kristinehayes2014

Comments

• I think one of the things that makes our community somewhat unique is the number of activities available to residents. I think there's over 100 chartered clubs and 40 or 50 purely 'social' clubs as well. The club activities range from sports (tennis, pickleball, lawn bowling and probably 20 other different activities) to other more 'specialized' hobbies (there's a shop/garage for people who restore vintage cars, a huge woodworking shop, etc.). It's rare for people not to be involved in at least one activity. The latest addition to the activity roster is dog training :-) and we've gotten some great feedback from that.

  Post: Make the Attic Great Again

  Link to comment from September 2, 2026

• I agree--it sounds like I would get along splendidly with your Christine. I will take a night at home with our dogs over...well...just about everything else. How do you like your 55+ community? We really like ours and are learning how much we appreciate having so many easily-accessible services. I also adore how much the folks here look after one another.

  Post: Make the Attic Great Again

  Link to comment from September 1, 2026

• LOVE this post! Good job dealing with all that 'stuff'. Where we live, I've seen entire houses and garages filled--floor to ceiling--with lifetime accumulations of 'stuff'. I generally don't get attached to many items. If I haven't used something in more than twelve months, I tend to get rid of it. The exceptions, not surprisingly, are anything related to my dogs. I still have every ribbon won by any of my dogs in a competition. I have individual scrapbooks for each of them (past and present). I have tubs of leashes and collars and training tools and toys. But even all of that would probably fill just a single hall closet in most homes. Earlier this year I parted with two boxes of old report cards, diplomas, letters and cards (from my childhood). I scanned many of the items and they are now stored in a cloud-based drive so I can access them again if I ever want to. It felt good to purge many pounds of paper from my life.

  Post: Make the Attic Great Again

  Link to comment from September 1, 2026

• Interesting. We never have people ring our doorbell. I wonder if it has anything to do with the three Shepherds and (large) Corgi who guard our home...or the sign near the doorbell that warns people of the protective dogs that live inside....

  Post: He Said I Wasn’t Very Nice

  Link to comment from June 19, 2026

• Thank you for sharing your family's story.

  Post: What Bangladesh Taught Me About Enough

  Link to comment from April 16, 2026

• I can't wait for Part 3: "I Become a Dog Mom Again!" :-)

  Post: Buying and Selling our Condo (Our Big “Little” Move, Part 2)

  Link to comment from April 16, 2026

• I think they still exist in Oregon--at least they did when I left in 2022.

  Post: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

  Link to comment from April 15, 2026

• Yep--add me to the list of divorcees who relied on dogs to help ease the transition. I had two Corgis (Riley and Zoey). My ex wasn't a dog person so there was no question about who would get the dogs. Even if there had been, I would have given up everything else to keep my pups.

  Post: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

  Link to comment from April 13, 2026

• What a perfect motto!

  Post: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

  Link to comment from April 13, 2026

• It's funny your story involves Newfoundlands--I thought that would be what my first dog was. To put a little financial slant on that: I ended up getting a Corgi instead of a Newfoundland because our first house was only 800 square feet and I figured the Newfy would take up too much personal real estate inside our home. I'm sure 'non-dog' people struggle to understand the (what they perceive as irrational) connection people can have with their dogs. And that level of 'connection' varies widely even among dog-people. Some people care about their dogs, while other people CARE about their dogs. No surprise that I fall on the far end of the CARE spectrum. The children/no-children discussion going on right now on HD seems to evoke a similar emotional response. People who have children seem to have difficulty understanding why everyone else wouldn't want children. People who feel a deep connection to dogs often can't understand why other people don't feel the same. So I certainly understand why someone who is struggling financially can't bear to think of parting with their pets. It would feel like letting go of a part of your soul.

  Post: Penny Wise, Pound Foolish

  Link to comment from April 13, 2026