isalicat

No, but from this I would suggest the SS's father have a sit down talk with him about respect for all creatures including your doggie and if that has already happened and hasn't worked, its on to family therapy. Really...I'm not being glib, because a lack of physical boundaries around animals quite often turns into the same behavior around humans and you really, really don't want this escalating. Good luck!

For those of you who are both lovers of language and enjoy science fiction: one of the very best scifi novels I have ever read! Just finished "Embassytown" by China Mieville, published in 2011 (I am making my way through all his books now because every one has been so excellent - read "Perdido Street Station" first, which takes some dedication as it is very dense and the first third is all set up for when things really get going, then "City vs City" which is probably his most well known novel). "Embassytown" is about a human colony amidst a very, very alien species on a planet in the far reaches of a distant galaxy and an incredible meditation on the power of language itself. It is extraordinary!!

Good for you! Remember if you encounter someone or something that "puts you off" that churches are not hotels for saints, but hospitals for sinners. 😺

If the toys are still brand new (preferably still in their boxes/plastic wrap), find a shelter for abused women (who generally flee with children in tow) - they would love to have toys to give to those (often traumatized) kids when they arrive to make them feel welcome!

My family has a cheesecake tradition for Christmas: I make cheesecake (from scratch!) on Christmas morning, and we have the first piece at tea time. Then another piece for dessert after Christmas dinner, and then more for breakfast the next day (its great for breakfast!). I usually make (made - this whole tradition actually died when my husband passed on 4-1/2 years ago - I don't do it anymore as I don't see my only child at Christmas since traveling over the holiday became so fraught - we see each other via Zoom on the day to open presents and in person other times of the year) at least two - one with a crushed walnut crust and another, either with a chocolate graham cracker crust or a choclate chip crust. Plain old graham cracker crusts got too boring!

My mom very vociferously wanted me (simultaneously) to: (1) find a husband with a brilliant career (or lots of inherited wealth) who would "take care of me" (2) have a brilliant career, preferably as a lawyer or some other publicly recognized way of making lots of money. I did neither, pursing academia (which rarely pays well) and then preferring self-employment as a technical recruiter so I could live in the mountains and ski as much as I wanted, and marrying a guy, who like me, had the hippie values of self-sufficiency, frugality and "living lightly on this earth". It drove her nuts, but then I was not my mother, and neither are you your mother. Don't look for validation from other people in this life, especially those nearest and dearest to you. March to your own beat! Integrity is the key to being able to look in the mirror every morning and smile at the day ahead. And yes, front line customer service as a job is generally like being held captive in a vampire den (very draining, no matter how much blood you had to begin with). Its not a long term career option in my opinion.

Bumping this thread up to say "Go you Gunners!!". Arsenal defeated Man City today to break a many year, 13 game losing streak. HAH!

I have only seen Obi-Wan and Andor (the latter of which was the best TV I've seen in many years) of the Star Wars TV series previously - none of the animated shows, and I enjoyed this but felt it was just an eight episode set up for something... I have no quarrels with anything specific, just the extremely slow pace. Sat through the first two episodes of The Mandalorian before bailing because I felt like I was watching paint dry, frankly. Only Andor had enough plot for a full eight episode run, in my opinion. Maybe a two hour movie will be a better vehicle.

I know its only warm-up games, but I am so happy the NBA is back tomorrow! In my opinion, baseball has been ruined by the new rules and watching the NFL is watching people get concussions on purpose in a very dull sport, so other than the English Premier League (which is difficult for me to watch live because of the time difference from England to California), the NBA is my go-to action fix! With that said: WAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIOORRRRRRRS!

That all sounds delicious, PRGal! However, I am thankful our (the U.S.) Thanksgiving is not for another month and a half here because it is 85 degrees Fahrenheit at my house today and the idea of eating all that...not happening!

I am not who you were asking, but now that I've been, I would not hesitate to go on a cruise by myself (you are super secure in your cabin and there are always lots and lots of staff around) to almost anywhere on Princess. They had a nightly gathering for all the singles on board (and I don't get the impression it was to provide "hook up" opportunities, so not to worry there) and overall every time I sat down with a glass of wine or a cup of tea in one of the many cafe areas, there was a friendly person or couple nearby who was happy to get acquainted. Plus if you go to Hawaii, there are lei making classes and hula classes and ukelele classes so there were many other chances to make new friends! Back to peeves: Echoing others on the RSVP issue: I'm in charge of a big fundraising dinner the weekend after this and people have waiting until the very, very last minute to RSVP on their attendance. I have lost so much sleep over this - the invites went out 7 weeks ago!!! Bleah....The event coordinator at the venue says its getting worse along these lines, for what reason she does not know.

Unfortunately cervical cancer is a non-symptomatic potential killer, so a pelvic exam and pap smear are really necessary on a fairly regular basis. Peeve: those speculum *are* uncomfortable and many doctors don't really appreciate how humiliating the whole process can be. Nonetheless, if you ask for a smaller size instrument (make sure they warm it up in advance too) and find a (woman) doctor who is specifically empathetic to patients who really, really hate the whole thing, it will be worth it. We have mammograms and pelvic exams/pap smears not because they are fun, but because they can quite literally save your life (my mammogram saved mine - finding cancer before I would have known and before it could spread outside the breast).

I did a 17 day Princess cruise from Los Angeles to Hawaii and back in June and it was absolutely wonderful in every respect. Took my son, splurged on balcony cabins for each of us, and as we both have the same general ideas of schedule and fun, we both enjoyed ourselves immensely. I've never been on a cruise before and now I have a peeve: Cruises seem to be popularly perceived as rowdy, eat-all-you-can, drink-all-you-can, pollute the ocean, -athons. And maybe some are, but Princess at least takes a lot of trouble to be as "green" as possible (and you avoid taking a jet so there is that "carbon offset") and although there were a number of children on board, there was total civility at all times. I had not gone before because of the bad stuff I had read, but now I'm thinking about another one, very soon!

I hope this is okay with the forum mods. I wanted to provide a couple of links for those who might be interested in getting into grant writing (either as a help to any non-profits or other organizations, or as a potential part- or full-time career). Here are two great places to start: Foundant.com (for educational webinars etc. and tools) Grantstation.com (for free and low cost training - here is a freebie coming up: https://grantstation.com/webinar/free-what-makes-proposal-winner

Me. Partly because I could not get pregnant (severe endometriosis - had exploratory surgery after trying for five years, was told I was most likely not going to be able to get pregnancy without IVF, which was not anything I wanted to do, so gave up, looked into adoption, moved to the mountains to ski most of the time and got pregnant! at age 36...so that was it) and partly because I really loved being an only and it turns out, so did my son.

Is there any reason why you can't just stop giving her dry food for a couple of weeks (there are so many canned varieties out there) and see what happens? I would do that immediately and also consult a different vet for a second opinion, as others have suggested here. Good luck!! 😺

I (a woman!) use a paper list because (a) I don't use my phone for anything but calling/receiving calls and texts and (b) scared of dropping my phone on a hard grocery store floor while juggling a big container or whatever; if I drop my little paper list its no problem! 😸

You all are so industrious! (I mean that as a compliment, not snark!) I deliberately never acquire any clothing that might require ironing as I am just too lazy. I had an iron but we used it to put hot wax on our cross country skis, so as you might imagine, you really did not want it anywhere near any clothing. 😸

Glad to be of help! One big tip: Take the time to watch some of the free podcasts that are available on the Grantsmanship Center every three months: They have 3 guests who are the grant givers at big foundations and I found it really helpful to understand what these foundations are "looking for" (partners, not supplicants, to be clear). You also need to be very detailed oriented and supply precise facts and data (like a budget) for each organization that you are applying on behalf of (sorry for the mangled English there). It gets easier as you go on; the first ones will be challenging!

God, yes! I went into full meltdown yesterday when my office computer was turned on and I had entirely lost the tool bar, could not get into Firefox (because the icon had vanished), and despite restarting twice and turning the whole damn thing off entirely and then starting back up from scratch it still wasn't going back to normal. I finally called my kid at his work (which I really should not do unless its truly an emergency) and about the same time he said in a wonderfully soothing voice "Mama, calm down..." it finally went back to normal mode. What was going on is beyond me and the timing really sucked (I am in charge of a major fundraising event and needed to process and acknowledge reservations and donations). Sometimes I think I will "blow a fuse" well before the 'puter does.

Just a suggestion: There are a number of on-line resources to learn how to write grants (The Grantsmanship Center for one), and then once you feel ready to try it, find an organization that needs money (and would qualify for a grant) and do it for them on a volunteer basis (you can sign up for a three day vetting stint on Grantwatch to find applicable grants and then unsubscribe). Do that again, rinse and repeat. Once you get the experience you can sign up with Grantwatch.com as a paid contract grant writer for organizations looking for someone to do this for them. This would be a side gig at first, but if you build a successful track record it could evolve into a real career, and it would all be working from home. I did all this without any prior experience because the food pantry I volunteer at was in dire need of money so I started small (local grants from city and county organizations) and then went up from there to larger commercial organizations offering grants (like the Albertsons Foundation - they gave us $10K and another one gave us $20K). I have no plans to try doing this for pay, but its definitely a possibility.

Yah! Giannis and Damian on the same team! It should be fun to watch!

Which I totally get! My "crack" would be a freshly baked baguette of sourdough with a stick of butter (and yes, I would probably eat the whole damn thing). Unfortunately since I am 4'11" and 67 years old, I have to choose between being entirely rotund and unhealthy vs. slim and still moving around with alacrity, so carbs have been (mostly) jettisoned. To get back to topic: I keep trying these low carb pizzas made with cauliflower crusts and they are all nasty. Anyone have a recommendation of one that actually tastes good?

I had a feeling that would be it...generally less fat/calories means more carbs and chemicals. I avoid all foods like this as (a) fat is your friend and (b) if its hard to pronounce, its not natural, Gary! (that last is a British-ism that may be unfamiliar to the 'murricans hereabouts 😸). Then again, I can't remember the last time I had mac n' cheese. It always seemed like filler food to me (fills you up but with little long lasting nutritional value).

Okay, gotta ask. What makes it "Guilt Free"?