Back in my Austin book club, we used a talking stick. It was just a random object passed around, and you had to hold it to speak, but everyone got a turn. Also, we sometimes would go around the circle at the start and each share our first thought on the ending. It really helped the quiet folks, like your guy with The Road, have a safe space to talk. You might be surprised what comes out when you make sharing a normal part of the meetup.

Are you kidding? It's absolutely serious. When you work for family, lines get blurred so fast. Suddenly you're not just doing a job, you're in a guilt trip marathon. And if you don't set things clear, you'll end up redoing everything for a thank you and maybe a baked good. So yeah, contracts save friendships, not just paychecks.

Kept a landline... saved us last winter when cell towers went down.

Gotta love when a tool decides to retire mid-project. At least the safety glasses were on, right?