Celeste, Your Grace is such a cutie. What a wonderful name -- Grace -- it's my youngest daughter's middle name. Your Grace looks a lot like my Stephanie Grace, and they're about the same age. That got me feeling maternal, and angry at this piece of cosmic joke that we call a man. This guy has found an easy target in your daughter. It's flattering to be showered with attention by an older "man", who has probably lived long enough to figure out how to schmooze a young lady. Let's be frank, it's not all that difficult to reel in the typical young lady. While you're waiting for her to think clearly (God, it's tough at that age), there are some small measures you could take. Personally, I'd do everything that Ann suggested. I'd file police reports regarding the thefts, and chronicle every attempt at contact; what was said and when it was said. Heck, I probably would have set up a trap for him. But I'm heartless when it comes to stuff like this; plus, there's the risk that it would backfire, which would not be good. I know you have to walk a delicate line, and you are the best one to assess the possible fallout of whatever is done. Talk to your daughter about how there's nothing noble or romantic about choosing a chaotic life; how it gets tiring to live with someone who has a personality disorder, and who, for no good reason, undermines family relationships and isolates her from those who can bring sanity to life. Recruit someone she respects and admires, not a close family member who would be perceived as having an agenda, who can give her a reality check in the form of a good talking-to. Good cop, bad cop. You be the good cop who provides the hugs and sympathy, and let someone else be the rational, no-nonsense bad cop. Don't be around when the bad cop does their part of the job or it will look obvious. This guy obviously has sociopathic tendencies, in that he is unable to care about how his actions affect others. He steals from those who are his benefactors. He steals from your daughter...a person he supposedly loves. These are crimes. They may be petty crimes, but they are still crimes, and there's a reason it is so. He will never admit to that, obviously. Worse yet, he will never care. He will not suddenly, magically change. You can't let her overlook these realities. If she starts waxing romantic about this guy you might ask her some questions that may help her see the situation, such as: 1. What is the thing he is most proud of building and accomplishing? He's in his 30s; what have most people accomplished by this age? What do you plan to accomplish by the time you're in your 30s? What do you think is the reason he hasn't accomplished as much as the average person in their 30s? 2. He must have talked about what he wants to do with his life (life? what life?). What were his dreams? What steps did he take to achieve his goal? (We know the answer.) 3. If he's working now (yeah, right), who is his employer? What kind of benefits does he get? Would you call his employer and verify his work history? In 6 months? A year? Questions like these, if phrased well and presented in a factual way, have straightforward answers. You'll have to pretend that you are sincere. You can only accept answers to the questions, not excuse-making. Point out the difference. Although I wouldn't want to foist this buffoon on anyone else, hopefully he'll meet his match while attempting to find another source of revenue. This will distract him from your daughter and maybe get him into big trouble. Or, ideally, maybe he'll steal from someone who will not be so forgiving and end up in jail. We can hope. Good luck, Celeste. Many hugs and wishes for a positive outcome. Keep us posted.

The easiest way would be to dig the dormant plant in November, cut back the top, stuff it in a trash bag for the trip, and replant it in the Maine garden as a bare root. Will the ground be frozen Nov. 30? I would guess not in Mass., maybe but probably not in Maine. You could open the hole in advance, prepare the soil, and pile leaves over the dirt pile to keep it from freezing. Late fall planting of bare roots used to be standard procedure in zone 5. Also, mulch heavily around the Mass. plant when cold weather arrives to be sure it will remain diggable. If you transplant to a pot now, it will probably defoliate and use up energy growing new leaves, which would be killed by frosts very soon. Then you have the hassle and risk of overwintering a pot.

If lightning took out the computer it may well have taken out the cable modem too. You should check that first. I see far more damage to equipment through the phone lines than through power lines. That's the first thing I'd check.

melaniesc, You said, "We don't have any poison around here, and he have looked all over our yard for anything possible that could have done this, but its weired why we have one sick dog and the other is fine.." I found a list of possible causes of dog poisoning. Maybe reading the list will help you locate the cause. Please let us know how she is doing. Donna Here is a link that might be useful: dog poisoning