Got rammed by a road rager in a traffic jam on the freeway. Nastiest person I have met in forever. She was like something Hollywood would have whipped up for a grade-B movie character "vile old lady". Broken cigarette dangling from her invective-spewing mouth the whole time. She bolted, of course. The Highway Patrolman said that since it took him and hour and a half to show up, he couldn't make hit and run charges stick, but that he would pay her a visit to personally deliver the ticket he could write for her. 

Only scratches to the rear bumper cover of my Smart.  We'll see how much the Mercedes body shop charges her insurance. :-)

Jeez, Carl, that sucks. Glad there wasn't more damage.

Wow!

Scary stuff Carl. Glad you're okay.

It's probably the same where you live, but since I bought my Prius, I get a lot more road rage type reactions (nothing serious like you). I've even had a few friends freak when they find out I bought a Prius. Funny thing is, I drive it faster than I used to drive my BMW. This is because no matter how fast I drive the Prius, I'm still getting around 45mpg. With my 325i, if I dug into the gas, I'd get under 15mpg (city) plus I used premium.

So, it would seem that there are a few of our fellow drivers who resent the drivers of environmentally thoughtful vehicles (hey, just came up with that PC phrase).

I have to admit to being surprised here in Northern California!

Edited August 17, 201510 yr by ironbut

Sympathies, Carl.

WTF? Leaving the scene is leaving the scene. You get screwed because the cop took too long? That sounds suspect to me Carl. Hopefully her insurance will just pay up. She got off light if you ask me.

Carl, that sucks.   

WTF? Leaving the scene is leaving the scene. You get screwed because the cop took too long? That sounds suspect to me Carl. Hopefully her insurance will just pay up. She got off light if you ask me.

This!!!

It is ridiculous that she would leave the scene but the cop was saying that he cannot exactly charge her with a hit and run -- different offense that what she did, which is probably leaving the scene of an accident or something similar.  I don't think it changes anything with regard to Carl or his ability to make a claim against insurance, etc.

OK, I see what you're saying.

It is ridiculous that she would leave the scene but the cop was saying that he cannot exactly charge her with a hit and run -- different offense that what she did, which is probably leaving the scene of an accident or something similar.  I don't think it changes anything with regard to Carl or his ability to make a claim against insurance, etc.

This.  Basically, a) they can't expect you to just sit there when the apparent damage is so little (e.g. in NH if the damage is under $2k you're not required to file an accident report) but b ) she basically waived her right to tell her side of the story so Carl wins.  

 

Off topic, I can't find the option to disable smilies in a post and there's no longer an option to do anything other than a "quick" type reply with limited options...

I think clicking source turns off interpretation of the code.

Glad to hear no injuries and minimal damage, Carl! There sure are some idiots out there.

How big is to big for a zucchini?

They would have been prime 2 days ago.  Decided to leave them and see how big they will get.

And yeah, that's a squash bug.

 

Sunflower time again....

 

What's a squash bug?

And that middle sunflower is gorgeous.  Dusty like.

Squash bugs are a type of "stinkbug" that sucks the sap from the leaves of squash, cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkins and the like.

Pain in the ass to get rid of them once they appear.

 

And yeah, the purple sunflowers rock but only got 6 plants from two packs of Burpee seeds this year.

By contrast we got about 15 plants from the 25 pack of assorted seeds that I bought on eBay last year....

( www.ebay.com/itm/290827111207 )

Two three words, gateway/drug/trial.

So my daughter and I went to see the orthopedic surgeon for a follow up on our injuries, and it's not all good despite both our left ankles healing completely with the plates and screws in them.

Her AVN of the right talus bone has lead to severe arthritis, and she is still unable to walk 8 months after the accident.  Her range of motion is limited such that she can't dorsi-flex her right ankle for walking, even with crutches.  So she has to externally rotate her right hip to move her leg behind her to walk on crutches and her range on crutches is limited, which could lead to secondary problems.

So we bought her a lightweight wheelchair, out of pocket, because her insurance was too slow to have one purchased by the time she left yesterday for her semester abroad. The school is making accommodations for her disability, but It will still be difficult for her. When she graduates in Dec 2016 she'll need an ankle fusion.

My left femur hurts as bad as it did in March when I was allowed to start weight bearing (had to delay walking due to my ankle) and it is less than 50% healed on X-rays last week.  I still can't get a bone growth stimulator for another month, because it hasn't been 9 months.  My doctor tried after 6 months but Kaiser med insurance denied it until it's been 9 months of non-union.

On top of that, I've been instructed to stop non-steroidal anti-inflamatories (Aleve, Motrin) because it can inhibit bone healing.  Lack of Aleve is killing me because Tylenol hardly makes a dent in the pain, and my fibromyalgia is worse without it, and I only get enough Oxycodone to take one a day (bedtime).

Continued prayers are appreciated, but I'm afraid we're being refined by fire right now. It looks like my son will be pushing me around in a wheelchair at CanJam @ RMAF this year, since the carpal tunnel and cubital tunnel syndrome I got on the right side from using crutches has come back after I ran out of therapy visits.

That's tough, Larry. Sorry to hear. I know they're tough with the Oxy these days, but could they not up it to at least 2x/day? You'd think there should be something to balance it.

**BRENT**

Yes, Larry, tough indeed for both you and your daughter.  Sending good thoughts for both of you, and glad daughter will get to go abroad, and that you are staying positive.

Very sorry to hear Larry. I hope your daughter is still able to enjoy and benefit from her foreign study opportunity.

All the best from here as well, sorry to hear of the continued detours to getting fully better....

Those were serious injuries, Larry. Full recovery may take longer, I wish you both get there.

Hope both you and your daughter continue to heal and the pain subsides.

I got no words, Larry, just a sympathetic 'yeezh'.

As Antonio so eloquently put, I wish you both get there.

Best healing wishes in a generally Western direction for you.

Edited August 24, 201510 yr by Dusty Chalk

I got no words, Larry, just a sympathetic 'yeezh'.

As Antonio so eloquently put, I wish you both get there.

This.