Family & Relationships

I was trying to post a reply to the Front Porch - June 2025 thread, when I got the message Access Denied.  When I went back, I saw the thread/subject was gone, disappeared, nada, like it never existed. Glitch?  Or just permanently deleted?

Normally, How Much Data Do You Use In A Month on Your Cell Plan? Are you on a plan where you can carry some of your allowance over to the next month? If you don’t use that much data is it because you use your own WiFi or Hot Spot more? I rarely use any data but that’s because I do not travel around much at all - most everything I do is WiFi connected - so data usage is minimal.  It maybe different for others - I am just a home body most of the time.  And I carry over the majority of my data plan to the next month just in case I need it.   But it is almost time that I start looking for a new phone - Apple will stop support of certain models this year and next - think mine is next year.   Then I will evaluate a new plan to see if there are any others better suited for what I do - don’t think that is gonna change drastically anytime soon.  I cannot think of any scenario where I am gonna need more data allowance unless there is something that I

Do YOU have a FAVORITE color? 😉 🗣    By DANA SCHULZ. MAY 26, 2023. 👉Link to article. 👈 

(1) Lol, there are so many locations in the WORLD that share the SAME name! (2) Hmmm, is YOUR location one? 🤔

This discussion was created on March 19, 2021.Are you an inside or outside gardener? Maybe both?Sow seeds? Or cuttings? Or plants from your local nursery?Any gardening tips?Your favorite plant?Stop by to read the comments and/or leave a comment.We luv hearing from you!

(1) Do you OWN one now or in the past?  (2) ✔️ IF yes, we would luv to hear YOUR story! 😉 (3) ❌️ IF NO, interested? 🤔

 Oasis, I am home! My thanks to the moderators and to Dave for maintaining the apparent positivity and camaraderie here. Bravo! Tom

Veterans without a home, hungry children, hungry seniors, citizens without medical care, all noble places toward which the rich can direct their riches to make life better for another human being. But what do they spend their money on?                                                A STUPID FLIGHT TO SPACE Spending upwards of $250,000 to $10,000,000 to as much as $55,000,000, these people are nothing but narcissists feeding their own personal desires. Imagine what good that kind of money would do if it were re-directed to help those in need. MAYBE THOSE WHO PAY FOR THESE TRIPS SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE CHARITY OF THEIR CHOICE IN A LIKE AMOUNT OF MONEY BEFORE THEY BLAST OFF

FROM THE ARTICLE: Your local grocery store has some tricks up its sleeve to inspire you to walk to the register with a full cart. By Nicole Pajer, AARP. *** There are 10 comments on the AARP website. Stop by to add yours. *** Published June 03, 2025. You see employees at your grocery store stocking displays with fresh produce and replacing items on the shelves. But have you ever stopped to think about what goes on behind the scenes?A supermarket is a business with a whole corporate team focused on one goal: getting you to spend money — as much as possible. And grocery stores have some secrets, but they aren’t jumping at the chance to make them public. USE THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE. https://www.aarp.org/money/personal-finance/supermarket-secrets.html

FROM THE ARTICLE: The Treasury Department is kissing the penny goodbye. The five-cent coin might follow suit. By Andre Ellington, AARP. *** There is 1 comment on the AARP website. Stop by to add yours. *** Published May 29, 2025. The U.S. Treasury Department recently ordered its last round of penny blanks — flat metal discs that get turned into coins — and said it will not put any more pennies into circulation after that batch is made.Why kill the penny? Because pennies cost a lot of money to make and distribute — 3.69 cents per coin, to be exact. And the U.S. issued more than 3.2 billion pennies during the 2024 fiscal year, according to the U.S. Mint, at a reported loss of around $85.3 million. USE THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE. https://www.aarp.org/money/personal-finance/history-of-the-nickel.html

▶️‌To reply, click on reply button at bottom of this post. Enter your text. Click reply button again.◀️ **READ comments, ADD comment** Do U agree/disagree with what they say about YOUR sign? 🤔 🗣by Tina Fey 5/30/23. 👉Link to information👈  Nicole 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 (Friends & Family Forum)

  “It’s implied “ my daughter-in-law replied. I had just remarked that I had not received a Thank You note for the gift I had brought to a shower a few weeks earlier. I wondered if  it would be implied that I meant to buy a gift if I’d shown up with an empty gift bag! Notes  are not the only acknowledgements that are going away…not even a nod if you open a door or let someone with one avocado  and a candy bar go ahead of you in line at the grocery store. What have your experiences been with what I consider to be common courtesy?I guess I just need to remember my daughter-in-law”s last words on the subject. “Our  generation is just not hung up on formalities” she noted and ended with “By the way You’re  Welcome!”      . 

Put all this stuff on the back burner and get to the good stuff. What you cooking Monday? Am I going to be the only one at the grill and smoker? .Don't call the fire department that smoke is coming from my patio. Saw a recipe for ribs the other day and going to try. Cover them with yellow mustard (not a typo), then coat them with your rub and put in smoker. When they get close to done brush on your favorite sauce.   Going to have some beans in the smoker also. On the grill I'll do some taters and onions. You folks have a safe and fun weekend, and forget about diet, sugar, bp, clogged veins and what ever else, just eat and enjoy family. 

Grandparent Alienation has now affected millions, world wide. It has reached epic proportions. It is elder abuse as well as child abuse. It affects all types of families. A well rounded, outgoing grandparent changes immensely when this occurs. They are saddened for themselves and for the effect on their grandchild. 

FROM THE ARTICLE: As it turns 90, the program ‘matters more than ever,’ CEO says. By Andy Markowitz, AARP. Published May 14, 2025. Few things reach as broadly into American life as Social Security.Some 69.4 million people — about 1 in 5 U.S. residents — received a payment from the program in April 2025. Most of them are retired older adults, many reliant on their earned benefits to put food on the table and pay the bills. Almost every working American pays into the system via payroll taxes, with the promise that Social Security will be there for them, too, when they need it. USE THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE: https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/advocacy/info-2025/social-security-milestone-90-years.html

FROM THE ARTICLE: AARP Pushes Back on Effort to Delay New Federal Nursing Home Staffing Standards to 2035.Rule offers dignity and safety to our most vulnerable Americans. By Natalie Missakian and Nancy Kerr, AARP. Published May 14, 2025. A plan to delay long-overdue minimum nursing home standards would cost lives and delay important protections needed for people living in nursing homes.In a May 13 letter to the U.S. House Committee on Energy & Commerce, AARP noted deep concerns about a proposed delay to these standards, which would require an increase in staff at nursing homes and the presence of a registered nurse on-site at all times. The standards are set to take effect in stages starting in 2026, but this plan would delay them until 2035. Republican lawmakers are seeking cuts across federal programs to offset President Trump’s massive tax bill, which would extend and add to tax breaks. USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE: https://www.aarp.org/politics-so

FROM THE ARTICLE: Order Takes Aim at Lowering Prescription Drug Costs.AARP also calls on Congress to protect and strengthen Medicare’s ability to negotiate lower drug prices for millions of older Americans. By Rachel Nania, AARP. *** There are 11 Comments on the AARP Website. Stop by to add yours. *** Published May 13, 2025. President Trump on Monday signed an executive order that aims to cut Americans’ prescription drug costs by bringing the price the U.S. pays for its medications in line with comparable developed nations.The order directs the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to communicate most-favored-nation price targets to pharmaceutical companies in the next 30 days. If manufacturers do not make significant progress toward these targets, additional steps could be taken, though many questions remain on how the plan will work, specifically, and when Americans could expect to see any potential savings. The order also intends to ensure that

FROM THE ARTICLE: By Sally Balch Hurme. Paperback, E-book. Put your life in order with this valuable new resource from AARP and the American Bar Association. Checklist for My Family guides you through the process of gathering in one place your finances, legal documents, online accounts, wishes about medical care and more. Plus it tells you what you need, why you need it, what’s missing and where to get it. USE THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE: https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/bookstore/home-family-caregiving/checklist-for-my-family/

My attention was drawn to a court this weekend that allowed an artificial intelligence rendering to "testify" during the phase of the proceeding where family members attest to how the crime affected their family. The odd  subject matter is what caught my eye. The person attesting to how the killing affected the family and their thoughts about forgiveness came from the DEAD PERSON THEMSELF as a created A.I. rendering of the dead person. The court allowed it. This worries me.  What is to keep courts allowing renderings of dead bodies, renderings of mangled children, renderings of decedents with bullet holes visible...... A.I. can create anything.  In this particular case, the defendant got sentenced for more years than the prosecution was asking for. Who is to say that the A.I. talking directly to the judge didn't influence his thinking on sentencing? This is a "advancement" that needs to be "nipped in the bud" and strictly "controlled".  We h

Would you want to do this?  Sign me up !   Is there an age requirement to be young?  

The Farmers Market opened today. Good ole red ripe tomatoes not the store bought.Tomato and bacon sandwich just went to top of the menu at our house. Most of the stuff is coming from Fla. but that is ok.   

FROM THE ARTICLE: Bill would ease financial strain of caring for an aging parent. By Natalie Missakian and Peter Urban, AARP. Published May 06, 2025. RP is supporting bipartisan legislation on Capitol Hill that could provide some financial relief to the growing number of adults who care for aging parents.The Lowering Costs for Caregivers Act was introduced May 1 by U.S. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Bill Cassidy (R-L.A.). It would allow caregivers to use their tax-free flexible spending or health savings accounts (FSAs and HSAs) to pay for qualified medical expenses of their parent or parent-in-law. USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE: https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/advocacy/info-2025/lowering-caregiver-costs.html

FROM THE ARTICLE: The New Documentary ‘Aging in America’ Shows How Far We’ve Come.Director Neil Steinberg tells AARP what society is doing for the 50-plus: ‘Ageism is a bit better, but homelessness is worse’. By Tim Appelo, AARP. Published April 30, 2025. The documentary Aging in America: Survive or Thrive, narrated by Martin Sheen, 84 (on PBS starting in early May; check local listings), celebrates the encouraging progress society has made in dealing with aging as well as the daunting challenges still faced by a rapidly aging population. In 1975 there were 25 million Americans over 65; today it’s more than doubled to 55 million, and in 10 years the 65-plus will outnumber those under 18 for the first time. Director Neil Steinberg tells AARP what we can learn from the expert testimony and personal stories featured in the film, how far we’ve come in dealing with aging and what remains to be done. USE LINK BELOW TO READ THE ARTICLE: https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/m

I am grateful he is safe. I am the only mother he knows....but I still feel so cheated. I'm only 47. I raised my children and I only had a year to myself. The toll it has taken on my life is immense. My relationship I have which was fun and new has now become chores and meals, schedules and freedom restrictions. My son is useless to help. I can't help but resent my son very, very much for laying this on me. I am lonely, my love life is ruined. We now fight in front of the child, this is so very wrong but he is a mean nasty tempered man. Now I'm stuck because I don't have a car (broke down and junked)of my own,  fiance sells cars but will not give me nor sell me one we live 20 miles from anything. I am verbally assaulted daily. moral of the story is, be very very careful whom you trust. Now I'm stuck, homeless without this nightmare relationship and I do have some savings but not much. Any advice? Does anyone have a place I can move into with  my grandchild. I am desperat

I have noticed of late in my Google News Feed, SEVERAL discussions on this topic. [1] Do you think it should be banned? [2] Has it been banned in YOUR location? This can be the United States or a foreign country. Thanks,Nicole  👵  (Friends & Family Forum)