Mike, That is famous garden writer Tara Dillard and she and I are lovers - only thing is, she doesn't know it. She says her pose for next year is going to be just as risque' We'll see (literally). Truthfully she is probably a good bit younger than me but who isn't? What did you think about the rest of the photos and the captions?

When I worked in restaurants I too saw firsthand how much worse the womens' restrooms were than the mens. I worked overnight at a restaurant and it wasn't overly busy. We'd clean the restrooms (as best we could) a couple times. The one time, I walked out and asked if we had a shovel and the cook asked what for, and I replied for cleaning the women's room! It really was disgusting. The waterless handcleaners are a misnomer. They're a sanitizer, not truly a cleaner. They're made to sanitize clean(er) hands. They don't wash dirt off and aren't intended to. They're not a substitute for washing your hands. I think the main reasons people don't flush are they don't flush at home (and that is disgusting too) and secondly, I know I don't like to touch the fixtures in public restrooms. Re: Effective Complaining Yes, you should talk to someone who has some say and speaking to a manager or assistant is far better than yelling at a cashier, stock clerk, or the like. However, that's not always the best either. You could send an email or a call to someone about it. But face facts, a Walmart manager has a lot more on his/her mind than if a person thinks the bathroom is dirty. They don't have tons of extra time and each time a customer demands to talk to them stops them from doing things they need to do. These people are overworked, underpaid and don't quite have the omnipotence that many people think they have. And when someone lays out the "customer is always right" malarchy, it brightens the day albeit in a frustrating way. The service desk can be a good option too, but it does depend on the store and who tends the desk. I am amused by some of the comments. Threatening to not shop at a store does NOTHING for your credibility. Especially in a Walmart or in a place that specializes in low-life clientele. The gas stations I managed had people who pulled these stunts and I just chuckled to myself. I'll NEVER come back here again!!!! Well, I hope not, but I know better. Cheap people are cheap and won't spend more to go somewhere else. That's a fact of life. Lecturing that it "reflects" on them, well, again not very effective. Trying to treat a store manager like a 5 year old won't get you very far. When I see these comments and when I'd get some of this treatment when I was in retail, I could sure when people never worked in retail. And usually could guess their employment! Those kinds of comments are best left for letters/emails/phone calls to a corporate office. Want a far more effective manner of complaining? Put yourself in their shoes for a minute or two. UNDERSTAND what they go through. Then when you confront them say something like "I know you have a lot to do and are really busy, just thought I'd let you know the bathroom is in really bad shape. Someone really made a mess in there and it needs some attention." I can virtually guarantee you that you'll get a far better result with something like that than saying I'm throwing a temper tantrum and you have a cartful of stuff to put away now because I'm a spoiled brat! Think about it, how would you respond to the two options? As said, people are pigs.

I haven't posted on any forum on GW for a long time, but this one really got to me. Not in a bad way... it just did. My cat has peed for forever...off and on. Let's see. Got him in 1995 (my roommate got his sibling). Pee'ed everywhere (beds, chairs, carpet). Moved out in 1996. Pee'ed everywhere (cats outside the window). 1997-2000. Lived in a place with no cats outside. No peeing anywhere but the box. 2000-2003. Another place with no cats. No peeing. 2003-2004- Moved to a place with cats outside. He started to pee again. Husband threatened to kill one of us! LOL. Actually not so funny. I cried almost everyday. 2004-Saw the vet, linked the history, and my cat is on prozac as of about 2 years ago. No problems since. My problem (not MY problem...my cats problem...LOL) was territoriality. Don't discount the drugs in certain situations. It's best to be open-minded. It worked for my cat. I was considering giving him away or euthanasia...didn't want to do either. This problem had seriously affected my home life, which is why I was thinking about serious solutions. I'm glad I still have my cat. I adopted him, so he became my responsibility, and I don't take that lightly. Talk to your vet. And good luck from someone who sympathizes.

How dirty are the sheets? Stains, tragic biological disasters? If your sheets just need freshening, you could use permanent press with warm water. If you want full up deep clean, stick with a hot wash, with possible prewash, on the cotton cycle. Detergent is your preference but hot water is mandatory. Warm will not do for stinky messes. I always use hot wash for my towels and vary detergent for white or colors. I use delicate for things like glass curtain sheers, silk shirts, sweaters, and really delicate fabrics. Here's where the cold and warm water and gentle agitation shine. Cloth shower curtains should probably be carefully inspected for mold. If mold, hot water, if not warm and appropriate detergent. I have one curtain I made out of an open weave airy fabric that I do in a lingerie bag on delicate. This dictated by the type of material. This mostly takes practice, it ain't rocket science. Good luck