I lay down a good layer of newspapers (about 16 sheets) and overlapped at the edges, and then put wood mulch (or dried weeds, or other fairly dry mulch) down. I've found over the years that if I just put down loose mulch the tougher weeds that send out tendrils still come up through my mulch and try to invade the garden beds. The ground ivy, common mallow, and this certain awful weed grass (name unknown) can survive a long time under everything. I use strips of old carpet as well on some of the other areas of the garden. I really don't notice the carpet, except that it's nice to walk on and gets you off the mud. I flip it over every once in a while because the ground ivy and grasses try to colonize there as well.

I would not go with a celeron processor if you are getting a laptop there are much much better processors available. I prefer AMD processors but Intel also has good options, celeron is just the bottom of the barrel. That 14" acer has a dual core AMD processor that would be a good option for your type of usage. It sounds like a good choice all around and has good reviews. I own 2 Acer's and have had no problems with them. One of them I bought at Best Buy, I do not use their geek squad so would not suggest getting any of their add on protection. You could google that notebook number and may find it at a better price somewhere else however that is a pretty good price.

Annie, I haven't read all the posts so maybe this was discussed but with glasses and keys you need to pick a spot to leave them and never deviate. I go through this with my DH to the point that he thinks I am moving things. Ok, I admit to hanging up clothes etc. but not keys or glasses! Sometimes I might leave my sunglasses in a coat pocket. They are expensive prescription glasses so my heart drops when I go for them and they are not where I leave them. But, that, my pocketbook or the table that I always leave my pocketbook on are the only places they would be. Find a "command station" that is convenient for you. It works!

My cousin, who lives with my husband and me, is severely disabled by a psychiatric condition and has been unable to work for the past 30 years. But, unless you pay close attention to his unkempt appearance or his mannerisms, his disability is not obvious to the general public. BTW, we had to jump through *many* hoops to prove that he qualified for SSI, and the claim had to be documented by his psychiatrist. Being on SSI makes him eligible for Medicaid, which was our most important goal, as his medication expenses total over $700 per month. And in my state, that makes him eligible for Food Stamps also--at approximately $100 per month. Since I do all the food shopping, I carry his card in my wallet. Although I don't have an expensive purse or carry huge amounts of cash in my wallet, I'm an average-looking middle-class woman, and I could, of course, be vulnerable to a purse-snatching or robbery, like the woman in the news article. By the way, there are folks who serve as "trustees" for more than one disabled person, and there are many disabled persons who have family members do the shopping for them--because they can't do it themselves. That might explain the plural "cards" that the woman was carrying in her purse. Certainly, there are people who commit fraud in all kinds of ways. But the casual observer cannot always see disability, and there are other explanations for what was reported in that article. Sue