Good Morning all, Well it is 39 degrees out this morning and going to be another gorgeous day here. The weatherman just said we are going to have four beautiful days here in the Merrimack Valley. Neat. Im teaching this weekend though so Im not going to be taking advantage of the warm, dry days. Oh well, this seminar will finish paying off my laptop LOL! T, glad to hear from you and very happy to hear your DH is fine. Whoops about the depleated pants. Yep, just start with the FitDay again. Ive found that even when Ive eaten too much the exercise of journaling keeps me in line for the following days. Ive not gotten on the scale for a couple weeks now and almost did yesterday but Im simply not going to until my tight jeans are loose! Chelone, nice to see you more often lately. That really is too sad that youve not had time to dance.. Doug and I are going to start taking ballroom dancing classes in a couple weeks and I cant wait. It is something weve talked about for a long time. Mary, Oh Boy! Thanks for being willing to share the dahlia tubers. That is way cool. As I said let me know if there is anything here youd like. How tall does that variety get?? ~~ Thanks for the positive feedback RE being a consultant. I would LOVE to be able to help people with this terrible problem.~~~ I sure hope your BIL has a positive response to the interview. Positive thoughts in your direction. V "Last night I couldnt sleep" --- You know that is the second line to that song?~~ Hope there is no problem from the sawmill.~~ Oh dear about the Reply All! My worst nightmare. Michelle, I hope Jaden is better this morning/ ~~Thank you! It really has taken a lot of willpower to stay the heck out of the Peanut Butter Cups and Almond Joys. I absolutely LOVE them but I really want to be at my peak for my HS class reunion in three weeks. LOL~~ Hmmmm I guess Ill pass on doing your housework. That has never been my favorite thing to do but I like a clean house. What a dilemma. ~~ Do you have any pink poodle pics??? OK Babs, Im waiting for a pic of you in Yoda Face! The hat idea is a good one. Id like to see what you come up with for a pattern for that. Im always looking for a good, warm hat. The way I wear my hair makes my head very cold in the winter. I told Doug I want to get one of those Mad Bomber hats they sell at Cabelas. He laughed at me. Martie, bummer you had to cancel lunch. Knowing Sue and Monique it wont be too long before you have a get together. Bug, Im going to try to have a good giggle today when Im sweating my butt off on the Cybex machine. BTW, the new workout schedule is working. I can really feel a difference in my clothes. Im getting much more toned than I was. (even though I was already pretty fit) I have an Orvis skirt that I just love and have never worn. It finally fits with no unattractive bulge of fat over the waist band. Yesterday I walked around the drowsy gardens preparing for their winters sleep and I found a few surprises. What a surprise to find all these flowers left after a frost. Have a great day everyone. Deanne

I make a homemade salsa that is really good and probably pretty healthy. Spinach dips and such can often be made with yogurt instead of mayo. etc... I generally don't cater to diets that people choose to but don't have to be on. Obviously, if people have serious health concerns you can have something special for them but sometimes I don't even understand or know all their restrictions. I think the key is just to have a bunch of food and a variety of stuff. I almost always serve fruit. A veggie tray is not a bad idea if you have a lot of dieters. Just use different types of dips and let them choose. Maybe shrimp, veggie pizza (light on the dressing), marinated mushrooms, wrapped asparagus or pickles, bruschetta, deviled eggs stuffed with spinach, hummus... Use whole wheat crackers, or is that whole grain, heck I don't know... water crackers seem light enough to me. Fresh foods and variety are the key words.

Ohh, same boat as you, only last year. What a tough time being a parent, no? Finally resigned myself (with a little support from DH), that if I/we didn't hear from DD, it was a probably a good thing. DD was busy, had work to do, making new friends, adjusting to living with 2 roommates (DD is an only child), and everything else that comes with going away to college. Also, the college DD attends, requires all incoming freshmen to do a First Year Seminar which pairs the freshman with mentors in groups. The upperclassmen (mentors) do things like meet informally on a weekly basis to answer questions about adjustment to college life, have bi-weekly dinners with the peer group, make a point of checking in on a student who seems may be having trouble, etc. Also, a mandatory first semester class was FYS, which was all about adjusting to college life. That class is held by the professor assigned for each major. DD went in undeclared and stayed with her FYS advisor through her entire freshman year. DD's professor/advisor had his entire group of freshman and peer mentors come to dinner at his home ~ a farm he shares with his wife. Nice BBQ, bonfire, music, get to know you, casual social thing. So nice of him to do so. DD declared a major at the end of her Spring semester. Now has a different advisor. DH & I were very glad the school mandated this FYS, as we feel it was sooo important that there was some support provided to every freshman as they moved to a new chapter in life. A safety net, if you will Had we heard from DD everyday, it would have been an indicator that she wasn't acclimating, or at least not trying to do so, if DD was still so "wired" to me/us. Would say I got a few texts, not many. Calls, less than texts. First time home was only 2 weeks into the Fall semester. DD had a "mini-meltdown/pity party" about the dorm room, how hard her classes were, how much work, yada yada. Well, as I wasn't the most sympathetic audience, I had a sit down with DD and let her vent, but then I asked DD if she would like to trade places with me, or with any of her high school classmates who weren't fortunate enough to have gone away to college. I think the light bulb went off for DD. After our discussion, it seemed as tho she had gotten it, and truly appreciated having the opportunity to be away at school. By the end of the Fall semester, DD couldn't wait to go back from Christmas Break. Thankfully, it all fell into place and worked out well. If you feel your DS is not isolated, and otherwise seems to be doing well, then I would just try to wait for him to communicate. I tried to sit on my hands, so as to let DD get into her groove at school, only texted if necessary, and responded to the texts DD initiated. I knew she was adjusting okay after the first few months, and I am confident in my relationship with DD being very strong at its core. I figured if she needed me, she would call or text. I also did some baking, sent her favorite cookies along with a mid-semester care package. While recently on vacation visiting family (DD is now a sophmore), I asked about a another family member whose DD is the same age as my DD, and who is now attending her sophmore year at college away from home. I was curious how much communication went on between that student and her mom/dad/family? Well, the person to whom I was talking had taken said student to her college orientation, as her parents were both working that day. The speaker at orientation told the parents (mine wasn't the parent), that if you aren't hearing from your child, send them a text or email, or even leave a VM on their cell, that you are sending them $$, or do they need anything? See how fast they respond. LOL. So, we just tried a little experiment after this vacation conversation to see if the advice was good advice. Heard back immediately from DD. We laughed so hard about how true that orientation speaker was. So, there is something to that particular strategy. Fall break isn't too far off. My DD attends a private college, so they have a fall break next weekend, but most big universities don't have the mini break, first time home will be Thanksgiving. Just wait till you see the difference in your DS. It was amazing watching from afar, my DD change into an independent young woman. HTH.

Most of us know the pain you must be feeling, because we've all been there with a beloved companion. I suspect a lot of your turmoil is caused by wanting to do what is right in Molly's best interest and that involves facing decisions. None of us want to feel as if we've betrayed our animals by hastening the inevitable, neither do we want to cause them undue suffering by delaying it. I am also sad because you've grieved for her for eighteen months, before she has even left. It's over the dam now, but that time could have been spent by enjoying the time you have left together. Two years ago, I lost all six of my pets in a year's timespan. All were old, all died of natural causes. Hindsight is so much clearer than foresight and looking back on it the 'when' decision was so apparent, but it certainly wasn't that easy before the fact because I couldn't look at it so objectively when he signs presented themselves. It's very difficult, isn't it? I don't think I erred with two of them in the timing of euthansia because their deteriorating conditions were abrupt and apparent. However, in three others they were victims of those slow chronic diseases where one is want to use every means at their disposal to buy just one more day, one more week. Those are the hard ones you struggle with. And the last one to go I waited too long, and he went into his last struggle in the middle of the night and I held him to comfort him until the dispensary would open. He died minutes before they did. I should have and could have spared him that but I was hoping he would pass in his sleep. I'm not saying it's Molly's time. That is unique to each human and their animal and sometimes the vet won't even know, and mine prefer not to suggest when even if they suspect. I'm saying I know it's very, very hard and you will feel very empty. It's grief and it can be profound. You just don't want to compound that with regret and when the time comes....you will find the strength to do for her what needs to be done out of love. You've always done that for her as is apparent.