I am closer with my high school friends than any other group of school friends. But it was a unique high school, kind of Hogwarts meets the Island of Misfit Toys. The enrollment was 122 students the year I graduated, there were boarding as well as day students, and the place was pretty much a second home to all of us. It closed in the 1980s. Recently, I just moved within 1 minute of one high school friend and we walk together three nights a week. Additionally, I keep weekly phone/email contact with about five other friends and casual contact with about ten more on a monthly basis. I am also one of the reunion coordinators. We have reunions every 5 years for anyone who ever taught, went to, or graduated from the school. New friendships have started from those reunions. We have been told by spouses that they prefer going to our high school reunions rather than their own. The type of student the school attracted and the freedom we had on campus and in class, I think was the key to this successful friendship formula. Contrast this with my "fancy", staid, liberal arts college with a very conventional, suburban, upper-middle to upper class population of students. There I did find a husband (who interestingly went to a similar high school as I did and is still friends with his high school friends), but otherwise the place was a desert of friendship potential for me (and I would never go to a reunion there).

My son got the same woman twice. He said that from the moment she got in the car her vibe was condescending and negative. He failed the first time (he was making a three point turn and someone came out of their driveway and drove right behind him as he was turning), and came home really shaken, more about the attitude of the tester than the "mistake". The next time he went up, he got the same tester! He immediately got flustered and made a small mistake before getting out of the parking lot. The driving instructor told us that this woman had a bad reputation with the driving schools and she failed many more kids than other testers, so we should go to another town to avoid any chance of getting that same woman again. We drove 30 minutes to another town and the guy put him immediately at ease and he passed the test. My son said the woman had so reminded him of the discouraging, condescending, angry math teacher he had once had and that he would have never passed if she was the only driving instructor in the state.

The DMV in NY and I are old enemies. I have easily spent 5 hours at a time in several DMV offices there, once I had to go back three times for a car registration, another I had to go back three times for a driver's license. I have literally had nightmares about the place. My husband thought I was overreacting until he had to go register the car that was only in his name. He came back sooo apologetic. When we moved back to Maine this summer, my town office handled the car registrations so only the driver's licenses were left for us to get. At the time (a month or two ago) the Topsham BMV was making appointments to switch an out of state license for a Maine one. Appointments were for 15 minute increments. I had the first appointment of the day. I went in, handed them the proofs and showed them my NY license and was out in 15 minutes! It was joyful, almost unbelievable experience. But my son and husband procrastinated. Now they are not taking appointments at most BMV locations and from Zebra's descriptions they might have to wait in lines for hours in a pandemic. My husband can fend for himself. I told him to make an appointment back then and he didn't. But my son has Asperger's and I know standing outside in the sun with potentially infected folks is going to cause a problem for him. I can't see any reason the 15 minute appointment system wasn't workable. They aren't doing REAL IDs right now, so just a few proofs needed. (This does of course mean in the future I am going to have to go back with the 50,000 proofs needed for a REAL ID... shudder.) Of course, taking a road test and a getting a first license is more involved, but still. I am so sorry you had that experience. I won't post it because it has a celebrity in it, but look up the meme "The Stages of Waiting at the DMV presented by Leonardo DiCaprio." It captures the pain perfectly. (Warning: there is foul language.)

I am going to be a killjoy and ask you to read up about the negative effects of landscape lighting on the health of the trees and on insects. For something that you are going to mostly sleep through, it seems to me at the very least unkind to the creatures in your neighborhood. These resources are from Perdue University and Smithsonian Magazine. There are tons of articles by landscape lighting companies saying the opposite, but one must question the source. https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/fnr/fnr-faq-17.pdf https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/light-pollution-contributes-insect-apocalypse-180973642/

I second the Clarifying shampoo.

An inexpensive shampoo scrubber like one of these helped my son. He wasn't really getting the shampoo down to the roots (long hair). https://www.amazon.com/Bossman-Shampoo-Scalp-Massage-Shower/dp/B07MTPJZL9/ref=sr_1_36?dchild=1&keywords=head+scrubber&qid=1598293960&sr=8-36 https://www.amazon.com/Dandruff-Cleaning-Shower-Shampoo-Massager/dp/B0837WMC5X/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=head+scrubber&qid=1598293867&sr=8-10

I kept chickens in a place where it got down to twenty below zero, but never sixty below zero! We did lose two to the cold (the two that always refused to remain in the glow of the heat lamp). I am not sure it could be done without heat. That being said, the risk of a coop heaters and heat lamps burning down your barn is real as well. There are breeds of chickens that are more cold tolerant than others. You could research the most cold tolerant of all, and renovate your coop to local conditions. Remember, chickens need good ventilation even in the winter. And if confined for long periods of time over the winter, they appreciate windows with natural light. Here is one link to cold tolerant chickens, but it might mean New England cold--not, say, Nunavut Territory cold. https://www.thecapecoop.com/6-chicken-breeds-perfect-for-cold-climates-and-2-that-are-not/ Here is a chicken blog from Alaska: https://akchickens.org/getting-started/recommended-breeds/

The only reason I am on FB is high school friends. I am 51. That is the only way they communicate. There is even a FB page for our high school. You could try contacting the reunion coordinators for your high school class.

The moth is actually a skipper butterfly. Not sure which exact skipper species. They hold their wings in this odd position when settled.

Mine really liked pumpkins and squash, halved. I saw them kill a chipmunk and eat it. They really are tiny bloodthirsty dinosaurs.

Mindless eating. A bad thing for people who want to lose weight. A good thing for those who want to gain! Set the child down in front of a video (if you allow videos) and a few moments later put a bowl of tasty food in his/her lap. Most kids will just start eating, mindlessly. It worked with my kids for getting them to eat vegetables.

I am going to the grocery store a little more frequently (was going every 14 days and now every 7), and we moved... so there's that big one. But the overwhelming feeling of fear (and one minor panic attack) I had going to the grocery store in March and April is gone. The That doesn't mean I think I am at any less risk, in fact probably more as COVID is transmitted to new areas. We lived through the daily doctor's updates on my BIL and every horrible symptom and suffering he went through while in the hospital with COVID. So we know how bad it can get. So you'd think I would be still just as panicky, but I am careful but calm. Not sure how that happened mentally. Maybe some kind of fear fatigue? Can't sustain that level of alertness for months?

My brother-in-law was hospitalized with COVID for 87 days, on a ventilator and ECMO machine for all but the last 3 weeks of that. His heart stopped twice during that time. He is home now, unbelievably weak, short of breath, has nerve damage in his foot, he may have lost some of his fingertips to micro-clots, and has bedsores the size of oranges on his back. He is really lucky to be alive. He was the sickest patient in the ward and his is relatively young with only being overweight as a risk factor. Thankfully he was in a world-class hospital. Also a friend's mother (in her late 70s) died of it and an older acquaintance of ours (in her 80s) passed away from it. All were in the same city, but did not know each other. We came back from New Orleans in February and had something COVID-like in late Feb-March, but there were no tests available then so I am forced to assume that it was the other virus that was going around (even though Mardi Gras was a definite spreading event) and continue to take great precautions.

Unlikely, but worth checking. You mentioned that protein was not a problem. Is she getting a lot of her protein from fish (tuna, sushi, etc.)? High mercury levels resulting through the excessive consumption of some fish have been found to result in hair loss. https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/485749

I actually wrote my master's thesis on the differing home ranges of boys and girls and how they'd shrunk between the 1960s and 1990s. It was so long ago I wrote it that I can't remember the precise details, but while children could range unsupervised from their homes (in town and in the country) for a much larger distance in the 1960s than in the 1990s, in both time periods girls had a much smaller home range, about half that of boys. This significantly impacts their overall sense of safety (past these limits there be dragons!) and limits their life experiences compared to boys. While I would never go on the water alone, I am quite comfortable being in the woods alone. A lot of this is due to being raised in an eastern, rural state with few people and very little crime. Also I was of the generation that parents shooed out the door until lunch and then again not to come back until dinner. Often I was outdoors with my sister or friends, but just as often I would walk the wooded paths on our property alone or with our dog and sit under a big pine for an hour or so. I became less comfortable walking alone in some places we lived in the mid-Atlantic because the population and crime rates were higher. In these areas, I usually go hiking with friends. Definitely, as someone mentioned, near the trailhead/parking area seems to be the place where there can be people "just hanging out" and not actually hiking, once you are in the actual woods there are few people and most of them are polite hikers. (Though I have never lived in a town where illegal pot farms are on state land or other drug smuggling activity is taking place in the wilderness. If there were that kind of risk, I wouldn't even go there with other people.) I live in the northeast and don't worry too much about wildlife. Black bear attacks are rare. The two black bears I have seen on the trail have just run off. A moose in rut could be dangerous, but I never see moose when I am trying to see moose in moose heavy areas, so I don't think I have much to worry about there. Cougars may be silently returning to the east and Mid-Atlantic, and a proven viable local population of those would deter me as would grizzlies. So location is a factor in feeling safe. To feel safe in terms of being prepared: I'll take a walk with just a jacket and water and my phone, but for an actual solo day hike (2+ hrs) I bring my phone, hiking poles, a backpack with food, water, change of clothes and extra layers, first aid kit including supplies for twisted ankle, walkie talkie and extra batteries (husband has the other and if they were searching he would bring it if no cell signal), fire-making supplies, one of those metallic emergency blankets, knife, a whistle, a tarp and rope, and dog food if I am bringing the dog. This bag stays packed except for the food and water so I can just grab it and go. But I think the number one way to reduce anxiety about being alone walking in the woods or hiking in nature is to bring a dog. Now, my dog isn't some sort of fluffy cutie, he's big and black and has a deep bark and is and very protective of me. When I walk with him, any concern I have when meeting people on the trail evaporates (well, I am concerned with having to pull him way off to the side to let the other hikers feel comfortable to pass--but that's normal now with social distancing.) The risk vs reward of solo walking or hiking is a calculation only an individual can make. Rewards are many: exercise, learning about nature, mental wellness, relaxation, spiritual peace, etc. As for risks, I think location is the key factor. But most places are really safe! Sometimes worries about what could happen ruin what actually was a good, safe walk! That may be something a person could work on by choosing a very, very short walk (5-10 minutes) to a beautiful spot (maybe overlooking a lake or under a huge tree) and just resting there with lunch or a good book, repeating that walk often until any anxiety evaporates, then going a little farther down the trail next time and having lunch at the new spot. If the person finds that the anxiety does not lessen, and solo is not an option, they could put it out there that they are looking for walking/hiking companions or they could join already scheduled walks run by nature centers, Audubon chapters, or hiking clubs. The rewards of getting out in nature are not diminished by doing it with others.

We have these. So far they have lasted 2 years. BUT they won't last long if impatient people in your family (dh, ahem!) insist on trying to use the lever before the tray has sat out on the counter for a couple of minutes. You can hear the ice make a little cracking noise when it is ready to come out easily. You can also hurry up the process a little by running warm water on the bottom of the tray while holding the top lever part so your ice doesn't fall into the sink. Plus, since they are stainless steel, no chance of micro plastics in your ice. https://www.amazon.com/Onyx-Stainless-Steel-ICE001-Slot/dp/B0027V9OR0/ref=sr_1_11?dchild=1&keywords=metal+ice+cube+trays+with+levers&qid=1591392375&sr=8-11

For a one year old, I might go with nursery rhymes rather than fairy tales. But this collection looks age appropriate: https://smile.amazon.com/Fairy-Tales-Beautiful-Collection-Favorite/dp/1680524631/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=fairy+tales+children's+compilation&qid=1591036052&sr=8-8

I find the scent of pot nauseating (ironic, I suppose because it is supposed to relieve nausea) and have been driven away from both natural and in-town locations where people were smoking it because it is such a foul smell. I did vote to legalize it because I don't believe that possession should result in criminal charges, but golly, when I am around the public pot smokers, I often regret my vote.

These should be helpful. Most importantly, it has the same quirk as Maine (where I am from): "R"s are dropped or softened and Rs are added to the end of words that normally end in a vowel sound. "Lobster" becomes "Lobstah" and "Idea" becomes "Idear". "A"s and sometimes "O"s are often pronounced with the "ah" sound. So Concord (capital of NH) is pronounced "Cahn-cuhd". There is a clip of the accent at the end of each article: https://www.newenglandhistoricalsociety.com/talk-new-hampshire-accent/ http://www.theheartofnewengland.com/lifeinnewengland/Essays/accents.html

I have ordered from Vitacost and am always happy. I often order several jars of raw honey (to get free shipping) and they are packed well, glass containers, never any breakage.

My unorthodox suggestion is a camping toilet for situations where you can use one (clearly, you can't carry one around the mall). But it is sort of a bigger, more sealed version of the Fisher Price travel potty we had for the kids when they were little and that thing was priceless at parks and beaches and even could be used in the back of the SUV. It won't eliminate all visits, but will enable you reduce total visits to public bathrooms. You need trash bags and either cat litter, sawdust, or hamster-type bedding, put a little litter in the bottom of the bag and sprinkle in some more between each use. Sprinkling baking soda is also helpful. The lid snaps shut and the bag can be tied and thrown away. https://www.cabelas.com/product/LUGGABLE-LOO-TOILET-SEAT-BUCKET/1723735.uts?slotId=0

Organic milk in half gallon containers (Stonyfield Farm, Organic Valley), if it is available in your area, is ultrapasturized and usually has a best-by date 2 months away. Of course it is much more expensive so it is a balancing act of numbers of exposures to the grocery store just for milk vs. increased cost of milk that lasts two months.

We had planned to move back to the country in our home state from the suburbs this spring. We felt confident that financially we could overlap two houses for three months and began looking. Properties were selling so fast with so many offers we lost out on three we offered on! I was very slow in getting my house ready to sell, pushing the listing date back twice. Two weeks ago my real estate agent here called that the office was closing and there would be no houses listed or shown in our area for at least two weeks (now longer). Boy are we glad we didn't get any of those three houses! A couple months of double mortgage is one thing, potential months upon months... no thank you, we did that back in the real estate crash. We also don't want potentially contagious people wandering through our house, touching things. We also think it is best to husband our funds in case any of us need treatment. We have health insurance, but there is a huge deductible and I am sure the costs of treatment will not be all covered after that and that it will be astronomical. Also there is no telling where the economy will go from here. My husband shouldn't lose his job, but who knows. So we are staying put until all this sorts itself out. A lower interest rate or being home sooner (especially since we can't even visit my parents, sister, or friends there) is not worth potential household economic collapse. So that is our very cautious decision.

I have an undergraduate degree in anthropology but am not an anthropologist. I have not read the above referenced book, but have read many ethnographies on hunter-gatherers. Of course, all groups of hunting and gathering people are not the same. They have different geographical realities and different sets of neighbors. Some groups are in areas rich with resources; others not so much. Some developed cultures that were cohesive; others were competitive. Some are in territorial conflicts; others have safe lands. But I think in comparison to modern industrial culture and modern and agricultural cultures of the historically recorded past, a good number hunting and gathering peoples have been shown to have more leisure time, and their groups have been shown to be more economically egalitarian (especially when contrasted against agricultural cultures), and some participant observers have come away with the idea that the individuals they met in these groups are also happier. Of course, the happiness part might be the product of mindset and degree. There may be philosophies among some groups allowing them to find satisfaction/happiness with less abundance or they may have a different perspective of the role of death, or they may have a stoic philosophy (this pox is bad, but it could be so much worse, phew, we lucked out!). Probably, in general, having a group you can rely on and being active and outdoors has a positive effect on mental health of individuals in all cultures. But of course, industrial and agricultural people in the modern world cannot go back to hunter-gathering. Our population is too large, nature is now "too small", and we have lost the generational knowledge necessary to effectively produce enough to survive under a range of environmental conditions. Our sheer numbers would wipe out the remaining wildlife on earth, then we, too, would die out. However, philosophically (as opposed to practically) people of the many industrial cultures around the world grow and develop when they learn more about hunter-gatherers (or any culture different than their own). This learning helps them recognize that there are multitudinous ways to be human, a glorious variety of cultures, and that most cultures have excellent ideas and strategies to share. If, as reported, a number of hunter-gatherer cultures were experts at happiness (in spite of the diseases, droughts, and environmental dangers that plagued them--and all humans, really) or a few groups modeled extraordinary food-gathering efficiency then, we should appreciate their achievements and perhaps see if any of their good strategies fit well into our lives or if they are just food for the mind. As I am sure the modern hunter-gatherers do the same when ideas from other cultures are shared with them. Two other books for people interested in these topics. The first one is by an anthropologist The second one is by a linguist. Affluence without Abundance: The Disappearing World of the Bushmen by James Suzman https://smile.amazon.com/Affluence-Without-Abundance-Disappearing-Bushmen/dp/1632865726/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3NZ5EO1WVME9U&keywords=affluence+without+abundance+the+disappearing+world+of+the+bushmen&qid=1578615667&sprefix=affluence+with%2Caps%2C149&sr=8-1 Don't Sleep, There are Snakes: Life and Language in the Amazonian Jungle by Daniel L. Everett (This one really gets into the very different mindset--many western people might even see it as a shockingly callous mindset--that allows the particular people in the group the linguist met to be happy despite the regularity of death and disease in their lives. And trigger warning: a baby dies in the book despite the efforts of the linguist and his wife to save it.) https://smile.amazon.com/Dont-Sleep-There-Are-Snakes/dp/0307386120/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=don't+sleep+there+are+snakes&qid=1578615854&sr=8-1

I am so glad I was an 80s student when getting into college was so much easier and there were more paths to doing so. You might like this essay by a Colby College Professor that was published by the Boston Globe about how she graduated from Yale but would never get in today. You have to put in your email address to read it, but you don't have to pay. The hoops high school students are made to jump through today are insane now and the many paths to college are now one path and I do not think this is in any way benefiting colleges or society as a whole. We need the students who love to learn, love their subject matter to be prioritized over the ones that checked all the boxes. https://www.bostonglobe.com/opinion/2015/01/02/why-you-have-accomplished-get-into-college/GCXtX0epvvVKoHur0ptlkM/story.html