Oh, so hard 😞

Aw. I'm sorry. How is his eyesight these days?

Yahoo!!

Oh definitely. Emotion is one of the important parts of executive functioning. Positive emotions = good EF, negative emotions = less good EF. Taking breaks, exercising, doing something fun, etc boosts mood and so boosts EF.

If I was a vet, I'd prefer my patients to take this approach, I think.

My 18 year old cat has kidney disease. She won't eat the prescription food, so I just said forget it. I also decided not to do subcutaneous fluids. I'd be keeping her around longer for ME, not for her. When the vet told me about the kidney disease, I thought she would be on a quick road downhill, but she's been doing just fine.

I love that you're doing this! Crocodile - not sure Elephant - not sure Giraffe - Tears of the Giraffe is the title of one of the books. Emeralds/diamonds - Don't think so... Tea kettle - Tea generally... they have red bush tea multiple times per day. I have stamps from England, the Netherlands, Belgium, the US, and Namibia (which borders Botswana). Any characters or correspondence from any of those locations? - Not sure about that. Other ideas: Mma Makutsi is fond of fancy shoes. One of the pairs was blue 🙂 Mma Ramotswe shares lots of fruitcake with Mma Potokwane. Cattle are frequently referenced as a symbol of Botswana. As others said... small white van, pumpkins, tea. "The Principles of Private Detection" by Clovis Andersen is their main reference book. It's mentioned in every book at least once. (Not a real book)

INTJ or INFJ for me, too. I don't know if I do this. I'm lucky that I haven't had many (any?) experiences that would warrant door-slamming. I recently had a friend tell me that if I ever did X thing, then friend would be DONE with me forever. I was like, really? No mistakes allowed? I assume that my friend has had some trauma surrounding friends doing X thing, but I was also a little hurt that she would judge me so harshly. As I tried to explain, if I ever hurt her, it would certainly be unintentional! I hope we could talk about any issues and work through them. I was definitely surprised by what she said. I had a tough situation with work colleagues last year, and thought that I would just never care about them or their opinion of me again. This year, I've made an effort to keep an open mind and also to get to know them better, and I'm very surprised to realize, I'm liking them more these days! Some of them seem to be liking me more, too. However, I definitely agree with having appropriate boundaries and sticking to them. So, I'm not sure. This thread is making me think!

I recently told a friend that I was waiting to see how long it would be before she asked me to get together (I always ask, usually weekly). I asked if she didn't want to initiate something because she was worried that she would be bothering me (I was pretty sure this was the reason). Sure enough, she said, "Yes! You're really busy so I don't want to add another thing to your plate." I was able to tell her that she's NOT bothering me, and if I were ever too busy, I'd just say no. It was a very short and no-big-deal conversation. However, I can see how it would be scary if you think the person just doesn't want to spend too much time with you because they don't value your friendship very much. Ouch. BUT, if it were me, I'd like to know so I could put my energies elsewhere. It can sometimes feel very draining (for me at least) to keep up with relationships, even with people I really care about.

This is how I feel, too.

I also like Frankie better. But... I think you could do better 😄 Get those Chacos!

Dang those are cute and I like Chaco too. Do you find they get dirty quickly being canvas and light? I have two pairs of these Chacos. They are AWESOME!!!!! Super cute, super light, comfy. I have a tan pair and light gray. I don't notice them getting particularly dirty. BUT you can throw them in the washer and dryer. Even if you don't get them for your current outfit, I recommend owning them just because 🙂

That's great it's not cancer. Phew!! Major relief. Still, you're feeling horrible. Why oh why won't they test for autoimmune? That seems crazy. I hope the new antibiotic helps soon...

Thank you ❤️

I haven't read anything here. I can't handle it. Just wanted to say that I'm a teacher, and if this happened at my school, I would never set foot in a school again. Or, maybe, any public place. Armed teachers or security officers wouldn't help in a situation like this because it happened too fast. Seems like every community in every state will have to have a shooting before we can get our $%*# together and get rid of the guns.

Oh man! That sounds miserable. Was it a parotid gland the other times, too, maybe? If so, seems strange that it would be at tumor, since it's come and gone a couple times before. Dr. Google says parotid tumors are usually benign, in case it's actually that.

I hope your job hunt goes well! Are you staying in teaching, or trying to do something different?

Building friendships is on my list to do, also.

My DH is the same! For years I've just gotten frustrated with it, but maybe I need to figure out a system for him. I keep waiting for HIM to create his own system, and it's clear that THAT will never happen. I need a way to make him a system (us a system) and have it not seem like I'm dictating/patronizing. There's a lot of baggage though. Like, I learned how to cook, clean, grocery shop... "on the job" when we moved in together. I do things b/c they need to be done. WHY can't he do the same?

Aww, thanks!! That's such a nice offer. We'll be OK now. Thank you though!! ❤️

I think it's just warm enough outside that it'll be over the temp. Oh well.

It's been.... more than a while since I've cleaned out the fridge. I guess today's the day!

Thanks - me too! Just bought a dozen eggs on Sunday 😒

Thanks! Yes, lost it last night. The wind was so strong and the snow is soo heavy. No stove. Eek! I have a friend that has the teeniest wood stove. I'd like to get something like that, someday. Power set to return at 2, fingers crossed!!

We've been without power for about 14 hours. The CDC website says food in the fridge is only safe for 4 hours. It really warms up that fast? Eek! Do I have to throw away fruits and veggies, cheese... or just meat/eggs? CDC says 48 hours for a full fridge, and 24 for a half-full fridge. I'm not sure how full mine is... Wah! I hate not having power. Small problem, I know...