Just wanted to say you have a beautiful yard and that I know how you feel. I'm going through the same thing right now. This family moved in about 3 years ago to the house on my garden side. The house is very small and has only two bedrooms, but they have 7 kids. Their backyard is a mess and they have weeds growing up near my garden fence so I'm trying to spray weed killer through the fence so it doesn't grow into my yard. Last year the dad got them a basketball goal and for some reason they decided to put it right in front of my fence. I came home one day and half of my Butterfly Bush was all smashed and broken. I realized they had thrown their basketball into my garden. I was so upset. My husband went and talked to them but nothing changed until this summer they finally moved it. Also they have friends over by the dozen all the time. Unfortunately we have no fence in our front yard and they park their cars in a row right on the edge of our line. Their yard looks like a car lot and they have a broken down piece of junk van there also. They drive their cars through our grass to get in and out. We have complained to them several times about this but they just don't care. We try to park our cars in a way where they cannot drive through our yard but we are not always home. I want to put up a fence there but my husband says it's too expensive. Then I saw I want to plant some of those trees that stay green all year (cannot remember the name) as a way to block the view but husband says no. I'm tempted to do it anyway, but I am afraid they will just knock them over with their cars on purpose. I am growing vines and bushes along our backyard fence to block them out. I need to post pics so you can see what I mean. I keep hoping they will move out but they are buying the house not renting.

Sorry Shirley, I saw that and then left if off. Annie Karen Michelle Margo Janine Dan Ellie Bunny Heather Kelli Vina Don Alana Susan Three outstanding. I think all but one have definitely been sent. I will check on the other in the morning. I may have missed an email. Good news on the stray cat front-the black and white cat has been rehomed, and just in time. Her new mom called me this evening and said Solar is making herself comfortable in a box under the stairs. That leaves little tail free Doc, whose tummy is now very round indeed, who needs a permanent home. It's been in the 80's for a few days and will be for a few more, then it looks like things will get really scary around Halloween. The F word has entered the forecast. I can only hope they are as accurate as usual. Alana

I didn't end up going to the Halloween party (didn't know the hosts well, and likely wouldn't know most of the guests, but I had my husband convinced to go until our friends backed out), but I am wearing a variation of the 50 shades costume today at work. Gray sweather, black pants, gray boots and a necklace made of 50 shades of gray paint chips!

Yes, Mike, I am sure. The mechanical design, and the wash action, is quite between the Calypso and Oasis. The Calypso never fills with water to submerge the clothes. The single pump runs continually through the wash period to shower water over the clothes while the wash plate wobbles or the basket spins at 60 RPM. Recirculation also occurs during most of the rinse sequences. The clothes are dripping-wet if the cycle is paused, but no water is seen in the tub, it's all below the wash plate. The single pump reverses for drain. The mechanism is belt-driven. The main drive motor is a variable speed single-phase AC induction motor. A u-joint allows the wash plate to wobble when the motor runs in one direction, then levels/centers the plate for spin when the motor reverses. The spin basket has a brake like Whirlpool's transmission-drive toploaders. There are both agitator and wash plate models in the Oasis/Cabrio/Bravos line. The wash plate models do fill with water, although to a low level. The wash plate does not wobble, it oscillates back and both like a "normal" agitator (thus, the agitator models simply replace the wash plate with an agitator without requiring any change to the drive mechanism). No u-joint is involved. The drive mechanism has no belt, it's essentially identical to Fisher & Paykel's SmartDrive toploaders. The SmartDrive motor is a 3-phase brushless DC motor with a rotor positional sensor for precise speed and rotational control. There are two separate pumps, one for drain and one for recirculate. The recirculation pump runs only at certain times during the cycle, not continuously. The spin basket does not have a mechanical brake. It floats up slightly on the drive shaft by air buoyancy when the tub fills with water to disengage from the drive shaft so the wash plate (or agitator) can oscillate separately, then settles back onto the drive for spin when the water drains out. The Calypso basket doesn't float.