Cooking for her is fine, BUT...

You want to study any of the fine recipes online first. Just plain meat is not enough. She needs a more balanced diet.

It would be okay to mix a little premium canned food with her kibble just to encourage her appetite, though. Is she getting enough exercise these days? Otherwise that might figure into the reason she's lost weight, lethargy, because her appetite is off.

I'm sure you'll figure it out.

That sounds like them.

I've always liked the Dominicans, Claretians, and Jesuits especially. Archbishop Romero was a Jesuit, and constantly in hot water with Rome after he awoke in defense of the people.

Teddy also

... famously chewed out an R for chewing out his (Ted's) staff instead of taking it up with him.

How many former boxing champs do you know who are really wimps?

You don't mind if I call you a DebbieDowner then, do you?

It's just you following the popular thing to do in some circles, calling him a wimp. Even at his age, I don't think you'd want to invite him out back of the barn to discuss that charge.

Don't expect the rest of us to stick our heads in the oven with you, then.

Or, if stranded in a teabagger hellhole like I am,

Where there are few other declared Democrats around and none except me are willing to stick their neck out for a meet-up, write letters to the editors of every newspaper you can find that will publish them. That's the most widely read section of many papers, especially the ones that lack a comics page! Use social media, too, as much as you can. Subscribe to the newsletters of good Democrats and sign petitions for your causes until your fingers are ready to fall off.

Often it's hard to tell if you're changing any minds, and plenty of people will castigate if not outright threaten you, but I tend to take the latter result as encouragement. At least you know you're hitting sore spots.

For instance today I read this week's paper which carried a screeching response to what I wrote for last week's edition. The guy didn't call me by name, but he started off complaining about Democrats' alleged lies and then proceeded to shovel so much manure of his own that the very page stank to high heaven. I'm pleased to report that among his other infuriated 'rebuttals' to everything I'd written, he called everyone in our party LYING HYENAS OF SOCIALISM. Oh, and I almost forgot; he called us lazy and greedy, too.

Well! I guess that showed me! I'll run to cover right now and never spread my socialist lies around here again!

And people wonder why I stay home the day after elections! I AM afraid one of those pitched beer bottles might find their mark one day. And I'd probably strut a little with a smug grin on my face. So it's best to stay home the day after and celebrate in private. Heck, I don't even go to church the following Sunday for fear of setting off a riot. These people are touchy, touchy!

I know what you mean

I was stranded in AZ for eight years. Would've returned to upper ME for retirement but it's largely gentrified by now and out of my reach unless I would be willing to live in a tiny government subsidized apartment, which I'm not. At least here I was able to buy a big enough place that I don't have to hear the neighbors' quarrels and I can have dogs and do all the gardening I want. So what if the house was almost ready to fall down when I found it? The extensive rehab needed will keep me busy the rest of my life, and it's in a very nice neighborhood. Most of the rottenest neighbors have already moved away, and I continue trying to win over the nicer ones. Give me another 7 1/2 years and at least a few of us will be singing Kumbaya together. Most people already like my present dogs; can I be far behind? They're not all bad here, just more than I ever dreamed existed.

This is also the same gardening zone as lower Maine, so the climate suits me more than some places. Four seasons and green as Ireland when it's warm.

Have you ever considered trying Iowa? I know they run conservative, but I've met a lot of nice people there. When I used to drive my big van on long trips, for some reason people seemed friendliest there. In a way it's just as well that I couldn't afford to relocate from my current area, because I admit there were plenty of times I would've, given the chance. Now it's just up to me to make sure I'm the last one standing. I can state proudly that one town mayor yelled at me during an official meeting that I was the most stubborn damnYankee he ever even heard of! I laughed and said, "Well, get used to it. We're all like that."

Just be sure you go someplace you can have pets. Nothing like a dog to soothe life's wounds. Except a son or daughter, of course. It's nice to know you'll be raising him to be a good citizen and future life partner for someone. My best to you and everyone at NOW, a truly great group.

I'm late reviewing some of these threads

But still want to say how much I admire your post. As a member of the far left of our party, I try to keep reminding people essentially that there's a good reason President Obama is in the WH and not one of us. We believe what we believe, but for the good of all - which should be the party mantra - we need to put our shoulders to the wheel with one accord. And deep in my heart anyway, I enjoy thinking maybe he's a little more left in his heart of hearts than would be wise to advertise at this point in history. It angers me when snipers call him a Republican.

Conservatism:a severe psychological disorder which should be recognized as such by the authorities.

President Obama, as always, is a lot nicer than me

I always thought that anyone allowed to buy a gun should be forced to listen to hours of 911 recordings where people called to report accidental, deadly shootings, especially of/by children. They should have to sit there and listen to some kid screaming he just shot his little brother, until the lesson sinks in. Then maybe they wouldn't even buy a gun after that. At the very least they deserve to have nightmares.