Small Talk: We'll Be Right Back

[susannah]

There was a doctor or dentist in town named Forrest Bump. Can you imagine the fun he has not had with that name since the movie came out?

[Annber03]

26 minutes ago, susannah said:

There was a doctor or dentist in town named Forrest Bump. Can you imagine the fun he has not had with that name since the movie came out?

Oh, my god, I don't know whether to laugh or feel bad for that poor guy...

[Bastet]

8 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Oh, my god, I don't know whether to laugh or feel bad for that poor guy...

I'm gonna go ahead and do both.

[susannah]

19 minutes ago, Bastet said:

I'm gonna go ahead and do both.

I just can hear "Run, Forrest, run!" and "Life is like a box of chocolates" and "shrimp fondue, shrimp pie, shrimp fricassee.." and I just know this guy had to have heard them all so many times.

[Leeds]

On 11/20/2021 at 11:19 AM, susannah said:

I have a cousin who was named Keith, after his father. He has always been Keithy to me, even though he is middle aged now! I hear you about letting kids name the new baby. Another cousin, whose last name is also mine, Green, let his 7 year old daughter name her sister Justine Jade. That always boggled my mind. Cruel for Justine to have to live with that name.

Why would any adult allow a child to name anything other than a pet?

On 11/21/2021 at 1:54 AM, susannah said:

You think it would be fun to be named Justine Green? I don't, nor would I like any name that rhymed.

I'm not sure what's wrong with this.

On 11/22/2021 at 7:04 AM, smittykins said:

 

I don’t know if she’s still there, but a teller at my bank branch’s legal name was “Skeeter Ann”(named after the singer).  Once I said, “No offense, but I would have changed it as soon as I turned 18.”  She replied “Eh, you get used to it.”

As soon as the words "No offense, but" leave someone's mouth, that's maybe the cue to stop talking.

[susannah]

6 hours ago, Leeds said:

Why would any adult allow a child to name anything other than a pet?

I'm not sure what's wrong with this.

As soon as the words "No offense, but" leave someone's mouth, that's maybe the cue to stop talking.

I agree that parents allowing a child to name a baby is beyond stupid. I don't like kids being given rhyming names, like Justine Green.

[friendperidot]

I have one of those odd names that have a meaning depending on whether I use my name or initials. I do both. I hated my name as a kid, but I love it now. When I got my divorce, the judge barely got the words out about did I want to change my name before I was shouting YES!!!

I used to work for a doctor, we had a patient and I will make up a name for her to keep her confidentiality even though it's been nearly 30 years. Her father was named a single syllable name, like Earl, he added an "a" to his name and named her Earla. But even more odd was that Earla was a twin and her twin was named something like Mary. Now, what are the odds that Earla would find a man with the last name of Earl and marry him? She did, I guess when she met him, she decided it was fate, so she was Earla Earl.

I'm going to out myself, my name is Barbara A. Friend or B. Friend or B.A. Friend. My parents did not do this to me deliberately, they didn't realize until I was a few years old what they had done. I'm named for my great-grandmother, Barbara Alice. 

I hated my name as a kid, got teased a lot. Everyone else had names like Smith and Jones. Now, I'm glad I don't have a normal name. I like it.

Many years ago, I was a bookkeeper at a restaurant. I signed my personal checking account as Barbara A. and the restaurant's checks as B.A. I had done that since the beginning of my employment there. One time I wrote the rent check and took it to the management office, left and as I was walking away, one of the management staff chased me down yelling, "Is this some kind of a joke?" "No, ma'am, it's my name."

Facebook will not allow me to use B.A. I tried and I am entitled to it. I guess I could argue with them, but what's the point?

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by friendperidot

[susannah]

2 hours ago, friendperidot said:

I have one of those odd names that have a meaning depending on whether I use my name or initials. I do both. I hated my name as a kid, but I love it now. When I got my divorce, the judge barely got the words out about did I want to change my name before I was shouting YES!!!

I used to work for a doctor, we had a patient and I will make up a name for her to keep her confidentiality even though it's been nearly 30 years. Her father was named a single syllable name, like Earl, he added an "a" to his name and named her Earla. But even more odd was that Earla was a twin and her twin was named something like Mary. Now, what are the odds that Earla would find a man with the last name of Earl and marry him? She did, I guess when she met him, she decided it was fate, so she was Earla Earl.

I'm going to out myself, my name is Barbara A. Friend or B. Friend or B.A. Friend. My parents did not do this to me deliberately, they didn't realize until I was a few years old what they had done. I'm named for my great-grandmother, Barbara Alice. 

I hated my name as a kid, got teased a lot. Everyone else had names like Smith and Jones. Now, I'm glad I don't have a normal name. I like it.

Many years ago, I was a bookkeeper at a restaurant. I signed my personal checking account as Barbara A. and the restaurant's checks as B.A. I had done that since the beginning of my employment there. One time I wrote the rent check and took it to the management office, left and as I was walking away, one of the management staff chased me down yelling, "Is this some kind of a joke?" "No, ma'am, it's my name."

Facebook will not allow me to use B.A. I tried and I am entitled to it. I guess I could argue with them, but what's the point?

 

I had a problem with my initials right off the bat, since my first name starts with P and my last name is, as stated, Green. PG is pretty bad in high school but not as bad as a girl in school whose initials were PU. True story. I have been psg ever since, in lower case.

How can you sign just your first and middle initials on a legal document?

But, speaking of bad names, I always think of Christine McVie, of Fleetwood Mac, whose maiden name was Perfect. Can you imagine living with that name? But, when she married John McVie, she wasn't Perfect anymore.

[CrystalBlue]

I really wish you folks would reconsider posting your true names on here or anywhere online where you're supposed to be anonymous.  I don't think it's good for your safety and that of your families.

[Prevailing Wind]

Even here, behind my user ID, I use a nom-de-net. The only places on the internet I use my "real" name are the financial & medical ones that pertain to me. I registered my nom-de-net as a "dba" business with the county, so Paypal and my credit card let me use that name. On FB, I use one of my cats' names. Her last name, of course, is Katz. Bwaahahaha.

And I NEVER discuss passwords.

[susannah]

7 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

I really wish you folks would reconsider posting your true names on here or anywhere online where you're supposed to be anonymous.  I don't think it's good for your safety and that of your families.

Only one person has posted her real name, with no other identifying information. I am pretty sure adults can make their own choices as to what to reveal online.

[CrystalBlue]

18 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Even here, behind my user ID, I use a nom-de-net. The only places on the internet I use my "real" name are the financial & medical ones that pertain to me. I registered my nom-de-net as a "dba" business with the county, so Paypal and my credit card let me use that name. On FB, I use one of my cats' names. Her last name, of course, is Katz. Bwaahahaha.

And I NEVER discuss passwords.

I believe you mentioned this nom-de-net dba trademark thing before here.  It's a wonderful idea!  I too have a nom-de-net so to speak.  I use as an email address, screen name and anywhere I want to sign in anonymously.  My cat's name is Chloe My Last Name which sounds really cute, especially with her unofficial middle name, which is Belle (she's a tortoiseshell).  If you're in the States, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

[susannah]

20 minutes ago, CrystalBlue said:

I believe you mentioned this nom-de-net dba trademark thing before here.  It's a wonderful idea!  I too have a nom-de-net so to speak.  I use as an email address, screen name and anywhere I want to sign in anonymously.  My cat's name is Chloe My Last Name which sounds really cute, especially with her unofficial middle name, which is Belle (she's a tortoiseshell).  If you're in the States, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Happy Thanksgiving to all also!

[peacheslatour]

17 hours ago, CrystalBlue said:

I believe you mentioned this nom-de-net dba trademark thing before here.  It's a wonderful idea!  I too have a nom-de-net so to speak.  I use as an email address, screen name and anywhere I want to sign in anonymously.  My cat's name is Chloe My Last Name which sounds really cute, especially with her unofficial middle name, which is Belle (she's a tortoiseshell).  If you're in the States, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Torties are the absolute best! We're on our second one and on top of that, she's a Maine C***. They remain kittens for about three years and with her tortitude, she's quite a handful.

[Prevailing Wind]

Stella's a tortie with white accents, but she's lacking tortitude. She's the sweetest love bug I've ever known since the tortie we had when I was a wee tot. She was a special cat, too, except it was the 50s, we didn't know any better, and she was perpetually pregnant.

Once, Susie brought her kittens into my room, under my "dressing table" that had a floor-length skirt. It was a nice hiding place, close to me.  THEN she went out and came back with a giant, LIVE frog in her mouth to give to her kittens. I think that was the worst freak-out I ever had, even worse than when I stepped on a slug barefooted. I, of course, blamed my brother for letting her in with that damn thing in her mouth.

[peacheslatour]

10 minutes ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Stella's a tortie with white accents, but she's lacking tortitude. She's the sweetest love bug I've ever known since the tortie we had when I was a wee tot. She was a special cat, too, except it was the 50s, we didn't know any better, and she was perpetually pregnant.

Once, Susie brought her kittens into my room, under my "dressing table" that had a floor-length skirt. It was a nice hiding place, close to me.  THEN she went out and came back with a giant, LIVE frog in her mouth to give to her kittens. I think that was the worst freak-out I ever had, even worse than when I stepped on a slug barefooted. I, of course, blamed my brother for letting her in with that damn thing in her mouth.

We had a tabby named Daisy. She was a mighty hunter. One time I was sitting in the living room with the front door open on a hot day (we were stupid back then and let the cats go outside) Daisy came prancing in with a live garter snake in her mouth and dropped it on the floor. I shrieked "Daisy! Take that thing outside!" Damned if she didn't pick it up and take it out. SMDH.

[Bruinsfan]

Tabby, a cat we adopted when I was a teenager, herded a live rattlesnake into the garage while my dad was there in his wheelchair. That was quite the exciting afternoon! I much preferred the dead squirrels our previous cat would leave on the front step.

Edited November 27, 2021 by Bruinsfan

[susannah]

19 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

Stella's a tortie with white accents, but she's lacking tortitude. She's the sweetest love bug I've ever known since the tortie we had when I was a wee tot. She was a special cat, too, except it was the 50s, we didn't know any better, and she was perpetually pregnant.

Once, Susie brought her kittens into my room, under my "dressing table" that had a floor-length skirt. It was a nice hiding place, close to me.  THEN she went out and came back with a giant, LIVE frog in her mouth to give to her kittens. I think that was the worst freak-out I ever had, even worse than when I stepped on a slug barefooted. I, of course, blamed my brother for letting her in with that damn thing in her mouth.

Stepping on a slug barefooted is even worse than my experience with one, which was touching one on my bedspread while half asleep. I had let my cat in, in the very early morning and went back to bed, THEN soon my hand fell on something slimy and cold! One had most likely stuck to my cat, he was very fluffy, and then when he got on the bed, fell off or something. I would not recommend that as a wake up call, but it was effective. But like I said, stepping on one would be worse.

[susannah]

8 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

Tabby, a cat we adopted when I was a teenager, herded a live rattlesnake into the garage while my dad was there in his wheelchair. That was quite the exciting afternoon! I much preferred the dead squirrels our previous cat would leave on the front step.

That was the only thing I really didn't like about having a cat, though he never brought any squirrels, thank God. It was why I never left any window open for him to come and go, so I could make sure he didn't have any critter. I missed the hitchhiking slug. One time he did have a glove thoughI Why he stole someone's glove, I do not know. Once he had left a dead mouse next to the porch, and later that day my folks came to visit. True story, next day, there were two more dead mice next to the first one! Gotta feed the family...

[peacheslatour]

1 hour ago, susannah said:

That was the only thing I really didn't like about having a cat, though he never brought any squirrels, thank God. It was why I never left any window open for him to come and go, so I could make sure he didn't have any critter. I missed the hitchhiking slug. One time he did have a glove thoughI Why he stole someone's glove, I do not know. Once he had left a dead mouse next to the porch, and later that day my folks came to visit. True story, next day, there were two more dead mice next to the first one! Gotta feed the family...

We just don't let our cats out. Ever. But we have taken in strays in the past that were used to going out and there was no way they were going to be indoor cats.

Edited November 27, 2021 by peacheslatour

[Prevailing Wind]

Bosco will dash out the open door and sometimes be gone for almost an hour. I think he goes under the fence to visit Lola (or her dish) next door. He's never brought me anything, but I did catch him playing with a vole one day. I brought him inside and went back to check on the vole, who had died in the interim.

Stella will saunter out the door and sit on the front porch. She'll venture down to the driveway, but she's very alert and frightened of just about everything - which is why I'm boggled when she takes off behind our building and later brings me a critter.  I would LOVE for her to bring me dead things instead of the live chipmunks that she does. She lets them loose in the condo. The last time she did this, I think it was the same chippie from the previous time. He did two laps around the living room and dashed out the front door. I managed to keep her inside until he escaped and was safe.  She's rarely outside for more than 15 minutes. Too many scary things out there, like falling leaves!

As for stepping on the slug, the family had come home from seeing a movie at the drive-in; it was pretty late at night. I screamed very loudly (probably waking the neighbors) and hopped into the house and into the bathroom. I sat on the edge of the tub with my feet inside and my mom tried to scrub all the sticky slime off my foot. It took forEVER. (maybe 4 minutes?).  By far, it was the ickiest thing I ever stepped on, including the wee green tree frog my cousin Roger threw at me. I never liked Roger after that. Much later in life, I learned he'd been killed by a jealous husband. I'm not surprised. Roger had no boundaries.

[susannah]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

We just don't let our cats out. Ever. But we have taken in strays in the past that were used to going out and there was no way they were going to be indoor cats.

It's a very hard call. I personally think it is cruel never to let cats go outside, but it is also very dangerous for them if they do.

[peacheslatour]

6 minutes ago, susannah said:

It's a very hard call. I personally think it is cruel never to let cats go outside, but it is also very dangerous for them if they do.

We've had a lot of cats. Most of them have been allowed to go in and out. The last three were all adopted as tiny kittens and we decided they'd be strictly indoor. We've had cats killed by cars, coyotes and in one case, I ran over one myself. She used to run to greet my car every time I went anywhere, I would stop in the driveway and my son would hop out and drop her over the fence so I could pull all the way in. One day I was pulling out and I guess she went behind my car. My nine year old son was in the car. It was horrible and traumatic and it was the end of outdoor cats.

[Bruinsfan]

The same cat I mentioned before once brought a live flicker into the house. It recovered from being stunned, and she quickly learned that a large woodpecker is not the ideal prey to play with before killing. My mom had to knock the screen out of her bedroom window to get it back outside and rescue the cat from having her brain rattled in her skull like a rumba shaker.

Tabby did have my full support in her epic wars with the bluejays, though.

[Browncoat]

I am allergic to cats, and I would infinitely prefer it if my neighbors would keep their cats at home and not allow them to come into my yard to shed and pee and poop and lounge about on my patio furniture.  Oh, and leave hairballs on my doormat.  

[susannah]

2 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

We've had a lot of cats. Most of them have been allowed to go in and out. The last three were all adopted as tiny kittens and we decided they'd be strictly indoor. We've had cats killed by cars, coyotes and in one case, I ran over one myself. She used to run to greet my car every time I went anywhere, I would stop in the driveway and my son would hop out and drop her over the fence so I could pull all the way in. One day I was pulling out and I guess she went behind my car. My nine year old son was in the car. It was horrible and traumatic and it was the end of outdoor cats.

I am so sorry that happened. I can't imagine how awful that was for all of you. The cat I refer to was an indoor/outdoor cat, and I had him for nearly 18 years. I lived near a busy road but he was afraid of it so I didn't have to worry about that. He got in fisticuffs a couple of times with other cats but that was all. I also had for a short time a young cat, but he disappeared, and I never knew what happened to him. My older cat did not like having a young brother but he missed him. I think an experience like yours would be the end for me of having pets.

1 hour ago, Bruinsfan said:

Tabby did have my full support in her epic wars with the bluejays, though.

I hate bluejays, and my cat did too. They would divebomb him!

[peacheslatour]

Quote

I also had for a short time a young cat, but he disappeared, and I never knew what happened to him. 

I'm guessing it wasn't good. I'm sorry about that.

[CrazyInAlabama]

I knew someone who had all indoor cats, but they wanted out.    So he put a cat door in the walkout basement window, and made an entire chain link room, including a sun shield roof, and then put a hard top on it.     However, he didn't put a people gate in, so whenever he needed to go out to the cat room, he had to climb in and out of the window.    He said it would have been cheap to put in the people door when it was built, but would be expensive to put one in after.       He even put a tree from the river in there, and cemented it in before he built the room.    

There are also the commercial cat-ios that you can put in a cat door from the house, or just put the cats in there and let them have time on the porch safely.   

Edited November 28, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama

[Bastet]

I don't think it's inherently cruel to keep a cat indoors all the time, or inherently dangerous to give them some outside time.  Most cats can adjust to being perfectly happy indoors (and many are that way from jump), so the former absolutely doesn't work as a blanket statement, but the latter doesn't, either - depending on the dangers of the area (predators, traffic) and the cat's temperament, sometimes it's possible for a cat to safely have some supervised outside time, and sometimes even some unsupervised outdoor time is safe. 

I think indoor-outdoor cats should generally be primarily indoor with controlled access to the outdoors rather than allowed to come and go at will, and should pretty much never have nighttime outdoor access.  But the specifics depend on the cat and the environment.

And even for cats who chomp at the bit to dash out that door, but can't be kept safe by supervision, there are catios and leash training as options.  

Whatever the circumstances, there's usually a safe solution to be found.

[peacheslatour]

17 minutes ago, CrazyInAlabama said:

I knew someone who had all indoor cats, but they wanted out.    So he put a cat door in the walkout basement window, and made an entire chain link room, including a sun shield roof, and then put a hard top on it.     However, he didn't put a people gate in, so whenever he needed to go out to the cat room, he had to climb in and out of the window.    He said it would have been cheap to put in the people door when it was built, but would be expensive to put one in after.       He even put a tree from the river in there, and cemented it in before he built the room.    

There are also the commercial cat-ios that you can put in a cat door from the house, or just put the cats in there and let them have time on the porch safely.   

We've thought about doing something like that quite a bit. Certainly worth thinking about.

[CrazyInAlabama]

Just remember to do a people door too.    It's so much cheaper to do when you're building it.      

 

I'm so tired of seeing Kroger ads this week.    I love my local grocery (Publix, regional), but I always like Kroger too, and the nearest one to me is hours away.  

[susannah]

5 hours ago, peacheslatour said:

I'm guessing it wasn't good. I'm sorry about that.

I am sure it wasn't, and thank you.  I still think of him at times, all these years later, and hope he didn't suffer. He was so funny, he loved to snooze in the bathroom sink..shaped just right!

[Bruinsfan]

10 hours ago, susannah said:

I hate bluejays, and my cat did too. They would divebomb him!

Mine learned that she could lie sprawled out just inside our sliding glass door and the bluejays would slam themselves into it trying to dive bomb her.

[Haleth]

The only time my cat is allowed outside is when I'm on the deck.  She has to stay there with me.  If she got into the yard she could take off and I'd not be able to catch her.  We have neighbors who let their cats roam (and a lot of cats who I don't know where they belong).  It's a nuisance to me and dangerous to the animals.  My feeling is if you can't keep your pets in your own yard they do not belong outside untended.

[susannah]

4 hours ago, Haleth said:

The only time my cat is allowed outside is when I'm on the deck.  She has to stay there with me.  If she got into the yard she could take off and I'd not be able to catch her.  We have neighbors who let their cats roam (and a lot of cats who I don't know where they belong).  It's a nuisance to me and dangerous to the animals.  My feeling is if you can't keep your pets in your own yard they do not belong outside untended.

Well, cats aren't dogs, and I don't know how one would "keep a cat with them" unless they were tied up or in some kind of covered pen they couldn't get out of.

9 hours ago, Bruinsfan said:

Mine learned that she could lie sprawled out just inside our sliding glass door and the bluejays would slam themselves into it trying to dive bomb her.

I believe it!!!

[smittykins]

At my previous apartment complex, I had to sign a separate pet agreement that stipulated(among other things)that pets had to be leashed or in a carrier when outside, and I’m surprised that there isn’t a similar rule where I live now.  I would never consider letting Shadow outside because we’re on a busy state highway, even though it’s set back some distance from the road.  I have seen two neighbor cats roaming around on occasion.  There are two convenience stores on opposite sides of the intersection about a half-mile away, and I won’t walk there because it’s in a rural area with no sidewalks, and everyone drives like an effing maniac.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, susannah said:

Well, cats aren't dogs, and I don't know how one would "keep a cat with them" unless they were tied up or in some kind of covered pen they couldn't get out of.

With my previous two cats, I could keep them with me by saying, "No. Come back here," if they jumped up on a wall like they were going to leave the backyard; they'd jump back down.  And they generally didn't even get the urge to leave the yard in the first place other than when I went back inside for a bit (I was keeping an eye on them through the window, but they didn't know that); when I was working in the yard, sitting on the patio reading, etc. they just stayed on their own.

(My current cat is indoor only; she's too skittish to be trusted unleashed, and she doesn't like having a harness on, so no safe outside time is possible without a catio, and she doesn't show hardly any interest in going outside, so there's no need for me to build one.  She suns herself just fine in front of windows/doors, and we have extensive run and jump play time every evening.)

My parents' cat, who turned up as a tomcat around three years old after having clearly been living outdoors (he was used to people, but not to ceiling fans, dishwashers, TVs, etc.) and who has to, even 10+ years later, be given some outside time or he'll go stir crazy, will mostly stay in their yard (which is large, and the upper part of which is a hill that's fun for him to play wilderness explorer in), and when he does go visit a neighbor, if my parents (or me, when I'm cat-sitting) call his name, he'll be back within a few minutes.  He wasn't as reliable in his youth (no surprise, given how his first years were spent), but for years now it has been great; if you look out and he's left the yard, you walk out the sliding door to the backyard and call "Bandit!" and then walk out the front door to the porch and do the same.  He doesn't go far enough in any direction not to hear one or both of those calls, and pretty soon you'll hear his "I'm coming" meow as he returns from his rounds.

But many cats won't stay put, and will not come when called if they're not in the mood to, so for them supervision isn't adequate protection, and they do need to be leashed or in an enclosure.

Chester, my parents' late cat, was like that, and he had no street smarts plus was small enough an owl could have carried him.  So it was just too big a risk to let him in the yard with no physical control over him, lest he decide to roam elsewhere (usually just next door, which was no problem, but sometimes across the street, which was unacceptable, so, yeah - too big a risk), but he loved being out with his bro, so they took him out on a long leash and let him wander around that way.  Then he'd rest on the patio a while before going back inside; that short jaunt satisfied him and he didn't ask again until the next day. 

[peacheslatour]

Quote

Chester, my parents' late cat, was like that, and he had no street smarts plus was small enough an owl could have carried him. 

Elizabeth is convinced she's a large, ferocious lion even though she's a kitten. Having tortitude on top of being a Maine C*** make her think she's invincible. I can see her taking on an entire platoon of raccoons or something equally ridiculous. No outside for her!

Edited November 28, 2021 by peacheslatour

[Annber03]

6 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

Elizabeth is convinced she's a large, ferocious lion even though she's a kitten.

LOL, our cat Lily is just the opposite. She's a big cat who's convinced she's a kitten, and is way smaller in size than she actually is :p.

We don't let our cats outside, either. My mom's just too nervous about what might happen to them if they were let loose outside. Plus, a lot of people in our neighborhood have dogs, and then there's a lot of stray cats running around, and my mom's not sure how our cats would react to them, if they'd get spooked or if the other animals would try and fight them or something. 

Luckily our cats seem perfectly content to stay inside and just snuggle with us, so...:). 

[peacheslatour]

38 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

LOL, our cat Lily is just the opposite. She's a big cat who's convinced she's a kitten, and is way smaller in size than she actually is :p.

We don't let our cats outside, either. My mom's just too nervous about what might happen to them if they were let loose outside. Plus, a lot of people in our neighborhood have dogs, and then there's a lot of stray cats running around, and my mom's not sure how our cats would react to them, if they'd get spooked or if the other animals would try and fight them or something. 

Luckily our cats seem perfectly content to stay inside and just snuggle with us, so...:). 

That's smart. Then there is the Asshole factor. I had a boss once who liked to regale our surveying crews about how he and his friends used to chase down the neighborhood cats in their cars. Har har har. Ugh.

[Annber03]

2 minutes ago, peacheslatour said:

That's smart. Then there is the Asshole factor. I had a boss once who liked to regale our surveying crews about how he and his friends used to chase down the neighborhood cats in their cars. Har har har. Ugh.

Ugh. How awful. 

I feel sorry for any people who are part of that guy's life, too. If he treats animals like that....

[peacheslatour]

10 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Ugh. How awful. 

I feel sorry for any people who are part of that guy's life, too. If he treats animals like that....

He had a Westie he was devoted to. I had to bite my lip to keep from saying "My friends and I used run down little white dogs with our cars. Hoo boy, it was sooo funny!"

Edited November 28, 2021 by peacheslatour

[SnarkySheep]

On 11/18/2021 at 11:25 AM, susannah said:

I have to disagree on this one. Martha isn't popular anymore but has been very popular through the ages. 75 years ago was 1946 and I am sure girls were often named Martha. Probably also Linda, but not Karen. That was later.

I was born in 1980 but grew up in a largely Polish American area...I knew several girls named Marta/Martha growing up.

On semi-related note, Martha Stewart is also Polish (Stewart, of course, being a married name).

[bankerchick]

On 11/27/2021 at 5:25 PM, susannah said:

I hate bluejays, and my cat did too

As long as it's bluejays you hate, and not the Blue Jays 😉

[Nicmar]

On 10/21/2021 at 9:33 AM, peacheslatour said:

I remember those ads for Ayds, a diet candy? Each ad was a full page and told the story of a woman's (it was always a woman) weight loss struggle and ultimate success. I guess the AIDS crisis of the eighties put the kibosh on that.

I remember AYDS's candies my mom used those. I got in trouble because I ate 3 thinking they were actually candy

[peacheslatour]

4 minutes ago, Nicmar said:

I remember AYDS's candies my mom used those. I got in trouble because I ate 3 thinking they were actually candy

How were they?

[Nicmar]

1 hour ago, peacheslatour said:

How were they?

they were chocolatey

[madmax]

On 11/27/2021 at 3:18 PM, peacheslatour said:

We've had a lot of cats. Most of them have been allowed to go in and out. The last three were all adopted as tiny kittens and we decided they'd be strictly indoor. We've had cats killed by cars, coyotes and in one case, I ran over one myself. She used to run to greet my car every time I went anywhere, I would stop in the driveway and my son would hop out and drop her over the fence so I could pull all the way in. One day I was pulling out and I guess she went behind my car. My nine year old son was in the car. It was horrible and traumatic and it was the end of outdoor cats.

We've always tried to keep indoor cats, but one of our cats, Kashmir, decided to go out and never come back in the house.  She hung around the house, but wouldn't come back in.  so we would give her food/water/etc.  One day, she was coming to greet us when we came home and Mr. Max accidentally ran her over.  He was sick, I was sick, and I vowed to never have an outside cat again.

On 11/27/2021 at 10:29 PM, Bastet said:

And even for cats who chomp at the bit to dash out that door, but can't be kept safe by supervision, there are catios and leash training as options.  

Whatever the circumstances, there's usually a safe solution to be found.

Current kitty Corey, who we rescued, must have been an indoor/outdoor cat.  He always runs for the door, but at least now (not when we first got him) he'll come back inside if you just yell at him to go home.  I'm leery about letting him outside, because of the instance with Kashmir above and the fact that people do 50 on our road plus we have coyotes.  So I'm trying to leash train him.  He walks two steps, then drops down and stares at me like I'm killing him.  

[peacheslatour]

11 minutes ago, madmax said:

We've always tried to keep indoor cats, but one of our cats, Kashmir, decided to go out and never come back in the house.  She hung around the house, but wouldn't come back in.  so we would give her food/water/etc.  One day, she was coming to greet us when we came home and Mr. Max accidentally ran her over.  He was sick, I was sick, and I vowed to never have an outside cat again.

Current kitty Corey, who we rescued, must have been an indoor/outdoor cat.  He always runs for the door, but at least now (not when we first got him) he'll come back inside if you just yell at him to go home.  I'm leery about letting him outside, because of the instance with Kashmir above and the fact that people do 50 on our road plus we have coyotes.  So I'm trying to leash train him.  He walks two steps, then drops down and stares at me like I'm killing him.  

We have a cat who is leash trained but man, you can't get him near any vertical surfaces like porch posts, trees, fences and the like. He will jump up and climb as far and fast as he can, it's hard to pry him off.

[CrazyInAlabama]

4 hours ago, Nicmar said:

I remember AYDS's candies my mom used those. I got in trouble because I ate 3 thinking they were actually candy

They used to have ads with stories of users.   One lady lived where it snowed a lot, and so she started using the candies, dieting, and when spring arrived, she was very thin, and had bleached her hair blond.    The neighbors thought the husband had traded in the wife on another woman, and they were very upset with him until they realized she was the same woman.  

Another woman was so big that she couldn't find a scale that worked for her, so she would go to the feed store to weigh herself.   Then, she used the AYDS candy, and lost a lot of weight, and didn't have to weigh herself at the feed store anymore.   

The original candies were just caramels, and you had them with a hot drink a certain amount of time before each meal, and it made you feel full.   After a while, the company actually had to ad ingredients to make them diet candy.     

I still remember the first liquid diet drinks, Metrecal (spelling's probably off), and their motto was "Metrical on Monday" to start your diet.   I think you had one for breakfast, and one for lunch, and a sensible dinner, so the calorie restriction worked.  

Edited November 30, 2021 by CrazyInAlabama