It's been an interesting exercise writing this blog from 2004 to now. But now, after 3,149 posts, it is time to move on. I've written about myriad subjects and issues. Travel awaits; grandchildren await. Perhaps other forms of involvement await. The call of the keyboard is now an echo of the past.
To my many loyal readers, thank you.
SEARCH BLOG: PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS.
We first came across Toby on a walk. He set up quite a commotion as we walked toward him. My wife wanted to turn around toward the way we came, but there was something about him that told me there was not going to be a problem. So we continued by and finished our walk.
A few days later, I walked alone that way. There he was behind the fence in the garbage strewn yard. Once again, Toby made a racket. I stopped and looked right at him. He was quiet briefly, but then started in again. I raised my arm and pointed at him and said firmly, "No!" Then walked away.
A day or two later, I walked that way, again. Toby saw me and waited until I was closer before he started in with the noise. I stopped, said "No!", and walked on. He stopped his noise a little sooner than usual.
The next week, my wife and I walked by Toby's house. He began his routine. This time I walked up to the fence against the protestations of my wife. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a few treats and dropped them over the fence. Toby took them cautiously, but he took them. And he was quiet as we walked away.
A few day's later, my wife asked me if we were going to walked down that way again. I said I thought we could do that. Then she asked if I had some treats with me to which I answered affirmatively. This time, Toby started to make his usual racket when he heard us approach, but stopped as soon as he saw us. I walked up to the fence and handed him some treats rather than dropping them over the fence. He took them and looked at me as he ate them with something on the order of acceptance. We continued our walk in the quiet.
Weeks went by with us stopping by several times each week. Toby seemed to await us almost eagerly. No noise anymore. As we would approach, he would sit down next to the fence and wait. He would take the treats out of my hand. My wife genuinely cared about him, but kept her distance. Summer was turning to fall and the days were getting colder. Toby was always outside, but on this one day he seemed lethargic. He came over to the fence to greet us, but we could see that one foot had been injured as he could barely touch the ground with it. We filled a dish with treats next to him and he slowly took one at a time, but there seemed to be a sadness in his eyes.
Toby's foot gradually healed and the weather got colder. My wife and I were concerned though. He still walked around the junk-filled yard every day. He seemed too thin. We continued to bring him treats.
The nights became frosty and the days cool. As I walked toward Toby's house one day, I saw a couple of men across the street from him. I stopped to talked with them after I left Toby his treats. One of them, Bob, said he was concerned about Toby, too. He said that he had talked with a woman in the house and laid out his concerns. He said that he had given Toby food and water dozens of times when he stopped by to visit his mother who lived across the street from Toby. But his mother had just died and he wouldn't be stopping by much anymore. He gave me his telephone number and said that he and his wife could get Toby help.
Then next day, I left a note in the mailbox at Toby's house expressing my concern about Toby being in the yard so much now that it was cold. I left my telephone number and said that if they felt that they could not give Toby appropriate care with winter approaching they should call me and I'd set up new arrangements for him. A few days later, I got the call.
Bob and Pat work with animal rescue, so I called Bob and told him that Toby was available. This was Thanksgiving. I gave Bob the woman's telephone number and he said he'd be in touch with her in a few days.
This weekend, Pat called to tell me that Toby came to stay with them for about a week and he was really happy. Unfortunately, they couldn't let Toby stay there indefinitely, but they located a retired man who lived alone and had recently lost his companion of many years. They took Toby to this man and said that they appeared to get along really well, but they would continue to check in to be sure it was working out.
Pat said Toby filled the void left by the loss of the man's Golden Labrador that Toby looked very much like. Toby had been given a long-overdue bath and been taken for a checkup and his shots. Pat said she could see that Toby was quite intelligent and now spent much of his time inside his new home although he had a nice clean, big yard in which to play. She said that the only trouble Toby had with the old man was when Toby pulled some of the lights off the Christmas tree. But she said the man knew how to handle Toby with a firm, but gentle, kindness and she knew that the 1-year old Golden Labrador would soon forget his unfortunate first year.
Pat and I wished each other a Merry Christmas and agreed that getting involved when you see an unfortunate situation might cause some anxiety, but in this case was well worthwhile. We know that Toby and his lonely retired companion will have a much happier Christmas as a result.
As for me, I have a lot of treats left over since Toby moved away, but I carry them with me on my walks. I've made some new friends.
SEARCH BLOG: IPHONE.
Having three sons who are all technologically proficient can be both beneficial and amusing. My wife has been after me for quite awhile to replace our old iPhone 3 models and I've dragged my heels for one reason or another... mainly because the old phones work fine and I don't have the need to get the latest and greatest gizmo.
SEARCH BLOG: MILITARY
SEARCH BLOG: AFGHANISTAN
The war without purpose: Afghanistan.
The subject of the unnecessary and useless U.S. involvement in Afghanistan has been raised for several years in this blog. We are sending our young, strong, smart sons and daughters to a land of corruption and antipathy toward our country and culture. We have no plan for our involvement, no reason for staying there other than the fact we went there in the first place to kill a few terrorists who are often indistinguishable from those who are presently ruling and their minions. Afghanistan soldiers seem to think it is a sport to kill their U.S. allies while our President and his commanders are more interested in public relations and making sure our soldiers are put in harms way without putting those they are fighting or the sympathizers of those they are fighting into harms way. Soldiers die because of "rules of engagement."
Now this:
SEARCH BLOG: SOCIETY
From The New York Times:
It is an uncomfortable question that, in today’s world, is often asked by expectant mothers who had more than one male partner at the time they became pregnant. Who is the father?
With more than half of births to women under 30 now out of wedlock, it is a question that may arise more often.
Now blood tests are becoming available that can determine paternity as early as the eighth or ninth week of pregnancy, without an invasive procedure that could cause a miscarriage.
Besides relieving anxiety, the test results might allow women to terminate a pregnancy if the preferred man is not the father — or to continue it if he is. [read more]Now let's take 3 seconds to examine this:
SEARCH BLOG: MITT ROMNEY
It's taken a little while for this to rise to the surface, but now it is apparent why the Romneys are so anathema to the left-wing ideology.
Here is the first clue:
So, the Romneys are especially to be vilified because they not only have a decades long strong marriage despite Ann's serious illnesses, children who have grown to be responsible and productive adults, a strong faith and morals with a commitment to charity, and the individualism to make their own way in life without looking to the government for a handout in return for fealty to the emperor.Why do you suppose Ann Romney was so vilified as someone who supposedly didn't understand how Americans had to struggle because she stayed home to raise five children? Why isn't the unwed mother of five children born outside of marriage condemned for not understanding how taxpayers have to struggle to pay their taxes that go to support her irresponsibility? No, it is the traditional mother who is to blame for society's ills. She doesn't understand work. She doesn't understand struggle. She just sits around the house watching soap operas.
Said [Hilary] Rosen: “What you have is Mitt Romney running around the country, saying, 'Well, you know, my wife tells me that what women really care about are economic issues, and when I listen to my wife, that’s what I’m hearing.' Guess what? His wife has actually never worked a day in her life.”
Now, Ann Romney is certainly not the poster child for the struggling mother working two jobs to keep food on the table for her children. But neither is Rosen.
Rosen, a Washington power player and partner in a major communications firm, is the former chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America. The truth is, neither Ann Romney nor Hillary Rosen have lives that would look remotely familiar to 99 percent of the world’s women.
The idea that “women’s work” is indeed valuable to society has long been a contention of feminists, so it’s strange to see a prominent Democrat lash out a stay-at-home mother and wife in this fashion. Feminists have agitated for as long as I can remember for society to value and respect the “unpaid work” that women do in the home and society. The fact that Ann Romney doesn’t struggle financially doesn’t make what she does any less valuable. I suspect there is a lot about how she has contributed to her community that we don’t know. [source]Rosen, by the way, happens to be a lesbian feminist who adopted two children with her former partner before they chose to go in opposite directions. Perhaps she simply feels threatened by what Ann Romney represents... everything Rosen isn't. Why did Rosen treat her "partnership" so cavalierly? Did her career come first? Well, that's to be admired! Mitt and Ann's faithfulness? That's simply beyond understanding. It's unreasonable in today's world.
SEARCH BLOG: WAR and COMMUNITY
A very special video... CLICK HERE TO WATCH.
SEARCH BLOG: BLOGGING
Sometimes life tells us to wind down for awhile. A confluence of events requires that posting becomes sporadic to nil for awhile. I've moved the list of bloggers that I often read to the upper right and suggest you check out this eclectic blend. Some are well known; others are somewhat unknown.
As normalcy returns, presuming it does, I again may become more active with opinions and news. It's been fun for five years and many thanks to my wife and sons for their involvement and help. Thanks to all of you for spending your time checking out Hall Of Record over the years.
SEARCH BLOG: FAMILY
SEARCH BLOG: MOVING
Our cottage is almost ready for demolition. Last evening, my brother, my youngest son and I made the rounds of distributing the last items from the cottage to new locations. The final piece is this cast iron stove-fireplace which will be stored at my brother's property in Michigan's "thumb" until we have the new place built and the landscaping complete.
Then it will become a unique patio "fire pit" to take the chill off the cool spring and fall evenings by the lake.
Getting this out of the cottage and on to the trailer took three of us, a hand truck, a four-wheel dolly, and two 2" x 12" x 8' ramps. That's one heavy sucker.
Wet down the rug front and back and scrub. I use an old Sears floor scrubber for which I purchased some new soft nylon bristle brushes.
Then mix some carpet shampoo [I use the concentrated ZEP from Home Depot and somewhat sparingly. The soap has to be rinsed out later and you'll be there forever if you make the solution too concentrated. Once again scrub the rug both front and back. I simply fold the rug a little past center to do each half of the back.
After you squeegee off the soap, you rinse off the back halves and then...squeegee, rinse...squeegee, rinse...squeegee the front. It is important to get the soap out because it will otherwise leave a film on the rug fibers that hold dirt. Soap will also tend to turn the white fringes brown as the rug dries, so I use a mixture of 2 parts water and 1 part white vinegar to cut the soap at the fringes. Of course, this has to be squeegeed off as well.
Then you vacuum as much moisture out of the rug as you can. I use an old carpet shampoo machine, but a wet shop vacuum may work also if it has a smaller hose and narrow slot nozzle.
Find a nice spot to position the rug on end. This will allow it to drain off much of the excess water you could not extract by vacuuming. Then roll it out in the sun to dry. Depending on the temperature, sun, and wind, this could take anywhere from 8 hours to 2 days. Obviously, the thickness of the rug affects drying time.SEARCH BLOG: ECONOMY
After four years, we decided to try selling our house again. Based on sales of similar homes [which have been few], the value of our home has dropped by one-third in four years. So, why sell?
ng all that into consideration, we have decided to price our home competitively [even though not very satisfyingly], tear down the old lake cottage and build a new home [to very energy-efficient specifications] and reduce our carbon/economic footprint by being close to the rest of our family living in this area.
They may be a little more expensive than some, but we found from the very beginning that their vision of the rebuild was almost perfectly aligned with ours... and they offered their ideas first.
I've already let my golf league know that I won't be participating anymore. My wife will be giving up her participation in the local community chorus. The summer at the lake will be pretty much shot this year.SEARCH BLOG: FOOTBALL
Take a look at this Sports Illustrated cover and what do you see?
Besides the football hero and the celebration and the obvious father's love for his son?
I see a really, really smart father and mother. Take a closer look. See it now? The ear protectors on the young boy! Of course, my oldest son is a safety engineering consultant so my focus might be a bit biased. But still....
SEARCH BLOG: WEATHER
We have relatives visiting from Florida and California. They all wonder where the warm weather is. Our son was looking forward to some swimming and water skiing on our lake, but cold water and cool air make that considerably less enjoyable than he anticipated. The two great-grandmothers, wearing jackets and blankets over their laps, sit on the pontoon boat that remains at the dock because the cool, windy conditions make moving about the water seem like Washington crossing the Delaware.
We still hold out hope that maybe one day in the coming week temperatures may approach normal highs [83-84°F]... but we are not holding our breath.
Where's global warming? Al, you're the only hot air in town.
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SEARCH BLOG: RELATIONSHIPS
Our son, wife, and our two-month old grandson are visiting. Knowing the importance of socialization at an early age, my wife and daughter-in-law felt it was time for the youngest family member to see the "real world"... a mall.
Naturally, one has to look one's best.
Did ya see that chick in the stroller?!
No, he did the "thumbs up" himself.
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SEARCH BLOG: FAMILY
After the better part of a decade waiting, my wife and I have become grandparents... twice. Jackson came in January and Rex just arrived. Although they are now many hundreds of miles apart, we hope they will grow to know each other.
SEARCH BLOG: TAXES
I've spent the last two days crunching numbers and filling out worksheets and schedules for 2008 taxes. Now it's time to spend some time with the family as our youngest is celebrating his birthday along with my younger brother. It's time for the house to fill up.
Back to being opinionated tomorrow.
..
The Federal Reserve sees no need to cut interest rates in the light of adverse recent economic data, Ben Bernanke said on Wednesday.
The Fed chairman said ”to date, the incoming data have supported the view that the current stance of policy is likely to foster sustainable economic growth and a gradual ebbing in core inflation”.July 21, 2007 My guess is that if there is an interest rate change, a cut is more likely than an increase. The key variables to be watching at this point are real estate prices and the inventory of unsold homes.
"Should the elevated turbulence persist, it would increase the possibility of further tightening in financial conditions for households and businesses," he said.December 11, 2007 Somehow the Fed misses the obvious."Uncertainties about the economic outlook are unusually high right now," he said. "These uncertainties require flexible and pragmatic policymaking -- nimble is the adjective I used a few weeks ago."
http://www.reuters.com/
December 13, 2007 [from The Christian Science Monitor]
[Image from: CNNMoney.com]
"The odds of a recession are now above 50 percent," says Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com. "We are right on the edge of a recession in part because of the Fed's reluctance to reduce interest rates more aggressively." [see my comments of September 11]January 7, 2008 The real problem now is that consumers can't rescue the economy and manufacturing, which is already weakening, will continue to weaken. We've gutted the forces that could avoid a downturn. The question is not whether there will be a recession, but can it be dampened sufficiently so that it is very short.
“The question is not whether we will have a recession, but how deep and prolonged it will be,” said David Rosenberg, the chief North American economist at Merrill Lynch. “Even if the Fed’s moves are going to work, it will not show up until the later part of 2008 or 2009.”January 17, 2008 A few days ago, Anna Schwartz, nonagenarian economist, implicated the Federal Reserve as the cause of the present lending crisis [from the Telegraph - UK]:
The high priestess of US monetarism - a revered figure at the Fed - says the central bank is itself the chief cause of the credit bubble, and now seems stunned as the consequences of its own actions engulf the financial system. "The new group at the Fed is not equal to the problem that faces it," she says, daring to utter a thought that fellow critics mostly utter sotto voce.January 22, 2008 The cut has become infected and a limb is in danger. Ben Bernanke is panicking and the Fed has its emergency triage team cutting rates... this time by 3/4%. ...
Individuals and businesses need stability in their financial cost structures so that they can plan effectively and keep their ships afloat. Wildly fluctuating rates... regardless of what the absolute levels are... create problems. Either too much spending or too much fear. It's just not that difficult to comprehend. Why has it been so difficult for the Fed?
Current Activity
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| | "There is danger from all men. The only maxim of a free government ought to be to trust no man living with power to endanger the public liberty." - John Adams"An enlightened citizenry is indispensable for the proper functioning of a republic. Self-government is not possible unless the citizens are educated sufficiently to enable them to exercise oversight." - Thomas Jefferson
As of Sept. 15, the current solar minimum ranks third all-time in the amount of spotless days with 717 since 2004. There have been 206 spotless days in 2009, which is 14th all-time. But there are still more than 100 days left in the year, and Perry expects that number to climb. Perry, who studies sunspots and solar activity in his spare time, received an undergraduate degree in physics at Kansas State University and a Ph.D in physics and astronomy at The University of Kansas. He also has spent time as a meteorologist.
From Icecap
