I just baked rhubarb nut bread last night! I took the rhubarb out of the freezer; my backyard rhubarb is just starting. It'll be ready to pick before I know it.

Pets are so amazing - they really do sense our feelings and our needs. Thanks for the comment.

Thank you! I'm enjoying seeing this thoughtful and gentle side of him.

That would be SOOOOO much more effective. I'm even on district email; a real person could be in contact with me within minutes if he were truly missing. Since he has Asperger's and thrives obsessively on routine, an absence means missing, not playing hooky. The robo-calls make no sense whatsoever.

What fun! We've only teased my brother a little about his "advanced age." He's truly young at heart. Being an "old dad" will not be a problem.

Luckily, he has his dad to look up to; my husband is an excellent cook, too. My father-in-law is still learning to open a can! :)

I have to keep my sense of humor or I'd go postal. Humor really does help us survive.

That sounds like a great tool! Amigo's team is large; we could use something like this.

If it's any reassurance, thimerasol does not cause autism. That's been disproven over and over again. That doesn't mean the vaccine is totally safe, but it is one worry you can leave behind.

I'm not sure what your destination was, but if train travel is an option, I recommend you try it.

I teach fourth grade. The changes are amazing. One memory that stands out in my daughter's tween years: he blankie, lovingly and perfectly folded, with her deodorant on top. That one, and shopping for Beanie Babies and bras. Good luck!

So funny! This reminds me of the fun I had teaching 6th grade for 9 years. I've since moved to teaching 4th; they're a little more docile. A little. Maybe.

12 hours is a looooong drive with kids and a dog. Glad you made it home in one piece! I can identify with your pleasure, though, in physical stress rather than mental. I think that's another reason I enjoy gardening. It relieves the teaching stress.

I had to laugh, too! I'm a teacher, and the "regulars" eye me up at the laundromat and the thrift store, too. I want to say, "I don't make that much! I need this place, too!"

Role models turn up in the strangest places, as you found out. Readers raise readers, but our choices of reading material affect our children as much as the fact that we do, indeed, read.

These conflicting designs make it tough for people with visual impairments.

85? Wow. The women in my family tree generally develop health problems in their 50s and 60s. My mother is 69, and we know she's on borrowed time given her gene pool. I won't be an "orphan," even though I lost my dad a few years ago. I have an extended family that includes in-laws and a stepfather, and as quirky as they are, we love them dearly.

Mean girls still exist, more's the pity. Give your little one the anti-venom; she'll use it well.

Love that picture!

I love how our kitties (and bunnies) know they can get away with just about anything and know we'll still love them and photograph them and blog their exploits.

That kitty has a plan. Watch out, mama. Hope your job search goes well!

Love the pictures! My rabbit set his paws on the keyboard one day; I ended up with a google search for waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...

Oh, Stewie, so dramatic!

Somehow, I predict he's going to weather this trauma better than you are. Hugs to you and the boob. Wait, that sounded all wrong...

A public train station? With no public parking? I'm a hopeless midwesterner. I'm so spoiled with easy access to parking.