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Thank you! DS is planning to start Greek in the fall and he loves HP.

Not weird. Here in homeschool hippie land it's not unusual to ask that everyone bring the birthday child something from nature, rather than say no gifts because people don't like to be the only one to have followed the request. The birthday child ends up with beautiful leaves, stones, moss, a cool piece of wood, a flower, etc and put it together on a table or use the items as a centerpiece. And it's free too!

I think the topic has generally been discussed in the past in conversations about Homeschoolers Anonymous, Doug Wilson, the Duggars, etc. I don't think it's been discussed as related to Moore but I think it's a difficult subject to broach because politics are not allowed here. There's a politics social group, if that helps.

Thought of one more thing in addition to increasing the salt. You could also prime the pump by adding a spoonful of juice from a good culture or a live culture yogurt whey (with lactobacillus) if you haven't tried that yet, just to give the bacteria you want a head start.

Maybe add even more salt to crowd out undesirables? I can't think of anything else after that but to sterilize it. With my crock I can add boiling water and the stones can be baked. Maybe it's new but someone returned it at one point?

Does it have a water moat to seal it? I can't tell from the photos. It's very cute!

Hmm. I'm stumped. My friends and I all use both jars on the counter and fermentation crocks with no noticeable differences. I use the crock if I have a higher volume. What type of crock is it?

Hmm. Is the crock porous or does it have a crack or hard-to-reach area where there might be some mold hiding? You could sanitize it and see if that makes a difference.

What's going wrong with the crock? I've never found a difference wrt light so I'm intrigued.

Not to derail the thread, but can I just say how ridiculous it is that people are supposed to estimate damages on the spot in order to decide? I wonder how many people have thought something would cost a couple hundred and it was much more. And in my state the threshold for reporting has certainly not kept up with inflation, which leads people to think $500 much mean a fair amount of damage. I wish it the law was more for laypeople: more than one panel is affected, an airbag deployed, engine damage, a probable speed over 15mph, etc. I've never been the cause of an accident but I've been hit twice before and I call the police each time, once because it was obvious but also once because I had no idea how much it would cost.

I wanted to acknowledge your experience. I can certainly see how that must have been difficult. :grouphug:

If you think about it, the requirement of college admissions tests for publicly schooled students are a tacit admission that colleges do not trust the system. If they did, a grade would be enough. I'm curious if the students are surprised to find that out. Is it due to grade inflation in high school, then? Is it Glencoe? That's what our local school uses and I had the exact same thought while I perused DS's friend's textbook.

I agree it's a thread on the Chat board but I'll put forward that there's a gray area. Certainly things would be more clear if someone was speaking about political candidates, parties, legislation, urging others to take action/march/sign something etc. I honestly don't think it's an issue if someone is checking in about how her week went and then the remainder of her post is about more reading than anyone else has accomplished in the same time frame. And I agree with Jane that it's difficult to tell what is political. Could Jane's environmental work be considered political? Is Eliana's more "in your face" because there are videos, and that has a different effect on us than if she only wrote about her week? If Jane was confronted by authorities while doing her work and someone caught it on video and posted it would she be told she was being political? Right now the front page of Chat has a discussion about the terror attacks in NYC yesterday, a discussion on family size, and a thread about plastic in the ocean. All of these could rightfully be called political. I remember that rule came about because of an election and discussion about candidates and political parties, with a good measure of people accusing others of basically being heartless people if they didn't agree. None of which is what Eliana is doing. But really this entire thing feels hopeless because one of the difficult characteristics of BaW is to unceasingly continue as it has ever been without acknowledging issues people are having. The "like it or leave it" stance is always in evidence and while it's technically true we are all here voluntarily and can leave at anytime, it brings tears to my eyes that the cost of that stance is never openly discussed.

Eliana, I am so sorry to see you leave. I left for a period the last time things were made to look okay on the surface while things were otherwise in PMs. I don't like things happening behind the scenes unless both people wish it to be so, and I don't appreciate when one party publicly minimizes issues by telling everyone else that matters are being blown to of proportion. I check in much less than I used to because I myself have been wary of the unevenly applied codes of conduct. I agree with you that standards should not be secret and I will add that we should strive to make them consistent. That all of your bookish expertise and your warm personality will be gone from this thread over an issue such as this hurts my heart. What a loss for BaW. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Nearby in case of inclement weather you might enjoy the Cantor Arts Center on campus. You might enjoy Filoli. Although the gardens are at their best in the spring and summer, at this time of year they also have a holiday decor.

We talk with our friends who are enrolled in school. Not specifically about this topic, but what they're doing naturally comes up, plus I've tutored a few of them. We look at the materials on the web sites of local high-caliber private schools. I look over the released questions from our state exams. I don't give them to the kids but I make sure we would match the ones marked as "excellent" examples. But most I don't worry about it; I am comfortable with where we are at.

Yes, more or less. I haven't changed philosophies but I can say I have failed to meet my own expectations from time to time. But the philosophy remained the same.

No, just more self-important.

I'm a stickler about units too. DS has gotten used to it but DD still needs some reminders. My favorite (gentle) thing is to write in my own units for fun if they're forgotten. I've used quasars, llamas, steeples, blades of grass, etc.

It's usually not allowed. I have seen systems where people can pay their rent with a cc, but not mortgage. Our county allows credit cards for property taxes but adds the fee so one has to decide how badly they need/want the points.

Has anyone read Something Will Happen, You'll See? It's been on my shelves and DD9 for some reason has picked it up and started reading. I haven't read it yet and wondering if I need a heads-up on anything.

I finished The Burning Girl which was not very good. I kept on because it was easy and I kept hoping for an ending worthy of the foreshadowing in the opening, but it was not to be. I'm additionally disappointed because it was from my Powell's subscription and I'm surprised they thought it worthy of inclusion. Reading other reviews, I'm not the only one who thought it suffered from multiple problems, especially a strangely inconclusive ending and a voice that was too mature for that of a young teenage girl. Next up: Intrusion, which was mentioned a couple of threads a go as disturbing, so I thought October might be a good time. DH has also not read it and will be joining DS when he reads it laster this year. Congrats to all who have finished War and Peace! Rose, I'm happy to hear you are headed home. We are also hoping rain comes Thursday, esp to your area. :hurray: The 10yo might be ready for Lord of The Rings or you can do a softer start with The Hobbit first.

Keeping everyone in mind and hoping for the best. After DH's aunt died and I got a feel for all the persnickety details of dealing with things properly after a death (everything from properly disposing of medications to selling real estate!) I returned home and have been getting rid of stuff since, as have MIL and FIL. It's basically Konmari and I've been ruthless. Not only do I feel better, but it really feels as if I am in service to those who will have to deal with our belongings.

Rose, I'm so glad to hear your update. It's good you didn't bring any school stuff so you can just relax and spend time together. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: