It arrived in the mail today!  Having never seen kefir "in real life" (heck, I hadn't even TASTED it before!) I was a bit concerned that the culture might have been damaged by the heat.  The lady I got it from had packed about a tablespoon of grains in a couple tablespoons of milk in a plastic zipper bag that had been placed in another zipper bag.  At first I didn't see the grains, but soon could pick them out as cloudly tapioca-looking clusters. 

I dumped the "new family member" in canning jar with a cup of organic milk and covered with a coffee filter fastened with a rubber band, just as the lady suggested.  Within a few hours I could see a bit of milk separation around the floating cluster of grains.  The jar has a faint but distinctive sour smell that is not at all unpleasant.

I dabbed my finger in the leftovers in the plastic bag and tasted it.  Hmmm... it was really sour but not sour like sour milk.  More like vinegar sour, and not at all unpleasant.  I've read that kefir newbies should be cautious about consuming kefir at first, as it can cause digestive reactions.  I figure I'll try it tomorrow, and if it tastes "off" (I don't know what "off" kefir would taste like anyways) I'll cook it in the dogs' food.  My big dream is to make cheese with it anyway, so if I end up not caring for the beverage, I'm sure I'll like it as a spoonable food or cheese.

Oh, and yogurt; I DID get my latest batch to firm up somewhat.  I heated the milk to around 125 degrees F then cooled before adding the culture.  I let it sit out all day... a good 10 hours at least.  It was much thicker and quite a bit more sour; my best batch yet!