I’m so sorry. People can be incredibly disappointing. Most people probably appreciate the library, though, and your kindness in providing books.

Yep! And training classes… obedience, agility, scent work…

Is she a border collie? Are her eyes likely to stay blue? If so, I vote for Bluebell. Dd says, though, that she’s going to grow up to be stunning, so her name should reflect that by being something regal and perhaps mythological. Pondering… maybe Guinevere, Gwen for short? Lots of choices here: https://nameberry.com/list/325/mythological-baby-names-for-girls

I have an Irish cookbook at hand, if you want some recipes. One that strikes me immediately as seasonal and attractive is a lamb and potato hotpot. It does include kidneys but you could leave those out since they’re not really available here. Otherwise it’s lamb chops, onions, stock/gravy, and thinly sliced potatoes arranged nicely on top with herbs and cooked until “crisp and golden.” The picture is on the book cover, and looks gorgeous and tantalizing. https://www.amazon.com/Irish-Traditional-Cooking-Irelands-Heritage/dp/190492011X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=YUNE4P353087&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.FdotAe79sGAy3g5Fn0FzMmhHw08AdnJFTaO4H44EjsiqCjc9OWCF6uRCQI8pbLg6C4CHoNP9DEwrlNvwrEDts09cU3aP2MiCHYl-J5GYXtLSv_Vs_3PKaxHoYRU8QVp9AFa8nnxIfTA-SlhQ1Wv-NC3hRuh1brjQxv7aH-0s8NKLr5XoQ5bsBgxacb5fkAAH3UI4PyVstgY_8Cd7VTemyA.CWR4DSiBhz2cYUzyF8hQ66MEdsCZ_MGur0_7T8NWHyE&dib_tag=se&keywords=irish+traditional+cooking&qid=1711198590&sprefix=irish+trad%2Caps%2C70&sr=8-1 I’ll be happy to share recipes if anything in particular seems appealing, but will be driving most of the afternoon, so can’t be available past about eleven. Let me know if you want me to check various categories for ideas. Or there’s a Kindle version.

He’s lucky you were there and equipped to help. Well done.

Please don’t. The exchange of views here can get heated, but we’d be dull without different perspectives. I don’t think anyone meant to attack you, any more than you meant to attack Kate. It’s okay if people disagree.

With a six year old, I’d be inclined to use manipulatives consistently, rather than dealing with the numbers as abstract concepts. Sure, some six year olds could manage the abstraction, but I don’t think it’s outside the range of normal to stick with concrete examples for now. Let him put three blocks with four blocks and then count them all together. We did use Ronit Bird, with good results. Give it plenty of time and practice.

Another classic option for flexible picture hanging is to install a picture rail. Then you can use hangers and chains to arrange and rearrange artwork as often as you like. https://www.bobvila.com/articles/picture-rails/ (Oddly, not all of the images here show the picture rail actually being employed to hang the pictures. Some do, though.)

I’ve worried about a few boardies who disappeared during the pandemic: @Lanny and Margaret in Colorado spring to mind. I think Margaret left by choice, but Lanny just quit posting. I think both had some health issues. There was @geodob too, who mostly posted on Learning Challenges threads. Of course people drift away over time, as is their right, and we don’t know what becomes of them.

You are clearly my kindred spirit.

Thank you so much. This is wonderful. Could I offer one suggestion? First responders may not know when they’re dealing with people with autism. If they could make the language choices you suggest here habitual, and any behavioral changes that would work with the broader population, they’d need to do less adaptation in difficult and stressful situations, when they must have a million priorities they’re balancing. As a parent of a young adult who can look neurotypical these days but really isn’t, I appreciate what you’re doing so much.

These worked well for us. https://www.amazon.com/SURENSHY-Catcher-Effective-Reusable-Families/dp/B08219DSXP/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?crid=29V3FH8BPQYQV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.Awz_3fnhklKumritVgLIFVui3fdQHuvcltig6JGWYuLSG3GOFn3JcOZmWkL0nr3RWqnfpSxunlz2AW5n-oz0KHOkRqnajMFR5uZjcVISoZs0O0ATmRBPQ9I6fDFQ2DMsdWcZvTiZ0liBqJTS3iZLr7wxI5M7mKvvFm8DVuuKIZT02LXLgcJg0_Y746f-4OxcfyexD4uh3TuQuY0qBGjzHg.sp_DbrB_eELssT-osFJqgXflu_hR6kC3OBYwdp-fHqk&dib_tag=se&keywords=dr.+catch+mouse+traps&qid=1710855892&sprefix=Dr.+Catch%2Caps%2C72&sr=8-3

I just found a great resource for matching the best birdhouse choices to your yard, courtesy of the folks at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. There are plans for building each birdhouse, plus information about selecting the best sites and which birds particularly need help in each region. This might be a project older kids with some carpentry experience could manage on their own, or younger ones with help. Then, for nesting season, there’s Project NestWatch. The website is described in a WaPo article that’s available here without a paywall. https://wapo.st/3vl1Lk3 Here’s the link directly to the NestWatch All About Birdhouses tool. https://nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/right-bird-right-house/

I hope by now you’ve taken more Benadryl and you’re feeling better. What a scary experience! Your kids did well recognizing what was happening and responding appropriately. I know they have good reason to be aware of allergies, but still, at the critical moment they kept their heads and spoke up. Good job.

Zombie thread

A couple of books I’ve enjoyed, both highly readable and shedding light on the history of geology and paleontology: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1939990009/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?ie=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.HaQupkV8FNmLYw4-o1-nhjOACO_WHI54ebrTubee0Kt1aOvkvC9No0qnG1HF4jvb.CHAnFNbveqerX5Eald4X4TkYwTHY-kO_ytx3t98S-1Q&qid=1710720672&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Hunters-Scientific-Discovery-Prehistoric-ebook/dp/B00810SAWG/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?crid=2LBZJ0E5JIX12&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.5aKT8pkElBj5azyHxFPtJ7SxrH1uziaYboU7dAKqRJW49nbt1u1ncVfhX-bNctu7JTmkIR0ry595uPwvO1a4W72Sr24oMKGXPOR5nZGSzVKZmvKH1RKs-QYqJSkEEa_zcSftWUb49PaWQ3n7-os-hJYUHxr0zWN_FuSaFrkmMKQmuQw0QppQBK4HqQCTp9zrbPq-ptHdBKkVvKhNv4veNA.21GVQmHTpotJ3FHEPFBgcTh4Q3rJlZcIWGr1fvufIaY&dib_tag=se&keywords=the+dinosaur+hunters&qid=1710720984&sprefix=the+dinosaur+h%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-2

This, plus in case of neurodiversity, I’d add more time for maturation and mastery of skills.

Entirely possible that the landscape was edited, but also possible that the photo was taken in a sheltered microclimate that genuinely has some greenery already. That can make a huge difference in when plants start growing. Actually… I just went and scrolled through my Mastodon timeline, where I follow a bunch of gardeners and farmers. Pretty quickly found a picture of a green field in Cumbria (a good bit north of London), and a reference to trees beginning to leaf out. The last (only) time I tried to quote Mastodon here didn’t work well, so I’m not doing that, but I think the grass and tree in Kate’s picture could be genuinely green.

Yes! The Jeremy Brett Sherlock Holmes shows are great.

This. The degree of control @Scarlettis describing (denying the young adult her essential papers) reaches the level of abuse. Transitions aren’t going to happen in the most harmonious ways in that scenario. I hope the young woman has a steady head, but alliance with a 22 year old man and a supportive community is far from the worst thing that could happen to her. Getting her degree and her vo tech program completed will be good steps.

Poirot was a favorite here at that age. The shorter ones were less gory (and all are minimally so, we just had a very very limited tolerance for scary stuff). Dh and I enjoy Miss Marple, but Poirot was more popular with the kids.

Sausage with chopped onions and apples to stuff squash, topped with buttered crumbs and some cheese Bangers /brats with mashed potatoes, with onion gravy Sausage rolls with puff pastry

We went to one wedding where the favors were cookie cutters with a favorite recipe attached. It seems like a good idea, but twenty years later, we still haven’t used either… too many favorites of our own to make already. Maybe that just makes me an unmotivated baker.

Sending lots of good thoughts.

I can’t imagine how hard that is for you. Of course it’s terribly stressful; I’m so sorry. I hope their medical team can figure out something to help.