Normally I would answer like gardenerme but we've been having thunderstorms lately in the late afternoon. It's clouding up as I type this. So I'll be moving a few more roses that got bigger than expected. Like that doesn't happen on a regular basis in So.Cal. sigh . . . Most of our rain in So.Cal comes during the winter and early spring months so I'm inside anyway. We also get snow where I live. I've got a few hobbies, like quilting, painting, home decor, and upholstering so I'm never without a project. We have occasional summer thunderstorms, which I usually enjoy from the front porch swing. That's until the lightening gets too close. Then I and the kitties head indoors and hope there's an Angel or Cub game on the tube. : ) Diana

I remember when the afro was popular and I asked my Mom if I could have one and she said no. I was in the 7th grade and thought how mean. Well when I was a freshman(14) in high school, I asked again and she told me that I could do it IF I was responsible about it and kept it neat and always looked presentable. I remember it as one of my first big decisions and I was so proud of the fact that she had enough faith in me that I would do the right thing and I did. Fast forward a gazillion years later and my D son asked if he could grow his hair out so that he could wear it braided. At the time he was 14 and I remembered the encounters with my Mom and I said the same thing to him. My hubby immediately said no and we had a family meeting and we made it clear that if he didn't take care of his hair AND save up the money to pay for getting it braided himself, then it would be cut off. Well my son is now almost 22 with hair below his shoulders and he is very responsible about taking care of his hair. Actually he is almost obsessed about it :-) That was one of the first real mature decisions for him, just like it was for me. I think depending on the maturity level of the kid, 14 is not too young to start experimenting with hair. As long as it is made clear to the kid what the potential ramifications are, then I think it is fine. I think we as adults have to remember what it is like to be that age and struggle with individuality vs what's popular and how hard it can be for teenagers. It is just hair and it will grow back. I have had every imaginable hairstyle under the sun,afro, long, short, asymmetrical, mullet and braids. Each style represented me during a particular period and I'm glad that I had the opportunity to do different things. We have to support, be honest but let them discover who they are. Oh yeah one other thing, as soon as my son started growing facial hair, he loved it and I hated it. He would let it grow long and I would beg for him to please shave and my hubby gently reminded ME about letting him express his individuality :-) To me he looked like Grizzly Adams but to my son it made him look older. Ughh.... So the running joke between us was that I would call him Grizzly but if he wanted to look like a mountaim man, that was his choice. Again fast forward a few years and he has a very nice goatee that is now well manicured and he looks great. I remembered my own experience and let him be and he eventually grew out of the Grizzly Adams look. Thank goodness!

I've been retired for about 1 1/2 yrs. I worked an evening shift when I worked (3 pm to 11 pm) then had to "unwind" before going to bed about 12 or 1 am. Now -- I find I am a morning person - get up about 6:30 or 7:00, and yes, I do have a somewhat routine that just established itself, but I feel more at ease if there IS a routine (not schedule!). I put on coffee, clean up the kitchen, feed the animals, read the paper, and, because quilting is a major hobby with me, and I'm more productive in the morning, I spend mornings doing more active things, sewing, cleaning, shopping, yard work, etc. etc. I am a little surprised at how busy I find my days sometimes, and wonder how I did everything when I did work. Also - I find I'm cleaning and keeping up the house a little more than I did before - I'm definitely not a "neat freak" but just do like a fairly orderly, clean environment. I'm absolutely loving retirement - I think it is the chance to choose and control how my days' activities go, and I didn't have that before. DH is still working, but I'm pushing him to retire next summer when he turns 65.

We don't have any "set" time, it depends on the schedules of all involved. Elery and I are retired and so the time is inconsequential to us, but one son in law is a detective, one daughter works midnights at a nursing home, one Granddaughter is working at one of the local restaurants. So, whenever we can sit down together is when the meal is. It's not even always on Thanksgiving Day, it could easily be the weekend sometime. It's the same at Christmas, our family celebration is often between Christmas and New Year's, sometimes earlier, sometimes later. I've never been set on "the day", I can celebrate with my family whenever I can and be happy for it. Annie