The letter I copied above, must not have been read too recently! I kept reading it and thinking--"I don't think ACORN is doing the Census since there are several controversies they are involved in that have called them in to a questionable status." Here's what I found: "The Census Director has sent a letter to the National Headquarters of ACORN notifying the group that the Census Bureau is severing all ties with the community organizing group for all work having to do with the 2010 census. "Over the last several months, through ongoing communication with our regional offices, it is clear that ACORN's affiliation with the 2010 Census promotion has caused sufficient concern in the general public, has indeed become a distraction from our mission, and may even become a discouragement to public cooperation, negatively impacting 2010 Census efforts," read a letter from Census Director Robert M. Groves to the president of ACORN. "Unfortunately, we no longer have confidence that our national partnership agreement is being effectively managed through your many local offices. For the reasons stated, we therefore have decided to terminate the partnership," the letter said. The news follows the firing Friday of two more ACORN employees after new hidden-camera footage showed workers for the group advising a couple posing as a pimp and prostitute how to subvert the law." I thought so! Okay--now that's taken care of, what next? :o)

I think there are a few rose-colored glasses being donned here. I remember the '60s. Back then, you could figure on replacing a washer and dryer about every five years. (One exception was old Maytags, which ran forever. But they were very pricey, and I recall my mom saying that friends of hers who had them hated them because they didn't clean very well.) It seemed like my dad worked on ours constantly. Besides the frequent breakdowns, there was regular maintenance: the agitator spindle had to be lubricated every three months or so. Once a year the washer and dryer motors had to be oiled. And the dryer needed a new belt about once a year. Oh, and washers didn't have self-cleaning filters then. There was a oblong-shaped screen thing that had to be pulled out of a nook in the tub and cleaned after every load, or else the next load wouldn't get clean. The timer would go out in about three years. Same for the dryer element. And when you finally bought a new set, you didn't sell the old washer and dryer; you took them to the dump because they were completely used up. You could figure on the TV breaking down about once a year. I recall making many trips to Sears with my dad and a bag full of tubes, to use the tube tester. If that didn't get it, time to call the repairman. You could figure on a TV lasting about seven years before the CRT or something else expensive failed, and then it was time for a new one. In the kitchen, the stove needed a new element somewhere about once every two years. That more or less coincided with the schedule on which the fridge broke down. Diswashers weren't a problem because nobody had one. Microwave ovens were unheard of. When a car got to be about four years old, it was worn out. My dad kept a '61 Buick for nine years and I remember his friends teasing him about that old car. Every few thousand miles it ate a starter solenoid. Dad always kept one in the trunk. He got to where he could change one in about 15 minutes. Even a new car needed a quart of oil every fourth or fifth trip to the gas station. Tires were good for maybe 20,000 miles. Shocks for not much more.

I'm going to overlook all the relationship issues here, plenty of great advice has been given. I'll just give my 2 cents on the design aspect. Maybe his mother loves your style and that is part of why she wants the condo. Her lifestyle has changed over the years and maybe she doesn't know how to let go of some things but maybe she loves your style too. If that's the case, it might not be too insensitive to say you want to change the style of the new house. I would take the changes slowly, you don't want to trample on feet but as you remodel, you can always fall back on the idea that you want to change things before you start a family because you know once a baby is here not much else will get done for a while. This may be a more gentle way for his mother to accept the changes, and make her excited about being a grandmother one day. It might make it easier for her to let go knowing that broken furniture or lots of storage isn't safe for curious little ones. Good luck!

I totally agree with wearing masks and I think Arcy makes a good point. Many businesses in my area are now starting to require masks. BUT, it really depends on if the requirement is enforced. I can see a small business (such as my hair salon) asking someone to put on a mask or leave. I cannot see this happening in my local grocery store. It could cause a big disruption and as far as I know, there are no security personnel in the store. I just can't see the store manager making someone leave. There are just too many people out there who are so against being told to wear a mask. I don't understand it, but I have seen so many comments on line where people are stating they absolutely will not wear a mask and "you can't make me". There are many who do believe it takes away our personal freedom. Actually, I have a friendly acquaintance that has always been a wonderful person, helps others, goes that extra mile, etc. I was quite frankly shocked when I read a FB post where she (very nicely) explained that she does not believe the masks are helping and that it is her personal freedom to not wear a mask. While I just cannot fathom her thinking, it is something we will have to agree to disagree on. It just blows my mind, but there seem to be alot of people with that mindset. Again, I am only accountable for my own actions and I try not to judge others (and sometimes that's really hard!). Today I will go to the produce market and the post office. If I come upon someone without a mask, I steer clear, even turn my head from them.