Jaz- Hugs to you with stress up to your ears. I hope your long day goes well today, I really do, and that your tummy can put up with it all.

Special loving vibes to your DD.

RE: dumping cable.. I would get Youtube TV. Check it out. And I've never heard of a Fall Spider!

Hope your SoIL can help you with the website. I think we took two very different paths. Since I bought my domain from GoDaddy they had a really easy site builder thing. I think your is having to be done from scratch.

Lori- Have a great time in NYC. I really love that city, as long as I'm not in a touristy area.

Trig- Your crab meal sounds absolutely amazing, even if you did eat yourself to feeling sick. That part sounds decidedly less good. Safe travels home!

Blue- Hugs to you while you adjust to this semi-retired period. It does seem to be ever shifting for you, but I know this meeting you had last week took some wind from your sails. Sit with it and turn it in your head for a while. I've known you long enough to know that you will come out with a different perspective in time and a new approach to happiness.

GIRL look at you dropping pounds! I am picking them up for you! No really though I am super pleased for you. Well done. You do it in your own way and your own time but it happens for you nonetheless!

Glad that you are still getting some enjoyment from the pool even if it doesn't call to you quite as loudly as it did.

••••••••

Really sorry for you guys getting hit so hard with the heat down south. We are humid but temps are in the 80s, which is nice. I can feel a touch of Fall coming- not so much in the temps quite yet but a few leaves are starting to drop (also from dry conditions) and the greens are no longer bright but tired looking. It is turning dusk by around 8 PM now too.

Yes, I do believe a recession is coming as well. It was expected really, and it's cyclical but it is still horrendously hard on people. I've been hearing for a while about the mortgage debt creeping up and up, and the consumer debt creeping up and up which are indicators of where we were headed. Crossing fingers that we all get through this just fine.

We have been in that halcyon phase the last few days here at my house where all the kids are happy, love each other and want to spend time together. The conflict between the two boys (which was really just with T adjusting to the GF and whatever else he had to work through) has passed and they are in a really good place again. The three kids went out for the afternoon yesterday, and then DD and SoIL came over for dinner (last of DS20's meals: tortellini carbonara) and then they all went outside and were playing frisbee. The fam has pulled together to really see DS20 off well- filled with time and love and favorite foods. I can't believe that we leave for the airport this afternoon around 1. It will be a full day for DH and I as it will take a while to get there- then go in and see him through checking his bag and off to security, then a couple of hours of traffic to get back home from that part of DC. And then I won't see him again until the tail end of October.. at which point he will be 21!!

Had my first online class yesterday. It was easy. I do need to go back and do the activity though. So many people were in the house yesterday that I could not think!! It was good- the kids were in the living room with T playing the piano and they were singing etc - but not a good time to try to be writing goals and objectives! I will sit down in some quiet on Friday to get that done before moving on to the next lesson. Lessons are posted Wednesday and Friday. And btw this is not a hard class at all- more like a continuing ed type class.

I have to get DS17 up for his dentist appt soon. I guess that is more or less it.