Lynn, you bet I drive it! That is very important. You don't have to do it often, or like it, but you DO need to learn how. And learn to hook it up to the truck. It's a safety issue. You never know when you will be somewhere when DH gets sick and needs help with you being the only way to get where he can have it. DSIL's mother refuses to drive theirs. She even rides on the bed and watches movies while he drives. Oh, sorry, theirs is a motor home like ours. He got the flu on the way home from TX a few years ago. He wasn't so bad that he couldn't have ridden, but wasn't able to drive. They sat in a campground for a week. Also, they have been in the middle of no where many times. What if he had a heart attack? She couldn't drive it if she had to. Mind you, I am not wishing bad luck/health on anyone, but you just never know. Have the dealer give you some tips. Has your DH ever driven towing? Learn to back it, too. Also, big empty parking lots are your friend while you learn. Open highway is easy. My first time was from the first rest area in KY out of OH going south. Umm, can you say lots of traffic to merge into?! I still want to put a big sign on the back saying "New to driving an RV. Thanks for your patience!"! DH says I drive it better than he does cause I'm still afraid of it. You may not want to know some of the places he's taken it! I think he's added to my grey hair!l Mind you, he is a pretty safe driver. Another camping club to look into is Passport America. You get 50% discounts certain places, certain times of the week. It can pay for itself in two stays! I think it's $20/year, not sure. Gee, some campgrounds are $30/night! And KOA's are usually a lot more. Don't get me wrong, we do stay at KOA's but not often. You can be sure of a good clean place to stay with level spots. And almost always right off the highway. But they are expensive. Also, if you are going out west, look into Bureau of Land Management. Some places have free camping available. Be sure to check for safe areas. Also, some Walmarts offer free 1 night stays, depending on local laws, policies, and safe areas. Cabella's and Bass Pro also may let you stay one night free. Always check with the management first. In those cases, no leveling jacks, chairs, or grills are allowed. I'll keep thinking! Tami

Wonder what made them rot NHB? I thought they were artificial, they were so perfect. That probably explains why I couldn't find any artificial ones like the large ones. I'll go take a picture of mine in a moment. VioletWest, we call that green, bumpy fruit a horse apple around here. Actually, it's the fruit from a Maclura pomifera aka Bois d'arc, aka Osage Orange, aka bowwood, aka naranjo chino. It's grown across much of the U.S. so chances are it's near you. Easy to spot this time of year because of the littering of fruit on the ground. (p.s. the fruit is inedible to humans but has many therapeutic properties). Trees grown around here are rather ugly, with leaves that look like they have some kind of pox. They are a much more attractive tree in cooler states. Here's my porch and foyer, and all the attempts I have made at decorating. Kind of seems silly to decorate when I haven't finished painting. I could tell you I was going for an artsy shot with these photos, but the truth is I wasn't paying enough attention to keep it level. This post was edited by marti8a on Fri, Oct 24, 14 at 11:10

Justgb..my grandson is going to LOVE that video. He really is interested in history/old fashioned things and inventions, so it's right up his alley. And I enjoyed learning about Lego's history, too. Thank you. BP..he played with the newly organized Lego's yesterday for the first time (first time he hasn't had a set to put together). I just put the base plates on the floor and he spent the whole time with the bin of body parts and created the best creatures with them. No dumping yet, I'm not sure he's a dumping kind of kid, but we'll see, so I'll hold off on a drop cloth for now. I can see the problem with a sheet, now that you mention it. Legomom, thanks for the tips. There is a Lego store about an hour from here (on a good traffic day). I might have to wait to take him when school's out. It's on my to do list with him. I've been not exactly dreaming about Legos, but the images of all those pieces I've been sorting kind of run through my mind when trying to fall asleep, when I rouse at night and when I first wake up. I feel immersed.

I teach mostly freshmen at a public university. I have come to the conclusion that most of my students are mediocre intellectually (also, I don't teach the more gifted freshmen who test into the advanced composition class in the fall). Now, some of them seem to be better at science and math than English; they can solve a math problem with a definite answer, memorize for a test, but abstractions (ideas, ideologies, connections, parallels, analogues) and the ongoing intellectual curiosity that relies on analysis and synthesis and contextualization to explore them eludes them. And of course few actually read. The few (very few) that do read popular fiction. Most of my students are Hispanic in origin, varying in generations away from Mexico or other countries. Many are bilingual, which I actually think should be an asset to learning grammar (we only spoke English in my house; my Dad heard my grandmother speak Polish, but it was not encouraged in a family that wanted to assimilate in the 1940s); if one learns a different language, one has to learn the grammar, but they grew up speaking English and Spanish fluently. It's not like they went to school to be taught another language. Also, many of my students are Polish (Chicago holds the largest population of Poles next to Warsaw), and in contrast to my Dad's upbringing, many speak Polish at home, and even though they may have been born here, English is the second language. It is a challenge, and more so each year as the school takes in more underserved students who are more unprepared and need remediation. Some do show potential, but their background (as well their own internal struggles) often keeps them from achieving what they could do. And it's not just the minority students who are underserved; most of the students are struggling financially, and I've seen more who need to work full time to support themselves and their families. The traditional student who goes away for four years at age 18 and lives in the dorm and graduates in four years is more the minority. I could say more, but I've spent the last two days grading their first major project; I have so many papers to grade I cancelled class tomorrow (I gave them plenty to do in the interim) in order to get caught up. I do agree with some posters that basic writing techniques like cursive, civics, and grammar are no longer emphasized. Now, one can still learn them without the beat it into you/rote method I encountered, especially in Catholic school, but sometimes the new mediums to do so overwhelm the message,