Aren’t we missing the multiple benefits of tea that might make it worth the effort at any age? Sure, needing a cup so badly you can’t stand it is fun, but sometimes you just want a caffeine rush. Some teas are a sleep aid. Some teas ease stress or anxiety. Tea can make you feel intoxicated. It’s very versatile.

Mine was, "We're going to draw some blood to see if you are a carrier for this disease." Then they send it off to the lab, test my DNA, get the results, and bring me in to explain that I was not a carrier. If I had been, I imagine the follow-up would have explained the next steps to managing my health.

My kid used to complain about being the only one who HAD to do his homework at a co-op class. We were both annoyed about that one. Friggin' homeschoolers and this new "I'm not gonna stress" trend.

I like the fruity herbal teas. Most don't need sugar. I do like honey in Tension Tamer. Amazon has teacups like this, but if you have an Asian market near you, you can find something similar for about $5. https://www.amazon.com/AWHOME-Spoon-Royal-Coffee-TeaCups/dp/B01HDE733C/ref=sr_1_33?keywords=porcelain+teacup+with+lid&qid=1583358958&sr=8-33

I only do simple syrup if I’m serving people who I know don’t sweeten their tea. People can sweeten at the table with the syrup I use two family sized tea bags for a half gallon and steep in a quart of water that’s just under boiling. (I think it’s 195 . . .I use a zojirushi water boiler.) I steep for 5 minutes and remove the bags without squeezing them. For southerners I use a cup of sugar. For northerners only 1/2 cup. I do not add baking soda. I don’t think I taste it right. It makes tea taste old to me; like it’s been in the fridge too long. I also don’t use stevia because it’s bitter to me, so plain white sugar it is.

I think mine is 2 x 2 1/2 feet. I’m guessing, but it’s ALL the way downstairs. It’s big enough for what I need. I tend to explode when I sew and there’s only so much table space I cancan reserve for a mat.

I have single friends. I don't think the friendships are at all difficult to maintain. In fact, it can be easier to get together because there are fewer schedules to consider when making plans. I think the OP's friend is being deliberately difficult and needs to cultivate some single friendships (or learn to enjoy her own company) if this sort of thing is important to her.

I think as people near 50, those with more fat tend to have younger looking faces.

I’m sad C has to go through this, but she’s better off finding a better friend group for her teen years. That girl will be nothing but chaos and drama and C doesn’t need to be a part of that. I’m not seeing why she left her dance studio. If that’s an activity she loves she should have stuck it out. Eventually C will alienate more people with her behavior so she’d be vindicated. At some point you have to learn to set boundaries so others don’t steer the path of your life. I don’t think we should expect our children to keep the same BFs for life. It’s just not realistic to set them up with those expectations and think they’ll KEEP all the friendships we arranged for them when they were 5. Still, C’s parents should be dealing with her behavior and shutting this crap down. I’m assuming someone has filled them in and they’re not only hearing their daughter’s version of events.

Oh man. I keep getting a warning that I can only upload 10.4 Kbs even though I chose “small” for my photo. ANYWAY, a saw this online today: ”Wash your hands like you convinced your husband to murder the rightful king and you can’t get the blood off.”

I see. Our school has 5 special ed teachers for 400 students, but if you include the whole team (therapists, paras, etc) it’s 17 people.

Ordinarily I’d say take a bellydance class, but I had a particularly brutal rehearsal tonight, everything hurts, and I feel old. Being a geriatric dancer means the pain is in a different place than where it would be if you did nothing.

I have sheets without holes that are 15 years old! In your position, I’d make something to protect the foot area of the sheet. Something like that little sleeve they put on coffee, but for your mattress instead of your cup. I’d probably make it out of the damaged sheets with a stretch fabric for the part that goes under the mattress, then slip it on when I change sheets. I don’t think any brand is going to stand up to the friction you’re describing. You’ll just wear through more expensive sheets.

Is he drinking enough water to support whatever medicated soaps/applications he’s trying? Water won’t cure troublesome acne, but hydrating those cells can only help his quest.

Are you talking about the Academic Support Team, like math and reading specialists? My local elementary has ten for about 400 students. This doesn’t include student services, esol, or spec Ed.

Fairfax probably has their own fireworks. I’d just find a place to watch those. That will feel insanely crowded to you. I don’t even get on the metro for DC fireworks and I’m local. It’s just too much. My daughter has metroed in and enjoyed it, but it’s just not my idea of a good time anymore. I think I’m old and cranky, but it’s hot and a gajillion people get smelly by nightfall. 😂

I'm growing strawberries, blueberries, gooseberries, raspberries, currants, a fig, and a quince. I don't have enough sun for most fruit trees. I'm seriously considering taking a chance on a sour cherry. I'm greedy though and would like to train a small orchard of trees to be about 5 feet tall. I just don't have full sun anywhere in my garden. I think a community plot (5 minutes away) could round it all out for me.

Oh no. I MUST learn the hard way.

The thing is, my entire troupe is in a sewing panic right now because of costume deadlines. When my friend was judging my machine-care skills, EVERYBODY else owned up to never oiling their machines and many of us have the original (unopened) tube that came with the machine. Now it seems there will be a machine maintenance class and we've all been ordered to attend. I'm the troupe director and I've lost control of the ship. The actual seamstress in the group is having none of our nonsense.

It never occurred to me that I could grow either of those in Maryland. I wonder if people bring them indoors in the winter. My problem is that I want one of everything. After this thread started, I 'may' have impulsively put my name on the waiting list for a community plot. Those are in full sun and I'm dreaming of a tiny orchard 😁 It's @Pen's fault for starting the conversation. Just today I've determined that my life will be incomplete without some wild ginger and a spicebush.

My machine just went all weirdly haunted. First it was a bit skippy, then I got loopy bottom threads sporadically, then the needle wouldn't disengage when I wound the bobbin, and finally the big knob at the end just came off and won't screw back in. A friend implied that this is a consequence of me not oiling it in 15 years, but I think she's just being negative. I think I paid less than $150 or it 15 years ago. I think it's worth fixing.

Some people use paper towels for EVERYTHING. I use a combination of white washcloths, dish cloths, dish towels, cloth napkins, and paper napkins, and a sponge (that I dump boiling water on then run in the dishwasher most nights). I can see why people would streamline with the towels, but I just can't. I roll of paper towels lasts me for a couple months. I usually just use them for draining fried foods and for guests.

Plants. My answer is always plants 🙂

I wish I had enough sun for fruit trees. I read a book called "Grow a Little Fruit Tree" and I've been obsessed ever since. In my imaginary orchard my trees are trained small enough to care for them without a ladder. Unless the big tree in the front goes, I just don't have the sun for even a tiny orchard. I have to be happy with fruits that don't mind a bit of shade.

Do you start your own slips? What time of year do you start this? I'm in zone 7a and it's been a really mild winter. I kind of love it, but I have flowers coming up and I'm afraid we'll get a late snow. I have green onions in my garden right now. I have my seeds that need cold stratification outside in milk jugs now. I just experimented with astilbes last year, so I'm planting a lot more this year. They seem to like my shady lot. My cheap-and-easy trellis is a cattle panel, t-posts, and cable ties. You're spending about $20 for a 4X8 trellis, but it's super sturdy and goes up in about 5 minutes. Inside I grow philadendrons, snake plants, and draceanas. They don't seem to mind my dark, cool house. I also have an ornamental pepper that looked great most of the winter and I brought my begonia starts, jasmine and fig inside this year. Had I known it would be so mild . . . I planted alpine strawberries from seed last year and they looked nice and healthy, but no fruit yet. Fingers crossed for this year and I'm starting more plants because I'm greedy with the wild strawberries. The year I didn't plant butternut squash was my best year growing it. It volunteered all over the place! I'm in love with the winter sowing. Last year I lost my mind and went a bit overboard. This year I'm 'only' starting about 60 things in jugs. The only thing I'll bother to start inside is peppers (because they needed more time), and a couple tomatoes and flowers just to see if i can get them a little sooner.