Blue Canary

I have an existing fence. It is wooden, a couple years old, and in ok shape. It was not kept up before we bought the house and we haven't kept it up since. I think it's ugly, plus all the posts have splits in them. Not big splits - it's still structurally sound. It just looks bad.

I want to replace it with a white vinyl fence. It would look better and due to some layout changes, I would gain yard privacy. The best quote is for 6,500 dollars. I really want it, but I'm going back and forth.

On one hand, I think it would improve the look of the yard, and I think the fact that vinyl is low maintenance will be a selling point when we go to sell in a couple years. On the other hand, because of the housing market the house isn't currently worth what we paid for it. Of course that means we'll be here for a while and I might as well be happy. Then again, this will drain my savings and if anything bad happens I'll be in a poorer position to deal with it.

So.... anyone have any thoughts?

My hubby's out with friends, all my friends are busy. I hate being bored on a Saturday night - that's what week nights are for. Still, I have no idea what to do since I'm by myself. Any fun suggestions for a 28 year old married woman on a Saturday night?

I'd like to get a new fence, a new deck, and a new patio. I am not handy and do not want to attempt any of these projects myself. Is it cheaper to hire one company to do all three projects, or to hire a company that does just fences, just does decks, etc?

I already priced out fences, but I'm wondering if I should just hire a local landscaping contractor for either all three projects or just the patio and deck together. What do you guys think?

Also... does anyone want to venture a guess as to how much 14x14 patio and a 5x16 foot deck would cost in York County, Pennsylvania?

Ok, I know that this won't be a politically correct questions, but... when I was in middle school I was bullied by three girls. Nothing physical, they just harassed me verbally. At every possible opportunity. In fact, I couldn't get from a single class to my locker without having to get by them.

The first time I stood up for myself in my life was when I stood up to the main bully. And when I did that, they backed off. It turned out to be a positive experience in my life, even if it was un-fun at the time. I know that there are kids out there who have had way worse experiences of bullying. My question really isn't to them. My question is: is there anyone else out there who feels that being bullied ended up building character, or somehow being a positive experience?

I was hoping I would never have to ask this question. The person in question lives in Pennsylvania. He has threatened to kill himself. I believe that he is a danger to himself and those around him. His mood swings are unpredictable. He becomes angry, punches walls, breaks chairs, screams, gets drunk, etc. He went to a man's place of work with the intention of killing him. Fortunately we got there in time and were able to talk him out of it. This has been going on for over six months, since a traumatic event in his life. It's getting progressively worse. I fear he will either end up dead or in jail. He needs help. How do I get him committed?

I hate work. While I'm there I hope to be involved in a car accident just so that I have an excuse to miss time. I hope that I'll catch the flu or break a leg. I can't even say why I hate work as much as I do. It's not a terrible job. It has good points and bad points. I feel like my life, as a whole, isn't what I want it to be. Why do I have to spend 40 hours a week being miserable? Would another job make me happier? Or would I just end up being miserable there too? What do I need to do to figure out how to be happy? I spend so much of my time at work that I feel like I don't get to enjoy life.

I've had three jobs so far in my life, and I've hated all of them by the time I left. I'm currently stuck in job number three, hesitant to quit for fear that my next job will end no better. I like nature, I have a BS in environmental science, I'm an introvert, not really a people person but I enjoy teaching if it's in very small groups. I like gardening and native plants. I like learning by experience. I like being outside and getting dirty, but I also like using my brain. I want to help the planet. I hate feeling like my job has no meaning or impact. I do not want a job where I sit inside and push papers all day. I want a job with a degree of freedom and independence. What should I do with myself? I need opinions from the outside, because I've thought about it so much I can't keep my ideas straight anymore. Any suggestions?

I have this plant growing in one of my veggie gardens. I'm pretty sure I didn't plant it. I have no idea what it is. The plants are about two feet high, they appear to have leaves that wrap around the stem. The stems are jointed, and one of them was in flower. The flower (I think it's a raceme?) is really tiny. I have photos, here's the link to the album: http://s946.photobucket.com/albums/ad306/BlueCanar...

Thanks!!!!!

I've always been shy, less so now than I used to be. Usually I try not to draw attention to myself. Lately, however, for some reason I want to feel sexy. I'm envious of all the girls who dress up and go out dancing. They all seem like they know what they're doing. They know how to match clothes and shoes, and do their hair and make up. I want to do that. I want guys to look at me and think I'm desirable. Maybe it's because I'm almost 30 and I feel like I missed those years of my life. I never did that stuff because I was too shy. I'm happily married, so I'd never actually pursue anyone. I just want to be wanted.

So, I guess the question is - why do I want this attention? Is this wrong? Is this bad?

I have a five month old lab puppy. He's recently started chewing up newspaper, phone books, toilet paper, basically any paper he can get his paws on. We have him confined to the kitchen during the day, but today he broke out and tore up every roll of toilet paper in the house. I know that puppies all go through a chewing phase, but how do I get him to understand that he should chew on his toys, not everything else?

Do you ever look back and think "I wish I knew ______ when I was younger." Or maybe.... if you could give one piece of advice to a young person, what would it be? Thanks :)

I am a small B cup. I have a pretty small frame, but my breasts are by no means big. I've always felt unfeminine because of it. So, my question for the men out there is... how important is cup size? Can a woman with small breasts ever be as sexy as a woman with large breasts? Is there an ideal size?

I have a great husband. I have a stable job. I have a decent house and a nice garden and several cute furry pets. Why aren't I happy? Some days all I can think of is getting in my car, hitting the road and not turning back. Why can't I just be happy with what I have? Why this urge to cut all ties and go check out what's over the next hill?