https://i.imgur.com/N6ea3G5.mp4

Great, yes! And I should be more charitable: the customer service gave all of the information I asked for. 🙂 I have bee looking at their website this past week daydreaming 🙂

I've bought from Willis Orchards and have been pleased. They have 1 year, 2 year, and sometimes 3 year old bushes. You can buy 1 at a time or in a set of 10 for some types. Have been pleased with the actual plants. Customer service is not charming but I don't need charm, I need plants.

When I first got married I called my MIL "Mom." She was very happy about it. I found out within a couple of years I wanted a distant relationship with her, not a mother-daughter relationship. However, I didn't want to rock the boat and change what I was calling her officially. I now just don't address her. She will leave me voicemails with "Hi Moonhawk, this is Mom...". I haven't addressed her with a name or title in 12 years. I respond with just "Oh hi!" etc. If I have to introduce her to someone, it's "Husband's mother, Mrs. Full Name." I touch her on the shoulder if I need her attention in a crowd. I will not call her "Mom." Calling someone "mom" in my situation forces a closeness and feelings of obligation where really neither should exist or are wanted. eta: my parents are still irritated that my DH calls them by their first names. They wanted to be perpetual "Mrs. / Mr. Last Name", part of refusing to see either of us as adults (and legitimately married...). He is oblivious to this, though. I think he transitioned around the time we had kids.

"When David Heard" by Eric Whitacre. This piece is very very long, so it may not make your playlist, but it should be really listened to at least once by anyone who wants their heart broken. You can't rush the listening though. [Spoiler: To help, it starts off with, "When David Heard that Absolom was slain, he went up into his chamber up over the gate and wept." The rest you should be fine with, but sometimes the beginning is hard to hear.]

If they had a wedding song, you could have the music engraved, printed on really nice paper, and framed. It doesn't have to be the whole song, it could be the first two or even just one page, maybe the chorus or first verse + chorus. Full disclaimer, we are music engravers and have done this for a few 1st wedding anniversary gifts, which is how I know about it. But you can find some sheet music online and maybe it would look nice enough? Alternatively, if they did their own vows (or I guess even the traditional ones), getting a copy and then doing the nice print+ frame option as well.

Everyone will be wearing masks! That's all I got.

So I've been staying out of this thread but jumping in a bit late.. My general opinion is that I would not be concerned about my hypothetical husband working with a woman. I would be concerned about my hypothetical husband starting a business with a woman, but not to the point that I would disallow it or make a fuss. This concern reflects more on me and my security of my hypothetical marriage more than it reflects on the woman or my hypothetical husband. [I could also make an argument that the gorgeous business partner is less a threat than an average-looking business partner because the gorgeous one is probably used to being hit on more and has more reflexes to avoid and shut down the situation. But I don't want to distract from my true intention with this post and see this more as an interesting debate than a fact.] But life is not always a hypothesis. For some men, the choice not to be alone with other women, work closely with other women, or put themselves in situations where they develop any type of relationship with women, is appropriate. I know the "Billy Graham rule" is mostly virtue signaling and often paints men as unable to control themselves and women as walking temptations, which is gross on both counts. But, that doesn't mean that every guy following these restrictions is doing it to virtue signal or because they see all women as available or temptations or trying to lead them astray -- they do it for themselves and their own mental equilibrium. [And in many business environments it's just smart, regardless of the sex of the individuals.] I don't deem the measures necessary in the vast majority of cases. My hypothetical husband can pick up groceries, go on business trips where there will be women, and shut his door when talking to a female colleague about private and business issues. That doesn't mean that in the few situations they are necessary that men should be ridiculed or put down to poor moral fiber or damaged moral compass. How does doing what is necessary for oneself now a flaw? Does any of this sound easy and something someone without strength of will would do? Someone who is more prone to these temptations isn't a creep until they act like a creep, putting them into that basket immediately is a whole lot of judge and counterproductive [for the record, I don't think anyone has said that yet, so I'm not attacking/arguing anyone particular with this]. AND, it still doesn't eliminate all temptation, but does take away a lot of avenues to act; taking away the "easy answers" is what the goal is here. Everyone has a willpower amount, and some people have less in these areas. You could probably trust me with your retirement savings, but don't leave me with your chocolate cake. As an aside, regardless of my previous experience plus my always-held dislike for adultery (like, so strongly held it is ironic), I know that I am not immune. Since being married (or really, since dating) I do not register other men as attractive beings. Sure, there may be underlying symptoms and cheating only happens if blah blah blah, but I do not declare myself as perfect in this or any regard. Who knows, someday I may be struck by lightning and I only hope I have the wits and will to run the other way. PS - jumping a car is such a funny "but what if!" to me. If you have the ability to help someone in this situation, you do it, regardless of their sex.

Solely because you said LOTR: have you read the Deed of Paksenarrion, by Elizabeth Moon? It certainly kept me and became my favorite (besides LOTR). I try to reread it every year. It has sort of a high-fantasy flavor to it but not overly high, if that makes sense. It's clean and not overly gorey but does have a battle scenes and descriptors. Also a trigger warning since rape is discussed (but not overly...idk, it's not graphic to me and I'm easily turned). Perhaps a bit slow to start (to some, not to me though), which is my only concern about "page turner" status.

Just change the question to "Do you read the Covid19 memes thread?" 😛

@J-rap Thank you! For the James Fetzer information, this was completely new to her and went very far in immediately discrediting a lot of it. I added some stuff about the Swiss Policy Research as well to kick it all down. @Jean in Newcastle Thank you for your son's response. I don't know how much of it she actually read (I copy+Pasted sections) but she took away the general impression that the source was manipulating facts or spreading misinformation. @WendyAndMilo I used your summary thing as well and I think it helped her encapsulate the rest of what I gave her. I used some other sources and things from other replies, too, so thank you all. I got a positive response from her on this. Apparently her friends are forwarding her these links along with their endorsement. She said she will check who is writing the article first from now on, THANKS!! An interesting aside: my mom and her friends (at least the ones involved) all have at least a masters degree in Library Science. 😕 You have no idea how well I had to source my high school papers, lol. Oh how the turn tables... I'm treating this as a "as I grow up and you grow down" thing, even if it's difficult. I am not able to financially care for my parents. I am not able to do much physical care for my parents. I cannot visit them or talk on the phone as long as she likes. This is an act of service that is difficult but is what I can do in the now to help them. With how they are being about this (and other health issues) I don't know how much longer I'll have, so I am going to do it as long as I can.

Thanks all, putting something together, much appreciate the advice and hand holding on this one. It's been a hard day and it's nice to have at least one problem solved 🙂

I understand the "ignore" and "agree to disagree" and those general answers, but for a variety of reasons I'm choosing the other route. I didn't really want to get into the reasons here and distract, hence the "assuming there has to be a response" in the original post. But I do agree with those responses in general and it is a tempting option for sure.