Veronika, I can't believe I am going to miss your playdate. I was about to leave for your house and I was combing my hair when I saw something that looked like lice (nits)!!! I ran to check my daughter's hair and it looks like she has it too. I am sure she got it at school and then gave it to me!!! So here I am doing loads of laundry and checking hair instead of having fun at your house. I want to cry!!! Have a lot of fun guys and take lots of pictures. Love, Carmen

Interesting thread. How often do I take a hard look at my home? Frequently, however that doesn't mean I do much, or anything, about it. I can relate to what stephf said and often play the game of "what would I change if I lived here" in other people's houses but also play âÂÂwhat could I change to improve my worldâ in my own. Most of the time I only change out accessories without buying anything new as have enough to rotate items. I satisfy my need for change by decorating seasonally. I'm not using as many accessories as I used to and my seasonal decor is much more subtle but there are changes to more seasonal colors. Now that it's fall I'm using accessories with fall colors, more natural and wooden items, and a few faux pumpkins/Jack-O-Lanterns. A few years ago we repainted and bought new upholstery with neutral colors so this works well. After many years of trial and error and sometimes not liking my house much I am finally happy with most of my choices and there's not much I want to change right now. When I move (likely in the next couple of years) I will be ready to buy all new upholstered items and will then change my color scheme and perhaps style. I'm a senior but will likely never stop changing things around in my house. I have never changed out everything all at once in 47 years. Have added and eliminated but never decorated from a clean slate. The only time I decorated 'from scratch' was when we moved to Europe for 3 years and bought almost everything new and a few things 2nd hand. Sold everything before we returned home as I had no attachment to any of it. I much prefer to collect over time and let my decor evolve as it will. Some of my old pieces have good memories such as pieces that belonged to DH's and my Grandmothers. I buy several new accessories every year, mostly handmade art pieces now. I have downsized and re-homed many items in recent years and continue to do this. I sell the better things thru a consignment shop and donate the rest to thrift stores. We had this house built 17 years ago and it now looks completely different from the way it did when we moved in. Different color walls, different flooring, different furniture. While I like to think I don't change things often my decor has definitely evolved over time. It has happened so gradually I have never realized until now how different it looks. I still have the same DR furniture, a chair that was DH's Grandmother's, and a small antique sideboard but everything else in the public areas has been acquired since we built. Only the upholstered furniture was purchased new, everything else is antique, vintage, or repurposed. I still have many of the same accessories but also many different ones, purchased new as well as from 2nd hand venues. Realistically I expect my house will continue to evolve subtly and will look quite different 10 years from now.

My yard was partially fenced when I brought my dog home. I didn't think it was a big deal until I realized that my dog wanted to run and play on his schedule, not mine. He wanted to be further than five feet from me when taking care of his business. An idea I was not opposed to either. I tried one of those extending leashes but quickly gave up on that idea because it was unsafe for both of us. So I learned how to set a few fence posts and installed a drive gate so I could still have access if needed. Best thing I ever did for him. Now when he is anxious to go out he doesn't have to wait for me to get dressed or bundled up in winter. He can explore and lay in the sun without being tied and best of all he can play to his hearts content since he no longer has to be on a leash. Playing fetch is much easier when you can actually run. There was benefit for me too. I can now get out of bed and put my robe on instead of having to get fully dressed then come in and undress again to take a shower in the morning. And since neither of us likes to be out in the cold or wet I'm sure my Ollie is glad I no longer have to go out with him because he can sprint out, do his thing, then run back in faster than I could get him out to his favorite place. The best part is that I know he is safer too from other dogs allowed to run loose in the neighborhood. Love having a fence, even though it isn't anything fancy.

I have only read a few of those books, one of which (The World According to Garp) I actively disliked. From what I know of them, they are not what I personally would choose to read during hard times, especially a prolonged period of hard times. I might want to read a book or two or three that provided understanding about what I was going through, but mostly I would like to remind myself that times had once been better, and possibly would be again one day. When I am worried and depressed and struggling, I don't want to read that life is all about fear and sadness and endless difficulty, whether those books tell me that patient endurance and courage will eventually see me through, or whether they tell me there's no hope at the end, anyway. So yes, books about hard times, best read in retrospect, when life is a bit more bearable.