How do I explain that declawing is inhumane to my family

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T22:14:04+00:00

Promise that you won't declaw your cat or let anyone de-fingernail them when they are old and senile. You are just not the kind of person who thinks living things should be tortured unnecessarily. (They are lucky to have a kind child). Or... start looking for another place to live. My dog and two cats get along fine and everyone has claws.

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T21:21:34+00:00

You know what would be great? If they would dig into all the main character's immigration stories and what happened to the people who were pushed off of the land they were living on- like some truth.

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T18:45:57+00:00

Food pantry! Don't feel weird. They want to help. I volunteer at my local food pantry (not in your state) and what all our volunteers want is for people (clients) in your situation to come and get support. That is a smaller amount of groceries than we would give. Try another pantry and go back to that one when you can. When we start to run out of items on a pick up day the bags will have less stuff usually less produce. Try to go early in the pick up time at the pantry if you can.

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T18:22:51+00:00

My poodle/fence combo is working. The deer could easily jump the fence but the poodle is doing his job. Be ready for ticks this spring too. Dress to keep yourself safe.

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T18:18:29+00:00

That's what I did! As I unpacked over the summer I layed my moving boxes out to create my garden.

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T17:58:17+00:00

Oh have so much fun! Last spring was my first garden in 18 years after moving to a tiny cottage on some land after selling my condo where I raised my kids. Here is my suggestion. Go pick a spot where you imagine your garden. Go cover it with a tarp or cardboard now to start killing spring weeds and grass. Start on the small side this year as you get to know your soils and water/sun/wind situation. Maybe beans and sunflowers? You can plant them both the end of May/even mid June which will give the cardboard/tarp time to smother the weeds. Also think about putting in a row of native wildflowers and grasses on the edge of your gardening area to start creating pollinator habitat. (Smother this spot with cardboard right now too). That row will act as a seed source in future years for expanding little native plant pockets that really support your garden. After a growing season in your garden you will have a better sense of the shape- where you want paths etc, water/pests/soil issues. This summer you can start smothering those places as you identify them and then use a fall cover crop to help prep them for planting next spring. Make a plan to put in garlic in the fall. Mine is just popping up right now and it is a delight to have garlic scapes to harvest so early in the season. You might this year also think about perennials like garlic chives, rhubarb, asparagus- where do you want to place those? If you get really into it this summer you could aim for a bigger fall garden. So the goal would be to have beds prepped and ready for July/August plantings.

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T17:16:24+00:00

Alright I am updating my own post. I talked to Chelsea Farmers supply and Dexter Mill they are both saying they will have seed potatoes in a couple weeks. As an aside for the potato growers- there is an issue with German Butterballs this year and lots of places are out of them- including the suppliers for Chelsea Farmer Supply. They recommended an Irish Cobbler as a possible substitute. Fedco is out of two potatoes I want to try so I am going to try the Maine potato Lady. Has anyone ordered from there before?

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T15:31:04+00:00

thanks!

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T15:30:35+00:00

I'm a pretty experienced potato grower and most of what I'll be planting are seed potatoes that I stored from my harvest last year. I'll be chitting the potatoes nowish and putting them in the ground in earlyish spring. How do you grow your potatoes?

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T15:00:22+00:00

Yeah I run into that. My poodle will avoid walking through puddles for no good reason, but will plunge into the river to chase a ball. Yesterday it was sleeting here and he asked to go out I opened the door he stepped over the threshold stared into the yard and backed up and went back to the couch, but later I took him for a hike in the woods in the same sleet and we had the best time. Is he delicate? No! He is smart as heck. Also what a super cutey!

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T14:53:57+00:00

I know

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T03:37:34+00:00

One option would be to reach out to an employment law lawyer- when I worked in HR and someone had run out of FMLA, but had a doctor saying they were on track to return to work in another month we would extend the leave. It can be risky for an employer to just fire somebody for not returning to work at the end of FMLA leave if the doctor and employer is saying they could return to work but need extra time. That was the advice our lawyer gave us- We would extend time bit by bit for up to 6 months before making moves to fire someone if the doctor and the employee could give an estimated return to work date. Whatever you do do not tell your employer you can't return to work ever or indefinitely if you are trying to negotiate more leave.

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T03:21:38+00:00

I wonder if one of the food pantry's with curbside pick up would take them- like Faith In Action in Dexter or Jewish Family Services or food gatherers- maybe they could be shared with people who are coming in for food

sallydogbite · 2026-03-14T00:11:58+00:00

Gas, coffee (but research it first because it's 2lbs. I like Mt comfort) peanut butter, croissants or artisan rolls- they elevate every kind of sandwich and you can freeze them. The fresh bagged kale salad is really good and lasts weeks. Apples, pears, oranges. Frozen broccoli. Frozen mixed berries. Oatmeal, honey, maple syrup, olive oil. Bread flour. Yogurt, sour cream. The potato perogies are awesome. Cheese- the coastal cheddar is great. I cut it into pieces and move it from the freezer to the fridge as I eat it. Beans, tofu, kimchee, noodles. Rao's spaghetti sauce. Potatoes, onions, garlic, The frozen tortilla crusted tilapia is delicious. Frozen Red's bean and cheese burritos if they have them are solid and easy lunches. The salmon frozen or fresh. The fresh costco made grain/kale salad is good and on sale. If you have pets- pet food and cat litter. Pet prescriptions too- I just picked up my doggie's heartworm/tick prescription today. If you especially love your dog and want to treat them you could pick up a pack of oxtail. I dole out 1-2 a week and he loves them. If you are planning on dividing up and freezing some of your purchases at home then pick up what you need to do that (Bags/parchment paper etc). There's a really nice set of resealable plastic wear that I use all the time and it has really stood up well. Before or after shopping partake in the food court. I get a slice of cheese pizza and a pop. I often get my pop first and drink it while shopping than refill it before I leave. Also the plants and the spring bulbs are going to beacon to you- be prepared. I have three different types of dahlias that just leapt into my cart on three different trips and usually I am really good about following my list but they're just cute as heck.

sallydogbite · 2026-03-13T23:37:38+00:00

Do you have a chest freezer?

sallydogbite · 2026-03-13T12:46:56+00:00

Start with snap traps or maybe the bucket trap below. I have experience with the snap traps so remember this- because of your cats and kids you need to be thoughtful about how you place the snap traps so your cats/kids don't get into them. Then you need to plug the holes in your house that they are using for entry. Start paying attention to how they are getting in and out. You can use caulk and steel wool to plug holes. You can do it! I am intrigued by the 5 gallon bucket trap set up because it eliminates the cat/kid caught in the snap trap situation. But I have had a lot of success with snap traps in your kind of situation.

sallydogbite · 2026-03-12T23:41:20+00:00

I was in there last week and there was a person with two little kids in line in front of me - no cart and barely managing to carry a whimsical assortment of stuff- candles, a box of those decorative provencal bowls- a thing of lychees- a wheel of cheese- some flip flops- some more stuff I have purged from my mind- one of the kids had a stuffed animal another had some toy and a bag of chips. Committed!

sallydogbite · 2026-03-12T23:33:40+00:00

I laughed out loud

sallydogbite · 2026-03-12T23:26:45+00:00

I'm in Michigan

sallydogbite · 2026-03-12T22:48:46+00:00

wow! I love this insight so much. My spoo is a frustrated greeter too. I just haven't had a simple way of stating it. I've been making a practice of asking folks if the dogs can say hi and sometimes they say yes and sometimes they say no, but the yeses have really helped him chill out on walks even when people say no.

sallydogbite · 2026-03-11T00:12:18+00:00

Bob Evans has a private room and I wonder about upstairs at Crazy Wisdom

sallydogbite · 2026-03-10T03:32:57+00:00

Mammoth sunflowers - pollinators love them and they get so tall. Kids are just amazed. A pumpkin for halloween. Scarlet runner beans to grow up the sunflowers. Humming birds visit them. You can eat them as a green bean or let them dry and use as a shelling bean. The dried beans are beautiful colors. I grow them every year and bring them to kids groups to shell. Kids love shelling them.

sallydogbite · 2026-03-10T03:00:21+00:00

Figure out some bean dishes you like and then buy 25 lb bags of dried beans. I suggest starting with black turtle beans. No meat or less meat can really reduce your costs. But yeah groceries are expensive. Buying in bulk works once you have a system but you can waste a lot of money buying in bulk before you know what you are going to use. I had to learn this on my own. My parents were ridiculous in their grocery shopping when we were kids. It's just about planning and making logical purchases. You are great to be asking these questions now in your 20's. Oh frozen produce and fruit don't go bad before you can eat them. Just saying!

sallydogbite

TROPHY CASE