I live in South Carolina. All anyone talks about here is their sadness about the 9 people murdered in the church. All they have on TV is nonstop coverage of taking the flag down in honor of them. Black and white are working together to keep our state at peace. White Christians worship with black ones. We all mourn this senseless act. Please do not dishonor the love that South Carolinians feel for each other at this difficult time. Do not say we don't defend those 9 people. Their relatives forgave the killer. Some of us never will, but we all equally abhor the act of their murderer. The flag is an entirely separate issue for most of us.

I made a business decision years ago that has made a ton of money for our business. Now things are turning south with that vendor and we're looking at significant losses from that venture. As much good as it did over the past 11 years, I may be out of a job in 6 months.

Baltimore CVS burning? Days of news coverage. Implications that those who did it are thugs and deserve to be routinely brutalized by the police? Several black churches burning across the South? ::crickets::

I live in Phoenix so I hibernate for the summer. I hike and do BBQs and things like that in the fall. Heck, I've lived in the southeast and midwest and it was mostly too hot for those things. Not sure how people do all that in the summer unless you are in the PCW or NE states, or up north. We do a LOT outdoors Oct - April here.

This is SO weird. Last Apr, my friend told me her dh's business was doing *really* bad, and money was really tight. Within a few months, things took a turn for the better - drastically, it seems. She & dh went home to South America for 2 weeks in July, Italy in Oct. Last week, her ds (friends w/my ds) told me his parents are going to France for 2 weeks next month. And England in Sept. And they, him & 2 sisters are all going to Dubai for Christmas. Saw friend today and told her our house will be finished in Aug. She said, "I wish we could buy a house, but can't get a loan bc dh is self-employed, and we don't have a downpayment anyway." There are 5 of them in a 2br apartment, and she drives a newer Mercedes. She also has a mouthful of new teeth...

My family TV time starting when I was about 10 included South Park. Yes, I knew what not to repeat in front of Grandma or teachers.

When my aunt married my uncle, he had two daughters from his first marriage, the older was at college, the younger was in high school. His ex had come out as a lesbian and was living with her partner. It was the early nineties in the south, and the younger daughter wanted to come live with her dad and stepmom because it was still pretty stigmatized to have two moms. I had lunch a couple of years ago with a family friend who was commenting on it, "And there they were, starting their married life, and there's this sixteen year old girl that shows up right after their honeymoon in their house!" So yeah, there are people who think that stepparents shouldn't have to be bothered with their stepkids or see them as interfering. Thankfully my aunt is and was an awesome stepmom and my cousins' boys call her Meemaw.

I have a grow light set up in our spare room for all my starter plants: petunias, peppers, all sorts of stuff. If I close the door it gets too hot in there so I leave the door open. It's right across from DD16's bedroom. The light is set to come on at 6am, and I get her up at 610am. So when I open her bedroom door, it's like the light of the equator sun is streaming in. So I open the door and go in saying, 'Welcome to sunny South Florida!" and next week it might be sunny Jamaica. With the accent, of course. LOL! Ahh, we try to have fun.

I never hear from my step kids unless they want/need something. Not a call or a card for Christmas, birthday, or anniversary, not even a little something on Facebook. The last time I had contact with dsd22 was maybe a year ago or so. Dh told me her bf broke up with her, so I called to offer consolation and an ear. She didn't answer so I left a voice mail, and she texted that she was headed into an interview and would call later. She never did. She just texted dh. She's planning a vacation to where I grew up (Southern California) and wants me to tell her everywhere to go and what to do. It hurts because I've done a lot for the sk's, but for her in particular.

I get insanely cold in the winter. It's to the point where I just cannot warm up unless I'm wrapped in blankets and huddled by the fire. It makes life suck for me, it really does. It's not my thyroid or anything medical--it's just the fact that I am a small person and thus have way more surface area to volume ration than a larger person. I live for the summer and the nice warm weather. I'm definitely moving way south when we retire--preferably somewhere like Arizona or New Mexico.