Thursday, April 26, 2012

I Grew Delicious Beans! Anyone Have An Answer For Me On Another Subject?

OK, I'm tired of asking stupid questions.  Well, questions that are stupid to ask Midwest people.  So before I embarrass myself again, would someone please explain what they mean when they keep having sales of "Hail Damaged" cars.  (Or could the ads be for "hale damaged" cars?)  I understand Tent sales - we have those on the West Coast.  I understand Fire sales, where there has not been a fire; it's just an expression meant to evoke the feeling that there is a pressing reason not to wait around, but to buy right away.  But cars are big hunks of steel and really strong plastics, and while they would burn, I just don't see how little ice balls could be that big an issue.  I'm thinking of coining a new phrase for all these new regional things I need to know - maybe a midqwestion?
Oh, and the beans were amazing.  Being on the balcony meant they were closer to the kitchen.  So they were the freshest beans I've ever had.  Delicious!

12 comments:

  1. It's so funny to read your discoveries! I am a fifth generation Kansan who rarely leaves the state. So, here's what hail damage sales are in Kansas:

    Everytime we get hail storms the car lots get hit hard. Even though it seems like there is no damage from small pellets of hail, there is! Anyone who is a car buff type person HATES hail damaged cars because the tiny dents are everywhere. And its no longer a new car because of the damage. So the dealerships try to take the insurance settlement they get to offset the prices and sell the damaged cars to buyers who don't care so much - people like me who drive gravel roads everyday anyway. We value 4 wheel drive, not shiny, smooth paint.

    Have your own car checked. Sometimes its several thousand dollars in damage even though you can't see it with the naked eye. We've gotten some nice size checks in past years from hail damage.

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  2. Kitty told you right. It is a big deal...

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  3. Kinda makes you appreciate why it's good to come in out of the rain...or the hail. Serious stuff that can actually put tiny little dings in metal. I guess it falls a long way...or cars aren't really that robust? I hadn't realised this was just a midwest thing, but come to think of it I've never heard of hail damage over here in Britain.

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  4. Haha, I can answer your question first hand since Perth had a ferocious once-in-a-lifetime hail storm in March 2010 and scores of cars were very severely damaged! We had hailstones as big as baseballs, and the dents in cars were not minor, I can tell you. One of our cars was parked under a densely foliated tree, and was our only car damaged, even so it is covered with little dents like a golf ball. And it is an old solid full-metal body too, not a plastic new car.
    It is lucky no one was killed.

    Thank you so much for your comments on the painted top; you are right, it is fun to speculate on reproducing the techniques at home. I think the permanent pleating would be the biggest challenge.

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  5. Yes Kitty is right. I guess I'm used to them but sometimes I think the car lots get a bit carried away. It's a good marketing tool to get rid of inventory.

    The beans, yummy. I picked sugar snap peas last weekend and going to pick again today!

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  6. It appears the other comments have answered your question adequately! so I'll just comment on the new word you want to coin. I think "midquestion is perfect. Very creative on your part. And those were REALLY fresh beans!

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  7. Hi Kitty! Thanks for your wonderful explaination. The information about insurance was pretty interesting. We talked about it at breakfast this morning with my husband, his boss, and his boss's girlfriend. Then we drove home from Kansas (on 169). What a nice state. Sweet little towns. I liked all the sunflowers painted on fences.

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  8. Hi Terri - Thanks! You're in Kansas just over the border, right? Which border, I am not sure of either.

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  9. Hi Shelley - I think Britain and Seattle have similar climates, so yes to hail (although not every year), but very little damage, except for the flowers. And with the Oklahoma lightning, you can bet I come in out of the rain!

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  10. Hi Carolyn - That once in a lifetime weather phenomenon is hard to beat. Baseball sized hail - Wow! We are renters, but our apartment came with a garage. I actually tried to find an apartment with a garage because I wanted storage since we left a 5 bedroom home in Seattle. But there's still room for my car, luckily.
    I think I'm going to Google "premanently pleating polyester DYI" just in case some one has figured out a way. That blouse on your blog would be so much fun to make.

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  11. Hi Jill - Sugar snap peas, yum! I didn't even plant peas. I wonder if it's too late?
    When I kept seeing the ads, I wondered if any of it was hype.

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  12. Hi Sanda - Those beans were like candy! Thanks for appreciating my word play.

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