No, I hear ya. I'm so low on the being able to leave the house. Except, apparantly for necessary errands at Trader Joe's and Target. Oh, bejeezus. I just realized I HAVEN'T BRUSHED MY TEETH YET TODAY. Lord. I am totally on the edge of being a part of polite society. Uh, gotta run.

Speaking of naughty:

Boy gets trapped inside vending machine.

Good news. I may have found a buyer for my loom. If she pays the full asking price, that's the next month's mortgage paid and then some, so any sale~ma would be appreciated.

Sale~ma, Anne. How's it going in the new house? Getting everything settled in alright?

Thanks to everyone for the comments about my photo... Today has been a workday...it went well but I remembered that I copied ten pages twice. Argh. Editing is kind of a drag anyway as taking stuff out doesn't feel as good as putting stuff in.

John Wayne Gacy: Etiquette question: My ex-sf is one of seven kids, right? One of his nieces is graduating from hs this week, and we're wondering if we need to plan for the grad. party or not(The neice and her mom and dad aren't really the problem...they're nice.) But should we have to put up with the liquored-up, whacked-out Mel Gibson Catholic grandparents? Dreading this.It's hard to feel comfortable with them because J. literally went to jail before they could accept us fresh-mouthed Protestants. Are we jerks if we just send a gift?

I have a questiona bout caring for antique clothes.

When I was over at Grandma's the other day she had a bag of stuff for me --- books she'd borrowed, some things for Dad, and some pictures. And the little gown my Dad wore home from the hospital.

That she made herself.

I'd never seen it before, didn't know it existed. It's very fragile looking, with little lace --well not lacy lace - trim. The fabric has yellowish stains on it.

I'm wondering what the safest way to clean it -- if there would be a safe way. And how to safely store it. Dad's 63 this year.

Wedding survived. And really, it turned out nice, and on the day they were nice, helpful people, to the point I feel guilty for bitching so much about them! I'm so so very tired, though.

I'm wondering what the safest way to clean it -- if there would be a safe way.

I've had better luck washing antique fabrics myself than using dry cleaners. I just use a mild detergent and wash them by hand. Fabric is much more fragile when it's wet, so don't pick it up directly. Wash it using something under it like a pillowcase or a towel, so you pick it up out of the water holding that rather than the old fabric. Don't wring it. Just roll it up in a towel to take out the excess moisture. You'll want to store it wrapped in acidfree tissue paper in an acidfree box. Don't keep it in a plastic bag.

I'm glad she turned out to not really be a bridezilla, Susan.

I'm so glad that it went well. I hope that you have a couple of extremely restful days to recover.

And for something completely different: when you are taking an iron supplement -- how long before you should start seeing a benefit? (I've now just realized that I have - again - forgotten to take the second dose.)

Perhaps I would see the benefit if only I would remember to take the evening dose.