Not sure how the rest of the week will go for me...we are off to see the in laws and will be out of town until Thursday night. I always have good intentions but you know how that goes. I walked this morning though. The dog training on the leash is going very well. 10.11 1.5 miles 10.12 & 10.13 I am not sure of the distance or time but I spent some time walking up & down hills at the IL's 10.14 If the dirt road dries out some today I will take the puppy for a walk uphill again.

The smokey mtns in TN, NC, & VA are beautiful this time of year. There are lots of B&B's and there are lots of places to get fresh apples and cider.

Tamara, I am so sorry you are having to go through this. I do hope that you will get your dog back. :grouphug:

I don't know where you are in TX but North Padre Island is incredible, it is quite and not highly populated. You can drive on the beach with 4 wheel drive at least I assume that is still the case. The riverwalk in San Antonio is also really nice.

I pm'd you.

I think you did the right thing in admitting you were wrong to your son. Many times I will give someone something, unless I am sure that I am being scammed. There is no need to explain to anyone why you won't give them money. Just say no, not today.

I agree with calling the police or a lawyer. I will also recommend a tri tronics remote training collar. I know that will not be a popular thing on this site, but I will assure you if used right your dog won't continue to run off. We had a huskey that was the same way about escaping. He would go out and chase livestock in TX which was going to get him killed. It didn't take long for the collar to work. If you have questions feel free to pm me.

If you are in Lyme country I would ask them to test the pup and if the pup is positive start it on antibiotics for a few months. It is pretty nasty and not something that you want to mess with.

Siv is how I have said it and how my profs in my college soils class said it.

Oil and gas work is pretty slow in the US right now. The only potential work that I have heard of will be in Alaska if they ever move forward with the natural gas line. Then there will be tons of that type work. I keep hearing engineering might start up for that at the first of the year. I wouldn't hold my breath though b/c there is alot of politics being played with that. Current work seems to mostly be in the nuclear industry right now. That is what dh is looking for and getting leads on.

Enjoy, It is alot of work but it turns out really good.

I've done an ace bandage, ice on the wrist and either advil or tylenol. I am not sure about the carpel tunnel support.

I used fresh pumpkin to make pie a couple of years ago. I don't remember how many it made, but here is the recipe I found online and used. I am pretty sure I cooked the pumpkin using the microwave method. That is how I do spaghetti squash as well. Wash the exterior of the pumpkin in cool or warm water, no soap. Cut the pumpkin in half. A serrated knife and a sawing motion works best - a smooth knife is more likely to slip and hurt you! Step 3 - Scoop out the seeds... And scrape the insides. You want to get out that stringy, dangly stuff that coats the inside surface. I find a heavy ice cream scoop works great for this. Step 4 - Cooking the pumpkin There are several ways to cook the pumpkin; just choose use your preferred method. Most people have microwaves and a stove, so I'll describe both of those methods here. But others make good arguments in favor of using a pressure cooker or baking in the oven. At the end of this document, I’ve included alternative instructions to replace step 4, if you’d rather use a different method. Method 1 - Put it in a microwaveable bowl Remove the stem, and put the pumpkin into a microwaveable. You may need to cut the pumpkin further to make it fit. The fewer the number of pieces, the easier it will to scoop out the cooked pumpkin afterwards. Put a couple of inches of water in the bowl, cover it, and put in the microwave. Method 2 - Steam on the stovetop You can also cook it on the stovetop; it takes about the same length of time in a steamer (20 to 30 minutes). I use a double pot steamer, but you could use an ordinary large pot with a steamer basket inside it!: Method 3 - bake in the oven I'm testing this one right now. Basically, you cut and scoop out the pumpkin as for the other methods, place it into a covered oven container, and bake at 350 F for 90 minutes or until soft. Method 3 - Bake in the oven You can also bake the prepared pumpkin in the oven, just like a butternut squash. This method takes the longest. Just put the prepared pumpkin in an ovenproof container (with a lid), and pop it in an 350 F (200 C) oven. It normally takes about 45 minutes to an hour and a half (it can vary a lot!); just test it periodically by sticking it with a fork to see if it is soft! Step 5 - Cook the pumpkin until soft Either way, cook for 15 minutes on high, check to see if it is soft, then repeat in smaller increments of time until it is soft enough to scoop the innards out. Normally it takes 20 or 30 minutes in total. Step 6 - Scoop out the cooked pumpkin Whether you cook the pumpkin on the stove, microwave, or even the oven, once it is cooked until it is soft, it is easy to scoop out the guts with a broad, smooth spoon, (such as a tablespoon). Use the spoon to gently lift and scoop the cooked pumpkin out of the skin. It should separate easily an in fairly large chucks, if the pumpkin is cooked enough. Many times the skin or rind will simply lift off with your fingers (see the photo at left) . I'll bet you didn't realize making your own pumpkin glop... err, "puree" was this easy! Note: there are many varieties of pumpkin and some make better pies that other (due to sugar content, flavor, texture and water content. Drier, sweeter, fine-grained pies; the small (8" across) ones called "pie pumpkins" are best. Watery pumpkin? If your pumpkin puree has standing, free water, you may want to let it sit for 30 minutes and then pour off any free water. That will help prevent you pie from being too watery! Beyond, that, I have not found that the water makes a difference - I wouldn't be TOO concerned about it! Step 7 - Puree the pumpkin To get a nice, smooth consistency, I use a Pillsbury hand blender. By blending it, you give the pie a smooth, satiny texture; rather than the rough graininess that is typical of cooked squashes. A regular blender works, too (unless you made a few frozen daiquiris and drank them first..). Or a food processor or even just a hand mixer with time and patience. With the hand blender, it just takes 2 or 3 minutes! For the pie 1 1/2 cup fresh cooked pureed pumpkin 2 eggs 3/4 cups sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp cloves Blend all of that together and add 1/2 cup evaporated milk. Bake in a 9" unbaked pie shell at 450 deg for 15 min., then reduce to 350 deg for 45 min. Cool and top with whip cream. ETA: Sorry the numbering of the steps is strange I only cut and paste the needed info for the pumpkin.

What about some sort of activity that she would enjoy doing. A camping trip, going to see a play, something to make a memory rather than a toy. I have always hated when people ask me what I want. We generally only exchange gifts with parents and siblings. I would much rather them put a little thought into what I would like and it be a surprise. I wasn't this way before I got married, but after 15 years of marriage, I expect my MIL will be asking what I want for Christmas within the next week and will do so every time I talk to her between now and Christmas.:tongue_smilie: Sorry I went a little I went a little off topic.

I didn't walk yesterday due to going to see friends out of town and wanting to get an early start and returning home late. It was a long walk this morning...I guess missing a day really makes a difference at times.

:iagree: Read about the fair tax. I don't remember the % but it would replace all other federal taxes.

Just looked it up on line...hawks, owls, wild pigs kill the norther copperhead. I assume that would kill a NC copperhead too.

I suggested last night that when dh is talking to my MIL on skype that I would prefer to be doing something in another room. She has been getting on my nerves pretty bad over the last several months. It does take a little getting used too. DH can't roll his eyes at his dm because she might be able to see him even if he can't see her on the screen. I really do like it though because the grandparents can see their new grandbaby more often.

We have a junk e-mail acct. that we don't download into mac mail. Every now and then we have to sign up to get access to something and will use this e-mail. Occasionally we need to check it if they want to confirm the e-mail address before letting us log in. My dh is planning on setting up an e-mail acct. for my IL's who are having problems with AOL.

We had a problem 1 time with someone breaking our password. Bluehost was great about working with us to get it straightened out. We do have all of our e-mail set up to download into the Mail program on the Mac which is similar to Microsoft Outlook. You can set up spam folders and so forth there as well.

My pup is always ready and waiting...I don't get that excuse.:lol::lol::lol:

We pay for bluehost which allows us as many e-mail addresses as we want and a website.

I am not going to be friends with everyone that I come across and yes sometimes that decision is made in a split second and sometime that decision is made over weeks, months or even years. I also will not allow my child to be friends with everyone that they come across. Parents have a responsibility to set the standards for what is acceptable to their family. After rereading the comments by the op in the other thread, I am still assuming that the son has not been asked to leave the church. (Maybe that is an incorrect assumption.) That would be a much different scenario. The mother had discussed with the son that some of the decisions would likely cause negative consequences. They both knew that some people would not approve of these choices, yet they make them anyway. They are free to make any choices that they want to as long as it is legal...but others are free to say these are bad choices and we don't find it suitable for our children to be friends with them because of it. Why be mad at people (especially Christians in this case) for having their standards for their families? I would expect that people would be polite and friendly to people at church. I would expect that people would pray with him, teach him, and help him out when needed. That doesn't mean that they will allow him to hang out with their kids on a Saturday afternoon to play video games or listen to music.

I was grocery shopping in Kroger today, which I haven't been near a Kroger for awhile. They had Kroger brand soy sauce (cheap) that didn't have wheat in the ingredients and it is made in the US. We tried La Choy for awhile and my dh still had reactions to it. We are looking forward to trying this and hopefully he won't react to it.:)

I'll just edit my original post for my walking updates but join the chating in reply. 10/4 2 miles with the puppy. Only a little drizzle this morning. 10/5 1.5 miles with the puppy. Nice cool fall day with a beautiful blue sky. 10/6 No walk 10/7 1.5 miles with the puppy and dd.