The Search for Significance, Robert McGee.

:lol: I totally hear you....FWIW, I felt the same way you do when I was adopting my golden from a rescue. It wasn't until I started fostering and saw the inner workings of the process that I understood there was a method to the madness. That having been said, I agree that some rescues are over the top. I like to think my rescue is professional and quite reasonable ;)

Praying, Chris. Nationwide Children's is a wonderful place...she's in good hands. Is there anything I can do to help?

I foster for a rescue who does an application, a vet check, and a home visit before they give out my phone number to a potential adopter. I usually spend at least an hour on the phone with the adopter so I can fully disclose everything--good and bad--about my dog. Often, there will be more than one such conversation depending on how much thinking the adopter has to do. In addition to all of the dog protection reasons described in the previous posts, the process also protects the volunteers and the foster homes. Rescues are run by volunteers. We get hundreds of emails a month inquiring about specific dogs posted on PetFinder.com. If we immediately allowed people to have access to the fosters to meet dogs 1. We would waste huge amounts of volunteer time, which would ultimately lead to quick burnout; and 2. We would be allowing complete strangers to go to a foster's home without any type of verifiable references. People who prefer not to go through the application process would be better to go to a shelter, rather than a breed rescue that fosters in-home. Even with good vet references, we have turned up some real wack-a-doos on the home visits--even pet hoarders. We integrate our fosters into our families so that they can learn to trust and bond with humans. I would never forgive myself if I turned my furry family member over to a pet hoarder or another neglectful home.

Jane in NC is always so wise.....heed her wisdom! I'll talk about what I do when I visit out of town college students (this approach won't suit everyone ;)). First my Chicago dd lives in an apartment. She has extra space and a bed, but I still choose to stay in a hotel. The main reason is that I usually go for several days at a time, but I don't expect her to set aside three full days to spend with me. She's a student with commitments! I try to spend time with her when it works into her schedule--go out to dinner; go to an event; hang out for a few hours here and there; buy supplies and fix dinner at her apartment., etc. This way my visit will be welcome and not stressful. I also get to observe her in her own element, and she is relaxed and able to really "connect" during the time we do spend together. I also do a fair amount of spoiling her when I go visit. :lol:

I actually think the entrepreneurial scenario that you describe is extremely healthy and one that will ultimately pull our country out of recession. I do believe that it is helpful for a tradesperson to have some business knowledge beyond high school (although that may be part of a standard trades education these days, I don't know.) If a person isn't going to pursue a trade or create a business, but will simply be someone's employee, I strongly believe that post high school education/training of some sort is critical. I work in job development, and employers are extremely unwilling in this economy to train employees. They expect, and can demand, some sort of training. Only when available jobs outnumber available job seekers, will this approach change.

My dishwasher tip: Think about how you load your dishes. You will have to choose between silverware on the door vs. inside the bottom rack. On the door gives you more interior space, but it makes me crazy. When the door is open and the bottom rack is pulled out, you can't load silverware. I tend to fill the dishwasher in whatever order the dirty dishes are in, so I switch between dishes and silverware. If you pile silverware and put it all in at the same time, the door thing probably won't bother you ;). Refrigerator tips: Stainless vs. other--Stainless fingerprints and dents. If this is the route you want to go (it does look nice!), ask a salesperson to address these issues with the different models. Love having a bottom freezer! As for doors, consider the space where it will go. If you have wide open space in front of the fridge, I think single door on top with a pull-out bottom drawer equipped with various levels of sliding shelves is great. If your fridge opens into a doorway, our you have a tight space in front of it, French doors on top might be better. Also consider the hinge direction if you have to work around any obstructions.

I have a golden retriever who is also a little "off". She's well trained, but her self control is non-existent, and she is simply a skittish dog. She also began going to the bathroom in the house at night and when I was gone, right around 3 years old. I bought a thundershirt to see if it would help her control her anxiety, and it has worked really well. I usually just leave it on her all the time, because it also improves her self-control. She's still a nut, but at least the in-house elimination has stopped :tongue_smilie:.

I don't have a model number, but my Jenn-Air ceramic that I really like is a down draft model (it's in an island), and it cost approximately $1200 about 4 years ago.

:iagree: I've had glass top for about 11 years (2 homes), so my kids were 11, 9, and 6 when we started. We are not overly cautious people, but everyone has always understood they needed to be somewhat gentle when placing pans. I don't think my kids ever even think about the possibility of scratching. We've had no problems. Both cooktops have been Jenn-Air in case that makes a difference. Cerama Brite and a razor blade have taken care of the tough boil overs.

Recognizing that hind sight is 20-20, the best thing would have been for you to provide the public document finalizing the adoption, but to have refused any access to sealed documents. Then you should have asked for a supervisor to help resolve the misunderstanding. Front line employees are not the best place to try to handle unique fact patterns. They just don't have authority to make changes, and they are almost acting on their own interpretation of someone else's orders. Despite the fact that you owned the papers and that the receptionist tried to scan without your authorization, reaching over the counter was a physically aggressive act. Personnel are often instructed to have customers/clients/patients escorted from the building by security. Given the random acts of violence in the US, there's a better safe than sorry policy. Unfortunately, the degree of "threat" is in the eye of the beholder, and it's humiliating for frustrated, but otherwise upstanding citizens, to have this happen. What would I do now? I would write and date a memo giving a chronological description of what was said/done. Then I would send it to the director of the department with a letter in the tone of, "I just want you to be informed of this incident." Start keeping a record of all communications on this matter.

What a beautiful sound! I love youth choirs! Thanks for the link.....I love to see TWTM kids in action.

My youngest dd is experiencing her first Canada Day even as I type this.....she just landed in Montreal, and her bus to the central station was stopped for a parade :D She texted me to find out what it was, and I Googled for her! She'll be spending the next 3 weeks in Quebec.

Have you ever heard of epiploic appendagitis? Neither had we until my dd went to the ER last week with stabbing abdominal pain and vomiting. They found it when doing a CAT scan to rule out ovarian cysts, kidney stones, and appendicitis. Despite the name and the incredible pain (often requiring meds), it is "harmless" and will heal itself. I mention it because the dr. said it is not uncommon for people to have it and never know. I'm glad you found the source of your pain! I just wanted to mention this because I've never seen the condition mentioned on the Hive before. ;)

In general, government grants will require more preparation prior to writing the grant (background info, data, etc.) as well as more detailed record keeping about subsequent use of grant funds. You might also look at private foundation grants or other private sources first--especially if you're planning to achieve some social goal with your farming, say organic, or local sourcing, or some such. Also consider the traditional small business organizations/ economic development type funding. The requirements may be less onerous.

Unemployment laws definitely vary by state. In OH, if you get fired, you generally cannot receive unemployment.

Here is a list that my dd's liked at that age. They were ready for more modern "edge" than some of the classical titles offered. I have read and enjoyed these books. The plot tends to move along. I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee The Help, Kathryn Stockett. The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes Cry the Beloved Country, Alan Paton What is the What, Dave Eggers (biographical fiction about the lost boys of Sudan--violence that goes along with the topic.)

Thank you for sharing this beautiful tribute. I am so sorry for you and Adrian. You are in my prayers.

I foster for a breed rescue, and we require home visits. Several years ago, when I was adopting a dog, I couldn't understand why there were so many seeming barriers to adoption. Now that I foster, I totally get it. Our organization only does home visits after the vet checks. The vet will only tell you about the regularity of health visits, although, sometimes the vet knows the family well and will give a reference. Home visits are usually pretty routine--nice enough people, good enough evidence of ability to care for a dog, etc. Sometimes, though, they turn up some real crazies. We've seen pet hoarders pass the vet check, for example. The other element here, particularly for groups that do in-home fostering, is that we know the dogs very well, and want to find a dog-owner match that will be successful. These dogs become members of our families, and we only want them to go to situations that will be positive for the dog (not fancy, not perfect, just positive.) Now, that having been said by way of the "why" for jumping through hoops, the organization you are talking about is on the restrictive end of the spectrum. We would love to adopt to a family like yours! :) Look for a different rescue if this doesn't work out, and just let it roll off your back. Some rescues truly find it hard to let go of their dogs. Oh--don't mention Cesar Milan to rescue folks. It's a hot button (could support an entirely new thread). Google positive reinforcement/clicker training. This is the current animal behavior thinking on the best way to train dogs. Thanks for thinking about adopting! You wouldn't want a malamute/German Shephard mix, would you? :lol:

Just like homeschooling, if you go into this with the attitude of, "I will do what is necessary to make this work," you will do just fine. Stay committed, get a handle on obedience right away, socialize well, and seek help if you need it. I think the problems arise when people choose strong willed breeds and expect them somehow to train themselves. Those dogs get all kind of wrong ideas about behavior that way!:D My malamute/GSD foster that has been so challenging has also been our most rewarding pet. We are going to be adopting her (which only makes sense since my hours of rehabilitative work have finally produced a wonderful dog!)

I was well experienced with goldens--we did official obedience training, and our first dog lived 'til 9 1/2, we have the 2nd now. I thought I was a good trainer ;). I began fostering for a collie rescue, and I thought I was a good trainer ;). I ended up with a foster that came to us because she had collie markings, but the tail of a malamute and the head/intelligence of a German shepherd. She had the temperament of a malamute (extremely alpha toward other females), and I was no longer a good trainer :glare:. I have spent hours working with an animal behaviorist, and many more hours working with the dog. After two years of having this foster in my home, I'm a good trainer again. :lol:

When my then 21 year old daughter created an account for me at Cougar Life .com under the name "HottieCoug" for my 50th birthday. Don't use the account :lol:, but the sentiment was lovely!:D

Haters gonna hate. :lol:

Remember the old "should I let my kids read Harry Potter" debates? Somewhere along the line, Harry has become commonplace. ;)

I have always gotten canker sores easily, and I've tried Lysine, Milk of Mag./Benedryl,food elimination, no SLS in toothpaste, etc., and none of it worked for me. Reduced the number, maybe, but I still got them. Now, I don't worry about not eating certain foods and just use Orajel Antiseptic Mouth Sore Rinse when I get a sore. It contains hydrogen peroxide, and it takes the pain away within a couple of rinses. My daughter uses it with the same results.