My goodness. Big tender hugs. I'm so glad you went. Please go as often as you are able. The memories of being with her in her last days will give you much comfort later. More hugs. I'm so sorry you are going through this.

Yes. It is a fact. One she has stated on this forum many, many times. Also what I said about The Governor Who Shall Not Be Named has absolutely nothing to do with his religion. It's common knowledge that he likes to grandstand on the national stage and often falls on his face. That's probably all I can say about the matter without getting too political.

This whole mess sounds like a disaster. I'm sorry you ladies are dealing with this. I'd bash them far and wide if I were you.

Texas and Rick Perry in particular have a fantastic way of embarrassing themselves in front of the entire world. I guess I should just pop some popcorn and see how this latest *business* as usual goes down. A pity really.

Well I finally did just shut it off once I got the bill. I guess I didn't realize the ramifications. Also servicemen kept telling me it was fixed. I guess I'll ask them to consider it, but won't hold my breath.

I recently moved into a new place the first of June. I told the landlord (a management company), via email, during the first week that the air conditioner seemed to be running non-stop but the house wouldn't cool down. They sent someone to replace the filter and recharge the freon. The problem seemed to subside for a week or so, but then started right back up. I emailed the management company again, and they sent someone else out who did a total re-boot of the air conditioning system. I'm not sure exactly what that means, but it took about 3 hours. Again, the problem seemed to go away for a few days, and then back to running non-stop and not cooling the house. I emailed again, they sent someone out who took a bunch of measurements, crawled around in the attic, and stuck probes inside of all the vents in each room. He didn't do anything else and left. No improvement at all. This last visit was about a week ago. I hadn't heard anything, so I stopped by the management office today and she said that they need to replace the entire a/c system, but she is waiting on approval from the home owner due to the expense. She hopes to have it done within the next couple of weeks. I say thank you. This is good news. So . . . I get home today and I get my very first electric bill. It's $580.00 I've never had an electric bill over $250.00 in my entire adult life. I know it is because of the a/c running so much. Would I be out of line to ask the management company to pay a portion of the bill, or take off some of the rent to off-set the expense? I really cannot afford it. Also the electric company bills a month behind, so I anticipate the next bill will be more of the same until the a/c is replaced. Thoughts?

There should be Info on how to contact the ambudsman on your state's Health and Human Services (or whatever the agency in your state is called) website. Here, if you complain to the ambudsman, they must rectify the situation within 48 hours. This may mean getting you certified for benefits or detailing exactly what you are lacking to achieve certification.

This is pretty much the method I use. It really does work. I'm raising my grandchildren . . . 3 year old twin girls and another granddaughter 15 months older. People always think they are triplets too. And they are in constant competition with each other all. the. time. One of the twins has a HUMONGOUS personality and acts like she is queen of the entire universe (I'm not sure where she got that from :blushing:). It's going to be an ongoing life-long lesson, LOL.

Well, I'm a non-church-going-hippie-heathen and I do all right here. ;) I live most of my Texas life in the Austin area, which is very diverse and dare I say liberal-friendly. I do spend several months a year in the Rio Grande Valley which is really hotter-than-Hades and a touch more conservative. But everyone is so busy trying to be friendly, polite, and not offend that they just give me a pass on my heathen-ness :rolleyes:. It does help to speak a bit of Spanish this far south though. The best reason I can think of is . . . shorts on Xmas! We have lots of holiday photos with us wearing sundresses and shorts. It just doesn't get that cold here very often. When it does, for some reason it seems to be in February, not December.

I'm a military brat, so I grew up all over. My parents are Texans, so I've always known. I live in Central Texas now and there's a big festival and parade every year, so it would be hard for anyone around here not to know.

I go to the SSA fairly regularly. After 9/11, a lot of federal offices in my city began having armed guards. My SSA not only has armed guards, but metal detectors to walk through. Also you can't even park your car on the same block. They have it all barricaded off. You have to park a couple blocks up and walk there. I guess it's all in the name of security.

She had such a unique way of looking at everything. She could tell you how wrong you were in such a witty way, you'd agree with her. I just really wish her son and husband the very best. I know the extra special bonds that Moms have with sons. I'm very sorry he will have to finish growing up without her. She is already very missed.

I guess I just look at this differently. I don't see it as "keeping a secret." I am not intentionally not telling someone to "shut them out." I just don't see the need to talk about myself or my problems to others. Private issues. I just don't understand why I would sit in the phone or at a coffee shop and tell anyone what problems my spouse and I are having. That is private. That is one of the fundamental benefits of marriage, in my opinion. I have one person on this earth who knows every single thing about me and loves me anyway. This is one person I can trust will never "sell me out" to the rest of the world. I think breaking that confidence is grounds for divorce. I just never ever would. I couldn't. I do know people who like to discuss their private lives. I don't get it, but I let them process their marriages their way. But I don't think they are weird or disfunctional; I just don't agree with their methods of processing. If something is really weighing on me and I need to get it out but it's about my spouse so I can't go to her, I go to a professional. Someone who is paid to never breathe a word. I believe in marriage privacy - with all of my heart. I wouldn't be with my spouse if we didn't agree on this.

Oh, yes. Usually one of us "wasn't feeling up to visiting." Sometimes we had to be grown-ups and be at a family function together and play nice. We have children and grandchildren so we never had the option of completely disengaging anyway.

I am very private when it comes to my marriage. My spouse and I separated for a few months several years ago and no one knew. Not even her family and she works with her parents in their family business. Both my parents, her parents, and all of our siblings live within 30 minutes if each other. We went to counseling and worked through our issues ourselves. Marriages are private. There was no reason to get our friends and families taking sides or pitting us against each other. We love each other and were not interested in breaking up permanently, we needed some breathing room while we got a handle on a private issue. I just don't see that as disfunctional. In fact, I am extremely uncomfortable with people who feel the need to overshare. I was raised to keep private issues private. That's what I am comfortable with.

Happy Mother's Day! I'm so happy for you. I haven't been to the old weight loss group since the format change, but I'm down 50 pounds this week. I still have a ways to go . . . but just wanted to let you know I'm still plugging along. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say. Take care and don't be a stranger!

I have the same one. Nothing fancy, but works like a charm. I love it. I clip it on when I wake up first thing in the AM and I'm good to go all day long.

I'm wondering too. I wonder if she received all of the well wishes! I hope she is well.

Thanks! :hurray:

He he he. It IS funny, but I am very easily amused. Plus my son is just shy of 20. I have to like some silly stuff or we'd have nothing to chat about.

My method is super duper easy. Heat milk to 180 using candy thermometer on the stove top. Let sit an hour or so. Stir in starter. Put whole pan into oven with oven light on. Wake up next morning. Yogurt! Strain with cheese cloth for EXTRA thick yogurt. Eat. Delicious.

I'm really sorry you're going through this. I would work on an exit plan.

Me too. I love her posts. I want her to post again. *SIGH* I love that she chose to work with people the rest of the world sees as disposable. It's sad.

Oh, my. I'm just so sorry to hear this. Please let her know how much we are thinking of her and how much we miss her. My goodness.

Yes. We change a Pur filter. It goes under the fridge. You have to get down on the floor to change it every six months or so. I have them on subscribe and save at Amazon, so they're about $25 apiece.