Tube hangers w/o notches. The ones with notches are evil.

I was up at 6:30, which is really 5:30, which means I overslept just a bit and explains why I feel groggy. I really hate this time change.

DS20 has spondylolisthesis and scoliosis. His PT always focused on strengthening his core--planks, bird dog, superman. My SIL has dealt with disc issues, sciatica, etc. for years. She finally gave in and had laser spinal surgery at the end of January. Now she's totally kicking herself for not having it done years ago. She didn't realize what a toll the pain was taking on her until it was gone.

FWIW--My little guy has had multiple issues with chemicals. He reacted horribly to Advantix (neurological reaction). Two vet visits, steroids, Benadryl, a full two weeks before he was back to normal. He has reacted to two vaccines, one not unusual (leptospirosis) and another one for which vaccine reactions aren't so common (rabies). We now titer for everything other than rabies, and avoid any vaccinations possible. All that to say--he's a bit sensitive to "stuff." But he does fine on Nexgard. He's been on it for (I think) going on three years. I've discussed this with two trusted vets in the group I use , both of whom advised "if it's working fine for him then don't rock the boat." And I'm good with that advice. Because after the Advantix reaction I didn't have him on anything for awhile, and despite my diligent daily checking he managed to get a tick borne disease. And that was no picnic. This was also discussed (last fall, when it first came out) on another board I'm on. There is a vet moderator whose opinion I hold in high regard. The alert wasn't anything that raised any alarm bells for him, and he said these alerts are much more common than most people realize. His advice was also "if your dog is on it and doing fine then don't worry about it." ETA: I don't think there's anything wrong with Advantix. It just wasn't right for my dog. I know other dogs who do fine with it, and have for years.

Ditto looking at the CR-V. My SIL had a Lexus SUV. They bought a CR-V and she liked it so much better she let her DD drive the Lexus and she's driving the CR-V. She didn't dislike the Lexus, but she does like the CR-V more. We have two and have been very happy with them. Honda also has a newer small SUV/crossover called the HR-V. I don't know anything about it, though. In addition to the others already listed she might want to check out the Ford Escape and GMC Acadia. I hear good things about both of those, although the Acadia may be bigger than what she wants.

That would be way too much food for most cats (despite what the label says) unless perhaps it's a very young, active one. Our last cat was a 16 pounder (good weight, not fat) and he never ate nearly that much. But he was a young adut when we adopted him and was lazy his entire life. Even though I say it would be too much for most cats, I don't doubt there are some out there who really do need that much. But you really need to compare pet food by calories rather than always sticking with the same amount from brand to brand. There can be a LOT of variation in the calories from one food to another, canned or kibble. Calorie information should be available on manufacturers' websites. Some dog kibble will have in the 300-400 calorie per cup range, and I've seen others hitting close to 600 calories per cup. Huge difference! It matters a lot for weight control. And contrary to popular belief that smaller amounts of higher calorie food are better (mostly because the humans like cleaning up less poop), I've known a lot of animals who seemed much more satisfied on a larger volume of a lower calorie food. They're just like humans--different in what works.

I'd work on some breathing exercises. My favorite is a deep inhale for a count of five, hold for one, exhale for a count of six. It equates to five breaths a minute, which is supposedly optimal. Square or box breathing is also a thing. Breath in for a count of four, hold for four, exhale for four, hold again for four. Good luck with the psych. Around here it can take six months or more to get a child in with one.

Rabies isn't uncommon in the wildlife population in my area. But the chances of a pet cat--especially an older pet cat who "hardly ever gets out"--having it are probably barely above zero (see the statistic Mercy posted). But I don't know what I'd do in your shoes. I know I wouldn't worry about it, but I would want someone to keep an eye on the cat for the next couple of weeks. Is your neighbor trustworthy for that? If not I'd probably be inclined to call AC and tell the neighbor "Sorry, but I have to look after my DD." Hopefully your state allows quarantine in the home. (It's not surprising the doc prescribed antibiotics. That's much more a CYA thing for the medical provider than necessity for the patient.)

I recommend talking with your vet first, but dogs can be given OTC Dramamine (or generic equivalent). Link Another link Bonine (meclizine) can also be given to dogs -- link Cerenia is a prescription anti-nausea medication for dogs that works for motion sickness. I've never had to use it for that, but it is absolutely awesome for nausea due to GI upsets. If your vet will sell you some (or you could get a prescription and get it from an online pharmacy) then I'd use it versus one of the OTC products. One dose is good for 24 hours, which makes it very convenient. Plus it doesn't seem to cause the drowsiness that the other two medications sometimes do. And really--it's very good stuff. I try to always keep some on hand.

I've never met a cat who didn't do well on Fancy Feast and Friskies. Ditto what Katie said about pate.

Unfortunately, no details are given. It's a short article, so I quoted the whole thing.

We have an 18 year old Honda CR-V with about 230,000 miles on it. I don't doubt it'll still be going strong after another 30,000 miles. I know a couple of people who have Hondas with well over 300,000 miles on them and they're still running fine.

The following article was just posted on the Washington Post as breaking news. If what he says comes to pass I might consider joining Facebook. I've been a huge skeptic of them all these years, so . . I'll believe it when it happens.

I've been bitten more times than I can remember. I'd wash the area thoroughly and forget about it. If it were my kid I'd keep an eye on it for a few days, just to make sure there weren't any signs of infection.

I'd dress up a little, then. I think if you don't you'll feel conspicuous, and it might take away from your enjoyment of lunch with your friend. Have fun!

I would say dogs (which surprises exactly no one, I'm sure! ). I think most humans will never know a love more pure than that of a good dog.

Assuming it's a casual restaurant then I'd wear my normal every day clothes. If it's a nicer restaurant then I'd put in a little extra effort. But I'm a function (comfort) over form (dressier) person whenever possible. If you want to dress up a bit more then that's fine. Do what makes you feel best!

We had something very similar to that when we had bigger dogs. It worked great.

Pretty much what Catwoman said -- Our boys are now 20 and 23. We started getting them acclimated to computers and the internet as soon as they were able to handle a mouse. So around 2 or 3? By the time they were 6 each of them had their own computer. DH is a software guy, and it was important to him to get the boys familiar with computers. We never really restricted their access. We gave each of them dumb phones around 10 (smart phones were just becoming common then, and most kids didn't have them). They each got smart phones a little before their 16th birthdays. We wanted them to have GPS capability when they started driving. Ours never had any problems with self regulation, and sometimes I wonder if it's because gadgets and the internet were never restricted. IDK. I do realize the internet is considerably different now than it was when they were young 'uns.

Absolutely. I fervently hope TPTB in NC always realize how incredibly valuable the entire UNC system is, and heed the state constitutional requirement that says " . . the benefits of the University, as far as practicable, be extended to the youth of the State free of expense for tuition." Obviously they don't offer free tuition, but compared to many other states we have a lot to be thankful for.

DS23 graduated from a "public ivy." He (and we) couldn't be more happy with the experience. When it came down to it none of us could make sense of spending the $40,000 a year difference it would have cost between Chapel Hill and the comparably ranked private that tempted him. Fortunately/unfortunately, "need blind" didn't make any difference for us.

Cowboy Caviar

Cat harnesses come in kitten sizes.

I assume you've tried cat harnesses? Especially the ones made for walking cats? I've found that harnesses are like women's clothes--you pretty much can't use sizes as anything more than a starting point. I try to take the dog with me to pet stores so I can try on harnesses, or make sure to order from a site with easy returns. Or maybe try the opposite approach of that--I wonder if anyone on Etsy does custom made harnesses? Good luck!

Probably mostly self explanatory, but -- I like critters with paws (dogs and cats). I use a "z" just to be a little different. And it's also kinda sorta a play on "pause for me."