You had ketchup? Luxury!!! I considered myself lucky to be able to smell tomatoes before the neighbor fired his shotgun into my back.
I got better.
Lacunae sorry for joking around in such a serious thread. But hey, we are all so happy that now we are having fun to keep this on the front page.
You had pasta?! Back in my day, we grubbed for worms, in the snow, and we liked it! Uphill! Both ways!*
The day I can’t find humor in some allegedly serious situation is the day that my next of kin need to start searching for my will (and that gold I buried in the back yard. Because Tony really wants a pool, and hey! Free labor!) Everything is funny, on some level, if you want to stay within the legal definition of sane.
*“I’ll take ‘Phrases that really shouldn’t sound dirty’ for $500, please.” The answer is “Uphill, both ways.” “What is yo’ mama’s favorite position?” “That’s correct, and leave my mother out of this.”
Worms? You had worms? Back in the day we dug up coprolites and considered ourselves lucky!!! In the snow, uphill both ways!!!
I kinda lied about sleeping in cardboard boxes. Actually, that would have been unthinkable luxury. All 8 of us slept in a shoe box by the side of the road. In the snow. We had to dig our little toes into the mud to be sure that our shoebox wouldn’t slip into the road. At times we thought that it would be warmer in the road, at least the warmth from the car tires would help our fingers warm up a little.
Lacunae I’m so glad that you can laugh at least a little about this. I’m hoping that you will make your next goal soon. There is a new store moving in, so I’d better stop playing around and shut things down.
Done (again with funny animals on the currency). 
I know hard times, far too intimately for my liking. I know how hard it is to ask for help, and how embarrassing and belittling it feels. But sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do, just to survive. And I’m glad you feel comfortable enough here in this online community to reach out…
Best of everything for all of you Lacunae.
Protein!
Please don’t close out the fundraising before noon on July 1, even if the new goal is met. I’m posting on my tablet from my bed, and while I’d like to kick in another fifty, I don’t have my debit card number memorized (and I’m too lazy to get up right now and get it out of my wallet). I ought to be up by 9:00, easy.
(Missed the edit window: )
Greedy, schmeedy. A guardian of public safety ought to have a cushion for security; Tony’s more than earned that, and if the state of Georgia can’t be bothered to see to it he has one, I’ll consider it a privilege to help take up some of the slack.
Also, it’s to help out a Doper.
Us Dopers are so awesome. Waves pom-poms around. Go us!
Her happy updates are worth tossing a few bucks her way.
I just bought tickets for a stage production of Hair. Not really my thing, but hubs will enjoy it. I’m going to follow my friends example and toss the same amount at Lacunae. And indulgence for me, school clothes for the kids for her.
Couldn’t give much, but I wanted to give SOMEthing. God bless.
Same here. 
This is a Discworld reference/joke. 
Got the Boy some shiny new oil for his truck today, and new treads for his feet and his pickup - I didn’t realize his front tires were so precarious! Eek! It felt good to be able to talk to the mechanic and say “yeah, go ahead. That truck hauls precious cargo.” (The Boy offered to wait until his apprenticeship begins and pay for the tires out of his first paycheck, but no. Good shoes, good tires, and good brakes are bigger priorities than ‘most everything except groceries and a roof over the kids’ heads, right?) And a fortunate combo of clearance sale, free shipping, and a further discount code (even on clearance items) has finished outfitting the kindergartner with enough nice clothes to get her through late summer and fall for a very modest amount. If it hadn’t been for you guys, I’d still be trying to figure out which monthly bill to pay, and which late fees would hurt the least, rather than being able to “splurge” on tires or school clothes. I’m not a religious person, but I would definitely refer to this as a blessing. I’m humbled and amazed.
Aight, Vimes. Don’t care what fancy title you’re sporting now, get back t the streets! Where ya belong!
(I kicked in - can’t help a lot right now, but glad to add my weight against the door - helps keep the wolf out!)
I have a rotten cat sitting on my desk.
How’s he smell?
Awful!
/bump
^
Bump that dead cat into the bin.
You are welcome.
I hope you can use some of the money on something “fun”. Your situation must be very stressful and a little fun can go a long way.
“fun” is user defined, it may mean anything from a Netflix subscriptions to sending the kids to a movie and a bottle of your favorite drink & 2 long straws.
Woo Woo!!!
And when you are inside and feeling glummy and in need of fresh air, it is too Foggy inside?
You are now officially over your goal. Keep the page up - you may as well give everyone the opportunity to contribute.
StG
Absolutely leave the page up. You are not exactly out of the woods since your hubby is still not “fixed” and you don’t really know what the future holds. I think all of us on the Dope know you well enough to know that you aren’t going to take that money and go to Hawaii or anything foolish. You have an injured husband and a buncha kids; this ain’t cheap.
Kicked in a bit to push it further over the top, good luck!