On accident one day (that’s the way my kids explain away their bad behavior)….picked up a 12 pak of root beer from Walmart…..That evening it sounded tasty, so I went to the frig….The first sip/gulp sold me on the accidental purchase…..A&W Ten Root Beer (that’s 10 calories per 8 oz) My my it was good and I told everyone….Made a special trip to Walmart…and it was gone. The suppliers had evidently just ‘tried’ it at Walmart and no one knew if or when it would ever return. (so far it hasn’t)

Well, in casual conversation with 2 or 3 different friends we found a source and all of us are so happy, buying it by the case. Incidently, there are other products that are ‘ten’ too. Sorry to say it is an ‘outlet’ type store where the owner buys quantities of whatever he finds…..and passes on the good prices to us.

So the next time you have the urge for a root beer…look for A&W Ten Root Beer….so good, and so so hard to find….what a shame..

I live in an area where there could be flooding. It could happen today or in 100 years. Yes, it is near the Gulf of Mexico….Yes, it has flooded before and it will again. However, most of those statements are a given….As it stands now, I think, if one lives in a flood prone area and has a mortgage, flood insurance is required. I’m still okay with that. It is also understood that if there is no mortgage, there need not be flood insurance. I’m still okay with that.

Now, however, congress has come up with a solution…that no one quite understands, but is to go into effect soon. Since we taxpayers have not been given the opportunity to read the new law, we can only wait…for the envelope. Of course that is wrong…..but that’s another story.

We have just learned in our area, that the flood maps are going to be redone in 2 years. Does that mean we are in or out, in better or worser trouble, and how are the insurance companies going to be forced to use the updated ones….if, in fact, the flood insurance hazard favors the homeowner and not them!! Mmmmmmm Don’t know, don’t have the answer, just ask’in.

What I would like is a fair playing ground for everyone who might live in a flood area….That is something that cannot be found overnight, but the statistics are there….and if the government is going to ding us for higher insurance, they should at least check out the probability.

When I lived on the west coast, there was a year when excessive rains were forecast and it was suggested that some neighborhoods look into flood insurance for their own safety. The families on our cul-de-sac all checked with their insurance, or called government numbers….the outcome on premiums was astonishing….Premiums ranged from around $600 to $1400 for the year….same cul-de-sac, same general homes, ranging from 2400 sq ft to 2900 sq ft, same distance from the dry stream bed that would flood on to the local golf course before it would flood us. Don’t know, don’t have the answers….just ask’in.

I think the whole of the statistics need to be taken into consideration before the premiums are set.
They include situations like:
A cabin on a stream on Idaho
Same cabin that is 10′ off the ground and has no living space below.
A home on the sand in New Jersey at sea level
A home at sea level 3 miles from the home just above sea level
A Manhattan subway
A Manhattan building of offices, condos, or apartments
A home on the mainland in the Florida coast….same home 15 miles inland, just above sea level.
A home in New Orleans
A home 30 miles away, from New Orleans
A home on a Louisiana bayou worth $20M
A home on the Mississippi that has not flooded ever, but it’s neighbor has
A home in Colorado that flooded this year from torrential rains…a fluke
A business and hospital in the same area of Colorado

Get my drift…..statistics…..weather records, common sense, fairness, choices in insurance and premiums, annual flooding vs. 5/10/25/50/100 year flooding, location, and location, and what that means. Just ask’in….

I also feel it would be fair if home/property/business owners were given different forms of flood insurance…with different pay offs perhaps, for different types of damage and the extent of the damage. I do not like the idea of demanding high premiums by zip code…as is done by some auto companies….One of course, can live at the bottom of the hill and one at the top….just say’in.

I don’t like the way any of this is being handled….and the worst part is there is no one who wants to really address the problem and the solution.. I guess it starts with grass roots…like a lot of change….first my neighborhood, then my council, then my county, then my representatives, etc. What happens in the meantime…..where is my government…what about the law…..who is working for me? Just ask’in…..