:grouphug:

Against conservation?

My point being, however, is that there is not always volunteer opportunity and there is not always the help people need on the local level (and it can be even tougher if you aren't "from" the area you live in). I very much support volunteerism and community-mindedness.

I'll look up Roots and Shoots and see what the requirements are. We are not able to plant a garden here. No one has a front garden (or garden that I know of...we live on the edge of "the neighbourhood" for our town. Feels like no one really has a garden here, unless they live outside of town). I have offered my teenagers as volunteers so they have something to do, but with no response. Everything is done through people's churches. If you aren't part of a church, then you aren't connected. In fact, it's also why we have not been able to break into the homeschool group here. No church bazaar. Again, all parishes of our faith are an hour away and we don't have a vehicle. We've not been to Liturgy in over two years and JUST got a priest to visit us (that took surgery and several calls from both myself and a friend in Canada calling down).

Give them each a gmail account. Sign them up. Each of my kids has a school email. I end all email with .somethingassociatedwithourschool@gmail.com

No. The elderly people on our street are dragons. They hire yard people. One about had a fit with us for offering to help with her yard. Beyond that, we've learned to avoid them. We've been lectured for our faith, for homeschooling, for my wearing a headscarf, religious literature put in bags with "treats" for the kids, popping up in our backyard regularly, unannounced, etc. It wasn't for lack of trying. It was a matter of we won't change to "fit" their nice, white, southern, baptist, Republican box. As my kids have gotten old enough, they've gotten jobs. That seems to be the only way they have been able to get to know more diverse people. Those that don't fit in a box, work and keep to themselves. The town is run by a certain "type". Anyone that doesn't fit that "type" is not included.

We rent...no garden. Getting involved with an established group would mean joining a church we don't agree with and excommunicating ourselves from our Faith; that is NOT happening. There are no Earth Day activities, Meals on Wheels, etc here. Rehabs are an hour away by vehicle, of which we don't have. Again, no money, no vehicle...hands and time, but no opportunities. Up North, we had a COMMUNITY food and clothing bank that my older kids helped at, that they walked to. They also were able to volunteer with their youth group at the monastery (mulching, baking, etc). We don't have that here. After two years, I was fortunate enough to finally get a priest to visit us.

I know this happened to my cousin. She sought assistance from the State. State tracked down sperm-donor. Sperm-donor denied. Paternity test was demanded by the State. Sperm-donor got a girlfriend and was dealing with the State. Suddenly, he wanted to be father of the year and sued for custody. Now he has visitation rights (we won't discuss the fact that he has abused her child during these visitations and both the State and Authorities have refused to do a damn thing about it).

Where I live, there is no volunteer anything unless you are over eighteen and have a car (and then, that would be the animal shelter or drive an hour away to find opportunities). If live locally, don't have a car, don't have money to donate, and aren't a member of a local church, forget it.

My point was that no, it wasn't a first for the big screen. It might be for Disney. My guess is that you and I have been watching different movies or you don't watch a lot of movies.

It is??????

I guess I'm trying to figure out why they even felt that needed to be mentioned.

Someone made an issue over interracial couples? What year is this again???

ugh. I'm sorry.

AWESOME!!!! Congrats!

Because issues vs political parties. This has been a polite discussion about legitimate issues that affect EVERYONE, regardless how people voted.

Thank you. I was unaware. It's a horrid thing for anyone to say, but, unfortunately, there's not much that would surprise me anymore when it comes to those currently seated.

Just curious how many here agree with Tom Price's statement that, "At the end of the day, it’s better for our national budget if cancer patients pass away more quickly, it’s a lousy way to live anyway, and I’m sorry to say it out loud, but it’s the truth,â€

Picture getting chased around the playground and pinched over and over, because your Finnish-Prussian mother didn't dress you with any green. Yes, I'm glad that they bit is mostly gone.

Yep, ever since I was little. However, a bride shouldn't wear green, lest she get pinched (taken) by the Fae ;)

Why did they delete? And thank you for sharing the link. ETA: nm, reading it now.

Not everyone uses books in the same manner. Some of us are flippers (I am), but some of us are also dealing with limitations of life circumstances. E-books can be a blessing.

7-8in, Depending upon whose tablet. They work their problems in a notebook, just as I did when I was in highschool and college. They also know how to bookmark. One kid's tablet broke and he's been using his smartphone (and old one that was passed down...not a large screen). He's been working through it just fine for the moment.

That's how we've always done it. The one time we did walk away, we didn't buy for over a year after that. We simply weren't certain and didn't like the salesman.

My teens actually do read textbooks on their tablets.