Marlene, you have been in my thoughts and prayers also, even though I haven't posted either. Even if you can legally take down the gates, I wouldn't touch them. I would ask the court to order him to take them down himself, since he bought the materials and built them, he should have to go out and take them down. The court should order them to be taken down by a specific date so that if he doesn't comply you can call the police and either force him to do it or face being arrested for failure to comply with a court order. Your lawyer should ask the judge to enter this order, so that you don't have to go out and expose yourselves to this maniac. I had a nasty neighbor years ago who I always just thought was a jerk who come over and stole our concord grapes off the vines. Even when I cought him doing it he laughed and said the former owners said that he could have them and since she had planted th vine, it was her decision. His stupidity left me speechless. We put a lock on our gate, but the vine was close enough to the fence that he could reach across and take the grapes, which he did the following year. Moments after I witnessed him stealing the grapes for the third year in a row, I went over and demanded he give them back to me. He responded that he and his wife had already eaten them. I knew he was lying, but when his wife meekly confirmed the lie, I knew by the way he looked at her and the way that she cowered that she was a battered spouse. Watch your neighbor if he has any family and see how they look at him and how they react when he speaks to them. The signs will be obvious if you're looking for them. A couple we visited once were having a disagreement and he turned around suddenly to look at her and held up his hand. She flinched in such a way that we knew that she was used to being struck by him. Watch what this man does with his hands while he's talking and you will know if he is violent. Cheryl

I want to thank everyone for their love and support for our 'kids'. You are all wonderful! Who knew GW would bring us so many friends? Ianna- Thanks, they are cute, but no adoptions, for now :) I'm not really sure what causes colic (I'm hardly an expert) but I know that all vets and horse owners fear it...and it has something to do with the horse's digestion being blocked. If they lay down and roll around, their intestines can twist and they die. Very sad! My mom lost her horse that way, some years ago. She boarded her horse with a friend and it came on very suddenly. So, Mandy is running around a lot, drinking, eating a little and we hope her appetite improves. If it does, she should be just fine! Every day, she looks better :) Oh, the water heater was sparking (or so it seems) because the boys came up to drink and were dipping their noses in really quick....and out again. Not their usual behavior at all. So, we got a new heater the other day and it's much better. We even saw Mandy taking a drink today, so we know they're using it again. Thank goodness the vet suggested checking it! So, take care and I hope you all have a great day! Don't forget tea today (Conversations forum at 4pm ET) if anyone wants to stop by :)

Oh jeeze Emily, I know exactly how you feel! You're in a big boat. I am teaching two college classes (don't even get me started on my doctoral quest), and one is on a completely new subject for me. And the other is a new class, even though the subject is not new. It's been two years since I taught college, and I feel like a total wreck! I have a student in my horticulture class who knows WAY more than me, it was sooooo embarassing. Luckily he didn't take too much sadistic pleasure in playing "Stump the professor!!" I am working day and night and every weekend, everything else in my life is falling by the wayside. But WE are not alone, I had a student talk to me for quite a while after class because he is a mid-life career changer and feeling pretty nervous. Luckily our class is about half and half, so everyone is pretty supportive of everyone else, they bring a lot of maturity to the table. The "back to school" boat is getting bigger and bigger. My assistant today was telling me how fried she is trying to balance school, work, and family and an internship. I think something happened today, everyone in the world just had a panic attack!! All you can do is all you can do, one step at a time. You will not win every battle, but you will win the war!! As I told one of my students today--don't get discouraged and don't quit, just keep going!! She said there are some days she doesn't even want to get out of bed. I said, "On those days you'll just have to pretend you are someone else who does! I do it all the time!" I'm rooting for you and praying for you. You too Lee!! Find some colleagues who are supportive. There are certain people in academia who have too much insecurity and they make other feel small. Luckily there is another universe of folks who are not like that. Find them, they are there if you look. Today I had one colleague giving me a hard time and making me feel like a looser about using the printer when he wanted to, and another colleague (a award winning one) quietly handing me instructions for just what I needed to help the student I was meeting with, and telling me not to worry, that she forgets these things too, so much is on her mind. Look for those types, they've been where you are and are secure enough to be only too happy to help those on the way up.

Thank you again everyone. Maybe it was all the positive thoughts and prayers, but it seems like a bit of the load has been lifted off of my shoulders. I truly appreciate it. Hhireno: "Aren't you the very nice & generous person who shared NE Aquarium tickets with my niece last year? If that was you, good karma will return to you."... that was me. But maybe I was her good karma back =) Thanks again to all!