I don't think you are whining either, and the longer you have been in one place, the more attached you can become to it. I used to get very attached to places and then felt homesick or loss when I moved or left, and I had an extremely difficult time when I moved from San Fransico to Austin, even though I had the excitement of going back to university. It took me two years to adjust, and I never got over the culture shock, even though I grew up in Texas. I made quite a few trips back to S.F. to visit, but it was never the same. The one thing constant in my life is my parents' house, but at this point in my life, I would not mind if they moved. I think downsizing is particularly difficult, and even more so if you have strong sentimental attachments. Ann should be a good help to you, since she has moved even more times than I have, I think. I'm sure you can talk with her about your feelings, and I do think it is best to talk it out with someone outside of your family. I do recommend also that you take videos of your gardens before you leave so that you can at least visit them that way after you have left. I love taking pictures of my gardens and looking at them later. You may want to document your house with video for other reasons as well. Lars

I like the white grout and I think if you give it time you will start to like it too. Right now you are just mad at this piece.I think it looks great. Fill the container with chocolate and by the time it is empty you will love the container. I never buy the colored grouts. I have a HUGE drawer of craft paints I mix my own colors as needed. Just add the paint first to be sure you get it in there and then add your water as needed. Not the other way around. Otherwise you might end up with WAY too much grout trying to get enough color. Usually I grab several bottles of paint and shake them Then open and set lids against my project and when you see the right color grout for your project you will know it. It will sepak to you. So many times I have picked a grout color in my mind got the paint to mix it and then YUCK it is not at all what I was looking for. I got to doing the paint bottle lid test and it has worked for me much better. Just remember the paint mixed grout usually dries lighter. Chris

Where I live dog attacks happen and often end badly. My town requires 3 reports before they get involved with citations, providing it didn't involve something very serious. My dog was attacked and required an emergency visit. I reported it. Unfortunately, the next 2 attacks didn't report. After the last one involved a child, the bad dog owners moved out in the middle of the night. No dummies there. If you have a humane officer or animal control department, see if you can get some assistance with ideas on how to proceed. They deal with this every day. These people work for you, the tax payer. You may need to take this farther to make safety changes. What if this was a kid? document the incident and keep a copy just for the future. You may not need it, I hope not. Notes on a calendar are fine. But, you need to protect your self. Is the dog outside all the time? Is it tied up when they aren't home? Some cities have strict tie up laws. Can you change your walk time? We had to do that. Some owners are oblivious to dogs moods and attitude. Other owners are down right scary. Some, like my neighbor, believes leash laws apply to everyone else but him. invisible fence requires a battery in the collar to zap the dog if they cross the line. Owners forget to change the batteries so the dog may not have gotten the zap. People not want to get involved. During my attack, I backed out into traffic hoping it would stop those dogs. Only when I started screaming "fire" did i hear the owner call the dogs. I know he heard the whole attack. No one helped. I walked home with my bleeding dog and trying to remain upright. I was terrified and 15 years later, still very anxious when i walk my dog. i used to love walking my dog 2 miles a day. No more. So be careful and realize the leash is an extension of your arm. Your fear runs down your arm and into the leash. Your dog feels the negative energy and in turn can project aggressive feelings you might not sense. I have found talking or singing to her when we approach a crazy dog behind a fence helps keep her brain focused on me and it calms me down, too. If its loose, I get the heck out of Dodge ASAP. No easy answers.

I'm not sure we know the whole story which is fine. I think I know/surmise what's going on as I know of someone that had something happen to them and was followed and photographed. Their FB page actually got them into trouble as they were supposed to be severely injured but they really were just pretending. They posted pictures on FB of being out 4 wheeling and having a great time when they were supposed to be so injured that they could hardly even walk. If there were someone that was investigating the case and did find their on line postings, they could even make something out of nothing. So rather than be afraid of every single word that is said, it is easier to just not participate. If he does indeed have a lawyer, they may be advising him to just halt all on line writing for now. I can't believe that someone has to be a vegetable just to get disability.