Poopy

I have two French bulldogs, male and female, ages 4 and 2, respectively. They have been well house-trained (they have a doggy door to the outside and can come and go as they please) and are crate-trained and moderately obedient - the younger one less so than the older one. Our yard borders a large area of "wilderness zone" that is full of deer, fox, raccoon, etc. Earlier this summer, a mother mule deer dropped her fawn in the oak brush in our back yard. Our dogs, unsuspecting and curious, got too close to the baby and the mother deer stamped at them and basically scared the bajeezus out of them. Now, they WILL NOT poop outside!! At first they wouldn't pee outside, either, and even began peeing in their crate, but some refresher house-training got them back on track with that. I've had no luck with the pooping, though. It's gotten to the point where I've had to confine them to one room of the house! They don't get punished for pooping in the house unless I catch them mid-act; I take the poops I find in the house and dump them in an appropriate place in the yard; I've sprayed so much Nature's Miracle I should own stock in the company; and if I could ever catch them pooping outside, I'd certainly reward them for that, but...no dice. Any ideas for how to get them back to pooping where they're supposed to?

My soon-to-be-ex denies he is having an affair. He is a LTC in the Army, she is a Major, married to a COL, who is deployed in the Gulf region. She (the MAJ) works directly for the LTC (my ex). I have found non-work pictures of her on our family computer, they talk on the phone all the time, he arranges for trips to the base where she is stationed that happen to fall on weekends, holidays, etc. She came up to stay with him at his apartment last weekend, but they still maintain that they are "just friends." I have been trying to be as cooperative throughout the whole divorce process as I can be, to minimize the impact on our three kids and to try to just get this over with as quickly and as smoothly as possible. However, now he wants me to send my 12-year-old twin daughters on a plane with her, to meet him at a conference in Florida, so that SHE can take our girls to Disney World while he "works." I am having a really hard time with this. They have been planning this trip for a long time. If I tell them they can't go, because of her, it exposes them to a lot of ugliness, plus they'll be disappointed and I'll be the bad guy. I don't want them to fly alone, so that's out of the question. But I am really having a hard time swallowing the idea of the four of them having a little "family" vacation when our divorce isn't even final yet. I have had thoughts of filing a fraternization complaint but am afraid it would just be laughed off. Yet somehow, this just doesn't seem right. So, what should I do? What can I do? Let the girls go? Make them stay home? File a complaint? Just suck it up and figure the kids will figure it out eventually? HELP!

My soon-to-be-ex denies he is having an affair. He is a LTC in the Army, she is a Major, married to a COL, who is deployed in the Gulf region. She (the MAJ) works directly for the LTC (my ex). I have found non-work pictures of her on our family computer, they talk on the phone all the time, he arranges for trips to the base where she is stationed that happen to fall on weekends, holidays, etc. She came up to stay with him at his apartment last weekend, but they still maintain that they are "just friends." I have been trying to be as cooperative throughout the whole divorce process as I can be, to minimize the impact on our three kids and to try to just get this over with as quickly and as smoothly as possible. However, now he wants me to send my 12-year-old twin daughters on a plane with her, to meet him at a conference in Florida, so that SHE can take our girls to Disney World while he "works." I am having a really hard time with this. They have been planning this trip for a long time. If I tell them they can't go, because of her, it exposes them to a lot of ugliness, plus they'll be disappointed and I'll be the bad guy. I don't want them to fly alone, so that's out of the question. But I am really having a hard time swallowing the idea of the four of them having a little "family" vacation when our divorce isn't even final yet. I have had thoughts of filing a fraternization complaint but am afraid it would just be laughed off. Yet somehow, this just doesn't seem right. So, what should I do? What can I do? Let the girls go? Make them stay home? File a complaint? Just suck it up and figure the kids will figure it out eventually? HELP!

I have an opportunity to take over the dance school my neighbor's run out of her basement for the last 10 yrs as she is retiring this year. She is a very outgoing, popular, involved person, where I am more of an introvert, don't attend the prevailing religion's churches in the area, etc. So she gets a lot of neighborhood support that I am not sure I could count on.

However, I can duplicate her studio in my own basement (with a little work & $), I have 20+ yrs exp. in tap, ballet, & jazz, (I taught for several years myself approx. 20 years ago but not my own school). I am not interested in anything highly competitive/rigorous - just a "starter" school where I can teach small kids' combo classes, one night/week for around $20/month, & have a spring recital. I like to dance, it would be good exercise & a creative outlet, plus a little bit of $$ coming in.

Am I missing anything I should consider? Why am I so nervous about commiting to do this? Help!!

I have an opportunity to take over the dance school my neighbor's run out of her basement for the last 10 yrs as she is retiring this year. She is a very outgoing, popular, involved person, where I am more of an introvert, don't attend the prevailing religion's churches in the area, etc. So she gets a lot of neighborhood support that I am not sure I could count on.

However, I can duplicate her studio in my own basement (with a little work & $), I have 20+ yrs exp. in tap, ballet, & jazz, (I taught for several years myself approx. 20 years ago but not my own school). I am not interested in anything highly competitive/rigorous - just a "starter" school where I can teach small kids' combo classes, one night/week for around $20/month, & have a spring recital. I like to dance, it would be good exercise & a creative outlet, plus a little bit of $$ coming in.

Am I missing anything I should consider? Why am I so nervous about commiting to do this? Help!!

I have an opportunity to take over the dance school my neighbor's run out of her basement for the last 10 yrs as she is retiring this year. She is a very outgoing, popular, involved person, where I am more of an introvert, don't attend the prevailing religion's churches in the area, etc. So she gets a lot of neighborhood support that I am not sure I could count on.

However, I can duplicate her studio in my own basement (with a little work & $), I have 20+ yrs exp. in tap, ballet, & jazz, (I taught for several years myself approx. 20 years ago but not my own school). I am not interested in anything highly competitive/rigorous - just a "starter" school where I can teach small kids' combo classes, one night/week for around $20/month, & have a spring recital. I like to dance, it would be good exercise & a creative outlet, plus a little bit of $$ coming in.

Am I missing anything I should consider? Why am I so nervous about commiting to do this? Help!!

Do you know this short ghost story about haunted furniture?

Years ago, I read a short story about a chest-of-drawers or a bureau of somesort, that was haunted. It's old owner died, and it's new owner(s) didn't take "proper" care of it somehow - can't remember if they weren't properly grateful for it, or didn't polish it enough, or just what. Anyway, it could move itself and managed to stick it's leg out to trip one of the new owners, or pinch someone's fingers in one of the drawers, etc. The story ends with the chest-of-drawers being donated to a museum where it would receive proper attention and not be able to attack it's owners anymore.

I would love to read this story again, and refresh my memory of the tale, but I can't remember what it's called or who wrote it. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Any clues to help me locate this story would be much appreciated!

Years ago, I read a short story about a chest-of-drawers or a bureau of somesort, that was haunted. It's old owner died, and it's new owner(s) didn't take "proper" care of it somehow - can't remember if they weren't properly grateful for it, or didn't polish it enough, or just what. Anyway, it could move itself and managed to stick it's leg out to trip one of the new owners, or pinch someone's fingers in one of the drawers, etc. The story ends with the chest-of-drawers being donated to a museum where it would receive proper attention and not be able to attack it's owners anymore.

I would love to read this story again, and refresh my memory of the tale, but I can't remember what it's called or who wrote it. Does this sound familiar to anyone? Any clues to help me locate this story would be much appreciated!

I have "faux" panelling in my dining room made with decorative MDF molding and a chair railing applied over the dry wall and painted so that it looks like wainscoting. I left a vinyl-topped card table leaning against the painted MDF for a month or two over the holidays before I finally got round to putting it away. To my dismay, when I pulled the table away from the wall, the vinyl had stuck to the paint and pulled a big chip out - all the way down to the MDF! The paint is at least 2 years old. How do I fix it without it being obvious I patched it?

On a similar note, I applied some vinyl letters to a wall above my bed and as I was peeling away the backing of the letters, some of the underlying latex paint came away with it. Would I fix that chip the same way, too, even though it is not on MDF?

And is there something about vinyl and latex paint that doesn't mix, that I should be aware of to avoid problems like this in the future?

Thanks for your help!

Been in my "dream home" for approx. 8 years now - have remodeled some but am basically happy here. But...the kitchen needs work & is small/dark - hard to fix that w/out an addition! I've spent a lot of time on the yard, but it's on a hill so usable space is quite small. I love this house & never thought I'd want to leave it, but....

Recently a house has become available less than a mile away from where I'm at now, so the neighborhood is still good, my kids wouldn't have to change schools, commuting times are identical, etc. It is older than my current house but has been recently updated (not entirely to my taste, tho!) & is about 1/4 again bigger than my current place & on a bigger lot (flat - no hill!). Due to market conditions, we can get in for a good price. I would still need to do a lot of cosmetic work, etc., to make it "mine."

Two of my kids want to move, one doesn't - what else should I consider to help me decide: stay w/ currently cosy or move to big w/ potential?

Been in my "dream home" for approx. 8 years now - have remodeled some but am very happy here. But...the kitchen needs work & is small/dark - hard to fix that w/out an addition! I've spent a lot of time on the yard, but it's on a hill so usable space is quite small. I love this house & never thought I'd want to leave it, but....

Recently a house has become available less than a mile away from where I'm at now, so the neighborhood is still good, my kids wouldn't have to change schools, commuting times are identical, etc. It is older than my current house but has been recently updated (not entirely to my taste, tho!) & is about 1/4 again bigger than my current place & on a bigger lot (flat - no hill!). Due to market conditions, we can get in for a good price. I would still need to do a lot of cosmetic work, etc., to make it "mine."

Two of my kids want to move, one doesn't - what else should I consider to help me decide: stay w/ currently cosy or move to big w/ potential?

My 55-gallon tank is well-planted w/ both real & artifiical plants & lots of rocks. I've got 5 serpae tetras, 2 rosy barbs, & 2 yellow lab cichlids in it now. The labs are tiny right now - 1" & 1.5"! They've been all together for several months and all seem to be getting along well - the barbs pick on each other & the labs defend their territories, but other than that, no nipped fins or outright aggression, etc. However, I would like to add a) more rosy barbs so the big rosy would quit picking on the small rosy, b) more yellow labs so that there would be at least 4-5, total, & c) something "blue-ish" to balance the "color pallet" of my aquarium. I was thinking either 4-5 pseudo. acei cichlids, or 4-5 giant danios, or 4-5 congo tetras. My questions:

1. What do I add first - rosies, labs, or "blue" fish?

2. Which blue fish do I go with?

I know cichlids aren't really "community" fish, but so far, all is well - I just want to "tweak" it w/out totally blowing it. Thnx!

My sun cat had a fungus of some sort - a white fuzzy patch (not hairy - looked like flour caked on it, or something) on its head that doubled in size overnight. While trying to decide what to do, my dear hubby decided to help out by adding malachite green to the water. Now, 2 days later, the catfish is dead, as are 4 rainbow sharks & 2 of my 4 giant danios. The sharks & danios had not previously shown any sign of disease. Now I only have 1 pleco (too bad THAT thing didn't die...) & 2 more giant danios left in my 55-gallon tank, but they seem healthy. My questions now:

1. Did the malachite green do 'em in, or the fungus?

2. What IS the fungus?

3. How do I cure the fungus before I put more fish in, or did the MG take care of it?

4. I'm not certain I want to replace the danios & sharks - what would co-exist w/ the remaining danios & still be easy to keep & colorful?

I am experienced w/ koi but relatively new to "indoor" fish, so any & all input appreciated!

I have a 55 gallon aquarium with three rainbow sharks (about 3-4" each), five giant danios (around 3" each), one female beta (2"), a 6" long shark catfish, and a 6-7" long pleco. I need to trade the pleco out for a smaller one, and assuming I do, following the inch-of-fish-per-gallon formula, I figure I can add about 8-10" more fish to this set up. I was thinking a couple of angel fish might be nice - are their diets, tank/water requirements, etc., compatible with what I've already got, and would they be a good choice? I was also thinking of rosy red barbs, too - what do you think? The barbs or the angels, or something else entirely?

We have very little information on my dad's side of the family, and most of his ancestors are now deceased (he has only one relative still alive older than him). I was able, with what my dad and his brother could tell me, to trace their lineage back to a Henry and/or a Hosea Ure in the Carthage/Bear Town area of upstate NY (Lewis and Jefferson counties). According to the 1870 census, Henry was 44 at that time, a clergyman who had been born in the US. Henry was married to Ruth, and they had Hosea, who had Frank, who had Peter, who had my grandpa....but, Hosea and Henry may have been the same person, as Hosea was also a clergyman, who was 55 in the 1880 census, who was also married to a Ruth - in which case, Henry and Ruth did not have Hosea, they had Frank, and so on. I'm not sure how to resolve this discrepancy.

In any event, after Henry/Hosea, I have been unable to find any other records or info to trace the line back any further. What do I do next - can anybody help me?

My dear hubby has a 3,000 gallon koi pond in our back yard, and I want to get him a color underwater video camera for Father's Day - I have seen these marketed as "Koi Cam" so you can watch your fish 24/7 just by plugging a cable into your TV or computer monitor. Does anyone have one of these Koi Cams, and if so, what do you think? Would you recommend it? Also, there are lots of surveillance cameras out that film in color, are suitable for an underwater application, etc. - what brand/features do you recommend, and what price range should I expect to pay? Any advice would be MOST welcome!

I have a 55-gallon tank that was originally stocked with tetras (neons, bloodfins, etc.) , killie fish, gouramis, a couple of cory cats, a pleco, and some female betas. We've had it up for about three years, and within the last 3-6 months or so, slowly everything has been dying off, one-by-one, so that now all we have left is two betas, one killie fish, and the pleco. I don't know - is this considered old age for fish?

Anyway, once the killie and the betas kick the bucket, we are thinking about restocking the tank with cichlids only. However, I have never kept cichlids before. How different is it from our previous community tank? What advice do you have for a cichlid beginner regarding tank set-up, a good, easy fish/fish combo for color and hardiness, plants, etc.? Any other suggestions or assistance you can provide will be much appreciated!

Aren't they both cuts of (generally) beef, pounded thin and battered and fried the way fried chicken would normally be, and then served with gravy?

I have a 14 year-old daughter who has autism. She is on the high-functioning end of the scale (is verbal, capable of self-care, etc.). The pediatric psychiatrist we have been seeing for medication management left the area about a year ago, and we are not happy with the replacement doctor suggested by the clinic that employed our previous doctor. Does anyone know of any doctor, pediatrician, psychiatrist, or other, who specializes in treating/managing patients with autism in the northern Utah area? I am not comfortable with the DAN (Defeat Autism Now) protocol and so prefer a more conservative medical approach. Much gratitude to all who answer, and 10 points for best answer! Thank you!

My year-old Blenheim Cavalier King Charles spaniel has a weird tuft of hair growing on top of her head, about an inch up from both her left ear and above her left eye. Her hair lays down smooth everywhere but here - in this one little spot, about the size of a dime, the hair is beginning to grow really long and fine and it sticks straight up. Also, it is right on the edge between her white fur and her liver colored fur, and it looks like it is coming in white so it looks doubly funny against her colored spots. What's going on - is this her "big dog" fur beginning to grow in or something? Any clues would be appreciated - also any advice on helping her NOT look like Alfalfa from The Little Rascals!!