I go swimming once a year, but was glad to find these (similar) at Walmart. There are 2 layers---bike shorts and then light weight water resistant shorts on top (mine are floral). It provides coverage! I wear a black mesh exercise tank top. (I'm just swimming with family only.) https://www.walmart.com/ip/Avia-Women-s-Core-Active-2fer-Woven-Running-Short-with-Pockets/5274681433?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=101118829&&adid=222222222275274681433_101118829_145757388134_19835702366&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=651541449823&wl4=aud-2225087348787:pla-1968727770225&wl5=9014640&wl6=&wl7=&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=530038187&wl11=online&wl12=5274681433_101118829&veh=sem&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAlJKuBhAdEiwAnZb7lQxlXtk_IjeFGZEz1F5yYQYM0vXh80xTNJEas7cEfnaa_y1KxnjJxRoCHBoQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I like to see photos of the sanctuary (or wherever they meet for the main service). Photos of the staff, so you can recognize them as a visitor. Yes, I need photos!

I'm not a dog owner, but I've done Family Haircuts for decades. Agreeing with the others---just do a trim. How bad can it be? My future dil's parents DIY their dogs with a Pet Vacuum Clipper, like this: https://www.amazon.com/Simple-Way-Grooming-Capacity-Shedding/dp/B0C5J71HDZ/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1EIY8MNGOTE1&keywords=dog+grooming+vacuum+clippers&qid=1706897537&sprefix=dog+grooming+vacuum+clippers%2Caps%2C176&sr=8-5&ufe=app_do%3Aamzn1.fos.006c50ae-5d4c-4777-9bc0-4513d670b6bc

I would choose one of the Smithsonians, maybe American History. Our wonderful now-son-in-law took us to the Holocaust Memorial Museum. I was openly weeping at the halfway point, and ended up exiting and walking around the monuments (nearby) instead of completing the tour. Lighter fare at the National Portrait Gallery. Air and Space, National Gallery of Art. We loved hiking up the hill to the Washington Cathedral, which is modern construction, but makes you feel like you're in Europe. ETA = Avoid walking & take a bus. Also look for the special exhibits (anywhere) during the dates of your stay.

He could intern at a local financial planner's office. He could just study at the public library! I have ZERO knowledge of this, but Dave Ramsey has homeschool curricula for Entrepreneurs, Personal Finance, & Careers. https://www.ramseysolutions.com/education/homeschool I would focus first on personal finance, because without understanding that, you won't have as much to invest. And another fun project is just choosing to invest hypothetically & following how those stocks perform. (As we approached retirement, I just self-educated about stock index funds using personal finance blogs and youtubes.) This way he could follow what he's really interested in learning . . . not get trapped in a regulated course full of busywork!

1) If you're on Amazon Prime, you could sign up for a free 7-day trial of PBS Masterpiece, and binge watch the rest of the series. 2) You can join your local PBS station. Ours in KY has a $5 per month fee to join Passport. 3) You can sneak & get a British VPN and stream it as if you are a British citizen (which I don't exactly know how to do, seriously). I've LOVED All Creatures---they have done such an amazing job with this new adaption. (And Miss Scarlet & the Duke is wonderful too, especially the newest episode "Origins" with fantastic banter between the YOUNG Eliza & William.)

I have never cleaned my oven. I loved it when my oven broke & it was very, very dirty. Now I just get the nozzle on the vacuum cleaner & vacuum up the dried stuff on the bottom/floor of the oven.

Our Backyard. 😉 (I love being able to say that!) We experienced Totality also in 2017, in our backyard. I can honestly say it was an amazing experience . . . but it lasted maybe 5 minutes. It is extremely unsettling experience . . . but it is extremely short!

I don't decorate seasonally, except for Christmas, but I watch Youtubers like Do It On A Dime (& others) that demonstrate how to take Dollar Tree items and combine them into low cost decor. I just searched Youtube, & there are all kinds of tutorials.

Maybe you could DIY with craft supplies at Hobby Lobby?

We have an uninsulated (vintage) cabin in northern Wisconsin that we only use in summer. We pour RV antifreeze in the drains of each sink/shower/toilet AFTER draining the water from them. A very inexpensive solution--it's a pink fluid, & we bought it at Walmart. Another option is to have a neighbor come over & check on the house periodically. We put a space heater in our crawl space, on nights like this. (We have a small leak right now in an outdoor faucet, so my dh has been turning off the main water valve each night as a precaution.) Two of our neighbors have experienced catastrophic loss from upstairs frozen pipes and a water heater failure when the house was empty, so we don't mess around! Great question to ask the Hive!

25 years ago, my dd had a ruptured appendix, & was in the hospital for 5 days of IV antibiotics. I'm also having difficulty coming up with a non-cancerous treatment that requires such a long in-hospital stay. (Especially because she's young-ish & seems to generally be healthy.) I won't be surprised (and maybe this will still happen) if she just goes home early & has home health at KP. 😉 (Like recovery from childbirth.) I am confident that the World will eventually learn the nature of her surgery.

P.S. This may be a rabbit trail, but helpful for those who are considering retirement. A helpful tool has been to watch youtubes or read blogs about retirement (& personal finance) issues. I watch Joe Kuhn, Holy Schmidt, Retirement Transformed . . . and soon your youtube side bar will be filled with recommendations! They bring up the typical downfalls, so you can anticipate them. I also heartily recommend learning about Medicare, ACA, Social Security, IRA, and other related issues. They all have very specific rules, but also nice perks if you qualify. We chose to retire a little early, but will need to watch our spending until Social Security kicks in. And honestly, LIFE always has ups & downs, hard times and smooth times . . . whether you're retired or not!

We've been Empty Nesters for 3 1/2 years, & my dh has been retired for 3 months, at age 63. Yes, we waited until our youngest was clearly going to graduate (this May). We love it all. We did set up a basic morning routine, & have scheduled exercise and mealtimes. I am a long time Library Board Volunteer. Please find an interesting charity or community activity or needy/receptive individual who you can invest in. But mainly, we're doing house projects, decluttering and cleaning, with the goal to downsize & move to the city where all our kids live. I always teased my kids not to complain of being "bored", or I'd give them some chores to do. We've never been bored! It's really fun and easy to have mental & physical MARGIN to sort old photos, practice the piano, figure out what toys to save for the grandkids, etc. We're ebaying some of the surplus, and creatively thinking about our future. I highly recommend it!

My bins are 10" x 16" x 9" stackable bins (no lids). I used to shop at Aldi, & used them then (similarly). Our kids used to store Legos & other toys in them, & I'd just dump out the toys & take the bins to the grocery store. Also, I get about $90 of groceries, and they easily fit in these 4 bins & the 2 cooler bags. Yes, the first time I did this, I had no idea what to expect--- much like using WM PIckup for the first time. But it truly is wonderful not to have all those bags to recycle afterwards!

I have had the No Plastic Bags option with WM Pickup for several months now. The produce & the eggs are still in thin plastic produce bags, to prevent damage. I have 4 clear plastic (stackable) bins & 2 cooler bags in the van, spread out in a row. Both the WM employee and I just put the items in the bins, & it takes about 3 minutes. Easy to unload at home, too. I love it.

I have ZERO experience with this, but my understanding is that Google Pay and Apple Pay are now very common ways for tourists to pay, avoiding the use of regular credit cards. I do second @marbel's advice to have at least 2 ways to pay. It's common to have problems!

Season 4--can't wait. Also Miss Scarlet 😉 Free streaming online is available later tonight. https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch-online/

I've done daily Duolingo Spanish for about 3 years now. I'm on one of the last Series. It's a great Empty Nest Early Morning Goal Achievement! But I teased my dh that it doesn't mean we could travel to Spain & I would just translate everything!

Jane Austen Quotes on a Tote Bag. I smile every time I look at it. https://www.amazon.com/Jane-Austen-Pride-Prejudice-Typography/dp/B08RXBDSPR/ref=sr_1_14?keywords=jane+austen+bag&qid=1703709795&sr=8-14

I put them in my Sentimental box, without the frames---they really don't take up much space, & I smile when I reminisce that I used to be able to see in fine detail. 😉

I posted this on your prior thread. Here's Day #1 (today) of the Minimal Mom's Decluttering Series. These are meant to be watched while you are decluttering. Today is Main Living Spaces. She is so very naturally encouraging, as she used to have a very messy house.

I was just going to post the link. (I had to sign up for free, to get the link.) She calls it "body doubling" to have a friend (she's a wonderful Virtual Friend) to encourage you. She's big on purging, @DawnM Ironically, the Minimal Mom's real name is Dawn M. 😉

I'm doing a Christmas Tree this year, with the grandkids helping to decorate. So the final product will likely look a BIT different than this! 😉

Please share pictures! 😉