I didn't know this either until my elderly dog needed multiple teeth extracted and the vet asked me how often I brushed his teeth. Um, like never. I was completely schooled on canine oral health. We never brushed our dogs teeth when I was growing up. I tried with my current dog. Had the groomer brush his teeth when he was learning to be groomed. Would sit him on my lap and rub his teeth and gums so he would get used to the feel and motion. Neither of us find it pleasant so we just sort of stopped trying. He is developing the dark stains on his teeth and I was told at this most recent vet visit (last week) to make certain I am brushing his teeth. My recent rescue has beautiful white teeth and I want to keep them that way but I am really not interested in sitting down nightly and brushing her teeth. The water additive seems so much easier.

I'm not great with brushing their teeth daily and would like to add something to help control the bacteria. If you use an oral health water additive for your dogs, which do you use? How do you dose for multiple dogs? Does it matter? Are the vet prescribed additives better than the OTC ones? -- I am wondering how many people brush their dog's teeth. If you do, how often do you brush them?

I read The Fatal Thaw by Dana Stabenow. It's the second book in the Kate Shugak series and fulfills the Brrr. bingo square on my Book Bingo card.❄️ I am almost finished with the audiobook This is Your Mind on Plants by Michael Pollan. It fulfills the Nature square on my Book Bingo. The book is about three drugs that are plant derivatives, the history of those plants, and the controversy surrounding their cultivation: opium, caffeine, and peyote. It is a good book and I am not only learning about the plants but some history of which I had not been aware. Honestly, I thought coffee always grew in Columbia and had no idea it was an import and its cultivation has had devastating effects on the environment.🌵 I am reading The Last Season by Eric Blehm. It fulfills the Biography square for my Book Bingo. The book tells the tale of the disappearance of Randy Morgenson, a backcountry ranger in the Sierra Nevada mountain. It begins with his disappearance but switches between setting up the SAR and Randy's history. It is a good book, esp if you like the backcountry and National Parks, but it is a little slow. I'm about 25% of the way through and keep falling asleep while reading. I'm hoping it's because I am filling my days with so much activity that I cannot stay awake to read and am going to attempt reading it in the mornings.⛺ Our summer reading program began on June 5th and I really want the gift cert to a local coffee shop so I am motivated to finish.☕

If I could, I would move to Bemidji, MN. I keep Bemidji on my weather app and check the weather daily. I visited once and it immediately felt like home to me. I would love a cozy home on a couple of acres and a nice quiet job at the university. I could also live in the PNW. I love rain and gray, overcast days. I think anywhere in Montana, Wyoming, or Idaho would suit me just fine as well. Northern Maine would be acceptable too. Anywhere with a forest really. Edited: Really, I could live anywhere if there are trees, deer, moose, loons, access to trails and public land. Anywhere, that is, other than the midwest where most of the trees have been cut down due to farming and there is no public land.

There is a book titled The Midnight Library by Matt Haig which is about the same topic your DH wrote about. Each book in the library is a possible alternate life based on having made a different choice. I enjoyed it.

I crashed my bicycle two years ago and broke my wrist and sustained a couple of other injuries. A year later (literally within a couple of days) I broke my foot giving indoor tennis lessons to 6 year olds. When I crashed my bike, I was wearing a helmet and proper shoes. When I was teaching tennis, I was indoors and wearing tennis (court) shoes with proper support and good tread. Those injuries and the subsequent recuperations let me know that even being careful and doing ordinary things can lead to injury. Accidents happen. I also think those two experiences have helped me be less fearful. Yes, they were painful. Yes, they limited my lifestyle for a while. But I recovered (despite the less than stellar medical care I received in the ER) and am able to keep doing things. If I am totally honest, I am more afraid of the possible/pending Fibro diagnosis and what that will mean in a few years. Will I still be able to hike, bike, camp, play tennis? Will it become a disability? How will it limit my life?

I'm less fearful about the fun things that I or my children/grandchildren do. I want them to do all the things I couldn't do as a child due to poverty and lack of opportunity. Biking, kayaking, sky diving, zip lining, wall climbing, horseback riding - as long as the instructor is knowledgeable and my young people are safe, I encourage them to do whatever they can. I do what I can but have so much more fun watching them. I also make it a goal to tackle my fears and confront them head on. DS and I are going to go do float tanks next week. I am slightly claustrophobic so it's going to be interesting to see how I do. What I am more fearful about are the intangibles - the threat of war, school violence, my young adults not being able to afford the basics, loneliness, the possible regret of a life unfulfilled

This I understand completely. I was so full of promise but the lack of confidence, esteem, and efficacy coupled with not finding a person (mentor/partner) to encourage me or show me the way has been devastating.

Yes, almost every day. This is not the life I envisioned and it makes me sad. But, as others have said, if I allow myself to sit with those thoughts too long, it breeds discontent, regret, resentment and a host of other not-so-useful emotions.

Happy 35th anniversary.🍷💜

TMI: We rarely fly. I think I've flown five times in twenty years and two of those were employer paid trips. The reason will make you shake your head. Before I was diagnosed with celiac I had years and years of bowel issues that necessitated quick trips to the restroom. If I needed to go, I had to go and it wasn't always pleasant. If you have or know someone who has celiac/IBS or something similar, you know what I'm talking about. I couldn't always control when it happened and not being able to get out of my seat at certain points of the flight were terrifying. "Remain in your seat until the captain has turned off the seatbelt light." "Um, I need to use the restroom." "I'm sorry, Miss, you must remain in your seat." Doubling over in pain and squeezing the arm rest so tight it might break. Doing the slow step-step-pause clenched buttcheek walk to the restroom when finally allowed to roam freely about the cabin. Praying the people in the seats right next to the restroom were hard of hearing. Not fun. It was easier to drive the minivan with an emergency portatoilet or take highways with multiple rest stops and businesses.

I did the laser hair removal last year; appts every 3 weeks for 27 weeks. The immediate results were phenomenal. At that time, I was having to remove hair twice a day. Some were really thick, black, and prominent and I couldn't take it any more. I saved up for the procedure and went in optimistic. It was wonderful. Hair free chin for 16 weeks. In March of 2023, at the 17 week mark after my final appt, a lot of them began to return. Hair has a 16 week growth cycle so it isn't surprising but I am so disappointed. I spent a lot of money on the laser treatments for permanent hair removal and I am now back to having to do something almost every day to have a clear chin.

For me, setting a goal of eating 300 salads was a good goal. It was specific, measurable, attainable, and realistic. It was easily broken down by number of salads consumed per week and month. My initial definition of salad served me well for a few months. It worked well toward my larger goal of adding more vegetables in my diet and increasing wellness. It's just now that I am more knowledgeable about my body (after multiple tests and a consultation with my PCP) and instituting a dramatic change in diet to better serve my menopausal metabolism, blood glucose/insulin factors, lipid breakdown, hormone levels, and microbiome, I want to adjust the goal. Having to change the wording of the goal is a good thing. It means I am making progress and no longer reliant on my narrow definition and understanding of salad or what it means to eat vegetables. Now that I am also making spinach based smoothies for breakfast instead of a bowl of cereal or an egg and bacon, I want to count those meals and I should count those meals. The smoothie has a full avocado, 80g of spinach, and half a mango. I'm counting that baby. Of course, there are cooking methods that I won't do, like fry things in oil. I will also avoid all nightshades, wheat, barley, rye, and most processed foods and continue to eat gluten free. I already know I can't eat certain things so it's a non-issue in my definition of plant based. I don't plan on cutting out carbs; I totally enjoyed my hummus, cucumber sandwich. I thought the term plant-based worked for my goal. It's definitely broader and incorporates all fruit and vegetable heavy meals. Is there another word for fruits and vegetables that eliminates things like potatoes and wheat? I'm not trying to be snarky or lecture. I just want to share info from my starting point to where I am now. I do appreciate your insight. Edited: I was also thinking, if this becomes a permanent lifestyle change, the goal may become moot because I will be eating more fruits and vegetables by default and no longer need to set a goal to force myself to do it. Kinda like my Hydration goal from a couple of years ago. I no longer have to set daily water goals to ensure I drink enough water. It has become a habit.

Let's do this!! You can do it, @DawnM. Floss away, @Eos. @Jean in Newcastle - have you been able to use your grill?

I would like to make it specific and measurable. The purpose of the original goal was to increase fruits and vegetables but the goal was Eat 300 Salads. I can track and measure each salad and break that down into smaller weekly and monthly goals, like eat 5 salads each week or 20 salads a month. How do I track the specific progress of the fruit and vegetable eating? I can count each smoothie. That is measurable. I guess I can reword the Goal to be Eat 300 Plant Based meals. Oooh, that might work. Then I can count the smoothies and all of the other meals that are vegan/vegetarian. Thanks, Jean, for helping me think this through.

I need assistance with reworking a goal and hope you all can help me. Wellness is a big goal for the year. I am doing okay with the goals I have set and am happy with my progress. (insert: just reread that and No, I am not happy. I'm not moving enough but that is irrelevant to this post.) Here's the thing... One of my wellness goals was to eat 300 salads throughout the year. These salads were to be meal replacements and side salads didn't count. The goal was to increase the amount of vegetables and decrease the amount of carb and meat heavy meals I was eating. I was doing okay, not great but okay. I was finding new salad recipes and incorporating those a few times a week. I was a bit behind schedule due to the craziness of March and April (so much stress, travel, and driving) but I was eating more vegetables and making better food choices. I am currently on an eating plan that is fruit, vegetable, and plant based foods heavy. Take today's meal plan for example: Breakfast - green smoothie - mango, spinach, avocado, plain Greek yogurt, unsweetened almond milk Lunch - baby carrots, hummus, red cabbage with apple, cucumber & hummus on GF 7-grain bread Dinner - chicken nuggets (GF, baked), asparagus, almonds I have eaten 12 different plant based items today (including 50g of spinach; that's a lot of spinach) but not one salad. I want to modify the 300 Salad goal so I can count the vegetables I eat that are not salad based. Does the smoothie now count as a salad? Does reaching the goal of 5 different vegetables a day count as a salad? Does eating a bowl of yogurt with 4 different fruits count as a salad? Part of the new eating plan is to eat 30 different types of plant based foods a week and that is so much better than just replacing meals with a bunch of spring mix based salads. I haven't eaten a cucumber in 30 years and thoroughly enjoyed my cucumber and hummus sandwich today. I hope to be on this meal plan for at least 4 months, possibly longer. Long explanation, I know. Do I adjust the goal? Drop the goal? Reword the goal?

How wonderful! I am so happy for you. A bit envious but oh so happy for you.🥾⛺

I love your floral choices and hope you'll share more pics later. Can you give that young man hugs from everyone here? Your/his story is heartbreaking but I am so happy that it is not the end of his story. You will be a wonderful new family for him and he and your DD will thrive.

I have to comment because I just have to. I had no idea about this docuseries (living under a rock maybe) but the first time I saw this thread I was excited because I thought the docuseries was going to be about REM. Every time I see the thread title, I hear Kate Pierson (of B-52s fame) singing "Shiny happy people holding hands". I have not read the thread so if anyone else wrote about this I apologize but now I'm off to add Shiny Happy People to my Pandora playlist.

You did a marvelous job. Congratulations, mom, on accepting the challenge and then rocking it. I love the personal touches. And the dogs. And the boat. And the color scheme. And the candles. And the fact that you are at ease with your work and were able to enjoy the day.

The rescue says no pittie but I wonder. The vet also said no pittie but a mix of border collie and heeler (which is what we thought). She does have some pittie features though. I think it's noticable in her back legs and gait. Her sister looks nothing like her and has regular border collie/heeler features. We're thinking about doing an Embark on her.

How exciting. Dreaming and info gathering is fun.

Unsellable meaning nobody wants it? Or it can't be sold due to restrictions? How much is she trying to sell it for?

Thank you all. I realize there are multiple variables that will change the price of acreage. I was just curious to see if my local 'dream' property is truly a good deal and what the chances are of finding something similar anywhere else. It's fun (and infuriating) to see how prices vary from region to region. In our area, access to water lowers home owners' insurance premiums drastically. Most small properties have ponds (many man made) in order to store water in case of fire. These ponds have double duty as recreational resources as well since most of them are stocked with fish and keep the local wildlife in water during droughts. We grew up in CO and have been amazed at how many people purchased land that when we were growing up was considered undesirable. They brought in modular homes and now have properties worth hundreds of thousands.