New Shoes in the Rain

  Good day, friends.  Hope you had a good weekend, and that if your father is still among us, you had the chance to at least call him or better yet visit! Thinking about a few things during my travels for work and just in general as well.     I will not dwell on what’s happened with the current presidential administration since our last visit here, mostly because there’s not a lot any of us can do about it, but also because we all know it’s something we will endure and eventually move past. So here are some of the things that have crossed my mind recently…… I think it may be time for public parking lots to have separate areas for pickup trucks and large SUVs.  I drive a mid-size SUV so I can park about anywhere, but get awfully tired of watching these concrete cowboys (and -girls, to be sure) take two or three passes at parking their behemoth vehicles by backing in.  And then being challenged in leaving their chosen spot. I also thi...

Good morning, friends.  Hope you’re having a stellar weekend and that the weather is good where you are! I can say that after a good stretch of rain that we’re having that good weather I mentioned.  Breezy with low humidity.  Could not ask for better. Today’s title refers to what is happening regarding a prospectively large event in our nation’s capital sometime in June.  It’s nominally a celebration of our country’s 250th anniversary, but it’s also meant as a birthday celebration of the current occupant of the White House. A number of musical performers were apparently booked for this extravaganza, but one by one most of them realized what the intent of the event was and decided to rescind their acceptance of the invite to perform.  Unless I’m missing something, none of those who pulled out in the past few days is what I would call an A-lister but there were some recognizable names in that list. In the end, all decided they did not want to be associated with an...

Happy Friday for those who celebrate, and with an American holiday on Monday, who doesn't? I was able to take today off to set up a four day weekend.  Grateful for a break from what has been a hectic few weeks.  But I came here today to share a couple of great experiences from my day off so far. Recently I learned that a man whom I met in college and roomed with for a time was moving back to my home area, and was interested in renewing our friendship.  We've always been lucky as we would see each other every year or two for a cup of coffee, but always were able to resume or restart our conversation easily enough upon meeting. We exchanged some dates but when I secured the day off I let my friend know that I was available today. So we met at a coffee shop today at mid-morning and had what I would consider a stellar conversation.  Among the topics were hair loss, Medicare plans, post retirement employment options and a host of other topics.  On top of these scinti...

Happy Monday, everyone.....it's been a while since I found time to check in here, but have a little while to share some comments. I've been rather busy with work, lots of travel recently, but things overall are going pretty well, I think. So since I've been on the road the cost of gasoline is front and center among what keeps me concerned.  The price varies considerably  throughout my areas of travel, but right now the price seems to be hovering around an average of $4.05 per gallon.  A little cheaper here or there, even more saved with some discounts from our primary grocery chain, but a touch over $4.00 in the areas where I have been.   Anyone else find it interesting that regarding the Iran War that there's almost always talk about cease-fires and other negotiated items late each week?  Seems to me this is market manipulation, pure and simple, so that the stock market rises, and oil futures fall a little.  If someone who's untrained in global economics c...

If you're like me, and bought groceries or gas recently, or ate in a fast food restaurant, you have to wonder when the spiraling prices for each will eventually calm down, right? I think most of us know why things are the way they are.  And there does not seem to be any chance the inflation of prices in all of those categories will reach a more comfortable pattern, particularly since our country has entered into a war with Iran. In my part of the country gas is now about a full dollar higher than it was before the conflict began.  The price of goods continues to escalate, because it costs more to ship them from place to place.  Even the US Postal Service is going to start adding a fuel surcharge to its package delivery fees.   The administration claims that we're negotiating, but the regime in Tehran says that no discussions are taking place.  There are claims we're nearly finished there, having carried out our objective, but the US is moving more and more groun...

Hello, friends!  I have been delinquent in posting here in recent weeks, but it's been a busy time for me in my work lately. I just completed the first phase of yard work for the spring.  Much more to do, but the first time one mows their yard each year is almost like an archeological dig.   I last mowed our yard in early November, I think.  Our house sits on a modestly busy residential street but it's a popular cut-through between two major road, so there is steady traffic flowing past our house at times each day as well as on weekends. We seem to have a lot of people who come through and feel the need to dispose of their trash as they pass by.  This morning I found nestled in the heavy grass an empty soft drink bottle, candy wrappers, cigarette butts, a pull-tab from a box of something that I could not identify, a deflated balloon and a few more "treasures" that required disposal. Let's talk about the yard itself.  It's a small yard, so small that when we...