windigo - I posted some idea pictures on the other "Rocks Rocks Rocks" entry that you have (I didn't see the duplicate listing and picture till I had posted them). WOW! Those are some great rocks!! Very good ideas here, and you are right, you will probably be bringing in more rocks when you see how much beauty they add to your yard. My DH has finally gotten used to that idea, and we make special trips to the river to haul them home. We live smack in the middle of the Rockies, and about 25 miles from the Arkansas River in Colorado, so we do not lack in rocks around here, but what I wouldn't give to have a few of YOUR beauties!! I was picturing a mini-Stonehenge after seeing some of those longer boulders you have. Of course you would have to anchor them really well to protect the pets and little ones. I will be looking at those rock piles with a little different eye this summer! Good luck and please do post pictures of your projects!

flyleft, there are only a couple of doctors in the US doing this particular procedure, but you could contact Dr. Greenspan's office (via that site I linked; ask for Lois, his assistant - if you want my full mundane name to use as a reference, email me if you don't know it already) to see if there is someone closer to you. Dr. G and the neurosurgeon he works with to do the permanent implants are the most experienced with it, have done the most studies and procedures over the longest period of time, so people do come in from all over the country to see Dr. Greenspan. It's a relatively new use of an older technology, IIRC a couple of thousand have been done worldwide - I'm more or less one of the guinea pigs to get this more widespread. It was just sheer luck that I live nearby and that a rheumatologist dumped me in Dr. Greenspan's lap as a "hopeless case". I did not get total relief from pain, although some lucky folks do. The vast majority of patients (close to 90%) get at least 50%. It works best on nerve-based pain so "mechanical" pain like plain ol' osteoarthritis and such isn't likely to get as much effect (and it doesn't do a damn thing for cramps! *wry chuckle*) and I got a "meh" response on migraines. Nor does it have the slightest effect on acute pain at all. My overall average pain levels dropped by about 2/3 which is considered an excellent result. On the standard 0-10 pain scale "my normal" ranges from 5 (a good day, WITH meds) to an 8 (again, WITH meds); with the trial neuromodulator after about 2 weeks of healing and adaptation a 5 was a "bad day" and I was averaging a 3. My best day was a 2, which I then promptly went and made into a 5 by having WAY too much fun LOL! I went from 4 strong pain pills a day (and still not being able to function past about 20% of normal) to 2 (but with increased activity levels) and a couple of amazing days with just 1 pill broken into two doses supplemented with a few Advils. I had the trial unit put in June 15th and taken out July 30, and lemmetellya, it has sucked big time since. Major, major flare. I think I've just plunked down on the nearest piece of furniture or even just the floor and bawled more in the last month than I did in the preceding decade. I had hysterics last week when I finally broke down and took my cane back out of the closet. I'd honestly come close to forgetting just how bad it was - I mean I knew it was bad, but... THIS bad? Really? I didn't "feel like my old [healthy] self" because it didn't take away all the OTHER crap like the neurological and cognitive issues, the GI/urinary stuff, the extraordinary fatigue and weakness... basically the way I put it to the doctor was that I felt like I did about 13-14 years ago when I "just" had CFS, before the fibro and the various neuropathies reared their ugly heads and my back gave me its final "f-you, I quit", but dropping the pain so much lightened the total load on me. Congrats on your first "rebirthday"!

Hello I'm sorry if I have offended some people with my comments. I don't think I explained my situation very well and, as we are all prone to doing when we are feeling down, I focused too much on the negative in my posts. I hope that in not having put my best foot forward I haven't messed up my chances of being able to use the forum to offer and receive support in the future. I certainly didn't want to upset anyone. Hoping to clear up a few issues of doubt (my fault for not making it clearer): 1. I have no problem at all with my partner calling his kids once a day. Twice a day. Whenever he needs to. I should have made it clear that my gripe was with my partner usually calling his ex-wife when his kids aren't even there. This is his right, as their father, to ask about their well-being, but I happen to know that the conversations are rarely limited to his kids. I simply ask him not to hide these calls from me because it creates suspicion where there doesn't need to be any. when he calls her in fron tof me i leave the room. i respect his privacy. But there is no place for hiding stuff in a partnership. he does not HAVE to hide calls to his kids from me in any way shape or form. I'm sorry if my post gave that impression. 2. With regard to the financial situation. My ex gives me as much as he can, which is enough for us to get by on if I work. I have to work to raise my kids. I have always worked. I'm not looking for a free lunch from anyone. My problem with my partner is that his ex has refused to look for work for two years now. We have been struggling because the money he has left after giving 70% of his salary (his choice, not court imposed) to his ex does not cover what we spend and we do NOT live a life of luxury. I appreciate that he has to pay for his kids and compensate his ex for her loss of income due to their divorce. But it's tough when you are both working so hard to make ends meet (actually not BOTH...three of us..because my ex also works hard) and your partner's ex can run up three hundred dollar phone bills in a month calling her latest guy...and you know you will end up footing the bill. This has happened. Things LIKE this happen too much. 3. His kids visiting. I will admit that I did not have a very clear concept of what this would be like for my kids. There are a lot more issues here than I went into in my posts. One of my children has Aspergers and we try to keep to a fairly a tight routine for him. This is not respected when his kids come. My kids are supposed to be in bed by nine but often, he is still here with his kids at this time and I end up having to virtually ask him to leave, which is really ugly. But when you are trying to hold lifer together as a working mom with four kids, things like getting them to bed on time are really important. Having two kids running around at this time makes things stressful when they don't need to be. Rules are not respected sometimes because tends to be soft on his kids. I understand this, when he has limited time with them adn doesn't want to be the bad guy. but it means that my kids get very confused about what is right and wrong. I take a back step and allow him to discipline his own kids but it's hard for mine to understand that there is one rule for them and one rule for my partner's kids. he feels his kids should have complete run of the house when they come. i say there are boundaries that should be respected, which are ONLY the same boundaries that I impose on my own kids, such as them not being allowed to take food without asking, such as the younger kids not being allowed into their older sister's bedroom without permission. To him, this is me not making them feel at home. 4. Vacations. I appreciate that my attitude seems selfish. OK, I admit that it is. I have tried to suggest us going on separate vacations. Last year we did that. We went away with his kids for six days to the beach while mine were with their dad at the beach. Then, when I wanted usto go away with my kids to the beach later in the Summer, he insisted we take his kids too because by taking mine away with us to stay with my friends who had invited us to their rented beach house for a week, my kids were then getting more days at the beach than kis because they had already had six days at the beach with their Dad. Things like that leave you with a bad taste in your mouth because everything gets painted like a competition. my kids are always painted as the lucky ones. I can't take them on a day trip without him insisting we do the same with his kids the following week. He is NOT expected to pay for these trips, by the way. I have familyin England. My whole family. I take my kids there once a year. I can't afford to take them all. I usually have to take one at a time for financial reasons but it is important for them to see their grandparents. What we keep on getting is that it's HIS kids' turn next. I find this really hard. I pay for these trips. Actually, the last few years my family have helped me out and paid for these trips. I would find it so hard to justify to my kids that I would take his kids to stay with THEIR grandparents, leaving them behind. OK, so his kids miss out on a plane trip. But they have all four grandparents down the street. We all have blessings and crosses to bear. They're not always the same. And yes, I am sadly doing my children a disservice a lot of the time because I am trying so hard to make this work and to make him happy and make his kids happy. I think maybe that is why I feel so resentful at times. And I'm glad that some of you have pointed that out to me. xx

This is not my oldest but it is one that I do treasure because it is practical and used everyday. It is a 30" laboratory sink from a university that was built in 1970. When they were renovating the labs, I got one of those sinks and it is now my refurbished "farmsink" that holds a prominent place in my kitchen. Another one is my large steamliner pressure cooker which is still going strong. Bought this in 1970 from an old woman who was leaving the island. Never had to service this vintage and cooks up a storm during the holiday seasons. There was another tall one that I had, can't remember the brand name but it had four stacked "trays" that would allow you to cook products of varied cooking time at the same time. That I gave to my mother when I was leaving home. It was too big for me then. Lastly, my grandmother had a brass plant pot that every weekend, as children, we had to clean it with burnt charcoal and lime juice. I could not wait to grow up to get the younger ones to do the cleaning. One day I went to a garage sale and found one just like it. I bought it because now I can buy silvo or brasso :). I love old things especially if they bring back memories. They must also be unique. Just my 2 cents.