If you are refilling with a coolant that is comaptible with the old stuff, you don't have to get every last drop of the old stuff out, just most of it. First, leave the radiator cap in place. Loosen the drain cock at the bottom of the raditor (with a drain pan in place of course). It won't drain very fast, but it should suck coolant out of the overflow bottle. After most of the coolant has been removed from the overflow bottle, proceed to a quicker method of draining. Remove the radiator cap. The outflow should increase. if that isn't fast enough, remove the bottom radiator hose at the raditor and the coolant should gush out. Very likely you will be changing the thermostat as well. That is recommended. Loosen the housing containing the thermostat and more coolant should flush from the engine. Clean off the gasket surfaces and put in the new thermostat paying attention to the correct orientation. Some thermostats can be intalled backwards. In general, the temperature sensing slug (wax motor) should face toward the engine (toward the hot water side) - check your manual for this or pay attention to the old thermostat before removing it. Refilling: Rather than to try to guess the proper amount of water and antifreeze to pour in, pre-mix the solution in a covenient container, say an old antifreeze jug. Usually, this is a 50/50 mix by volume. In very cold climes, you may wish to increase the amount of antifreeze. Pour a can of corrosion inhibtor and water pump lubricant into the raditor, then finish filling with the premix. If one jug of premix isn't enough, mix up another jug. The leftover can be stored on the shelf and used for makeup fill later on. Just cap it tight. By the way, I forgot to mention: Put the hoses back on before refilling. Sadly, the system will not completly refill. Some manuals instructs to relieve the air somewhere around the thermostat housing. This aids in filling the heads. In any event, put as much in as you can, then start the engine (with the radiator cap off). Put the heater control on max heat. Go back to your post at the raditor. You'll want to shut off if the coolant starts to gush out, but I don't think it will. Nothing much happens until the theromstat opens, then the fluid ahould drop as the engine heads and heater core fills. Add more remix as necessary. Also, fill the overflow bottle to its recommended level. When you have put in all the premix that you can, put on the raditor cap and tighten it. From now own, you will dealing with a sealed system. It takes about three thermal cycles of heating and cooling to flush out the air and bring the system to its desired level of fluid fill. After the initial engine warm up. Stop it and allow it to cool. You should see coolant being sucked out of the overlow bottle into the engine. When the level of the overflow bottle slows in change, restart the engine to flush more air out of the system. when the engine nears operating temperature, refill the overflow bottle and shut off the engine. This is thermal cycle no. 2 and the system should be nearly filled. Allow the engine to cool until it nearly stops taking fluid our of the overflow bottle, then refill the bottle. At no time should the port at the bottom of the bottle be uncovered, else it will admit air into the coolant system. From now own, always add makeup coolant to the overlow bottle and keep raditor cap sealed. Drive the car normally keeping watch on the overflow bottle. Add coolant as necessry. The system should stablize after the about the third thermal cycle. None of these shenanigans are necessary if one could get the system completely filled in the first place, but in my experience, I've always needed to put on some thermal cycles to completely flush out the air. Some auto models have instruction to aid filling the system. Study the recommended procedure and apply it for best results.

mid ten mama, I've always been curious, tried to observe the world around me. One might even say, "nosey". And discuss it with others. What do they say - some people discuss people, some discuss things, and some discuss ideas? I'm content to visit friends and have no activity laid on - discussion of a number of topics suits me as a fulfilling evening's activity. I think that it helps if we can let our conduct be modified in the way of less risky activities by observing others. Dad was a busy farmer and single parent (my Mom got sick when I was about 5, two younger brothers, and Grandma lived with us) when I grew up during World War II - I was kept out of school to help put the crop in when I was 11. I think that I was about 18 before I knew that Dad would take an (occasional) drink - he liked Scotch. I seldom drink, sometimes a glass of wine. I don't care for the taste of beer - figure that they should pay me to drink that stuff. Except on a real hot day, after major exercise, such as haying. The hotel owner where I worked as bartender a few years ago was really happy to employ me - don't recall that her enthusiasm resulted in much in the way of bonuses, though. Last year when I spent time with my old uncle after his wife died, he liked oatmeal porridge most mornings. I took some wheat flakes, red river cereal, and that white stuff "farina?" that one maker calls "Cream of Wheat". He thought none as good as oatmeal - especially the white stuff (that he was barely interested in finishing). Actually, he "finishes" few of his dishes - the dog gets the last part of most of them. He was some interested in the sesame seed and flax that I added sometimes - and rather liked the raisins and dates that I added for a bit of additional zing. Don't think he uses such stuff now, on his own, though. I should eat a more balanced diet - need more veggies, fruits, especially raw ones. Though I'd have to chop them pretty fine now, having only three teeth. I haven't taken good care of my teeth - they'd likely still be operational, had I done so. May I encourage everyone to brush and floss? Saves in the long run, and postpones the limitations on one's eating habits that store teeth impose. I don't get as much exercise as I should - former landlady suggested that I get more. I told her that if there was some work that it was useful to do, I could do it. But just to go from here to there and back merely to say that I'd gone didn't turn me on too much. She wouldn't let me cut the grass. Kept her lawnmower covered, behind the garage: she wouldn't go in. Her husband (quite an active Christian) had hung himself in there a couple of years before. That seems to have answered most of your questions/commented on your observations. I think that I'm a more open person than many - don't figure that I have a lot of stuff to hide. As for some of my frugal pursuits - I don't say that others should live that way: very few people do. But I learned about scarcity and conservation of resources when I lived among refugees in Korea. I value my freedom, and thus should value the right of other posters here to live as they choose (as long as it doesn't harm others), as well. But I feel that our resources are scarce, and we've been using them, especially petroleum, for less than a hundred years - stuff that it took millions of years to produce. All of us North Americans (and most of the Europeans) are going to have to learn to live much more frugally, for the rest of the world aren't going to be willing to put up with the great disparities of use of the world's resources that we've come to know in the past couple of hundred years. This forum is one where we are sharing ideas about how to achieve our goals in life at lower cost, without undue restriction of lifestyle. I have appreciated a number of the ideas that I've heard here. And the friendships developed, as well. Good wishes to you and yours for a lovely fall. ole joyful

I am a flight attendant and also a purser. I fly San Juan a lot and get a lot of UM's. The other day I had 8 UM's on one flight. This is the procedure. The UM is handed to me and I sign for him/her. We walk them to their seat and tell them not to take the necklace off. Many kids won't wear the UM necklace and if they take it off I have no way to find them if they have switched seats. The flight is 5 hours long and the 8 UM's are in different seats throughout coach. I am working business class and cannot see them. The UM is basically on their own during the flight. At the end of the flight I remind them to not get off the airplane by themselves and to meet me at the door. I have had UM's take off their necklace and walk right past me. The other day I had a 5 year old who told me she was 4. She would not sit down and listen to our directions. I don't have time to babysit a child. When I met the mother I told her I felt her child was too young to fly alone. She said that the $100.00 fee covered us watching her child. Anything can happen on an airplane. Sometimes flights get diverted. I will not take a UM to my hotel room because of liability. The decision's up to you just know that we cannot watch the child during most of the flight. Donna

Purchasing decisions have to be weighed between benefits and costs. Most of us have to make compromises on location, size or condition of the property, (or in this case a large, unsightly addition). We simply can't afford to have it all. How much did they discount the price and what will it cost to have it fixed? How long has it sat on the market? How low can you get the owners to go? Do you have income growth potential that has yet to be fulfilled? Getting something for a great price in a great neighborhood with the intent to be there 20 years when our income will grow substantially over that time is sometimes a very wise decision. If this is at the top of your budget and you are in a life stage where income has leveled off, you can't afford to fix it and need to go forward looking for a compromise on location or size vs a costly future investment.