Hi, Jules! Just stopping by to say "Howdy" and pass along an e-hug. Hope you're doing well. Take care. Deb

Hello Sweetie.

just saw your post about an interview! Hope it went well!

Hi, Jules -- Hope this finds you doing well. I have Spring Fever -- wishing I were home, sitting on the deck with a fresh cup of coffee. Ah, well. Butch the Wonder Dog was exhausted by all the time I had him outside during the weekend. Sending good vibes your way. Take care. Peace, Deb

Hey, Friend -- So we have "Wizard" and wonderful grandmothers in common. Hurray! I think it is so cool that you 'broke the mold' of your parents' behavior; and were the mom to your daughters that you wish YOUR mom had been. What a great gift for yourself and for them. Imagine what a wonderful GRANDMOTHER you'll be (no rush, of course). I do have my furry boy, Butch the Wonder Dog, to practice my parenting. He's loving and clingy at times, feisty and defiant at times, and periodically looks right through me ... hmmm, toddler or teenager? This week at work has been exhausting ... I'm so glad for a weekend. Hoping to get out into my yard and rake. I'm one of those silly people who likes to rake. If nothing else, I'll muscle the glider out of the storage shed and sit on the deck with Butch. He's dusty-dirty from the dirty streets (no sidewalks where we live), so I may pop him into the laundry tub to freshen him up. He doesn't mind a bath, which makes it easy for me. YOU take care. Enjoy the day. Sending good vibes your way. Deb

Hi, Jules! I think it's awesome that your daughter is your best friend. I have "bonus" children who are very special to me, but never got to have a child of my own. Apparently God wanted me to be a great auntie and/or friend-of-the-family. Whenever I witness or read about parents who enjoy their children, I send up a cheer; didn't have that with my parents ... though my grandmas were lifesavers. I think you and I are "bonded" through our love of all things "Wizard of Oz." I'm nearly 59 and would love to be your older friend-with-the-mean-little-dog (Butch the Wonder Dog does not play well with others). I've long known that my attraction to the "Wizard of Oz" is its rich story about friendships. So, Jules ... To Oz?

I thought about making it a blog, but I wonder if those that are frequenting that message board even read other blogs/threads. With the amount of concentration on that thread, I figured that if someone wanted to have a real conversation... they could pounce on real issues. After all, it seems that no matter what anyone says, there are those that simply won't listen. Alas, they don't really care about the site anyway because they don't contribute in any other way, so I assume they will simply go away with time. However, I do believe that truth matters. Therefore, it's important for truth to at least appear every so often on that thread.