Is this better or worse than the siccing armadillos I envisioned? I'm sorry. :grouphug:

I'm not sure that is a done deal. Some if us are urging her to. Unless I missed something.

Looks like it's just making landfall. Wishing for mercy.

I missed the update as well. I agree with Garga. I'm glad you're talking to the neighbor but one reason to involve a lawyer is to try and get them to stop doing it to the records of everyone who homeschools, not just your record.

I think that's unrelated, but if the remnants of Patricia mix with your current system it'll be a bad thing.

:grouphug: I hope you didn't think I was implying it was easy. I was speaking to how people who have money get better deals than people who actually need good deals even more. That's true all over, whether it's higher quality shoes, freebies, lower insurance premiums for paying the year in advance, better banking rates/fees, buying in bulk, getting monthly transit passes instead of paying by the ride, etc. :(

Here's a picture of current Sea Surface Temperature (SST) anomalies, in degrees. You can see how hot the ocean is in the area where Patricia developed.

You know the old adage about how it's cheaper to buy one pair of $100 shoes and wear them for 5 years than it is to buy a $40 pair of shoes each year for 5 years? That's how I think of high deductible plans. If you're well off enough to be able to save for the high deductible, you'll generally come out ahead, while people who can only afford to pay small co-pays here and there pay more overall.

I'm following this one very closely too. What's really scary is that 2 days ago it was a tropical storm. That's how much heat energy is currently stored in the Pacific from the El Nino pattern and other factors.

Well my personal opinion is that he's either double-rented the place, is letting a family member stay there on your dime, or is using the time you're still paying to make some repairs/upgrades without losing rent, but I don't think you can do anything about that from 10 hours away. It sounds like you've done all you could and possibly he met his legal obligation by talking to potential renters. He's not under any obligation to take them, though. Do you know anyone in your old town who can drive by and take a look?

I would be concerned and take the baby to the doctor. And I agree with those who said to remove the walker. :grouphug:

Without the blood transfusions, it could take a few months. By blood count are you talking about hemoglobin? Did you get a hematocrit number? 10.5 was already low if that was your hemoglobin pre-delivery. Ideally you'd want it around 14. You should find out why it was so low to begin with and that could help you figure out what to do. For example, if you carry thalassemia trait, a common reason for low hemoglobin, it will be very difficult for you to come back without the transfusions as iron supplements don't work in that case.

There was one pretty sad scene towards the end of the book. I can PM you details if you want. There are some skirmishes with poachers but the content is more about figuring out how they are getting on the reserve and who is helping them in the group, not so much about actual poaching.

I looked into it some more and there is a line they make in the U.S.A. but of imported yarns. I don't know if you might have more luck with those.

When I read it around 8th grade my perception was that of a scary fantastical story, but as an adult I can imagine it as someone's actual mental state! Turns out this is much worse.

MBL playoffs has lead to the Kansas City Library sending a message to the Toronto Library, using book titles: https://twitter.com/KCLibrary/status/656619363257028608 and from the other side: https://twitter.com/torontolibrary/status/656971851009282048

Per the thread title, I found a few minutes to read The Tell-Tale Heart. Definitely creepier than I remembered!

I'm also a night owl. How old are your kids? I just suffered with lack of sleep until mine got old enough (and trained enough) to do their morning chores, clean their rooms, brush their teeth, make and eat breakfast, and clear the table before I get up. That bought me another hour or so. While I'm up late I take a shower, do dishes, etc and whatever else I can do so that once I wake up I can hit the ground running in 15 minutes. I have gone through various times of going to bed just 15 minutes earlier for a week and then moving it back again and gaining another hour that way in a month. I genuinely don't think I could move it back too far. Even when I'm exhausted or sick I can't sleep at 10:00p. On the other hand, every year we do Earth Hour and with no lights on from 8:30-9:30 that night I do get sleepier. I think some people are more sensitive to lights than others. Do you use f.lux? It removes daytime light frequencies from your computer screen as the evening goes on. I think it helps. ETA: I forgot about sleepyti.me. It tells you what time to wake up based on what time you go to bed. Sometimes less sleep actually leaves you feeling better if you wake up at the correct time in your sleep cycle.

Wow, just when I thought I had heard everything. Is this true in CA, anyone know?

Wow, I am genuinely shocked! Please update after the nurse talks to the doctor, if you feel comfortable. I would definitely be notifying my insurance company, the state medical board, and the highest of the higher ups at the medical org.

I'll certainly defer to you. I'm not very hard on socks so it's rare for me to wear them all the way out. :)

Thanks. I'll look into it. :) Hmm. Turquoise could be really beautiful. The right turquoise. I think lighter would look better with black than darker. I haven't decided weather to finish it or not. Part of me likes the idea of letting it wear and blend into the garden as if it's been there a long time, part of me wants to protect it. It's a fairly old bench already but the previous tenants didn't want it and left it behind when they moved so I don't know how old. I read so many non-wax options for finishing I'm a bit overwhelmed. Do you have something you recommend? Thanks for confirming black and Arles together!

I loved The Elephant Whisperer.

Thanks. The backdrop will be a naturally brown wood fence that's weathered, CA native plants, and some raised bed planters with veggies. The house is currently tan and brown, but we're repainting next year and haven't thought much about colors. I see what you mean about fun detail (which is what I want) vs. focal point. The Primer Red seems to be toned down compared to the Emperor. I think I would feel more confident if I were better with colors. I'm more willing if I'm leaving the cast iron black and just picking one color for the wood, vs. making a color for the wood and a contrasting color for the metal. I'll look into it again!