You are correct. We are supposed to support them no matter what financially physically keep the house clean cook transport them pick up things they forget EVERYTHING but offer an opinion unless its of course to kiss the ground they walk on.... I saw in a thread somewhere about treating SC like the family dog .... well I do not like dogs so that analogy didn't help me ... so I went with the cat analogy .... then I realized a cat doesn't care if you are there or not as long as they have a place to do their business and food is available .. they do not come when called, ignore you every chance you get .... but still want you to clean up after them, get their food ready, pay attention to them when they seek it... but don't bother them otherwise... So for the most part I treat them like the neighbor kids ... have to follow the rules in my home but its up their parents what kind of adults they will become....

Jennmonkey, the $30 comment was in the context of the story - that she was always asking for more. I didn't say anything like the rest of what you mention. I don't know where you got it from or why you used it to defend Lori. Lori didn't even say anything like that. I said it to the woman because I paid her $25 for the run, but she was asking for more. There is nothing in this story about the size of jobs. Nor is what Lori indicated that I am wasting money and time when I can do them myself. It came from nowhere except her own intention. NyceFarm, you and Uxorial asked the same thing, which is a good question. Because I never saw her at work or saw a paystub, all I can say is I have called her in the wee hours of the morning only because I knew she was at work. At her house, her husband answers the phone if I call after 11pm to let me know he hates calls at that hour LOL. I wouldn't dare call their house at 1 or 2 in the morning. A couple times she came around 3 or 4am to pick up that morning's deliveries. That's the time she got off work on those nights and came here so as not to have to make the trip again. I'm only 3 or 4 miles off her route, whereas she lives quite a ways away. It was better for her to come at that hour than to come back this way at 8am. Also, she directed me to a website for certification last year. She needed me to download some forms because she didn't have a computer. I realize none of that is proof though. So, I guess the answer is I really don't know, but I can't see all the charades either. LindaKathy, nope she didn't pay cash. She paid by debit card. I expected she would stop at the place and pay, but she preferred not having to stop. I wouldn't ask anyone to use their credit card, but that she did was fine with me. She called with the confimation number and brought the balance of the money the next day, less the $150. This was three weeks ago. Is that you were asking? Kathleen, that makes a lot of sense. As far as being tired, she fell alseep on my sofa or laid down in the boys' room several times after getting off work. One morning, she got off at 7 and was supposed to come here to pickup an order. It was to be delivered at that funeral home two miles from her house. She didn't show up and called around 8 to tell me she fell asleep in the nursing home's parking lot. I could understand that happening, knowing how often I work through the night. However, I don't want to give the impression that she was working so much for me. As I mentioned, business was way down the last year, so I didn't have to call her all that steadily.

I had similar shock about parents still living. The parents of one of my brother's lifelong friends came to his gathering. The friend, who passed years back following a motorcycle accident, was the same age as my brother. My parents died in 1975 and 2000. Someone told me this guy's parents were coming and I was shocked to think his parents were still alive. I was so happy to meet them and I couldn't help but saying "you're so young" when I met them. I guess that was better than "you're still alive". I was just in the mindset that the parents of people my age are no longer with us though of course that's not true in many cases.

Hi garden_gal and Irma, it’s so good to hear from you both again and gratifying that you remember my little garden. In answer to your questions, we do still live in the same house. The garden looked wonderful for several years but the shrubs eventually grew very large and many of the plants died off or had to be removed. I have found it increasingly difficult to find pesticide free butterfly host plants and attractors but this is my mission again this year. The garden has evolved but I am happy to report that it is indeed still alive with butterflies, bees and hummers!