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BelleBayard
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on: October 21, 2015 10:16
Weather is finally cooler, but not much in the way of rain. Days are getting shorter, too. Migraines still plaguing me, but so far I've been able to lessen the one I woke up with at 2:30 a.m. today. Son-in-law was home a couple of days ago during a thunderstorm in the place in Colorado when lightning struck the pole their Internet comes through. Fried the modem. At least it didn't damage the lines, but left them without wifi so they had no communication (their phone line is interconnected with that as well as their cell coverage AND the internet). Glad it was something relatively easily fixed. Everyone have a good day.
Dimple_Bumbleroot
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on: October 22, 2015 08:52
Tuesday and wednesday was cool but sunny so I manage to work quite a lot and there is only one bedplant to put to sleep and I'll do that saturday,it's supposed to be sunny and cool and it will be over for this year.Every good thing has an end

BELLE:I'm so sorry for you to have those migraines,it is very upsetting and painfull.I'm afraid of big thunderstorm,it makes me nervous.I lost a microwave oven two years ago when a lightening came through a wire in the wall and the microwave oven burned.I used to like thunderstorm when I was younger and went out on the balcony to look at the sky but not anymore...it must be the fact that I'm getting a lot less younger and a lot more fearsome.Well that's life I guess.

AWELYN: How are you doing in your garden,did you close your swimming pool yet?

Have a goodnight all
Neenime
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on: October 22, 2015 09:03
Greetings all.

Dimple snow already? I hope it's just a light dusting. We generally have had snow by now but this Autumn has been unusually warm. We are, however, going to get the snow tires put on my husband's car today. He travels on the highway for work and we don't want to take chances.

Awelyn I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating Lillie's birthday.

Dimple. I have finally slogged my way through the Satanic Verses. Wow- that was a strange experience. Much of it reads like fantasy and it was difficult at times to get my bearings. A lot of it seems symbolic, which I usually delight in, but frankly, I cannot say that I enjoyed it. It was interesting and the best aspects were about the interior view of the characters. As usual, literature is at its best when it illuminates the depths of the human experience, but this vie was hard-won. I felt as if I had just run a marathon. Perhaps I will try another of his books.

Belle. I hope you're feeling better. Migraines can be so painful. That's a nasty experience with thunderstorms. Too bad you can enjoy the as much as you used to.

Gandolorin thanks for the insights about Germany. Our nations are made of diverse people, regions, histories and economic factors. A national identity is not, as you say, a monolithic thing.

Wishing you all a good day.

“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. " Gandalf
BelleBayard
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on: October 22, 2015 10:19
It was Dimple who no longer enjoys them. My son-in-law's the one who was home in Colorado when nature decided to get wild. Not sure there's anything one can do to prevent it from happening again.

I still have a migraine, had one the past few days, but it's not as bad so off to work I go. Throbbing behind my left eye... so lovely. Not!
Dimple_Bumbleroot
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on: October 24, 2015 08:40
I managed to work on my last bedplant today,2/3 of it is done and I'm pretty happy about it because it is a huge bedplant,next rendez vous probably monday or tuesday,tomorrow is raining.

NEENIME:Yes Satanic Verses is a strange experience and quite frankly I didn't know what to think about this book beside that it was interesting,a few times I was lost and was wondering what he is talking about,and the characters are sometimes difficult to grasp I'm glad that I finished it and like you I didn't really enjoyed it.I have another of his book in my reader ''Grima''I think the title is but I will wait a little bit I'm not that adventurous!
Neenime
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on: October 24, 2015 09:37
I awoke this morning to see Venus and Jupiter blazing down together, like a pair of celestial eyes. What a gorgeous sight in the Eastern sky. It is one of the consolations of diminishing light at this time of year - the night sky is more visible. I also love sunrise at this time, as you can see it at a sensible hour and not have to get up before five a.m. to enjoy that spectacular view.

Belle I hope the migraine is gone by now. i wonder if anyone is still using biofeedback as a treatment ? Many years ago we used to teach people to use relaxation and visualization to balance the blood flow into the head, since the dilation of previously constricted arteries was thought to cause the pain. The biofeedback machines just let people have a visual or auditory signal to help them notice more readily the changes in their bodies. Anyway, I hope you have some techniques for easing the discomfort.

I read on FB that someone has discovered some original maps of Tolkien's with annotations. I believe it was an illustrator who had them tucked into a copy of one of The Professor's books (Baynes). Would love to see them up close. http://www.theonering.net/torwp/2015/10/23/99523-tolkiens-own-annotated-map-discovered-lose-inside-copy-of-lotr/

“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. " Gandalf
Dimple_Bumbleroot
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on: October 28, 2015 08:40
My work is all done in the garden.I finished it yesterday.It was a fabulous fall day,sunny and cool,blue sky,and the smell of fresh autumn leaves on the ground...makes me feel good

Tomorrow will be rainy day with up to 70mm of rain,gusty winds,it will be an autumn storm.It's the left over from Patricia it's coming down on us but only for tomorrow.I hope so.

NEENIME,the title of the book is not Grima but Grimus just in case you'll be interested.
awelyn418
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on: October 28, 2015 03:42
Dimple yes the pool has been closed for about two weeks. All my flowers are gone except for some mums I bought for Autumn decorations. The leaves are still looking good but some of my trees are bare. We have had rain for three days but I am not complaining.
Lily party was at a park and we had nice cool weather. One of her gifts was a Doc McStuffins microphone. It is a cartoon on Disney about a little girl that is a toy doctor and she can talk to the toys because of an magical stethescope.SP? One of the songs is Time for a check when Lily got her gift she took the microphone and started belting out that song. We had a good time. It was cute and funny.
Belle hope your migraine is better and thank goodness the lightening did not cause a fire.
Neenime I read that to and how interesting.
I wish you all a good night and a good day tomorrow.
BelleBayard
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on: October 28, 2015 10:19
Thanks, all for the kind wishes. No migraine, but some sort of stomach virus that laid me low the past 3 days and still not optimal. Can only tolerate liquids. Not quite how I wanted to drop weight. :/ Back to work today, if I can stand it for 9 hours. Weather a bit cooler, thank heavens, but no precipitation in sight.
Dimple_Bumbleroot
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on: October 30, 2015 08:31
BELLE how is your stomach? Hope you feel better

Went grocery shopping today and all the Christmas goodies are out,cookies,cakes,pies and what not.Made me think of what I will bake this year,it's early but time goes fast, too fast.

Have a good evening all
BelleBayard
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on: October 30, 2015 10:01
Finally on the mend. First time I ate anything solid was last night - if you can call mashed potatoes solids. LOL... Going to try quinoa tonight. No more pain, thank heavens!
Gandolorin
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on: October 31, 2015 03:24
With mashed potatoes being mentioned, I just cannot resist mentioning one of my absolutely favorite "Hägar the Horrible" (by Dik Browne) comic strip episodes.

Hägar and Lucky Eddie are eating somewhere.
Lucky Eddie is chewing away to beat the band.
Hägar asks "Lucky Eddie, what are you doing?"
Lucky Eddie replies "My mother told me to always chew everything fifteen times."
Hägar: "But MASHED POTATOES???"
Lucky Eddie: "She never said it would be easy to stick with the regimen."
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Neenime
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on: November 03, 2015 09:00
Belle - I am glad to see that you are recovering. I hope that you have a relatively easy day at work. Being on your feet for that long will are a lot out of you.

Awelyn , that sounded like a fun party for Lilly. Kids are so much fun. They are good for us, too.

I hope those of you who celebrate Hallowe'en had a good time. I was disappointed with the rainy weather, considering we've had a very mild and pleasant fall. As visual we had no children but that is to be expected since we live in a semi rural area with no sidewalk or street lights. Do any of you dress up when you give out candy? I always enjoyed doing that when there were more children in the neighbourhood.

I recently ran across another of Tolkien's works – The Lost World. I haven't seen the entire book but found an excerpt online. It's the beginning's of a story which connects our modern times to the age of Middle Earth. You can see that Tolkien was still working out some of his ideas as some of the names changed. The book is edited by Christopher and has some notes that discuss the differences. I was less interested in that scholarly information and more happy to just read Tolkien's words and immerse myself in his ideas and visions. Here's is a link to the Wikipedia description of the book.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lost_Road_and_Other_Writings

I am off to bake an onion and olive focaccia. Have a wonderful day, everyone.



[Edited on 11/04/2015 by Neenime]
“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. " Gandalf
Dimple_Bumbleroot
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on: November 04, 2015 08:29
That's a good one Gandolorin

YEAH for mashed potatoes! Belle is on the mend

NEENIME: I used to dress up when my daughter was young and go with her on Hallowe'en night,that was fun and my husband stays at home for the kids who came to our door.But since we lived on a mountain we don't have any children coming for Hallowe'en.It's quite dark in here no street lights and it's a long walk up the big hill so it's really quiet on that special evening.
BelleBayard
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on: November 04, 2015 09:46
Lightning, thunder, and rain last night and a migraine to go with it. A bit better, but still hurting. Very few children Saturday and we live in a suburb so thinking parents taking them to parties rather than trick or treating.
Evil~Shieldmaiden
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on: November 05, 2015 03:35
Glad to see you're feeling better, Belle.

The weather here has been typical for the time of year. Rainy days mixed with sunny ones. The temperatures are mild though so we're still wearing light raincoats. Hopefully, it will stay that way for a while yet.

I having gutter helmet installed to hopefully eliminate the clogging issues I have because of all the trees around the house. When it rains, the gutters on the front look like a mini Niagara Falls. My neighbour across the street is getting his done as well so we've managed to get a bit of a discount which is always a good thing.

I was hoping to see the meteor showers tonight but it's going to be overcast and rainy. There is another group arriving later this month so maybe I'll be able to catch them instead. Apparently, one of the meteors in this group looks like a giant fireball.

Have a great day.
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awelyn418
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on: November 05, 2015 02:21
Yes Neenime I dress up when I hand out candy.
Belle glad you are feeling better.
ES the last two meteor showers I could not see because of cloudy weather.
lol Gandolorin.
We are having very stormy weather tonight. Have a good night and great weekend. I am going to see my daughter and her family this weekend.
Dimple_Bumbleroot
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on: November 08, 2015 08:33
Sunny and cold today but it was good.I played outside with Felix,we bought him a new toy,it's a small tire and he gets very excited when I roll it on the grass.He barks with joy and turn around and run after it to catch it.It's a real pleasure to see him him having fun.

I spent also a part of the afternoon trying to figure it out why the books I purchased on Kobo were not on my library.Finally I phoned them and I received an e-mail with instructions to get my books back.Hope it will work because I will be very frustrated!

Have a nice evening
awelyn418
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on: November 11, 2015 11:36
Hello Dimple had a good visit at my daughter's at my oldest grandchildren Jacob and Lauren who are twins went to a Marine Ball. They are both 17 and Lauren's boyfriend is in Marine ROTC at his high school and they have a ball once a year. It is a formal affair so my granddaughter looked amazing and so did her date as well as my grandson and his date. They had fun. Yesterday my granddaughter Erin was 5 and today her brother Ethan is 15.How quickly they grow. I had a day off from babysitting today but had a dentist appointment this afternoon .Yuck I hate those appointments as it was a deep cleaning and very painful. But I am feeling better had some mashed potatoes. I just wanted to drop in and say hello. Have a great week everyone.

[Edited on 11/16/2015 by awelyn418]
Dimple_Bumbleroot
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on: November 15, 2015 08:35
Yes Awelyn children grow quickly and the first thing you know is that they're out of your sight doing their own things dropping once and a while on the doorstep and that's the way life goes isn'it?

Very quiet weekend not much sun and cold,that was perfect for reading with a hot chocolate milk miam miam!

Nice evening all
awelyn418
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on: November 15, 2015 02:22
I have been so sad with the conditions in Paris and other countries such hate I can not comprehend. I was stunned and at a loss for words when I first saw this on television. I am clinging to hope and I go to Tolkien and read to give me that hope and I go to my faith but sometimes you are just numb and you are at a loss what to do to help the situation. Have a great week and I am thankful for you all.

[Edited on 11/16/2015 by awelyn418]
Gandolorin
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on: November 16, 2015 04:05
JRRT died in 1973. Would he have been surprised at anything that has happened in the last 42 years? I fear not. WW I veteran, father of WW II combatants, lived through the Korean and (most of) the Vietnam War ...
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awelyn418
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on: November 18, 2015 02:17
Sad to say he would not have been surprised Gandolorin.
BelleBayard
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on: November 18, 2015 10:17
His stories that dealt with adventure yes, but war as well, shows he had experiences with this personally and while he had hope for the world, he also seemed to be aware that we had the potential for horrific things as well as wonderful things. One can only hold out hope that the current trend does not spread, like the Orcs from Mordor.
Gandolorin
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on: November 19, 2015 02:56
Along with Elves, Hobbits, Men and Dwarves, Orcs were also a manifestation of the Human Race in JRRT's works, as far as I can see. And just in the 20th Century, we had the Orcs of Nazi Germany, Stalin's Soviet Union and Mao's China (and at a local level the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia and what happened in Ruanda, but also Burundi; my list is certainly incomplete). Xenophobia appears to be a legacy that we carry from our long history, but which has had horrific consequences once we "progressed" beyond fistfights ...
And the world becoming increasingly crowded in so many ways has not helped matters, quite to the contrary.
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Dimple_Bumbleroot
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on: November 21, 2015 08:42
What is hard to understand is the reason why they do it.Don't they like life,humanity,civilisation,don't they like to live!!!??.There was a program on the radio saying that philosophers,theologians,thinkers of the muslim faith start to reflect and really questionning the root of their religion and why it is so violent, and what is wrong with it?

And yes Gandolorin your list is incomplete and it's scaring me to death because for what we know it's maybe only the tip of the iceberg.
Gandolorin
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on: November 23, 2015 04:58
Short and harsh: the most dangerous molecule in the known universe is testosterone.
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Dimple_Bumbleroot
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on: November 25, 2015 08:20
Gandolorin it is not very reassuring...sigh
BelleBayard
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on: November 25, 2015 11:17
Rain today, off and on, hard to light. Lights out at work when I got there for about an hour, then the water was off. Finally all back to normal. The world has been a dangerous place for a very long time. We have known relative peace quite a while so this is distressing. However, in some parts of the world that has been NO peace at all. We tend to be rather insulated in many ways, despite the media, which I feel picks and chooses what to show us. Enough of that!

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow U.S. FoFers and all have a good day!
Evil~Shieldmaiden
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on: November 27, 2015 03:25
I hope everyone who lives in the US had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Those of us living in the Great White North had our celebration in October.

The weather here has been pretty typical for this time of the year. Rain followed by glorious sunshine and cool temperatures has been the pattern of the month. The frosty mornings are quite beautiful, if a tad treacherous.

We also tend to see strong winds during the late fall and winter months which can play havoc with the hydro lines. We had a brief outage on Tuesday when a tree fell on the lines. Fortunately, I have a standing invitation to go to the neighbours across the street where they have a generator and propane fireplace.

Somehow, with a couple of bags of groceries in both hands, I managed to trip and, while trying to maintain my balance, pulled a muscle on my upper left ribcage. Not as bad as fractured ribs, but super painful all the same. I've been babying it and it's starting to feel a bit better. Everyone here just rolls their eyes when I injure myself as they all know me for the total klutz that I am. LOL

It's starting to warm up outside so I'm going to head out and add a few more lights to the display. We're a very competitive bunch on my street, but it always looks fantastic when we're done.

Have an awesome weekend!

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BelleBayard
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on: November 28, 2015 01:27
Ow, ES... Pulling intercostal muscles IS horrendously painful. Hope you heal well. Had a very nice Thanksgiving, feeding friends who had to work. Rained past couple of days, but sun out now. Still cool, but now bright.
Dimple_Bumbleroot
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on: November 28, 2015 08:49
ES: I hope you're mending nicelyand with little pain as possible.

BELLE:Talking about the media,we always watch Euro News and I feel if I compare of what we have here,that it is more complete and they tell the news as it is without interpretations.The local papers and the national ones give good information but if I want to know more there are the international papers ,like the ones in France,England, Israel and so on.it gives me a more complete picture of what is going on and I can have a more precise idea of the world around me.But there is always a little something in the back of my head about the neutrality of the reporters and jounalists.But lately reading the papers is so depressing!

There is no snow yet and it is unusual.Normally at this time of the year the snowblower is out and in use but there is no snow to blow and it is cool but not cold and no flurries as far as the weather man can see on a short period.I don't like snow very much except from the 23 december to 2 january just to put me on the holiday season and after that I'm dreaming of spring.Hope there will be snow but only for the holidays.

Hope you all have a nice thanksgiving.Good week-end all
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on: November 28, 2015 09:05
Greetings all.

I feel with you for the carnage in Paris. It's difficult for us to comprehend such wanton violence. Theoden said something to that effect, though the exact words elude me. The trouble is that we think of them as somehow different from us. We all have some capacity for tremendous hatred and destruction. Most of us never act on it, but we have probably all had the impulse to destroy a room in utter rage, or to smash someone to bits. I suspect that ISIL capitalizes on recruiting the angry and disenfranchised, who are disconnected from humanity and vulnerable to acting on it. Then he feeds their heads with propaganda that seems to structure and rationalize what they do.

I have also felt powerless against this force of evil, yet we cannot just lie down and let it wash over us. I am hopeful that enough people disagree with ISIL and enough Moslems will find a way to resist and speak up, that their ability to recruit will be diminished. It will take action on several fronts to overcome this. It's not nice and simple like getting a big enough army or the right magic spell to have the Battle of the Pelennor Fields or the Battle of the Battle of the Morannon to end it all. Reality is a lot more complex than that.

ES - ouch ! I hope you are recovering well. Sometimes it doesn't take more than a moment on inattention or imbalance to get hurt. Hope you're better soon.

Just got back from Winnipeg where we went to visit our youngest last weekend. We drove through terrible icy conditions for the last few hours and we're glad to get into the city. Had a lovely visit and were fortunate to have a safe and easy drive back home on Tuesday. winter driving can sure be treacherous at times!

Hoping the American folk in our group had a lovely Thanksgiving. Wishing all of you good health and peace as we go through the holiday season.

“Some believe it is only great power that can hold evil in check. But that is not what I have found. I have found that it is the small everyday deeds of ordinary folk that keep the darkness at bay. Small acts of kindness and love. " Gandalf
awelyn418
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on: November 29, 2015 02:50
Hello everyone I had a great Thanksgiving visiting with my sister and her family and then to my youngest daughter's house for supper. It was nice.
But two days before Thanksgiving my eldest daughter sent me a letter telling me she was jealous and so were her children of my youngest daughter's two children. Eldest lives 2 and a half hours away and youngest in same town with me. I was knocked for a loop I had no idea. I knew I was talking about them to much and I promised to curtail that and other things. But no matter what I do it does not seem to be enough for her. I have tried explaining but she says I am making excuses for myself. She wants me to be the grandmother to her youngest that I was to her other children 17 years ago. I tried to explain to her that is impossible as I am older and I don't visit like I did 17 years ago. She tells me I am the only one to fix this an d if I don't there is no hope for our relationship. So it really put a damper on the holidays. My youngest read my letter when she saw how upset I was and now her feelings are hurt. I am striving to find an answer.
ES I hope you are feeling better soon and heal quickly. Your weather sounds lovely.Neenime I am glad you had a great time with your son and also glad you made it home safely.
Dimple I am surprised that you have not had snow by now. But maybe by the holidays.
Belle the media drives me crazy. Especially if an official talks and then the reporter feels like they have to translate to me what the official said and that drives me crazy.
Have a great Monday. I have decorated some of my house because Lily is coming tomorrow and loves decorations. She says oh my goodness. But I do love Christmas and love to decorate . So Goodnight all.
BelleBayard
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on: November 30, 2015 01:10
I'm so very sorry to hear that, awelyn (about your eldest daughter). It really isn't fair that she is blaming you, when she was the one who moved far away. If anything, she should make the effort to come to where you live on the holidays. Of course, the child that lives closer will see you more! Unless there is some way she could either fly you to her place, come down and get you, or alternate holidays I can't see a way to fix this. I don't like traveling long distances anymore either. Sibling rivalry doesn't seem to end once they're adults, but it's really painful when they blame you. Jealousy is a noxious emotion. Seriously, in today's world, with how folks living far apart it's impossible to visit everyone all the time. She could have SAID "I miss you and wish you would come to visit. How about we plan a holiday when you can come and stay for a bit?" instead of bottling it up and then blasting you, making you and your younger daughter feel like dirt. *sigh* So sorry, hon. Virtual hugs. Hopefully, she'll work it out. In the end, she will regret acting like this - pushing someone away out of jealousy when they are your mother or father and will not live forever is really going to hurt HER in the end.

[Edited on 11/30/2015 by BelleBayard]
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