Naturally, my hair is icky gray, so I have it colored light blonde. It is down my back and once a week, I curl it for church and get lots of compliments. I only grow it long because I can get it up off my neck when I work outdoors. Other than for church or an event, I don't wear it down - it's always in a pony tail and wrapped up on the back of my head, so it looks short most of the time. My hair is VERY thick, coarse and straight as a string.

I typed in "can't stand my stepson" and found all these postings. I too can't stand my SS. He is 11 yrs old, an only child and can do no wrong in his fathers eyes. I have 3 children of my own ages 5,9,12 (2 girls and 1 boy). I have been with my BF now for 2 years. When I came into the relationship my SS was sleeping in the same bed with his dad. He was 9 yrs old at the time. He is very spoiled(4wheelers,dirtbike, snowmobile and so on). His mother is in the picture and she has him everyother weekend and a few nites a week. Here is the problem....My SS is very jealous of me and my children. He lays on his dads lap and hugs and kisses him on the lips all the time. It is no exageration he does this all the time. It makes me and my kids uncomfortable. My SS is a bigger boy and he weighs about 165ibs. My BF allows this. My SS is also very mean to my children when my BF is not around. He is very sneaky and manipulative and my BF does not see this. I have tried so many times and many different ways to approach and talk about this to my BF but he gets so so so defensive and tells me that this isn't going to work and he chooses his son over me and my kids and I need to go and move out. So now I feel I can't talk to him so I hold everything inside and so do my kids. I have a fair amount of resentment towards my BF and my SS. Im angry and frustrated. My son is a year and half older than my SS and he is so frustrated with him. My son is outgoing. He is in all the sports and is one of the star players. He is also an honor roll student if not high honor. My BF came down on me so hard a few weeks ago saying that his son is coming to him complaining that my son gets to go skiing every weekend and do stuff for all his sports and its not fair. He told me that since me and my F____ng kids moved in his son has taken backseat. This killed me. Im so hurt. My son tried to help teach my SS how to ski and even snowboard but he didn't like it. He gave up very quickly. My son does go skiing most every weekend because it is good exercise, he likes it, and he is not in front of the tv, ipod or laptop. My son too is a bigger boy like my SS. When my son does all these things, i take my girls to the movies, go sliding, let them have a friend over and so on. I also do the same for my SS. My SS is so manipulative also. When its time for him to visit his mom and be with her, he cries to his dad and says he doesn't want to go so my BF lets him stay home. We have it set up so that all the kids go visit with their other parents on the same weekend so we have every other weekend to ourselves. We agreed that we needed this time to be togethter to make this blended family thing work. My SS will go in the bathroom and secretly call his dad and ask to come home from his moms. And most of the time he lets him. My children have a great relationship with their dad and so do I. I'm just so frustrated. He never says no to him. When my SS calls he asks what we are doing and my BF won't tell him the truth because he doesn't want to upset him so he lies to him and just tells him we are home doing nothing. I feel like a nothing. Im so mad and angry. Even my BF's friends don't like the way my SS treats and has treated their kids. They complain to me all the time and no one dares to say a thing to my BF. What do I do? I love my BF and have a fair amount of like for my SS. My children do love my BF and can do without the SS. I'm fed up and need a little advice. Sometimes I feel guilty for feeling so negative about my SS. I get a lot of anxienty around him and Im trying to help my kids too. I tell them to ignore him and point out that someday things will change. I believe very much that my BF's and SS relationship is a little unhealthy. My BF is treating him like a baby and not letting him grow up. I feel he is so needy of his son as his son is so needy of his dad. I always try to take my kids and leave them alone to be together because it was expressed to me several times by my BF that he wants a fair amount of time with his son alone. When I do leave and give them this time, I am treated poorly when i return. I just don't know. Please I will take some advice.

Carol, good photos illustrating color changes due to temperature variations. Chinas change, too, but in the opposite direction: my 'Sanguinea' bloomed off and on through the winter, a good clear pink, then turned blood red when summer arrived. I've seen the same for 'Général Gallieni' and 'Mme. Antoine Mari', both paler in cool weather and more intensely colored in warm. P.S. Your Gallica photos and those of other posters have been wonderful this year. I've been green and curdled with envy, our own season having been so early and so brief because of the ongoing drought, but, envy and all, I've been glad you and others have had such a wonderful season. Marvelous roses! We're holding on through the summer, but it has a long time to run.

I avoid graphic depictions of violence in shows, no matter the nature of the violence, and also shows that revolve around bad people being bad. I agree with Chisue, I do not need that stuff in my memory. I have watched GoT and Outlander, but there was enough storyline in each to keep me watching, so I became adept at fast forwarding through the scenes of torture and violence. Nicole_, my "watch when I can't get back to sleep easily" shows are Escape to the Country and the Bob Ross channel. Escape to the Country is pretty mindless - the house shoppers always want pretty much the same thing, and usually find something wrong with every potential house... but I like seeing the old structures and the various areas of British countryside. I used to watch Grand Designs then also, but I realized that I enjoy the show too much to be watching when I need to be asleep!