There is so much info on the internet and none of it seems to be right or perfect. They say GT is not contagious, and I know it's not, but my experience has been weird. My first encounter with GT was my daughter at 9 months old. It got worse over time and took me months to realize it was GT. Then 6 months later I STARTED SEEING GT ON MY OWN TONGUE for the first time in my life at 32 years old. That freaked me out. For both of us it has been coming and going for 2 years since then. I even saw a patch on my four year old's tongue once around the time that my GT started and then it never came back. They say its not usually painful, but I feel it starting and it hurts when it spreads. My daughter gets them worse on the side of her tongue when teething and I think mine is worse with carbs and sugar. That makes me think its an immune response, but why am I just getting this now after my daughter. Ugh. I may try the ECHINACEA. GT is sooo annoying and it is a big deal even if its not "serious" because of quality of life.

If you're buying a new snowblower the only company in the USA that both engineers and builds the engines is Honda and of course they are primarily for commercial use. I'm based in Canada and we can get them at local dealers only, for about $2,600 - $8,000. Much more than you would pay for a Toro or Ariens. There's a good article here explaining who makes what - https://movingsnow.com/2020/2020-snow-blowers-who-makes-each-brand/ Also for OEM Engines like many products there is a design, build and test component. I've seen many people complain about LCT Engines, yes they are "built" in China, no they are not designed or tested there. LCT is very clear on their website - the Corporate Office is in Travelers Rest, SC. "Operations Management, Design Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, Quality Assurance, Production Control, Warranty / Technical Services, Logistics and other Administrative functions are solely based in South Carolina, USA." LCT also has a Shanghai Office - "LCT has a dedicated staff of professional Engineers, Quality Assurance Teams, and Logistics/Sourcing Personnel based in our downtown Shanghai, China offices." So yes, LCT has Chinese Engines, but that doesn't mean that Ariens is using an engine that was designed, built and tested in China because it's 10-20x cheaper for them to do that so they can increase profit margins. Not at all. I don't get the feeling that products made outside of USA or Canada are "cheap". I've been in both mechanical, medical and software engineering and this was never the case. A good example is Loncin, they were known as a Honda clone at one point but they're known globally for their quality engines so much that they sell about 3 Million engines per year - "It has annual production capacity of 2,500,000 motorcycles, 3,000,000 motorcycle engines, and 150,000 all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)." Loncin builds engines for Toro that rival anything Honda or LCT make and there are other brands such as PowerMore that are good quality as well - you will find these on Cub Cadet and Troy-Bilt. Briggs & Stratton? Tecumseh? Yep, built in China too, Briggs owns it's facility there and Tecumseh is part of LCT now. In reality USA companies are using facilities in China to build engines, not necessarily designing them there except in the case of Toro and Loncin. At the very minimum the design spec comes from the brand company and they are doing their own quality assurance. The engine doesn't just show up at the assembly plant and they slap a sticker on it, there's a little more to it than that. Overall I think it's a good thing, product manufacturers in every market are getting sub-components from niche market companies that specialize in them. Think companies like Toyota or Honda are manufacturing every component in their products? They don't make their own steel, aluminum, plastic or crude oil do they? Ever seen a Toyota Oil rig? At some point it must be OK to buy a component from somebody else, and they don't need to be your next door neighbour. I mean... do you ever go to the produce section of the grocery store and think hey, how long has this fruit been in season? It's OK to get your fruit 12 months per year from somewhere but it's not OK to build an engine outside of the border?

Bull dogs apparently have breathing problems, but do you think she's having a little acid reflux? The combination of the fish food and the BEANS could be what's contributing to her breath smell. Black beans do have an odor when they've set too long in the fridge. And after they hit the stomach acid it's hard telling what they smell like! HA! If a dog has an ear infection their ears will really stink. So it could be the fungus stuff, you mentioned, on her face. Is there a special concoction that you use to wash her face? Whatever you use, I would clean her face at least twice a day. Also note what she was eating right before you smelled the bad odor. Keep a log. Possibly just a week of cleaning her folds will remove the smell. But you also might notice a pattern to her breath smell and what she has consumed. If you don't see a change after a week then you might want to run it by your vet.

Oh, yikes. My mirror at my vanity is large and clear enough I'm not likely to forget much above the waist. I did get home being out one day and took off a freshly washed black jacket, had a clean black sock fall to the floor, somehow I'd worn that downtown. And I never did find the mate, if anyone comes across a clean black Ralph Lauren sock, single, anyplace - please let me know. My goofs seem to involve my feet, not teeth :) I can't tell you how many times I've been halfway finished at the grocery store, looked down and found myself in my horrible scarred up ancient gardening clogs that I'd probably slipped into to take out the garbage or pick up the mail. And we'd spent a weekend in Portland one year where I'd run errands with my SIL all afternoon, gone to a couple of rather upscale stores, a bakery where she had run into a business associate, out to lunch. I was wearing a knit jacket and matching pants, my comfortable Brooks tennis shoes for a long day. Only when I finally got to our hotel and undressed for bed, noticed one white/yellow shoe, one white/blue shoe. The matching pair were a whole state away in my closet.... Jean, hope tomorrow goes better. Maybe an early bed time?