Of course I've missed you! ♥♥ Glad to finally hear back. I know how busy life tends to be, though, so it's no problem if it takes you a while to reply (plus, you replied with a lot, so how can I be mad? :P)
Thank you, thank you, you know I love being an edgelord lmao
Yeah, we have high hopes for Apollo and Hades! I will be sure to give you an update on them when we see the results.
Aww, yeah that would've been really cool for Prince. It's great enrichment for pups, too, to be one of those support dogs. They go through rough training to be calm and get lots of pettings and love and affection for the rest of their lives, lmao. Ain't that the life. Prince would've been a great candidate! But the old boy is loving his life already and is clearly well cared for. Love the image of that big white puff ball just chilling under a tree in a beautiful park.
Ooh that commission sounds really awesome! Congratulations!! Try not to burn yourself out, though. It's a pretty tough job you have there. 20 dolls? Wow.
Aw, that is wonderful to hear about your mom! My grandmother was very similar. When I first went vegan, it was a lot of eye-rolls and dismissing me and asking me if I was "SURE" I didn't want [insert meat dish here]. It's just very natural for people to act like that. Doesn't mean they're a bad person or that they won't come around (and you are even luckier that your mom doesn't mind almond milk in her coffee or vegan dishes every now and then from you), but people just think it's a phase or you're not very serious about it. But when you show that it's not a phase and you are serious, plenty of people will not mind at all, and will even somewhat join you!
My grandmother was also the type to forget things like eggs and cheese and milk, but she was always apologetic about asking if I wanted any yogurt or cheese on my spaghetti or what have you. My mom was always the exact opposite. The second I told her I wanted to go from vegetarian to vegan, she was all over it, lmao. She loves making vegan dishes for me and my husband so I can relax instead of cook, or for all 3 (sometimes 4 if we get the rare time my brother joins) of us to enjoy a family night.
As someone who has been 10 years vegan, it becomes so natural to me that I sometimes "forget" why I'm doing it. Not that it makes me falter, but sometimes I remember the exploitation and horrible ways we treat animals, and it makes me sad. Then I'm like, "ohhh yeah that's why I haven't eaten any animal products in 10 years." So when you put it the way you do, it makes me feel good about my choices as well.
Omggg plum trees? ♥ That sounds absolutely lovely. And I've never heard of mitsuba! It would be cool to hear how they taste, and maybe I'll get some for myself. Over here? I'm excited to see our incredible burst of mint. We had a literal hedge about 2 feet off the ground of sweet mint, peppermint, and spearmint. It smelled soooo good, and they were right next to the lavender so the bees and butterflies were all over them, making them healthy and strong. It's my favorite little corner of our garden. ♥ Unfortunately, with Caesar here, it might be difficult for us to take care of our garden this year. Next year might go better since he'll be a bit older and won't need such intense 24/7 supervision. It'll just be slightly less intense 24/7 supervision next year :P