We have to scrub our outside garbage can a few times a year, especially during the summer. The heat/humidity here combined with what seems to be unavoidable garbage can gunk leads to maggots and odors and all around nastiness if we don't. Our method is to fill it about one-third or so full of water, add in a few large glugs of PineSol or similar cleaner, take an old broom and swish it around. Let it stand awhile, then dump it out. flip it upside down and let it air dry. I've cleaned garbage cans all my life and have never had any degradation of the cans. The flipping it upside down is the hardest part for me. The thing is bigger than I am!

That's what I did when we had medium/large dogs. You can get an inexpensive new crib mattress for not much more than a good quality dog bed, and the inexpensive crib mattress will be much better quality. Sheets are cheap, and super easy to remove and wash. And being vinyl/waterproof the mattress itself doesn't get smelly.

But I think maybe it's a whole different world nowadays, since almost everyone walks around 24/7 with a camera (cell phone) permanently attached.

I don't keep up with celebs, so I don't know any of the particulars. But my general feeling is that if one is any sort of celebrity by choice then being photographed and asked for autographs comes with the territory. It's pretty much a job requirement, and one that the person certainly should have been aware of before pursuing/accepting a place in the spotlight. Also, as far as I'm aware no one has a right to privacy in a public space (that's here in the U.S.). But I've also never understood the allure of getting a photo or autograph of a celebrity. I just don't get the appeal. It's as if people think having a photo or autograph of someone famous increases their own importance? It kind of screams "low self esteem" to me.

A bag of frozen peas makes the best ice pack. And I say that based on very recent experience--I lost a tooth last week due to a horrendously painful abscess. That bag of peas was invaluable.

Our dentist absolutely insists on a milkshake or smoothie on the way home. And ice packs and Motrin on a regular schedule for several days. And more milkshakes and smoothies. Her big thing is keeping the swelling down. She says that is the key to avoiding issues. I hope it goes smoothly!

Your Columbia must be a different style than the one I have, because I really don't think the one I have could possibly be any thinner.

We mainly use insulated tumblers and mugs to avoid the need for coasters.

I have Columbia and LL Bean. The LL Bean fit me better but I do NOT like the fabric. It's almost canvas like--stiff and crinkly. The Columbia is light, breezy and soft. But I had to size way up to get a loose fit. Like I normally wear a small and thought a medium would be loose enough, but had to go all the way to a large.

I doubt that the short lifespan of most appliances has much, if anything, to do with energy efficiency. I suspect it's all to do with greed.

If you want long lasting you may want to look into percale. They aren't as soft as sateen, but they last a LOT longer. They do get softer over time. When you think of your grandma's sheets--those were most likely percale. There's probably a high likelihood that those 25 yo sheets you have are percale. I may get either these or these as my next sheets.

You mean OTC and first aid stuff? Ours lives in a plastic bin under the sink in the half bath, except small bottles of Tylenol and Motrin live in a decorative holder on the kitchen counter. DH's prescriptions live in an upper kitchen cabinet. Mine are in multiple places that probably wouldn't make sense to anyone else but works for me. We don't have any young kids in the house, so thankfully don't have to worry about that.

I have two bins in my fridge that have humidity controls. I keep one set on low and one on high, and store produce in the appropriate one. And I try to make sure we eat the most delicate stuff first.

Depends on time of day and on how humid and windy it is, but in general I'd say morning lows in the upper 20's to low 30's would have us reaching for a warmer jacket. If the low is above the mid-30's and it's not very windy or damp then I'm thinking more about layering a couple of lighter weight jackets, or a heavier long sleeved shirt and a light jacket. I'm in NC, but not up in the higher elevations where winters are much colder and wind chill is often a huge factor.

That sounds a little extreme to me. Have you had a checkup recently? If not, you might want to consider at least having some blood work done, just in case there's an underlying problem. I'm a lot older than you, and the only time I've had that extreme of a problem with falling asleep was in the few months before I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Of course it's different if you're suffering from insomnia at night, or really truly burning the candle on both ends. But if you're sleeping reasonably well and anywhere close to seven hours a night and still getting that sleepy during the day I'd look for a reason other than "pushing 40."

One of our former cats was acting really lethargic and just all around out of sorts once, so I took him into the vet. He was one of those very dog like, totally love bug, easy going cats who pretty much adored any kind of human petting or handling. So she was a bit puzzled when she went to take his temperature and he yowled, almost like a scream. She poked around and found a very swollen area on the back of his thigh, very near his rear end. It was an abscess that needed shaving, draining and antibiotics. Our only guess was that our other cat had scratched him.

Tooth abscess would be one possibility. Or an abscess from something else--like if you have another cat that scratched him. Probably a good thing you're getting him in so quickly.

Dog hair isn't a problem here currently (the pooch sheds less than I do). When we had shedding dogs I either used a stick vac or a Swiffer. For mopping I like the O'Cedar spin mop better than any other I've ever used.

I wouldn't worry, but I do think you're doing the right thing to get it checked out. Lots of things can cause period wonkiness during the peri-menopause years, and a certain amount of weirdness isn't unusual at all. But when it's enough that you're noticing fatigue you need to get it checked out and figure out how to stop it. Not to mention that the non-stop bleeding is a huge quality of life issue that nobody should have to put up with. Mine was caused by a large fibroid.

I've certainly encountered this problem since being diagnosed with RA. There's no denying that restricting food intake for weight loss takes a lot of mental energy and reduces physical energy. Even watching things very closely for maintenance can do it. And on top of the fatigue of RA I just haven't been able to deal with that. The "cost" isn't worth it to me at this point. I've gained a couple of pounds since being diagnosed last year (I know that doesn't sound like much, but I'm only 4'10" so it's not insignificant). I don't like it, but I'm okay with it because it's a conscious decision I made and not due to out-of-control eating. I simply can't restrict myself to the maintenance level I used to and maintain any quality of life now. There are always choices to be made, and sometimes neither choice is good. But that's life.

Another vote for progressive lenses. They are all sorts of awesome.

I only have experience with iPhones, which obviously aren't generally considered inexpensive. I keep the larger text option turned on and don't have any trouble seeing it. I would think most smart phones would have that option?

I painted our dining room table four months ago and used this wipe on poly. I used water based and satin finish. I chose that because supposedly it's a lot easier to work with than the poly that has to be brushed on, and water based is supposedly easier to work with than oil based. It was very, very easy to use. I had to do lots of coats but it dries fast. So far the table is holding up very well, but it's mostly just DH and me here and we're certainly not hard on it. I used chalk paint, so I could have put wax over it but I really didn't think that would have provided nearly enough protection for a dining table. For a headboard I really don't think you need any top coat, but if you'll be setting stuff on the trays, especially anything that might be wet, then a protective coat is probably a good idea. Wax would probably be fine if the trays are just for decoration. If you're going to be using them for food/drinks then I'd really consider using poly. The poly I used had to be ordered, I couldn't find it in a store around here.

I agree with Katie regarding grain allergies. It makes no sense to assume that a dog would be allergic to ALL grains. Nobody does that for any other type/group of food. If a dog reacts to chicken we don't say "my dog is allergic to meat." But people think if their dog reacts to one grain they have to avoid all of them. We had a previous dog who had horrible, horrible allergies. We had to have him tested and do desensitization shots. I've forgotten exactly now, but he tested allergic to something like 37 things and borderline to a few others. He reacted to wheat but could have eaten corn or rice all day long w/o any problem. I'm hearing a lot of people say the smart thing to do now is probably to stick with foods made by the big manufacturers (and I don't disagree), but it did jump out to me that Merrick is on the list, and it's been owned by Purina for four years now. So . . . hmmm. Now maybe Merrick is operated as a totally separate company, but still . . it makes me wonder just a bit.

I'm 56 now. I was chubby from the time I was a young teenager, and by the time I hit my early 20's I was at least obese, probably morbidly obese. Right after my 25th birthday I decided if I was ever going to do anything about it I better do it then. I don't really know how much I lost because I'm not exactly sure of my starting weight. I know I lost over 64 pounds, and here I am 30 years later and for the most part I've kept it off. After all those years, two pregnancies that resulted in c-sections, a hysterectomy, menopause, a thyroid that whacked out and developing RA I weighed 7 pounds more this morning than I did on my wedding day over 29 years ago. My advice is to just start. Do something positive. Don't overthink it, at least not to begin with. Eat a little less today and/or move a little more. The most important part for most people is what you put in your mouth. As the saying goes, you can't outrun your fork. For most people it really is that simple. And for another cliche--don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good (or however that goes). If you think you have to find the perfect way to eat or exercise (when in truth there is NO perfect way for either of those for every single body, no matter how hard some newly converted to this way of eating or that way of exercise will insist) then you're just setting yourself up for failure. So . . . do something positive today. Start. Build on it. Tweak as you go. I lost and maintain by eating a mostly vegetarian, high carb/lower fat/lower to moderate protein diet. That's vegetarian as in lots of whole grains, beans, veggies, fruits, etc. I do try to eat some fish once or twice a week. I know it's not the flavor of the day by any means, but it worked and continues to work for me and I have zero interest in changing. I enjoy eating this way, which makes it as effortless as possible to keep up. And my body mostly seems to thrive on it. My blood sugar is good despite a horrible family history of diabetes. BP is fabulous. Even though I have RA, my CRP and ESR are always in the low normal range. My rheumy seems to think my diet is the reason my inflammation markers are so good (a vegetarian, Mediterranean type diet is the one he says most of his patients report the best results from). But for weight loss my most important advice is to really pay attention to food. Figure out what makes your body feel good or bad an hour or three (or eight) after you eat. Pay attention to that more than what makes your mouth feel good in the moment. Figure out what calories are worth it to you. For example, although my mom loved to bake and I was raised in a home where home made cake or pies were always available, by paying careful attention after I started my weight loss journey I realized that I really didn't like the way eating sweets made me feel an hour or three afterwards. Nothing huge, just a slightly burny, not-quite-right tummy. Once I paid attention to that feeling rather than how good they tasted I was able to ignore them most of the time. I figured out butter on a baked potato is a huge waste of calories for me. A good potato tastes fabulous all by itself, or maybe with just a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Or if I really want something on it some salsa zings it up a bit, much yummier (to me) than butter, plus . . .more veggies. And because after paying really close attention for awhile I realized I actually like salty flavors much more than sweets. Now, all that said -- I'll be the first to tell you that it's hard. Dang hard. Maintaining is even harder than losing. Much harder, because you get no reward of seeing the number on the scale go down or tight clothes getting looser. But you have to think of it as a lifestyle, an ongoing thing. Not a diet you go on, lose and then stop. I look at maintaining my weight/good eating habits and exercising like I do brushing and flossing my teeth--just something that has to be done. I do realize I'm the exception much more than the rule as far as being able to lose weight and keep it off. In your shoes I'd absolutely consider the surgery route, as that certainly seems to provide the best chance of success for most people.