Hi Patti, I hope that you'll be able to find some extra time to spend with her in the next while, as she is able, to talk over good times together. Quite likely she'll mention some things that you'd forgotten, that you can treasure after she leaves this life. May your times together bring a blessing to each of you. ole joyful

Thank you, thank you! I just finished meeting with her, and I felt so much relief because she said indeed something was very wrong. My sample door worked great with the natural hickory, but my actual doors have wild variation unlike the sample (I have 3 of my actual doors here and you can see the big knots, super dark striped patches, etc). The designer said it would have competed horribly with the variation in the hickory. She said intuitively I was picking up on it -but I obviously couldn't identify or communicate it- and that's why I was having so many problems moving forward and feeling so uncomfortable with it, which was a great relief because I was feeling like a huge pain in the butt to everyone like I should just shut up and do it. Just knock it off, stop being a picky client, get over it, just QUIT IT! But she said my reservation saved me an expensive mistake. So the answer is that we are staining the doors and panels darker more like a chocolate (a color she pulled from an Acacia floor sample) and she said the lighting in my house could handle it. And the floors will either be the saddle hickory or the natural hickory. Probably saddle. It works well when we hold the Acacia color next to either hickory floor. OH SUCH RELIEF! Yay, I am out of the rut. Finally, peace. And Rhome, you are so right, it's just a floor, the people who walk on it are really what makes my house a precious home. She said it will be kindof like this. This is my actual floor but in handscrapped. Mine will be smooth. I love how things work out.

I understand "only 17". Cats often live far longer than that. I lost one a couple of years ago at 20. Two of the ones I have now are 17 and going relatively strongly. 17 is no longer ancient. I also understand your grief and fear. Please consider taking Dusty to the vet; there are potentially many things that could be wrong and treatable. In the meantime, pick up some human baby food (Gerber, Beech-Nut) - chicken, beef, or turkey (no onions, no garlic). That often will get them to eat something and get their appetite going again. Folks, don't fall for the "7 years per dog/cat year" fallacy to the situation. That is not at all true. Suzieque

Thanks for the ideas. One of the problems is that they live in a rural area and meals on wheels isn't available to them. The home health people are coming on Monday and I thinking that I am going to go over when they are there to make sure that they get all the bases covered. My mil is the kind of person that is always the first to help others but never asks for help herself. I am going to call one of the church members that lives closest and see if they can get a group together to take meals over every other day or so. My FIL is the problem and thinks everything needs to be a hot dinner. Me I could make a pasta salad and we could eat it all week long with sandwiches or grilling out. But that wouldn't be enough for them. So will have to do some thinking. Also FIL's son ( MIL and FIL married when in their 50's ) lives in town and hasn't worked for months and has been taking money from mil and fil and part of me feels that he needs to step up and help. But I want to do what I can to help. With 3 kids under 4 and one more on the way, I have enough on my plate to deal with but will muddle through. I think the most important thing is to be there when home health comes and to make sure that we cover all the bases, physical therepy for both of them, bathing, cleaning, and cooking. Otherwise I know that my mil won't ask for help, but I am not afraid to ask for help for her. Stacie girlsingardens