Brrr! I get cold just thinking about it. I follow the major cities' weather in the daily newspaper and I can't believe how cold it is in some cities. Luckily a lot of people love the cold weather, but I'm not one of them. Since winter is the bragging rights season for Florida, I have to tell you that our high temps through next Monday will be in the high 70's and lows in the high 50's. Perfect weather to have the doors open and lots of sunshine, too. OK, I'm ducking the snowballs right now!

A Free and Clear detergent still probably has optical whiteners and other additives which may be clinging to your clothes through multiple washes. Your fabric softener is likely building up on your clothes too. I've read it does if you use it on cloth diapers. Fabric softener sheets also leave a residue inside the dryer that can come off onto clothes/diapers. Not sure if liquid does the same thing. I have found I do not need softener sheets when my clothes rinse clean. The only exception would be for synthetic, static-prone fabrics like acrylic. I use Charlie's Soap (detergent) now for all our laundry, including cloth dipes. For sanitation, I use hot washes for diapers and underclothing as well as towels and washcloths/dishrags. I haven't mastered using an oxygen bleach yet, probably because I have a front-loader so the clothes can't soak as easily. On the other hand, I don't feel I need it often--only ocassionally to remove stains. HE machines often get detergent build-up inside the machine on the outside of the drum where you can't see it. This can cause mildew, stink, etc. When I had to have our Kenmore's electronics repaired (same as Duet), the repairman said to only use 1 oz. of detergent and applauded my frequent use of vinegar. If you want to see if you have build-up, do an empty load. To see if your clothes have detergent build-up, which might be causing your dingy whites, do a load without detergent. In either case, if you see a good amount of suds, you have build-up. If you do, then do several washes with vinegar, then plain rinses. Check again, and repeat as needed. For prevention, periodically do a hot load with vinegar. Incidentally, I put the vinegar into the liquid softener dispenser, which empties into the last rinse cycle on my HE machine. Don't put it in with the detergent as they neutralize each other. I've read a lot about washing diapers in HE machines, and most of the info applies to other laundry as well. There are definitely some detergents to avoid. Here are two articles which cover the topic well I think. http://www.sunshinediapers.com/cloth-diaper-university/choosing-a-detergent/ http://www.greenmountaindiapers.com/washing-diapers.htm

I worked at a humane society where we euthanized over 1000 animals a month. Most went peacefully, but there was probably 1 a month where things didn't go as easily. The drug that is used to put our dogs to sleep is a sedative. It is similar to being put to sleep for surgery, only getting a larger dose. The brain is slowed down to a point where it stops telling the lungs and heart to keep working. I don't know why it happens, but I take solace in my own experiences with anesthesia and pain. I had a surgery and was under anesthesia and apparently had difficulty breathing. The surgical team had to put in a breathing tube. I don't have any memory of the breathing tube being put in or the difficulty breathing. I just woke up with a trach tube. I also had an injury that caused enough pain that I became delirious. I was vocal, I was saying nonsense to my husband, and again, I have no memory of that state. My only knowledge of the time from when I became delirious to the time I woke from that surgery was my husbands account of the situation. I really believe that when things go terribly wrong our brains have the ability to shut down and not consciously register any pain or distress even if our bodies are experiencing something that would normally cause us pain and distress. The first time I saw an animal not go down peacefully it was distressing. I had to process the information, think about what happened, question why it happened and I was working with two people who had experienced this before and knew what to expect and understood what was happening (as much as any of us can understand.) For many veterinarians this is something they may only experience once in their career or may never have a euthanasia that doesn't go peacefully. They don't have people with them reassuring them that this sometimes happens. They have to be in control of a situation that they don't fully understand. I am sure they want to be compassionate toward their client, but they are concerned first with their patient and trying desperately to process what just happened. They are not jerks, they are human.

As for that first job, maybe they treat employees this way too, so maybe this is for the best. Sounds like the right hand does not know what the left is doing. He's had success in his job huntm yay!. I'm so happy for your DS and for you as well because we mom's suffer when our kids suffer, don't we? Oh, happy day! He will do fine and will grow personally and professionally over time. Don't worry, Mom!