that is an intriguing idea..... I'll have to ponder a bit. Definitely have to think about how might be curmudgeonly enough to take him to task.

That is my plan for the most part... only spend time with her. But, as with any couple, sometimes you can't really avoid spending time with both (dinner parties, etc.).

I agree with what everyone else is saying. I really appreciate these boards.

I'm not sure what to do. A couple that we used to go to church with 15-20yrs ago has started going to my current church. . he always, always complained. Yes, sometimes he had very legitimate complaints, but because he was always negative even the legitimate issues were ignored. His personality has not changed... sigh. No matter what, everything he says comes out as a slam against something. But, he loves our church :huh: He's already complaining about certain ways we do things. My dh and I wonder how long he will last at our parish. Anyway, avoiding this person is going to be next to impossible. I'm involved in several areas of the church that he has opinions about (ugh). Besides, he's kind of latched on to us, since we're "old friends" (not really), and we can explain things to him and his wife. His wife (who is very sweet) asked me to be her godmother. This means our relationship will change and get closer. I think I need to go talk with our priest, but I hate to do so. I've also thought about have a heart-to-heart with his wife about how I'm not going to take any crap from her dh or something to that effect. He's very intimidating because the negative comes across as angry and hostile most of the time. People definitely avoid him...and as a result...avoid her too. It's sad. Please don't quote... I may delete some details later. ***deleted some details... sorry if it's confusing for some.*****

I'm sorry... :grouphug: It's okay to be scared.

Birds are also kept in cages. Or, are you only talking about mammals? I love our bird - parakeet...but it's mine. Cockatiels are nice birds for kids because you can teach them stuff. But, my rule of thumb is: the bigger the bird, the bigger the mess. Parakeets don't make so much of a mess compared to cockatiels. They also don't live as long either.

I bought the book "Boundaries" based on several recommendations here. However, I'm put off by the fluffy stories that are heavy on the Protestant Christian content. I've only read the first "story" about the lady who is over doing it with work/familly/church. But, I'm finding it's going on for pages and pages. Then I looked ahead and it seems there's a couple more of these stories. Really? Is there any meat to this book? It's leaving me wondering if there's not a secular book (or even another Christian one) that has more meat and less anecdotes about boundaries. Or is that just the nature of this particular subject?

we have a new GS rescue and we use the Gentle Leader too. It does help quite a bit with pulling. I accidentally didn't use it once and just hooked onto her reg. collar... such a big difference. She pulls, but not badly - more lie keeping the line tight. Also, we practice redirection. When she starts to pull, I call her happilly and start walking in the opposite direction. positive reinforcement when she does well. I'm NO expert, and we're still in obedience classes (I recommend this) but these things seem to be helping. OOPS - realized now that we actually have the Easy Walk... not the Gentle Leader.

thank you for the update. Continued prayers.

sounds similar to my symptoms that started in my early 40s, except I never had hot flashes (yet). I'm pretty sure mine were/are peri-menopause, but you should also get your thyroid checked. As we age our thyroid function starts to decrease and some of your symptoms could be from that too.

I'm glad you were able to take your boys and I'm glad it well. :grouphug:

Oh my goodness!! How awful. Praying.

my son rented an apt. in Arbutus his last 2yrs at UMBC. He was right next to the overpass for.... 95??? 695?? Not sure which major road it was actually. :closedeyes: I wish we could have Gettysburg traffic down here. That would be such a treat.

yeah, that's her real voice. She was also in Hamish MacBeth (love that show). Her voice gets annoying very fast.

Exactly. It was how I was taught as a kid... think of a newborn baby crying... they are breathing from their diaphragms and they are LOUD.

oh yeah!! Fran Dresser or something like that. I can only take her in small doses.

I took acting as a kid and one of the first things we learned was how to project our voices and to speak clearly. Of course, this was for the stage and I know movies are different... but I'm tired of spending $$ to watch an actress whisper her lines. The worst is Liv Tyler. I cannot stand her whispery throaty voice. It's SO annoying. Last night we went to see Jupiter Ascending. The movie was not that great... but the what was even more annoying was that the main actress (Mila Kunis) and one of the other supporting actors (the guy that just won an Oscar, no less!), both whispered with that gravely voice that is becoming popular these days (Vocal Fry). There were times when the voice/music mix was off and i had no idea what Ms. Kunis was saying. Then there were times just when either she or Redmayne were talking and it was like nails on a chalkboard. It was more than just the whispery part, it was also the gravely part at the end of each sentence. SO ANNOYING. I guess I'm getting old.

Agreeing the family would be touched by this.

There's actually another thread about this.... but I'll add my condolences here too. Sad day. Spock has died. May he rest in peace.

So sorry to see him gone. May he rest in peace.

I agree with BlossomGirl - I prefer to spend less and know it won't last me 10yrs than be disappointed. Besides, perhaps they'll keep perfecting the engineering and I may want the "newest" innovation. Anyway, we bought a Panasonic 3.5yrs ago and it's still going strong; http://www.amazon.com/Panasonic-MC-CG902-Canister-Vacuum-Cleaner/dp/B003AM711G/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1425039655&sr=8-4&keywords=panasonic+vacuum We just got our first dog, so it hasn't quite had enough time to see if it will hold up with dog hair. I have wood floors with area rugs downstairs and carpeting up. The only thing I don't do with it is the stairs. I bought this hand-held just for stairs, and I love it. It's usually one of the chores for my youngest son (now 13), so yeah, I love it because I never have to do it :) http://www.amazon.com/Eureka-EasyClean-Corded-Hand-Held-71B/dp/B0006HUYGM/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1425039863&sr=8-2&keywords=hand+held+vacuum

It is a lovely tribute. So very sorry for your loss. May her memory be eternal.

I'll admit it...it is a little scary.

Congratulations to you both. It's a bittersweet moment for you, I'm sure. He may find he'll want a job for the summer. My kids do not do well with lots of time off. They get grumpy and/or depressed. 2-3 weeks is fun...but after that it's just gets tedious to be home doing nothing.

I'm glad for the reminder. I needed to wait until it got closer because my schedule is usually somewhat unpredictable. As it turns out I do have an appt. on that day. I'm going to see if I can change it.