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We've been getting the rains here in New England too and it's also raining leaves. I did try gutter helmet and other gutter solutions and none of them work. Stuff like sediment, pine needles and even acorns always manages to get down in your gutters and clog up the downspouts. And you won't find anybody to clean your gutters with those contraptions in place. So I ripped all of that stuff off and just deal with cleaning them out manually twice a year. I wouldn't bother cleaning them this time of year though. Wait for all the leaves to fall and then get up there. I hate drive-throughs because it seems that the person in front of me always has a van-full of kids and a very complicated order that takes about 10 minutes to fill. This even happens inside the restaurant too. For example, I was at Dunkin' Donuts last week and some old granny type with two grandkids tugging at her sleeves was ordering donuts and munchkins and muffins and on and on. It seemed she was ordering for the entire block she lived on. Then she had to get 12 coffees made 12 different ways. After all that, the flustered cashier finally got the order straight and run up the price. When she gave the woman the price, the woman acted as though she was surprised to find that she was expected to pay money for the order. So now, after 10 minutes of having her order filled, she decided to open her purse and start fishing around for her wallet - which, of course, she can't find right away. With trembling hands, she finally gains her wallet and before you know it, there is change rolling all over the counter and onto the floor. Nickels, dimes and pennies mostly. Of course, this isn't going to pay for the huge order so she continues to fish around in the wallet for some currency. After about three additional minutes of shuffling around a bunch of bills (mostly ones and fives), the order is paid for and now she has to gather up the entire order herself and lug it to the car while her two spoiled grandkids are munching on a donut and not helping to carry out the order at all. I finally get to the counter and order "Medium coffee, cream, no sugar." I pay exact change, leave a 50 cent tip and I'm out of there in 15 seconds, and pulling out of the parking lot while the lady I had to spend 15 minutes waiting behind is still trying to get into her car without spilling anything, and her grandkids lunging for another donut.

Interesting about the napkins. I happen to know on good authority that fast food chains purposely make it difficult to locate extra napkins, straws, etc. They really don't want you to have them as it cuts into their thin margins. Instead, their counter staff is instructed to place the bare minimum of napkins in the bags themselves so that the customer doesn't have to grab a handful on the way out the door.

We get the same stuff in our gutters, except we don't have oak trees here. But, we have tons of pinecones. Our main problem is our downspouts. The get clogged with leaves, pine needles, those little 'fleur de lis' looking stuff from the birch trees, and lots of other interesting tree stuff. In the spring, it's bad because the birds think they can make nests over the top of the downspout openinging. I always hate removing the nests, but, when a big rain comes, the little birds would just be washed awaw. Another problem we have is chipmunks. Alvin, Simon and Theodore would store their goodies in the downspouts. That's been a hugh problem for us. I finally bought a live trap and relocated them. I hope they are happier now. The dogs used to chase them all over the place. Of course, our dogs are not hunters, but they give it a good try. They have never managed to catch a 'chippy'. But they sure enjoy the chase. I'm glad to know about the gutter helmets though. We won't waste our money. But we do have to get out and clean the gutters regularly, otherwise, they they overflow. I'd hate to create a basement problem. Our basement is in good shape. I would be a drag to have to have that reconstructed. But we live on a high ridge, and the water flows away real nice. We have a neat place. There is a depression about 300 yards behind our house that makes a great ice skating rink, and just beyond that, there is a huge hill, perfect for sledding and tubing. The kids still love it. As long as they get permission from the farmer next door. They are good neighbors, and we don't even have a fence. They take their trucks out back and go mudding a couple times a year. We also make great bon fires. In winter, when we get a lot of snow, we have to shovel our roof. I had a friend whose roof pulled away from the walls due to ice. A good trick for removing dry leaves and tree stuff is to take the lawn blower on the roof and just blast the stuff right off the roof. It works great! We have trouble with old folks and driving around here. They really are a hazzard. Not the compentant ones, but the ones who pull out into oncoming traffic and wait until there are virtually no cars in site, then creep out. What's with old people and cadalics? They can barely see over the steering wheel. And, they drive 15 miles an hour. Of course, I always get stuck behind them, no matter the time of day or night. And don't you love it when you're at a check out and they have to search for the exact correct change? Their frail old fingers can barely open the coin purse, which they all have, they can't pick up the coins, and if the bill is say, 19.73, they can't just use a 20. Then if they don't have enough in their coin purse, they have to check purses, pockets or wallets for that elusive penny. I really hope when I'm that old, I don't function that way.