Around the Kitchen Table: Social Topics

[Pallas]

Your thread for discussion of social topics raised directly in the show. Join the Connors for a kitchen roundtable. Civility a must; politics a nope; a lick and a prayer optional.

[Bronzedog]

I’m going to add my 2 cents to the dog rescue discussion.  I have adopted 4 dogs - 3 from Animal shelters, one from a rescue.  I will never adopt from a rescue again.  As a matter of fact, I adopted a dog in March and traveled to a shelter that didn’t require a home check because of my previous experience with a rescue.  In that case, the rescue woman arrives at my house, literally pulls and hangs on my fence to see if secure, emptied all the cabinets in the bathroom and kitchen that were near the floor and went item by item telling me why they could be dangerous to the dog.  She did not, however, explain how the dog was going to open the cabinets.  When it came time to go through the bedroom dressers, I told her she could keep the dog.  She then told me I had signed a contract and the dog was mine, at which point I told her if I was bound by a contract she should give me my dog and get out of my house.  And, she did.  The bitch was in my house going through my cabinets for a couple of hours.  Never again!

[TattleTeeny]

That is not normal; no one at any operation I've worked for would do that. All rescue operations should not be painted with that broad brush--much less dismissed completely. If your dog had some kind of history with ransacking cabinets, it should have been disclosed to you; a reasonable person wanting to give a pet a safe, healthy home would be glad to have that kind of information, I'd guess!

Out of curiosity, though, I'm wondering what people here (or in the Roseanne thread) are considering a shelter vs. a rescue?

Also, my cat opens cabinets--or at least makes a huge noisy show of not being able to, cracking the door an inch or so and letting it slam shut...repeatedly. I don't even think he cares what's in there because if I get up to help, he saunters away as if I ruined his fun (though he has run off with a bag of treats, which he also couldn't open but did leave teethmarks in).

Do you still have him? Is he your photo?

Edited April 15, 2018 by TattleTeeny

[peacheslatour]

My tortie has repeatedly locked herself in our bedroom by slamming the door and the standing on her hind legs and pushing in the button. She does not however, open cabinets. And no, that is not normal for any rescue I've ever dealt with.

[Bronzedog]

39 minutes ago, TattleTeeny said:

That is not normal; no one at any operation I've worked for would do that. All rescue operations should not be painted with that broad brush--much less dismissed completely. If your dog had some kind of history with ransacking cabinets, it should have been disclosed to you; a reasonable person wanting to give a pet a safe, healthy home would be glad to have that kind of information, I'd guess!

Out of curiosity, though, I'm wondering what people here (or in the Roseanne thread) are considering a shelter vs. a rescue?

Also, my cat opens cabinets--or at least makes a huge noisy show of not being able to, cracking the door an inch or so and letting it slam shut...repeatedly. I don't even think he cares what's in there because if I get up to help, he saunters away as if I ruined his fun (though he has run off with a bag of treats, which he also couldn't open but did leave teethmarks in).

Do you still have him? Is he your photo?

No.  Unfortunately, he died December 14th.  He was the most laid back dog that ever lived.  He was the only dog I ever owned that never got into anything.  I have a shelter dog now.  Maybe all rescues shouldn't be painted with a broad brush, however, when you have someone going through your cabinets for 2 hours, and seeing if they can knock down your fence, I don't think it's unreasonable to never want to deal with that again.  It was invasive.  No more rescues for me.  Dismissed completely.

[peacheslatour]

You had a bad experience with ONE rescue. It's simply wrong to discourage others from using rescues based on that.

[Bronzedog]

I'm not attempting to discourage anyone from using rescues, nor do I think I have that kind of influence over complete strangers, I'm simply sharing my experience.

[bigskygirl]

2 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

That is not normal; no one at any operation I've worked for would do that. All rescue operations should not be painted with that broad brush--much less dismissed completely. If your dog had some kind of history with ransacking cabinets, it should have been disclosed to you; a reasonable person wanting to give a pet a safe, healthy home would be glad to have that kind of information, I'd guess!

Out of curiosity, though, I'm wondering what people here (or in the Roseanne thread) are considering a shelter vs. a rescue?

Also, my cat opens cabinets--or at least makes a huge noisy show of not being able to, cracking the door an inch or so and letting it slam shut...repeatedly. I don't even think he cares what's in there because if I get up to help, he saunters away as if I ruined his fun (though he has run off with a bag of treats, which he also couldn't open but did leave teethmarks in).

Do you still have him? Is he your photo?

My cats would do that at night while I am sleeping. A few times I thought someone was trying to get in the house, and I came close to calling 911. I got up went into the bathroom and made them stop playing with the cabinet door. They were not happy about it. I am glad I did not call 911 before checking on my cats because it would have been embarrassing when the sheriff deputies arrived at my house, and I would have to explain it was my daffy cats playing with the cabinet door making the noise. I also had a cat who would find something on the floor to play with waking me up too. I would take the item away from her, and she would slap my hand. So cute and funny!

We did adopt a kitten from a cat rescue place a few years ago. The poor little thing was sick when we got her, and she passed away five days later after we rushed her to the vet. Broke my heart. The next time we adopt a kitten or cat we will go to the animal shelter. I would love to adopt a dog, but we need a bigger house and a good fenced in yard to be able to do so.

[TattleTeeny]

It's definitely not unreasonable to not want that to happen again! But what we're saying is that it shouldn't happen at all; a person or entity went rogue there, and what you experienced is not par for the course. I've been volunteering for rescues and/or shelters for a long time and have never heard of this kind of unsanctioned behavior. You sound like the kind of pet owner we want to adopt a pet to, and I hope that this experience would not stop you in the future from giving a pet in need a dedicated, responsible, well-cared-for life. I'd be happy to see someone like you walk in to our place.

I'm sorry about your dog--it's always so hard, man. My hoard cat was actually the best behaved pet I ever had too--you'd think she might be a crazed beast, but no (well, at first she was less than pleasant), she never did anything "bad," unlike the two devils I have now!

I'm sorry, @bigskygirl. How terrible.

Edited April 15, 2018 by TattleTeeny

[bigskygirl]

Thanks @TattleTeeny It was hard to see her suffering, but at least she had five days out of the rescue place with someone who loves her and misses her. My one cat Tia was not happy when we first brought her home, but she treated Misty as her own little kitten. Tia took it hard when Misty passed away too. We have one cat now (our six year old Sassy.) Tia passed away last September. My husband and I would love to get another kitten or cat, but we have decided to wait until Sassy passes away (which we hope will not be for a very long time.)

[AgentRXS]

@bigskygirl So sorry about your kitten, but thank you for giving her a home for 5 days. I used to foster kittens, nothing is more heartbreaking than to watch them fight so hard to live through an illness, but ultimately succumb to it.

I've worked at an animal shelter for 7 years now so I've seen all kinds of rescue organizations first hand. Some are exactly like what was depicted in the episode (and those kind tend to be the ones that end up busted for hoarding or criminal activity somewhere along the way) and some are genuinely awesome. I don't blame anyone for not wanting to deal with the militant rescue organizations. Its sad that they put their personal beliefs or prejudices ahead of genuinely trying to find a forever home for an animal.

Edited April 16, 2018 by AgentRXS

[peacheslatour]

It really is. I think we can all agree on that.

[SuprSuprElevated]

5 hours ago, TattleTeeny said:

Also, my cat opens cabinets--or at least makes a huge noisy show of not being able to, cracking the door an inch or so and letting it slam shut...repeatedly.

I have a little devil girl that does this also.  Hubs and I have always considered it as her way of drawing attention, you know, negative is better than none, lol.

Edited April 15, 2018 by SuprSuprElevated

[Zoe]

Even the Hollywood darling, PETA, is known for putting animals to sleep (sometimes after stealing them) for the most trivial reasons, so I didn't find the one in this episode so unbelievable.

[TattleTeeny]

PETA is riddled with issues, IMO. The only thing they're good for is the handy list of "accidentally vegan" foods, haha!

Edited April 15, 2018 by TattleTeeny

[janie jones]

On 4/14/2018 at 6:33 PM, Bronzedog said:

IShe did not, however, explain how the dog was going to open the cabinets.

I wish she had so you could impart that knowledge to me.  We had to put baby locks on our cupboard doors where the garbage can was after coming home to a garbage-strewn apartment enough times.

I got my (other) dog from a rescue organization, and there weren't any hoops I had to jump through, that I recall.  I remember they suggested that I introduce him to my other dog (not the one who opens cupboard doors) before making a decision, but I never got the impression they wouldn't have let me have him if I hadn't.  The only thing that bothered me was the clause in the contract that said if I were to need to give him up for any reason, I had to give him back to them.  And while I understand why they want that, I also don't think it's fair.  Like, if you think I'm good enough to take him home, then you should trust that I could reasonably rehome him.  And maybe I'd like to give him to a family member so I could see him once in a while rather than never see him again.  Plus, it kind of makes it seem like they consider him to be on loan, rather than my dog.

[TattleTeeny]

I can't say for certain but I think that clause might be meant as a tactful reminder to some people that that option is there, should things go south for whatever reason (like, "if you have absolutely no idea what to do, just let us deal with it"). I don't know that it's necessarily meant for the sensible people out there. After all, suppose you moved across the country and, god forbid, after a few years something happened, you know? It would be unrealistic to get the dog back to that particular shelter. I find that we, at the shelter I'm with, have to sometimes talk to some people as if they are 10-year-olds, right down to "Please do not cram your entire hand into the cage of a cat who is already visibly nervous."

Edited April 16, 2018 by TattleTeeny

[Sakura12]

I have not had any issues for my shelter/rescue dogs, but my Aunt did. She had a home visit where the woman walked through her entire house checking to see what the dog can and can't into, then she had to come over a second time for another check.  She then filled out a 2 page form and her husband had to be interviewed as well. It took 2 weeks for her to get her dog. My Aunt is a empty nester, owns her house, has a fenced in yard, doesn't work and has had 5 previous dogs throughout her life (the last one she lost 4 years ago to old age). You think she would've been the perfect candidate for getting a dog and wouldn't have to go through all those hoops. I have a full time job so I probably would not have even made it that far in their process. So that did discourage me from going to that place to get a dog. 

I went to another place to get my dog and I filled out a form where I did have to lie about being home for at least 4 hours at a time. I was able to bring my dog home that day. I told my Aunt about that and she didn't know what to say. Lol. She loves her dog but she went through much more trouble to get him. 

Edited April 16, 2018 by Sakura12

[janie jones]

On 4/16/2018 at 8:05 AM, TattleTeeny said:

I can't say for certain but I think that clause might be meant as a tactful reminder to some people that that option is there, should things go south for whatever reason (like, "if you have absolutely no idea what to do, just let us deal with it"). I don't know that it's necessarily meant for the sensible people out there.

I completely believe that that's the case.  But then say you "can" return the dog to them rather than "must."  That's what irked me.  Because they could technically go after you if they wanted to.  Anyway they can't even enforce it because how are they even going to know about it in the first place?  Once I leave with my dog, they don't know what I'm going to do with him. 

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

Once I leave with my dog, they don't know what I'm going to do with him. 

And that is exactly the point of the "hoops" that adopters are asked to jump through. We have come full circle, discussion-wise, haha!

Edited April 18, 2018 by TattleTeeny
I hope that didn't sound mean to you, janie jones--I am happy that you are a good adopter!

[methodwriter85]

So it looks like Lanford has gotten progessively non-white, and that bit was reflected in the classroom scene in Dress to Impress.

Economics-wise...It also looks like Lanford Mall is still in existence, and it's doing well enough that they've got a Build-A-Bear and a Sephora. Hmm. I was kind of thinking that the Lanford Mall might be long-gone, reflecting the whole Dead Malls phenomenon. Or there could be another mall in a nearby town that these characters going to.

I wonder if Rodbell's is still around. I feel like in the real world a department store like Rodbell's would be gone.

[chocolatine]

3 minutes ago, methodwriter85 said:

Economics-wise...It also looks like Lanford Mall is still in existence, and it's doing well enough that they've got a Build-A-Bear and a Sephora.

When was there a reference to Sephora? I remember Becky saying something about a M.A.C. counter, but Sephora doesn't sell M.A.C. products.

[ChicksDigScars]

I've volunteered for a no kill, non profit, private rescue snce 2001. Our application is 2 pages (unlike the FIVE pages that another poster claims to have been subjected to at a rescue). There is a fence check (if you have one) and a vet check. No one goes through your cupboards. I remember being invited into the home of a woman who adopted one of my foster dogs when we delivered him to her, and the only thing that I told her is that she may want to put away the large, open bag of dog food on the floor (or put it in a sealed Rubbermaid container), because Houston (the Bassett Hound) would help himself and he would definitely over-eat. She kinda poo pooed me, and I got a bad vibe, but that's all I said. She had already been approved and had paid the adoption fee. And Huey hung on the screen door and WAILED when I left. I cried all night. He was my ninth foster and the first one that I cried when giving up, or had a bad vibe when he was adopted. As a result of that experience, my next foster, Micah, never left my house for 14 years until he passed. 

 

Anyway, two years later, guess who showed up back at the shelter, grossly overweight and turned back in by the lady who didn't listen to me. Houston. He was so fat that he couldn't walk.  While no one should invade your privacy and go through your closets, some type of reference or vet check is normal. If you saw how many of our animals end up being found at Animal Control, months or years later, abandoned and neglected, even after we did vet checks and fence checks, you'd be shocked. All our dogs and cats are microchipped, so if another rescue or shelter gets an animal with our chip, they call us to come get them.

 

Last week, a poster claimed that she was an advocate AGAINST animal rescue, and that Roseanne had accurately portrayed shelters, and that just isn't true.  The character of Jackie isn't too old to adopt. Not even close. Hell, our shelter's Facebook page just posted pictures of this week's latest adoption. A malti-poo sleeping in the lap of her new adopted mom, who is in her 80's.  So no. Roseanne did NOT portray animal rescues accurately. And stealing a dog will get you arrested for theft.  

[methodwriter85]

7 minutes ago, chocolatine said:

When was there a reference to Sephora? I remember Becky saying something about a M.A.C. counter, but Sephora doesn't sell M.A.C. products.

Oh, I thought she mentioned Sephora, not Mac. Either way, if she was at Lanford Mall, it can't be doing that badly.

I'm really into the whole Dead Mall thing, and it would have been kind of cool if the series reflected that by making Lanford Mall dead. It definitely would have been realistic, if Lanford is supposed to be a rustbelt town. Then again, it could be a different mall than the one from the original series.

[chocolatine]

Just now, methodwriter85 said:

Oh, I thought she mentioned Sephora, not Mac. Either way, if she was at Lanford Mall, it can't be doing that badly.

She said the lady at the M.A.C. counter said her skin age was 33. Most Macy's stores have a M.A.C. counter. Macy's actually is doing badly and closing stores across the country. I can see Macy's having been the fanciest store at the mall and when it closes, they'll be left with Sears and/or JC Penney.

[methodwriter85]

JC Penney seems to have the Sephora's, you're right.

I actually lived in a rust belt town for a few years and the local mall is basically on its last legs now. It's just left with a Bon-Ton and a JCPenney's. The only thing keeping it alive is having the only movie theater in the area.

I wonder if something similar is happening with Lanford Mall, although if it has a Build-A-Bear that's actually hiring, it can't be doing too badly. That isn't a store that stays in a very dead malls.

[Annber03]

The mall in my town is about dead, too. The Yonkers store that's there just announced they're closing, so I think there's, like, maybe two or three stores left in the mall, and a sandwich place. And that's it. The town's been planning on building some new thing in the spot where the mall resides, so I think a lot of those stores would've shut down as it is, but yeah...I spent six of the past seven years working at a bookstore that was located in that mall (and which just closed last year), and just in that time alone, it was sad to see how bare that mall became over time. I remember it being such a fun place to go when I was a kid. 

[chitowngirl]

14 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

 

Anyway, two years later, guess who showed up back at the shelter, grossly overweight and turned back in by the lady who didn't listen to me. Houston. He was so fat that he couldn't walk.  While no one should invade your privacy and go through your closets, some type of reference or vet check is normal. If you saw how many of our animals end up being found at Animal Control, months or years later, abandoned and neglected, even after we did vet checks and fence checks, you'd be shocked. All our dogs and cats are microchipped, so if another rescue or shelter gets an animal with our chip, they call us to come get them.

So what happened to Huey after he came back?!!

[peacheslatour]

It's amazing what people will do to animals. When I was a volunteer at the Humane Society we had people throw bags of puppies on the roof, tie dogs to our front door in the middle of the night and dump animals on us because they were having a baby and couldn't be bothered with the animal anymore. The only really odd thing that happened was the manager kept a huge tank of Boa Constrictors in the office. One night someone broke in through the roof and stole them.

[ChicksDigScars]

1 hour ago, chitowngirl said:

So what happened to Huey after he came back?!!

He went back into foster and was adopted out by a GREAT family a couple months later. It really was a blessing in disguise that he came back and that new family found him. Two years later, he developed cancer and had to have both his eyes removed. The new family had the surgery done, where I believe that the first adopter probably wouldn't have had the funds to (she was an elderly lady living alone). They also used to bring him to the vet for underwater treadmill therapy every week. I ran into them a couple times as we used the same vet. I also followed that new family by Facebook.  He lived a few more years after that.  His last family really went above and beyond for him. 

[peacheslatour]

Poor Huey. At least he found a loving home in the end. Some people would have driven him out to the country and just left him there. So the old lady at least did one thing right.

[TattleTeeny]

17 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

I've volunteered for a no kill, non profit, private rescue snce 2001. Our application is 2 pages (unlike the FIVE pages that another poster claims to have been subjected to at a rescue). There is a fence check (if you have one) and a vet check. No one goes through your cupboards. I remember being invited into the home of a woman who adopted one of my foster dogs when we delivered him to her, and the only thing that I told her is that she may want to put away the large, open bag of dog food on the floor (or put it in a sealed Rubbermaid container), because Houston (the Bassett Hound) would help himself and he would definitely over-eat. She kinda poo pooed me, and I got a bad vibe, but that's all I said. She had already been approved and had paid the adoption fee. And Huey hung on the screen door and WAILED when I left. I cried all night. He was my ninth foster and the first one that I cried when giving up, or had a bad vibe when he was adopted. As a result of that experience, my next foster, Micah, never left my house for 14 years until he passed. 

 

Anyway, two years later, guess who showed up back at the shelter, grossly overweight and turned back in by the lady who didn't listen to me. Houston. He was so fat that he couldn't walk.  While no one should invade your privacy and go through your closets, some type of reference or vet check is normal. If you saw how many of our animals end up being found at Animal Control, months or years later, abandoned and neglected, even after we did vet checks and fence checks, you'd be shocked. All our dogs and cats are microchipped, so if another rescue or shelter gets an animal with our chip, they call us to come get them.

 

Last week, a poster claimed that she was an advocate AGAINST animal rescue, and that Roseanne had accurately portrayed shelters, and that just isn't true.  The character of Jackie isn't too old to adopt. Not even close. Hell, our shelter's Facebook page just posted pictures of this week's latest adoption. A malti-poo sleeping in the lap of her new adopted mom, who is in her 80's.  So no. Roseanne did NOT portray animal rescues accurately. And stealing a dog will get you arrested for theft.  

Horrible! We see this too at my shelter! Nothing as bad as what poor Huey (and you!) dealt with, but not too long ago some asshole lady returned the nicest, if a bit shy, cat because he bit her son. Never mind that she was told that this cat would need some time to acclimate--he was a bit meek, he was never violent to us--and that he may find a spot to hide out at first. Well, this son wanted to "see the cat" and proceeded to drag him out from under a bed, and the cat fought back. Also, the son...

is in his 30s!

[peacheslatour]

My son got scratched by one of our cats when he was bothering him. I told him it served him right. But then again he was three.

[HappyDancex2]

This is tough but I appreciate all the stories.  Friends of ours have had rescue dogs their whole lives and ran into a few of those crazy rescue places and moved on.  Similar to what was shared here...mostly because they both worked and didn’t have a fenced in yard and because the person interviewing them sounded nuts.  I think in some instances the dogs coming from foster homes have owners who don’t want to let them go (also for fair reasons and stories shared here.)

I only know animal lovers so I find it absurd anyone would be careless in their care...especially if they were seeking an animal to adopt!  I researched my own adopt from foster (mostly) opportunity and was also put off by the process.  An excessive application, phone interview, site visit, mandatory fenced in yard etc.   I would think one google earth picture of my house should tell I’m fit to care for your dog that supposedly needs a home???  And it still was $450 which seemed outrageous.  And quite frankly I’m going to need to see and copy some ID of you if you plan on casing my house.  Turnabout is fair play here LOL.  My current pup lives better than most people...I’d want to come back as him, that’s for sure!!!  Homemade food, outdoor exercise everyday....sheesh!!!

and I don’t have a fenced in yard, drats.  He goes out on a leash in the yard and at any park when he runs for miles.  Why this is a sticking point is beyond me.  The lady wouldn’t let our friends adopt for this reason.  Seemed baffling to me.  Isn’t it a good sign if you already have a dog or dogs or have a history of owning dogs so can obviously care for them?  Dogs are expensive....I can see how maybe a first time owner might need inquiry but existing owners are doing it because they love dogs.  And would rather save them than buy from breeders. 

[methodwriter85]

Someone is fanwanking that Buy and Bag was replaced by ShopMart. That would actually make a lot of sense, because there's been some big upheaval in grocery stores at least in my area. Pathmark and Genuardi's, which were both well-known and successful grocery stores at one point, both closed down. I wold also bet serious money on Rodbell's being closed. One thing I did like about the original is that they had the snack shop turned into a bargain clearance area, which happened to a lot of the KMart's during the 90's and the 2000's.

[AM1418]

I live in a very Lanford like town (not all that far from the the general area of fictional Lanford) and as soon as our Wal-Mart updated to a Super Center the last 3 small grocery stores we had went belly up within 2 years of its re-opening. Small stores can’t compete with China’s prices. Heh. 

I mentioned in the episode thread that while I wish it was still the Buy N Bag, it being bought out or closed by now is completely believable. 

[peacheslatour]

Between Wal Mart and Amazon, I'm afraid the days of mom and pop brick and mortar stores are over.

Edited April 19, 2018 by peacheslatour

[ItsHelloPattiagain]

I did home visits for an out of town breed-specific rescue a while back. The things I looked for were that the person didn't get excited over the dog making messes (I brought my own pug at the time just to see how the adoptive parent would do at that time and how she reacted to dogs in general). She didn't get excited when my dog tried to lift his leg on her rug (went and got some paper towels and cleaner just in case). She showed me where she would walk the dog (she was in an apt) and I looked around to make sure there wasn't anything dangerous, like weird stuff the dog would eat or dangerous situations like power cords the dog could chew up. It was all very low key and positive. 

[ChicksDigScars]

16 hours ago, AM1418 said:

I live in a very Lanford like town (not all that far from the the general area of fictional Lanford) and as soon as our Wal-Mart updated to a Super Center the last 3 small grocery stores we had went belly up within 2 years of its re-opening. Small stores can’t compete with China’s prices. Heh. 

I mentioned in the episode thread that while I wish it was still the Buy N Bag, it being bought out or closed by now is completely believable. 

Yup. Same here. I live in a Midwestern "Lanford" type town. We had one of the original WalMart's and K-Marts. No groceries. Just clothing, toys, sporting goods, hardware, outdoor stuff, etc. When a larger chain grocery opened in town, WalMart added on, doubled its square footage and became a SuperStore. All the small grocery stores then died out. I really miss the one small grocery store that had a real butcher and meat counter. Nothing pre-wrapped in cellophane. It's a Dollar Tree, now. After WalMart went grocery, KMart tried to do the same and added a grocery section, but it was really too late. Most of the town went to the big chain grocer or WalMart.  KMart closed then became a Rural King. Now THAT store is a whole new world. I actually love going there. I always find goofy stuff. And spices for .99 cents!

 

Lowes built in the lot next to WalMart. They decimated the mom and pop hardware and lumber stores in the town. At least four or five closed down in the six months following Lowes opening their doors. THAT sucked. I mean, I like Lowes, but there was something comforting about the mom and pop hardware stores. One of them even had the owner's yellow Lab, greeting customers when they came in. And the people helping you weren't high schoolers. They were guys who actually DID contracting work and knew what they were talking about. It was like walking into Tim Taylor's favorite hardware store on Home Improvement. 

 

And back to pet rescue, yeah, there are definitely fosters in lots of rescues who get too attached to the pets and find fault with anyone who tries to adopt their animals.  We have one. Everyone kinds rolls their eyes about it. She doesn't outright adopt the pets, because then she forfeits getting free vetting, meds and also boarding them at the shelter when she goes on vacation, if she officially adopts them, herself. Basically, her dogs don't even go up for adoption anymore (and she hasn't gotten any new fosters since she started pulling this). The dogs are aging and would be hard to adopt out by now, anyway, so they let her just do it. Not worth the fight anymore.  There are strange birds everywhere.

Edited April 20, 2018 by ChicksDigScars

[CatsAndMoreCats]

I'm currently fostering for a rescue that focuses exclusively on pulling senior dogs and cats (shout out to Newman Nation!).  Yes, senior pets are more difficult to adopt out.  I've accepted that my two senior tuxedo boys will likely be with me until...they aren't.  But what our group gets back in knowing that these creatures will know love and comfort until the very end?  Priceless.  

[peacheslatour]

You're doing the lord's work catsandmorecats, bless you for it.

[methodwriter85]

13 hours ago, ChicksDigScars said:

Yup. Same here. I live in a Midwestern "Lanford" type town. We had one of the original WalMart's and K-Marts. No groceries. Just clothing, toys, sporting goods, hardware, outdoor stuff, etc. When a larger chain grocery opened in town, WalMart added on, doubled its square footage and became a SuperStore. All the small grocery stores then died out. I really miss the one small grocery store that had a real butcher and meat counter. Nothing pre-wrapped in cellophane. It's a Dollar Tree, now. After WalMart went grocery, KMart tried to do the same and added a grocery section, but it was really too late. Most of the town went to the big chain grocer or WalMart.  KMart closed then became a Rural King. Now THAT store is a whole new world. I actually love going there. I always find goofy stuff. And spices for .99 cents!

 

Lowes built in the lot next to WalMart. They decimated the mom and pop hardware and lumber stores in the town. At least four or five closed down in the six months following Lowes opening their doors. THAT sucked. I mean, I like Lowes, but there was something comforting about the mom and pop hardware stores. One of them even had the owner's yellow Lab, greeting customers when they came in. And the people helping you weren't high schoolers. They were guys who actually DID contracting work and knew what they were talking about. It was like walking into Tim Taylor's favorite hardware store on Home Improvement. 

 

 

It would honestly be pretty realistic to have Darlene work at a Wal-Mart or Lowe's type of store, if and when she finally finds a job. She seems like she's willing to take whatever if she was trying to work at Build-A-Bear.

Either that, or an Amazon-like distribution center. They could honestly do a lot with that, if the stories about what has been said about working at one are true.

Edited April 20, 2018 by methodwriter85

[CelticBlackCat]

7 hours ago, CatsAndMoreCats said:

I'm currently fostering for a rescue that focuses exclusively on pulling senior dogs and cats (shout out to Newman Nation!).  Yes, senior pets are more difficult to adopt out.  I've accepted that my two senior tuxedo boys will likely be with me until...they aren't.  But what our group gets back in knowing that these creatures will know love and comfort until the very end?  Priceless.  

Of my two kitty cat girls, one is officially a foster from a private-run shelter in my area.  (The other I adopted from a rescue org when she was already about 1.5 years old and recovering from just being spayed after giving birth to two kittens, and welcoming two orphans who needed a mama cat.)  I got "Z-Cat" (not her real name) when she was already 12 and now she's 16.  The shelter takes care of her veterinary needs and food, I provide the rest and have given her a safe and loving home.  She knows I'm her forever mommy and she's in her forever home.  This is through their senior foster cat lifetime program so I'm not obligated to try to adopt her out and she's not listed as available on their website.  I'm glad I chose her because I love her, my "C-Cat" (not her real name) loves her, and Z-Cat came with a couple of issues that someone not as patient or determined as I would not have put up with or would have given up on her.  It took Z a few long months to even accept C, but when it happened, it was a major breakthrough which blossomed into them being devoted to each other, i.e., grooming, snuggling, sleeping, playing, eating together.

[ChicksDigScars]

Well, if Lanford is close to the Wisconsin state line, there's a fairly new Amazon distribution center in Kenosha, I believe.  :)

 

But Darlene doesn't have a car, does she?

[AgentRXS]

50 minutes ago, ChicksDigScars said:

But Darlene doesn't have a car, does she?

Roseanne can Uber her to and from work, I guess.

[Mu Shu]

I remember the malls starting to die off in the mid ‘90s.  Never was a mall person, though.  The Aventura mall in north Miami, the Galleria in Ft Lauderdale seem to have adapted.  The Sawgrass Mills mall is doing better than ever.  You can’t even find parking on the weekend.

Id like to think Roseanne adapted.  She should be the person selling on Etsy, not Harris.  Roseanne always did hustle.

i went to my last two years of high school on a very rural Illinois community.  Most of my friends there (early to mid forties) are doing well and living a life where they own homes, afford bills, save, and vacation in Florida every year.  They’re definitely better off than the Connors, and in much smaller communities.  The people who were most affected were the younger generation, who are mostly moving on.  Some got jobs elsewhere where they trained in another city/state, and were allowed to work remotely and moved back home.  I was surprised by the options they had.  Definitely was a dead end when I lived there. 

[AgentRXS]

9 hours ago, Mu Shu said:

 The Aventura mall in north Miami, the Galleria in Ft Lauderdale seem to have adapted.  The Sawgrass Mills mall is doing better than ever.  You can’t even find parking on the weekend.

Yes, but these are all in high end areas. The malls in the more lower-income areas of South FL haven't fared all that great. 163rd St Mall in North Miami Beach used to be the go-to teenage hangout due to its proximity to JFK Middle and NMB High. Now its a ghost town and Walmart pretty much has run of that lot. Hollywood Fashion Mall died a slow and embarrassing death before finally being demolished a couple years ago for a Walmart plus other retail shops and  food chains.

Edited April 22, 2018 by AgentRXS

[Mu Shu]

16 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Yes, but these are all in high end areas. The malls in the more lower-income areas of South FL haven't fared all that great. 163rd St Mall in North Miami Beach used to be the go-to teenage hangout due to its proximity to JFK Middle and NMB High. Now its a ghost town and Walmart pretty much has run of that lot. Hollywood Fashion Mall died a slow and embarrassing death before finally being demolished a couple years ago for a Walmart plus other retail shops and  food chains.

163rd street mall failed because the middle class neighborhood went poor.  Crime went way up, so people stopped going.  The fashion center died because the anchors left for the Pembroke Lakes mall. That stretch of 441 has always been seedy, and IMO still is.  The Hollywood Mall is in a good neighborhood, but it died because of Fashion center.  So there are a lot of different reasons malls fail, I’m thinking that they’re just an outdated model.  The outdoor mall at Pembroke Commons is really nice and busy, though.

I still miss Riverwalk in Ft Lauderdale.  That was a beautiful place.

[Bastet]

1 hour ago, Tenarife60 said:

I often wondered why they never mentioned the Connor's getting EBT/food stamps in the original Roseanne because they were often poor and saying they couldn't afford groceries in several episodes.  I used to always think, "Why aren't they getting an EBT card?"   I assumed because it would've been too controversial.   

(From tonight's episode thread)

They may have made too much to qualify, as sad as that is to contemplate; that's one of the problems with the program.  Based on what they made the year Becky went to apply for college, which was a bad year for them, they probably just missed the cut-off, even with that many people in the house (I'm too lazy to go look up the year/state-specific requirements, but knowing what they are in general now and adjusting for inflation/cost of living, it's entirely possible).  And if they didn't qualify that year, they wouldn't qualify most other, earlier years, either, since usually both were working more steadily than they are now.

Edited May 9, 2018 by Bastet

[Pallas]

Social Security again. The difference made by waiting to receive benefits isn't constant: it depends, in part, on how your earnings were scaled over your career. People earning considerably more than their career average near the end will gain more by waiting. As much as/more than 25% by waiting from 62 to 66, and as much as/more than 40% by waiting from 66 to 70.