I was just talking to my niece who is going to look into some rescue possibilities for me.

I'm in Georgia.

The thing about shelters is...well, they're shelters. They're not homes. It's a last resort. I can foster this dog for a little bit longer. I can vet potential owners. I can update his shots & get him fixed, but I do need to be reimbursed for those costs. I'm already covering his food (which he's getting extra special cause he's so thin), deworming, flea control and clothes(okay, one sweater, but I don't expect to recover that cost). If I end up surrendering him anyway, it's not worth it for me to try to get him fixed.

I have a beagle mix I rescued from the highway. He's microchipped, but not registered. I have made every possible attempt to find his owners and have had no luck. We cannot keep him. This is simply not an option. If he doesn't get adopted before Christmas, I'm surrendering him to the shelter. I'm hoping that someone will adopt him for their kid for Christmas--I know it's generally not recommended that you get a pet for Christmas, but it's better than the local shelter, which is not no-kill. And he's not a puppy nor in a fragile emotional state. This guy loves meeting new people and loves kids especially. I've already posted him up for adoption in various places, but not a single bite. I've attached a nominal adoption fee to him ($25) but I'd like to get him neutered and up the cost of the adoption to cover that cost. I can cover the cost via credit card, but it's got to get paid back. I can't just fork out $60-90 for this (and that's the low-cost neuter) and not recoup that cost. If I do this, would that make him more adoptable? Or am I shooting myself in the foot by upping the cost of his adoption? If I surrender him, they'll end up neutering him anyway.

I would guess that sharing it on social media would be a good way to show appreciation without actually having to purchase something.

Love this! (And I happen to love Amazon, too.)

I don't particularly like the typical reusable bags that are sold in stores around here, either. My favorites are the canvas bags, and the mesh/string bags. Both are machine washable (at least, the ones I have are, but I don't put them in the dryer because I'm afraid they might shrink). I really like the string bags because they take up so much less room for storage and really expand, but you do have to be careful not to put something like eyeliner or lipstick in them (depending on the size of the mesh), but anything that small can usually be put in my purse.

Based on the information I can find, that is correct. It's just the single-use, carry out bags that apply.

This is one of those things that really bothered me when I was working in a grocery store. The bags were awful. We would often use more bags then necessary to prevent them from breaking open and spilling customers' items. We'd often have to toss whole boxes or reams of bags into recycling because they were messed up. We'd end up with lose bags that wouldn't come apart, and in the rush of getting customer's things bagged, we'd just stuff them aside. Then, we'd end up with bags stuffed full of other bags that (hopefully) went into recycling. But I know many cashiers and baggers who didn't take the time to put the faulty bags into recycling. They just threw them away. They would get in trouble if their registers were messy, or if they weren't at their register, and lose bags were always contributory to messy registers. *sigh*

California just became the first state to ban plastic grocery bags. It appears to have been a pretty close vote: 52% to 48%. Thoughts? If you live in California, do you like this? If you don't, do you wish your state would adopt such a measure? Truthfully, I despise plastic bags, and I wish they would be banned in my state, too. I used to be ambivalent to them, until I worked in a grocery store. I came to absolutely hate them. I know some people recycle them. If I end up with some (and I do), I recycle them myself, but they just cause sooo much waste!

Mom of 8 paws, I agree w/ you. I didn't intend to for this thread to apply to your situation specifically. It was more thoughts based on some of the replies, ones that reminded me of my exchange w/ my MIL. Sorry if I caused offense.

Self-checkouts are a progression of technology. Having worked them myself as a cashier, I don't think they don't take the place of cashiers. They just offer an alternative. You wouldn't have more cashiers working if you didn't have self-checkouts. You'd just have longer lines. I do think they're a source of loss for stores. People who shoplift take advantage of them. Individuals will swap things out. They'll also tag-team. One or two keep the cashier distracted while another seemingly innocently checks out, while bagging stuff they haven't paid for or swapping out items or whatever. People will scan and bag all their items, then just leave without paying for it, and if the cashier is busy with 3 other people, she won't notice in time to stop them. I don't really see them being that beneficial for stores. But I'll use whatever is the easiest way to get out of the store. If I have only a handful of items, that generally means self-checkout.

I'll also say that I have been known to assign chores to address laziness. I've been making my younger boys scrub the bathrooms because they can't seem to take the time to aim. If my dd was bad about not wrapping her feminine products or being completely lazy wrt that time of month, I'd have her doing the appropriate chore(s), too.

I get that general if-you-make-a-mess-you-clean-it-up thing. I'm just thinking that if it's already a person's assigned chore, then you have to do it even if it makes you squeamish. If it's not an assigned chore, then it's a different scenario, IMO.

Clarification -- that pad I left under the sink, that was a NEW, UNUSED pad! LOL I wasn't leaving trash under the sink.

I've had lots of fever viruses. Kid spikes a fever. Doesn't show many other symptoms. Treat the fever, and it usually goes away fairly quickly. That is NOT what you described! :mad: Maybe she did have a virus, but it sounds more like stomach virus at the least, and not a "fever virus," which is completely different, and they should've known that and handled it differently. So, yeah, vent away! :grouphug: Is your dd feeling better today?

So the other thread talking about adult children and cleaning, etc. had a few comments about not making the boys clean up after the girls' monthly trash. Now, I inferred that they otherwise took out the trash...so WHY wouldn't you make the boy take it out during that time of the month? Even if it is overflowing. So what? Maybe I misread and maybe it was the girls job to do it anyway. But I've noticed that some feel the need to protect boys from the reality of menstruation, and I always wonder why, in the 21st century, that would be the case. My MIL is like that. She couldn't handle my leaving one pad (unwrapped, of course) in the cabinet under the sink because her SIL (a grown man, married and a father) might open the cabinet and see it. Completely baffled me. But I'm of another generation and another culture, and it was her house, so whatever. Not a big deal. But I guess that's what made me think about it and decide to ask what I'm missing.

Yep, Shepherd's Pie around here is usually made with ground beef. My recipe: Brown the beef. Drain fat. Add butter, fresh garlic, frozen cajun mirepioux blend (onions, peppers & celery) and cook until the veggies are hot. Add beef base and some flour to make a nice roux. Once I've got the roux done, add some more water and then pour that in a casserole dish. Top w/ frozen mixed veggies. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and salt. Top the veggies w/ mashed potatoes and then shredded cheese. Bake until bubbly around the edges. Super easy. Super good. ETA: I like to keep it easy, and I hate over-cooked vegetables so I don't cook the frozen mixed veggies first. I just add them and let them cook in the oven.

This is what I was going to say. My oldest has graduated but is still at home. I told him he was an adult and should expect to be treated like that. I wouldn't treat him like a kid w/ chores and curfews, etc., but he had to take some adult responsibilities in return. He could work it off or pay it off. He chose work it off...but then didn't do it. I warned him that if it wasn't done by a specific date, I was going to hire someone else to do it. I also warned him that I was going to treat him like an adult and not harp on him, so don't expect reminders. He didn't get it done. So, I told his brother to do it and then billed him. I really expected him to fuss and complain when I gave him a printed invoice, but he just opened up his wallet and handed me the cash. Your dd is working, she can afford a small amount to pay for cleaning. Either pay it to a sibling, or hire someone to come in and clean. On top of that, she may find that it is worth $100/month or whatever to pay to have a clean environment to live in. I have found that when dealing with mental problems, even small things like keeping a clean room can be huge drains. As for the dating trouble, all I can offer is :grouphug: .

No empty stomach. Peppermints. Dramamine. If not driving, at least sitting up front.

:smilielol5: :smilielol5: :smilielol5:

Yes, we've had to do that, too. It does help, especially (like at my MIL's) where there is only one bathroom. But if people are going to be harassed regardless, they're not likely to give forewarning, because, what's the point? It's like asking people come bother you.

Bought a brand-new pack of safety pins yesterday just for this. The best part of this is that anyone can do this regardless of what they believe! Because it's not about agreeing with views, lifestyles or religion, it's about believing that all people should be treated with respect and compassion.

Oh, and you want to know what's really ironic? I have had this speech with my dh--the WORST at bathroom time--more than once because his sons follow in his footsteps AND HE CAN'T STAND IT! :lol: :lol: :lol: I intervene every time he wants to bug one the boys about their time....he simply has NO room to talk. :smilielol5: