This was posted in another thread. I wondered if it might help when you talk with your dad. Hope the trip ends up going well for all of you.

I've been wondering, too.

Climate change is happening on a scale which is far too rapid for any group to influence it by population growth, even assuming a particular group did grow significantly over time. If we had all been Amish and skipped the industrial revolution over the last two centuries, then yeah, okay. We're past that point now.

Holding your little nephew in my thoughts.

I'm so sorry.

Back in March, after haunting websites trying to find available vaccines, my reaction to securing Moderna for dh and myself was something along the lines of "whew, got jabs, and they're nearly as good as Pfizer." Now, I'm feeling lucky we got Moderna. Wish the kids had been able to, also, though I'm not discounting Pfizer's protection.

Congratulations! That sounds really good.

This! My single burner induction cooktop is great. Just make sure he has a pan or two which are compatible, i.e., magnetic. With the Ninja air fryer, he'd be all set for small-scale cooking.

This is a good point.

Okay, I want to do something. I've already joined a group, and volunteered to do the standard texting and phoning politicians jobs. Not much is happening locally, what with a pandemic and all. A couple of weeks ago my cousin told me her friend was involved in a group protesting a pipeline. It was completely peaceful resistance, but they all ended up getting arrested, as they had expected. What impact does that sort of arrest record have on a middle-aged, middle-class person's life? If you've been involved in anything like that and want to talk about it, what was it like? Would you do it again? Does it cause problems if you want to get a job? Any travel complications? What else do you know people doing? I'm thinking not so much individual changes, but efforts to make broader changes.

I mean, it really is sad, because we genuinely need people-- lots of people, on a very large scale-- to do what her neighbor had been doing. Insects are in a sharp decline globally, and the food chain rests on them, as stated in the article @bibiche linked above. (That was a really good article, btw. Thanks!) The native-plant-growing neighbor was doing the right thing, yet the suburb regulated that. Seriously, we ought to be making people get permits for lawns, not the reverse (I'm joking, I promise.) But lawns should not be the default.

They needed a *permit* to plant things other than a lawn? 😳 And then fined her? Oh my. That's so sad.

Carpenter bees, sure. But I err on the side of caution anyway...

Yellow jackets are the ones that we worry about, because they're the only ones around here which are actively aggressive. You may or may not decide attracting pollinators is a good idea for you. I'd be more cautious if any of us were allergic. Fwiw, I have a couple of big patches of mountain mint, which seems to attract every sort of wasp or bee in our area. And, they're not the least bit aggressive. They're so busy getting nectar that I can stand right next to the patch, while they're flying in and out, and all around, and just watch them and marvel at the number and diversity. They're actually quite beautiful. If one got tangled in my hair and I touched it, I'd probably get stung, but otherwise, no problem. The wasps and bees generally aren't interested in us unless they're getting squashed. If I wanted to do this (maybe minus the mountain mint 😉) I'd start with a patch away from walkways, and see how it goes before expanding. Talk to your local folks for some ideas about what would be more likely to work for you without endangering anyone.

This is true. In our neighborhood, people typically have lawns, but lots have shrub borders which screen from the road a bit and reduce lawn space. Several have really nice gardens. So, there's already a bit of variety, which helps. I've found starting with smaller areas of native wildflowers works pretty well. Once a small section looks pretty, it's easier to gradually expand that without alienating the neighbors. All the butterflies and hummingbirds help. 😍

https://wildflowersmich.org/

You might consider wildflowers, maybe something pollinator-friendly. They often do fine on marginal soil. See if you have a native plant society in your state or region-- around here they have plant sales each spring and autumn, and would be delighted to offer suggestions for your yard. Even if there's no sale, you could call them for ideas.

Another vote for an Otterbox case and a screen protector, whichever phone you choose.

Happy birthday! Thanks so much for all you do.

Vaccinations reduce spread by something like 4-8 times, depending on which information you look at. That's a huge difference. It does mean the difference between hospitals which are overwhelmed and hospitals which can function.

I am so sorry. I've been involved in two hospice cases, one at home, and one, very brief, in the hospital. Neither was like that. At home, care wasn't provided by the hospice; paid caregivers who were already involved continued to provide the care. Hospice coordinated medication (painkillers were provided), provided a hospital bed, things like that. In the hospital, well, that only lasted a couple of days, but they provided excellent care. It was the same nursing as always, just with a determination that palliative care was the appropriate course, a judgement with which the patient completely concurred.

I've been wondering about that, too. No idea if it's happening, though.

For clarity: the roommate brought the puppy into the shelter in January. Right? When did your friend start acting out of character? Back in January, or this summer? Is this doctor friend his doctor, currently practicing, the one he'd see for an annual checkup? Is his doctor one of the people saying that? If so, that's not the person you need to talk to. I think this situation keeps getting more complicated. I had been envisioning a recent change in behavior, within the last week or two, and a doctor in an office who wasn't a personal chum and fellow church member. Could you clarify some of this? I'm sorry they're attacking you. This is sounding less like a UTI than like socially encouraged religious zealotry to me, maybe mixed with incipient dementia. Honestly, if that's how they behave, I'd stay away. If he has a doctor who isn't in the same church, I'd call them, or adult protective services; and I'd call animal control about the puppy he has now, and then I'd stay away. But this is all outside my experience, so I'm not sure what is normal for him.

1st bolded part: Calling every week: how long ago did the roommate take the puppy to the shelter? How long has this calling, crying, etc., been going on? 2nd: I would not ignore it at all. I would focus my efforts to help him on getting qualified help, though, not sympathizing with him about the puppy. Certainly if he calls and is sobbing, talk with him. But don't encourage him to dwell on the puppy. Ask him about old stories (not dog related), tell him you'll bring some cookies by with a picture the children drew. Don't encourage more fixation on the puppy. This kind of fixation can be characteristic of dementia, but also of other issues. If people encourage him to dwell on it, that doesn't help. Don't misunderstand. I love my animals dearly, and the thought of an old man losing his puppy is awful. But that puppy was never going to be a good fit for that elderly man. It's not even just a matter of potential aggression: pits can be very sweet. But they have so.much.energy! They need so.much.exercise! And clearly he's not in a good state to manage any dog right now. 3rd: But none of you know anything about the new owners, right? So this is delusional. See above, don't encourage it. Love him, talk with him. But for heaven's sake, get him some help. This might be fixable. Eta and don't let him take out his anger on any animals in the meantime. Their safety is reason enough for intervention.

Dementia can be hard to recognize at first. Whatever this is, dementia or some other problem, he needs qualified medical intervention immediately. If it's something like a UTI, it can be treated. There are some treatments for early dementia, as well, though they just slow the progression. The situation as it is sounds increasingly unstable and dangerous. This is seriously concerning. I would talk to his doctor, if you know who that is, on Monday. But unless you can make sure he gets in to see the doctor within the week, and see some results that change the situation (treatment for UTI which resolves the issue, hospitalization, something significant), I'd be inclined to call adult protective services and/or the police, as others have suggested. Right now he's ranting. What if something upsets him enough that he acts out? This isn't a safe situation, for him, or the roommate, or the animals.