Thoughts on Gardens and Cars

One of my favorite gardeners.

July 4th is over and the temperature has dropped into the high 80's for us.  It feels like a cold spell after 107+, however failure to water the potted plants daily threatens to leave me with almost nothing especially with the hanging pots.  My lawn has brown spots; I am too cheap to water the grass often, just the trees, flowers, and shrubs.

Isabel and I dug up a little place for her to plant flower seeds, they didn't do so well the first year, cold spring.  The second year the old seeds sprouted up all around the starts we bought at the garden store.  Who knew they'd be there all winter just waiting?  We are down to some snapdragons now, and a few basil plants.  I love fresh basil.  I've got two new rosemary plants that need to go into bigger spaces, and healthy and thriving chive plants.  Must get her over her soon to water with her little rooster watering can.  She keeps the plants and especially Grandma happy.

I am working my way through the AARP Driver Safety class online.  It's changed quite a bit since I took it a couple of years ago.  A lot more emphasis on maintaining your health, your flexibility, and protecting your eyesight, all necessary to drive safely.  Some of their graphics are odd, as though no one edited their pictures.   There is a drawing of someone holding their steering wheel at the correct o'clock positions but the hands are reversed with the thumbs on the outsides of the wheel.  I supposed you could accomplish that if you gripped your steering wheel from behind and twisted your hands forward but no one I know does.  Another one shows cars exiting and entering the highway through a freeway on-off ramp weave.  The recommended procedure is described well but the little movie shows the cars doing it in the non-recommended fashion.  I of course sent them email about their flaws which I am almost certain they will appreciate and correct immediately, snicker.

The big shocker of the week was my car insurance bill.  It came in the mail and had gone up by several hundreds of dollars.  I did have an accident two years ago, I backed into someone else's car in a parking lot and they did pay for that.  At the next billing interval my auto insurance went from about $580 to over $800.  Gasp, OK, accident, and probably time insurance shop, but I didn't.  This week's the new bill went up nearly another $400.  So I started shopping, I have no other claims since 1993, no damage then but the other party wanted their car checked out.  I have no tickets, none.  I am in the "drives under 6000 miles a year" category and my car is a 2005, runs well but is worth little.  My credit is good.  I live a in low traffic small town.  Few car thefts here especially of the grandma van kind.  I started calling, "no," I was told, "it is not because of your age (71)," not much comfort, as apparently that kicks in at age 75.   And I'm not sure I believe it. I haven't given up.  It seems like the company that insured me is trying to get all the money they paid out two years ago all at once.  I think maybe I am over-insured as well.  Talking to a friend she too had the same experience.  And the same price this year, over $1,200 for one car.  Where's my bus schedule?  Is it too late for me to learn to ride a bike again?  I like driving and many of my family and friends are 4 or 5 hours from here by the interstate.  Why do I need PIP (personal injury protection) when I have Medicare which I pay for and a Medicare Supplement which I pay a lot for, must do my homework.

There's been a lot in the news about how older people die more often in traffic accidents.  Duh, of course we do, we're more fragile and less resilient.  This is auto insurance not life insurance.  If you look at the stats even with the burgeoning numbers of baby boomers we are a tiny blip on the accident scale. 

Any thoughts about your insurance company and their ridiculous rates?