Thank you, AnnMarie and Oldmyst. I had a great day.

Oldmyst, my thoughts are with you and all others here, and I wish you the best.

thanks for everyones thoughts...and thoughts with you oldmyst...i missed r'n'r on friday due to the holiday, but i just wanted to share how perfect the memorial service for my grandfather was on saturday. tons of family/friends/food & drink. people spoke, laughed, read poems, and told stories about him. being an "old salt" of a man, we put roses and some ashes in the water at his house. showed pictures. flawless weather all weekend on long island. the only tears were good ones.

Thanks Otto. I am so sorry about your Grandfather. I know you will have him in your head and your heart everyday. Sounds like he was very loved.

What a lovely post, Otto. Peace.

Oldmyst, I can't imagine not having a dog. I have had german shepherds all my life. The problems people tell you about can be a few different things. My present dog is the only one who came into my life as a nine week old puppy and I never imagined how much extra problems puppies are. They pee whenever they don't want to do something and never seem to run out of pee to do it, and they chew on everything. If you get a small puppy you need to buy a "training create" for them at night. It house trains them. An older 9 month old "puppy" might be better for you.

Another problem for some people is that they don't have a fenced in back yard. If you don't have one it will cost you a lot of extra time with "dog business" walks on a leash.

I hope you decide to get a dog. They are well worth the extra work they cost. Same thing for a child!

I've missed this again, but thanks to all. Yesterday I took off and went to Oakbrook IL Nature Center and Salt Creek Mill and saw all the 1000s of white and light lilac colored tiny wild violet "stars" coming up all over. My two grandsons 3 & 6 think the Daddy Duck is much prettier than the Mommy Duck. My daughter stood in for me.

You can see the rebirth and beginnings of life everywhere you look in the forest. And pets are so special, and it isn't just the four legged ones, either. I wasn't home for 4 days and although he was fed etc. he (Sidney) chirped for 4 or 5 hours and wouldn't leave my shoulder when I came home.

All the other news is so bad that I can't relate it. But I have one more live in help person now, I know my daughter is tougher than the Marine.

jorr, things are sure different when I had dogs growing up. We never crate trained them. I know a puppy is a lot of work and responsiblity. That is why I hestitate. All my friends who have dogs tell me not to get one. How much work they are, how they bring dirt into the house, the hair, etc, etc. I have a feeling that I am going to see a dog and it will be love at first sight. You get unconditional love from a dog.

By the way, congrats on your dry groceries this week!

This is for those of you taking Fosamax long term.

Because of a specific metabolic bone situation (genetic)I've had to take some form of this since early 40s. I used to take it once a day. And weight training and aerobics both often do not alter the bone situation one bit. That effect from exercise may be vastly overestimated.

Because of its (Fosamax) continued use I now have no further collapsed vetebrae and am back pain free. My bone density is almost out of the osteopenia range and much, much improved.

The side effect of jaw involvement only occurs if you have infection or dental surgeries during Fosamax use. You can easily know if you are a candidate for that or not and proceed thusly.

The number of people who have dire side effects from statin use (and number of people currently using statins in the USA)which may or may NOT be permanent, are all much greater. As are the number of women who have dire effects from using birth control pills long term.

You risk some good or bad with any medicine you proceed to take. I couldn't even lay flat before Fosamax and was starting to get somewhat handicapped and had two wrist breaks too before 45. Now I can do anything anyone else can do, even go on roller coasters or skate, without cracking something.

And jorr, almost all of us love LOVE dogs, but not all people can live with the dander. Even "allergy" pets or dog breeds can be problematic for more and more children. One of my sons and one of his daughters have to visit the immediate care center with an asthma attack regardless of how many times they have told people (even his own brother with two huge Wheatins) that they can't be around them.

People just don't believe it, and perceive it as if they didn't "like" to be near the dogs.