Yes! (Also, hi fellow NADDpole! There’s at least two of us here! Lol)
cleanandsunny
Let me introduce you to Tirana, Albania which has done exactly as you suggest! They elected a former painter as mayor in 2000, and the rest is history. So many of the brutalist buildings in the city are now covered with bright colors, murals, patterns, and more. You can check out some before and after images here: https://blog.ted.com/9-views-of-tirana-albania-with-its-bright-multicolored-building/
A great example of this is Not Another D&D Podcast, a comedy D&D podcast. The first campaign has a player character who sounds like she’s from Appalachia!
Oh, that’s so great that the dog is trained to signal to go out. I hope it’s an easier time for you, too! Best of luck!
We were just thrust into this scenario with an elderly family member, and now we have a cute senior dog. It’s going okay, but it’s been an adjustment.
First, get vet records and/or go ahead and establish care at a vet. Vets are extremely busy after everyone adopted pets during COVID - so better to go now, and make sure pup is doing okay.
Second, you’ll need the basics immediately - food, bowls, leash, collar, bags, etc. Hopefully your situation is easier and your friend can pass that stuff along.
You’ll also need to figure out potty timing. Dogs love being on a schedule. I don’t. So it may be a big adjustment to not sleep in, and to go for 5 walks a day at the same time every day. But congrats, that’s what you’re signing up for. Our dog is also a tiny breed and was never trained properly, so we are getting up at 4:30am to avoid accidents in the house. Does it suck? 100%. But we are still learning how long he can hold it overnight without an accident. We’re up to 5 hours now and we increase it a little bit each night. There may be a learning curve for you too.
Lastly, we also have an elderly cat and he’s fine as long as the dog stays ~3 feet away. The dog is terrified of him, so it’s usually fine. If he does get close, the cat hisses and growls so they mostly have a détente. I do keep any eye out on eating time, because the dog is scared to eat if the cat is like 3 feet away staring him down. We’ve also tried hard to make sure they get equal attention and love. Still, the cat isn’t thrilled about having all this hyperactive little brother energy around. We’re all just doing our best!
It’s very cool to see so many of our local (PNW) seed farmers quoted in this article! It’s true that they are doing incredible work. Some of our farm friends are growing seed, sourcing heirlooms from other countries to trial them here (including all the customs logistics involved), and saving their own mutants. Some great companies to support for your winter seed buying:
Osborne Seeds Wild Garden Seed Uprising Seeds Baker Creek Seeds High Mowing Johnny’s Seeds
I don’t manage our PiHole, so easier said than done. I’m the non tech spouse (although not clicking ads or on TikTok all day, lol) but I can’t bug my spouse in the middle of the day to whitelist something for me. I can easily disable it myself and it takes 10 seconds. I could learn how to whitelist, but TBH I have enough tech to keep up with for the business already.
My most frequent issue is that links created through an email service provider like ConvertKit will get blocked by PiHole.
I’m a small business owner and so I get a lot of other people’s newsletters, on purpose. I like seeing what mentors and colleagues are doing with their businesses. But a link to their website, a blog post, anything really will almost always be blocked by PiHole if it’s sent via an ESP. This kind of “tracking” (email clicks from a small biz I know and trust) is something I am totally fine with.
It’s easy to disable for 1 minute to click through, but sometimes I forget that the PiHole is active and I can’t figure out why the links aren’t working.
I’m reading The Consolations of the Forest, a cozy but bizarre book about a writer who decides to do a Thoreau-inspired hermitage, except the cabin is in the Russian tundra. The level of vodka drinking is wild, I’d never survive!
Also reading/referencing a bunch of Vietnam travel guides to prepare for a trip! Just finishing up Eat Vietnam, so I can learn what I can eat, lol. Food allergies in foreign countries are always an adventure!
2+ holds ready at the same time always happens to me, too!
I had no idea this was a thing. How awful. We have a family member in a short-term rehabilitation facility right now and it’s extremely chaotic there, lots of turnover. I wonder if they are using these apps, which would add to the chaos. Definitely something to ask about if you have an older family member who will need assisted living or a skilled nursing facility…as if those decisions aren’t hard enough.
I should have linked that too, but yes, he’s great!!