in a burst of gardening enthusiasm while weeding the front beds... pull that one little weed which looked at the time, suspiciously like poison ivy (and now my arm feels itchy)? In a moment of compassion... start rehabbing what appeared to be a young feral kitten who was running rampant through our wetlands..whom was subsequently determined at the time of her spaying appointment two full months later (to be an already spayed and indisputably abandoned) full grown cat...which every other cat in my household,.. save one, absolutely hates...and who now has a private bed and bath... in my master bed and bath? Note to self: DH is tolerant, but not amused. in the heat of the moment...decide that every single one of our children (all college aged and above) needs to accompany us to a musical concert of a MAJOR artist... courtesy of the BOMAD? (The Bank of Mom & Dad) And proceeded to buy tickets for all...DH asked me in all seriousness, if my new career was going to be as a ticket broker. Hmmmm...not exactly. And this is just the tip of the ice burg around here... What about you? :coolgleamA:

Musing aloud here... I wonder what would happen if you experimented with a bit of reverse psychology? I would probably casually (very casually) mention to the talkative neighbor that the most amazing thing has happened! Astonishingly, your kiddo LOVES the new porch post color and in fact, he is going to be outside playing even more this summer...all due to the fact that he adores the color. I'd take "odds" on just how fast that color scheme disappeared. :coolgleamA: :coolgleamA:

Read your warranty fine print to be sure! :huh: Re: verifying exactly what the warranty covers. I wouldn't be surprised (at the 3 year mark) to learn that parts and labor were covered by the manufacturer. It certainly would not hurt to call and verify (or plead your case and see if they will extend to cover labor as a "goodwill" gesture.). You just never know. Re: 90+ weather and a breakdown ....that was us six weeks ago during the first heat wave of the season (in FL). It was impossible to be upstairs...the temp was 89 degrees at 10PM! :svengo:

Just a thought... Have you spoken with the Warranty Department of the AC manufacturer directly? You will need the serial number of the unit which is on a plate or sticker attached to the side of the unit. We went through a similar situation (with two units and two different issues... at the same time... go figure) just a month or so ago. Your manufacturer "may" be willing to cover more than you originally think they will. It certainly will not hurt to mention how much you like their brand and purchased on the basis of their excellent reputation etc. IME with customer service reps, just "being nice" sometimes seems to help, but not always! :tongue_smilie: Good luck! One more thought... What specifically does your warranty state is covered (and excluded) and how long is the warranty? I am assuming that this is not an extended warranty, but rather the coverage that came with the original purchase of the unit. Correct?

Disclaimer: I have not (yet) tried this AND I have no idea (now) where I once read this... Wrap any valuables that you intend to leave in your vehicle in a new, clean, unused, but wrapped up disposable diaper. Apparently, no one will touch it! Why all the descriptive narrative? Dunno. Just repeating what I read. ;) YMMV.

My dh has traveled constantly ( I posted briefly about it in the airline thread) throughout our entire marriage. For us, this was the year that our last kiddo left for college (and we do not own a dog and we do live in a somewhat rural neighborhood.) Although it feels slightly different, for me there is a little bit of the "Are you kidding me? I'm alone in my own house!" kind of bliss going on. :tongue_smilie: Everything stays in place, I can cook (or not) whatever I please, I can listen to whatever background music I choose, I can watch (or not) anything my little heart desires, I can read until my eyes beg for mercy, I can putter, or complete a project, or work outside, or surf the net, or pet the cats, or whatever. All of this enables me to sleep well, but that's just me. Would it help to leave some lights on in other parts of the house, particularly towards the front in order to make it appear as though people are still up and awake? What about leaving a TV or some music playing? In all likelihood, you will not feel quite so solo if you hear some background noise. Would you feel more comfortable sleeping in a room other than the master bedroom? Sometimes just a change of scenery is calming and therapeutic. GL and try to savor the silence (for a brief time!) :grouphug:

Nope, you are correct, but I believe RoughCollie (and her husband) owned a different bookstore. :001_rolleyes: IIRC, their business may have been primarily via online, albeit they had a physical facility. C'mon Collie, please set us straight! :001_rolleyes: The poster that I remember as Jill, (her board name had something to do with books) owned a small independent bookstore in the city. She posted when they closed it. I am using this thread as an exercise in long term memory retrieval! Nothing more! :001_smile: When Harriet Vane mentioned Hope in Chicago, it sparked a memory of the bookstore poster.

Re: Delays and Cancellations. There are always a vast array of factors that may be occurring individually or often times in tandem that create travel havoc. Someone near and dear to me (and with whom I share children :P ) comes home later than originally planned or calls and says he won't make it back home tonight because of... Pick one or more of the following: 1. " My jet broke." It may be a minor trouble light type issue that just requires a maintenance service or it may be a major issue such as a cargo door that won't close and they need to unload the aircraft both baggage and passengers and traipse back into the terminal until a new aircraft can be located. Sometimes the airline decides to "rob Peter to pay Paul" and take an aircraft destined for elsewhere. Then they have to play catch up and keep rolling equipment until they catch up. 2. "My jet broke before it took off from its previous destination." We are waiting on maintenance (there) to fix it and send it this way. 3. "We are on a weather hold." "We are on a ground hold." "We aren't on a hold any more, but there are 23 jets ahead of us waiting to take off and cutting in line is frowned upon." 4. "We are in danger of going illegal." (The FAA has recently implemented stringent rules regarding mandatory rest/sleep periods.Sometimes one of the above reasons will cause the pilots to no longer be able to fly that leg of their trip.) 5. "The crew (flight attendants) are in danger of going illegal." (Ditto.) 6. "The water in the lavatory tanks froze and its a four hour flight back. We're not moving until they get this fixed,"" (From Canada in January!) 6. And my all time favorite. "A monkey got loose and they have to clean the plane." Say what???? :willy_nilly:

I may have answered my own question.. :confused1: I believe that it was Jill who ran the bookstore in Chicago?

Plickering... I love it! :lol: This isn't the same amazing person who used to run a bookstore by any chance? Waaaaaay back in time indeed...

Beautiful! Do you mind sharing the dimensions of your beds? 4 X 8 perhaps? Did you import soil or use the soil from the pathways? So lovely! :001_rolleyes:

Saying, " sayonara" to your sandals... Priceless. :lol: Saying, "ta ta" to your tea... Hilarious. :laugh: Saying to Luke, " I have never been more proud of you." A parents dream. :thumbup1: I am totally stealing the "it is supposed to be calming, Dude" line! (My tea drinking dd's will love it!)

OP... I remember your sweet post from about a year ago mentioning that your dd (and your socks!) were about to go away to school and how much you were going to miss her. :grouphug: What a lovely and joyous update to read. The fact that you like both of the "new friends" is beyond fantastic! Enjoy your summer...

So how about ponying up a recipe? :tongue_smilie: That chicken and sweet pepper stew sounds divine! Just sayin'

So does this mean we are both enthusiastic and energetic culinary artists (or just both stuck in the same rut?) :laugh: Hilarious! Actually, I think it is reflective of the fact that we both cook in quantity on a regular basis!

Just a few more suggestions to consider: If you cook in quantity, you will have some left overs for lunches... Lasagna serve with Green Salad & French Bread Spaghetti serve with Green Salad & Garlic Bread Taco Salad and all the fixings and some sort of fruit Meat Loaf with your usual sides Chicken Spaghetti serve with fruit wedges and a veggie dish Chicken Divan and just about anything Roast (at least two) Chicken and your favorite sides and mashed potatoes and gravy Shredded Beef (on a bun) serve with Potato Salad & Baked Beans Fajitas with all the fixings serve with Spanish Rice & Refried Beans

The late Emily Post would not take kindly to their breach of etiquette! :glare:

I've been watching this thread and waiting for some fabulous replies. I was going to post a very similar request here same day you posted your query. I had to laugh about Mr. Let's Not Get Too Excited wanting to see/have a plan. The same person (in a different body) lives here too. Too funny!!. .

You can absolutely add him to your AAA membership! My oldest child (who is older than many of the posters on this board :tongue_smilie:) has been on our membership as an associate member since he was 16 and.. he hasn't lived at home in more than 16 years! His next closest sister is now 22 and she too now lives away from home and is on our policy as well. Come to think of it, we are about to add our last two college daughters to the mix as well. Would anyone else care to join? :lol: Depending on your circumstances and your location, if your son is away from home, you might want to look into the PLUS membership which includes an extended towing range. We have used that feature several times even though it is a slightly more expensive membership choice. Good luck!

If it is only three years old, is there a possibility that it is still under warranty? You can find out by calling the manufacturer and giving them the serial number of the unit. You want to speak to the Warranty Department. HTH. Jen (who is NOT an HVAC person, but just went thru this issue with two units last month!)

Dear Rosie~ The breadth and depth of this incomprehensible tragedy underscores what a vibrant and wonderful part of this board you have been for so many years now. Thousands of families are grieving with (and for) you and yours. Please know how much you are loved and cherished by so many. Marek's memory will never be forgotten and may you find some comfort in the memories that will live on in your heart forever. Hold tight to that sweet little girl of yours. :grouphug: :grouphug: :grouphug: from each and every one of us on this board.

Lovely! :)

FWIW IMHO, you made a great decision in rescheduling her appointment. :hurray: My dd1 (22) just had her wisdom teeth extracted two weeks ago, Three of the four were removed rather effortlessly, however, according to her oral surgeon, the fourth one was a complete train wreck. My dd did well for two and a half days and then we hit the proverbial wall. When I practice, I'm a nurse and her pain level was a legitimate "9."' Not good. Post op complications with that one particular tooth and she was at home in bed and in pain for almost two weeks. You just never know. Good luck to your dd!

What a hard choice! :grouphug: I far prefer 12's over 8's because they are efficient, however, I am referring to only doing 3 shifts a week, not 5! IMHE, just working the night shift 11P-7A creates enough havoc on your biorhythms WITHOUT even remotely factoring in doing 5 12's! Heck, 5 8's overnight will be enough to throw you completely out of synch and that doesn't really consider homeschooling your kids. If you work with them in the afternoons, you will be essentially starting the all-nighter shift after having already "worked" most of the day. That will run your poor little body into the ground in no time! :scared: Does the nicer facility offer the future possibility of working 12's down the road or do they not offer them at all? Are there any other options on the table? Do you have to work in this area? Is there any possibility of working in another specialty? If you were going to do 8's, my vote would be anything but 11P-7A. You could still creatively homeschool working either 7A-3P or 3P-11P waaay easier than the night shift. Once again, IMHE there can be some (relative) degree of sanity on the night shift depending on the individual unit. Obviously there is far less rounding, far fewer procedures performed, far fewer order changes, and far fewer visitors between the hours of 11P and 7A. This usually allows for more interaction with your patients and more time for assessment and monitoring. The trade off is that you are out of synch with everyone who is asleep while you are working. Keep us posted as you think this through!.

Even more opinions from fairly recently. :) http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/503691-fridge-opinions-do-you-love-yours/#entry5466074 I waxed poetically about our french door refrig somewhere in this thread. Good luck!