Clancy59

I’m with the majority and didn’t get it until the end, despite all the clues: “Mummy,” the homeopathic/organic focus, the younger brother Drew, etc. Hind sight is 20/20, they say. It certainly is with this story, and makes rereading it so much more entertaining with that knowledge!

I spoke with my brother this morning. They purchased a condo just north of Tampa getting ready to retire, but then bought a different one about 15 minutes more inland. They just put the first one up for sale this week! Talk about bad timing!

Yes, they have Eminent Domain, but they also have to prove they need it. There was a circumstance in CT many years ago when the city took houses under Eminent Domain, but never did anything. I think the displaced residents sued, but I don’t remember the outcome. One of the issues is that the properties were oceanfront and the residents felt they were not given enough time nor were they duly compensated. I thought about Richie’s house, but discarded it as a possible location. 1) It was a private home and therefore not large enough to house the orphanage population, and it’s not just a matter of enlarging that house 2) It’s not just the population. It’s the additional services they need: Administrator’s Offices, 1-2 meeting rooms, multiple bathrooms, play areas both inside and out large enough for the number of children, medical facilities, nursery facilities, kitchen facilities that fall more into a commercial level, etc. They really need, at a minimum, a building the size of an old schoolhouse that the city is no longer using. The city council is being unrealistic in demanding they vacate within 6 months with their RESIDENT population. It’s not just moving a facility. They are owing a couple dozen KIDS and all their attendant needs. If the council wants that property so much, they need to provide some other possibilities for Pat and her board to choose from. They DO need to let the media know. Go, Colin and Company!

Thanks. I do remember that now.

My best thoughts go to them, Dughlas. The latest reports are that the storm will make landfall a bit south of Tampa, but there is still the water to contend with.

He’s a big boy! They say the larger animals have problems with their hips like this. Bonnie is only 12 lbs and is sleeping next to me right now. When we go to sleep for the night, she’ll crawl into my lap and spend the night there. It’s a good thing she’s a little girl!

He has twins? Sorry. I didn’t go back to check that. I just don’t have the time right now.

Too many comments to read early in the morning! 4 pages already! I just knew there would be a disaster when Loren couldn’t keep from announcing the first pregnancy. That’s why most people wait until after the first trimester. So much can go wrong in that time. It’s hard enough to deal with without having to deal with all the sympathizers and well-wishers. With the 2nd try, I am sure they’ll wait to announce to the world. But Seamus and Matt will be in on the info track from Day 1, I’m sure. Since Loren is an identical twin himself, it’s not all that surprising that the embryo split. It’s in the genetics. It’s almost more surprising that Lars doesn’t have twins himself! But it explains why Katje felt strange. It was her body telling her this was no ordinary pregnancy. Those parental units are absolute scum. To have been so abusive, and get away with it, and then come back for what they think they are owed is despicable. Now they are claiming defamation!? Disgusting. I guess the guys should be glad, at least, that they never reproduced again. I can’t wait to see them destroyed in court. Just keep them away from the babies. Then I can hardly wait to see how Loren preps for the babies! Oh, Grandma Peterman is going to be beside herself with excitement! Between the two of them, these kids will want for nothing! And that says nothing of how Jay and Uncles Seamus and Matt will spoil them, also!

Oh, your poor puppy! I know how active they can be at that age. My pup is 3 1/2 years, but thinks she is 3 1/2 months, with all the excitement and activity that entails. Yours is not able to do this as it hurts so much. My Bonnie sends her love and wishes to yours. We hope you are able to get him the help he needs and he feels better soon.

Armand may claim he’s not be on board right now, but that baby in his arms says otherwise! He’s already falling for her and won’t be able to leave her there. She’s on/in his mind too much. 👨‍👨‍👧

Yep. They’re getting a baby girl.

It often is. The commentaries can be as entertaining as the stories!

🤫 {psst—that’s not the first time you’ve referred to me as ‘sir.’ Just for future reference, I’m a ‘Ma’am!’}

Tossed salad, @JeffreyL? That’s a new one! I do love the quilt analogy. You take bits of fabric and stitch them together in what seems to be a random pattern and when you finish, you have a beautiful, warm blanket to keep you comfy and happy. I can understand your concern of being able to maintain your high standard of performance, and it could be that a break could be called for. We don’t want it to happen, because we love your stories, but if you want to work on the dolphin stories, that works, also. They are imaginative and creative. I agree with @frosenblum. I will read anything you write because you are a talented writer, but everyone needs a break. If you feel like you need a break, maybe you should take at least a short one. Work on something else, or nothing. We can wait for you—impatiently 😇—but we can wait.

I am also concerned about the peanut butter. Schools today have hyper-fits about peanut butter because of allergies. Many times these have come about because of overprecaution by people who have heard about the allergies, so they keep their babies away from the allergens, not realizing that the babies need to be exposed to them in order to PREVENT an allergy! It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy. Keep the kids away from allergens to prevent allergies, and wind up giving them the allergies you were trying to prevent! Yes, some kids have a genuine allergy, but not it was never in the numbers we have today. I’m surprised they were able to get the sandwiches in already. They need to be careful. People can also develop allergies. I developed allergies to both aspirin and penicillin as an adult. Luckily, it is mild and manifests simply as a rash from head to toe, but I avoid those meds in order to prevent them from escalating into anything worse. James should think about using a substitute. Most schools use sunbutter made from sunflower seeds. Poor Pat. She tries so hard and just can’t provide enough for the kids. She and the orphanage are very fortunate that Armand and Colin have become benefactors. The kids have benefited so much.

Well, this was a blast from the…future! CJ has really matured to realize that compromise is part of life and a large element in diplomacy. He’s trying to teach this to Liebe, but she’s not quite ready to hear this. The world is still black-and-white to her. I think Fab is more aware of the need than she is. I loved Chipper singing at the wedding, and yes, I recognized it as the same song he sang at CJ and Owen’s wedding. Who was the softie who suggested that one? The bow at the conclusion of the song was quite classy, I thought. And yes, I also recognized Joel and Kai. They both said they wanted to pilot Air Force One. Looks like they made it! I missed Uncle Richie and Aunt Lucy, also. With the groups they socialize with, it didn’t really surprise me that Lilibet is Liebe’s MoH. So the rest of the royals were there, huh? Hopefully, Will and Harry have made up by then. Not surprised to hear William is King by then. This is 25 years in the future, and since Charles is already 73 or so, it would be surprising if he were on the throne more than 10 years from now. Bottom line is that I thoroughly enjoyed this, as I do all your stories. I love the way you mix historical fact with entertaining fiction. Keep ‘‘em coming, please!

With all due respect (and with allowances because the teachers at this school seem to be idiots), it is very difficult to keep an eye on a couple dozen kids at the same moment. Lunchtime is even worse, because the 2-3 teachers with the dreaded ‘Lunch Duty’ usually have over 100 kids to keep under control! On top of this, bullies are notoriously sneaky and know how to get away with their nefarious deeds while getting others in trouble when they try to protect or defend the bullied person. All is not lost however. It only takes a couple of times to have kids pointing out that so-and-so is the guilty party and, even if that person cannot be legitimately punished at that time, the teachers then have that person on their radar and start watching much closer. Sooner or later, that bully WILL be caught!

I have no doubt Nettleman said there was a riot happening while the kids were peacefully gathering. He hates this entire situation and is trying to end it in the worst ways. As far as the media is concerned, I believe most media outlets have radios tuned into first responder frequencies so that they can get scoops on developing stories. Until they put encoders (?) on their frequencies, my brother and Mom actually had a couple of books with lists of those frequencies and codes. You could listen in on the police and fire departments. It was really interesting, until they put the blocks on them.

Where did these ideas for the milk recipes come from? Chocolate milk with ice cream or milk with chocolate ice cream? Milk with maple syrup? I’ve never heard of these ideas (except for the shakes). Richie is still in the mourning phase. He may not be out-and-out sobbing, but everyone grieves in their own way, and he hasn’t had enough time to fully adjust to life without Mom, Dad and Big Brother. He got very lucky to have been matched up with Armand and Colin and their family so quickly. Armand was right to kind of ‘force’ the issue of going through the box and it’s contents. It was hard for Richie, but it helped him face the reality of the situation. It has to be done in stages, though. Richie indicated he was done when he couldn’t face the sports memorabilia. That’s fine. This is a difficult, emotional thing to do. It doesn’t all have to be done today. Give him a few days, or even weeks, then revisit the issue without forcing it. He’s working on it now. He’ll keep doing so, even if it doesn’t look like it outwardly. GG keeps helping in her way, also.

@Graeme, I need to add my 2 cents to the hopes that you are well after 3 1/2 years since this chapter was posted. I also send my request that you will be able to complete this book soon. It’s a great story, as are the first three. I’d love to see how Mason overcomes this assassin. I’d love to see how Eve comes to terms with Ben. I ‘d love to find out about that medal. I’d (read We’d) love to see this story completed.

An excellent story, which is scarily close to what is happening here in the US. Hopefully, the furor over the recent decisions, or should I say anti-decisions, of the Supreme Court seems to be activating the populous. Voter registration is up by double digit percentage points all over the country. Rethuglian candidates are actually sanitizing their websites and campaign materials to make themselves seem less attached to the extreme party members. tRump still thinks he won the last election and will be going back to the WH after the next election even as he is spewing ever more hateful, conspiratorial lies straight out of the Q-Anon playbook, and many candidates, except for the most crack-pot, are pulling away from wanting his endorsement. Your story is a cross between 1984, Animal Farm and The Handmaid’s Tale. Frightening.

She may not have been in a position financially, or stable in her life, to take him. There could be many reasons. Maybe she was in France. It could simply be that CPS was unaware of their connection to contact her! It was an emergency situation, after all. But they kind of dropped the ball before Armand and Colin got guardianship and adopted him. He certainly surprised Armand with his quiet “Bonjour, Messieurs!” Especially when he was fluent enough to converse in the language! Was his mother from France, also?

Maybe it tastes like chicken?

@weinerdog, it took you that long? I knew when Alec didn’t hear from Finn that morning and couldn’t reach him at any time. Obviously, the guys were in on this, but who contacted who to orchestrate the surprise? Sage was able to take advantage of Alec’s invitation and work this magic reunion. I loved it!

The good news is he got a glowing report. He doesn’t have to go back for a year! Yay!