DevilMayKare

Thanks for your kind words everybody. I guess I just have to figure this out. Since Arthur has been pretty independent for awhile I've already been pampering myself as much as anyone can enjoy. What I really need is a project... just haven't had anything come to me lately. It's hard to be passionate just for the sake of the passion, but no doubt SOMETHING will come up.

Oh that path looks easy enough. But woman yours isn't just a path, is it? My pavers are an entire driveway, front stoop and path. If someone's just doing a path, then those pavers look great. In my backyard I have a combination path of Arizona shale, marble, used concrete, etc that was pretty easy to make. The used concrete was the hardest to get level because it's thick, heavy and the bottom isn't flat. Its big advantage is that it was FREE. :grouphug: I'll take a pic this weekend.

Similar... but it looks like yours are are the same size... ? There are 3 different sizes in my "interlocking pavers." I do a LOT myself... my sons & I poured the concrete and laid stone on the back patio, but believe me it doesn't look professional like the front. They had to take out all the existing concrete and dug down to put 18" of sand base. The outside edge in concreted in, but the rest is interlocked on top of the sand. This isn't one job I would attempt myself. The back doesn't drain right, even tho we tried to pour it so Water would flow downhill. It's harder than it looks. Lot's of things you can do over, but "set in concrete" has a whole new meaning to me. I vote with your hubby on this one.

Oh Robyn, I am so, soooo sorry you are going thru this. What an ordeal for you--and your family. I wish I had something wise to say, but there really aren't any words. I know you know the answer to your question. It comes down to your money or your life, doesn't it? Please let us know how you're doing. We'll be think of and praying for you.

WomanWithin, If Round up didn't work you might just try keeping a spray bottle with straight bleach handy and squirt every new clover leaf as it appears. BTW I love the mauve color of your place! Maybe you need a purple door? Anyone notice my blue door? Some people love it, some hate it. I had such fun picking out the paint. I showed the swatch to the guy at home depot and he mixed an INTERIOR paint. When I noticed, I said, "No, it has to be exterior. It's for my front door... I'm making a statement." The guy waiting at the counter next to me asked, "What statement are you making?" And the paint guy said, "A crazy person lives here?" I said, "Noooo, a FUN person lives here!" Last month I found a really cool antique stainglass window taken from a torn-down bar in San Francisco that has a blue ribbon that same color running thru it. Soon as I can find someone to do it I'm going to have it put in to replace the yukky window you see in the pic next to the door.

Man in is 20's? Sixteen years younger???? Whoa! You guys are TRULY INSPIRING! Gives me hope!! 'Course, I think I'd better stay out of the 20's brackett. Having a 22-year-old son makes it just a little too weird.

I didn't mean to imply you shouldn't be upset and weren't suffering because of someone else's mistake. Believe me, I was mad when that semi hit me making an illegal U-turn--my car was only FOUR DAYS old! It was in December and my oldest son who was home for Xmas break didn't even get to see my new car because it was in the shop. I just warned you about not taking the statement personally because--even tho I KNOW better-- I got so mad during the RECORDED questions that I told the (other party's) adjuster she was "really starting to piss me off." It's hard to understand what an emotional experience it is until you've been there. Honestly, I feel embarassed about my reaction now. Three weeks later, when a girl behind me dropped her cell phone and plowed into my stopped car as she reached to get it, I couldn't stop LAUGHING because--thank the Lord--I was STILL in the rental car (26th day) and was so relieved that I hadn't gotten my car back yet. Instead of being mad at her I was like, "Thank you, THANK YOU for hitting me NOW and not next week!" So three months later I go & rear-end someone. :huytsao The older (and more experienced) I get the more life humbles me and encourages me to be as compassionate as possible. Without a doubt I will need it in the future.

Gosh... is that "Before" the band and after surgery REALLY the same person? Do people even recognize you? You have worked so hard to look so beautiful and feel so good as I know you do! Thank you for the inspiration!

No, I don't take it personally at all. I don't have any personal investment in Mercury other than the fact that I wouldn't represent them if I didn't think they were a good company. (Not perfect.) Most of my bad experience w/ lawyers come from divorce and DATING. :guess However I do know once someone has hired an attorney I can't talk to them about their claim. And I have seen attorneys screw people--just like any profession, but it can be a pretty expensive screwing. When the semitruck hit me I didn't hire an attorney because I just didn't want the event to take up any more of my life than it had to. I settled for $200 over my chiropractic bills (which were $400) because that's what felt fair to me financially (based on taking a couple of days off to soak) but no doubt could have gotten thousands more. I understand insurance companies sometimes treat people unfairly and certainly people treat each other unfairly, but I do not think it is the RULE and while I'm assertive I do give people (& companies) the chance to be fair. On another note, the last accident I had (three weeks ago) was entirely my fault. I didn't slow down fast enough during one of those fast/slow times on the fwy and ended up rearending a guy in a truck. His dmg was minimal... mine was $5,200. He was really nice about it and I appreciated that he didn't try to claim he was hurt. He didn't even want me to report the accident since he was uninsured (illegal in CA). He is really broke and didn't have the downpayment to start an insurance policy so I ended up writing him up and paying for the first month's premium. He was very surprised that I did that, but I just can't tell you how thankful I was that my mistake didn't hurt him! I doubt the man in Wheetsin's accident MEANT to run the red light. He got out of the car and asked if everyone was allright. He doesn't sound like a jerk. It's really horrible to be hit in a car accident-- but it's also really horrible to be the CAUSE of an accident.

I don't really see why you shouldn't give a statement to the other company. I didn't have any problem giving them a statement and telling me how their covered vehicle hit me. Remember once you hire an attorney THEY are your representative and you are pretty much out of the loop. AND you have to give them a % of any settlement you get. If you feel you NEED an attorney, that's up to you; but just because you are being represented by one does not mean you would get more than you would have gotten anyway. I may be biased in this area for many reasons. My experience w/ lawyers and auto claims is limited since I'm an agent and not an adjuster. I do have some experience w/ attorneys and divorce tho. My divorce proceding went better once I got rid of my lawyer and represented myself.

Okay--please remember Missouri may be different than CA on some things. I'm only licensed and only know CA insurance, so don't take anything I say as gospel. With that in mind... It sounds like you're in good shape as far as fault. Bummer about your payoff value. Not much can be done about that. I'm sure you already know Volvos have one of the highest safetly ratings so that was a good car to be in. Maybe it's not a total tho. State Farm is a good company to have hit you tho. I doubt they will give you any trouble paying med bills, etc. In CA this would be under the driver who hit you's Bodily Injury coverage. But you can go thru your own insurance and they will subrogate. Injury liability can work out a little different than property liability. Best to do whatever your adjuster recommends. The misc items... I don't think those will be covered. Large items (like a camera) would be under your homeowner's policy but are probably under the deductible. BUT since there was injury-- State Farm will probably be approaching you about "settling" and that may be for more than just the doctor bills (this is where "pain & suffering" come in--generally you do NOT have to have a lawyer to get a small settlement). Don't think I want to get into anymore detail than that because it gets into some legal-schmegal stuff that may vary also with the state.

Oh, that is scary. Trucks with stuff falling off are one of my worst nightmares. I have taken PLENTY of claims info on that! Luckily most windshields these days are built for a pretty big falling impact. They shatter, instead of breaking into big sharp pieces. Thank God you were okay--if unnerved!

The police report usually just indicates fault. They rarely make a statement of absolute fault. That is the job of your insurance adjuster. Certainly your company will want to do everything they can to support it being the OTHER party's fault. There's just a very big variance on how much they'll fight on this. Pics at the scene with your cell are perfect. Don't worry about pics of the car afterwards. It's either fixable or not. It almost always costs way more to fix than you think it will. From what you describe it, it sure sounds like a total to me. A good soak in Epsom salt might help hubby. It's common for neck and back injury to be worse the next day. But, I'm sure you've been told that and given some medical advice.

They usually ask the very front car how many times they were bumped. Say there are 3 cars in a pile-up. If the first car was bumped twice it means the 2nd car rear-ended them and then was RE. If the first car was it once it means the 2nd car was hit by the 3rd car and hit INTO the first car, indicating the last car and not the middle car was at fault. Make sense?

Wheetsin, What state are you in? Auto insurance lawas vary somewhat between states. I'm an Insurance agent (auto & home) in CA so whatever I say just applies to CA. Generally whoever the policeman put first on the report is considered most at fault. Witnesses can be important, so hopefully there were some. It's after the fact, but it is always a good idea to take pics of the stopped vehicles (cellphones are great for this) while they are still in place at the scene. Clearly the other parties fault if they ran a red light, but sometimes it's tough to prove. Are you with one of the major companies? Some seem to be better than others as far as assessing fault and fighting for you in court. I'm a Mercury and Progressive agent and have worked for State Farm. I have been in THREE accidents (believe it or not) in the past FOUR months so I have more experience with the Mercury claims process than anyone could ever want to have. I am very happy to say they treated me very well in all instances. Before my rash of accidents my son totalled his car in November and the payout on that was excellent. If your car is totalled (& it sure sounds like it) your payout is ACV--Actual Cash Value, basically what you could sell the car for. Go to KBB.com, put in your car info and then click on the site that lists cars like that for sale in your area. Your payout should be close to the figures you see there, depending on its condition. If it isn't, fight in--IN WRITING. Some companies will try to low ball you. Honestly, Mercury paid out MORE than I expected on my son's car. CLaims adjusters are notoriously hard to reach, but in my experience they do call back w/i 24 hours. Do you have rental car coverage? I stress this coverage way more than I used to before I had to drive a rental for 28 days (That would have been over $900!). For most companies in CA your rental coverage stops 5 days from the day you've been offered a total payoff--although you might not get a check for several weeks. Start thinking of what you want to replace your car with now and getting your financing figured out so you won't be in a big rush when it's totalled. Generally it takes 3-7 days for this to be determined. It's a very emotional experience--especially answering all those questions! (Like if you'd been drinking, were on medication, etc.) Don't take them personally, they're standard. Your husband will still have to make a statement when the other party's adjuster calls. He should expect to feel wary of driving for awhile. Truthfully, I haven't recovered emotionally from my last accident. Once you lose your faith that other cars won't crash into you from nowhere or do stupid things you can't drive defensively enough to avoid it really unnerves you. Everyday I am SO RELIEVED to get home without an accident... but I'm hoping that will pass. I feel for you and your DH. Any specific questions, feel free to ask me.

That cracked me up. :confused:

That cracked me up.

Gosh--there sure are some beautiful gardens here. Don't you wish we could have a LBT Garden Tour?

Wow! M that is gorgeous! Yeah, you spend some time in the yard. (lol) The puppies look more like pappilions to me. Is that what they are? Oh 3Loves, I think your pink tree might be an Eastern Redbud. Are the leaves round or heart-shaped? So do you all have coi in your ponds? I opted for the cheap & just bought goldfish. They're getting pretty big tho!

Wow--beautiful ponds you guys! Leatha, I have tried and tried to grow waterlillies, but never even got a bloom! I think my little pond is too shaded. Ground cover... what KIND of ground cover? I've got to admit it's some of those underground creepers that keep me only 90% organic. I've got a persistent ground cover type weed between my stone paths in back that I spray with roundup now & then. Other than constant vigilant weeding (or covering with black plastic and cooking--that's about all you can do with those kinds of things. Clemantis... yeah, I've got some experience killing it. :party: I could probably grow it in front where almost anything grows with the morning sun, but the backyard is where I'd like to have more climbers. I've bought clemantis twice now and it just died.

There's no Wrong Way to Eat a Kare. I think that about says it all.

Thank you Kim, but really--it's just a combination of time, experimentation, brokeness with a little procrastination thrown in. I was so, sooooo broke for quite a few years I had to do everything on the cheap, thus the recycled cement and big use of seeds. If I'd had the money I would have probably just had everything landscaped by professionals like a lot of people do. (The interlocking paver driveway was just put in this February, before that it was a 60's combination of quarry tile, rock in cement and cracked cement driveway.) About the second year I had larkspur I got too busy to pull the dead plants out and my yard looked like a fire had struck it for about a month--but the NEXT year OH LA LA! All the self-sown larkspur seeds looked great. That's how I learned to let some things die and sew themselves. Another trick I learned from having a birdfeeder that dropped seed is to sew lots of sunflower seeds thruout the yard. These are about the only things blooming in August but just a few sunflowers create such a focal point that people don't notice how crummy everyhting else looks. And I also always plant some squash & watermelon seeds, just to have green during the hot time of year.

Five sheets per layer? Yeah, that might be about right (could be more, it's not exact)--but you'll need at least 4 layers (just like the lasagna noodles). If it's hard to save that much newspaper you can use cardboard for the two bottom layers. The bottom layers will decompose more and faster than the top layers so cardboard will do. 18x8 is a pretty large area. I think the lecturer said you can also use hay for some of the "stuffing" but I didn't end up needing it. You might get a bale of (green) hay tho, if there are hourses nearby. I would also recommend putting that near the bottom. If you have any mushroom farms nearby they have great compost. Just don't put in manure. That adds too much salt for a lot of plants.

Wow 3Loves--look at all the LAND you have! It makes me want to go break out the bacci balls. Where do you live? That's a lotta mowin! Kim--how big an area do you have behind the driveway? Be sure to have PLENTY of newspaper saved up for the "pasta" layers. You don't HAVE to do it all at once (you can come back & add layers), but it's easier that way if you have enough stuffin. I was a little surprised at how much it took. I'm not sure what the site says, but from my experience it's good to build up to 18" since it will compact down about 30%. Oh--also take some buckets to the Starbucks (or whatever coffee shop) and get as many coffee grounds as you can. When it comes to gardening you really can't have too many coffee grounds!

Yes on posting the pics side by! I never could figure out why sometimes a pic posts in the message automatically and why sometimes just a link appears. I made these pretty small because I thought it was a matter of size, but they still just appear in a link. Guess I should do a search on posting photos, uh? (smile) I've been in this house 22 years now (how did THAT happen?) so I've had a lot of time to experiment and see what works with the soil and light. I wish I'd taken more pics over the years as things have changed pretty dramatically season to season. Believe it or not this is about the LEAST time-intensive look I've come up with. I'm about 90% organic. I belonged to an organic gardening club for years and the master gardeners were just an incredible source of information as were the speakers. I think it was a speaker on lasagna gardening where I found out about it as it was a speaker on wormbeds where I learned about that. (I'll tell you more about my worms when I photo the backyard.) You can google and learn as much as you need to know about lasagna gardening. THe most important advice I could give you on that is: Plan ahead! You'll have to save bunches of newspaper, leaves, grassclippings, etc to have enough to make a thick pile. I went around to the guys cutting lawns and brought home trashbags of grass clippings. It works best if you cover everything w/ black plastic and let it "cook" for 3-6 weeks (NOT in winter) so there will be a period of time where your yard won't look so hot. Thank you for the compliments. I really do plant as a performance art. In my youth I was hell-bent on saving the world, but well... I'm sure many of you know how time and experience takes a lot of that wide-eyed idealism out of you. I finally came to the wisdom of Candide where all the energy of raging against the machine and my own search for "The Meaning of Life" was channeled into the prosaic pursuit of an interesting garden. .