So sorry about your mom. My own mom had (has? god I hope it’s over) a narcotic problem, and it definitely did a number on her brain. I’ve seen some interesting facts on the role of opioids- how heavily the most devastated counties went for Trump- in this election. That stuff is a scourge.

Man, I’m exhausted just reading that!

Aargh- that’s just depressing. It’s like Trump is heroin to some people.

Agreed. Critical thinking is the most vital skill we can teach our kids.

Does your grammy have favorite games? Mine is nuts for all sorts of them- plays hours a day, which I really think is a strong contributor to keeping her brain sharp.

Oh, dummies are CREEPY. I’d probably like those too.

Do you use ebay a lot? I’ve actually had completely decent experiences with them- and it’s so seductive to just type in the doll you want and get it. And of course, the whole bidding aspect.

Look at the expression on that front one!

Yeah, I can’t imagine dealing with aging parents without siblings.

:) :)

Ooh, do you have a collection?

I have that doll! Only she’s mute, so not all that scary? My scariest doll is the one whose expression changes when you turn her arm.

Sad. :(

God, I hate Nancy Grace. I actually used to encourage my niece and nephews to ridicule their grandmother for watching her. I also really wanted the kids to know that no, they’re not in mortal danger from predators when they’re out playing in the front yard- like they need any more reason to stay inside on their…

Thanks. I believe things are better with her now, although now her 17-year-old has taken up the mantle and in addition to developing an impressive weed cough, appears to be in the process of flunking out of school. Sister has ridden the But Weed is Harmless! thing long and hard, but I wonder if even she has begun to…

Exactly. We all need to get more skilled in the Art of the Trade off. Bludgeoning everything with a big Safety! hammer comes with some serious risks of its own.

Thanks. It shouldn’t surprise anyone a bit that secondhand pot will have an effect. Although honestly a bigger issue for me has been how my sister is a)irresponsibly stoned around her children or b)jonesing for the stuff and thus being very grumpy with said children.

People do tend to downplay their substance use. Oh, fuck- they tend to lie like crazy. That’s why I’m always suspicious about studies like this: I assume everyone is lying.

I believe one of the things that’s kept my grandmother sharp and sane is that she spends much of her waking time playing board games. Simple and effective.

I’ve seen other studies that came to different conclusions. Might be difficult to sort out the correlation/causation with this one (although I’m assuming they tried to control for variables), not to mention the risk-benefit analysis of, say, the lady who tokes up so she can keep some food down.