Dogs are hunters, too. Our dog killed and ate numerous baby bunnies when we lived at our old house (no bunnies here, but there are plenty of chipmunks and squirrels, who are too fast for him). If we lived in the country, he'd be nosing around chicken coops waiting to sink his teeth into a fat hen. To the OP, we give our dog about half a cup of Paul Newman's Organic Dog Food (dry) with 1/3 can of Merrick dog food per day. We buy whatever flavors sound appealing to us (they have some scrumptious ones). Our dog has become so spoiled on the Merrick food that he refuses to eat dry food by itself.

This was interesting! My daughter and a friend won third place in our state National History Day competition last year for their documentary. What we noticed was that technically, ALL the documentaries were very well done. The ones that captured the judges' attention were those that covered off-the-beaten-path topics, like the Huntersville brothers' documentary.

One problem with serving coffee is that people could spill coffee on your merchandise. They might also leave cups, empty sugar packets, and stirrers around, which could cause a "trashy" appearance at the sale.

My daughter has developed a new habit: eating ice. She goes through cup after cup, all day long. She can't even be bothered to put the ice through the sno-cone machine (which is very easy to use) -- she has to have it right away, right out of the freezer. What does this mean? Is it anemia? I had very severe anemia years ago, but I didn't crave ice -- I ate Play-Doh instead (yuk, I know). Would anyone here be willing to share their ice-craving story? This is a very new thing for her, by the way. And she is NOT a vegetarian; in fact, she is an enthusiastic meat-eater. I thought about getting some iron supplements for her. What would be a good brand to get? Whole Foods is very close by, and I could get it there.

She could make meals for sick people and new mothers at church, or items to bring to a church potluck. Can you teach her to cook? Perhaps you could gift her with a new cookbook and/or item of cookware each birthday and Christmas. She might enjoy watching cooking shows on TV. Does your local hospital have a volunteer program? Also, when she turns 17 she can take the Red Cross Nurse's Training (Practical Nursing) course. It is excellent training in how to care for sick people. Would she like to get a dog or cat? She can do agility training with a dog. I would present her with a list of all the local classes and clubs, and ask her to choose something each semester. It would be good for her to broaden her horizons, even if she isn't terribly interested.

What's scary is that since yesterday morning I've seen very few birds out. Normally we have dozens of beautiful birds at a time at the feeders in our backyard. Yesterday and today, we've seen almost none. I wonder if they sense something and are hiding themselves.

My daughter took antibiotics last year, and they didn't help her at all. What did help was using a Clarisonic (www.clarisonic.com) brush. She has not had a single breakout since she started using it.

My first reaction is to pronounce that spelling as "dia-GRAY-ming." That would be the phonetic way to say it.

Easy Spirit makes shoes in wide widths. They have a website you can order from. For boots or other non-feminine type shoes, you could shop the men's department.

I completely understand, Butterflymommy. When I was little we lived in Rhode Island, and there was a small pond (a real pond, not a tiny man-made one) behind our house. We spent lots of time there catching tadpoles and ice-skating. When I wasn't playing in the pond I was riding my bike all over town, from the age of seven on up. Those were great days. I don't remember trespassing in anyone's yard though -- or if I did, at least I didn't mess with their stuff.

Hi, everyone, OP here! There's no news. I did have to shoo the kids away (using my mean-lady voice) about a week ago ("Go away! I told you to stay out of my yard! Don't come back -- EVER!"). I've just been too busy and distracted to visit the parents, but I intend to do so once summer gets going. Thanks for all the advice and concern. I liked reading all the suggestions. I read the thread about the little kid and the dog, and it gave me the idea of turning the hose on these kids. I probably won't -- they don't seem like bad kids who are just dying to flout the rules. I think they're just bored. The parents don't seem negligent as much as they seem free-range. The children's yard is really nice, with little bikes and toys carefully placed in the driveway. I think the parents probably send them outdoors to play and don't check on them as much as they should.

Thank you so much for posting this, Lisa. We are dealing with serious depression in our son. Every day is a struggle to keep him alive. When we talk to him on the phone, we try so hard to encourage him, to be positive, to let him know how much we love him. There are days when that doesn't seem to be enough, and he seems to be slipping through our hands. ETA: Thank you to those who have expressed caring. I really appreciate it. Please don't PM me because the messages go to our e-mail box, and all the family members can see them.

I volunteered to take her. The school was running busses up to the airport that day, but I didn't want her to have to take a bus when we could so easily take her and spend a few extra hours with her before the girls were parted for the summer. The parents know about the girls' friendship, and they know we live close by, so I'm sure they were perfectly fine with our taking her. At one point in the car she called her dad to tell him she had left our house and was on the way to the airport. She mentioned about the $40 in her debit account to him. From what I heard of the conversation, and what she has told me, the parents strongly encourage their children to be as self-sufficient as possible. (And the kids are turning out extremely well, in my opinion.) Maybe in this case he was a little too hands-off, but in no way do the parents seem uncaring or uninvolved. If I had met the parents even *one* time and had any relationship with them, I might mention about the money to them, but I don't feel I can do it in this situation. Again, I think they will reciprocate in some fashion down the road. The girl told me a story one time about how her parents sent the admissions office at the school a professionally-baked cake as a thank-you after she was accepted. (The mom is a chef, with her own restaurant.) So they're not habitual moochers or anything. I'd love it if they'd send me a cake!!

If 109 people were kicked off the flight, the plane would have been almost empty. I don't think this was a very cost-effective move for Southwest (not to mention the bad publicity, or the problem of having to find new flights for the group members).

Really? You'd let someone you hardly know pay your expenses? I can understand having a relative step in and help, or even a best friend, but we hardly know this family. I kind of have faith the family will pay back the favor in one way or another. I don't think they're the type to shun responsibility. I don't want to jeopardize this friendship between our girls -- they texted each other all day yesterday, and they're so sweet together.

After nine hours, this had ZERO views, so I'm bumping it up for the morning crowd.

Yeah, I know! She thought I was just going to drop her off at the airport. I insisted on walking in with her and making sure she got checked in properly. Good thing I did. I think I didn't make myself clear to her when I handed my credit card to the ticket agent. I said something like, "Oh, I'll take care of that," which most adults would understand to mean a loan, but a young teen wouldn't necessarily know that. I never said, "Be sure to ask your parents to send the money back to me next week." It was my fault for not being more clear.

I like this! How wonderful to read that autistic adults are valued for their unique characteristics. http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/04/thinking-differently-autism-patients-in-demand-by-employers/?test=latestnews

You know what, I probably won't ask for the money back. The girl is a good friend to my daughter; she's not a stranger. Maybe she will invite my daughter to visit her at her home out West one day. I'm sure it will all even out in the end. The reason I took her to the airport is because the girls go to boarding school together. I'm a local parent, and it made perfect sense for me to take my child's friend home for the afternoon and then to the airport that evening. Otherwise, she would have been sitting alone in the airport for six hours. The parents all have directories with addresses, phone numbers, and e-mails of other parents; we're not completely unknown to each other. Thanks for all the replies!

The other day I had to take a friend of my daughter's to the airport. She was travelling unaccompanied with a very heavy (75 lb.) suitcase. She had $40 on her debit card. When we got to the check-in counter, it turned out that the airline wanted $75 to transport the suitcase. The girl didn't have the money to pay for it, so I paid it instead. I *think* she heard the amount that was required, and I *think* she was handed the receipt by the ticket agent. She thanked me profusely, and nothing more was said about it. She probably has forgotten about it by now. Normally I'm pretty easygoing about small sums of money, but $75 is a lot. If I knew the parents well, I'd probably mention it to them. However, I don't know them at all. (The child is a 15-year-old schoolmate of my daughter's.) We have never had any communication. I'm sure the parents can afford to pay the amount, but I am very hesitant to ask them for it. Should I just let it go in the interest of friendship? It seems very intrusive to just contact them and say, "You don't know me, but you owe me $75.00. Oh, and BTW, I don't have a receipt or anything to prove it, and you'll just have to believe I paid it." What would you do?

I'd ask about how welcome parents are at the school. Are they allowed to visit their child's classroom (to quietly observe) if they ask in advance? Do parents know each other and get along well? Is there a parent association? What kinds of activities do parents tend to get involved in? I had a sad experience when my son was in a local gifted school for fifth grade. The class was putting on a play of "Romeo and Juliet." I'd spent a lot of time and money renting a costume (I had to drive an hour and a half to find it), and I'd rehearsed lines with my son over and over. The day of the play arrived, but the school did not let parents attend. In the interests of "safety and security," they did not let parents in the building during the school day (unless it was for a clearly well-defined reason, and apparently the play was not a good enough reason). Years later, when my daughter attended a different private school, the school was wonderful and welcoming to parents. Parents were honored guests at all times. Moms volunteered every day to help out with parties, fund-raising, teacher luncheons, etc. That school was an extremely happy place to be, and students were always heartbroken to leave it after 8th grade. The administration sets the tone for the students and parents. You'll want to gauge the tone of the classical school before you sign the contract.

Black-eyed pea salad. Black bean dip used as a filling for tacos. Hard-boiled eggs -- or deviled eggs -- make a cool, nourishing breakfast or snack.

You know, if she did sell it, it's a shame she didn't offer it to another member of the family. With that kind of amazing family history, I imagine one of the other grandchildren would have jumped at the chance to have it.

Detail?

(Haven't read the other replies, but...) When we lived in Guam, a pregnant feral cat took up residence in our shed. She had two kittens. She was so very thin that I put out cat food for her each day for a couple of weeks. I was hoping the kittens would be friendly, but the momma cat always hissed me away when I'd approach. One day I checked on the cats, and the kittens had disappeared. Someone told me that momma cats sometimes ate their babies. I've always wondered if that happened in this case.