When I started gardening fifteen years ago, it didn't take long for me to appreciate how a garden benefits from native plants. Since then I've always been a native plant booster, although I haven't gardened for the last dozen years. Then JimHardy got on a kick for hardy bananas and hardy palms. He was so enthusiastic about it, I just watched instead of trying to talk up native plants. It was obvious nothing else would do for him but to have these tropical-looking aliens beamed down to the Iowa field and prairie scape. I'm going somewhere with this.... He wants to push the envelope, and from the reactions I've seen, he's doing that. He's stretching people's concepts of what is possible and he's adjusting their perceptions of reality to a larger scope. So maybe, since they've been stretched, they'll stretch in other areas, too. Heaven knows, we all need more tolerance and bigger scopes to understand more about reality. Maybe they'll stretch so much they'll accomodate some far-out concept like my new favorite: fairies. Hey, if palms can be happy in Iowa, then it ought to be totally conceivable that fairies are, too, right? Ah, well, in the meantime, I think Jim will have a lot of people to stretch. Cheers, hardy palm lovers, here's a native plant lover who's on the same team! ~ Woodsfairy Here is a link that might be useful: Fairies

I'm just tossing this in in case someone might benefit. My dear MIL was a complainer. She would visit us (from the east coast) for several weeks at a time occasionally & I would go in the bedroom & cry with the stress. I would never have thought it right to correct her in any way. But after I took a course in behavior modification I decided to give it a try. We would sit at the table together & I would just look out the window saying essentially nothing more than "mmm" as she told me about inconsequential hurts from 40 years before & everything since. If she made a comment about the variety of the pansies outside, or the tenderest cuts of meat or the colors my husband should wear or the weather, I would respond with my full attention and pleasantness & go with the subject. If it went into a complaint, I would resume looking out the window. It took about a week for us to enjoy nice conversation most of the time. Of course I'd have to repeat the process each time we got together but it was good to know that it could be changed. I was always sorry we didn't get her to move out to CA with us because she would have been a wonderful grandmother for our daughter to have around. We ended up having lots to talk about, and I felt grateful for her teaching me this lesson.

cjhwillis, First off, I would like to point out that while a Doberman or a Rottie may not be a "Bully Dog" most people certainly consider them one. I work with a local Bully Breed rescue and trust me, any large mean looking dog is considered a Bully Breed by the general public. Point made since you are the first one to dispute this classification! :-) Also, when I was naming all the large breeds you mentioned I was doing so because the OP had stated that all dogs large enough to kill should be eradicated!!!!!! In addition, the Doberman also comes from Great Dane descent. There are also many, many dogs that have these different descents. I don't agree that because a breed has a bully breed in its descent that makes it a bully breed. Which brings me to my next point, (since we are getting down to specifics) you are misinformed on what technically is a Bully Breed. Mastiffs are one of the oldest breeds of dog dating back to Aristotle, Philip the Second, Alexander the Great, etc. / 400 - 300 B.C. Too many breeds to list have Mastiff in their ancestry. The only Mastiff that is considered a Bully Breed is the Bull Mastiff coming from a Mastiff and Bulldog descent. A bully breed has all to do with being of Bulldog descent, not Mastiff. Bulldogs were originally bred to fight Bulls in the Arena (hence their name) and was developed in the 13th century. Yes, they are of Asiatic Mastiff descent yet, as I mentioned, Mastiffs are one of the oldest breeds and there are too many dogs to list that are of their descent. Also, in your list of bully breeds you seemed partial to large breeds. You forgot to list the Boston Terrier which was originally called the Boston Bull and is from English White Terrier & English Bulldog descent. Avg. size 15 - 20 lbs. Also, the French Bulldog whose descent is from the Chincha Bulldog. Avg size is 22-28 pounds. Breeds that are classified as Bulldog Breeds (Bully Breeds) are as follows: Boxer, English Bulldog, Old Englishe Bulldogge, Amercian Bulldog, French Bulldog, Alapaha Blue Blood Bulldog, Valley Bulldog, American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Bull Terrier, Boston Terrier, Bull Mastiff, and Banter Bulldogge. You had listed the Cane Corso Itailiano as a Bully Breed, this breed is of direct descent of the Canis Pugnax (Roman Mollosian), no Bulldog in this breed. A great website for researching breeds is linked below. I recommend it to anyone looking to obtain a new pet dog, the information is invaluable. Cheers Sarah

My Mother and all of her siblings have some extent of hearing loss. My Mother is 83 and has been at probably 98% hearing loss for years. Even with hearing aids, having a conversation with her is difficult. Unless we're in the car. She can hear in a "confined" area. (I guess we could get together in a large closet for a conversation LOL) I convinced her to get a smart phone so she could text people, as she cannot hear well on the phone. She does have a Caption Phone she uses some. To watch TV she also uses head phones. Fortunately, she recognizes her hearing loss and does what she can to help herself. I too, have hearing loss. I've been wearing digital hearing aids for about 7 years. (got them at the young age of 51) They help, but they do not restore your hearing. I have about 50% loss in one and 45% in the other. Guess it's genetic. (and too many R&R concerts as a teen) I am doing everything I can to save what hearing I have. I have custom made ear plugs, and I use them if I'm around any loud machinery -- including when I blow dry my hair. Do you know how many decibels of noise those things put out? Part of my problem is I can "hear" but don't always comprehend what is said. Hearing aids are just that -- AIDS. They're not a cure all. Morz is correct, the longer you put it off the harder it is to retrain the brain. But it's not impossible. By all means encourage your parents to get their hearing tested. If they do get hearing aids, they will be amazed at how much they help.