What an awsome group we have here! I'm teary-eyed reading your kind and generous responses to my outbutst. Sooey, my Mom's 91, and yes, when it's a Mom who's done everything for her family, had more energy than most people half her age, it's terribly difficult and unfair to see them this way; I hope your Mom's light-years away from where my Mom is now... Mark, what a coincidence about the stove! My Mom was leaning on our stove a few days ago, playing with the dials! I'm sure somewhere she knew what they were for, but I'm also quite sure she couldn't rationalize the danger she would have been in had she turned one on near her! How sad what happened in your town...those poor children... Lasershow, yes she's had an MRI, and there's nothing significantly wrong, such as a tumor, etc. Her neurologist has done her own testing and determined it to be dementia/alzeimers. We have thought about visiting various homes in the area, and I imagine that if it's been determined that she's a candidate, we'll begin that process. I've only been in one as a visitor to a friend's Dad, and....well...it's not 'home', is it? I'm honestly not sure anything would be good enough for Mom.... Fairiegold: you almost make it sound feasible! ;-) Sometimes I can picture a more idyllic situation: nice visits, bringing her treats, flowers, taking her on rides...without the mundane duties that can frustrate both of us...Now wouldn't that be so nice??? Sharlee, I'm assuming your Mom was living alone when she suffered her stroke and subsequent dementia? If that were true for my Mom, a facility would certainly be the obvious choice, as it was for you and your brother. Having had her here for 10 years or so...I feel more like I'm failing in her care by placing her. Your Mother seems like she's in a wonderful situation, comforted by her own possessions and receiving loving care. We should all aspire to that for our family members... Mary, yes, we too found an angel who cares for Mom each morning. She showers her, has coffee with her, gets her snacks, and is here for 1 1/2hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 2 hours on Tuesdays, and 4 hours on Thursdays: my DH's and my "date days"...;-) On those days she has lunch with Mom also, and gives her "the full treatment", including manicure! Mom truly loves her and she's become a part of our family! Patti, having to care for your uncle, I think, would be even more difficult. Maybe it's just me, but being close to Mom, and both being gals, I'm certainly more comfortable with caring for her....Does your uncle live with you? How is his condition? His age? I sure do tip my hat to you, Patti! It can't be easy... I hope you ALL take the same advice you offered to me, and take good care of yourselves, too! It's funny...I didn't really feel anything coming on, just felt as if one day rolled into the next, that I was coping quite well, thank you, and then the restlessness began, the not sleeping through the nights, getting 'edgy', resentful, impatient...Not good for me, and certainly not good for my Mother. Thank heavens where I leave off, my darling Hubby takes over with his calmness and sense of humour. Humour helps! ;-D Blessings to you all...I'm sure I'll know more after her assessment on Friday.... Thank you so very much; I hope I can be as helpful to you one day!

Hello Juanita! Hi, I am new to this forum, I just purchased a new DSLR today (battery charging as we speak), but anyways, I just wanted to say your photographs are beautiful, I love landscape photography and yours are just so relaxing and envoking of the true beauty of nature.

You know I've read the OP's statements several times and never did she say how long the dog was crated. I've gone on record as stating that I crate my dogs and i will continue to crate my dogs when I am not available to supervise them. However, 10-13 hours is entirely too long. I know many trainers and many competitors at top levels and none suggest caging up a dog all the time. The dogs I'm involved with come from field lines and positively define high energy. They would very quicly go competely bonkers if not given an appropriate outlet for their energy. If I am to be gone more than 4 hours, I make arrangements for a responsible party to take care of the dogs. Having seen personally or heard of too many "accidents" with dogs who had been completely "trustworthy" in the past, I feel it is in the best interests of the dogs to safely confine them when I am not home. I do not believe in doggy doors either and I will not come home to a dead dog or a dog in need of immediate surgery because of my own pride in my training techniques. Perhaps if it were not the hot button issue of crating, this philosophy wouldn't be under attack? For example, I train my dogs not to counter-surf. I can prepare dinner and know that the 12 course dinner I'm preparing will not disappear behind my back. I expect to still see Tom Turkey on the counter if I leave the room to answer the phone. Tom had best be unmolested when I'm done showering. However, I'm not silly enough to insist that a turkey left alone on the counter for 4 hours would just get up and walk away on its own while 4 loyal dogs lay innocently with heads resting on crossed paws. I trust my training, but dogs are dogs. They are animals and to them, 5 minutes of joyfully devouring a turkey is worth a punctured esophagus. I cannot reason with them after the fact anymore than I could reason with a 3 year old. I didn't leave my 3 year old children home alone either and no matter how much we want to think that dogs are children, they don't ever progress past the mentality of a 3 year old. Could i leave my 10 year old lab out while I'm gone? Probably. She sleeps in her crate while i'm gone and I'm )almost) sure that she would sleep on the floor while I'm gone. But I don't want to find out I was wrong at the expense of my dog's life, especially when they ENJOY their crates and LIKE being in a safe place. I was given charge over these animals - I will care for them and not leave them to their own devices. Part of my responsible dog ownership is ensuring that their minds and bodies are stimulated enough to desire rest and re-charging when I'm not available. To this end, I play with each dog individually for 30 minutes each morning - hard play equivalent to the most strenuous aerobics class. We then take an 30 minute walk and brush up on obedience skills. Breakfast is served while I shower and prepare for the day, followed by potty time and a bit more fetching. Crate time is generally from 11-1. After errands, the dogs go back out to enjoy the fresh air and relieve themselves if needed. Before starting dinner for the human family, the dogs get another 30 minute aerobic workout. They lounge inside (or out if I'm grilling) until after dinner (theirs and mine) Two are competing and they get another obedience session in the evening, followed by a family walk. Before it gets dark, I take the one dog who is competing in field trials out for some bird work. Everyone then gets to watch TV before a final pit stop and retiring to various sleeping spots. I've owned dogs for 40 years now. Always multiples and always highly trained. I've lost plenty, but it was always due to old age or disease and never to something preventable like a car accident or foreign object ingestion. This is due to careful supervision and superior training and I'd like to keep my record and my conscience clean.

I'm pretty lazy about drying herbs. I just pick them, tie them up in a shady place (my kitchen) and hang them from something until they're dried. Sometimes they get a bit dusty because I'm a major procrastinator too. Native Americans would just tie their herbs up in their abodes for the winter or so I've heard. I've also heard that the best times to pick herbs are early in the day once the dew has dried from the leaves. Then once they are dried enough I just put them in a clean glass jar and put the lid on. I've heard that a good way to save basil (depending on what you want to do with it) is to get fresh basil, throw it in the food processor with some olive oil (IF you are making pesto or want to cook with it) and freeze it in ice-cube trays. Then you can make pesto or add it to spaghetti/pizza sauce whenever you want it. Thyme, oregano, rosemary are hardier herbs and I just put them dried into a glass jar. Keep the leaves whole if possible as when they get crumbled they usually lose their essential oils faster. Keep them in the dark if possible to prolong 'shelf life'. Most herbs eventually lose their zing except for laurel, or bay leaf, they're supposed to get stronger in storage.