Well—it’s October and that means snow in Wyoming and green grass underneath. I really hate this time of year, the constant scooping of snow from the lawn and garden so that I can mow and weed. Then more snow, more scooping and more mowing and weeding. I tried something a little different this year I duct taped (or is it duck taped—you know the gray silvery stuff) anyway, as I was saying before I so rudely interrupted myself. I taped with that gray shinny tape my snow blower to the front of my lawn mower, looks a bit funny when I do the driveway but works like a charm on the lawn.
Despite the snow (three times so far for a total of a foot of snow) my garden still looks pretty good. Why do the weather people on TV and radio now refer to snow storms as snow events? Despite three separate snow events my garden still looks pretty good. Of course most of it (tomatoes and onions) is in the garage. I pulled some carrots today and they were quite tasty, thank you. The rest of the garden really does not look so good, its mostly dead beans, dead peas, dead radishes, dead strawberries, dead herbs of all kinds (don’t like most of them anyway) and lots of dead flowers. And so as I started—Well –it’s October and so much for gardening this year.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
About Time
I have been absent for a very long time, naughty boy (oops, that’s a story I am working on for my erotica blog—no I don’t really have one). Here is the real story, I won the lottery, actually just a small state power ball and have taken the past four months to do some traveling. It is an unbelievable relief to have the money to do what I want, when I want.
My wife and I spent much of last spring in Australia and this summer in Europe and northern Africa, the whole trip was like an out of body experience. The past four months have been the best of my life. We are now building our dream home, how many people can say that? And yes, I have retired from my teaching and coaching career—more travel to come.
Daydreaming again, I wish at least part of the above was true—but sadly—none of it is. I have skipped blogging the past few months because I have been lazy. But I am back—look for more to come.
-N-
My wife and I spent much of last spring in Australia and this summer in Europe and northern Africa, the whole trip was like an out of body experience. The past four months have been the best of my life. We are now building our dream home, how many people can say that? And yes, I have retired from my teaching and coaching career—more travel to come.
Daydreaming again, I wish at least part of the above was true—but sadly—none of it is. I have skipped blogging the past few months because I have been lazy. But I am back—look for more to come.
-N-
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Keynesian Economics
We hear so much today about the economy and the trouble we are in world wide, reminds me of my old college days and my study of John Maynard Keynes, and his Keynesian Economics. All I remember is raise taxes when times are good to cool off the economy and lower taxes when times are bad to heat up the economy. If Keynes was right, he is dead now so we can’t ask him, then we should not have cut taxes during the high times we were all living with our MasterCard’s and Visas and times were good. Hummmm—Keynes also believed that government deficit spending might be okay in times of recession or especially depression. Maybe we are doing the right thing running around bailing everyone but me out of financial despair.
So I have been sitting around thinking some, I am good at thinking, and I believe I can solve this countries and maybe the worlds economic woes by doing the following.#
1. Every Thursday is free day at Wal-Mart.
#2. All fast food, everything is .99 cents.
#3. Congress recesses until 2012
#4. Network and Local news shows—all cancelled—replaced by Looney Tunes.
#5. Take peanuts and pistachios off the endangered foods list
#6. Instead of giving millionaire CEOs a big bonus, just let them give each other a big hug and wish each other well and then let the stockholders have the bonus money.
#7. A chicken in every can of chicken noodle and a cracker in every barrel (I have no idea what that means)
#8. Slash Green Fees on every golf course in the world by 50% (this one is personal)
#9. This one seems simple—a jobs program that works. Jobs for those that can—where, maybe in some of the failed businesses the government may eventually have to operate.
#10. Some businesses will fail, let them fail and reorganize, if they are worth their salt they can make it. Not everyone is happy all the time—and everything does not have a happy ending.
-BONUS-
#11. To save everyone a little money, let us, as consumers, choose what TV stations we want and pay for those. Skip the rest of the fluff.
#12. Required in every school—classes in manners, common courtesy, self sufficiency, basic economics, and appropriate language and dress. WOW I am showing my age on that one.
#13. Elect me, “the old guy that got to thinkin’,” President—I’ll take care of you—after myself of course!
Well there you have it; I may have been sitting and thinking too much.
So I have been sitting around thinking some, I am good at thinking, and I believe I can solve this countries and maybe the worlds economic woes by doing the following.#
1. Every Thursday is free day at Wal-Mart.
#2. All fast food, everything is .99 cents.
#3. Congress recesses until 2012
#4. Network and Local news shows—all cancelled—replaced by Looney Tunes.
#5. Take peanuts and pistachios off the endangered foods list
#6. Instead of giving millionaire CEOs a big bonus, just let them give each other a big hug and wish each other well and then let the stockholders have the bonus money.
#7. A chicken in every can of chicken noodle and a cracker in every barrel (I have no idea what that means)
#8. Slash Green Fees on every golf course in the world by 50% (this one is personal)
#9. This one seems simple—a jobs program that works. Jobs for those that can—where, maybe in some of the failed businesses the government may eventually have to operate.
#10. Some businesses will fail, let them fail and reorganize, if they are worth their salt they can make it. Not everyone is happy all the time—and everything does not have a happy ending.
-BONUS-
#11. To save everyone a little money, let us, as consumers, choose what TV stations we want and pay for those. Skip the rest of the fluff.
#12. Required in every school—classes in manners, common courtesy, self sufficiency, basic economics, and appropriate language and dress. WOW I am showing my age on that one.
#13. Elect me, “the old guy that got to thinkin’,” President—I’ll take care of you—after myself of course!
Well there you have it; I may have been sitting and thinking too much.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
The Income Tax Return
I wrote on another site that I got a big Income Tax Return this year and was not sure how to spend it. I got several questions,,,,,, actually one,,,,, as to how I spent it.
I love it when I get a tax refund—but what to do with it? That is the Question? Sorry Mr. Shakespeare!
Now in the right hands $26.00 can be quite a chunk of change and in the wrong hands it can be used for great amounts of very evil stuff. So when you are talking, or is it just me talking, might be those voices only I hear coming back again? It takes more than just a little thinkin’ and decidin’ before time to do the spendin’. My spell checker hates it when I leave off the g at the end and use the ‘ instead. Well, just to keep Mr. Fancy Pants Spell Checker happy I will put the Gs back. GGG, there all three of them. Oh, great now it’s telling me that - GGG, there all three of them, is a fragment not a sentence. Well I like it as a sentence and will not be changing it. Please feel free to change it if you want to forward this blog to someone with good spelling and grammar skills.
Please find below the way I spent my $26.00 Federal Income Tax Return.
A down payment on a new house, Freddie Mac was happy to get the cash
-Or-
I bought a thousand shares of General Motors
-Or-
I washed my pick-up
-Or-
Took a spring break trip to Nebraska—Oh, forget that one, we really did-family was well
-Or-
Buried it in my back yard in an old Prince Albert Can (do they still sell Prince Albert)?
-Or-
Bought my wife a rose and put it in a borrowed vase
-Or-
Splurged and hired someone to mow the lawn—that one kind of backfired on me, it took all day to shovel the snow off first
-Or-
This is the last one—no kidding—bought a new tire for my Pee Wee Herman style bicycle; they tossed in the air for free.
-Or-
Hey a bonus humorous sentence. I spent it on dinner for four--------------At McDonalds.
-Or-
Now I can hear you asking for more. I spent it at the circus. I know that is not funny but –get this—there is no circus here! Now that makes it very funny.
I love it when I get a tax refund—but what to do with it? That is the Question? Sorry Mr. Shakespeare!
Now in the right hands $26.00 can be quite a chunk of change and in the wrong hands it can be used for great amounts of very evil stuff. So when you are talking, or is it just me talking, might be those voices only I hear coming back again? It takes more than just a little thinkin’ and decidin’ before time to do the spendin’. My spell checker hates it when I leave off the g at the end and use the ‘ instead. Well, just to keep Mr. Fancy Pants Spell Checker happy I will put the Gs back. GGG, there all three of them. Oh, great now it’s telling me that - GGG, there all three of them, is a fragment not a sentence. Well I like it as a sentence and will not be changing it. Please feel free to change it if you want to forward this blog to someone with good spelling and grammar skills.
Please find below the way I spent my $26.00 Federal Income Tax Return.
A down payment on a new house, Freddie Mac was happy to get the cash
-Or-
I bought a thousand shares of General Motors
-Or-
I washed my pick-up
-Or-
Took a spring break trip to Nebraska—Oh, forget that one, we really did-family was well
-Or-
Buried it in my back yard in an old Prince Albert Can (do they still sell Prince Albert)?
-Or-
Bought my wife a rose and put it in a borrowed vase
-Or-
Splurged and hired someone to mow the lawn—that one kind of backfired on me, it took all day to shovel the snow off first
-Or-
This is the last one—no kidding—bought a new tire for my Pee Wee Herman style bicycle; they tossed in the air for free.
-Or-
Hey a bonus humorous sentence. I spent it on dinner for four--------------At McDonalds.
-Or-
Now I can hear you asking for more. I spent it at the circus. I know that is not funny but –get this—there is no circus here! Now that makes it very funny.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Number 44 Our new President
Today we have a new president number 44. I watched the inauguration and much of the additional coverage and was highly impressed with everything. If we could keep that same feeling of patriotism, togetherness and usefulness all year long everyone on earth would think—wow, they really are the greatest nation on the face of the earth.
Good Luck President Obama and God speed.
Good Luck President Obama and God speed.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
John G Neihardt
Today it the birthday of the great John G Neihardt, I have read “Black Elk Speaks,” at least a half dozen times. As a kid growing up in rural Nebraska we were fed a steady diet of Neihardt and I am sure that, at the time, I did not appreciate him as I do today. If you have never experienced any of his stuff, take a look, what a great writer he was. He was first published at 16 and last published at 90, a remarkable career.
He is a word sender. This world is like a garden and over it go his words like rain, and where they go they leave everything greener. After his words have passed, the memory of them shall stand long in the West like a flaming rainbow. —Black Elk
http://www.neihardt.com/jgn/index.html
He is a word sender. This world is like a garden and over it go his words like rain, and where they go they leave everything greener. After his words have passed, the memory of them shall stand long in the West like a flaming rainbow. —Black Elk
http://www.neihardt.com/jgn/index.html
Monday, December 29, 2008
The Faith of Barack Obama
Hey read any good books lately? This is a quick read about our next President--I enjoyed it.
The Faith of Barack Obama
At first look I was not sure what to expect out of this book. Was it the unauthorized religious biography of President elect Obama or would it have enough dept to allow readers around the world a chance to understand this man’s religion?
What I found was a solid offering from author Stephen Mansfield. Although a bit formulaic I found this book to be a quick and thought provoking read. It is short, less than one hundred and fifty pages and only six chapters.
Mansfield does a nice job of explaining the wonderful mixed-up upbringing of Barack Obama, Catholic primary school with Mass every morning, Islamic services on the weekends and a professed atheist as a mother, all things that have lead this man to be more than a little wary of organized religion. Most of one chapter dispels the current urban myth of Obama as a Muslim, now or in the past, it just never happened. In the early eighties his heart lead him to become a member of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s, “United Church of Christ.” The church fit him both personally and professionally and likely benefited him politically. This part of the book is a must read and a real eye opener to people from mainstream WASP environments. It does a fine job of explaining the feelings of a very educated, very complicated leader like Jeremiah Wright.
The fifth chapter of this small book is of interest to anyone that takes more than a passing interest in politics/religion in America. This chapter entitled, “Four Faces of Faith,” focuses on the religious beliefs of the four big political players in this year’s presidential race; President Bush, Hillary Clinton, John McCain and President elect Obama.
Although the book may not do anything to convince evangelical Christians that he is the right person to lead America it will at least give hope to the far right that he is not anti-Christian, anti-American or anti-white. The only bad taste left for the far right may be Mr. Obama’s unyielding stance as a pro-choice liberal, a section that Mansfield covers very well in this book.
Overall this book is an excellent read, showing a side of our next president that most Americans will embrace. It is a truly open look at a man that has already lead a truly extraordinary life.
The Faith of Barack Obama
At first look I was not sure what to expect out of this book. Was it the unauthorized religious biography of President elect Obama or would it have enough dept to allow readers around the world a chance to understand this man’s religion?
What I found was a solid offering from author Stephen Mansfield. Although a bit formulaic I found this book to be a quick and thought provoking read. It is short, less than one hundred and fifty pages and only six chapters.
Mansfield does a nice job of explaining the wonderful mixed-up upbringing of Barack Obama, Catholic primary school with Mass every morning, Islamic services on the weekends and a professed atheist as a mother, all things that have lead this man to be more than a little wary of organized religion. Most of one chapter dispels the current urban myth of Obama as a Muslim, now or in the past, it just never happened. In the early eighties his heart lead him to become a member of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright’s, “United Church of Christ.” The church fit him both personally and professionally and likely benefited him politically. This part of the book is a must read and a real eye opener to people from mainstream WASP environments. It does a fine job of explaining the feelings of a very educated, very complicated leader like Jeremiah Wright.
The fifth chapter of this small book is of interest to anyone that takes more than a passing interest in politics/religion in America. This chapter entitled, “Four Faces of Faith,” focuses on the religious beliefs of the four big political players in this year’s presidential race; President Bush, Hillary Clinton, John McCain and President elect Obama.
Although the book may not do anything to convince evangelical Christians that he is the right person to lead America it will at least give hope to the far right that he is not anti-Christian, anti-American or anti-white. The only bad taste left for the far right may be Mr. Obama’s unyielding stance as a pro-choice liberal, a section that Mansfield covers very well in this book.
Overall this book is an excellent read, showing a side of our next president that most Americans will embrace. It is a truly open look at a man that has already lead a truly extraordinary life.
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