It's almost 9 AM Monday morning, and it feels like my mind is racing faster than NASCAR was running at Fontana yesterday. I have read the San Diego Union-Trib, my ever shrinking newspaper, and had my morning coffee. Jerry got up earlier today. Lately, he has been sleeping in until 9 or 10, but today he was up shortly after my early morning rising. I always prepare the coffee the night before, so whoever is up first simply turns on the urn. We pre-programmed it for years, but anytime the electricity was off for a few minutes, our coffee might be made at any time and always when we didn't want it. Now, we just add turning on the coffee pot to the routine of turning off the exterior night lighting and de-programming the security alarm.
It is always at this time of the day I check our personal on line bank account, pay bills and try to get my brain to focus on what other assignments must be handled today. There is $1.06 in our checking account, so that means I have to stop at the bank to make a deposit on my way to get a haircut. Since we are leaving for a 5 day trip to North Carolina on Friday, I will get the haircut out of the way now. This insures that unexpected demands later on the week won't prevent me from getting it accomplished at all. I tend to postpone hair and nails when business calls.
I note that the bank has still not given credit for my phone pay to Macy's. I recently made a $500.00 payment, and the bank took two payments from my account. Macy's claims they didn't get the payment, and the bank claims they sent it to Macy's. I have now asked the bank to prove where the funds were deposited, and am waiting for the proof. Since I have to stop there today, I will talk with Patty and see if she has been able to find out what happened. I also have to drop off a corporate financial statement to her for the purpose of renewing our credit line.
The status of the banking industry has me quite worried these days. It's as if the whole lending community is collapsing. I know our small (in comparison to Citigroup and Bank of America) community bank is in trouble. It's not a good day when you see your bank in the headlines. Apparently, our country is on the edge of nationalizing banks. Scary!
I think we are going to have to look at a lot of areas before we really find the solution to our economic problems. So far, the government is addressing the obvious such as banks failing, auto industries failing, etc. I compare it to medicine. If a doctor continues to treat the symptoms but ignores what is causing the symptoms, eventually the patient will die. Government needs to begin with self examination. I would raise some questions such as "Who decided that it was OK unionize "public servants?" "Who could have ever thought that government should have pension plans that allowed some retirees a higher annual income than when they were working?" "Why wasn't the social security system good enough for public employees?" After all, private working citizens are required to pay into social security and accept the return. Perhaps the government knew they were running a "Ponzi Scheme" with social security, so they wanted to protect themselves by creating Mercedes pension programs for public employees? Who could have ever thought that the private sector could create enough jobs and make enough money to support people who are employed by government forever and ever? What legislator made it a law that even if stock values drop public employees pension plan values cannot drop? Now that is really crazy. Isn't it? I am sure 401(k) owners right now would have liked that protection.
I guess I am asking..."Are we really a government of the people, by the people and for the people or have we a government out of control whose interest is in the growth and protection of government?" If of the people, then I vote for immediately passing federal, state and local laws that require all "public servants" to participate in the social security system and eliminate other "pension" opportunities for new employees. I also would pass local, federal and state laws that prohibits "public servants" from being unionized. Unions were a necessity when they were formed years ago before effective labor laws were developed. Employees are now protected by labor laws, and the unions have outlived their purpose. Unions are simply working as lobbyists for politicians who support them. Maybe the "fat cat" unions could empty out their coffers and rescue the economy.
Well...I am going to sign off before I get labeled as one of those radical right wingers. See how my mind races if I let it run free when it needs to be focused on today's responsibilities. Working 9 to 5 .....
Monday, February 23, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
A Peaceful Day in Southern California....
Today is laundry day. I am trying to "knock out" as many loads of laundry as possible in one day. Uh oh...trouble just arrived. Jerry just walked in the door. He is returning from his favorite activity...flying.
In the midst of working on the laundry in San Diego, I have been negotiating the possible rental of 2500 square feet of our 7500 square foot warehouse in Mooresville, North Carolina with a man in New Jersey. Now isn't that a testimony to our 2009 lifestyle? I'm here...he's there...and the warehouse is somewhere else. I had hoped that Jarit would stay one more year in the warehouse, but he recently notified me that he will be leaving at the end of this month. Jerry and I are going to North Carolina next Friday (flying the red eye to Charlotte) for the purpose of officially taking possession of the warehouse. I know there is a roof leak, so I have to get a roofer lined up to take care of that. We are only going to be there for a week, so there is a lot to try and accomplish in a short period of time.
I'm doing laundry in San Diego. Who knows what my prospective tenant (Steve) is doing in New Jersey? Thanks to technology, we can both take care of business matters while meeting our daily reponsibilities. I do have an advantage. There is no way that New Jersey can offer him what living in Southern California is offering me today. The sun is massaging our English bulldogs as it casts a warm glow over the dark brown leather chairs in our family room.
A few years ago, my husband moved our laundry facilities onto a lower patio outside the 2nd master bedroom suite. He strung a clothesline between support beams, which means I can pull our clothes from the dryer and hang them on hangars in the fresh air while enjoying a view of the Pacific ocean and taking in the beauty of our exterior surroundings. Instead of dreading the chore of laundry, I look forward to it now. I enjoy the smell of the clothes after they have hung in the fresh air for a few hours before being brought inside the house. The hawks cry overhead as they search for heir next kill reminding me of my childhood when I could sometimes be found lying out in tall grass on a hot summer day watching birds of prey cruise around hunting and diving to catch their next meal. I was always torn between admiration for their speed and success versus the helplessness of the rabbit or field mouse who could be seen dangling in the air beneath them as they flew away. Must there always be a victim to another's success?
Living in a mountain community, I can often hear the voices of people talking on the other side of the hill mixed with the sounds of dogs barking and even an occasional crow of a rooster. I don't know how a rooster managed to find housing in our city, but I am glad he did. I usually hear him in the early morning, and I really have to wonder what he has to crow about these days. I guess a rooster isn't impacted by the stock market.
My daughter and son in law and their friend from North Carolina, along with my son, loaded up their respective motorhomes yesterday and headed for the sand dunes. I received a text from my daughter this morning that simply said "Everything is great." That means they arrived safely and are having a good time. It's only a couple of hours away from San Diego to Southern California's playground...the sand dunes and a little further down the road, the Colorado river north of Yuma. Even in a bad economy, families in San Diego try to hang on to their desert and river "toys." It's just a way of life to grow up riding quads and dune buggies over the dunes in the winter months and boating up and down the river in the summer time.
Jerry just went upstairs to take a nap. He spends a lot of time sleeping now, which I am told is common for Alzheimer's patients. He said he really enjoyed his time in the air today. He is a good pilot, but since the diagnosis of Alzheimer's we agreed that he will only go up in the plane with another pilot aboard. I believe flying has slowed the progression of the disease much like what happens with brain training programs. A deep sadness comes over me if I fully accept the reality of our future. I try very hard to just focus on today. Today is definitely tolerable and often quite enjoyable.
I hung some more family photos on the walls today. We had packed up a lot of items in 2007 in anticipation of selling our home for the purpose of downsizing. Once the economy took a huge dive, we pulled the house off the market and decided to wait it out before selling. About the same time, Jerry was diagnosed with early Alzheimer's and keeping the family home took on a new purpose. He was pleased when he saw that I was pulling framed photos out of storage this morning. In his words, "so you are in the process of making this a home again?" I feel the same way. There isn't any way that looking at the most expensive art work on our walls can compare to the feeling we get when looking at family photos holding loving memories of days past.
Just another peaceful day in Southern California.....
In the midst of working on the laundry in San Diego, I have been negotiating the possible rental of 2500 square feet of our 7500 square foot warehouse in Mooresville, North Carolina with a man in New Jersey. Now isn't that a testimony to our 2009 lifestyle? I'm here...he's there...and the warehouse is somewhere else. I had hoped that Jarit would stay one more year in the warehouse, but he recently notified me that he will be leaving at the end of this month. Jerry and I are going to North Carolina next Friday (flying the red eye to Charlotte) for the purpose of officially taking possession of the warehouse. I know there is a roof leak, so I have to get a roofer lined up to take care of that. We are only going to be there for a week, so there is a lot to try and accomplish in a short period of time.
I'm doing laundry in San Diego. Who knows what my prospective tenant (Steve) is doing in New Jersey? Thanks to technology, we can both take care of business matters while meeting our daily reponsibilities. I do have an advantage. There is no way that New Jersey can offer him what living in Southern California is offering me today. The sun is massaging our English bulldogs as it casts a warm glow over the dark brown leather chairs in our family room.
A few years ago, my husband moved our laundry facilities onto a lower patio outside the 2nd master bedroom suite. He strung a clothesline between support beams, which means I can pull our clothes from the dryer and hang them on hangars in the fresh air while enjoying a view of the Pacific ocean and taking in the beauty of our exterior surroundings. Instead of dreading the chore of laundry, I look forward to it now. I enjoy the smell of the clothes after they have hung in the fresh air for a few hours before being brought inside the house. The hawks cry overhead as they search for heir next kill reminding me of my childhood when I could sometimes be found lying out in tall grass on a hot summer day watching birds of prey cruise around hunting and diving to catch their next meal. I was always torn between admiration for their speed and success versus the helplessness of the rabbit or field mouse who could be seen dangling in the air beneath them as they flew away. Must there always be a victim to another's success?
Living in a mountain community, I can often hear the voices of people talking on the other side of the hill mixed with the sounds of dogs barking and even an occasional crow of a rooster. I don't know how a rooster managed to find housing in our city, but I am glad he did. I usually hear him in the early morning, and I really have to wonder what he has to crow about these days. I guess a rooster isn't impacted by the stock market.
My daughter and son in law and their friend from North Carolina, along with my son, loaded up their respective motorhomes yesterday and headed for the sand dunes. I received a text from my daughter this morning that simply said "Everything is great." That means they arrived safely and are having a good time. It's only a couple of hours away from San Diego to Southern California's playground...the sand dunes and a little further down the road, the Colorado river north of Yuma. Even in a bad economy, families in San Diego try to hang on to their desert and river "toys." It's just a way of life to grow up riding quads and dune buggies over the dunes in the winter months and boating up and down the river in the summer time.
Jerry just went upstairs to take a nap. He spends a lot of time sleeping now, which I am told is common for Alzheimer's patients. He said he really enjoyed his time in the air today. He is a good pilot, but since the diagnosis of Alzheimer's we agreed that he will only go up in the plane with another pilot aboard. I believe flying has slowed the progression of the disease much like what happens with brain training programs. A deep sadness comes over me if I fully accept the reality of our future. I try very hard to just focus on today. Today is definitely tolerable and often quite enjoyable.
I hung some more family photos on the walls today. We had packed up a lot of items in 2007 in anticipation of selling our home for the purpose of downsizing. Once the economy took a huge dive, we pulled the house off the market and decided to wait it out before selling. About the same time, Jerry was diagnosed with early Alzheimer's and keeping the family home took on a new purpose. He was pleased when he saw that I was pulling framed photos out of storage this morning. In his words, "so you are in the process of making this a home again?" I feel the same way. There isn't any way that looking at the most expensive art work on our walls can compare to the feeling we get when looking at family photos holding loving memories of days past.
Just another peaceful day in Southern California.....
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Sarah Palin Did It....
I don't really have anything worthwhile to say today. I just wanted to make sure everyone reads my blog, so I decided to use Sarah Pain's name in a title. Is there anyone besides me who has noticed that if it involves Sarah Palin, the media is going to cover it? Even Ashley Judd is capitalizing on the name to promote her cause. Ashley could have substitued the state of Alaska for Sarah Palin's name in her campaign to save the wolves in Alaska, but she didn't. She knew that she wouldn't get invites to talk shows and raise as much money for the foundation she supports if she didn't say "it's Sarah Palin's fault."
Sarah Palin may have been the only candidate in the 2008 presidential election who truly wanted to represent the interests of the average person. She certainly was not a Washington insider.....you know, not privileged to hang out amongst the crowd of people appointed by President Obama to run his administration. Those people would be the ones who have walked the hallways of the Senate, Congress and even the white house for several years now and under President Obama's administration, have been given the privilege of hanging out there another four years. Well....at least those Democrats who have paid their taxes will be there. That growing list of officials who haven't paid their taxes may lose their "insider ticket." Someone said that the change Mr. Obama was promising was that the Democrats would start paying taxes. At least, we know why Democrats support tax increases. They don't pay their taxes.
Should Sarah ever become president, I think she would appoint some people who have never even been to Washington, D.C. Maybe that's why the liberals are furious with her. Who wants someone running the country that doesn't owe favors to lobbyists or unions or maybe even the media? Besides, it's easier to remember the names of our leadership if you just nominate the same old people year after year.
I wonder if the outcome of the election would have changed had the voters been told the Clinton administration would be reinstated (without Bill, of course.) Or had the voters known the people casting blame on others for the failing economy were tax evaders? Surely noone thinks the positive recent elections in Iraq two weeks following the presidential swearing in ceremony should be credited to the new administration. Do they? How do the great "sins" of Sarah Palin (didn't tell Katie her choice of magazines, has a pregnant daughter, fired a burearcrat who wasn't doing his job, can see Russia from her backyard) stack up against a campaign agenda filled with promises of change (no change), no tax deductions (tax deductions), immediately bring the troops home (now bringing them home on President Bush's schedule), and the list goes on.
In my opinion, she stepped up to address the people of the United States of America and spoke the truth as she saw it. I like that. I like that better even if she makes a few mistakes than the alternative of getting a complete "snow job" from the Democrat's ticket. I find President Obama to be very charming. I find his campaign manager to be brilliant at running campaigns. Of course, I was looking for something more than that when I voted. I was hoping for honesty. I wanted to see new faces in Washington. I definitely did not want someone in office who would support the unions who have made a major contribution to the loss of jobs in America.
It doesn't look like the media is going to give my blog any attention either if I don't further the cause of blaming Sarah Palin. Ok...Sarah Palin did it. She raised my hopes for change and fresh faces, but she didn't get elected. It's Sarah's fault.
Sarah Palin may have been the only candidate in the 2008 presidential election who truly wanted to represent the interests of the average person. She certainly was not a Washington insider.....you know, not privileged to hang out amongst the crowd of people appointed by President Obama to run his administration. Those people would be the ones who have walked the hallways of the Senate, Congress and even the white house for several years now and under President Obama's administration, have been given the privilege of hanging out there another four years. Well....at least those Democrats who have paid their taxes will be there. That growing list of officials who haven't paid their taxes may lose their "insider ticket." Someone said that the change Mr. Obama was promising was that the Democrats would start paying taxes. At least, we know why Democrats support tax increases. They don't pay their taxes.
Should Sarah ever become president, I think she would appoint some people who have never even been to Washington, D.C. Maybe that's why the liberals are furious with her. Who wants someone running the country that doesn't owe favors to lobbyists or unions or maybe even the media? Besides, it's easier to remember the names of our leadership if you just nominate the same old people year after year.
I wonder if the outcome of the election would have changed had the voters been told the Clinton administration would be reinstated (without Bill, of course.) Or had the voters known the people casting blame on others for the failing economy were tax evaders? Surely noone thinks the positive recent elections in Iraq two weeks following the presidential swearing in ceremony should be credited to the new administration. Do they? How do the great "sins" of Sarah Palin (didn't tell Katie her choice of magazines, has a pregnant daughter, fired a burearcrat who wasn't doing his job, can see Russia from her backyard) stack up against a campaign agenda filled with promises of change (no change), no tax deductions (tax deductions), immediately bring the troops home (now bringing them home on President Bush's schedule), and the list goes on.
In my opinion, she stepped up to address the people of the United States of America and spoke the truth as she saw it. I like that. I like that better even if she makes a few mistakes than the alternative of getting a complete "snow job" from the Democrat's ticket. I find President Obama to be very charming. I find his campaign manager to be brilliant at running campaigns. Of course, I was looking for something more than that when I voted. I was hoping for honesty. I wanted to see new faces in Washington. I definitely did not want someone in office who would support the unions who have made a major contribution to the loss of jobs in America.
It doesn't look like the media is going to give my blog any attention either if I don't further the cause of blaming Sarah Palin. Ok...Sarah Palin did it. She raised my hopes for change and fresh faces, but she didn't get elected. It's Sarah's fault.
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