I am so sorry. I think it is disgusting that you don’t get a share of his bonuses and that he does not pay you any longer than his working years. I think he will decide when he wants to retire (early) and haul you back into court to lower the judgement you already got. This is just horrible, that he actually profited from being such a complete lying jerk and that that will embolden him to do it more ongoing. What a tool. I’m glad you have your sister to fall back on but I think it is completely awful that you are in the position to need to do so.

Leaving on Thursday for the Yarn Crawl! SO EXCITED!

This is true and correct, but I’m 60ish and that evangelical view of a felt call floated around a lot in confessional LCMS circles when I was young. It had crept in, and in the last 10-15 years has been corrected back to what you describe.

BTW, I never use straight needles anymore. I knit on Addi Turbos even things that are not knit in the round, because I like them best and also it’s easy to swing the knitting to the middle of the cable and prevent the needles from falling out in transit. Also, the weight of the knitting itself is more centered instead of always weighing down one needle or the other.

I love Addi Turbo circular needles, particularly the lace ones (a little pointier than other others). They have the smoothest joins that I know of, and I have never had one pull apart. For sock needles to knit in the round, I like sets of 5 rather than 4 in bamboo or wood, so I have a little more friction between the yarn and the needles. Metal sock needles tend to slide right out for me.

Steak Au Poivre Vert from the Sunset French Cooking book. With Rice Pilaf and a green salad.

Hillbilly Elegy Uncommon Ground The Overstory Kids: The Diamond In The Window Number the Stars In Place of Katya

PSA: There is a Yarn Crawl AROUND LAKE TAHOE in two weeks. It involves visiting three yarn shops in the Sierra foothills, and several at Lake Tahoe cities themselves, and several in outlying cities such as Reno, Truckee, and Minden. I have been actively resisting this ever since I heard of it in July. But it’s the first one, and these are some of my favorite places, and darn it, I’m going. Despite the fact that I have plenty of yarn. PLENTY. Anyone else?

Totally agree with The Wheel On The School. She might be old enough for Hans Brinker. It’s a more complex book but good. Heidi would be great, as would Dora, AKA Uncle Titus’ Cabin by the same author.

The Black Stallion Black and Blue Magic Half Magic In Place Of Katya (one of my favorite books as a kid, but OOP now, findable though) The Diamond In The Window (best book for that age EVER, I believe) The Golden Goblet Little Women An Old-Fashioned Girl Johnny Tremain The Chronicles of Prydain—starting with The Book of Three (great fantasy series, much easier than LOTR but with the same ‘feel’) The Saturdays and the books that follow Ballet Shoes Maybe Number the Stars? It’s got some scary/dangerous Nazi stuff in it though. Maybe pre-read. It is excellent though.

You might go to an army surplus store and get a cheap old green wool heavy army blanket. That’s always my frame of reference in these discussions, because I used to put them over my rather non-technical sleeping bag to stay warm enough on cold nights, and wow, the weight made me fall asleep so much faster and more deeply. I am sure it was the weight rather than the temperature increase, because in the summer when I would bring these along but end up using them under the sleeping bag for additional padding when it was warm out, I wouldn’t sleep as well. I don’t think I am a sensory seeker but unconsciously my brain asks for weight when I sleep and I am more wakeful when I don’t have it.

I wonder whether she is developing diabetes? The daughter of a friend of mine presented this way for almost 2 years before she was diagnosed. The progression to Type 1 is not always instant, and in her case it wasn’t, so it was not detected despite a number of ER visits until it got much worse.

I think ibuprofen in prescription strengths is a lot more effective for cramps than Aleve. I mean 800mg every 6 hours or so. Also, it tends not to work all that well unless it is taken continuously. So that is how I would get through the event. Also, a good probiotic geared toward rebuilding intestinal bacteria would be fairly crucial at this point, after the Keflex. Intestinal cramps on top of uterine ones could make everything seem worse, and not everyone is accustomed to distinguishing between the two. The probiotic would help limit/stop the cramps if they are intestinal.

Not where you’re looking, but that is the absolute best time to visit San Francisco. The summer fog clears and usually it hasn’t started to rain yet, plus the summer crowds are gone.

I have always always done well with HP color inkjet printers from Costco. Costco stands by them, so the one time I got a lemon (out of maybe 10 or more purchases, I brought it back and they gave me a new one, no questions asked. I just bite the bullet and buy the cartridges because I hate keeping track of a page allowance. Costco sells those, too, and I always get the double sized black ones, and packs of the colors. That saves money over other sources. I have a very old (2006!) HP laser printer that I use for most black and white printing. It is still going strong; a real workhorse. I’m glad I can still get ink packs for it. (Or whatever they are. Those.)