It was funny how he jumped on that red rubber mulch idea with so much enthusiasm. I know he was trying to help me do something once and be done with it, which is a smart way to work when you can do it. It could seem logical to someone who's never thought about building their soil into something plants can thrive in. Jo, no hostas that day. I had to get him outta there fast! Mocc, I can applaud recycling old tires, and playgrounds seem like a good use for this product. There's probably other things it might be good for. Maybe some landscapers like how it spruces up the looks of things fast. We have a new housing tract nearby, and it looks like they used that stuff along the fence line with intermittent shrubs. .....Hey, I thought you were done with your renovations and we'd see more of you here. I hope you're still enjoying your hostas and not having troubles with them.

Anne, I had a similar thing happen to me. My Dad was laid off from his job in my high school senior year. I told my parents I wanted an opal ring for graduation. Lo and behold, they got me an opal ring with a big beautiful opal and two small diamond accents. I loved that ring, and especially when I thought of my parents, with four kids, finding the money to buy me that ring. I wore it on special occasions only. I kept it in a separate box inside my jewelry box in my bedroom. I got married, moved 500 miles away from my parents and had two daughters. The only person who had access to my jewelry box was a babysitter who took care of my kids for six years. We fired her when she stole some items from my kitchen, a shot glass and some cookie cutters. Not expensive, but I was creeped out at her stealing from me. Several months later I looked in my jewelry box and the ring (and its' box) were gone. I looked all over, asked my kids if they had played with my jewelry, but no. The only person who had ever been in my house was that baby sitter. I still see her in the neighborhood. I wish I had some evidence, but it's too late now. I've been looking on Ebay to see if I can find a similar ring, but I can't. I'm afraid to tell my Mom the ring is gone (Dad died 10 years ago).

I have heard of it but don't know that it would make a lot of difference one way or the other.If it eases your mind then why not. We had dogs and cats when all of our kids were babies and they all seemed to adjust to the new presence in the house.Never had one to snap or bite.Cat's never bothered them either.One cat liked to curl up in the crib but only when the baby wasn't in there.Dog were never allowed to lick the little ones(or anyone for that matter)on the face.In fact I have never allowed my dogs to lick.If any of them acted inappropriately around little ones they were reprimanded and removed from the room.They soon learned what they could do and what they were not allowed to do.I would never allow the dog to be in the same room alone with a baby.I think a lot depends on the temperament of the dog as well.Many people spoil their pets and treat them like children so I could see a possible problem in that case. We have a big dog here.She is a Boxer/Dalmatian mix and weighs about 70 lbs. They got her when she was 4 months old and she had obviously been abused at some point.She was a little babied by DIL and DS for 2 years before the twins arrived and I was a little nervous about how she would react to a baby in the house,much less 2! LOL She sniffed and licked and was very aware of new sounds and such but never showed anything but love for these babies.They love her to death and she loves them and is very protective of them when strangers are around.They can do just about anything to her and she just sits there like if she ignores them they will go away.LOL The only problem she has is that killer tail! When she wags it they had better get out of the way.LOL

I've had so many examples in the recent weeks, it's hard to remember them. A couple stand out: Was having lunch one day at a buffet and a little girl, IDK, maybe 9-10? was there with presumably her grandmother? She was a chatty little thing, not boisterous or anything, rather animated and active like healthy kids would be expected to exhibit. There was one annoying thing... talking non-stop with her mouth full of food. I suppose grandma? didn't want to cause trouble, maybe doesn't spend much time with her? IDK. But in virtually every other way she was great. Then the topper, the lady was going to go refill her milk and the little girl goes "Let me get that for you!", went and filled the glass and brought it back, resumed eating and talking and I went if that's the biggest problem, that's not a problem for me. Was at Aldi the one day and I was unusually stiff and sore, was limping badly and as I walked around my vehicle I had my hand on it to steady myself until I got going. Grabbed the bags from the back to take in with me and a car stops and a young(er) guy, maybe mid-late 20s? goes "Hey buddy, do you need any help?" I was kind of embarrassed (am I getting THAT old??) and said thank you but no, I'm fine and he goes "Are you sure, I'd be glad to give you a hand if you need anything". It really made the day go better. There's a lot of good kids out there, a lot of great ones too. Sometimes seems rare to see them but when you do, it sure gives a good feeling. Although I will say, the weather *does* seem to change peoples' moods a lot! :)