DA, If I'm right in knowing which tension causing member (TCM) you're referring to, I think he is motivated to help and not to cause tension. For some, any difference of opinion causes tension, whether that's intended or not. But paradoxically as your later comment concerning hypersensitivity and PC-ness shows, some differences of opinion can be difficult to wrap in a pillow and so it is. I think TCM tries to be polite. TCM has observed a lot of well-intentioned advice and recommendations in this forum that seem more akin to folk remedies than well accepted, mainstream advice. TCM seems to speak up in such cases, and in doing so perhaps (undeliberately) rattled a few cages of those who had become folk medicine dispensers and followers without knowing it. I think there are some who think some of the PC folk medicine that has been entrenched here is real medicine and some don't know the difference.

Just checked in to see what everyone's been up. You have really had a set-back, and I'm so sorry. Like Rita said, the flu is probably a blessing in disguise: you not only need to rest the arm, but the flu makes you feel too bad to be tempted to do anything. For a while. When the flu-bug departs, please remember that resting the arm means no vacuuming, making beds, carrying laundry, picking up toddlers or stacks of newspapers (or fabric), and do NOT lift skillets or pots or even glass mixing bowls. If the injured arm feels really, really good then it's okay to use the *other* arm to do light lifting (one dirty dish at a time) or other movement. Yeah, I know the doc didn't get that specific, but using muscles on one side of the body will move muscles on the other side which will press against the break, and you do NOT want to disturb those bones until all is nearly healed. As one who has broken the right wrist 3 times and the left twice, I'm here to say that letting it heal properly is *lots* faster than using it 'til it hurts -- causing an oops, another couple weeks to heal. It's past time for the other 'adults' to pitch in. "Not knowing" is not an acceptable excuse. You can sit and tell dh what to cut, measure, stir, etc. It's okay to look-see that the heat is correct but let him make ALL other movements. Let dh and daughter do the shopping and putting away - if something's not done to your usual standards, relax - you probably won't die from it. Same with vacuuming, making beds, doing the dishes, cleaning, etc. And if any of them xitch about it, look them square in the eye and ask what they would have done if you had broken your neck instead of your arm? Which could have very easily happened, and that makes them lucky you were not paralyzed or worse. Hope you get over the flu quickly, and that you let your arm heal straight and strong. It's so much more fun to quilt when you feel good.

Sorry, I didn't mean to do a post and run. I've had a crazy weekend. My name is Deb, and I've actually been on GW off and on since 1999. I post mostly over on Florida Gardening, Brugmansias, and sometimes on Cactus and Succulents. I write articles...lots and lots of articles. I also have a few blogs that are sadly neglected, so I'm trying to get them back up and running, especially my gardening blog. I'm in my late 50's, have lupus, and of course, love to garden. I live in SW Florida and am soon moving to Gainesville, a whole zone north of me, where I will not have a yard at first. I'm going to try to get into a community garden there, so I can at least grow my veggies and some of my plants. Moving at my age is hard, and I thought I'd never leave here, but circumstances forced me to make a choice, so I'm leaving. This yard is too much for me to take care of anymore. I need a break from all this physical labor, but I know I could not live without gardening, so I'm thinking my African Violets will be my new indoor project. I have two sons, 25 and 37, and they both live in Chicago. No, we aren't from Chicago, the older one was there and the younger one was in Seattle and decided he wanted to be with his brother, so there they are. So far, they are both doing well, just going through the normal trials of life, which they moan to me about just like I moaned to my mother when she was living. I am estranged from my family by choice, so my sons are my only family. I'm happier that way. I'm a Pantheist, which is not Christian, but I do believe in God. I just define him differently. To me, God is nature...all of nature, including humans. I searched for many years to find a spiritual path I could follow, and tried everything but Satanism in the process (but I did read about it and it is very scary...totally based on 'self' and making yourself happy, no matter what the consequence). I settled on Pantheism because it makes sense to me. There is no one and nothing to blame if things go wrong or bad things happen. It is all just part of the cycle of life, and that is hard to accept sometimes, but it makes more sense to me than angels and demons. I do pray, so I will be asking for and giving out many prayers. Enough for now. I'm sure you will learn more about me as we go along. Thanks again for the welcome! Here, have some chocolate. I just happen to have extra. Here is a link that might be useful: My Gardening Blog, in case you're interested

Thank you all so much for your replies! It's wonderful to see so many of you slogging through the Houzz changes in order to remain in touch, sharing your words and your photos. I hope others continue to chime in as they check in with the forum in between scheduled summer activities and in spite of current technological difficulties. Titian, thank you for the information about Florence's last posting. I may have missed it since it was located on a thread which began with another topic. I wish there were some way to reach her just to say how much it meant to share the exchanges that we did. We even shared family history and photos and artwork. Mary, I have no idea if Houzz ambushed the Furniture Forum with my post after the fact or whether I neglected to deselect the FF as a suggested cross posting site. I THOUGHT I deselected everything but Antique Roses. Since we will never know, and I prefer to maintain the fantasy that I can manage my own affairs, I'm going to cry "Houzz ambush" in order to save face. :-) Carol