Hi Gail From what you described it sounds like your house is brick? and the patio goes above the concrete foundation? So moisture is seeping through the brick and damaging the wood structure of the house...Is this what is happening? If so the perimeter drain sound like a good solution. If you do put it in then make sure that the WHOLE side of the house has the drain system and it drains offto an area that is away from the house. The last thing you want is water sitting near the foundation. Also I would take it one or two steps further and dig down to the concrete foundation and coat all the way up to the finished patio elevation. They make a type of tar coating for such problems. Remember the deeper the french drain the better. And don't use the flexible type of drain pipe use the rigid, its easier to make sure you have it on the proper grade. Good Luck

You are correct. "Ladybug" refers to certain species of beetles in the family Coccinellidae of which there are hundreds of species native to North America and many more in other parts of the world. There is one type of ladybug some call "Asian beetles" which is Harmonia axyridis . It was introduced from Asia not long ago and is closely related to our ladybugs. The only difference is this one overwinters in peoples houses and produces a foul odor, but it eats aphids and stuff just like the others. And our native ladybugs also prouduce a foul odor when disturbed but I guess they overwinter outdoors. Coccinellidae Asian Beetles

We are taking the plunge and looking at getting a Panasonic or Hitachi (haven't decided which) dvd camcorder. I've been studying the formats and have learned that we'll need a dvd-r so it will play on our Panasonic dvd player. (Unfortunately, my computer is dvd+rw so i can't edit on it.) I've also heard a little bit about DVD-RAM but still in the dark a lot on that one. So, having learned that much I still am confused about a couple of things and hope that some experienced person will help me out. 1. DVD-RAM: -when they say you can edit right on the camcorder, do they mean only if DVD-RAM disc or can you edit DVD-R's? -what kind of editing will the camera do? e.g.: does it do chapters? -my dvd player will play DVD-RAM discs as long as they are not in the cartridge. I have never seen a RAM disc-do they come out of the cartridge for dvd player use? -what are the advantages/disadvantages of DVD-RAM? -can you/do you finalize DVD-RAM? 2. do you need to format DVD-R/RAM discs before using them? 3. if I record in 16:9 format, (which is what I want), how will it view on 4:3 ration screens? 4. what is a good CCD number? TIA-I really appreciate any information you can give me.

Happy New Year. Yesterday before DD took the Mega Bus back to Chicago, we went to the Iowa Arboretum to look at their facilities and wedding information. I used to be a member back in the mid 1990's. It has grown (no pun intended) a lot. We decided on this location, selected a tentative date, and decided to do a reception and a wedding at this location. Call to pastor to check dates available was made to reserve the date with her and give a couple alternative dates. Hope all works with the originally selected date, cause who knows if the alternatives will be available in a week. DH and I are really happy with this selection. The venue is not far from us in the country. Wonderful people there too. Iowa Arboretum @Mdln have you seen Asrai Garden floral designs? They are stunning and we might use them for the bridal party flowers, if we can get them here appropriately. DD is looking into logistics. OR I am totally using their look to find a local florist that can create something similar. There is also The Foxglove Studio for flowers in Chicago. Asrai Garden The Foxglove Studio