Ditto this. No dust no tracking. We loved Pretty Litter. But it was very dusty. We tried the versions with larger crystals like dmmetler suggested —I liked it, but Dh thinks it doesn’t work as well. Honestly, I think he just doesn’t like the fact that it doesn’t clump. So we are currently using this Arm and Hammer. Ours specifically says “cloud control” lol.

Gosh. Dd drives an ‘05 Vibe. It’s not affected, but thats worrisome. Thanks for posting. eta what’s bothering me is that I believe under the previous recall they only replaced the passenger side airbags. I can remember us reminding dd that if anyone was going to ride with her, they had to sit in the back seat until we got it fixed. So I can’t remember for sure, but I don’t think they replaced the driver’s side. So they expect me to trust it just because they haven’t seen one explode yet??? I’m going to look for the paperwork tomorrow to see what they did.

I’m having trouble telling how big the window is? Is it a large double window? Floor to ceiling? After looking at the drawing, I think the best place to add a closet would be on the wall opposite the window. You’d have to leave space for the door to open, of course. And room to maneuver furniture into the room. It seems better to take a few feet off of the longer length of the room. So you’d have a 15x12 room (roughly) rather than a long 16x9. I do think a closet would be a worthwhile addition. Then there’s no question that it’s a 4 bedroom house. And that’s a good size bedroom even with the closet taking up some space. Two kids could easily share that room one day. 🙂 I wouldn’t add another foot to the laundry. 8x8 is already a good size laundry room. Mine is a good bit smaller, and my house is a good bit bigger overall. I think adding a closet would add more value than an extra foot to the laundry would. ETA: I don’t have a sink in my current laundry as it’s too small. But I have lived in a house that had a laundry with a utility sink, and I never used it. I’d much rather have had some counter space to fold laundry. We are actually in the process of renovating my tiny laundry room. Dh removed the cabinets above the w/d and we bought an LG washtower to replace our side by side w/d pair. (The washer had croaked) My plan is to have someone build a base cabinet to go where my dryer used to sit with a small cabinet above mounted to the wall.

I agree with bootsie. It sounds like gift cards for groceries or take out would be the best way to help.

AccuWeather has been my go to, but the ads are driving me crazy. It does seem to be very accurate for a “crap app” (term one of our meteorologists uses to describe them lol). If I really need to scrutinize radar, I like Wunderground for the Wundermap. I prefer AccuWeather for quick and easy. Wunderground if you want all the details. As to whether forecasting is better or worse now… I think overall it’s better. The computer modeling is better. Radar is so much better, and so the ability to identify tornadoes on radar has definitely improved. This is a biggie where I live because it’s hilly and our tornadoes are almost always “rain wrapped”. Not visible to human eye.

Brown (Kumato) tomatoes. Mochi cake mix. Chicken salad. Flowers--almost forgot! I used Trader Joe's flowers for dd's wedding bouquet.

I have the same questions. The co-op coordinator has changed, but I’m hoping to get in contact to ask about this. I watched some YouTube videos of a comparison of the freedom ranger with Cornish cross. Their blind taste test favored the Cornish Cross. Another review (different website) of freedom ranger specifically mentioned the gamey-ness of the dark meat. That was definitely my experience with this bird. Interesting that yours are 5-6 pounds AND smaller than a Cornish Cross. This broiler couldn’t have been more than 2.5 lbs. It wasn’t even shaped like a typical broiler. Not even the ones in the YouTube videos I watched tonight. The more I think about it…I just need to find a different farmer for this. I started out with that farmer for his raw milk, but at $24 a gallon, it wasn’t doable. I tried his yogurt and thought it was yucky, too. Tasted like buttermilk. I like buttermilk for baking, but not straight drinking. This farmer has quite a following which had me giving him the benefit of the doubt, but I think I need to find another source. It’s not just the flavor of his products. My intuition…there are some red flags. Some other things not sitting well with me. Anyway, thanks to all who weighed in on this. It was very helpful. I learned some things. I’ve got some other options to explore.

okay. It's definitely not that. I am doing some googling, and there is definitely a difference depending on the breed. His broilers are $40 for a 2.5-3.25 pound bird. That is way too much to pay for something that doesn't suit my palate. lol I guess I need to find another farm/breed to try. A Cornish Cross maybe.

@Ausmumof3 I just checked the website. I know this info wasn't on there when I ordered. Now it says... "We raise the Freedom Ranger which is a red broiler. This bird is a four-way cross with an emphasis given to flavor and health. We have found that these birds grow out extremely well with very few health issues and the taste truly is superior. We feed New Country Organics feed, with no soy in the feed what-so-ever. We start with a chicken starter feed, and at about four weeks transition to a grower feed. We then raise them for a total of 8-10 weeks before preparing them for your table. Healthy and delicious! We do all of our own chicken processing. Broilers are generally processed between 8 and 10 weeks of age and it’s a family affair. No chlorine baths, electrocution or neck-ringing, just good, clean chicken that has been carefully bled and hand-processed." Of course I'm not positive that's what I got 9-10 months ago... I will Google that variety and see what I can find out.

It was pretty darn small. The smallest whole chicken I've ever seen. That's interesting. Thanks.

We are driving 14 hours to San Antonio. We used to live there--have friends there. Better chances of clear skies. SA will be base camp, and we'll drive somewhere to be in totality. I'm still figuring that part out. I'm hoping some of my friends will have a contact with property or at least know of a good spot. We saw the last one in Dayton, TN, the least friendly small town in America. lol I hope no one here is from Dayton. 😜 I'm sure there are plenty of friendly people there. I cannot wait! My eclipse glasses were delivered today!

I hate the commercials, too. The ones I have seen that are the worst lately are the ones marketing the new men's products. It IS a very effective product. I use it myself. Agree with the others who mention the medical conditions. Lume is probably the only option for those issues--that actually works. @MercyA Have you tried Scott? It seems like it would be the least linty. That is a pet peeve of mine too. Well, not tp specifically. Paper towels. Cleaning mirrors and windows. Viva is very linty.

I have eaten, locally farmed, free range chicken before (it's been a long time), and I don't remember this off taste. Is this normal? I did a freezer clean out (so I could defrost) before the holidays and found a small whole chicken that I had bought last year as part of a co-op. It wasn't what I normally purchased from this farmer, but I wanted to try it. It was flash frozen, delivered to me frozen, and I put it straight in my deep freezer. Then I forgot about it until the clean out. I decided to cook it tonight. It thawed in the fridge for about 24 hours. Then I brined it in a very mild brine for 24 hours. Cooking method was oven braised in Riesling, Melfor vinegar, and bone broth. It was very tender, but the dark meat tastes off to me. Maybe bloody? Maybe gamey? Or are those synonymous? I also found a little package of chicken hearts from the same farmer that I cooked (a couple of days ago) sous vide in EVOO--same off taste. I'm giving them to the dogs for treats. I mean the dark meat doesn't taste ((bad)). Just weird. Not spoiled--no weird smell. I am gradually switching all of my meat to being as locally sourced/regenerative as possible. I'm already there with my beef and pork. I could order from this farmer again, but I just wanted to run this by the hive to get your take on what I should look for. For one thing...I don't know if this guy does his own processing. I may have known when I ordered, but I've forgotten. ETA: the breast meat was so good! No off taste at all. Very tender and flavorful. Not dry or stringy or chewy, so that was a win. I usually don't like chicken breast, but on this bird I preferred it.

ETA: Never even mind! I was complaining about the cost and didn't realize it was for a 5 pack! That's not bad at all. I'm going to go ahead and order. I'm so looking forward to it! Thanks for the reminder to order. I'm sure they will get pretty scarce as it gets closer to April.

This is a timely post for me, too. I am getting HRT through an online provider. This is a very recent thing. After describing some of my...ahem...difficulties due to menopause, the dr suggested this type of PT for me, too. They refer to another online provider for this--which I am very skeptical of. Maybe they have local PTs that you can see in person. I don't know. It was never on my radar before this consultation. I suppose I should look into it further.

I understand that... {{ETA: wait... "any person would buy"...Most females I know have no interest in gaming. My girls are not typical girls, and this was painfully obvious from middle school all the way through college/grad school. So I disagree that it is something that "any person would buy"}}... but it's...comedy. I guess not all comedy is welcome here. Good to know--not surprising. But comedy--as a genre--is commonly irreverent and offensive. Everyone has their limits though which is understandable. People who would buy tickets to see a comedian know what they are getting into usually (thinking of so many comedians who made bank offending people regularly). No so here on the boards. I get it. Also, I still think it's hilarious. 🙂

That is a very helpful article!

I think before Prozac and certainly before euthanasia, I'd try Feliway Optimum. It works really well! Please tell your friend about it. It is a diffuser for a "feel good" pheromone for cats. We have 3 cats (4 when one dd visits). One of our cats gets anxious and over grooms to the point of raw oozing sores. He will also spray. The Feliway has helped so much. The over grooming is 100 percent better--no longer an issue at all. The spraying still happens but only occasionally. Like recently we moved all of the furniture out of our basement living room and laid new flooring. Then we put the furniture back but in a different arrangement. He has sprayed a few times in one particular spot. He's just sensitive to change. I'm really surprised your friend's veterinarian didn't suggest Feliway. Mine did because of the over grooming/skin issues. It really is a game changer. I will say...Prozac at the vet is probably cheaper than Feliway--depending on the size of the house. But I HATE trying to give a cat medication. That is the worst.

Hmmm. My 20 something daughters would absolutely be the ones buying gaming computers and video games. I thought it was hilarious anyway.

That's good. Hope your sleep doctor and study are better than mine. I still don't understand what the point of the study is if they aren't going to look at my sleep stages.

It's interesting to see how we all who struggle with chronic illness have learned to look at every possible angle because our doctors just can't. They don't have time. There is so much for us to untangle. I'll throw one more thing that is definitely worth checking: a sleep study. Rule out sleep apnea or another sleep disorder. I discovered that I have Periodic Limb Movement Disorder. SSRIs can exacerbate it, so I weaned off of Zoloft. That helped some. {Incidentally, that is another reason to get the ferritin checked. Low ferritin is the primary cause of PLMD. (The cause of mine happens to be purely neurological.) A lot of doctors will blow off a low ferritin number if your hematocrit is okay, but some people are more sensitive than others. Just something to keep in mind. It can make you feel terrible.} I also use an Oura Ring to track my sleep. That was really enlightening. I thought the sleep doctor would have pointed this out from my sleep study, but he didn't. I figured out that I was getting very, very little deep, slow wave sleep. Sometimes zero. Long story short... between a new med and lifestyle changes, I am getting some consistent deep sleep, and I cannot believe how much better I feel. It makes me sad to think about how many people wouldn't think to check this. For me...it didn't matter how many hours I slept, I still felt horrible. It was the lack of deep sleep. eta: I think the hormonal changes of peri and menopause probably caused the change in the quality of my sleep. I just started HRT 4 days ago. So far so good with that.

CFE/ME is (or should be) a diagnosis of exclusion. Unfortunately, a lot of doctors will blow off the symptoms and not even bother to do the boat ton of labs that are needed to rule other stuff out. Or as in my case, the doctor will throw you a bone and order a thyroid panel and maybe rheumatoid factor. I was on my fourth doctor, and she ordered a ton of bloodwork that included ANA. That was a strong enough positive that I could be referred to a rheumatologist. Autoimmune disease can take years to show up in bloodwork.

You might want to look into Hyaluronic Acid oral supplements. But do a little research on what molecular weight is best. I used to think a low molecular weight was better, but more recently the studies I've seen are using high molecular weight. donotage.org is a reputable source for high molecular weight. I am taking Pure Encapsulations which is low molecular weight. I will probably switch when this supply runs out. Not sure. Still looking at research. Topical HA has been really hyped over the past several years, but it doesn't really do anything--unless you are getting it injected as a filler of course. (I have never tried that though) Topical HA can actually dry your skin further if you live in a dry climate because (supposedly) it will draw moisture out of your skin. Here is a link to donotage.org HA supplement. There is a TED talk video if you scroll down. eta: just watched...it isn't about skin rejuvenation at all. It is about her work with long lived species of animals. There is probably more info on the website's blog. https://donotage.org/pure-hyaluronic-acid

I'm praying.

I have heard of them! I think I’ve actually ordered from them before—can’t remember what because it’s been awhile. Thanks—that’s great to know!