional Southern towns; now Belks are all in shopping centers. They are pretty average, but acceptable. They have their own line... and their cashmere sweaters are quite nice.

About twice a year they have unbelievable sales.

Four stars for old time's sake.

White there is nothing wrong with Target, per se, it is however just another brick in the wall of American retail mediocrity in this day and age,

Yes, you can find just about any type of household or clothing goods at one of these stores, but the items will have been made in China and of questionable quality.

The retail experience in the US now is so homogenized, that you could be anywhere from Tucson... to Atlanta... to Akron... to Little Rock... and each marketplace would be the same: vast wastelands of Targets, Walmarts, BB&Bs, Lowes, Home Depots, etc.

Anyway back to Target -- I guess it is convenient, predicttable, offers lots of parking -- but just not that inspirational.

It's kind of funny... some of us call it "Tarjay."

Three stars -- meh.

I am heartened to see that the other reviewer loves this old and wonderful company.

From their powder, lotion and oil to their old first aid cream, one can/could really depend upon the integrity of this company.

I know that there have been class action law suits regarding their talc baby powder and a possible cancer link, but I remain loyal.

The scents of their products, alone are just divine. Honestly I prefer J&J bath products to Vitabath.

Five stars for J&J...

If you ( or yours) enjoy a daily espresso or two, may I suggest that you invest in a little Bialetti Moka Pot. They are made in Italy by the Bialetti family and are just charming. The pots are beautifully engineered and constructed -- adding a stylish touch to your kitchen.

These little espresso makers are sturdy workhorses -- but should you ever need replacement parts, the company offers these online.

Some of the matching porcelain demitasse cups and saucers are still available through Amazon.

Enclosed are pics.

Five rich and dark coffee beans for Bialetti!

Ralph Lauren hatched a wonderful idea some years ago: A line of clothing and home fashions that reflected the style of the well-born class in the US. At its inception and for some years thereafter his entire line was classic and just beautiful. He even had a line of furniture and paint.

Then as this "look" dispersed within the consumer culture, his iconic style took a dive.

All of a sudden his loose fitting and easy going boxy cuts became tight and cheesy... and his polo emblem was enlarged (as was Izod's classic little alligator). Tacky.

Ralph had such a wonderful concept and his boutiques were dreamy... it is such a shame that he started to design for and pander to the masses.

It's heyday a 5... now it is a 3... which averages to a mediocre 4, I suppose.

Who does not love the smell of babies and the scent of baby detergent?

I use only baby detergent to do all the laundry. I love the smell; most of all of the other mainstream soap powders are now way too strong.

So Ivory's formulation fits the bill for me: sweet smell, softening and good cleaning. If certain laundry items need a cleaning boost, I just add borax.

In this corporate age, it is wonderful that some products have remained the same.

Five soft and sweet stars for Ivory Snow.

I am happy to give the first shout-out to this lovely Italian specialty line.

Really, their entire line is superb: pastas, sauces, bread sticks, seasonings, etc.

I have come to rely upon their risotto mixes, mushroom sauce and jarred pine nuts.

The packaging is lovely, as well.

This is an upscale line, but many grocery store chains carry at least some of their products.

Five stella stars for Alessi Foods.

This is my fifth review for roadside fuel / food stations... and this site's first eval for Valero. For me it is definitely the bottom of the barrel.

As you approach one and see the shiny turquoise canopy, it looks promising. But once you enter the actual store, one quickly realizes that it is a dump. I would rate it one star, but I am saving that ranking for a place that is even worse.

These places are rundown, dirty, the bathrooms are filthy and they stink.

If you are desperate for a bottled drink, some chips and to top off your fuel... it may be okay. But the experience is dreary and morbid.

Two dismal stars.

This is part of my ongoing series of reviews for roadside convenience store / gas stations... and this company's first evaluation on sitejabber.

Turkey Hill is "okay" -- it is acceptable for a quick refuel, pit stop and snack. From the outside it looks acceptable, but the inside is drab and the bathrooms are dirty and out of date.

Food options are mediocre.

Turkey Hill is better than nothing... but not a great experience. There is something that is always depressing to me about the glare and hum of fluorescent lighting... and TH is very guilty of this style of gloomy bus station type lumination.

As I said better than nothing... mediocre... three stars.

This is my third review of roadside convenience stores and the first one for Rutter's.

It comes in with four strong stars and is comparable to WAWA -- but not as great as Sheetz. Rutter's carries the basic convenience foods, drinks, emergency medicine cabinet type stuff... with plenty of bays for gas fill-ups.

The restrooms are okay... but not great.

All in all, I am always happy to find and stop at a Rutter's along the way and I recommend it to any motorist in need of a bathroom break, a treat and some gas.

They offer a rewards VIP club.

Four stars for Rutters

Wow I can hardly believe that this company has not been reviewed. Scotts products have been my standbys since I started gardening.

At one time they sent out a little quarterly publication to all of their loyalists.

I have used their seeds, feeds, weed-killers, mulches, spreaders and soils.

Admittedly this line is more costly than store brands -- yet I find the entire line to be highly reliable. It is wonderful to bring their big bags home and get to work outside on a gardening project.

Scotts: a tried and true... five green thumbs for you.

Website: www.scotts.com

This is a review for Staples, but it also applies to Office Depot, in that they are both exceedingly dull and uninspired big box stores for office products.

I am leading with Staples though, as it is near me and not out on "the strip." Also, I bought my computer from them.

You will find the most run of the mill supplies for your business or home office at Staples... but do not expect anything that is the least bit fine or inspired.

Frankly, I miss the privately owned paper goods store, where one might find Cross pens, Italian papers and those wonderful cardboard office files that tied up with a grosgrain ribbon.

The "sales associates" are usually listless high school students who have no idea what you are talking about or where things are located within the store. At check-out, they will barrage you with a million questions about becoming part of their corporate club and BS like that.

All in all Staples is adequate yet dreary.

Three lackluster stars.

I still like this little purveyor of old-timey products, and have ordered from them over the years. They sold untreated percale sheets, which I loved.

Their niche is the homespun and down-home household and apparel item.

My issue is the fact that their inventory at one time was strictly "Made In America"... now they are selling a lot of Chinese-made goods. So the quality has taken a dive.

But I do agree that their customer service is excellent and it is just plain fun to browse their catalog.

If you are a diehard old order type purist, I also recommend Lehman's Hardware Store and Gohn Brothers.

Four stars for VCS.

I am pleased to see other glowing reviews of Eyebobs.

Their ready-to-wear frames are available without a prescription is an range of magnifications, and the frames are classic and stylish.

Also, they offer repair service.

These are beautifully made eyeglasses -- not inexpensive, mind you -- but well worth the pretty penny you will spend. My favorites are the tortoise shell line of frames.

I think you will like the eyeglass case that they also provide.

Five readable stars for eyebobs.

My old standby soap which was Aloe Vera by Crabtree and Evelyn... was discontinued. This happened when the company was sold to the Chinese. Yes, another corporate blunder and error in judgement.

So I had to scramble.

I remember that my grandmother had always used Dove. And her tastes in life were pretty spot on. In my desperation, I gave their Sensitive Skin formula a try and really liked it.

It smells so sweet and is cleansing without being drying -- very nice and classic packaging as well.

I know they make or did make a dish soap and lotions, as well... have not tried them (yet).

Five stars for a classic American product.