I and others have often taken advantage of New York City's Dept of Sanitation rules get some fine furniture from the street. I always thought this was one of the perks of living here. Bulk disposal items can legally be put out next to the curb after 4:00 pm the night before the last garbage collection day of the week. The Dept of Sanitation will collect them by Saturday. In my experience, probably due to the number of scavengers, most of the items do not last on the street through the night. I have very nice outdoor furniture in my house in the country thanks to people redecorating their terraces. Most things can fit into the back of a taxi. If not, use your imagination. There are other ways to get them home.

After our vet gave me my first black Standard Poodle puppy, I had a succession of them. I called each off them the same name and loved them dearly. Living with a dog one bonds with is one of life’s great pleasures

From what I have read, Lord Byron was exiled (from the UK) for cruelty, adultery, and incest with his half-sister. At first I thought the drink disappeared because he was discovered to have been a slave owner, considering the geography where the recent sentiment has been (in certain circles) to remove honors that celebrate slave owners. I think it would be worth a call to the restaurant owner to learn the real reason for the disappearance.

I had my business for 50 years. Thinking that I was totally indispensable, I deprived myself of many great vacation opportunities.
My 4th husband, also a long term entrepreneur, finally talked me out of my attitude. I took the leap, and guess what? They did fine without me. The moral of this story is, hire smart people w ho care as much about OUR clients and other significant others as you do..

I got a chill down my spine.

My Aunt Helen used to send all the grandchildren a card and a $10 bill for their birthdays. She sealed the envelopes with a piece of Scotch tape so no one could steal the money as the envelope made its way through the postal system. Our obligation was to call her and say “Thank you.” I think she would have continued to send the cards and gift whether or not we called her. I think she got great pleasure fr being the only one in the family who made a fuss about birthdays or cared to commemorate them.
I also would continue to send them to the grandkids and not to anyone else. You know she gets pleasure from giving, so why deprive her of that? The adults may not notice. And if they complain, she can explain her reasoning. I am conflict adverse.

I meant probably sounds ridiculous. It is not a problem.

I prefer to see the faces of the people I am addressing but I also have so much experience with only an audio connection that I am fine without the visual. Many of my students do not have zoom or FaceTime, so they are used to just audio. To those of you who are digital natives, this problem sounds ridiculous.

I am impressed with your insight into yourself.

I am so glad the trip lived up to expectations. Where to next?