Pizza with arugula, figs, prosciutto, crumbled goat cheese and a drizzle of balsamic reduction. (no pizza sauce) mmmmmmmmm.

Brattleboro proper is right down on the river, though, right? The bedrock runoff has to be tough for those towns with their centers right on the rivers. I know my dad, and aunts and uncless are on high ground, but I wonder how high the Androscoggin is going to get... The town police might be flooded out, and the children's room of the library is in the basement on the other bank. (yes, I'm a homeshooler. I'm worried about the books.)

Sounds like 3, going into the personality disorder that is called 4, to me. I think you handled it admirably. Consistency does pay off... Or they just plain outgrow it. In any event, during those years I often reminded myself, out loud, "this is a marathon, not sprint..."

She should probably avoid having children, as well... and any other relationship where she has some sort of obligation to other beings. Plants would probably be ok, though. Yeah, that took me a while to identify, too.

We do, too! We don't actually take the summer off, but we've been on break while we finished some construction projects, then buttoned up for the storm. I am soooooo ready for my kids to be back in their normal routine. They are losing their minds.

I just called to check in with my Dad in western ME and got his voice mail. I'm assuming he just turned his phone off because he just does that. ;) Anyone else in VT/NH/ME with a report?

No lie. In my experience, this isn't the case. They don't put that much thought into it. There is simply something about them that makes them think they have to "defend" themselves against the world, that they are innocent victims of everyone who has ever crossed their paths. It's crazy and difficult to deal with, particularly once they've labeled you as "enemy", but I don't think there is a plan to cause trouble, just a view of the world that makes them constantly lash out. With that in mind, I would totally protect Lacy's identity. Once she's labeled as "enemy" there is really no telling what lengths they'll go to.

Me, too... and now that you mention it, the fur on the boys' backs that my MIL the neonatologist said would go away? Yeah it's still there. They'll be 7 next month. :001_huh:

At my dad's place (no HOA) it was installed by the post office and they fix it each time the plow truck whacks it.

That might even be cooler than chalkboard fabric!

I absolutely prefer to patronize independently owned, B&M stores, and don't mind paying more to do so. However... Our B&M bookstores are putting themselves out of business with their poor selections and shoddy customer service. You'd think they would want to distinguish themselves by providing great service to people who actually walk through their doors, but I find more and more this isn't the case.

Last I saw she was on fallen tree / tornado watch with her bra in her pocket. :) hoping she's just fallen asleep.

Yup, we just lost a third of our pear tree with no warning at all. We knew it was likely and were shocked that all three upright sections were intact this morning, but then it just fell with no immediate warning while I was checking on work. Took out the top of the fence, but not the main part below.

Mmmmmmmmmmm... Sounds delicious. Fwiw, my kids would be more likely to empty your salad bowl than finish the beef sandwich. That's a favorite salad here, though... And they love chevre and olive tapenade on crostini. They're so weird.

I agree. When I was a teen, I listened to a wide variety of music. Some overlapped with my parents, some did not. As an adult, i have to vet my own music for appropriateness for kid listening. But... When I was a ten year old, it never would have occurred to me to grind suggestively to explicit lyrics. It disturbs me that children so young are so comfortable with <often raunchy> depictions of very adult behaviors. It's not what they're listening to, it's that even the most risqué pieces don't seem to cause an embarrassed giggle anymore.

How's it going? I hope you haven't needed the bra!

All appears well here on the mid-shore. A bit gusty, but the streets are just wet, none of the usual pooling at the curbs and my driveway. Looks like we lost leaves, but no limbs down. Power's on, and we still have DC channels via antenna (so that's still on the roof and there's not a lot of storm left between here and there). Delaware? New Jersey? How are you faring?

We had flashing lights drive by - not fast - a little while ago. I haven't heard the firehouse siren go off once, though. We're all sleeping in the living room. (you all see how asleep I am, right?) Ok, putting the phone back on to charge. :)

They keep annoying me. First, they will not take my business or membership card from the umbrella I direct because anyone could make something like that, so I have to write myself a letter, which I sign, and that's just ducky. :confused: Then I have one lady who insists she can't break out non-educational purchases.. But everyone else can do it. And, finally, I do not wish to stand next to a full wall of Twighlight and Twighlight knockoffs and hear they can "special order" actual literature for me! So can I, for crying out loud. Oh, and Joy Hakim did a meet & greet a couple weeks ago? Yeah, might have had better turnout if they'd gotten her name right in the announcement. And they didn't even seem mortified to have three of the ten history books and one of the science. :glare: on the upside, I got to sit next to her in a nice little intimate gathering.

My email is my name. At gmail. My account was hacked at one point. I have an account with them. I'm sure it's a glitch in the technology. They shouldn't send out rude messages accusing people of being spammers, though. That's not cool. Just not accepting the account would be enough for actual spammers, and it's just offensive when someone gets it by some weird alignment of the stars only the server can see.

Cook like mad and share the love!

Good Lord! That is what I'm afraid of every time it gets quiet here!

That's what we did last year. It went a long way to restoring sanity so I could take on the other things - decluttering, streamlining, making a schedule - that contribute to me being completely addled.

Excellent! Love those good landers!

I'm worried about friends in that general area, poking out into the bay in St Mike's and on Tilghman. :(