Good morning all... I got the snafu cleared up with the checks, except I have not contacted Checks Unlimited yet. The customer service lady was very apologetic. Naturally it was not the store's mistake...it was only the check printing company who was at fault. Whoohoo! I have a new perm! I feel like a new person. :-) I enjoy visiting with my hairdresser as much as I enjoy getting a perm. We have so much in common, and talk non stop. She came up with a lot of good information for what I need, with my remoteness and my ailing DH. Her mother had lived with her the past several years, and passed away recently, at 91. One of her suggestions is that I get a Tracfone with prepaid hours, for emergency calls, espacially, both at home and on the road.I plan on checking on that. She admonished me to NOT get on a chair when doing things like the chandelier job, and told me of a neat stepladder that Walmart sells. ( I told her I had stood on a chair for that job.) You gals are all great inablers. and so is she. :-) I took my camera on my trip out, and got more pics of the devestation along the roads and in town. It continues to boggle my mind. I stopped at the One Stop on the way home. One of the local First Responders was there. She pointed out how much worse the fire hazard will be in the woods this year, due to all the downed limbs and trees. As you all know, our home is surrounded by woods! Nothing gives me a greater fear than a wild fire coming through our place. The predicted rain is beginning. There is the possibility of severe weather....hail and tornados! Just what we need! I got more yard work done yesterday afternoon. More limbs put on piles, and some clean-up in both front and back beds. How I hope my strength improves. The pain and fatigue are overwhelming when I try to do such jobs. I feel so sorry for Michelle, and all others who suffer from chronic pain. Only those who do so can understand what it is like. And the sad thing is...the difficulty definitely increases as one ages. 20 years ago I was doing many of the same things that you all are doing now. I scoffed at the older ladies who kept saying..."Wait until you are my age". Of course, having Fibromyalgia, and arthritis at a fairly young age puts one in a differant category than those who have not had such conditions. Honey, I can understand the job at the florist saving your sanity. When I first got on line it was a 'life saver' for me. Being a member of the Idylls was an added help. then when I goofed up here, the other forum that I was posting on was my mind-saver. I fulfilled my needs there, and am very seldom posting there anymore. My mental and physical setbacks are a constant condition that I struggle with. Having a deteriorating Dh adds to the struggle. I feel as though I am at a higher plateau this year, but who knows when I will plunge again? As I said, I work at it constantly, and I have lots of help...some of which is at a much higher plane. :-) The story of the kitten and the mama cat is very heartwarming. It sounds very much like something both Nolon and Tim would do. I am happy that anothr kind soul took them in. I am not able to do the heavy labor that you spoke of , Honey. I once could, but no more....But I do understand how helpful it can be. My finaces prevent me from getting outside help. My houseplants are an aid to my 'therapy', but they are such a drawback when and if I want to go somewhere for a few days. Even if it was not for staying with Nolon, I would have the plants and the cats to be responsible for. Neighbors would willingly tend to the cats, but I would not,could not, expect them to tend to 100 or so potted plants.:-( I appreciate your kind words, Honey. And the kind words of others also. They help sustain me. V, you have a very intriguing house. I love the pics of the stairway.And the paint color is lovely. Michelle, I hope you can keep your vow towards your place. I certainly did not foresee what all has befell both our house, and ourselves. Having sufficient finances to hire help would make a huge differance also. I never realized how badly a house can deteriorate over the years. I had never lived in one this long before. I can certainly understand the condition of your parent's house. I am sure they did not blindly allow it to get in such a condition. Saucy, I will pass on the rats. Our cats are more than I need to maintain. :-) I am afrad the rats rather creep me out! Eden, I love the story about Bella's dream. What a great tribute to her grandmother. Wow, Kathy! You are catching up on the rainfall aren't you. That is great. I am afraid painting is not the solution to our house's needs. There are too many repairs that need done first. About the only things in the interior that could be painted without major repair first is the woodwork and the kitchen cabinets and cupboards. If they were refinished it would perk things up a lot.The cabinet and cupboards need hingework, but otherwise good enameling would really help. Norma, sorry about your friends RA. I know that is a devestating condition, but varies with it's intensity. It was first thought that I had that, but ruled out when I was not showing the conditions that go with it. Your take on Michelle's parents home is similar with mine, and your DH shares Nolon's lack of interest. Of course, now he is unable to do a lot of the things that he once could. Mary, I am so happy that David's activities are looking up. I can hardly imagine what a relief getting back to a more normal day is to you both. And it is great that Annie had such a nice visit at her aunts. I hope the nerve pain is soon gone. There is no worse pain than nerve pain. Marie, you had such a handsome family! How good that the photogapher had the children smiling. All of the old pics of my relatives are so solemn looking. I am not as good at detecting resemblances as many of you are. I do not see my parents in any of my siblings or myself. My brother comes the nearest. He looks guite a bit lok our dad. If he were dressed the same, the resemblance would be more noticable. We do not have the crossbills here. They are farther north, even in the winter. The main bird of that coloring that we have is the purple finches, and they have been rather scarce the past few years. Honey, your check experience was lots more humiliating than mine! I probably would have never returned to that store. Since I have I new hairdo, the folks in that store will not associate the new me with the earlier snafu. :-) Marian

Since the pond gets drainage off of the mountain, it isn't strictly speaking a pond the way we talk of a pond. Our ponds are protected as much as possible from drainage since we cannot control what is in that water. Do you have any idea what is on the mountain? We also wouldn't have any outflow from our ponds going anywhere near a drinking water supply. I can't imagine any state's laws allowing it. Until you can get some decent information about your pond you need to take some precautions. The mosquitos do need to be controlled and I am sure there will be some information in that packet that is on it's way to you. Make sure there are no containers that contain water that will allow mosquitos to breed. If there are some you can't drain get some Mosquito Dunks. They can even be used in low spots where there is standing water. They are harmless to humans and pets and insects other than mosquitos and black flies. Ask what fish you can stock in the pond. Bluegills seem to be popular here for larger ponds and a relative of the guppy called the mosquito fish are often given away by your local health department for mosquito control. Fish and the frogs are great natural controls of mosquitos. Mosquitos don't lay eggs in moving water. Look into a pump if at all possible. If the kids and dogs must go out they need protection. Most states recommend products containing Deet but it can be controversial. Check with the Doctor and Vet. Many mosquito bites can cause a nasty allergic reaction. Ask your Doctor if you can give them Benedryl for bad reactions. My sons and I develop hives if there are too many bites. The Vet can give you info on how much Benedryl to give to your dogs and cats. They can be allergic too. If the water smells stagnant, it needs aeration. Circulation will cause the leaves to migrate to lower spots where they can be removed easier. It is not an easy task but buildup will hurt water quality. A pump may sound expensive but it may be your best option. Then think about what kind of plants you can add if your Extension agent recommends it. Any sort of turbulence will add oxygen to the water. It needs to go 24/7 to be effective. I'm sure your local Extension and the DNR will be helpful to you. There are commercial companies out there that can give you advice and even maintain the pond for you. They do cost a lot though. Not all advice for water gardens and fish ponds is the same for a drainage pond.

And the good die young.....My mom was a saint and died of lung cancer very young. My dad is a #@&*$# and is full of cancer & has been for 9-10 years and keeps on getting remissions. I think his days are numbered now, his oncologist says if the chemo he's on now doesn't help there is nothing more she can do for him. He's 1/2 through this session and the pet scan last week shows more growth. He still drinks & smokes & chases trashy women & treats his family like dirt. I feel bad that I can't feel sad for him, I know he's very scared now, but he's still being an a--. I provide him with a nice house in Sun City, a car and pay his utilities but he couldn't even be bothered to spend an evening with me, my kids & grandkids when I was in AZ last week. OOPS, I think I got off the subject.......

Thanks everyone! I still like it. :) Eileen - A good multivitamin and B I always thought were very good for hair. I take both. I attached a link with more info. on more specific vitamins and minerals. I will say, like anything else, I don't believe all vitamins are created equal. Sounds like not all of your hair was lost? That's good it's growing back but more importantly it's great you're doing much better. :) *I have no idea what vitamins they have on that site or how they are. I just did a search for vitamins for hair. Here is a link that might be useful: vitamins for hair