Nancy is exactly right about that, and I remember the frustration of trying to free up one of those buttons in my 1959 Chevy. WD-40 worked eventually as I remember, but not for long. Replacing the switch was not a great alternative, either, as the bolts holding it on were fused to the floor in a solid mass of rust, both inside and outside the car. The rubber floor mats did a wonderful job of holding moisture underneath them in constant corrosive contact with the floor. I was happy when my first non-American car came with a stalk-mounted dimmer switch. Unfortunately, the rest of the car rusted twice as fast as any car I had ever owned before. They are sure making all of them so much better now. TM

When I got rid of my mini van I bought a Honda Pilot. It's the more economical version of the Acura MDX! I liked the looks of the MDX and the bells and whistles, but just couldn't pay $10,000 more for basically the same size SUV. The Pilot actually can seat 8 and not just tiny people in the back either. The 2nd row seat is actually able to shift forward just a bit so the third row has plenty of leg room if you have bigger kids back there. I don't know about full size males, but the average female or average 12-14 year old fits fine. The other great thing about this SUV is the third seat is totally flat into the bed of the car so if you don't want to use the third seat you have a full cargo area that is flat and very functional. We got the DVD player and the boys loved it. I have the navigation system in my current car, but my kids are older now and we don't drive on long trips very often anymore. It is a solid, dependable, zippy, easy to handle SUV. It's actually built on the Odyssey platform so you don't get the trucky feel of a SUV, but it's a sportier car to drive than the minivan. I also think the Volkswagon Toureag is way cool looking!

Sjhockey Last I looked everyone was wearing clothes. LOL Clothes may or may not be clean depending on how they were cleaned and where they were before your kitchen. I avoid putting purses(I seldom carry one as they are notoriously full of germs) and other grungy things on the counters. A few years ago, we had a bad case of campylobacter food poisoning. It was most likely due to cross contamination from someone cleaning or prepping salad greens in a contaminated environment. We were at a pot luck and never identified the culprit but at least 7 became ill. Two very icky pieces of clothing- lab coats and ties. My former boss wanted to implement lab coats. I produced the research study and also tried to explain that kids are fearful of lab coats. Fortunately, the idea was dropped. So keep DH from dropping his tie on the counter. Here is an interesting fact- people who constantly wipe their counters tend to have a higher bacteria count on their countertops. Turns out you just keep spreading germs around. I had a neighbor who wore out her Formica from constantly wiping her counters In health care, you are taught to spray the contaminated spot, allow the solution to sit for the required time and then place a towel over to absorb the contaminated area vs wiping it off. I must not be too obnoxious as my friends always vote to come to our place for events.

Around here, it doesn't matter what vehicle it is, it is the drivers. Male, female, young, old, doesn't matter. Those who have 4x4's don't always bother to read the owner's manual to find out that 4x4's are useless on ice. Everyone now expects the roads to all be perfectly clear and dry, no matter the weather. They think it is their right to drive as fast and as erratically as they always do. I was taught to drive by my dad, who worked for the county road crews. I learned very well how to drive in snowy weather! AND when to stay off the roads. We never had 4x4s and I don't now. My kids do, but know that it won't save them on ice, and DS learned that ice and high winds can get you when you don't expect it, when you have had the wind blocked by trees, then enter open areas! He quickly found out where the ditch was with no warning. Thankfully, he was not injured. And he learned to drive in almost blizzard conditions. I have driven a SUV since 2000. Believe me, unless you have a heavy load in the back end, they don't handle well on bad roads. All of the weight is in the front where the engine is. Same for pickup trucks. It isn't the size of the vehicle. It is always the driver. Speaking of little red sports cars...Several years ago, in a moderate snow storm, we were on our way to my parent's house, where I grew up. I know the road in those conditions, and was driving accordingly. Guess what passed us way too fast? Yep, little red sports car. Younger driver, though not a teenager. We no sooner said someone is going to end up in a ditch, and another mile up the road, that is exactly where he had ended up. As to stopping, don't get me started. On ANY roads. I pull a trailer. I drive a 30' motor home. How many of those here drive a semi or other large heavy vehicle? WE CAN NOT STOP ON A DIME!!!! Do you have any idea how many times a small car has pulled out in front of me/us with maybe 500' between us, or less? That weight PUSHES you, no matter how hard you are standing on the brake pedal. Would you cross in front of a train like that? I hope not. If it out weighs you by a factor of 10, don't do it! But give me a bigger vehicle any time over a small one. At least I have a little more vehicle around me for protection.