Here's an even bigger hug Shelly!!!!! (((((((((((((((((HUG))))))))))))))))))) I know what you mean about how life can change so quickly. Our whole married life my DH and I have made about the same yearly salary which was great when we first got married and it was just the 2 of us, but not as great when you have 2 kids, mortgage, and you have to pay for your own health insurance. It was a struggle! When we merged our company, for the first time we were getting almost twice as much money, plus our health insurance was provided and we didn't have to pay anything except our co-pays!!!! That's why we ended up moving. We had a cute little ranch home (dining room part of the living room, small kitchen) so we finished off the basement and that is where we would have family gatherings. But 2 sisters and a niece were diagnosed with MS, my brother was in a car accident over 5 years ago and used a walker (at that time) to get around (now he is in a wheelchair), my dad passed away and my mom is getting older and it is harder for people to go up and down the steps to go into the basement. With our bigger salary, I always wanted a house with a dining room for entertaining so we bought a bigger house. I have a bigger kitchen, a seperate dining room and a family room which I love but it also came with a much bigger mortgage!!! When I was depressed I kept focusing on the fact that if we hadn't of moved our lives would be easier because the cut in pay put us back to what we had been making. After awhile I realized I can't change anything, we can't sell our house and get the money back that we put into it, we have great neighbors, we are in a better neighborhood than we were and I love all the room I have in my colonial! Normally I am upbeat and believe that humor gets you through a lot of bad spots. After 6 months I realized I couldn't change things so I just have to accept it and move on. It kills me that my kids have to help us pay bills but I am proud that I raised them right because they don't complain about it!!! My hubby does compressor repairs for some of his old customers so every once in a while he surprises me with a little cash and tells me to use it just for crafts, either garage sales or glass because he knows I enjoy doing them. Your hubby does sound like a wonderful person, I assume you have been married about 10 years or more? I've been married 27-1/2 years. I'm sorry you don't have a good relationship with your parents. Do you have brothers or sisters? Remember what they say, "You can't pick your family, but you can pick your friends!" I would say my family (I'm the middle of 5 kids...1 boy & 4 girls) was a lot closer before my dad passed away but that is a whole other story! LOL Barb

I'm having the best time reading your memories. @Kippy. ROFL boiled lawn. I read it to my husband and he said, "that's just like your pennywort drink but worse". At least my drink has sugar in it to offset the taste. @jillius Durian smells really bad raw. Did the candy smell too? @mushcreek. I had to look up chitlins. OMG hog's intestines and guts. And it's served with my favorite foods, collard greens and fried chicken? Say what!! The name sounds like little critters running around, especially chitterlings. @mgmum Yes..... that's what I have nightmares and wrote about. Uni = RAW sea urchin. It looks like slimy, congealed barf. @flamingfish I used to feel the same way as you about oysters until someone introduced me to the right kinds of oysters. The oysters that I've learned to love are small and sweet. They're slightly chewy like clams and are delicious with lemon and a dash of spicy red sauce. Even my husband likes them and he is afraid of any food that isn't processed or packaged in a box or plastic. Those kinds of oyster are pretty expensive though so we only eat them when in San Francisco at a specific oyster bar during their happy hour. The oysters are $1/each then. @ Bob. if it's really "Cow fetus in placenta sauce" , you definitely beat the goat's eyes. @mrspete. Oooooh a Scots for hubby. I adore Scots and their accent. I will take your advice and NEVER try haggis. I don't need another memory scar. By the way, have you seen Outlander? @artemis "one could not remotely begin to guess which nodules were peppercorns or bits of lead shot!" - Too funny. @blubird. Yuck and just curious. Why are the ingredients no longer allowed to be sold?

The Tango mandarin I bought from FWG was on the struggle bus when it arrived with tons of yellow leaves. I pulled it out of the 8" deep soil, and only the top 3" of soil were colonized by roots. After this picture was taken, it shed about 1/3 of its leaves... but since then, it's flushed out a lot and turned 50 shades of gr(een) darker. As long as the plant survives the initial transfer into new soil, it should be okay. As Silica said, though, I wonder if the owners have changed. We used to be able to order bare-rooted trees, but alas, that seems to have changed. Upon arrival before shedding leaves: After: I can tell that it has anchored down into the 5-1 (I leave out peat) mix because it stands up to wind like no one's business! -Tom P.S. The cat isn't fat, but it looks like she is! She isn't mine, I promise... or so I tell myself.

It's only been 2 weeks, and I'm having a hard time. I feel like a knife has been stuck in me and ripped me to shreds. The smallest thing can set me on a crying binge. LOL, I don't care for Stevie Wonder, except for 1 song........Blowing in the Wind, a duet. It's amazing. A couple of days after Tom "left", I heard that song on the radio, which is hardly ever on the radio. I knew it was a sign from hubby. I bawled for ages. Here's my sweetie. He was cremated wearing his Ride for Dad long-sleeved t-shirt and jeans as he wanted. He said "that way it will be easy for us to find each other when we meet again."