As a Texas voter I find this a bit ridiculous about photo ID. You do not need a photo ID to vote, since you get a non-photo ID card that is color coded to the election cycle in the mail that is perfectly acceptable voting id. I’ve used it myself, several times. You just need to keep your address updated (which isn’t overburdensome since your address is what is used to determine eligibility to vote in certain elections) and most people do it when they change address at the post office.

It’s nasty looking pink stuff....ham is a culprit.

Courts typically follow the idea that you can always do more on your own but you must do at least what is ordered. From someone who has more or less done this....get the bare minimum that can be awarded. It’ll make your life so much easier. Adding....if you must do supervised visits, see if there is a local service that offers to do it for free or at her cost. We did that for several years before the program was cut.

It technically is a cold....

I’m not going to pretend I have a crystal ball. I’m just going to deal with it when whatever happens comes and not make myself sick worrying about it in the meantime.

Don’t know....we have single digit hospitalizations right now and our news hasn’t bothered to report numbers in a while.......

The same calculation went into masking....not worth twisting ourselves into an emotional knots over that either. We don’t think they do anything and we don’t care if anyone else thinks they do, and it most certainly wasn’t anything ever worth having a fight over. If where we were wanted them we certainly didn’t care enough to argue about it....if they didn’t, we were fine to ditch the mask.

Well, my husband still attends all the almost non-existent currently COVID stuff and we haven’t had symptoms again. It seems like our real life experience is matching exactly what is being suggested the vaccines do, don’t keep you from getting it but lessens the symptoms. I’ve always expected it to act like the flu and I’ve always expected it to become endemic.

Well, apparently that is what “the science” is suggesting is it not? Isn’t that kind of how immunity from every other virus generally works? Why should I think this is any different?

We caught it almost immediately when it came to our area. We knew we would as soon as it broke in the news cycle. DH has been in every COVID death room (on his shifts) in his hospital for over a year. It’ll be a year this summer for us.

The entirety of my thought process has been this: The likelihood my family’s is not catching this is close to zero. We’ll deal with whatever happens. After that....why should I waste my time worrying about any of it. And so, we haven’t.

I’m going to cut this off by just kind of getting it out there that I, quite frankly, don’t care about the mask stuff and I’ve never invested myself even 10% of the mental energy that 90% of the rest y’all have; and I don’t really intended to now when it’s essentially “over”. Just so y’all don’t waste your energy on me.

That is not what the studies the nursing organizations found in Canada when they were legally fighting against the mandate of having to mask vs get flu shots. Those studies found no conclusive evidence that masks did anything to reduce transmissions of viruses. I believe they were repeated multiple times throughout the court process....and I believe the nurses won.

Surgical masks, like the example that is being used, do not....and have historically never been medically rated to claim such. In health care settings, OTHER types of masks are used when staff are needed to protect against viral infections.

The masks surgeons use are to prevent bacterial infections....not viruses, and patients are given antibiotics as part of surgery. None of them even pretend that masks used for surgery are intended to stop viral transmissions; that is why you have other types of fitted masks being used when patients have viral infections.

Ugh...my grandson’s mom is like this, except she doesn’t cuss him/us out. She’s finally acknowledged that she doesn’t really want to parent but be the “fun aunt” role. Once she “lost her keys” in the couch at a coffee shop just before having to leave to visit....so no visit. The next day after we dropped my stepson off at work she called the coffee shop and directed them to the exact spot she “lost” the keys at and asked if they were still there between the couch cushions.

Honestly, if the kid already has the tools to partake stashed away, and a group with all the same stuff......they are beyond “trying” and are at the point where they have decided to make this a permanent long term decision. I think the worst assumption you can make at this point is that the kid isn’t already addicted. I’m going to stay out now....because I’ve BTDT and have the fugly t-shirt and I can’t offer anything but the negative. I hope things turn out better for you and your kid.

I’ll be honest, I’d lose my ever loving mind and completely flip out. I have bad experiences with kids and drug addictions though. My response would be “the talk” about how drug addictions make people do really crappy things and do bad things to your body (heavy focus on how they change you to do crappy things), removing everything drug related, and then I would never trust them again....and they’d know it. And no, pot is not “harmless”.

I’m with you. Honestly, if I let her, my Labrador is a better mouser than my cats.....and she doesn’t leave messy bits when she gets them. Her walks in the field are more hunts than a walk because she immediately starts rooting around for the voles and rabbits.

We stay at San Destin there at least once a year. It’ll be crazy crowded and not masked....at least it was when we were there in September last year. The benefit of staying at San Destin is an in house shuttle to shopping/restaurants/beach and health clinic.

Can I just say that I get it. My grandson’s mom tells him at every visit some version of he’ll catch COVID and die if he doesn’t wear a mask (he’s 7). Talking about masking is one thing....scaring him about dying is another thing completely....

Any chance they’d want to come help with the work?

In a way, yes. They have shelter, they have food, they have medical attention. Could it be done better/differently/more naturally, yes....but compared to having to compete in a truly natural environment.... it is a much cushier life. Take away the demands of production and there is no reason for humans to provide inputs to these animals.

The OP and her daughter are in a very precarious position if there is any concerns about custody. The OP has NO say or influence on her daughter keeping custody and unfortunately with the medical issues at play they could have that child ripped out of their home in an instant if they are not careful. It just sucks.

Medical would be in addition. They’d increase his support payments, if he’s paying, which would certainly get him involved. It sounds like she is terrified of the dad getting involved in any way, probably for good reason.