It is a pretty pattern. (I have a thing for silverware and collect random pieces.)

I agree. It was a horribly tragic series of events. Not one issue or one person in charge can be blamed for a series of worse case scenarios happening together. re: I grew up in Tornado Alley and moved, as a young adult, to the other end of Tornado Alley. The majority of my life, sirens were only used for tornadoes. They have recently been changed to sound for lightening or high winds. My mind still hasn’t adapted to that and I do get confused when I hear them outside of tornado conditions. (I immediately think they are testing the sirens so ignore them at first.) Years ago, we had a tornado rip through our backyard. We were seated at the kitchen windows, eating supper, when we all said at the same time, “That’s a tornado.” You could have reached out and touched it, it seemed. (It was a small one. But still. It was a tornado.) We immediately ran and turned on the television and were startled to see nothing about the weather. Then our phone started ringing off the hook, people we knew that had police scanners, calling to ask if we were okay because our address was given for the tornado. It was a blue clear sky, not a typical tornado weather day. It was five full minutes before our sirens went off and almost ten minutes before the news broke in to programming. I attended a weather program the following week and happened to talk to one of our meteorologist. He said they were all taken off guard by the tornado and none of the stations had anyone camera ready to go on the air. I only share that now because I do think everyone needs to be aware of weather beyond just the typical complaining about the cold or the heat. But we also need to realize that even the professionals cannot plan for every single worse case scenario happening at the same time. It would be nice if they had a crystal ball but they don’t. Add in - America has a horribly overworked, underfunded infrastructure system. No one wants to pay the higher taxes needed to get everything up to where it should be and the majority of cities and states are constantly working just to keep things from falling in to disrepair. My adult child often cites a book The High Cost of Free Parking, I think, is the name of it. Why and how city planning codes are made. This child attends city council meetings where they attend college and is very civically engaged in city planning and services. We should really all be more involved in local issues, esp ones regarding public safety. It is easy to armchair quarterback any natural disaster and point fingers and want to be able to blame someone, esp for something of this scale. It is human nature to want someone to be responsible.

I would ask your soon to be college kid if they wanted them and let that guide your decision. We bought most of our college kid’s kitchen stuff new and it was a fun shopping experience. They got silverware atTarget and it was rather inexpensive and has held up well. 1920s, as in Art Deco?

I live in the south (105+ degrees) and have a large garden and do hot yoga. I love ice cold coconut water and LMNT. My neurologist told me I needed to start taking sodium because I have low blood pressure related to a neurological condition. I eat almost zero processed food, no fast food, don’t generally salt my food, etc, so I don’t normally get salt in my diet. The yoga studio I go to sells LMNT and that is how I first tried them. They are salty, but a good salty taste. I detest the raspberry flavor and the chocolate one, but love the other flavors. I don’t like sports drinks because they taste too sweet or bitter to me.

Re: Christian health-sharing companies. A business friend of mine had one for their family. Their spouse suffered a major stroke last year at age 60. The plan gave them nothing after 1-2 days in ICU. Your mileage may vary, but it was a very rude awakening for my friend to discover they were essentially uninsured (because those plans are not insurance) during a major medical crisis that has required months of medical care, therapies and rehab.

My parents divorced with my tag-along sibling was a toddler. One of our parents didn’t date for years afterward, then they were set up on a blind date and things moved really fast and said tag-along sibling didn’t know all of this. Tag-along sibling dropped by this parent’s house one day to tell them they were were expecting a baby. And walked in on said parent and their blind date, fully n@ked and doing the deed, in the living room. We still give this sibling a hard time about how they met their future step-parent.

My parents bought a full service gas station the year before I was born and sold it when I was a teenager. I pumped (leaded) gas from the time I was old enough to reach the pump handle. We always checked the air in the tires, checked the oil and washed the windows. To date myself: I remember the oil embargo in 1979. Oh. I have photos of my grandpa, who worked at the station, smoking while pumping gas. While I do very much know how to pump gas, I do try to avoid it at all costs!

Hm. Wonder if I can talk my college child in taking me to ikea for some garden items?!

I don’t deal with vomit or poo so anything that involves those are out. Mouth stuff, too, would be out. I can barely stand the sounds and smells of a dentist office to go in for a cleaning, cannot imagine working around that all day. I am normally pretty okay with blood, but still wouldn’t want to be around it. I have a friend that started driving a school bus a few years ago. I was super impressed, though know she did it out of desperation. (Needed medical insurance for her kid.) I could never be a bus driver. Esp for kids. I love very few kids. Most annoy me. Bad, I know. Guess teacher or teachers aid would also be out because. Kids. Urology anything. Or anything related to certain private parts of the body. DH has bladder cancer and let me just get this out right now. I am so over seeing man parts. Especially man parts with medical stuff in them. Anything feet related. Or waxing body parts, like men’s backs. Also out are anything where i would need to clean bathrooms or involving fast food. I would love to work for a tea room or pastry shop, but nothing involving fried food or meat. (True story: My mother used to manage a fast food fried chicken place. I once saw one of her employees slip on the greasy floor and spill a garbage can of chicken waste on himself. It was dreadful and so icky.) I am actually in the job market so have been giving all of this way too much thought lately.

I love making beaded glass sun catchers for my garden!

Well I am an avid gardener, more than just a passion. Obsession. So my DH would probably prefer I didn’t have that as a hobby. LOL But he does love the homegrown produce. I would find some causes to volunteer with. In my former life, I volunteered weekly at a local food pantry. I loved it and hope to do it again sometime in the future. Our local agency has so many aspects to it and are always looking for volunteers for different areas, such as teaching computer literacy, setting up and helping with back to school programs or holiday toy giveaway. I know they love highly organized people, people that can walk in and see how something needs to be done and get down and do it.

I have really missed this thread. I don’t post much but always followed it and read and gained so much inspiration. I hope everyone is doing well. My husband had major complications after his second cancer surgery and just got home from the hospital late Thursday night. I was super impressed with the hospital’s healthy food options! I had two fab vegan salads. One with edamame, almonds and sunflower seeds, lemon poppyseed dressing. Another with spinach, roasted beets, apples, orange slices and pecans. I didn’t detect any dressing on that one, but it didn’t need one as the beets and fruit had enough moisture and flavor. Alas. Yesterday was a comfort food, bad food day for me after sleeping (in my own bed!!!) 11 straight. Meals were good (vegetable sandwich for lunch, spaghetti for supper) but the snacking was really bad. Today, I return to sanity. I got an email that Dr Fuhrman is coming to my state this fall. I almost fell over when I saw the location. Just 20 or so miles from me! Yes, I am planning to go.

No cars or anything over a couple hundred.

I was worried about cash due to counterfeiting. Is that not a big concern? Thanks!

It has been a long time since I sold anything on fb, but I am in need of some cash due to DH’s medical bills. I know to meet at police station, but what is the safest way to get the money? Cash? PP? Pros and cons? I don’t think I will be selling things I am likely to be scammed on but want to be careful.

The Washington Post had a really nice article about Bennett’s service during WWII, racism and, later, his marching in Selma. I had no idea. My adult child is home today and we have been discussing how some people today talk about segregation like it is in our distant past, then someone like Bennett passes away and you realize that here was someone who experienced and saw racism first hand. from the article: It was Thanksgiving Day, 1945, when two U.S. Army soldiers met unexpectedly in Mannheim, Germany. Part of the occupation force in a conquered city that had been leveled by Allied bombing during World War II, they had sung together only a few years earlier in a musical group back in high school in New York City. The young men decided to spend the rest of the day together, attending a church service and then having a turkey dinner. At least, that was the plan. Their impromptu reunion was cut short just before the meal. An Army officer blasted the two soldiers — one Black and the other White — with a hate-filled rant for being together in public. In the segregated military of the day, the two men were not allowed to socialize. Back then, the punishment for Black and White soldiers associating with one another was more severe than if they fraternized with civilians in occupied Germany.

How deep is the birdbath? And what material? I used to be a certified Master Naturalist and our property is certified as a wildlife area. Most of the birdbaths sold are way too deep for birds. They need shallow water. Even added a few flat rocks or bricks can give the birds somewhere to safely land and theN use the water. Also, gradually sloping sides are best, as are non-shiny, non-glazed sort of materials. Adding a dripper may attract birds, as they generally are attracted to moving water. Additionally, birds need a safe place to fly to and perch after they have bathed. That protects them from predators when they are preening. Birdbaths generally do best by shrubs of different levels, instead of a stand alone tree or shrub.

Okay. I already posted what I would do, then I realized that my spouse has their second cancer surgery next week and starts working from home on Friday. That means tomorrow is my last day home alone for a few weeks. I need to make the most of it! Scratch everything I said I would do. Now I just want to nap the day away, intermixed with some light reading and maybe some chips and guacamole.

I would go out for breakfast tacos. Then go to a used bookstore and a garden center, maybe a thrift store or antique shop. Then a late lunch, probably a juice bar for a yummy smoothie bowl. I may stop off at a different, but nearby, library and browse their garden books, then sit down and read some magazines. Then a pedicure or massage. But this time, I would probably want a bit of chocolate, so I would prob stop by somewhere to buy a nice chocolate bar. All that assumes I have a bit of money to spend, though I am good about going out to chill without spending much money.

Re: homeschooling I sold books as we finished them, unless they were something that my child wanted to keep. Within the homeschooling community, it was easy to sell them. I often bundled them together to minimize the hassle on my end. (Ex: all Shakespeare books, all high school biology, etc.) I knew I was selling them for less than I could have, but I just wanted them gone and to make a bit of money on them. Later, I started a small business and sold some of the remaining homeschool books on Amazon, along with books that I picked up for my business. I shut down that online bookshop after a few years, as my Etsy business picked up. Now I sell quite a few books locally and online for my business, so I have just started donating to thrift stores. I am drowning in books and every so often just need stuff gone. I am in a club for one of my hobbies and we have a swap table at our monthly meetings. Books even remotely related to that hobby at taken to meetings and almost always find new homes.

My dog is the cats’ cleanup crew. Dog loves to run to finish up what the cats don’t eat. One of the cats will try to eat some of the dog’s food I given a chance.

Ours just went up 40%. No accidents or claims of any sort. Two of the three vehicles are older, high mileage.

100% this. I have been on a decluttering mission since my husband’s cancer diagnosis. It has been so helpful, physically and mentally. It gives my mind somewhere else to go instead of just looping around my anxiety. Then at the end of the day, I can see what I have accomplished. I decluttered the kitchen drawers a few weeks ago. Last night as I was making supper, I was marveling at how nice they look. And yesterday I finally loaded up the pile of boxes at the front door and took them to a second hand store. It was nice to wake up this morning and see that floor space. It really does help mentally. I did this last week - my plan for re-entering the workforce, if need be. I have chronic health issues and have not been able to work for several years. But now my husband has cancer and my anxious mind was just spinning out of control. It was amazing how beneficial it was to sit down and write out an action plan. I don’t know if I will ever need it, but just writing it down made things seem possible and drew my mind away from the anxiety and “What if???”

I need a new food processor as my 20 year old on decided to break last week. They have a cuisinart one on prime day for a great price. It is bigger than I want, though, and I haven’t been able to talk myself in to buying it.

Thank you for posting this. I just read an article in the Washington Post regarding Mr. Douglass and the exhibit on his life - at the Smithsonian, if I remember correctly. I was prompted to pull out a book of his speeches I have wanted to read. I will listen to this podcast later today.