Liz Tudor

I've taken to calling her "Lydiot." Too dumb for words.

Jynnan, Cora is beautiful, and it seems she would work well with your lonesome boy. I hope it works out! I'm also a fan of rescuing an older kitty. Maybe if they're the same age, they'll get along better and play. The only concern I would have is the girl-boy thing, because sometimes, but not always, that matters to animals. But I think your boy would enjoy a companion & playmate!

Bwahahahaha! Love this! I will offer up a sacrifice of a mustard colored blazer (I know how most of us here feel about mustard colored outerwear) and fervently hope that Theodorica grants you this awesome house, well under the asking price, and with a stellar inspection. :-)Jynnan, I'm so very, very sorry about your kitty girl. At least she was with you at home. Thinking of all of you on the West Coast with the heavy rains...I have a childhood friend getting swamped in Glendora, CA. Take care!

Lookyloo, glad things worked out! When we moved into our 100+ year old house, the creaky old-school gas furnace was on its last legs (this was disclosed, but heck, we never thought it would die in days!). We moved in in February, and as we were settling in, it kept going out and someone would have to come & go under the house (crawlspace) and light the pilot. This happened several times, and "the guy" couldn't always come right away. That ended up being an unusually cold winter for north MS...it snowed. We & our animals ended up living upstairs for a week or so, it was about 50 degrees downstairs. We were new in town and didn't know anyone, so had to tough it out. That spring, we splurged and got a monster all-in-one (thank you, energy efficiency tax credit!). Wishing you could share that gumbo, sounds yummy!

Hello, and Happy New Year's Eve! Just spending some time catching up with my favorite (and only) online group. We traveled to my family for Christmas, I just have my mom and my brother (who isn't married). He lives 45 mins from mom and spent the night Christmas Eve. We had a lot of fun, almost like the old days. Something funny: after we both moved out of the house, our rooms became guest rooms. The way it just happened to work out, we each ended up in the other's old room. It was kind of strange...in our minds' eyes we could see them the way they were when we were kids/teens, but they bear zero resemblance to that now (no Bay City Roller posters or movie posters!). And my brother wound up in the Very Floral Chintz room, ha, ha! We ate and drank ourselves into a stupor. Christmas Eve, after church, we watched "Hot Fuzz." Mom LOVES Britcoms and British dramas (Doc Martin, Call the Midwife, Foyle's War, etc.) and she thought it was a funny twist on those types of shows. I adore Simon Pegg...if he's in it or had anything to do with it, I'm in! And eerily, with all the posts on kitties & pups, I have a story to add. Growing up, we never formally adopted our cats, they just turned up or were born in our yard. There have been several sets of siblings. My mom was down to her dog (age 11) and Nancy Sinatra (named because of her bad howling!) Nance seemed okay when we got there 12/22, but over the next couple of days, I didn't like how she was breathing when she dozed (which was quite a bit, but not terribly unusual). I kept close watch on her, but just had a bad feeling. We went out to lunch Sunday, and when we came back, she wasn't in any of her usual places (she's an outdoor girl by her choice, would come in during bad weather, but wanted out as soon as it was over). It has been unseasonably warm for a long time, so she was happy in her cat bed on the front porch chair. I knew in my gut she was gone. Her sister, Dusty, who was also an outside cat by choice, died August 2014 at age 15. I had a feeling, and I went to where Dusty chose to die (under our back deck, it is tall, I can stand up underneath it, and many of our pets have hunkered down there when they either couldn't get inside or didn't want to. There's a thick layer of dead leaves, and they'd burrow down and be warm and dry). Sure enough, Nance was there, half under some leaves. I figured she'd gone sometime overnight or early that morning. I lost it pretty good. Nancy was a great cat and had a great life, but what really tore me up was that she was The Last One; of all the cats my family's had over the 37 years we've lived in that particular house. My husband had to perform burial duties while I sobbed and surveyed all the pet graves in the yard. My mom is 75, and very active, but I don't know if she'll emotionally invest in another kitty (perhaps if one were to just show up...). She's always been pragmatic about our animals' passings; they all lived well and died of old age, but she misses the habits and joys they give you...walking with you to the mailbox, sleeping in a sunny flower bed, waiting for you on the sidewalk, etc. I know I was not blubbering just over the cat, but how time got away from me and things aren't and won't ever be the same as they once were. I'm not trying to be maudlin or depressing, I just know that so many of you acutely understand -- you've shared your stories of change and transition. Thanks for letting me process that in writing. Change to lighter topic: Did anyone catch the Kennedy Center Honors? I have adored Carole King & her music since I was 7...remember so many of her songs on the radio, good times. Watching her reactions as she was being recognized for her contributions was The. BEST! She was genuinely moved and surprised by the performances. I thought she was going to vault over the balcony and rush the stage when Aretha plunked down at the piano and belted out "Natural Woman." I was moved by Cicely Tyson, too. As much as I like his movies, George Lucas was a real jerk about it. Whatever, George! We tuned in too late for Rita Moreno...hoping I can catch it online. I know she has an amazing body of work, but "hey, you guys!!!" brought us running to the TV for Electric Company. In an exercise in patience (which I'm getting better at, as I get older), we had a long trip back yesterday...flights that should've had us home in 4 hours took just shy of 12. And to top it off, our bags weren't checked through to our final destination, only to our connecting airport. Something we could've caught if we'd paid attention to the bag receipts. So, our bags (with all of our Christmas presents!) are sitting in Bag Purgatory at Atlanta Hartsfield. It could be several days before we get them, there were so many flights fouled up by weather. I spoke with an airline rep today and he was able to confirm that our bags were found and pulled, but they have no idea how quickly they'll be put on a flight here. What can you do? It is what it is. Sorry I ran long...I did that thing where I haven't posted in weeks and then, BLAM! :-) We'll be quietly toasting the New Year here, nothing too elaborate, but I wish you all a happy 2016, and hope it brings you much happiness and good health! I look forward to reading more here on Duggar and non-Duggar topics! Cheers to you all, and thanks for being the wonderful people that you are!

All y'all cold folks can join me in the Sunshine State, where it's felt like August...since August. We've had one "cold" day...yesterday was 58. Brrr. Me, I need to get somewhere cooler. I'm hot all the time, and my biology isn't helping. A word of caution...businesses, etc. usually run the AC pretty briskly, so bring a sweater, lol! Mr. Tudor & I had to pause the TV and laugh (I mean serious braying) at the imagery of "rage stroke." That is going to work its way into our lexicon. Although I'm sorry you have a permanent scar!Lastly, thanks to your posts & feelings about FB, I, too, am now feeling normal about what FB has become. Like Wellfleet, we are ex-military, and FB has been a great way to keep in touch with fellow military as well as long-distance friends & family. However, my feed has slowly become filled with political rants, oversharing, narcissism, etc. And my personal peeve is MLMs (multi-level marketing/home businesses). Too many folks are using their personal accounts vs setting up another account to crow about how Plexus, Beachbody, Primerica, It Works, Younique, etc. has changed their lives, and can change yours, too, if you join their team! Blergh. I have unfollowed several people and my feed doesn't make me stabby nearly as much. One last thing...I only visit FB maybe twice a week, and I have friends who give me grief and think it's not normal for me NOT to compulsively read, comment, like, etc. They get irritated when I'm out of the loop. Ummm, yeah, I'M the one with the problem... Edited because my iPad keyboard hates me. Feeling's mutual.

He was a brat about it, he was about 7-8 yrs old, but that age can be the height of picky eating for some kids (though my cousin is 25 and still lives on chicken fingers & fries; she was and is a pain when it comes to choosing restaurants). He was a picky eater in the 20th century, so his choices were narrowed further. They ended up making him an era-appropriate version of mac & cheese. The food she prepared looked good, it just took forever on that coal-fueled cooker and wore her out in the process.

I loved 1900's House. The family researched and tried really hard. And I believe Julian Fellows (Downton Abbey) was the one who made the house historically accurate. The mom just about had a breakdown, because the dad sauntered off to his (modern) job as a Royal Marine recruiter, and she was left at home to do EVERYTHING. She kept the twin girls home from school to help with the laundry, because she just couldn't do it all herself (and didn't want to hire a maid). After she nearly peeled all the skin off her hands from working in lye soap, she hired a maid. IIRC, that didn't work out because there were personality conflicts. I also remember her son wouldn't eat anything except bread and cheese, and she was beside herself over that. Definitely not the romanticized Victorian/Edwardian lifestyle we think it was! She was exhausted just doing the most mundane things (and all the girls hated their undergarments--corsets, bustles, etc.).

There are also about 20 or so "twits" in Tontitown!

Tabbygirl521, I enjoy your cat stories. I'm a confirmed Crazy Cat Lady. The most I've had at once is 5, and I've had 6 total. They are all either solid black or tuxies, that's just how it worked out. They are a quirky lot, but we love having them. Something that's stuck in my mind from your stories is that you call your yard "Stripehaven," since you have tabbies. Mr. Tudor and I LOVED that! Glad you got a cat that is "yours." I had to wait a while, but the last cat we took in (he was number 5, and Mr. Tudor really wanted him to have another home) ended up being "mine." The two of us have our "thing," and he doesn't care all that much (just begrudgingly) for Mr. Tudor. I tell Mr. Tudor it's because the cat knows he didn't want to keep him. I'd like to think the ones that "adopted" us (3 total) were sent our way by The Universe...it's been a great experience for all of us!

This is an awesome analogy. Up there with hen-pecked chickens.

Well, thank you for my belly laugh today! That's quite a visual!!! I bought some "adult" (meaning grown-up, hee, hee) coloring sheets (12 designs) this summer that are varieties of ethnic (Asian, Indian, etc.) patterns, almost like a kaleidoscope. I have looked at other coloring books at bookstores, craft stores, etc. Is it me, or are the designs very intricate and small? I loved coloring as a child, and thought I'd explore it again now, but so far, I haven't found a book with designs I like. Even one that was animal-themed was super-detailed with tiny, small elements. Just curious as to what others have found.

FrankenMuffyn? Sorry, couldn't help myself. :-) Glad you got a confirmed diagnosis, sorry the doctors screamed at you for it (I mean, really, things HAPPEN!), and hope the dead guy parts work out well. That's morbid AND cool. I like the idea of averaging the age of your parts...as we all age and have our issues, you've got to have a sense of humor!

CONGRATS, HFC!!! So glad Miss Kenna will always have a special connection to her Great Paw Paw! Some things are meant to be!

Now I'M laughing hard! That'd make great advice a la Dr. Phil: if you can't work your issue out with a child (or relative), just go out and get a new one and start over, lol!

HFC, I'm so sorry to read about you & your daughter, and fervently hope you can find one another and the love you shared again. I say that as someone who understands the early mother-daughter relationship you described; always close, emotionally & physically. I married into the military and that first move just about killed us both. We moved around for 21 yrs, and were lucky enough for one assignment to be stationed only 2 hrs from home, so mom & I made up for lost time! We got even closer, as my dad suddenly passed away (and I am so, SO grateful I was so close to home when it happened). Maybe your girl will come to her senses sooner, rather than later, and realize what she's missing. I'm glad you write here to vent & share, I love reading your posts! And your dog sounds just amazing. A true case of who rescued who. Excited for your new addition, and looking forward to hearing about it!! And not dissing dogs, Readalot (I've had & known awesome dogs in my life) but cats can be surprisingly intuitive, too. I've got one who loves me like a dog (and I swear, I'm not delusional, lol!) I have others, though, that epitomize that classic, independent, "all about me" reputation! To them, I'm definitely "the staff!"

Publick school sounds like where Josie would go, if she wasn't already enrolled at the exclusive SOTDRT.

Yes, it is clonidine. My doctor fussed at me a little for not coming in sooner, over the lack of sleep. I tried black cohosh for 2 months and it did nothing. Granted, I took capsules that had been sitting in a store for who knows how long. I have an herbalist friend who has an herbal/holistic apothecary, and she said it could be that it had lost its efficacy, that I might try making a tea of recently harvested/dried black cohosh. My doc said it had the same effect as a placebo in some study, but obviously it worked for you. I will try just about anything to avoid drugs. My 75 yr old mom only takes a half of a tiny Crestor every other day for cholesterol management, so I hope to be so lucky! I make herbal/home preventatives & remedies for me & Mr. Tudor, and those help & work pretty well, so I was disappointed that the cohosh didn't. I may try it again, but from my favorite herb resource, where everything is top notch.

Not going into detail on why I've learned so much about sleep issies, but Leighroda, consider taking melatonin to help skew you back around to sleeping at night. It's a sleep hormone we already have, but it helps a lot on situations like yours, we use it to help with 6+ hour jet lag. You can get it just about anywhere, Walgreens, Target, etc. SomePity, I'm right there with you with the hot flashes. I hate going to the doctor and I barely take aspirin for a headache, so I tried all my usual tricks, herbal remedies, etc. and nothing worked. After I finally got (literally) tired of being a zombie, I broke down and went to the doctor. He put me on a low dose blood pressure med (tiny amount, size of baby aspirin) to take right before bed and it WORKED. I have perfectly normal BP, but in the case of hot flashes, it opens up your blood vessels and keeps you from having the surges. I was sleeping normally without the meds in 10 days. PM me if you're interested, and you can do some research to see if you think it might help.

Sew Sumi, I taught at a community college, and we got a full week off for Thanksgiving. It is located between Big State U and a smaller state college, and part of the reason is so our break would line up with their breaks, since some faculty worked at two of the three schools, and we had students who took classes at our school and one of the others. It was nice. At one point, the state asked us all (employees of all 3 schools) if we'd like to keep the full week off or switch to a long weekend fall break in October and a long weekend Thanksgiving, and we voted to keep the week long Thanksgiving. You can get a LOT done in a week bracketed by 2 weekends (be it stuff at home, travel, or, as always, grade papers. ) Marge, I hope your kitty is on the mend. One of mine went through a rough patch part of September and all of October (including surgery). She's 11, and it took her quite a while to recover, but she's at 95%. I know she's feeling good when she's griping about everything. I stayed up with her the night after her surgery, she would get thirsty, put her head in the water dish, then fall asleep with her eyes open. I'd see her blowing bubbles through her nose and realize she was out, so I'd gently pull her head out of the dish. I stayed with her until the anasthesia fully wore off; I was afraid she'd drown in the water dish!

I'm definitely going to have to read the book. Just sooooo curious. You & Mr. Tudor had the same idea re: Katie's escape and freedom from harassment (i.e., she has worse dope on him than his auditing sessions). Also going to have to find that Daily Show! I totally agree! There certainly seemed to be some bright "regular" folks in the documentary, who spent 25, 27, 30 years in, like the woman who was among the first in the SeaOrg, and the woman who raised her kids in it but then left (and is now estranged from her adult daughter, or technically, the other way around, since the daughter "detached" from her own mother).Crazy, bizarre stuff!!

I never was a Tom Cruise fan, even when my peers were going ga-ga after Risky Business and Top Gun. Something about him totally put me off, and that was before he was widely known as a Scientologist. The footage of him in Going Clear just cemented the fact that he's an arrogant d-bag. Missy V, I hope there's a follow-up, too. I kept wondering if they'd mention Leah Remeni and the burning question of where's Miscavige's wife. Interesting that they didn't say a thing about Katie Holmes, maybe she signed a NDA so she could take Suri and they'd leave her alone. I couldn't get over how they imprisoned people in those awful trailers for YEARS. And these aren't dumb people, they were just at a place in their life that made them ripe for the picking when someone pitched this craziness.

I'm watching "Going Clear," the Scientology documentary. These people make Gothard and his followers look like they're skipping through the park, picking daisies. Highly recommend it, if you're remotely interested in cults (or obsessed, like I am!).

I'm late to the game, but congrats on the house, SomePity! That's so exciting!!! I'm sending vibes your way that you get it with no problems. Lick it, then nobody else will want to claim it (a.k.a. The Josie Method, lol!). We still own our 1904 home in another state; it's my dream house, but I've been coming to terms with the fact that we will probably not be returning there to live. We have lived in many houses over the years, but we were always "old house" people, and when the opportunity came up, we jumped. We had 6 wonderful years there. We are going back there for Thanksgiving with our former neighbors (and half our stuff is still there!). When I was there in January, I cried off & on for 3 days, I'd missed that house so much. Sigh, it's hard sometimes to look forward, instead of backward. HFC, your sewing skills are AMAZING. That jacket is beautiful! I can barely sew a straight line, then the machine eats the thread, the bobbin ejects, the needle bends, and I'm done. I admire people who can make such beautiful things. I'll stick to what I'm good at...the kitchen! And pets...don't get me started. We have cats, 2 11 yr old sisters (shelter adoptees) Shadow Marie & Tempest Suzanne (one tux & one black bobtail) and 2 5 yr old brothers, Martin Llewellyn and Mayhem (both big, black, & fluffy, we took them in at 4 mos., they were born in our sideyard). The middle names just came out when I was calling for them one day, and they fit! It sounds crazy, but Martin "looks" and "behaves" British. He's a very proper cat. If he could speak, it would be with an accent. He even wears a knockoff Burberry plaid collar. And Mayhem...he's like many celebrities...just needs the one name. And it speaks for him very well! Hope everyone is gearing up for a good Thanksgiving, wherever you will be. Thinking of those who are going through rough times, I know how the holidays can make it harder. As many have said, I really enjoy checking into our little virtual community!

I'm not exactly sure where to put this, since it overlaps several topics, but this is close enough, I think. I knew a tiny bit about Jim Elliot, maybe from here. Here is a nauseating, seriously padded story for children about him and how he died so the savage natives of Ecuador could know Jesus: http://www.crossroad.to/Victory/stories/missionary/11-auca.htm I wouldn't want to name MY kid after this guy, but I can see why Binessa would. I spent a fair amount of time reading about him on the Internet, and he sounds like someone Bin especially would look up to. Went to college, and deemed it a waste because it wasn't Jesus-y enough. Was encouraged to be a missionary in the States, but that wasn't Jesus-y enough. So, with all his religious smarts & hubris, he took his wife and new baby to go stomping off to the jungles of Ecuador among known violent indigenous tribes (again, it wasn't Jesus-y enough to work with the tribe that was friendly & marginally accepting of the foreign missionaries), and promptly got killed at age 28. Dumbass. But, that's super Jesus-y, because he's a fundie martyr (worthy of naming your kid after 60 yrs later, even if Binessa did spell it wrong, aren't they using 2 "t's?"). Yay, him. Throw in a skit or two, some gratuitous selfies of nail polishing, and you've got the Dullards' missionary plans. Hopefully, they stay in Antigua and away from the gangs & guerillas, but I could totally see Derick thinking he would be the one to make them change. And, BAM! Jill has fodder for a couple of "inspirational" books & movies ("Kirk Cameron is on the line, wants to option the rights to the tragic story!"). These people...it's enough to bring on a migraine. Naming your kid after a Catholic hater and a dumbass who died from an overdose of pride. Why didn't they just go with Winsome?