Thanks Kym, thats why we built the pond today partly in her memory. She loved to try and take the fish out of my little pond and fountain in the front so we never planned to put any fish in the back or she would eat them. He got up this morning and decided to put in the pond and we will have goldfish in it and plant a little memorial garden around it for Mercedes. He is over there again looking at her pics. I am so sad for him. I am going to post the video again for those who didn't see it the last time. It was really funny like a doggie version of bobbing for apples, lol. Here is a link that might be useful: dogone fishing

Thank you all so much for your condolences. I think that the fact that most of us are animal lovers and discuss our pets a bit is one of the things that make it my favorite forum by far. Celeste, Higgins had a gentleness that was very sweet...He looked all dressed up with his white boots and gloves. I knew you would empathize since you had recently lost a loved cat. Nancy, You right. I had gotten very attached to Higgins very quickly. I am having much more success than usual with the feral cats. You are not supposed to be able to tame them after they are a couple months old. I am cheating; I take them either roast beef or chicken that is cooked especially for the animals. My husband and I are vegans, but we have several elderly animals...14 to almost 16 years old, and they won't always eat enough so I keep some tempting treats in the freezer for them. I take a chunk of the meat outside (in a paper towel) and that is what got Bella and Higgins to come to me. Chicken was the food they first took from my hand. Bella now climbs all over me, seeks to be petted, and will raise her head up to touch my nose with hers. She licks my fingers to get any meat residue. I have even been able to pick her up and move her a few feet without seeming to distress her. And, she purrs for me now too. You are right, Debra, Gus gave up being feral totally. He rubs around my legs, leans against me and climbs into my lap. This morning, the golden cat was here when I was giving the cats their chicken. I didn't notice at first, but tossed her some chicken and she came closer, so I fixed her some of the regular canned food and she ate it. Maybe I will be able to save these three. Debra, Bella followed me into the house today...she didn't stay, but she is really coming along well to have been so wild at first. She loves to play and will grab around my leg, grab for my hands, and today, she started giving me "love" bites. She is much smaller than any of the other cats, and I am really taken with her. kay

George, I'm so very sorry for the loss of your precious son. I too know the pain of losing a child. It is a pain that will always be with you. Be good to yourself and grieve the way you need to and for as long as you need to. The poem is a beautiful tribute to your son and shows the love that you have for him. You will always love him. He will never leave your heart. He will be with you still, even though you can't see him. When we first lost my 19 year old daughter, I felt that she was with me more than ever. In life, she was with me physically sometimes. When she became a spirit, she was with me always and still is. I know that I will see her again someday. That's my only consolation. I think of her being on a long, beautiful, happy vacation and I will meet her later. You may want to meet my daughter who knows your son now. Bless you. Lu

We constantly see posts describing horror stories about GC & Subs but has anyone bothered to ask why the problems occurred? Castoff summed it up in one line yet no one seemed to notice' "If you have lots of work, then you can afford to be selective. However, the opposite is "beggars can't be choosers". Truer words were never stated, if you have lots of work you can afford to be selective.... Now for the rest of the story as Paul Harvey would say: Speaking solely for the Plumbing trade for a moment. In 1985 the U.S.Dept. of Labor reported that nearly 70% of all journeymen plumbers in the USA were within 10 years of retirement age and the government asked that all plumbers make a concerned effort to enroll members in a bona fide Apprenticeship program immediately to insure we could continue to maintain an adequate workforce. The government even went so far as to offer some very interesting monetary considerations to encourage the Apprenticeship program. Haaing been involved in the apprenticeship program allow me to share some of the results: The overwhelming majority of those who apply for a job as a plumber are very anxious to get on a 40hr/wk payroll but the moment we mention they will also be required to attend night school for which we pay both tuition and books they refuse because we don't give them clock time for the class room. Of those who do agree to attend the school 35% cannot pass the simple prerequisite math test based on 8th grade math. A bona fide apprenticeship program is a four year program from which 70% of all applicants drop out within the first 6 months and by the end of the first year the drop out rate is nearly 90%. In fact, the number of initial applicants who actually complete the program is less than 5%. The end result in that in an industry that is critically short of skilled employees you may rest assured that true plumbers are not sitting in the office with thier heels up waiting for the phone to ring. Typically a residential plumbing job requires two men/women one or perhaps two days for rough-in followed by a three to four week wait, then two men/women for one to two days for the stack-out, pause for the other trades then one day for final trimout. Yet we must provide them a full 40hr week therefore we are constantly booking work 4 to 10 months in advance. In fact, I officially retired and turned my business over to my son 14 months ago and just two weeks ago he finally completed the work that I had on the books when i left. Along comes a homeowner who waits till they already have their permits and begin ground breaking before they hit the phone book looking for a GC, plumber, electrician, framer, HVAC installers etc etc. From this they get a short list of contractors who are sitting by the phone and willing to take a job on short notice, then they sort through that list looking for the lowest bidder. If i can offer no other advice in my lifetime please believe this. The time to start interviewing your contractors is the day you decide to build, even before you talk to your bank. The more lead time you can provide the better your chances of getting a good contractor. If you wait till the last minute you will be stuck sorting through those who for one reason or another simply can't stay busy, that should speak for itself.