Cynthia, it was always bobbins and tension for me. Every item had one HUGE mistake: the leg in the sleeve hole or some such nonsense. Knitting was easier somehow. I hear more about bum knees these days than ever before. It must be the ailment du jour. DD's FIL just had one repaired and is due for the other at the end of the month. DSIL now has problems as well. My good friend Joan, 87, is delighted with her new knees and is back in the garden planting this year. Such a woman! I can only hope to age as perfectly in mind, spirit, activity level and kindness & generosity. Paddle to the Sea and others by Holling C. Holling were favorites of our kids too. I know that Skyler has them already. Whether or not he is up to reading them solo I'm not sure. DD & DSIL visited the nearby school today. Here's her opinion: My goodness, it's a beautiful school. I never thought you could say that about a modern school. Hardly any of the rooms are rectangular. There is bright light all over the place. They have a huge library and a GREAT (according to the principal) teacher librarian. They have a huge special needs program (which Skyler wouldn't fall into - it's for people with learning disabilities - called "learning strategies" - who are generally 1-2 years behind who are separate classes). They have a huge ELL program (ESL for people who are BRAND NEW to the country, as in know NO English). They have two regular classes for each grade, and the ELL students are mixed in. There are animals (REAL ONES!) in the school - an 8' boa, a finch, some gerbils, a bearded dragon. They have a brand new computer lab. The teachers are really involved with making the school fun - they do a year long study of something (example government) and spend a week at city hall to learn how things work. They have an "artist in residence" program where an artist comes through for 2 weeks and works with the students on whatever their specialty is - dance, music, watercolours (the artist that just came through is actually the native artist who painted the picture I almost bought for DH for Christmas). There is artwork by the students all over the building. The kids were happy and excited about whatever they were doing (we walked around for 1/2hr). They have a serious focus on behaviour and treatment of each other, something that I think would be GREAT for Skyler. They have FM (for Skyler's hearing aid) systems in every classroom. They have tons of clubs like choir, running, robotics (they build a robot and program it to do stuff like go through mazes), TV (they do the daily announcements broadcast, interview staff about what their healthy snacks are for lunch, what they do for physical activity), they do a daily morning 10 minute exercise in the classroom (another thing I think Skyler would greatly benefit from). They have a Friday morning coffee for parents association - who happened to be there while we were there so we got to talk to some of the parents. It's right next to the ravine. All in all, it seemed like a great place. I want to go there. Can I go to elementary school all over again? But I fear it was simply an exercise in frustration because "SHE" will simply say "NO". Oh well. At least we know what one option is for Reed! It is really frustrating for both of us to deal with the crap .................... And so it goes.

I think September will be nice. October could be a bit more hit-and-miss with rain. When on the Côte d'Azur, I usually base in Antibes and I rent an apartment. I love the Old Town, especially the Marché de Provençal. It's an easy train trip from Nice, as are many villages along the coast. If you like Picasso, there is a museum in Antibes where he once painted. The harbor is even better than Nice if you like to yacht-watch. There are also sandy beaches (Nice has pebble beaches), the modern beach has a nice beach-level, wide promenade with benches. My late husband and I used to walk from Antibes out to Cap d'Antibes to eat at our favorite beach cafes and restaurants, then hike the rugged coastal path. From Nice, this would be much more involved, so if you want to go to the Cap, rent a car that day. I've been there twice during the Cannes Film Festival and once during the Grand Prix. Monaco is boring, IMHO. But, with an F1 fan, of course, you should take the train over for a day trip. I highly recommend taking the train to Ville-France-sur-Mer. It's a quaint place, then walk around the water, then up to Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, past Nelle Côte, where the Rolling Stones wrote "Exile on Main Street" -- continue to Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild to see the villa and gardens, with views of the water. Then, you could walk downhill to the harbor on SJCF for a meal. There is a coastal path (paved) that you could stroll toward Beaulieu. If you want to go directly from Nice to the Villa Ephrussi, there are regular buses from Nice that are quite modern and quick. From Cannes, if the ferries are running and you like nature, you could pack a picnic from the Marché and go to Île Saint-Marguerite for trails and explore the old prison (Man in the Iron Mask). You could train to Menton and stroll the Old Town, and there are also gardens in the town (make a stop at the Tourist Information Office for a map and directions). Rather than rent a car for the entire stay, you could rent one on the days you want to drive the Grand Corniche and see the hill towns. This can be arranged through your hotel, or at one of the rental car offices at the train station. I've also been to Mougins, Tourettes-sur-Loup, Gordes, Gourdon, Eze Village (up, not down), Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Grasse. These require a car. Saint Tropez is a long drive, but doable. It's really over-rated (food isn't so good and prices are high in the shops) and there is only one highway leading into the village. But, if you want to see it, see it. We used to drive there because we hiked the peninsula trails (you have to arrange for transport back if you don't want to walk the distance back). In Nice, take advantage of the marché. The foods are fresh, the flowers are lovely. There is usually a Socca vendor, baking a socca onsite in an oven. It's a chickpea flatbread and you choose either sweet or savory toppings. There's usually a socca vendor in the Antibes Marché, too. It may not be to your taste, but it's worth a try. There is a strong Italian influence along the coast, so sometimes you'll think you have more Italian food options than French. Be vigilant with your personal belongings in Nice. Pickpockets are everywhere, and they can look like very upscale, nice people. I usually carry a "dummy wallet" in my purse that has only enough Euros for the day, and no credit cards. My "real" wallet is zipped up in the inside pocket of my purse. That way, if they somehow reach into your purse, they get a small amount of cash, not your credit cards. Also, be very careful when getting Euros out of the ATM. It is better to go inside a bank to access an ATM, than to use one on the street -- this is true for Paris as well. You'll often find there is a button to push to make the doors open, then they close behind you while you use the ATM. I could go on and on about the area!

Is the originator of the post the one who chooses the "Best answer"? I got that impression from Kathy's original post. I note that in Maddie Lee's illustration, (heaven's) reply, (the robot's amendment of my word "raven's) originally the first at 10 hours ago, is under Ken's, that she uses to illustrate. Would that mean that, ordinarily, the "Best answer" would move to the top position? (I guess we could agree that there are some "heavenly" characteristics about raven?) ole joyful

Glad I opened the thread. Now I'm going to think about the little green machine. Our upstairs has wall to wall carpet which is in good shape, but does have some stains scattered about. I may just give this a try. It would be nice to have the ability to address stains when they happen. I know people have raved about Folex and some other spot cleaners, but I've never had great results. DD was saying she bought a small carpet cleaner and she love it. Sounds like what you're all describing.