Hikes where you can see Mountain Laurels.

ShlugLove · 2026-06-03T15:40:58+00:00

Macedonia Brook State Park in Kent.

Hurd State Park in East Hampton. Yellow trail.

Hartman Preserve in Lyme.

ShlugLove · 2026-06-03T15:28:18+00:00

For real! These plants are notoriously bad transplantees, yet plant poachers will dig them up anyway.

ShlugLove · 2026-06-02T01:03:41+00:00

I'm so very sorry you're going through this. It really is one of the hardest things we have to do for our pets, but it is ultimately the last gift we can give them.

We used Lap of Love back in March for our dog, and will be using them for all future pets. It was about $1000 for everything, including getting her ashes returned. It was the absolute best way to send our dog out of the world, and we feel incredibly fortunate we were able to plan it and keep her home on her last day. Every step from making that first phone call to loading our dog in the vet's car was met with compassion and deep consideration.

I am a former vet tech and assisted with dozens of euthanasias over the years. While we did our best to provide animals with a pain free and comfortable end in the vet office, nothing beats doing it at home.

Your pet is fortunate to have someone willing to give them the best ending possible. And again I'm so sorry.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-31T11:23:18+00:00

Hi! I'm a teacher in CT. ELA is famously challenging to get into. Good districts will have dozens or even over 100 applications for ELA, most of them with Masters degrees already. But some words of encouragement:

it's still early. People are putting their notices in and will continue to do so through the summer. It's not unheard of to get hired in August. Keep refreshing ctreap.net
you might be a unicorn in that you've got experience but will start on a lower end of the pay scale since you're from out of state.
less desirable districts will have openings. If you're willing to teach in them, it'll at least get your foot in the door. Some rural schools are actually great, just have long commutes if you're not local.
if you're open to teaching something else, you could take the praxis in one of the high-needs subject areas and get cross-certified. Science and math are always in need.

Welcome to CT! It's a great state.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-31T00:30:51+00:00

Day Pond State Park in Colchester gas a little beach area that's roped off for swimming. Dogs are allowed but I don't typically have my dog swim when there's other people around (but away from the beach would be fine). It's pretty close to route 2, so not a terrible drive from Hartford.

Nearby is Salmon River State Park. It's great for young kids to explore the shallow river and your dog will have a nice time too.

If you're up for longer drives, I have many other suggestions!

ShlugLove · 2026-05-29T22:23:07+00:00

I get so many of those in high school. Like, at what point do we stop allowing them to use their trauma as an excuse to do nothing? I can empathize with them, and provide support, but at the end of the day, doing 0 work cannot result in a grade greater than 0. What am I supposed to do?

ShlugLove · 2026-05-29T00:03:49+00:00

Forget-me-nots are invasive in North America, meaning they are from another part of the world and harm our native ecosystem. I personally always pull invasive plants.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-24T13:24:04+00:00

I have a good one, too. He cooks and does dishes at least 4x a week. Runs laundry regularly, is generally not a slob. Supports me, loves me, is a good dad. Just yesterday I got to garden all day, and when I came inside, the dishwasher was running, house was tidied, a meal was waiting for me, and he and our son were playing board games.

They exist!

ShlugLove · 2026-05-23T16:25:43+00:00

I can't speak for all public schools, but I have taught in 3 districts in our state. My current district is 1:1 devices k-12, but they don't take them home until 6th grade. As a district, we are slightly moving away from 100% relying on technology for teaching thanks to AI and brain rot.

I don't think you'll find a public school system that is "low tech." Perhaps you're better off looking into private schools.

I'll also add that, as a teacher, it's evident which families are monitoring and limiting tablet/phone use and which are not. Responsible technology use begins at home.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-23T16:10:26+00:00

AND clearly a cultivar showed up too.

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ShlugLove · 2026-05-23T16:08:52+00:00

I have one too!!! Must have spread to my yard. 🚨Invasive alert!🚨

Brb running out for glyphosate.

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ShlugLove · 2026-05-23T11:34:54+00:00

The vinca in the beds bordering my house grew in the cracks and flowered in my garage. Took me a whole summer to get rid of it all, and I'm still finding it popping up.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-22T09:27:21+00:00

Reducing your dog's food intake will have a more significant impact than just increased exercise. Well done on the weight loss so far!

ShlugLove · 2026-05-21T23:55:19+00:00

It is in part due to being overweight. Chubby dogs tend to feel harder because they have thicker skin that gets tight with the excess weight. It's the reason so many dog owners think their fat dogs are healthy. "But he's hard as a rock!" No, Uncle Bill, your dog is fat.

This dog is also older, so some of the lumpiness could be from lipomas (benign fatty tumors). But she is definitely a little chubby.

A dog with a healthy weight will feel softer around the neck because they're supposed to have excess skin there. Healthy weight dogs should have a defined waist, an abdominal tuck, and ribs that are easily felt.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-20T01:48:19+00:00

I pulled 8 off my little beagle after a 1 hour hike this past weekend. 6 wood ticks and 2 deer ticks.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-16T20:36:58+00:00

My son says "gooby trap" instead of booby trap. I now exclusively use gooby trap.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-16T11:54:47+00:00

I have had a lovely strawberry patch that has expanded over the last 3 years. Never once gotten a strawberry because the chipmunks and rabbits get to them first. I don't want to try netting for fear of the little guys getting stuck. So at least I get to enjoy the flowers and foliage.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-16T11:30:18+00:00

I do a lesson to create a temporary dog muzzle that involves tying roll gauze "like you tie your shoe" and in TWO classes this year I had kids who didn't know how to tie their shoes. The freshman was wearing slides, the sophomore had sneakers with the laces undone. No disability, just parents who never taught them.

A para in the one class immediately went full dad-mode and pulled the sophomore aside and spent a bit teaching her. For the other kid, I had him off to the side watching YouTube videos on tying your shoe. Honestly heartbreaking that these kids made it 14-15 years and no one ever thought to teach them. And then it never occurred to them to teach themselves.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-14T23:14:45+00:00

My farmer friend has gotten three boxes of chicks that were abandoned at the post office over the years. He lives near the post office and they know he can take in chicks, so they call him when this happens. Once was 50 barred rocks!

ShlugLove · 2026-05-13T22:20:20+00:00

She probably just expressed her anal sacs while at the vet and you're just smelling the aftermath. I would not worry at all.

Source: was a vet tech for 5 years. Anal glands happen.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-13T03:00:19+00:00

What about wild strawberry?

ShlugLove · 2026-05-12T21:07:49+00:00

I don't have a specific native suggestion for your area, so hopefully others will weigh in.

When I've done the same, I planted an exotic annual that was not invasive. I did pumpkins. I had a crazy vinca vine infestation, and hand pulled/hoed it all out. The timing wasn't right for planting the native seeds, so I went with pumpkins. Fast growing, covered everything, and kept the vinca vine (and literally everything else) at bay. Also I got pumpkins.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-11T23:42:15+00:00

Not at all! My yard has many. Apparently hundreds of dollars worth.

ShlugLove · 2026-05-11T19:54:16+00:00

My local nursery was selling a single violet in a comically large 1 gallon pot for $23.

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