Rain, I am sitting here trying to imagine you in a black pointed hat chanting some kind of rhym that will give your potient more power. Unfortunately I have to fence in the garden now. They have gotten into my peppers and just gutted a couple of them. I am going to try the chicken wire and one of those big plastic owls first. But they are in the process of digging up my front lawn and I am getting really pissed. Especially since I live in one of those housing tracts that has an association. They tell me I have to repair the grass soon or I will get a fine. Yep those cute little floppy eared bunny rabbits. Just doing what nature taught them to do. Well, Iam going to do what my larger brain mass has taught me to do. If the pellet rifle does not get them then I will use something that does. And I am not into live traps. I'll just dispose of the evidence so that any PETA nut jobs don't give me hard time. Money is tight enough as it is, I don't need those so called cute little sweet bunnies terring up my yard - ESPECIALLY MY VEGGIE GARDEN!!! You get my drift? tom Tom

FYI, from someone who RIDES the NYC subway daily: MOST of the subway passages I go through are lined in 4x4 square. I almost never see the oblong ones. Maybe a very few really old ones.... And, I don't want my home to look like a subway passage! The white tile, no matter what its shape or size, has never said "luxury" to me; it has always said "institutional." Even those 1920s tiles were chosen because they looked sterile and easy to clean. So I don't quite get it when people combine Carrera marble (which to me is the epitome of luxury) w/ subway tiles (which to me is as "high school bathroom/subway tunnel" as you can get) I'd put white subway tiles in my bathroom in a flash, because of the steriity aura. But I wouldn't pair them w/ big, splashy Carrera marble.

I have one I've worked with now on a couple buys/sales. All I have to do is express an interest in something, and within 24 hours, there is a call back with information. Twice last week, I was out when the calls came in, so figure the subject dropped there. Nope, the next day arrives in the mail nice listings with information and a note to call and an appointment to view the properties will be set up. Good agents are out there. Years and years ago, I was interested in buying some property, and selling a home, and I worked with a friend of my (then) husband. I was taken to homes completely out of my price range or interest, and when ones I had to find myself came up, never got responses. I ended up buying through a completely different agent, and boy was the first one peeved. The way I look at it is ......I'm quite willing when I sell to pare off a hefty piece of my profit for your fee, if you earn it. And, if I'm looking and can find numerous homes fitting my criteria, but you can't seem to locate them, don't get upset if I go to somebody else......or God forbid buy one at auction. LOL. I have relocated more than once and bought a home based on a two day house-hunting expedition. I'm not alone. More than at any other time, having a good agent is important, to screen out what you can fit into the time span you have to find a home in an unfamiliar community. It's like any other occupation. To do it 'right' it's not an easy job and there are really professional agents and then there are folks who think it's 'easy' money and do as little as they can for as much commission as they can muster. There are firms who really consider helping folks relocate to their community their specialty. Most of them claim to, but some do a good job at it. I hope you can connect with one of them. Heck, you can find bad/good agents even working along side each other in the same firm.

Of course I don't want to hurt her, I love her. She has told me that her mom does not like it that she calls me mom (her mom also sent me an e-mail explaining to me that she is SDs' mom, NOT me) I feel like SD is torn between being loyal to her mom and not hurting me. Because of the loyalty to her mom (and I understand and accept that)I end up getting hurt and she ends ups feeling "bad". She doesn't need that kind of pressure, she goes through enough with the guilt trips her mom puts on her. I need to find a way to be a good role model for her and show her I love her without getting so involved. I don't think her mom is a good role model for her. SD (who is only 14) has told me about her mother discussing the importance of penis size with her (SHOCKING!)she has also told me that her mom acts inappropriate around men and just "wants to go to bed with them" Oh there's more, I just don't want to get into it. But now you can see that she needs someone to talk to. It's very difficult because I just want to tell her that her mom is a horrible person and she should not model herself after her in any way, but of course I can't say that. It would make SD feel awful. Anyway, I think I'm getting off the subject here. I take the brunt and get the disrespect because I am the stepmom. When I think of the word mom, respect, love and kindness come to mind, guilt and disrespect do not. It may sound like I'm being selfish, or making a mountain out of a molehill, but it just bothers me. Thank you all again for your advise.