I think when you truly love someone, the usual change of looks due to time and life are expected. So would I love someone less because he got a little flabby around the middle or got a few wrinkles? No. I'd love the flab and wrinkles. If he had an accident and lost his legs or was terribly scarred in a fire, yes, I'd still love him--perhaps more due to his strength to survive.

But if he let himself go due to laziness, became enormous or developed poor hygiene, we'd have a loooong talk and work to correct it.

We get attached to our furry friends because they love us unconditionally. They are always happy to see us. I could go outside and come back inside 10 times in an hour, and each time I come in, my big furry beast would be ecstatic to see me. We don't get such adoration from our two-legged friends. If you're ever blue or sick, who is always by your side--that furry friend with the cold, wet nose. Most often, your two-legged friends run and hide until you're your old happy self again.

My Sam is 11 yrs old now. I've had him since he was 6 weeks old. He's completely devoted to me. And I swear he's part human. He always knows what I'm saying to him and reacts accordingly. He actually amazes my friends and family. He listens to our conversations, and if anyone mentions "diet", he sighs and turns away; he doesn't want to talk about that. LOL

No matter how I look or what kind of mood I'm in, Sam always wants to be my side. He's just completely devoted in a way humans rarely are. Our furry friends make us feel special, loved, and amazing without even saying a word.

It's not just attachments from people you "don't" know that you have to worry about. Even attachments from people you DO know can be contaminated. If your friend has a "worm", the worm will send you emails with attachments from your friend's account. So it appears to be coming from your friend, when in fact your friend is totally unaware that the worm is using his computer.

If you are not expecting an email with attachments from a friend, it's a good idea to confirm with your friend first that he did in fact send the email.

Keep your anti-virus software updated too. And if you use Windows, get the frequent updates for it which often fix known safety issues.

And always back up your hard drive regularly so you can restore most of your files should you get a virus/worm.

Do you have a $ Tree there? They have a great cleaner called Awesome or sometimes Amazing. And they are accurately named. They're only a dollar a bottle. And the cleaner dissolves most stains--like ink, spices like Turmeric, coolaid, strawberries, etc. I use it on my countertops, in my refrigerator, bathroom, etc. You can actually see the stains dissolve and then you can wipe them away--even stains that you've scrubbed and they won't come up. I use Turmeric a lot in my cooking and it stains my dishes, counters, and sink. But Awesome gets it right up.

Some $ Generals carry it too.

Hey Rica, I just noticed that you live about an hour from me! I'm over here in Jonesboro. I have family in Hardy. Do you get out and explore trails and caves and such around there? I used to enjoy doing that when we had land there. And of course I've spent summers in Spring River. That water is so freaking cold that I don't think I could stand it now. But back in my younger days, you couldn't keep me out of it.

By the way, I wanted to mention that a lot of people our age have health problems. So most folks would understand if you're not always feeling up to parr. I'm glad you decided to stick around.

My suggestion is to schedule just 15 minutes a day to tackle a small project. What works best for me is to make a to-do list of every big and little thing I want to get done. Take care of the most important things first--like paying bills or balancing your checkbook. Then spend just 15 minutes a day tackling some other small chore on your to-do list. We can tolerate almost anything for only 15 minutes. When you can break it all down to small chores and can actually see yourself marking these chores off, you begin to feel like you've accomplished something. Then you don't feel so overwhelmed.

When you get it all organized, then just maintain it. Don't let the filing pile up; file daily so it doesn't become overwhelming. When you bring a new item into your home, get rid of an old item. Keeping things neat and orderly will save you time and money.

I discovered Freecycle.org years ago. You can check their site to see if there's a group near you. (If not, start one; they'll come!) It's a great way to give away things you don't need or want. And you can give away things that you may think no one else would want, like broken appliances and electronics. There are all sorters of tinkerers who will haul them away for you for free. Freecycle has been a wonderful force in my getting decluttered and organized.

Hope this helps.

My hometown is Jonesboro Arkansas:

Home of the first black Miss America - Debbye Turner (I actually went to school with her. She's very nice and very intelligent.)

Home of the Westside School Shootings in which Andrew Golden and Mitchell Johnson shot 15 women and young girls. Five died. Andrew's grandmother was my mail carrier at the time. Oddly enough, Westside schools were considered the town's best schools. Everyone wanted to live in the Westside school district. I was at work when I heard the news on the radio. And I, like all other residents here, could not believe that they were talking about OUR Westside school. Surely it was happening in some other town in some other state, but NOT here.

The Craighead County courthouse in Jonesboro held the trials of the three West Memphis teens who were found guilty of torturing, mutilating and murdering three youngs boys.

Home of the Arkansas State University Indians who recently changed their name to the "Red Wolves" in response to NCAA sanctions.

Birth place of author John Grisham

She's getting ready to do a reality show. So maybe CA will cut out some of her welfare when her checks from the reality show start coming in. I'll never understand why people bring more children into the world when they know they can't support them. I can understand ONE mistake, like a teenager might make. But 14 deliberate ones??

Physical attraction is at least half of a relationship. I post my pictures--recent ones. And I expect the same from anyone who wants to talk with me. I love eyes; they often reflect the personality hidden behind them. So I don't respond to men who message me, wanting to know more about me or meet me, unless they have a picture and a profile. I think I even state in my profile that they must have a pic/profile if they want a response from me. I've shown you mine, so show me yours too.

Good Sex
Enjoy nature, fresh air and sunshine
Complete a project or create a piece of art
Take a walk or workout
Watch a good movie
Donate time to someone less fortunate
Hang out with positive people

If you expect nothing, then you aren't too disappointed when you get nothing. But it's such a pleasant surprise when you expect nothing and get more than you ever dreamed of.

Yes, beautiful people are always treated better. People can overlook a lot of character flaws in beautiful people. I didn't understand why until I got a beautiful black and white, blue-eyed Siberian husky. Then it all made sense. She ate my leather couch and I couldn't punish her. Those blue eyes just melted me. She'd goose me repeatedly everytime I did the dishes. She'd steal food from my plate and even from my fork as it was on the way to my mouth. And I just had no heart for punishing her. She was just too beautiful. I wouldn't have put up with any of that from an ugly dog, but I just couldn't get mad at Angelina when she looked at me with those angelic eyes. Then I understood how Paris Hilton and other beauties could get away with the stunts they pulled.

New freecycles are always being added. In fact, you could start one for your city too. Just go to the Freecycle home page and get the info. You'll have to get approval from them to start one for your area.

Also, check out Freesharing. It's like Freecycle. I started a local freesharing group in my area and in less than a year, we have 100 members already.

As someone mentioned above, Craigslist is great too. And in my area, some local freecyclers started a couple of buy/sell/trade groups too. You might consider that as well. Our sites are really growing by word of mouth.

Congratulations on your daughter.

Hi Ricashea, I know exactly how you feel. I battled a lengthy illness for years and I dropped out of life. I gave up time with friends and family and doing the things I loved. And it only depressed me more.

I would encourage you to do the opposite. Continue doing the things that you enjoy. You may just find someone who is also battling some ailment and the two of you may be the perfect medicine for each other. If not, you can at least make some friends who will help keep your spirits up. Generally, people need people, particularly when they are stressed or not feeling well.

You might write in your profile what your illness is and perhaps someone with a similar illness will find you. And maybe you could support each other. You just never know. But it never hurts to keep the possibilities open.

Good luck to you!

Your county extension office and/or local Master Gardeners could provide you with a wealth of information. That's what they're there for and they'll love the opportunity to educate you in any way. That's there purpose.

Growing from seed is rewarding, and they grow pretty quickly. They'll catch up to plants that you could buy at a nursery right now.

Your soil conditions and water are the most crucial factors. If you grow in pots, you'll have to water and fertilize more often than if you grow in ground.

For tomatoes, you can also grow the upside-down tomatoes in hanging baskets. They're great for patios and porches that get a lot of sun. You just cut a small hole in the bottom of a hanging basket and put the plant roots in the hole, with the plant hanging out from the bottom. Then fill the pot with soil. You can even add basil or thyme in the top part of the pot.

Also MULCH is your friend. Pine needles, glass clippings or bags of mulch will help your garden retain moisture and helps keep out the weeds. You can also use it in potted plants.

Good luck with your first garden. It's so much fun to grow your own food. My favorite thing is cherry tomatoes. I plant several of them around my yard so when I'm out working, I can snatch a few "cherries" and eat them right there, all warmed from the sun. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I must second what Polaritybear and Ddwalk90 have said. Many times our depression is self-induced. For instance, the lack of light makes us sleepy, lazy and depressed. Flood yourself with light--whether from the sun or from fluorescent lighting. Soaking up the light will boost your spirit.

What you ingest has a lot to do with your attitude. Stay away from sugar, caffiene, carbs, and alcohol. While they boost your spirit temporarily, you ultimately crash. These foods are like drugs; you're going to need to keep adding them to keep you level. Eat lots of fruits and vegetables instead.

Also, drink lots of water. Dehydration, even slight dehydration, will make you feel tired and depressed. The color of your urine is a good indicator of how well hydrated you are. Ideally, it should be very pale yellow, like lemonade. The darker it is, the more dehydrated you are.

Get some phyiscal activity. It encourages the production of your natural endorphins which make you happy. Go for a brisk walk. Go out with friends and just do anything. Just being around other people can relieve depression. And did you know that hugs are one of the best cures for depression. Good, long hugs, like physical activity, release endorphins.

Try all these things for a couple of weeks and you should see a big improvement. I'd do these things before I'd take any anti-depressants. One of the side effects of many anti-depressants is, oddly enough, depression. So if you can cure yourself naturally, it's the better alternative.

I'm sorry my post is so long. I battled depression for years with a lenghty illness. And these are the things that got me thru it.

Hope this helps.

I must agree with Peccy...sex is my favorite hobby. Next is gardening and hiking/exploring. I love the outdoors.

No. I believe in honesty, and to stay when there's no love there is living a lie. Anytime a relationship ends, it hurts. It would hurt me more to know someone stayed with me although he no longer loved me, because then I'd question everything; what part of it was real and what wasn't? And could I ever trust again if I knew we'd been living a lie? I'd rather know as soon as he knew when the relationship truly died.

Whispering it (and other things) in my ear while we're dancing slow and close.

When I was little, there was a little nightclub around here that my parents would go to. They knew the owners, and so my parents were allowed to occasionally bring my little sister and I. (I think we were 3 and 6 years old at the time.) I remember watching my parents dance close and my dad whispered in Mom's ear something that made her giggle. I begged to know what he said, and Mom just smiled and said, "Oh, just a few 'sweet nothings'." I learned then and there that "sweet nothings" are about the most romantic thing there is. :-)

For my soul mate, yes, I'd move to a different state...but it would have to be a warmer state. I hate winter, so there's no way I could move to a northern state. But I could do NM, TX, CA, AZ, GA, NC, SC, etc. I could never to move to Chicago or some place like that. Even my true love couldn't keep me warm enough there.

My older sister married a long-distance love. They had met at a professional conference in Houston and dated long-distance for a year. We were completely blown away when she said they were getting married and she was moving to his state. In June, they'll celebrate their very happy 24th anniversary.