Thank you so much for the update, Catwoman. We've missed you around here! I'm so glad to hear your husband is doing well! :party:

No way would I let a 9-year-old stay overnight with people I don't know. I am not criticizing others who choose to do it, but I am not comfortable with it.

Best tip? Check out my forum. :)

Picture book: Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm These are all early chapter book series: Cam Jansen mysteries Dragon Masters Dragonsitter Jack Russell: Dog Detective Magic Schoolbus My Father's Dragon Pet Vet Pup Patrol The 13-Story Treehouse

That's terrible. What an idiot. :(

Jumpers are so easy and comfortable, but, I have to say, skirts are too, especially in warm weather. I like them long and full, so all I have to fit is my waist. They are very forgiving. :) I often wear them with t-shirts. If you like knits, Lands' End usually has a nice selection of knit skirts.

Sure, that makes sense. I don't think the author was attempting to be strictly scientific, but I found it fascinating. The snippet I quoted was in the midst of a section about animals' seemingly intuitive ability to sense danger. Thanks for the correction! Very interesting. :)

I wear long underwear under my skirts in the winter. TMI? :) I wear denim skirts almost every day. They're my version of jeans. I don't wear jumpers because my husband doesn't care for them. They look so comfy, though! Anyway, you can find lots of denim jumpers on eBay, or have them custom made at places like: http://www.liliesapparel.com or http://www.classicclothingstore.com

I hope your surgery went well! Drugs can be a wonderful thing. :)

I'm a conservative Christian, and I don't believe only people have souls, either. I believe the soul and the spirit are two different things. I don't believe trees have souls, but I confess I've never thought about whether they might have spirits of their own. Too interesting, because I am currently reading The Elephant Whisperer and the author writes: "Our guest lodge on Thula Thula is about two miles from our house in a grove of indigenous acacias and hardwoods that have been here for centuries. Here in this ancient woodland, the acacia tree not only understands it's under attack when browsed by antelope or giraffe, it quickly injects tannin into its leaves making them taste bitter. The tree then quickly releases a scent, a pheromone, into the air to warn other acacias in the area of the potential danger. [This is not strictly correct; see Corraleno's correction below.] These neighboring trees receive the warning and immediately start producing tannin themselves in anticipation of an attack." OP, in regard to your original question, I was going to say that I don't visualize souls, but then I realized the first image that springs to mind is a small, slightly elongated sphere, very dark in the center but lighter towards the edges. Weird, I know. :) I believe the soul is the essence of who we are, the part of us that remains after physical death.

Yep, I can call both scents up easily. :001_wub: :001_wub: :001_wub:

I always thought the smell wafting out of certain rooms in my dorm was just incense. My husband later enlightened me. I was either naive or clueless or both. :o

Right there with you, sister. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Very pretty!

So pretty!!! I am in awe. Thanks for sharing.

Yes, of course. I know Sparkly went through extreme difficulties in her childhood. I hope she knows I am very sympathetic towards her and towards all families who have to deal with mental illness. I do feel in these discussions it is important to keep basic human rights in mind as we talk through possible solutions. However, thank you for the reminder to speak gently and circumspectly. That is always a good thing to do.

I agree with the vast majority of what you've said in this thread, but this type of sentiment frightens me. If parents want to be tested for genetic predisposition to mental illness and decide not to have children because of it, that's up to them. But I do worry about things like forced sterilization of people who are mentally ill or abortion of children who are found to be potentially predisposed to mental illness.

Sure we can. Take it to the Current Events social group. There are no holds barred there. ;) And I do think redsquirrel is right--we can discuss political topics here in chat if we speak generally and without mentioning specific parties or politicians.

I think we just called them wintergreen mints? On this site they call them Canada mints.

New story for today: A mall in Turkey opened its doors to give homeless dogs a warm place to sleep during a snowstorm. Such sweet babies, all snuggled up. I :001_wub: you, animal lovers of Istanbul. More photos and a video, here.

Blue Hat, Green Hat The Big Red Barn Splash! by Flora McDonnell Is Your Mama a Llama? The Going to Bed Book Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?

Okay, I'm still going to give it a try. Could it be any of these? Chaps Oleg Cassini for Men Yardley Original L'Homme Sport Brut Aramis

Ah, I'm no help then. I was in high school during the Calvin Klein years. :)

.

When were you in high school? I :001_wub: this thread!