We took a nice walk this morning. It was pretty much our usual walk taking about 45 minutes. We saw a quail, a couple jack rabbits and, unusually, a coyote. The parcel of land that we use for our walks is probably 100 acres (40 hec.), maybe more, I'm not good with knowing the size of an area. There are other odd empty pieces of land but they are more lot sized, 1 acre or 4,000 sq. m. Given that there is little vegetation, it doesn't seem like a lot of land for a coyote. Happily this guy just wanted to be left alone so took off in a direction opposite from us.
Read a very interesting article about value investing the other day but I didn't make note of the address so can't find the stupid thing. The whole point was that some university professor made a study of what would happen if you invested in 'value' companies vs 'growth' companies. In this country and overseas the result was that the value investments were more successful than the growth style investments. Now this was simply an article written for a magazine or Yahoo Finance or something equally un-rigorous so there weren't actual numbers. Not to mention, the professor has probably got, and needs, half a book full of charts to support his thesis. Nor were the terms 'value' and 'growth' defined. Do I agree with 'value' beats 'growth'? I guess so.
It seems to me that to be a 'growth' investor almost requires one to be a pretty active trader. Constant growth is pretty unusual. As an example, look at Google. In the last year it's share price has varied between $450 to almost $650 and is at about $525 now. There are no dividends so the way to make money is by trading; seeing a buying opportunity at $450 and selling at $550 would work if you can do it. So you are going to have more turnover in a 'growth' environment; and I'm not sure how many swings of up-a-third you are going to find. Apple did even better, it went from $240 to $320 over that same year. Another great performance but again, the only way you get money in your pocket is by selling. Apple's gain was less choppy than Google so the date of purchase was less important but if you bought in the last six months you are only looking at a 10% gain.
For me it's better to buy value and hold it for some period. In my experience as a trader, I make a good loser. I don't know if my basic stock choosing is too influenced by things I read or if there is some other reason but my timing stinks. What can I say? I just don't do timing well.
Have a good one!
Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Saturday, June 04, 2011
Nothing to say?
Yep, I've got nothing to say. Have lots of things to do; things I should be doing anyway, but I'm even being lazy about that. We've been walking our 40 or 45 minutes every morning and I manage to do not much the rest of the day. We've been eating out too much but when you are careful about portion control it isn't too bad.
I was reading Random Roger this a.m. and his outlook for the U.S. economy is going even farther downhill than before. He's probably right, he seems like a pretty sharp guy and the news is certainly grim. The Congress is doing it's best to disagree about almost everything and the thought that they might do something responsible is pretty much impossible. The topping on the cake is all the politicians, John Edwards, John Ensign and Arnold Schwarzenegger are only the latest, who can't keep it in their pants. I don't expect too much of our politicians but damn, here you are 50-60 years old and wanting to run the nation and you can't manage yourself. Bah humbug!
Locally some people have come up with the idea of building a theme park outside of town. A theme park, you mean like for kids? Look folks, we are an hour outside of Las Vegas. You know, Sin City? It's partially a 2 lane road going up a 7% grade. We have 3 or 4 brothels in town. This isn't fucking Kansas, guys! Oh, and the developer they are talking with; they haven't ever done this before. Their first park is supposed to start construction later this year. Yeah, sure! These 'site location' experts have their first bill prepared anyway if the Town Board is will to pay them their $150K. What hicks!
Gotta go. Hope I didn't depress you too much.
I was reading Random Roger this a.m. and his outlook for the U.S. economy is going even farther downhill than before. He's probably right, he seems like a pretty sharp guy and the news is certainly grim. The Congress is doing it's best to disagree about almost everything and the thought that they might do something responsible is pretty much impossible. The topping on the cake is all the politicians, John Edwards, John Ensign and Arnold Schwarzenegger are only the latest, who can't keep it in their pants. I don't expect too much of our politicians but damn, here you are 50-60 years old and wanting to run the nation and you can't manage yourself. Bah humbug!
Locally some people have come up with the idea of building a theme park outside of town. A theme park, you mean like for kids? Look folks, we are an hour outside of Las Vegas. You know, Sin City? It's partially a 2 lane road going up a 7% grade. We have 3 or 4 brothels in town. This isn't fucking Kansas, guys! Oh, and the developer they are talking with; they haven't ever done this before. Their first park is supposed to start construction later this year. Yeah, sure! These 'site location' experts have their first bill prepared anyway if the Town Board is will to pay them their $150K. What hicks!
Gotta go. Hope I didn't depress you too much.
Thursday, June 02, 2011
Had a call....
Our neighbors from when we lived in Florida called last night. It wasn't a long call but it reminded us how much we miss them and they say they miss us. It's the first time we've had neighbors that we really cared about. Interesting. Then along come S & S. I've no particular idea why but we just clicked.
Has that happened to you? Just clicking with someone? Nothing sexual, at least not overt, but just having a great time with another couple. It kind of makes me wonder about (sexual) swinging. Unfortunately I suspect it would be like finding our neighbors: Odds bieing 1 in 15 or maybe 1 in 5000. Who knows. I'm pretty sure we aren't going to check it out. at least I'm not going to wish for it.
Had a great walk this a.m. It's still unseasonably cool here; our 40 minutes were over slightly differently terrain but we enjoyed it. The dog was kind of dragging her ass but we are hoping that was due to the rabbit chasing excursion - unsucessful thank goodness.
I put the jerky on to dry this a.m. Gotta have some of the good stuff!
Has that happened to you? Just clicking with someone? Nothing sexual, at least not overt, but just having a great time with another couple. It kind of makes me wonder about (sexual) swinging. Unfortunately I suspect it would be like finding our neighbors: Odds bieing 1 in 15 or maybe 1 in 5000. Who knows. I'm pretty sure we aren't going to check it out. at least I'm not going to wish for it.
Had a great walk this a.m. It's still unseasonably cool here; our 40 minutes were over slightly differently terrain but we enjoyed it. The dog was kind of dragging her ass but we are hoping that was due to the rabbit chasing excursion - unsucessful thank goodness.
I put the jerky on to dry this a.m. Gotta have some of the good stuff!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Confession
My wife is having a love affair with her Wii. She is on it first thing in the morning to weigh herself and last thing at night when she is exercising on it. Once in a while I join her but not too often.
Last fall I turned 62. At the time, according to the Wii, I weighed about 235 lb (106kg). Too much. The Wii takes great delight in proclaiming "That's obese!" Makes you want to kick the thing. However, in that weird thing called my brain, I figured out that I was about 35 lb (15+kg) heavier than I would like and in 36 months I would be 65 years of age. Hmmmm, how about a gradual diet so that on my 65th birthday I would weigh 200 lb (90kg)? So that's my plan. Let's see if I'm still blogging by then!
Actually I'm about a third of the way to my goal already. Just getting out and walking every day helps. The mantra "portion control" is also helping. I hardly ever finish a restaurant meal these days. Either I leave it or get a doggie bag for later. The other day we each had three leftover portions in the fridge. Think we eat out enough? Yeah, but we are doing it to try and keep the economy going. Yeah, right!
A couple of interlopers I found in the back yard about 04:30 the other morning. They were cleaning up under the bird feeder so I guess I should thank them. They hopped off down the bunny trail before sunrise.
Have a good one!
Last fall I turned 62. At the time, according to the Wii, I weighed about 235 lb (106kg). Too much. The Wii takes great delight in proclaiming "That's obese!" Makes you want to kick the thing. However, in that weird thing called my brain, I figured out that I was about 35 lb (15+kg) heavier than I would like and in 36 months I would be 65 years of age. Hmmmm, how about a gradual diet so that on my 65th birthday I would weigh 200 lb (90kg)? So that's my plan. Let's see if I'm still blogging by then!
Actually I'm about a third of the way to my goal already. Just getting out and walking every day helps. The mantra "portion control" is also helping. I hardly ever finish a restaurant meal these days. Either I leave it or get a doggie bag for later. The other day we each had three leftover portions in the fridge. Think we eat out enough? Yeah, but we are doing it to try and keep the economy going. Yeah, right!
Have a good one!
Monday, May 30, 2011
It used to be Decoration Day....
Honestly, I think I'd forgotten that. Of course it came back in a moment! It's not like we aren't military around here.
My grandfather was in the Spanish-American War in 1898 or so.
My mother's brother was in World War I in 1918 or so.
My dad was in WWII - he was a divorced man of 36 so eligible for the draft.
My father-in-law was at the Inchon invasion of Korea.
I was a veteran of the action in Vietnam though I did not serve in Vietnam.
My brother-in-law was in the navy during all the recent mid-east conflicts - he retired after 28 years service
in 2000.
I think we understand a bit about putting yourself on the line for freedom; let's give a thought or two for those who have given the ultimate price for our freedom.
P.S. can't upload a photo because blogger is AFU. Good story that I can share though: went to the store the other day and bought a purple flower from the guys at the Disabled American Veteran display. Didn't buy one for my wife knowing she was coming after me and would buy her own. When she showed up, she had 2!! She had found a DAV display in front of Walmart and bought one for me. Isn't she great!
My grandfather was in the Spanish-American War in 1898 or so.
My mother's brother was in World War I in 1918 or so.
My dad was in WWII - he was a divorced man of 36 so eligible for the draft.
My father-in-law was at the Inchon invasion of Korea.
I was a veteran of the action in Vietnam though I did not serve in Vietnam.
My brother-in-law was in the navy during all the recent mid-east conflicts - he retired after 28 years service
in 2000.
I think we understand a bit about putting yourself on the line for freedom; let's give a thought or two for those who have given the ultimate price for our freedom.
P.S. can't upload a photo because blogger is AFU. Good story that I can share though: went to the store the other day and bought a purple flower from the guys at the Disabled American Veteran display. Didn't buy one for my wife knowing she was coming after me and would buy her own. When she showed up, she had 2!! She had found a DAV display in front of Walmart and bought one for me. Isn't she great!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Summer Travel
My wife and I are planning our summer travels which is mostly going over to Colorado to visit friends. On the way back we'll spend some time in various parks checking out a few of the natural wonders of the American West. We thought we would spend most of our time in Colorado and Northern Utah. Later on in the year we hope to make quick visits some of the places that are closer to home like Bryce and Zion Natl. Park. Google says it is a 4 hour drive to St. George, UT from here. We probably don't go as fast as they expect us to but it's still a day's drive;. If you make a week of it, you have plenty of time to wander around.
We won't be going for a while yet but we get a lot of enjoyment from making plans, looking up places we might visit in guidebooks (remember them?) and on the net. There is also a certain about of staring at maps. As the time to leave draws closer, it just becomes more fun. If anyone has a favorite road in Colorado or a favorite park or whatever; I'd be happy to hear your ideas.
I had a list of things I wanted to fix on the trailer before using it again; now if I could only find the list! One thing that is a no-brainer is to wax the front of the rig. A nice coat of wax making bug removal so much easier! And I can do it while the rig is still in it's shed, the only piece of shade in our yard. It's not really warm here yet but the other day I was trying to clean the car windshield and the cleaner was drying on the glass before I could wipe if off! That's just silly.
Speaking of silly; I was watching Fox News this a.m. Yes, I know how unlike actual news their programs are but they have great weather & traffic. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. ANYWAY, there was a piece on Mark Zuckerberg, you know, the Facebook guy. Apparently he has started living a new diet: he only eats what he has killed. Hmmm, far be it from anyone to make fun of another's beliefs, but really! They claim he's killed a chicken, a pig and a goat. Why do I think he has someone else do the butchering? And I guess plants don't count or is he killing his own corn and peas? If that's what happens to your brain, I guess I'm glad I don't have all those billions!
Have a good one!
We won't be going for a while yet but we get a lot of enjoyment from making plans, looking up places we might visit in guidebooks (remember them?) and on the net. There is also a certain about of staring at maps. As the time to leave draws closer, it just becomes more fun. If anyone has a favorite road in Colorado or a favorite park or whatever; I'd be happy to hear your ideas.
I had a list of things I wanted to fix on the trailer before using it again; now if I could only find the list! One thing that is a no-brainer is to wax the front of the rig. A nice coat of wax making bug removal so much easier! And I can do it while the rig is still in it's shed, the only piece of shade in our yard. It's not really warm here yet but the other day I was trying to clean the car windshield and the cleaner was drying on the glass before I could wipe if off! That's just silly.
Speaking of silly; I was watching Fox News this a.m. Yes, I know how unlike actual news their programs are but they have great weather & traffic. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. ANYWAY, there was a piece on Mark Zuckerberg, you know, the Facebook guy. Apparently he has started living a new diet: he only eats what he has killed. Hmmm, far be it from anyone to make fun of another's beliefs, but really! They claim he's killed a chicken, a pig and a goat. Why do I think he has someone else do the butchering? And I guess plants don't count or is he killing his own corn and peas? If that's what happens to your brain, I guess I'm glad I don't have all those billions!
Have a good one!
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Personal Finance
I was out on the net getting my RandomRoger fix today and he referred to a Wall Street Journal article about five things a high school graduate should know about finances. Then he went on to suggest that financial education is not supplied and as a result we are financially illiterate. I'm not so sure that formal financial education is the answer.
First of all, personal finance is different for different people. We have friends (our age & income group) who live in a house that is twice the size of ours. Building that house was a choice they made; it was where they wanted to put their money. It isn't something that I would be comfortable doing but it works for them. Education isn't going to change their desire for the large house nor my desire for more diverse investments.
The brand of personal finance that works for my wife and myself doesn't work for either of our children. I suspect this is because my wife and I were brought up by parents who had lived through the Depression and WWII. The deprivation and sacrifice that those two events brought about made our parents thrifty to say the least! Both of our mothers re-used aluminum foil, for example. Our children were brought up in the relatively affluent 70's and 80's. My wife and I both worked and the kids pretty much got whatever they wanted within reason. We 'educated' our kids to have what they wanted; happily we also educated them to work for it!
I suspect there a LOT of people who basically don't know how to handle money but I'm not sure it's something you can teach but rather it is something that must be learned; learned by living life. I know that when I was 22 I made some mistakes; wasted quite a lot of money as a matter of fact. Lost on my first few investments as well. The problem is when people are living so close to financial disaster that any loss, however small, is debilitating. If that happens when you are 25 you have plenty of time and hopefully the resilience to recover; if you are 55 your options are more limited. It's why I'm 100% in favor of governmental old age pensions. My wife and I are fortunate enough not to need it but there are millions who are not so fortunate.
RandomRoger talked about a couple who lives near him who have no stocks, no bonds. But they did understand fixing houses and renting them out and saving money. It's a different type of personal finance but it worked for them. That's really all that matters. If it works for you then it works. There are no wrong answers as long as it works.
Have a good one!
First of all, personal finance is different for different people. We have friends (our age & income group) who live in a house that is twice the size of ours. Building that house was a choice they made; it was where they wanted to put their money. It isn't something that I would be comfortable doing but it works for them. Education isn't going to change their desire for the large house nor my desire for more diverse investments.
The brand of personal finance that works for my wife and myself doesn't work for either of our children. I suspect this is because my wife and I were brought up by parents who had lived through the Depression and WWII. The deprivation and sacrifice that those two events brought about made our parents thrifty to say the least! Both of our mothers re-used aluminum foil, for example. Our children were brought up in the relatively affluent 70's and 80's. My wife and I both worked and the kids pretty much got whatever they wanted within reason. We 'educated' our kids to have what they wanted; happily we also educated them to work for it!
I suspect there a LOT of people who basically don't know how to handle money but I'm not sure it's something you can teach but rather it is something that must be learned; learned by living life. I know that when I was 22 I made some mistakes; wasted quite a lot of money as a matter of fact. Lost on my first few investments as well. The problem is when people are living so close to financial disaster that any loss, however small, is debilitating. If that happens when you are 25 you have plenty of time and hopefully the resilience to recover; if you are 55 your options are more limited. It's why I'm 100% in favor of governmental old age pensions. My wife and I are fortunate enough not to need it but there are millions who are not so fortunate.
RandomRoger talked about a couple who lives near him who have no stocks, no bonds. But they did understand fixing houses and renting them out and saving money. It's a different type of personal finance but it worked for them. That's really all that matters. If it works for you then it works. There are no wrong answers as long as it works.
Have a good one!
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Hmmm......
Well, we ended up moving to Verizon and getting DROID phones. No photos because I'm facing a large learning curve! Maybe I'll manage something later today. My 'real' excuse is that the phone needed to be charged before I could use it. We really wanted to stay with AT&T because we worked for them for a long time back in the day but they just would not offer us unlimited internet access. It's HIGHLY unlikely that we would ever use much internet via that tiny screen but they wouldn't match Verizon's offer so we bailed. Sorry but it's still the dumb company that used to be known by their unofficial slogan: we don't care, we don't have to. Of course Verizon is what used to be GTE & they were so bad they made AT&T look good so we'll see what happens here. Actually I'm hoping Virgin grows into a real competitor.
On to another equally inspiring tale. Woke up this a.m. to see our neighbor inspecting their prone mailbox. Someone knocked it over in the night. The first thought is a drunk with a car but there are zero tire tracks. Then we saw something down the road. Yep, TWO more mailboxes beat up. Vandals apparently; why they didn't knock ours over we'll probably never know. Maybe the fact that it is so 'normal'? Who knows what kids think! Maybe they heard me snoring in my recliner and thought I might come out and kick their asses. Humph, it would take more that a little twerpy teen to wake me! LOL
Apparently the 'end of the world' thing didn't come off; or maybe I'm contacting you from the 'other side' but anyway I feel pretty much the same. I'm still chilly; my foot is still bruised from the other day; the dog is still a whiny beast. No, I've got to think it's business as usual. Works for me! Actually, I love this world. There are blots on the landscape, like the little twerps who knocked over the mailboxes, but they are just annoying. We walked around the pond over at Terrible's Lakeside last night. It's an rv park that has won awards for it's beauty. It IS very nice and they had a ton of birds. Ducks begging for food and many smaller birds that I couldn't name. They even had hummingbirds going for insects in the air. It was really cool to see them darting around.
Quiet day planned for today: visit from our daughter, a meal, maybe a vid. Life in the slow lane if I've ever heard it. Have a good one!
On to another equally inspiring tale. Woke up this a.m. to see our neighbor inspecting their prone mailbox. Someone knocked it over in the night. The first thought is a drunk with a car but there are zero tire tracks. Then we saw something down the road. Yep, TWO more mailboxes beat up. Vandals apparently; why they didn't knock ours over we'll probably never know. Maybe the fact that it is so 'normal'? Who knows what kids think! Maybe they heard me snoring in my recliner and thought I might come out and kick their asses. Humph, it would take more that a little twerpy teen to wake me! LOL
Apparently the 'end of the world' thing didn't come off; or maybe I'm contacting you from the 'other side' but anyway I feel pretty much the same. I'm still chilly; my foot is still bruised from the other day; the dog is still a whiny beast. No, I've got to think it's business as usual. Works for me! Actually, I love this world. There are blots on the landscape, like the little twerps who knocked over the mailboxes, but they are just annoying. We walked around the pond over at Terrible's Lakeside last night. It's an rv park that has won awards for it's beauty. It IS very nice and they had a ton of birds. Ducks begging for food and many smaller birds that I couldn't name. They even had hummingbirds going for insects in the air. It was really cool to see them darting around.
Quiet day planned for today: visit from our daughter, a meal, maybe a vid. Life in the slow lane if I've ever heard it. Have a good one!
Saturday, May 21, 2011
The End of the World?
Give me a break! Plus we got a couple Jehovah's Witnesses at the door this morning to talk about it. Jeez!
Well, if it's happening, bye. It's been fun.
If not, I've just wasted a few more electrons.
We are continuing our search for smart phones today. It's a giant pain; my wife who is a meticulous shopper at any time goes into hyper mode when we are talking about something we'll be stuck with for a couple years. I'm just way more impulsive. I've got to admit though, she doesn't make many purchasing errors! Hopefully I'll be able to post a cell phone photo here by tonight. I'll try.
Have a good one!
Well, if it's happening, bye. It's been fun.
If not, I've just wasted a few more electrons.
We are continuing our search for smart phones today. It's a giant pain; my wife who is a meticulous shopper at any time goes into hyper mode when we are talking about something we'll be stuck with for a couple years. I'm just way more impulsive. I've got to admit though, she doesn't make many purchasing errors! Hopefully I'll be able to post a cell phone photo here by tonight. I'll try.
Have a good one!
Friday, May 20, 2011
Wild and Crazy!
I went all wild and crazy this afternoon and washed the car! Talk about unheard of behavior; that is practically the definition. I've been taking it to our local car wash of course but haven't gotten the old pail and hose out in several years at least. The problem is that for $8 the car wash isn't getting the sides of the car clean. The big dirt is knocked off but not the little stuff. So I went for it.
Turns out I had some really nasty tar on the bottom of the door sills. It took some time with a special cleaner to get rid of that crud. And we've got two places where the paint is chipped! Grrrr! Well, that's what we get for living in a place where there are lots of rocks. When heading over the hump we always find people with rocks in their tires.
Went to a new Mexican place for lunch. It was ok but making a return visit is questionable. The sauce on the burrito was not as good as our regular place. I had some chicken tacos; that chicken seemed like it had been through a food processor. That's not a nice consistency! Also it seemed like they weren't seasoning their food very well. The chicken was just chicken; the rice was just that; I guess there was a kitchen problem that is most likely endemic. Guess we'll have to go to the old place.
Had some leftover cajun roast for dinner. There was a guy named Justin Wilson who had a cooking show back many years ago. Justin loved being Cajun and his food reflected that love. We bought both his cook books and I love making this roast. It's a chuck roast with lots of jalapeno, cayenne and wine: what's not to like! Justin died many years ago but I raise a glass to his memory every time we have some of his food.
After dinner we went out to the patio to enjoy the evening. It was a pretty quiet evening for us; sometimes we are busy solving the worlds problems but tonight it was just enjoying the beauty of the evening. We had finches, sparrows and mourning doves joining us. Considering that there was a dog and a cat hanging out with us on the patio I thought that showed plenty of courage. Or maybe they recognize a creaky dog and a lazy house cat when they see them. Don't know but no feathers were harmed during the evening.
Hope you had a lovely and peaceful day. Take care!
Turns out I had some really nasty tar on the bottom of the door sills. It took some time with a special cleaner to get rid of that crud. And we've got two places where the paint is chipped! Grrrr! Well, that's what we get for living in a place where there are lots of rocks. When heading over the hump we always find people with rocks in their tires.
Went to a new Mexican place for lunch. It was ok but making a return visit is questionable. The sauce on the burrito was not as good as our regular place. I had some chicken tacos; that chicken seemed like it had been through a food processor. That's not a nice consistency! Also it seemed like they weren't seasoning their food very well. The chicken was just chicken; the rice was just that; I guess there was a kitchen problem that is most likely endemic. Guess we'll have to go to the old place.
Had some leftover cajun roast for dinner. There was a guy named Justin Wilson who had a cooking show back many years ago. Justin loved being Cajun and his food reflected that love. We bought both his cook books and I love making this roast. It's a chuck roast with lots of jalapeno, cayenne and wine: what's not to like! Justin died many years ago but I raise a glass to his memory every time we have some of his food.
After dinner we went out to the patio to enjoy the evening. It was a pretty quiet evening for us; sometimes we are busy solving the worlds problems but tonight it was just enjoying the beauty of the evening. We had finches, sparrows and mourning doves joining us. Considering that there was a dog and a cat hanging out with us on the patio I thought that showed plenty of courage. Or maybe they recognize a creaky dog and a lazy house cat when they see them. Don't know but no feathers were harmed during the evening.
Hope you had a lovely and peaceful day. Take care!
Thursday, May 19, 2011
What's going on??
We've got unusual things going on in the valley; not just the normal stuff. We have a couple days of warm weather then a few of colder than normal. A couple days of windy weather then a couple days of calm. There is a lot of 'sabre rattling' in the normal way of things but not much actual violence. It's not unusual to go into the grocery store and see some guy my age wearing a handgun on his belt. Not this week. No, this week I had a deputy come up to the door and ask if I'd heard any gunfire or loud cars lately. Hmmm. No, sorry, I had to reply. If any low-lifes had been playing shoot-em-up, I didn't hear it. Oh well, I've always preferred life in the slow lane.
Speaking thereof, I've been reading how TIPS bonds have been screwing their purchasers several ways from Sunday. How's that for ugly? Not only are you getting no return but the value of the bond is going down. Here I was actually thinking of buying some. Guess lethargic is the best reaction after all.
Talked to our neighbor yesterday as a reaction to the sheriff's visit. They revealed that they have a gun in the house that 'looks like' a real gun. Jeez, if that isn't asking for trouble. Break into a house insured by Smith and Wesson and you'll probably leave feet first; break into a house insured by BB and Associates and the home owner might just precede you. NOT a good result for the good guys. Just for the record, my wife shoots better than I do but I did get my marksmanship badge.
A couple of months ago we were talking with the guys who run our ISP and discovered that our router was semi-broken. Last week we bought a new N-series router. Today we managed to get it installed. Not to hope that things will be faster but at least we shouldn't have any delays on our side of the tracks! It DID take a call to our ISP to get the thing going but that's the joy of living in a small town: we know where they live so they are really great with customer service! (See para above re shooting on our street!) Really, they have been great with service from day 1! Go AirInternet! I've got to give them a 5 out of 5 in every way.
Talked to a friend today who's son has had a child with an alcoholic. It makes you thankful for normal life. The kid is facing having to take his child away from it's mother for it's own good. Imagine coming home from work at 15:00, finding your partner drunk in bed and your child not having eaten all day. It's a classical definition of the need for Child Protective Services. If that young man cannot take on the roll of single father, that child really needs to go into care. It's ugly, ugly, ugly anyway you look at it. Here's hoping he can make some lemonade from those lemons!
Have a good one!
Speaking thereof, I've been reading how TIPS bonds have been screwing their purchasers several ways from Sunday. How's that for ugly? Not only are you getting no return but the value of the bond is going down. Here I was actually thinking of buying some. Guess lethargic is the best reaction after all.
Talked to our neighbor yesterday as a reaction to the sheriff's visit. They revealed that they have a gun in the house that 'looks like' a real gun. Jeez, if that isn't asking for trouble. Break into a house insured by Smith and Wesson and you'll probably leave feet first; break into a house insured by BB and Associates and the home owner might just precede you. NOT a good result for the good guys. Just for the record, my wife shoots better than I do but I did get my marksmanship badge.
A couple of months ago we were talking with the guys who run our ISP and discovered that our router was semi-broken. Last week we bought a new N-series router. Today we managed to get it installed. Not to hope that things will be faster but at least we shouldn't have any delays on our side of the tracks! It DID take a call to our ISP to get the thing going but that's the joy of living in a small town: we know where they live so they are really great with customer service! (See para above re shooting on our street!) Really, they have been great with service from day 1! Go AirInternet! I've got to give them a 5 out of 5 in every way.
Talked to a friend today who's son has had a child with an alcoholic. It makes you thankful for normal life. The kid is facing having to take his child away from it's mother for it's own good. Imagine coming home from work at 15:00, finding your partner drunk in bed and your child not having eaten all day. It's a classical definition of the need for Child Protective Services. If that young man cannot take on the roll of single father, that child really needs to go into care. It's ugly, ugly, ugly anyway you look at it. Here's hoping he can make some lemonade from those lemons!
Have a good one!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Woof! It's been almost a week.
So much for that blogging every day thing. It looks like every-other day is kind of out the window too. Oh well! I'll try to do better, honestly.
We've been wandering back and forth to Vegas quite a bit. We went in on a shopping trip early last week; mostly just the usual stuff that we don't find here. However on our last trip, my ophthalmologist suggested I might try wearing glasses for a while. I didn't find anything I liked here at home so went into Vegas. We found some at PearleVision. They said it would take about a week, that was Tuesday. Then on Thursday I got a call saying my new glasses are ready! Ok, guess it works for me; so we went back over the hump on Friday. I got the glasses and managed to find a new router for our home system and a few other things. Amazing how things just seem to fall off the shelf into one's cart, huh?
So now I have a new pair of glasses. I thought you didn't have this joy once you'd had cataracts removed but I need something. Unfortunately these glasses aren't the thing I need! They do almost nothing for my sight so I'm headed over the hill a few more times over the next couple months before we get this straightened out. The doctor did say this was the 'conservative' strategy so next step is getting some kind of laser treatment. We'll see when I can squeeze that into my busy schedule!
The odd weather I've been commenting on is continuing. One day we'll be near a record high; next day our high will be a low record (if you know what I mean). We are getting quite a bit of wind as well. Since I don't have to shovel it or put up sand bags to keep it out I guess it's all good.
I was looking for some new international investments and keep finding things that just don't do much for me. I love reading Random Roger; he seems to have a different prospective from my own so his take on things is always interesting. He's interested in not 'going down a lot' where I am more interested in a slow steady climb knowing that I'll be down at times. I see the possibility that our investments will need to fund our lifestyle for another 30 years. We can't afford to be too safe or inflation, even moderate inflation, will eat our lunch! It's an interesting problem that I need to get at least somewhat right.
Is it just me or is the pace of change increasing? It seems like every time something new comes on the scene, it becomes old sooner. Five years ago GPS and iPods were all the rage. Today your smart phone does both of those things. And this laptop is clearly so last generation. Personally I'm still happy with distinct units but am I just hiding my head in the sand? I don't know. Call me when the computer can be integrated with my brain directly without the use of my eyes and fingers. Plug me in!
Gotta go. Have a good one.
We've been wandering back and forth to Vegas quite a bit. We went in on a shopping trip early last week; mostly just the usual stuff that we don't find here. However on our last trip, my ophthalmologist suggested I might try wearing glasses for a while. I didn't find anything I liked here at home so went into Vegas. We found some at PearleVision. They said it would take about a week, that was Tuesday. Then on Thursday I got a call saying my new glasses are ready! Ok, guess it works for me; so we went back over the hump on Friday. I got the glasses and managed to find a new router for our home system and a few other things. Amazing how things just seem to fall off the shelf into one's cart, huh?
So now I have a new pair of glasses. I thought you didn't have this joy once you'd had cataracts removed but I need something. Unfortunately these glasses aren't the thing I need! They do almost nothing for my sight so I'm headed over the hill a few more times over the next couple months before we get this straightened out. The doctor did say this was the 'conservative' strategy so next step is getting some kind of laser treatment. We'll see when I can squeeze that into my busy schedule!
The odd weather I've been commenting on is continuing. One day we'll be near a record high; next day our high will be a low record (if you know what I mean). We are getting quite a bit of wind as well. Since I don't have to shovel it or put up sand bags to keep it out I guess it's all good.
I was looking for some new international investments and keep finding things that just don't do much for me. I love reading Random Roger; he seems to have a different prospective from my own so his take on things is always interesting. He's interested in not 'going down a lot' where I am more interested in a slow steady climb knowing that I'll be down at times. I see the possibility that our investments will need to fund our lifestyle for another 30 years. We can't afford to be too safe or inflation, even moderate inflation, will eat our lunch! It's an interesting problem that I need to get at least somewhat right.
Is it just me or is the pace of change increasing? It seems like every time something new comes on the scene, it becomes old sooner. Five years ago GPS and iPods were all the rage. Today your smart phone does both of those things. And this laptop is clearly so last generation. Personally I'm still happy with distinct units but am I just hiding my head in the sand? I don't know. Call me when the computer can be integrated with my brain directly without the use of my eyes and fingers. Plug me in!
Gotta go. Have a good one.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Quiet Day
This has definitely been a quiet day. Spent much of it searching for foreign investments. I'm convinced that investing outside the U.S. will be a mainstay of our future prosperity. It probably will never get to be even 25% of our portfolio but I wouldn't be surprised to see it at 20%. Another thought is that many of our current investments are multinational corporations; for example, I've owned Merck (MRK) for years. Even Paccar (PCAR) earns quite a lot of it's income from overseas. Now if our corporate tax structure was such that they could bring some of those profits home.... Yeah, I know, I'm dreaming again.
We did manage our 40 minute walk in the desert. I was kind of surprised because sometimes it takes the desert a while to dry out but it was just fine. As always, our eyes stray to the mountains that surround the valley. Do you wonder?
This was taken just as the morning light was washing down the mountain. Two or three minutes later the entire mountain was lit. Even rock can be beautiful.
After the rain from the other day we have more snow on the mountains east of here. I'm thinking it is late in the year for snow but it works for us. This may be a desert but we need SOME water!
Short post today. Have a good one!
We did manage our 40 minute walk in the desert. I was kind of surprised because sometimes it takes the desert a while to dry out but it was just fine. As always, our eyes stray to the mountains that surround the valley. Do you wonder?
After the rain from the other day we have more snow on the mountains east of here. I'm thinking it is late in the year for snow but it works for us. This may be a desert but we need SOME water!
Short post today. Have a good one!
Monday, May 09, 2011
Weather Report
From a weather prospective we've had an interesting day in the valley today. My wife and I walked this morning about 06:15. There was a huge black cloud covering the mountain to our east; and the cloud was heading our way. We wanted to walk but walking out in the desert in the rain didn't appeal. We decided to go out just a ways into the desert then make our way to hard surfaced roads. That worked ok, we walked a touch over 2 miles (3.2km) about 2/3rds of which was hard surfaces. (When the desert gets wet, it gets muddy to the point that 4x4 vehicles get stuck.)
After breakfast I went outside to post a letter about 10:00 - it was a beautiful day! The black cloud dispersed and we had a beautiful partly cloudy day. Blue sky and white clouds; it was just perfect. We decided to go out to lunch. It was spitting rain as we drove into town. We ate then headed for the supermarket. When we came out it was breezy and raining. It rained all the way home. Hmmm.
Now at 16:00 it is blue sky and fluffy white clouds again. But there are heavier clouds over the Eastern mountains. Well, if it rains up there no one is going to complain. That water will enter the aquifer at some point and will fill our well eventually. And down here on the floor of the valley no one is going to complain about another bit of rain. How much? Hard to measure but you can be sure that you couldn't float a stick the diameter of a pencil in it.
As you can tell, I didn't do much today. I've been looking at diversifying our portfolio into commodities. It just doesn't seem like a good time to go there; things are up 100% even more. Sounds like I'm late to the party. No problem, everything is cyclical. I remember a guy buying gold coins at $800 each; the same coins that are now worth twice that. I couldn't afford them or I might have thought of doing it as well. The only problem is that he was doing it in about 1980. 30 years is a long time to wait for a return on your money. Maybe I'll find something to buy tomorrow. I can always dream.
Have a good one!
After breakfast I went outside to post a letter about 10:00 - it was a beautiful day! The black cloud dispersed and we had a beautiful partly cloudy day. Blue sky and white clouds; it was just perfect. We decided to go out to lunch. It was spitting rain as we drove into town. We ate then headed for the supermarket. When we came out it was breezy and raining. It rained all the way home. Hmmm.
Now at 16:00 it is blue sky and fluffy white clouds again. But there are heavier clouds over the Eastern mountains. Well, if it rains up there no one is going to complain. That water will enter the aquifer at some point and will fill our well eventually. And down here on the floor of the valley no one is going to complain about another bit of rain. How much? Hard to measure but you can be sure that you couldn't float a stick the diameter of a pencil in it.
As you can tell, I didn't do much today. I've been looking at diversifying our portfolio into commodities. It just doesn't seem like a good time to go there; things are up 100% even more. Sounds like I'm late to the party. No problem, everything is cyclical. I remember a guy buying gold coins at $800 each; the same coins that are now worth twice that. I couldn't afford them or I might have thought of doing it as well. The only problem is that he was doing it in about 1980. 30 years is a long time to wait for a return on your money. Maybe I'll find something to buy tomorrow. I can always dream.
Have a good one!
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Interesting weather
It's 65F (18C) right now in Pahrump and windy. The wind picks up enough dirt that it makes the mountains look kind of foggy and when the sun breaks through the mountain can almost look like it has snow on it. Amazing! The wind is blowing and whistling at the open window like a winter snow storm; but the window IS open. We won't get too warm today and it's supposed to be even cooler tomorrow but by Wednesday we'll be back in the low 80's F (27 C).
I was talking with one of the neighbors last night. He told me proudly how his dog had caught and killed a rabbit while on his leash! I don't know about you but I have my dog on a leash for a reason. Letting it behave like that strikes me as weird at best. I can see where a dog would like to hunt a rabbit but while you are taking the dog for a walk? On a leash? Nah, just doesn't compute for me.
Our daughter is coming over to cook lunch/dinner for her mother for Mother's Day. It should be interesting; she was talking about bringing lobster. She brought salmon one time and we decided she can't select a good salmon to save her. Let's see what she can do about selecting lobster. Should be interesting at least. Actually, I"m wondering if she has ever prepared lobster!
She is also worried about her weight so is not drinking alcohol. We said we could forgo it as well so that will add another twist. It will be the first dinner we've had with her in years where wine will not be on the table. My folks never had alcohol with meals but somewhere in my twenty's or thirty's I decided wine improved a meal and we've had it ever since. Not a lot, but a glass or two.
Well, Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. Have a good one.
I was talking with one of the neighbors last night. He told me proudly how his dog had caught and killed a rabbit while on his leash! I don't know about you but I have my dog on a leash for a reason. Letting it behave like that strikes me as weird at best. I can see where a dog would like to hunt a rabbit but while you are taking the dog for a walk? On a leash? Nah, just doesn't compute for me.
Our daughter is coming over to cook lunch/dinner for her mother for Mother's Day. It should be interesting; she was talking about bringing lobster. She brought salmon one time and we decided she can't select a good salmon to save her. Let's see what she can do about selecting lobster. Should be interesting at least. Actually, I"m wondering if she has ever prepared lobster!
She is also worried about her weight so is not drinking alcohol. We said we could forgo it as well so that will add another twist. It will be the first dinner we've had with her in years where wine will not be on the table. My folks never had alcohol with meals but somewhere in my twenty's or thirty's I decided wine improved a meal and we've had it ever since. Not a lot, but a glass or two.
Well, Happy Mother's Day to all you mothers out there. Have a good one.
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Working at something....
Today turned into a work day; yes, actual physical work! It started more normally; my wife and I took our morning walk. We had been good at walking a couple miles a day but stopped while it was so cold. We are finally getting back into it. Today was only about 1.75 miles (2.8km) but it gives you a good start for the day. We went out for breakfast then got to work.
I vacuumed the house (yes, Virginia, men can run vacuum cleaners!). Then went on my continuing hunt for weeds. Killing the weeds means walking up and down the length of the back yard with a sprayer full of goop. I actually walk along a straight line from the back wall to the end of the weeds be that 100 feet or whatever. The hardest part is trying to walk a straight line! Used half a gallon (2 l) of weed killer. While out there I discovered some of the insulation is missing from our water pump/piping; another job for the job jar. Then I hit the front yard. It needs checking but for some reason has far fewer weeds than the back. Perhaps we did a better job in the front last year therefore there are fewer seeds. Whatever it's not bad. I discovered that the cactus that we thought only survived the winter is having a new sprout. That's him sticking our horizontally in the left part of the photo. Friendly looking little guy, huh?
Mother's Day is tomorrow here in the U.S. It's one of those holidays manufactured to sell cards and flowers. People seem to like it though. We went out to brunch one time; never again! Loud, crowded, lousy food, lousy service - it was just a disaster. We've never gone out on a holiday again! I've been drafted to create a mushroom/cream cheese omelet for the lady of the house for breakfast (her favorite). Our daughter will be over later with some food and she & I will be the chefs. How do I get drafted into these things!
Gotta go. Have a good one!
I vacuumed the house (yes, Virginia, men can run vacuum cleaners!). Then went on my continuing hunt for weeds. Killing the weeds means walking up and down the length of the back yard with a sprayer full of goop. I actually walk along a straight line from the back wall to the end of the weeds be that 100 feet or whatever. The hardest part is trying to walk a straight line! Used half a gallon (2 l) of weed killer. While out there I discovered some of the insulation is missing from our water pump/piping; another job for the job jar. Then I hit the front yard. It needs checking but for some reason has far fewer weeds than the back. Perhaps we did a better job in the front last year therefore there are fewer seeds. Whatever it's not bad. I discovered that the cactus that we thought only survived the winter is having a new sprout. That's him sticking our horizontally in the left part of the photo. Friendly looking little guy, huh?
Mother's Day is tomorrow here in the U.S. It's one of those holidays manufactured to sell cards and flowers. People seem to like it though. We went out to brunch one time; never again! Loud, crowded, lousy food, lousy service - it was just a disaster. We've never gone out on a holiday again! I've been drafted to create a mushroom/cream cheese omelet for the lady of the house for breakfast (her favorite). Our daughter will be over later with some food and she & I will be the chefs. How do I get drafted into these things!
Gotta go. Have a good one!
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Hats off to SEAL Team 6
I was kind of negative yesterday about the death of Osama Bin Laden. Well, that's because I figure that terrorist groups are not just going to go away because a leader, possibly their most important leader, has been killed. Someone new will take over & we'll have some new terror threat. Still, you've got to give those folks in SEAL Team 6 credit. They did a hellova job!
To go into that compound showed a lot of guts. To lose a helicopter wouldn't be much fun! To take the compound killing anyone who stood in your way is mind-boggling. To do it all without a causality is fabulous. Team 6 is getting all the glory today and rightly so but I have to applaud all the men and women in our military. They are doing a fantastic job. I'm just looking forward to lots and lots of them coming home in one piece pretty soon here.
Late last month we had a military training mission here in the valley. There was a lot more air traffic than usual but I didn't personally see anything else. The reason for being here was that this area supposedly looks like Afghanistan. Hmmmm. Not sure if we've been insulted or what. I do know that if the idiots on the town board start looking for an advertising slogan I'm NOT going to submit "It's like Afghanistan but without the poppies!"
We do have a certain number of people who really want their privacy. Nothing like Bin Laden's compound but we just don't have that kind of money! People will have a stand of bamboo that is 10 feet deep around their property. Of course bamboo does grow pretty tall so you really can't see into their little area. Then there are the ones who built their homes before there was any regulation. People do some amazing stuff when left on their own. There is one that has what looks like a swamp cooler up in a tower. Another guy has ringed his entire property with old trucks and buses. They aren't for sale, he's got a sign saying that, and it looks like a truck graveyard but I think the real use is to keep people from prying. I don't know about you but I just don't want to live in a wrecking yard!
There is one house that has a pretty impressive wooded fence completely around the back half of the property. The front yard is all parking lot. They are 'swingers' and get a bunch out of Las Vegas to visit and 'play' on a regular basis. Here in Southern Nevada it's all good. Sure makes me want to buy stock in a condom company!
Have a good one!
To go into that compound showed a lot of guts. To lose a helicopter wouldn't be much fun! To take the compound killing anyone who stood in your way is mind-boggling. To do it all without a causality is fabulous. Team 6 is getting all the glory today and rightly so but I have to applaud all the men and women in our military. They are doing a fantastic job. I'm just looking forward to lots and lots of them coming home in one piece pretty soon here.
Late last month we had a military training mission here in the valley. There was a lot more air traffic than usual but I didn't personally see anything else. The reason for being here was that this area supposedly looks like Afghanistan. Hmmmm. Not sure if we've been insulted or what. I do know that if the idiots on the town board start looking for an advertising slogan I'm NOT going to submit "It's like Afghanistan but without the poppies!"
We do have a certain number of people who really want their privacy. Nothing like Bin Laden's compound but we just don't have that kind of money! People will have a stand of bamboo that is 10 feet deep around their property. Of course bamboo does grow pretty tall so you really can't see into their little area. Then there are the ones who built their homes before there was any regulation. People do some amazing stuff when left on their own. There is one that has what looks like a swamp cooler up in a tower. Another guy has ringed his entire property with old trucks and buses. They aren't for sale, he's got a sign saying that, and it looks like a truck graveyard but I think the real use is to keep people from prying. I don't know about you but I just don't want to live in a wrecking yard!
There is one house that has a pretty impressive wooded fence completely around the back half of the property. The front yard is all parking lot. They are 'swingers' and get a bunch out of Las Vegas to visit and 'play' on a regular basis. Here in Southern Nevada it's all good. Sure makes me want to buy stock in a condom company!
Have a good one!
Monday, May 02, 2011
Osama - RIP
Well, after almost ten years and who could even guess how many billions of dollars, Osama Bin Laden is dead. Who really gives a fuck? It's not going to bring back even one of the 5,000 plus men and women who have died looking for him. It's not going to put a leg or an arm back on any of the many more thousands of men and women who have been injured. All it means is there is someone else running some terror group. Gee.
In other news, nothing much happened. At least not in our paper. Well, maybe now we can bring our troops home from Afghanistan and Iraq and let the local chieftains get on with their power struggles. In Iraq what are we doing? First we are giving the local religious zealots a nice 'Christian' target and secondly we are trying to keep the locals from killing each other. I'm really tired of religious wars and I'm really tired of having our troops being in countries where we haven't been invited. Bring the troops back home and let the locals do whatever they are going to do to one another.
Here's a link to Charlie Reese's article about Afghanistan. Charlie is one of my icons. He was a writer for various newspapers; he's retired now. (I'm hoping he is still alive and well!) I enjoyed his columns in the Orlando Sentinal in the 1980's when we lived in Orlando, FL. I was still enjoying them in 2008 when we were living in Palm Harbor, FL. Charlie thought that we in the U.S. are blessed to be living here and that we ought to expend our energy on making this an even better place to be rather than running around trying to be policeman for the world. He thought that if people in some far away land wanted to kill each other, it was just fine to let them do that. The more I think about it, the more I agree with that idea. So when you Aussies start fighting over which is the better beer, don't expect the U.S. to come & try to keep you apart. If you couldn't tell, I'm damn tired of paying in blood and money for other people's problems.
Have a good one folks, it's a tough world out there.
In other news, nothing much happened. At least not in our paper. Well, maybe now we can bring our troops home from Afghanistan and Iraq and let the local chieftains get on with their power struggles. In Iraq what are we doing? First we are giving the local religious zealots a nice 'Christian' target and secondly we are trying to keep the locals from killing each other. I'm really tired of religious wars and I'm really tired of having our troops being in countries where we haven't been invited. Bring the troops back home and let the locals do whatever they are going to do to one another.
Here's a link to Charlie Reese's article about Afghanistan. Charlie is one of my icons. He was a writer for various newspapers; he's retired now. (I'm hoping he is still alive and well!) I enjoyed his columns in the Orlando Sentinal in the 1980's when we lived in Orlando, FL. I was still enjoying them in 2008 when we were living in Palm Harbor, FL. Charlie thought that we in the U.S. are blessed to be living here and that we ought to expend our energy on making this an even better place to be rather than running around trying to be policeman for the world. He thought that if people in some far away land wanted to kill each other, it was just fine to let them do that. The more I think about it, the more I agree with that idea. So when you Aussies start fighting over which is the better beer, don't expect the U.S. to come & try to keep you apart. If you couldn't tell, I'm damn tired of paying in blood and money for other people's problems.
Have a good one folks, it's a tough world out there.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Still cold and windy
It's cool and windy here but we are very aware that in places like Mississippi hundreds have died in tornadoes. We feel for those poor people who's lives have been turned upside down by the storms. Now I need to make a second donation to the Red Cross; first for Japan, now for our own South.
Our house has a small semi-secluded patio off the master bedroom. It is shielded from the wind and makes a lovely place to sit on days like this. It is on the south side of the house so you get sun. It epitomizes the tranquil nature of our lives here. We have our little container garden, the bbq, a small table and chair set for two. A few feet away is the bird feeder and bird bath. If you are quite still the birds eventually get used to you and eat and drink normally. It's a nice place to sit with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and enjoy the world.
The trappings of life are so changed from the way things were when I was young. People thought it was normal to make chicken soup from the bones and maybe the back of a chicken. Now we go to the store and buy broth in cans. It is good to sit and watch the birds and know that life itself is much the same. There is a site I like to visit called Everyday Carry; people send in photos showing what they carry on their person on a daily basis. It's pretty funny to an old guy like me. Apparently there are young men who carry $200 pocket knives, $150 flashlights and other expensive toys in their pockets every day. I carried the same $12 Swiss Army knife for 35 years. Maybe that's why I was able to retire early. Don't know; I do think it's weird.
Have a good one!
Our house has a small semi-secluded patio off the master bedroom. It is shielded from the wind and makes a lovely place to sit on days like this. It is on the south side of the house so you get sun. It epitomizes the tranquil nature of our lives here. We have our little container garden, the bbq, a small table and chair set for two. A few feet away is the bird feeder and bird bath. If you are quite still the birds eventually get used to you and eat and drink normally. It's a nice place to sit with a cup of coffee or a glass of wine and enjoy the world.
The trappings of life are so changed from the way things were when I was young. People thought it was normal to make chicken soup from the bones and maybe the back of a chicken. Now we go to the store and buy broth in cans. It is good to sit and watch the birds and know that life itself is much the same. There is a site I like to visit called Everyday Carry; people send in photos showing what they carry on their person on a daily basis. It's pretty funny to an old guy like me. Apparently there are young men who carry $200 pocket knives, $150 flashlights and other expensive toys in their pockets every day. I carried the same $12 Swiss Army knife for 35 years. Maybe that's why I was able to retire early. Don't know; I do think it's weird.
Have a good one!
Friday, April 29, 2011
Ok, I admit it... I watched them
Thanks to the miracle of the DVR, my wife and I watched the Royal Wedding. Skipped large parts, of course, but had to check it out. All the ladies hats were a hoot; some were so outlandish as to make one wonder if they were glued on. There were lots of military officers in the crowd of course but you hardly saw the same uniform twice. Having different uniforms for different regiments at least makes for a colorful spectacle. I'm thinking they needed about a month's output of Jaguars to get everyone to the church. The commentators talked a lot about these kids being the new face of the monarchy; isn't that true of every generation? At any rate, I wish them the best. Being Royal can't be easy.
We are beset by the wind today; it's too windy to do much of anything outside. The bird feeder emptied itself onto the ground without help from the birds. It's so windy I can see the electric poles across the street moving in the wind. Then tomorrow is forecast to be downright chilly. April came in like a lion and it's going out the same way. It's a good excuse for one more round of chili before summer comes.
My chili has morphed into something that uses self-ground ancho and chili de arbol peppers; chipotle, maybe some beer or even tequila. I bought the chuck roast today. I dice it small and brown in small batches prior to adding tomato, peppers and liquids. And, yes, I add beans eventually; sometimes red beans, sometimes black, sometimes both. If you think that removes it from being called chili, sorry, it's just the way I do it. I like the texture and the taste that the beans bring to the dish.
Gotta go. Have a good one!
We are beset by the wind today; it's too windy to do much of anything outside. The bird feeder emptied itself onto the ground without help from the birds. It's so windy I can see the electric poles across the street moving in the wind. Then tomorrow is forecast to be downright chilly. April came in like a lion and it's going out the same way. It's a good excuse for one more round of chili before summer comes.
My chili has morphed into something that uses self-ground ancho and chili de arbol peppers; chipotle, maybe some beer or even tequila. I bought the chuck roast today. I dice it small and brown in small batches prior to adding tomato, peppers and liquids. And, yes, I add beans eventually; sometimes red beans, sometimes black, sometimes both. If you think that removes it from being called chili, sorry, it's just the way I do it. I like the texture and the taste that the beans bring to the dish.
Gotta go. Have a good one!
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Cactus Central
We've made a conscious decision to only have things in our yard that don't need watering. There are plenty of people in the valley trying to make their yard look like Florida; somewhere with about 50 inches of rain a year. Not us! It's a desert out there and we know it.
Last year we bought 4 cacti at the Springs Preserve plant show. One didn't make it through the winter; guess it was just too cold here. One, a staghorn, is apparently ok but isn't doing anything. The other two are happy and that makes us happy! Here's the prickly pear.
You can see he didn't have a very happy winter either. Of course our transplanting technique pretty much stinks! But now that spring has come, we've got a new leaf! Makes us happy.
This other guy is some relative of the first but he's a bit on the purple side. The new growth is green though. We'll have to wait and see if it turns color as it ages or if we've got a bi-color plant.
As you can tell, I am not exactly a gardener. Maybe that's why we have so much rock in our yard!
Have a good one.
Last year we bought 4 cacti at the Springs Preserve plant show. One didn't make it through the winter; guess it was just too cold here. One, a staghorn, is apparently ok but isn't doing anything. The other two are happy and that makes us happy! Here's the prickly pear.
This other guy is some relative of the first but he's a bit on the purple side. The new growth is green though. We'll have to wait and see if it turns color as it ages or if we've got a bi-color plant.
As you can tell, I am not exactly a gardener. Maybe that's why we have so much rock in our yard!
Have a good one.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Not posting is fun!
I find I haven't posted since last Saturday. Bad Don! But I've been distracted. I've been worrying about the President's birth certificate and it's just had me all tied up. Finally the White House has released it so now I guess I can get on with blogging. Jeez! What a pile of crap!
I'm sitting here watching a couple of quail walking around across the road. I'm not sure if it's old man quail looking for a little nookie or if they are just looking for a snack. It's much more interesting than the two 'newspapers' we received this a.m.
The local paper is covered in grief because a year ago a local deputy sheriff was killed and they had a memorial for the guy. It is sad certainly. He seems to have been a nice guy and he had just returned from a tour in Afghanistan. But being a cop is hazardous; is that news to anyone?
The Las Vegas paper is all tied up in cuts being made to school funding. I'm sorry folks but kids who want to learn will do so if there are 5 kids in their class or 50. Kids who don't give a damn won't. They are your kids, YOU make the difference not the teachers not the class size not even the curriculum. Granted we would all like everything to be wonderful for our kids but if we aren't willing to pay for it, it's gotta change.
My wife and I were talking about money the other night and we were wondering what our net worth was in 1990. She was 40 and I was 42 at the time. Our records are not up to the task of pinpointing our net worth but we can make some guesses. We were living in Seattle in a house we bought for about $180K - putting 20% down would be $36K equity. We had the duplex in Florida; equity in that would have been around $15K. We had two cars; both paid for; an 83 Mazda and an 88 Bronco II. I've always thought that a company matching 401k was like free money so we would have had at least $50-60K in our 401k accounts. So I guess our net worth would have been in the $120K range. Does that sound reasonable? Doesn't sound like a lot in these days when advisers are saying you need a million to retire but 1990 WAS a long time ago.
1990 was the year I talked my wife into going to Europe. She had never been so I figured a trip to England would be an easy introduction to another land. It was a great choice! Just having to deal with pounds and shillings challenged her. Not to mention that American English isn't exactly what they speak over there, especially in Scotland and Wales. We got one of those train tickets that lets you travel on any train to any place you wanted for a week. We took a train from London up to Edinburgh then came back down through Carlyle into Wales and to Land's End and back to London. We mostly stayed in hotels near the station; she didn't want to get too far from the train. She had read the Poldark series of stories and knew a lot more about Cornwall than I did. It was a great trip.
Please excuse the excursion into the past. It's much more fun than talking about the deficits, illegal wars, illegal immigrants and all the rest of the wonderful world we have made. Try to have a good one!
I'm sitting here watching a couple of quail walking around across the road. I'm not sure if it's old man quail looking for a little nookie or if they are just looking for a snack. It's much more interesting than the two 'newspapers' we received this a.m.
The local paper is covered in grief because a year ago a local deputy sheriff was killed and they had a memorial for the guy. It is sad certainly. He seems to have been a nice guy and he had just returned from a tour in Afghanistan. But being a cop is hazardous; is that news to anyone?
The Las Vegas paper is all tied up in cuts being made to school funding. I'm sorry folks but kids who want to learn will do so if there are 5 kids in their class or 50. Kids who don't give a damn won't. They are your kids, YOU make the difference not the teachers not the class size not even the curriculum. Granted we would all like everything to be wonderful for our kids but if we aren't willing to pay for it, it's gotta change.
My wife and I were talking about money the other night and we were wondering what our net worth was in 1990. She was 40 and I was 42 at the time. Our records are not up to the task of pinpointing our net worth but we can make some guesses. We were living in Seattle in a house we bought for about $180K - putting 20% down would be $36K equity. We had the duplex in Florida; equity in that would have been around $15K. We had two cars; both paid for; an 83 Mazda and an 88 Bronco II. I've always thought that a company matching 401k was like free money so we would have had at least $50-60K in our 401k accounts. So I guess our net worth would have been in the $120K range. Does that sound reasonable? Doesn't sound like a lot in these days when advisers are saying you need a million to retire but 1990 WAS a long time ago.
1990 was the year I talked my wife into going to Europe. She had never been so I figured a trip to England would be an easy introduction to another land. It was a great choice! Just having to deal with pounds and shillings challenged her. Not to mention that American English isn't exactly what they speak over there, especially in Scotland and Wales. We got one of those train tickets that lets you travel on any train to any place you wanted for a week. We took a train from London up to Edinburgh then came back down through Carlyle into Wales and to Land's End and back to London. We mostly stayed in hotels near the station; she didn't want to get too far from the train. She had read the Poldark series of stories and knew a lot more about Cornwall than I did. It was a great trip.
Please excuse the excursion into the past. It's much more fun than talking about the deficits, illegal wars, illegal immigrants and all the rest of the wonderful world we have made. Try to have a good one!
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Oops!
Woke up this morning about 06:00 by the light of our emergency lights. They only come on when the electricity is off so something was up. Ok, it's my job to crawl into my clothes and go outside to check the fuse. So I go out there and there is our neighbor walking out into the middle of the road to see if he is the only one without power. Hmmm. I gave him a shout to let him know he's not alone and went inside to call the electric utility.
About an hour later we headed off to the casino for breakfast. What should we see but an electric utility truck wandering around the neighborhood. I was tempted to follow them because they went right past our street but figured maybe they know what they are doing. I'm not too sure but at least when we returned home from breakfast (and me losing my $5 at video poker) the electricity was back.
We are pretty dependent on the power company - heating, cooling, cooking, pumping water - yep, all electric. Solar and wind power are each possible alternatives but would be really expensive if sized large enough to run a house. Running the a/c, electric stove and electric water heater would be out of the question. The pump might be possible simply because it isn't used a lot but it would really pull power as it is 240V. Our actual alternatives are go out to eat or buy a really big generator. Having a generator like that would bring a whole new set of problems so it's out to eat we go.
Here's to investing a bit into the electric grid infrastructure. Have a good one!
About an hour later we headed off to the casino for breakfast. What should we see but an electric utility truck wandering around the neighborhood. I was tempted to follow them because they went right past our street but figured maybe they know what they are doing. I'm not too sure but at least when we returned home from breakfast (and me losing my $5 at video poker) the electricity was back.
We are pretty dependent on the power company - heating, cooling, cooking, pumping water - yep, all electric. Solar and wind power are each possible alternatives but would be really expensive if sized large enough to run a house. Running the a/c, electric stove and electric water heater would be out of the question. The pump might be possible simply because it isn't used a lot but it would really pull power as it is 240V. Our actual alternatives are go out to eat or buy a really big generator. Having a generator like that would bring a whole new set of problems so it's out to eat we go.
Here's to investing a bit into the electric grid infrastructure. Have a good one!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Quiet - Not Quiet
Today started pretty quietly. Yesterday we talked about trying to 'boondock' in our trailer. Boondocking, if you don't know, is parking somewhere that has no electricity or water. There are a lot of places in national parks and such that have no utilities. Our trailer has two small 12V batteries to provide electricity for lights and such if you are boondocked. They won't run a tv or anything but lights & the radio will work fine. Long and short of it is that we decided to spend the night in the back yard but unhooked from water and power. It worked quite well; to the point that I couldn't figure out where I was when I woke!
Anyway, we started on our usual chores and things were going very well. We rented "The King's Speech" yesterday and didn't get around to viewing it until today. It was really very good; a fine cast and an interesting piece of history. About half way through, my wife excused herself and went to the bathroom. When she came back it was to announce that a part of one tooth had broken off. She kind of bit down on it and it was still in place but obviously needed professional attention. We've been to one of the dentists here in town and didn't care much for him or his assistant so returning there was not an option. We watched the rest of the movie then like good little consumers, we let our fingers do the walking in the Yellow Pages and found another dentist. The woman said 'come down immediately' so that's pretty much what we did.
By 15:15 I was being told that the tooth required a crown and they were going to do the procedure right now. About 25 years ago I my wife had a really bad experience with a dentist. She hasn't liked dental procedures ever since. A crown takes a lot of drilling and cutting and I knew she would not be enjoying the rest of the afternoon. However, by 17:00 we were on the way home. About $1000 poorer but with a fine new temporary crown and probably a new family dentist. Apparently the dentist was a very nice lady and her staff were all very professional. A great result to a lousy occurrence. We'll go back in a couple weeks to get the permanent crown installed.
Happily we had quiche the other night and half is still in the fridge. Sounds like a nice soft dinner for someone with a sore mouth. Hope you had a good one!
Anyway, we started on our usual chores and things were going very well. We rented "The King's Speech" yesterday and didn't get around to viewing it until today. It was really very good; a fine cast and an interesting piece of history. About half way through, my wife excused herself and went to the bathroom. When she came back it was to announce that a part of one tooth had broken off. She kind of bit down on it and it was still in place but obviously needed professional attention. We've been to one of the dentists here in town and didn't care much for him or his assistant so returning there was not an option. We watched the rest of the movie then like good little consumers, we let our fingers do the walking in the Yellow Pages and found another dentist. The woman said 'come down immediately' so that's pretty much what we did.
By 15:15 I was being told that the tooth required a crown and they were going to do the procedure right now. About 25 years ago I my wife had a really bad experience with a dentist. She hasn't liked dental procedures ever since. A crown takes a lot of drilling and cutting and I knew she would not be enjoying the rest of the afternoon. However, by 17:00 we were on the way home. About $1000 poorer but with a fine new temporary crown and probably a new family dentist. Apparently the dentist was a very nice lady and her staff were all very professional. A great result to a lousy occurrence. We'll go back in a couple weeks to get the permanent crown installed.
Happily we had quiche the other night and half is still in the fridge. Sounds like a nice soft dinner for someone with a sore mouth. Hope you had a good one!
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Spring or summer?
We are finally warming up in the valley getting our first 80+ F days (27-30C). Soon we'll be whining about the heat but right now it feels pretty good. It feels like it's been a long winter. Mt. Charleston still has a bit of snow but that will be gone soon. Before long we'll be looking at nothing but rock
This morning I went out and fought another round in the war against weeds in our yard. I've used 5 or 6 gallons (25l) of spray already; I don't know if we are done for the year or not. At some point it will become dry and hot enough that the weeds will just die out. Or at least I'm hoping so!
Last fall we planted four cacti in our front yard. It looks like one was killed by the cold but the other three seem to be growing. I'll get some pictures one of these days. During the winter, our wet season, you aren't supposed to water them but in summer they need water every month or so. We don't want anything that requires irrigation. In our experience, whenever you look away something goes wrong with a sprinkler system. The ones we had while living in Florida were a constant maintenance headache whether I was doing the work or having a professional work on them.
This should be a quiet week. We are both looking forward to having our quiet lives back. Have a good one!
This morning I went out and fought another round in the war against weeds in our yard. I've used 5 or 6 gallons (25l) of spray already; I don't know if we are done for the year or not. At some point it will become dry and hot enough that the weeds will just die out. Or at least I'm hoping so!
Last fall we planted four cacti in our front yard. It looks like one was killed by the cold but the other three seem to be growing. I'll get some pictures one of these days. During the winter, our wet season, you aren't supposed to water them but in summer they need water every month or so. We don't want anything that requires irrigation. In our experience, whenever you look away something goes wrong with a sprinkler system. The ones we had while living in Florida were a constant maintenance headache whether I was doing the work or having a professional work on them.
This should be a quiet week. We are both looking forward to having our quiet lives back. Have a good one!
Friday, April 15, 2011
Sunset oddity
There is a piece in our local paper today telling us that the military will be conducting some exercises in our valley the last few days of April and the first of May. Apparently it's a lot like Afghanistan! I think it's great; they need someplace to practice and this is both close to the base (Nellis AFB) and lightly populated. The Air Force guy said they wouldn't do anything crazy but there will be more aircraft in the region than usual.
There is quite a military presence within say 300 miles (500km) - Nellis AFB, Area 51 and The Nevada Test Site are all just over on the Las Vegas side of the Spring Mountains. A little farther up the road near Reno is the Hawthorne Army Depot where lots and lots of munitions are stored and Fallon Naval Air Station. In California there is Edwards AFB, China Lake Naval Weapons Center and Fort Irwin National Training Center.
I was outside yesterday near sunset and spotted an unusual contrail.
All the straight contrails seem normal enough; though this is a large number to see at once. It's the one that curves around that got my attention. It makes me think that the fun and games we are told will be in 10 days have already started. Well, anyway, it was a nice sunset!
Have a good one.
There is quite a military presence within say 300 miles (500km) - Nellis AFB, Area 51 and The Nevada Test Site are all just over on the Las Vegas side of the Spring Mountains. A little farther up the road near Reno is the Hawthorne Army Depot where lots and lots of munitions are stored and Fallon Naval Air Station. In California there is Edwards AFB, China Lake Naval Weapons Center and Fort Irwin National Training Center.
I was outside yesterday near sunset and spotted an unusual contrail.
Have a good one.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Not Daily; not Dead!
Ok, so I fell off the wagon a bit and haven't blogged for a couple days. So sue me! We are recovering from the house full of people and haven't been doing much. My wife managed to catch a cold from someone; we just hope we didn't pass it on. She has been drinking Theraflu two or three times a day since Saturday. She's sounding better today though so hopefully she'll get back on her feet soon.
I did get out to go visit Croft for a couple hours. In person he's much like his blog so I wasn't surprised to like him. I was surprised about his wife Norma. He doesn't talk a lot about her in the blog but in life she is bubbly, interesting and talkative; always in movement. Croft came off as the quiet one which kind of surprised me. Another couple came along and we had fun hearing about their adventures. Both couples were asked by the management of Terrible's Lakeside to move their rig part way through their stay. Neither was particularly complimentary about the management of the park as you might imagine. I can't say I would be either!
Croft did turn me on to another blog (like I need another one to read); based in Mexico it is written by an ex-copy editor and reflects his retired life in a relatively small Mexican city. Felipe Zapata is his pen name and Zapata Tales is the blog. It is beautifully written and I'm really enjoying it. He managed to turn his hammock into a character in the blog. Very nice.
Now that I've had my vacation, it's time to get to work cleaning up after a week's worth of visitors. Gotta go work. Have a good one!
I did get out to go visit Croft for a couple hours. In person he's much like his blog so I wasn't surprised to like him. I was surprised about his wife Norma. He doesn't talk a lot about her in the blog but in life she is bubbly, interesting and talkative; always in movement. Croft came off as the quiet one which kind of surprised me. Another couple came along and we had fun hearing about their adventures. Both couples were asked by the management of Terrible's Lakeside to move their rig part way through their stay. Neither was particularly complimentary about the management of the park as you might imagine. I can't say I would be either!
Croft did turn me on to another blog (like I need another one to read); based in Mexico it is written by an ex-copy editor and reflects his retired life in a relatively small Mexican city. Felipe Zapata is his pen name and Zapata Tales is the blog. It is beautifully written and I'm really enjoying it. He managed to turn his hammock into a character in the blog. Very nice.
Now that I've had my vacation, it's time to get to work cleaning up after a week's worth of visitors. Gotta go work. Have a good one!
Thursday, April 07, 2011
Not a Daily; not yet!
I'm sure not doing daily blog these days but I must say they are busy days. In-laws and son and his girlfriend are our guests now; they are pretty easy to deal with but having six people in the house rather than two does up the stress level. We are eating out more than usual because it's easy and it gets us all out of the house. The animals are pretty weird-ed out too. Of course, they have no idea why they have all this extra excitement but they are putting up with it pretty well.
The young people like gambling so they have something to do while we older folk sit around watching the Master's Golf Tournament. They have been here two days and have as many 'points' from gambling as my wife and I have accumulated in the two years we've been here! Normally we wouldn't watch the golf but it's something we can all do and the in-laws really enjoy it. I understand they aren't bad golfers for folks around eighty years of age. Augusta is such a beautiful course too.
Tomorrow we take the in-laws to Vegas and put them on the plane for home. Then we will be down to just the kids who are staying until Saturday. This hosting thing is getting easier and easier. Started at eight visitors, then six, then two; pretty soon we'll be back to our quiet home in the desert. Yep, I'm looking forward to it even though I do love all these people.
Today we are getting one of our wind storms. From reading blogs I get the idea it's covering almost the entire Southwest. It makes me want to check out the weatherstripping on the windows and doors before summer really hits. I can feel a breeze when I'm near the window and it is definitely noisy. There is quite a bit of dust in the air as well; we are all complaining of a dry feeling in the throat.
I've left this post late so need to quit. Time to run off and feed our faces. Here's hoping I haven't gained too much weight this week! Have a good one.
The young people like gambling so they have something to do while we older folk sit around watching the Master's Golf Tournament. They have been here two days and have as many 'points' from gambling as my wife and I have accumulated in the two years we've been here! Normally we wouldn't watch the golf but it's something we can all do and the in-laws really enjoy it. I understand they aren't bad golfers for folks around eighty years of age. Augusta is such a beautiful course too.
Tomorrow we take the in-laws to Vegas and put them on the plane for home. Then we will be down to just the kids who are staying until Saturday. This hosting thing is getting easier and easier. Started at eight visitors, then six, then two; pretty soon we'll be back to our quiet home in the desert. Yep, I'm looking forward to it even though I do love all these people.
Today we are getting one of our wind storms. From reading blogs I get the idea it's covering almost the entire Southwest. It makes me want to check out the weatherstripping on the windows and doors before summer really hits. I can feel a breeze when I'm near the window and it is definitely noisy. There is quite a bit of dust in the air as well; we are all complaining of a dry feeling in the throat.
I've left this post late so need to quit. Time to run off and feed our faces. Here's hoping I haven't gained too much weight this week! Have a good one.
Monday, April 04, 2011
Just Doing It
I read a post a few days ago urging people to 'just do it'. Now I've come across another person who writes: "Amazing what you can accomplish once you stop making rich, fat, white guys even richer by buying junk." Greg has traveled all over and just wants to keep on going. You get the idea he's going to successful in his quest.
We are just running around feeding people then cleaning up after the meals then start all over again. Makes me certain I never want to have a guest house! But then again I knew that already. LOL Tonight we are taking the easy way out and taking the whole group to our favorite (and only) Italian restaurant. It's to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of my wife's aunt and uncle. Then they are leaving tomorrow; just before our son & his girlfriend show up. Life in the family lane.
Gotta go. Have a good one.
We are just running around feeding people then cleaning up after the meals then start all over again. Makes me certain I never want to have a guest house! But then again I knew that already. LOL Tonight we are taking the easy way out and taking the whole group to our favorite (and only) Italian restaurant. It's to celebrate the 50th wedding anniversary of my wife's aunt and uncle. Then they are leaving tomorrow; just before our son & his girlfriend show up. Life in the family lane.
Gotta go. Have a good one.
Sunday, April 03, 2011
Visitors - part 1
I'd forgotten that my in-laws are crazy for watching golf on tv. Happily there is an LPGA tourney going on now. It takes a lot of time to watch golf and makes it easier to spend hours and hours together. Tonight more family will show up. We are just watching golf and waiting.
I did take a photo of the cat. It's nice and warm and the cat loves rolling around on his back in the sun. Have a good one!
I did take a photo of the cat. It's nice and warm and the cat loves rolling around on his back in the sun. Have a good one!
Friday, April 01, 2011
Busy busy
I'm probably going to be bad about blogging for the next week or so. We managed to get the kid moved into her new house yesterday without any major catastrophes. Today we are doing the final prep for a visit from much of my wife's family. Parents, aunt & uncle, kids, friends - all are descending upon us. It will be a busy time in the old town for the next week.
Google gave me a pop-up this morning with information about making the blog accessible to various readers. I'll look into it after all the visitors leave.
For some people having visitors is a way of life. For us, not so much! We lived in the Netherlands for two years and had a total of three nights of visitors. We'd average a week or so a year for the eight years we lived in Florida. So anyway, when we are expecting visitors, there's a lot of unusual prep to be done. I think I'll go mop the tile.
Have a good one!
Google gave me a pop-up this morning with information about making the blog accessible to various readers. I'll look into it after all the visitors leave.
For some people having visitors is a way of life. For us, not so much! We lived in the Netherlands for two years and had a total of three nights of visitors. We'd average a week or so a year for the eight years we lived in Florida. So anyway, when we are expecting visitors, there's a lot of unusual prep to be done. I think I'll go mop the tile.
Have a good one!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Loading....
We are headed to Vegas on Thursday to help our daughter move to her new place. There are some things we promised to bring over so I spent an hour or two loading the truck. The hardest part is tying everything so it won't get bounced around. The second hardest part is crawling around in the back of the truck on my hands and knees! Let me tell you, knees aren't made for crawling after sixty.
President Obama finally came out and talked about Libya. He is being criticized for it being an incomplete plan and I'm reasonably certain he'd rather have a better plan as well. He is certainly painstakingly thorough when he has the time. I've read that the Brits helped make up his mind to participate in the no-fly attacks. In this case I guess I'm ok with the attack. Having a U.N. resolution behind the action makes me a LOT happier than going off on our own as we did under GWB.
Politico.com had this to say: (His careful response)" is part of his DNA — a response to the grand strategic hopes that accompanied the Iraq invasion and, indeed, a return to his first foray into foreign policy: his little-noticed, later crucial, 2002 opposition to the Iraq war. “I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars,” he said at the time, and he and his aides Monday sought to make the case that in a careful analysis, the war over Libya is worth it."
“I’ve made it clear that I will never hesitate to use our military swiftly, decisively, and unilaterally when necessary to defend our people, our homeland, our allies and our core interests,” he said. If there is any semblance of an Obama doctrine, it is that a president who clearly sees force as a last resort will nonetheless use it, but only after deep reflection and only under circumstances that he feels give him no other choice; it is a doctrine that makes sure above all that one size never fits all.
President Obama finally came out and talked about Libya. He is being criticized for it being an incomplete plan and I'm reasonably certain he'd rather have a better plan as well. He is certainly painstakingly thorough when he has the time. I've read that the Brits helped make up his mind to participate in the no-fly attacks. In this case I guess I'm ok with the attack. Having a U.N. resolution behind the action makes me a LOT happier than going off on our own as we did under GWB.
Politico.com had this to say: (His careful response)" is part of his DNA — a response to the grand strategic hopes that accompanied the Iraq invasion and, indeed, a return to his first foray into foreign policy: his little-noticed, later crucial, 2002 opposition to the Iraq war. “I am not opposed to all wars. I’m opposed to dumb wars,” he said at the time, and he and his aides Monday sought to make the case that in a careful analysis, the war over Libya is worth it."
“I’ve made it clear that I will never hesitate to use our military swiftly, decisively, and unilaterally when necessary to defend our people, our homeland, our allies and our core interests,” he said. If there is any semblance of an Obama doctrine, it is that a president who clearly sees force as a last resort will nonetheless use it, but only after deep reflection and only under circumstances that he feels give him no other choice; it is a doctrine that makes sure above all that one size never fits all.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Just Doing....
On our last trip to California, I misjudged a service station entrance and bent the rear stabilizing jacks on the trailer. Bought new ones about two weeks ago but it wasn't until this morning I installed them. I just used the original self-tapping screws so it wasn't too tough.
We also had the carpets in the house cleaned this morning. Now that guy earns his money! It's hard work bending over using that machine. Moving all the furniture off the carpet is almost as tough though. We'll probably spent part of tomorrow putting it all back. (Oh my aching back also!)
Finally we have an electrician coming in this afternoon to install a new switch for a light. I guess I could do something that simple but we weren't sure what was wrong. Sometimes the switch would almost work; other times nothing at all. We had this guy out last week to replace a couple circuit breakers and he figured out that time what was wrong. I figure it's only fair to let him replace it. These days it's tougher than usual for these small business folks to make a dollar.
Gotta go. I'm doing well working on the trailer. There's always more!
We also had the carpets in the house cleaned this morning. Now that guy earns his money! It's hard work bending over using that machine. Moving all the furniture off the carpet is almost as tough though. We'll probably spent part of tomorrow putting it all back. (Oh my aching back also!)
Finally we have an electrician coming in this afternoon to install a new switch for a light. I guess I could do something that simple but we weren't sure what was wrong. Sometimes the switch would almost work; other times nothing at all. We had this guy out last week to replace a couple circuit breakers and he figured out that time what was wrong. I figure it's only fair to let him replace it. These days it's tougher than usual for these small business folks to make a dollar.
Gotta go. I'm doing well working on the trailer. There's always more!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Just Do It!
Wandering around other people's blogs is always interesting. One of my favorites is Because We Can. I started reading them because they were traveling around Europe; not exactly backpacking but pretty close. Come to find out that they are full-time rv travelers when they are here in the U.S. Then they traveled to Alaska which is one of my aspirations so I've just kept reading about their travels. The other day they linked to another site where the guy was exhorting people to 'just do it'.
It's a good philosophy. Too often I get an idea for a great project then somehow it either never gets started or else it gets abandoned part way through. For example, I want to redesign the way I store things in the back of our truck when we travel. I've got half a dozen pencil sketches around but haven't completed the design; haven't bought any wood; haven't done anything. Grrrr! This is NOT the way to be a happy camper. We've been talking about traveling in June; now my wife is suggesting maybe we should go earlier in May. That is when I was going to be building this contraption; so I'm going to have to get with it soon!
So I'm going to just do it. Tomorrow! LOL Have a good one.
It's a good philosophy. Too often I get an idea for a great project then somehow it either never gets started or else it gets abandoned part way through. For example, I want to redesign the way I store things in the back of our truck when we travel. I've got half a dozen pencil sketches around but haven't completed the design; haven't bought any wood; haven't done anything. Grrrr! This is NOT the way to be a happy camper. We've been talking about traveling in June; now my wife is suggesting maybe we should go earlier in May. That is when I was going to be building this contraption; so I'm going to have to get with it soon!
So I'm going to just do it. Tomorrow! LOL Have a good one.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Spring?
We are hoping that spring is finally here. I've managed to run errands this afternoon with no coat; now if it will just keep being nice! We have family from the Northwest visiting in a week so we need nice weather. Being cooped up in the house for a week doesn't even sound like fun.
To make Spring official, we planted our garden last week. It's not exactly a big deal: the vegies are one jalapeno plant and one tomato plant. That's one pot. The other pot has basil, thyme and parsley. The theory is that we'll be able to cart the plants along with us when we travel next summer. That should be pretty funny! I predict dirt all over the place.
One of the benefits of living here is that you get to see all kinds of individuals trying hard to be different. Today I saw a nice normal, quite new, van with a homemade rack on the top. The strange thing is that the rack was made of ordinary iron pipe bolted to the roof. Can you spell 'ugly'? Attached to one corner was a battery box with a wire led down into the vehicle. Heaven only knows what that's all about. There was no solar panel so that battery is going to get flat pretty quickly if there is a load on it.
One of our elected officials managed to get noticed again. This time it's a woman who sent out a bunch of emails to various people including the Sheriff. In the email she said she was frightened of the Latino men doing some construction next door to her office and asked that their immigration status be checked. She had more of a racist rant but that was the basic deal. Needless to say, people are ticked off. Of course, the next day the construction companies posted memos on her door explaining that all of their workers are either US citizens or legal immigrants. Our county, like the country as a whole, is about 16% Latino. This woman was just elected in November so can't be recalled until next summer but someone is already starting a recall campaign. I swear, these people are all crazy out here. I'm just hoping that it's not catching. Or at least that I have a good time & don't hurt anyone.
Have a good one!
To make Spring official, we planted our garden last week. It's not exactly a big deal: the vegies are one jalapeno plant and one tomato plant. That's one pot. The other pot has basil, thyme and parsley. The theory is that we'll be able to cart the plants along with us when we travel next summer. That should be pretty funny! I predict dirt all over the place.
One of the benefits of living here is that you get to see all kinds of individuals trying hard to be different. Today I saw a nice normal, quite new, van with a homemade rack on the top. The strange thing is that the rack was made of ordinary iron pipe bolted to the roof. Can you spell 'ugly'? Attached to one corner was a battery box with a wire led down into the vehicle. Heaven only knows what that's all about. There was no solar panel so that battery is going to get flat pretty quickly if there is a load on it.
One of our elected officials managed to get noticed again. This time it's a woman who sent out a bunch of emails to various people including the Sheriff. In the email she said she was frightened of the Latino men doing some construction next door to her office and asked that their immigration status be checked. She had more of a racist rant but that was the basic deal. Needless to say, people are ticked off. Of course, the next day the construction companies posted memos on her door explaining that all of their workers are either US citizens or legal immigrants. Our county, like the country as a whole, is about 16% Latino. This woman was just elected in November so can't be recalled until next summer but someone is already starting a recall campaign. I swear, these people are all crazy out here. I'm just hoping that it's not catching. Or at least that I have a good time & don't hurt anyone.
Have a good one!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Ah yes, local officials......
We now have proof that Pahrump doesn't have a lock on corrupt District Attorneys, Las Vegas managed to arrest one of their guys on cocaine possession. Link here. Make me feel much better knowing that the guy who takes care of all the high-profile drug cases knows exactly what is going on.
Now all I have to complain about is the weather. It's below normal; it even froze the water in our new bird bath last night. It was only a very thin layer but cold is cold! High today should be around 60F (15C). Even my wife is complaining that the winter has seemed longer this year. The weather map is showing more storms coming in from the Pacific so we've got another week or more of overcast and the slight possibility of rain.
I've been wondering how the markets are treating Japanese companies & funds. I used to own Mathews Japan Fund (MJFOX); I sold it because it was just gradually declining. As it turns out , it is down about 10% from last January but I don't think that's bad considering! Toyota is down from it's February highs but about the same as last January. People and markets are being remarkably calm I think. Good news!
Gotta go. Have a good one.
Now all I have to complain about is the weather. It's below normal; it even froze the water in our new bird bath last night. It was only a very thin layer but cold is cold! High today should be around 60F (15C). Even my wife is complaining that the winter has seemed longer this year. The weather map is showing more storms coming in from the Pacific so we've got another week or more of overcast and the slight possibility of rain.
I've been wondering how the markets are treating Japanese companies & funds. I used to own Mathews Japan Fund (MJFOX); I sold it because it was just gradually declining. As it turns out , it is down about 10% from last January but I don't think that's bad considering! Toyota is down from it's February highs but about the same as last January. People and markets are being remarkably calm I think. Good news!
Gotta go. Have a good one.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Fits and Starts
I find I often work in fits and starts. The garage will obsess me for a few days, then I won't go near the place for weeks. I'll be reading nothing on the internet except investing information; then I'll stop completely. I'll visit about a hundred blogs; then ignore them. You get the idea. Are other people like that? Are you? Or am I as strange in this as I am in various other things?
Does anyone do programming for pc's any more? Back about a thousand years ago I had a Pascal compiler for my pc. (Well, the late 80's anyway.) I wrote some neat little programs for that thing. I'm going to see if I can't find another one. HTML is interesting but I'm not sure it will do the things I'm looking at doing. I guess that shows the depth of my ignorance of newer languages. Hell, I even gave away my HTML book when we left Florida. Guess I'll be checking out the library.
We did finally get a bird bath to go with the feeder. It doesn't seem to popular at the moment but the birds seem to take a few days to get used to things. We decided to go with a conventional bath rather than a solar powered job for two reasons: money and weight. This one was under $40 AND heavy. Even so it wobbles a bit in the wind gusts. If I get wild and crazy I'll add a pump-solar cell arrangement later. So far I think it scares more birds off than it attracts.
Talked to some folks having a garage sale today. Boy, were they depressing. They are certain that the world is in the hands of some group who are trying to end the world as we know it. People start off on a rant about President Obama; I'm just not going to argue with them. I agree he's screwed up some things but he inherited a huge pile of shit from Presidents Bush, Clinton & the rest going back at least 40 years. Anyway, living here it's easy to laugh off any criticism of the national government; I just point out that our local government is so lousy that I don't have time to worry about the nation. It's not true that I don't worry, of course, but almost everyone will agree about our local pols!
Guess I'll go watch the news and get completely depressed. Hope you are having a good one.
Does anyone do programming for pc's any more? Back about a thousand years ago I had a Pascal compiler for my pc. (Well, the late 80's anyway.) I wrote some neat little programs for that thing. I'm going to see if I can't find another one. HTML is interesting but I'm not sure it will do the things I'm looking at doing. I guess that shows the depth of my ignorance of newer languages. Hell, I even gave away my HTML book when we left Florida. Guess I'll be checking out the library.
We did finally get a bird bath to go with the feeder. It doesn't seem to popular at the moment but the birds seem to take a few days to get used to things. We decided to go with a conventional bath rather than a solar powered job for two reasons: money and weight. This one was under $40 AND heavy. Even so it wobbles a bit in the wind gusts. If I get wild and crazy I'll add a pump-solar cell arrangement later. So far I think it scares more birds off than it attracts.
Talked to some folks having a garage sale today. Boy, were they depressing. They are certain that the world is in the hands of some group who are trying to end the world as we know it. People start off on a rant about President Obama; I'm just not going to argue with them. I agree he's screwed up some things but he inherited a huge pile of shit from Presidents Bush, Clinton & the rest going back at least 40 years. Anyway, living here it's easy to laugh off any criticism of the national government; I just point out that our local government is so lousy that I don't have time to worry about the nation. It's not true that I don't worry, of course, but almost everyone will agree about our local pols!
Guess I'll go watch the news and get completely depressed. Hope you are having a good one.
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Obsessed with Japan
The news is rightly obsessed with Japan these days. The news is so terribly tragic and it just seems to get worse. I can only watch a certain amount. Then there is Libya; another disaster. So... I'm just hanging around trying to avoid the news.
This dove was just checking out the world from the top of the hummingbird feeder. It's a warm, peaceful place for him right now. Hope you are having a good one.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Fantastic morning here - tragic in Japan
We've got high little clouds yesterday morning and a lovely sunrise. Had to share it!
But the news from Japan this morning is so horrific. My heart goes out to all the people affected by the earthquake and the tsunami.
But the news from Japan this morning is so horrific. My heart goes out to all the people affected by the earthquake and the tsunami.
Sunday, March 06, 2011
Getting nice
We are gradually warming up around here; highs are in the low 70's F (22C). Nice stuff. Unfortunately the weed seeds that have been hanging around since last year are turning into growing plants! Grrr! Ordinarily I like having our acre lot (about .4 hectare) but about this time I'm hating it. Last year we bought $100 worth of weedkiller so now I've got to apply the darned stuff! I can only do about a third of the yard at a time. Bending over with the sprayer and trying to walk a straight line and not get the gunk all over me is hard. I wish there was some other answer but I haven't figured it out.
Other than the weeds, life is good. Our bird feeder is doing it's job.
They go through about three-fourths of the feeder every day. Good thing bird feed is reasonably priced!
Our daughter is buying her first new house so we are trying to help her make good decisions. It's interesting all the homeowner things that are all new for her. From buying dishes to buying a garage door opener, it's all new to her. Happily we've done this lots of times so we can offer 'expert' opinion. She bought a cute little house and will be closing at the end of the month. Our housewarming presents are going to be things like fire extinguishers, alarm systems & stepladders. Things that most apartment dwellers don't consider requirements.
I went to an old-fashioned estate auction earlier this a.m. And I thought I had a lot of stuff! LOL This person had at least one of every size channel lock plier made; five or six sets of screwdrivers; air compressors; welding equipment; at least four tool chests; sets of wrenches that were still in their original packaging. Jeez! A mechanic/pack rat. They also had three 1950's era cars in various states of repair. Very interesting but after an hour or so I just had to leave. My casual interest wasn't enough to keep me standing out in the sun for the rest of the afternoon. I was kind of interested in an old riding lawn mower that they had but it was going to be way late in the afternoon before they got to it. Nope, I had to just say 'no'.
Here's a site I really love. http://www.vpike.com/ shows you Google maps and photos of almost any place you can imagine. Try it, you might like it. Take care!
Other than the weeds, life is good. Our bird feeder is doing it's job.
Our daughter is buying her first new house so we are trying to help her make good decisions. It's interesting all the homeowner things that are all new for her. From buying dishes to buying a garage door opener, it's all new to her. Happily we've done this lots of times so we can offer 'expert' opinion. She bought a cute little house and will be closing at the end of the month. Our housewarming presents are going to be things like fire extinguishers, alarm systems & stepladders. Things that most apartment dwellers don't consider requirements.
I went to an old-fashioned estate auction earlier this a.m. And I thought I had a lot of stuff! LOL This person had at least one of every size channel lock plier made; five or six sets of screwdrivers; air compressors; welding equipment; at least four tool chests; sets of wrenches that were still in their original packaging. Jeez! A mechanic/pack rat. They also had three 1950's era cars in various states of repair. Very interesting but after an hour or so I just had to leave. My casual interest wasn't enough to keep me standing out in the sun for the rest of the afternoon. I was kind of interested in an old riding lawn mower that they had but it was going to be way late in the afternoon before they got to it. Nope, I had to just say 'no'.
Here's a site I really love. http://www.vpike.com/ shows you Google maps and photos of almost any place you can imagine. Try it, you might like it. Take care!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Home work
I'm taking some time lately to get a few things done around the house. We've lived here two years already and the garage is still a mess! We have a three car garage and only two vehicles; you'd think there would be lots of room. NOT!! But I am slowly making progress. Went to Home Depot the other day to pick up a couple of things. I saw this guy just waiting patiently for his boss to return.
This guy finally got tired of standing and just lay down in the bed of the truck.
It's still pretty chilly here; 28F (-2C) this a.m. and we may get to 60F (15C)today but I'm not really counting on it. We had some rain the other day; it was snow just a bit above the valley floor. These are part of the Nopah Range to the south and west of the valley. It was obviously pretty gray as well.
More rain is expected next weekend. Just like it used to be when I was working in Seattle; nice mid-week and lousy on the weekend. It's good to know there are some things you can depend on. We have visitors from the Pacific Northwest passing through Pahrump; they will be here Saturday & Sunday just in time for the rotten weather. I'll have to remember to thank them for bringing it with them.
Have a good one!
This guy finally got tired of standing and just lay down in the bed of the truck.
It's still pretty chilly here; 28F (-2C) this a.m. and we may get to 60F (15C)today but I'm not really counting on it. We had some rain the other day; it was snow just a bit above the valley floor. These are part of the Nopah Range to the south and west of the valley. It was obviously pretty gray as well.
Have a good one!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
What can one say???
My heart goes out to the people of Christchurch, NZ who have been so devastated by the terrible earthquake. How can it be understood to be riding along in a bus and have a building fall on it! What can prepare one for that?
"How's your mum?"
"Oh, she's dead."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. How did she die?"
"A building fell on the bus she was riding in last Tuesday."
What's with that! Well, I guess it's better than what's happening in the Arab world. In New Zealand we are talking 65 dead; in Libya it might be 500 or 5,000.
The changes we are seeing there; almost minute to minute are staggering. What on earth can one say about the Egyptian leader leaving office after 30 years? There are certain to be amazing changes in the direction of Egyptian politics. Then there are the other Arab/Islamic nations who are feeling the desire for change - Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, who knows where?
I'm no foreign policy genius but any nitwit can see that when an autocratic regime suddenly disappears there is a power vacuum and there is no guessing what will happen. All those boffins who advise the leaders of the world will be grasping at any straw to suggest the future direction of these countries. I'm glad I'm not one of the boffins or the leaders! Come on Obama, I supported you because I thought you were smart enough to lead us through mine-fields like this. Go buddy, go!
All I know is that almost everyone prefers stability to disarray so I'm expecting some military take-overs in some Arab countries really soon. The prince of Bahrain, in canceling the Bahrain Grand Prix, has signaled that he wants to talk with at least some of his people.
"Bahrain's priority is on overcoming tragedy, healing divisions and rediscovering the fabric that draws this country together to remind the world of the very best that Bahrain is capable of as a nation once again united. At the present time the country's entire attention is focused on building a new national dialogue for Bahrain."
At the very least, the Prince's words give one hope for this one nation. Libya is certainly not so fortunate! The death toll is still unknown; most likely will never be known. Who knows about the other Arab nations?
This is one of those times when I wish I believed in a God. I would certainly be praying for peace!
"How's your mum?"
"Oh, she's dead."
"Oh, I'm so sorry. How did she die?"
"A building fell on the bus she was riding in last Tuesday."
What's with that! Well, I guess it's better than what's happening in the Arab world. In New Zealand we are talking 65 dead; in Libya it might be 500 or 5,000.
The changes we are seeing there; almost minute to minute are staggering. What on earth can one say about the Egyptian leader leaving office after 30 years? There are certain to be amazing changes in the direction of Egyptian politics. Then there are the other Arab/Islamic nations who are feeling the desire for change - Libya, Bahrain, Yemen, who knows where?
I'm no foreign policy genius but any nitwit can see that when an autocratic regime suddenly disappears there is a power vacuum and there is no guessing what will happen. All those boffins who advise the leaders of the world will be grasping at any straw to suggest the future direction of these countries. I'm glad I'm not one of the boffins or the leaders! Come on Obama, I supported you because I thought you were smart enough to lead us through mine-fields like this. Go buddy, go!
All I know is that almost everyone prefers stability to disarray so I'm expecting some military take-overs in some Arab countries really soon. The prince of Bahrain, in canceling the Bahrain Grand Prix, has signaled that he wants to talk with at least some of his people.
"Bahrain's priority is on overcoming tragedy, healing divisions and rediscovering the fabric that draws this country together to remind the world of the very best that Bahrain is capable of as a nation once again united. At the present time the country's entire attention is focused on building a new national dialogue for Bahrain."
At the very least, the Prince's words give one hope for this one nation. Libya is certainly not so fortunate! The death toll is still unknown; most likely will never be known. Who knows about the other Arab nations?
This is one of those times when I wish I believed in a God. I would certainly be praying for peace!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Almost Seattle
We have a day today that reminds one of Seattle in the winter. It's gray, I can't see the mountains even. We used to see Mt. Rainier from our house; I remember one time our daughter visited for a whole month and she never got to see the mountain. I don't think this is going to stick around that long but it does bring back memories! Don't get me wrong, I love Seattle. I lived in the Pacific Northwest for about 17 years. I remember the billboard someone put up when Boeing was in a severe downturn: "Will the last person leaving Seattle please put out the lights." Today it's a beautiful and vibrant city; but it certainly has it's 'gray days' in winter.
This morning I opened the blinds that open onto the patio to find a group of doves. Apparently they prefer cold concrete to being wet. Of course having the bird buffet about ten feet away probably aided in their decision. Here's a shot of some other guys waiting for the buffet.
It actually reminds me of people just waiting for an opening. My wife won't go to Outback Steakhouse any more because we went there once and people were standing around in the parking lot waiting for a table. I've heard more than one ex-GI refuse to stand in line because they did a lifetime's worth of that in the service. I can't imagine waiting in line to get into a dance club or somewhere. It's just not in my DNA! Anyone else have that feeling? Do you know the origin of your distaste for waiting in line? How did it happen. Inquiring minds want to know!
This morning I opened the blinds that open onto the patio to find a group of doves. Apparently they prefer cold concrete to being wet. Of course having the bird buffet about ten feet away probably aided in their decision. Here's a shot of some other guys waiting for the buffet.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Quiet Day today
Hopped up this morning and went to the casino for breakfast. It does us good to get out together. Then we transfer from the restaurant to the video poker machines. Our daughter calls them video crack machines; they seem to be that addictive! We each put in our $5 and whoever loses first times our escape. This morning I lost and my wife made a quarter. How's that for wild living? Yep, almost puts me to sleep as well.
Happily the 'honey do' list is alive and well. Currently I'm installing more shelving in the pantry. This is the first time we've ever had a pantry worthy of the name and we love it. Finding that can of chicken broth or the new can of peanuts has ever been so easy. I'm also adding a rack for wine; it will only hold 10 or 15 bottles but it holds both the 750 ml and the 1.75l bottles. It even has a shelf for extra scotch, vodka & stuff like that. All that stuff has been sitting around on the floor of the garage so I'm getting some garage space back as well. We have a three car garage and only two vehicles so there ought to be lots of room. Don't know what I'm doing wrong but it's kind of crowded out there.
Our first attempt at feeding the birds is working out better than expected. The little devils are going through at least half a feeder full every day. Good thing they don't want steak! Gotta go. Have a good one.
Happily the 'honey do' list is alive and well. Currently I'm installing more shelving in the pantry. This is the first time we've ever had a pantry worthy of the name and we love it. Finding that can of chicken broth or the new can of peanuts has ever been so easy. I'm also adding a rack for wine; it will only hold 10 or 15 bottles but it holds both the 750 ml and the 1.75l bottles. It even has a shelf for extra scotch, vodka & stuff like that. All that stuff has been sitting around on the floor of the garage so I'm getting some garage space back as well. We have a three car garage and only two vehicles so there ought to be lots of room. Don't know what I'm doing wrong but it's kind of crowded out there.
Our first attempt at feeding the birds is working out better than expected. The little devils are going through at least half a feeder full every day. Good thing they don't want steak! Gotta go. Have a good one.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
I'm not happy but....
Here's the title of an email that I received today from someone trying to give me investment advice:
Give me a break folks! Ok, I agree that the US isn't going to always be the be-all and end-all of the world. But isn't that just reality? Have you ever read any history at all? Are you over 15? THERE is an investment adviser that just got an un-subscribe message!
Granted we have a huge deficit that is going to be difficult to pay. Granted we have some social problems that are tough to deal with. Granted this isn't entirely heaven on earth. Get over it! This is still a wonderful country where people have more wealth and freedom than most places. That isn't going to change for a very long time. I read a blog by an investment adviser who advocates increasing investments in other countries because he believes their rate of growth will exceed that of the U.S. Ok, I suspect he is probably right (and the headline I'm quoting is NOT his!). But it doesn't mean that we are looking at the 'demise of America'. There is a very rich Mexican by the name of Carlos Slim. Who in the world would think that Mexico would be the basis for the world's richest man? He's not rich because he is a dictator stealing from the people. He's rich because he brought the Mexican people things they wanted to buy. It doesn't matter if the U.S. is the richest country in the world or the poorest; you can still make good investments and make money.
Ok, sorry about the rant. When I took the dog out this a.m. we had mostly blue sky but the clouds are filling the valley and we may yet get rain. Not lots but the odd .001 inch - it ain't much in centimeters either! Loved the look of the clouds and the mountains though! Have a good one!
Demise of America: What income investors should do
Give me a break folks! Ok, I agree that the US isn't going to always be the be-all and end-all of the world. But isn't that just reality? Have you ever read any history at all? Are you over 15? THERE is an investment adviser that just got an un-subscribe message!
Granted we have a huge deficit that is going to be difficult to pay. Granted we have some social problems that are tough to deal with. Granted this isn't entirely heaven on earth. Get over it! This is still a wonderful country where people have more wealth and freedom than most places. That isn't going to change for a very long time. I read a blog by an investment adviser who advocates increasing investments in other countries because he believes their rate of growth will exceed that of the U.S. Ok, I suspect he is probably right (and the headline I'm quoting is NOT his!). But it doesn't mean that we are looking at the 'demise of America'. There is a very rich Mexican by the name of Carlos Slim. Who in the world would think that Mexico would be the basis for the world's richest man? He's not rich because he is a dictator stealing from the people. He's rich because he brought the Mexican people things they wanted to buy. It doesn't matter if the U.S. is the richest country in the world or the poorest; you can still make good investments and make money.
Ok, sorry about the rant. When I took the dog out this a.m. we had mostly blue sky but the clouds are filling the valley and we may yet get rain. Not lots but the odd .001 inch - it ain't much in centimeters either! Loved the look of the clouds and the mountains though! Have a good one!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Jeez!
My previous post about the tragic fire has taken yet another turn. Apparently one of the children who died in the fire had already set several fires inside the house that were not reported to either the fire service or the sheriff. The mother has been arrested for manslaughter, child abuse and neglect. Her lighter was not found in her purse where it should have been. What a total waste.
To turn to a more positive thought; here are a couple photos from the San Diego zoo. It's an amazing place. We've been three or four times and I still haven't seen more that about a third of it. This first character was definitely interested is staying on the nest!
The second seemed like a lonely and bored character; a lone wombat having a nap.
I think I'll go for a hike. Have a good one!
To turn to a more positive thought; here are a couple photos from the San Diego zoo. It's an amazing place. We've been three or four times and I still haven't seen more that about a third of it. This first character was definitely interested is staying on the nest!
The second seemed like a lonely and bored character; a lone wombat having a nap.
I think I'll go for a hike. Have a good one!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Tragedy in Pahrump
We had a true tragedy in our little town Wednesday morning, a young woman and three children (all under 6) perished in a fire. The story is here. Somehow the mother escaped the fire; the young woman was on the phone with the 911 operator when she died. There are so many questions but I guess what I'm really left with is just how terrible it is that these young people lost their lives.
In happier news, we had a bank robbery! Want to see the suspect? Here. Will wonders never cease! And, no, I was nowhere near that bank today. LOL
Over in Vegas they had a bit of a scare when an aircraft leaving Nellis AFB had an engine problem and had to drop it's two 500lb bombs rather closer to the city than usual. I'm glad they have a place designated to drop them and that the pilot was able to get there! They have something else to celebrate: no one has been killed in 20 days! Darn, we might lose that 'sin city' tag.
Gotta go. Stay out of trouble!
In happier news, we had a bank robbery! Want to see the suspect? Here. Will wonders never cease! And, no, I was nowhere near that bank today. LOL
Over in Vegas they had a bit of a scare when an aircraft leaving Nellis AFB had an engine problem and had to drop it's two 500lb bombs rather closer to the city than usual. I'm glad they have a place designated to drop them and that the pilot was able to get there! They have something else to celebrate: no one has been killed in 20 days! Darn, we might lose that 'sin city' tag.
Gotta go. Stay out of trouble!
Wednesday, February 09, 2011
Taking a drive
I like my little town and often take a ride around town in the afternoon. There are all kinds of people living here; some very nice houses, lots of manufactured homes, plenty of mobile homes and lots of shacks. A couple blocks from our home there is a nice house with an old mobile home in the back yard that is used as a stable for the people's horses! Folks out here can be pretty creative.
There are also a lot of empty homes; lots and lots of foreclosures. There just isn't much work here so people have to travel to Las Vegas to earn their living. It's tough. We've lived here two years; this photo is of a house that has been just sitting all that time. It is probably 75% finished; paint it and put some doors and carpet in and it would be complete. Instead it just sits empty and unusable. What a waste!
It's a big house with a carport and a two car garage. The windows are in; the tile roof is almost finished. Someone's dream died here. It's just sad. There isn't even a real estate sign; I suppose some bank owns it and just hasn't bothered to list it. With all the other houses on the market, it wouldn't pay them to finish it.
Sorry to be so negative today. I'll find something good to cook tomorrow and that will put me in a better mood! Take care.
There are also a lot of empty homes; lots and lots of foreclosures. There just isn't much work here so people have to travel to Las Vegas to earn their living. It's tough. We've lived here two years; this photo is of a house that has been just sitting all that time. It is probably 75% finished; paint it and put some doors and carpet in and it would be complete. Instead it just sits empty and unusable. What a waste!
It's a big house with a carport and a two car garage. The windows are in; the tile roof is almost finished. Someone's dream died here. It's just sad. There isn't even a real estate sign; I suppose some bank owns it and just hasn't bothered to list it. With all the other houses on the market, it wouldn't pay them to finish it.
Sorry to be so negative today. I'll find something good to cook tomorrow and that will put me in a better mood! Take care.
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