:grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: I'm so sorry. It must be such a shock.

I did, which is interesting to me because I usually resist ideas such as cleaning a specific room on a particular day each week. I found myself wanting to join them for breakfast in the garden, or for tea in the afternoon. I think that was a deliberate move on Jackson's part, and in a way the story was more creepy because of it. I could see an alternative lifetime in which this was really a wonderful way to live, without the dark undercurrent. It reminded me a lot of Grey Gardens, the documentary about Jackie Kennedy's two cousins who lived a reclusive life in a house in the Hamptons.

I would stop the WWE until after the evals, or if you're going to move ahead until then, I would give him the rest of the sentence if he needs it. It sounds like he still needs a lot of scaffolding. Have you watched Susan Bauer give her son dictation? You can see how much she supports him even though he is 14 at the time. (The video is review for him. If I recall correctly she felt he needed a brush-up.) I used to be much more rigid about WWE before I saw this video, and it helped me become more flexible. Eventually my son was able to hold longer sentences and even paragraphs. Here's a link. I agree with those who've mentioned anxiety and perfectionism as well.

Nina Simone - Sinnerman KD Lang (one of my favorite singers), Loreta Lynn, Brenda Lee, and Kitty Wells Bonus KD Lang singing Crying by Roy Orbison (not as rare or little known, but I love her voice) Great surf music playlist

Congratulations!!! :party:

We like the Andrew Lang version, but we're partial to his fairy tale books as well. We like this is 1962 hardcover, but there are reprints as well.

My favorite book about compassion for animals is A Mouse to Be Free. It was my favorite as a child when I was about that age. It's out of print but I've seen it in quite a few libraries.

The advice I think would vary with a person's situation. Because you don't have debt, are saving for retirement, and could save for your kids' college, my advice would be to have money automatically transferred to those accounts plus a savings account (or money market) without ever even touching it. Just an auto-transfer as paychecks come in. Over time, don't allow "lifestyle creep" and as your DH gets pay increases, just add the extra to the transfer. Then enjoy what you have after the necessities are paid. I also suggest a monthly financial discussion with your DH. The last Sunday of the month, for the upcoming month's unusual expenses, and an "autopsy" of the current month works well.

Congratulations! And those cheeks....my goodness.

Hanna Andersson is expensive, but often much cheaper on eBay. HA sizes by height in cm. When my DS was 11 he wore a size 140. Size chart This stuff lasts forever. My DD has worn DS's old clothes and passed them onto my nieces as well. I just got a perfect HA sweater for $7.99 on eBay last month.

This is a very important point. My parents came to this country ~50 years ago and eventually lived in a small town in the same state you live in, and they managed to get along with people just fine. They spent at least a decade without seeing anyone else from their own (extremely homogenous) country, but somehow they managed to get along with others. They made lifelong friends, received advanced degrees, and went on to have successful careers.

I would not be offended if someone approached me because of my cultural background because they were interested in some aspect of that culture: lifestyle, food, religion, clothing, language, etc. ("Can you teach me how to make this dish?" "Can I practice conversation in your language with you?") I would be offended if a mother tried to set up a false situation for her child to spend time with me based on the color of my skin. It would feel like I was a checkbox item, although I would sympathize with the child.

:grouphug: I hate to pile on, but you might want to check the connection between your roof and the flashing in the first picture. I'm glad the other realtor is stepping in, but I'm also concerned the roofer is getting away with something.

Seconding those who say to research the pattern before selling. Some patterns are quite a bit more valuable than others, depending on how rare they are and how many people are on the lookout for that pattern. Others are somewhat generic. It also depends on how well the set has been cared for, whether it's sterling or silverplate, how complete it is, and where it was made. (Check the back with a magnifying glass. Sometimes English silver has a lion instead of saying it "England" on it.) Often the butter knives will have a stainless blade even if the handle is silver, check that too.

Jane, I love the photos! Thank you for sharing. I'm hoping to see more when you get a chance. Welp, I'm exhausted this morning and it's BaW's fault. ;) I could not stop reading We Have Always Lived In the Castle, which I started yesterday morning. Between other duties, a DH who left town yesterday, and my tendency to read slowly and re-read passages I like several times, I didn't finish until 2:00 am. I really loved this work, and it was, to my view, a perfectly crafted piece of fiction. The details, the tension, and the confusion all worked together. I could not find an extra sentence or piece of information that didn't fit seamlessly into the picture painted by Jackson. I was already thinking it was surprising I hadn't read it sooner, as The Lottery is one of my favorite pieces for the same reasons: a certain tautness and Jackson's ability to paint a detailed picture without making you think she's included too much detail. Certainly she includes a lot, but it never feels like it because it's so interesting to take it all in and the pieces fit so well.

I am gobsmacked.

Our homeschooling group is far less diverse than our region. (I'm not white, but most of our group is.) We've had discussions about it, and whether the group gives off a vibe that's not inclusive, or if it's part of a larger picture that's beyond our little circle. The first black family in the group left after claiming racism, but the problem genuinely was an out of control child who was violent and radically unschooled, with a mom who refused to discipline him whatsoever, but was also unwilling to allow him to experience the "natural consequence" of being punched in the face in return. :001_rolleyes: The person who finally stood up to the mother had to overcome the fear of rocking the boat, only to be screamed at for her white privilege, although she's less privileged in some ways than the mother of the violent child. That situation was difficult for everyone. :(

Ugh, this is so awful. I'm sorry. Lots of good advice already. :grouphug:

Yeah, I still have 4 I have a question mark near. I'm pretty well-decided, but will continue to research those 4 and watch for more letters in the paper to see what viewpoints I can find. I found ballotpedia to be easier to use than the state web site.

We spent 4 hours going through stuff this weekend (CA) and that was only for things we were undecided on. (Work included reading legislation, pro and con arguments, endorsements, letters to the paper, etc) It was lots of work and it's not done yet.

I've been reading Hawaii and doing all sorts of rabbit trails for it, still. I found out someone I know is a descendent of the actual missionary the main character is based upon, and they showed me some heirlooms! I also started Neufeld's Hold On to Your Kids. Turns out I was mistaken when I posted last week about our library book sale. It was Friday and DH was still in town, so we had a wonderful time and found some really good materials. My favorite item was a full set of World's Famous Orations, edited by William Jennings Bryan and published in 1906. I also got a copy of The Math Book, which is a beautiful book covering 250 milestones in math history. I also picked up a copy of Michener's Mexico so I guess I'm going on a Michener streak after buying Alaska last week! My son loved these books so much and I read them as well. There's also a puzzle book! I'm going to start this later today. Its' a nice (rare for October) rainy Sunday here. Earlier this year I tried to apply a 30% discount code and it wouldn't apply for the OUP books I wanted. I phoned customer support and the rep explained that it wasn't applicable to books that started with a particular number. I expressed disappointment, mentioning how much I wanted them for my kids, explaining that I homeschool. Turns out her daughter homeschools her grandchildren, she thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread but agrees it can be expensive, and she tried code after code until she found one that gave me 50% off! Instead of my original 6 books, I ended up buying 11. :D

Lots of good advice here. I'll just add that if there's a way for him to get 15-20 minutes of exercise before school that could help, not just with getting blood flowing, but also until this problem with not getting recess is resolved. It doesn't help with the social issue, but at least it may have an impact of him getting some movement in the morning.

I would still approach him. Who knows how the other neighbor's attitude was when they spoke? If you can be very friendly and open, and maybe not even bring up the parking just yet, perhaps you'll extend a line to him he can grab at some point in the future.

Meeting with the neighbors to sort it out, or just let it go. I don;t understand how the new people would understand where everyone parks traditionally without having it gently explained to them. But I have a tendency to get irritated with people who think they "own" spots that aren't really theirs. (Like people who complain you parked on the street in front of their house where they usually park.)

Just seeing this. Wow, what a tough time you've had. I'm glad you're home and are on the way to being better. :grouphug: