My friend Carol Buckley who founded The Elephant Sanctuary in Hoenwald Tn. is in India now, setting up the first ever sanctuaries for elephants there. She also travels through southeast Asia and Nepal educating mahouts (handlers)in humane training and management of captive working elephants.

I guess I won't live long enough to see much real change in this area. I'm pretty old now, and not much difference from the 50's.

A friend of mine just back from Iraq had an ill advised sexual encounter while drunk..no condom..only to find that his partner was a known STD sharer.

That's good to hear, and I know what you mean about not giving an inch. I really think these jobs aren't jobs per se..they are callings.

Go, you!!! You are totally badass and wonderful. And really, really strong!

Lovebirds are the Great Danes of small birds..or maybe the bird version of Yorkshire Terriers. I've always wanted one.They think they're huge. And so cute!!

Places like Olive Garden are really important in rural and blue-collar areas, like the one I'm from in Pennsylvania.

Awww! Is she a Grey?

That test is a bear. When I was an EMT with my local Fire Department, we had 3 women firefighters, however and they passed the same test the guys did, so it can be done.

Try running the vacuum cleaner near her, assuming she doesn't mind it, then while it's on nearby, spritz your own hair with a plant mister and act really happy about it, while fluffing it this way and that looking in the mirror and admiring yourself. Usually by the time I finish doing this, my big bird is hanging…

Hey, Old Person here! Your partner is just at the age where this can start to happen. It can correspond to benign prostate enlargement, among other things, so I hope he has a checkup to see if that's the case. My husband and I have been together 35 years and what you describe happened in his mid fifties. We worked…

Dennis Quaid has what I call Big Ol' Boozerface. The face of one who is no stranger to Mr. Whiskey!

Hey, don't worry. I never had kids, but I find this stuff pretty entertaining, too. Brand new people are amazing.

Me too!

Aww! I had a lovely glossy Opossum who lived in my trees for a number of years.

You know, I watch these shows and I have wondered that exact thing..if younger women will emulate what they see as they observe the supposed lifestyles depicted and the sparkly jewelry. I've wondered if it could be interpreted,by the terminally stupid or the very young and insecure, as somehow cool or acceptable.

Dorm life kind of gave us communal period bonding stuff when I was in school.

Aww thanks for remembering me!

I like what promqueen had to say in her feedback to you.

Dear God...I am so distressed to read of your experience and I am so sorry that you had to endure those things. Your comment on the power of words was amazing, given what you have survived.