Home Ownership

Ya gotta love it, especially at tax time when you see your gross adjusted income go down by a few thousand dollars. And then other realities set in.

I arrived back in Happy Valley after 5 days in Sioux Falls to spend 14 hours in our home before having to be on the road to Denver and back for 3 days. Thermostat didn’t seem to be working on my return from Sioux Falls, since we couldn’t get heat going in the house. OK, we’ll deal with that when we get back from Denver. Still couldn’t get heat going. So I make a call to my buddy Dewey who comes and takes a look at our boiler (we have hot water baseboard heat – very efficient when it’s working). The 17 year old boiler has gone belly up and needs to be replaced. That is happening today. We’ve been using many Grandma Quilts for the past 5 nights!

As Lawrence Welk would say, “Wunnerful, wunnerful!”

And Dewey reminds me that our evaporative cooler needs to be replaced this spring as well. Which is going to require a crane parked in our front yard for a day. Insert more Lawrence Welk here.

And that will be the perfect time to also re-shingle the roof. I’m amazed that it’s actually lasted 17 years, but it is time. Insert Lawrence Welk here again.

So about tax time, we’ll have upgraded the heating system,and will be upgrading the cooling system and the roof.

Wunnerful, wunnerful, and hello Home Equity Line of Credit!

Anybody have a condo to sell me?

Stupid Things

They have a tendency to show up around Christmas. Though some of them exhibit their stupid tendencies year ‘round. Ponder if you will…

1. Keurig Single Serve Coffee Makers. A year ‘round stupid. Spend $120 for a machine that can only brew 8 ounces of coffee at a time, using special “brew pots” about the size of a diner coffee creamer container which cost upwards of $6 apeice. Walmart – 12 cup Mr. Coffee; $14. 250 coffee filters; $1.19. 1 lb. of Boyer’s Denver Blend Coffee; $7. In combination, about 48 pots or 576 cups of coffee for less than 20% of the price of a single cup from Keurig. I don’t get it. “But you can get all kinds of flavored coffees!” Yeah, and you can still buy a pound of flavored coffee for a buck more than Folgers.

2. Chia Pets. In all of its various annual mutations (this year it’s an Oprah or an Obama Chia pet), one must wonder – Have you ever gone to someone’s home and have them rather excitedly tell you that they can’t wait for you to see their newest Chia Pet? I thought not.

3. The latest all-in-one tool that can remove any bolt no matter how badly rounded the head is, cut ham slices so thin that your in-laws will never come back, and restore that luster to your car’s finish while you’re wrapped in its fleecy softness. With sleeves. How have I lived without it for lo these many moons? I guess by acquiring tools meant to do one job well over the years, as needed. Mantra: never sell tools or kitchen ware (also tools), or firearms. Until you’re dead, of course.

4. The Sears Hammerhead ™ Auto Hammer. OK – a cool tool for a very specific use. The Tim Taylors of the world are drooling and can’t wait to check their stocking on Christmas morning. But I can’t remember the last time I needed a tool that was “ideal for hammering in tight places”. And even pros would be using a nail gun – have you ever seen a carpenter on a DIY network show use one of these things? I fail to see the demand for this one. I’d buy the nail gun – after buying an overkill air compressor first (thanks Dad!)
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Well there’s a start. In contrast, Hot Wheels cars and Yo-Yos are always cool. And men’s handkerchiefs and ball park peanuts. And large plasma TV’s and muscle cars.

See? Buying for guys is easy.

The Best White Christmas Ever!

Not much else to say!

End of an Era

I posted a while back about tea. And specifically mentioned The Republic of Tea's Big Bold. It was a collaboration between that company and Whole Foods and small plantations in Africa to promote fair trade. A fair price, a fair profit, and a fair wage for workers. How can one not support this?

Anyway, it was a limited edition tea. I only got one tin. And now I have only enough tea in that tin to make one more pot. I brew it double strength for iced tea, and this is about the best I've ever had.

Will post a soliloquy when it's gone.

Jay

And then you just...

lean forward, you go. Lean back, you stop. But not much in either direction. Lean the lever left or right and that's the direction you're going to go.

Congratulations - you've just been given the basic instructions on how to operate a Segway. Which TLMK and I did for about 2-1/2 hours in Boston this past weekend.

I found a coupon online which was basically a two for one deal - a 2 hour tour of Boston's Harbor District on a Segway. Have to admit - finding a balance point was a lot different than being horseback. Horseback, the balance is heels, hips and shoulders. On a Segway it's knees and shoulders - just like skiing. Or so I'm told - never have strapped a pair of those suicide sticks on my feet and don't plan to anytime in the future.

Found my balance point within 10 minutes (yes, I can stop on your yellow painted X and not move!)

Bottom line: it was a blast! Highly recommended for lots of cities - just do a Google search! Whole lot more fun that walking!

Yeah, It's A Western Thing

Nearly 4 weeks and I haven't said much about the branding.

I think Grace described it pretty well in her blog. Up at 5:30, work work work work work until (well for her anyway) 10 PM. Chuck, Kadie & me around 11:30 pm.

Branded 26 calves. After gathering the herd, sorting the mommas and calves, and then just sorting calves. Had a good crew, and also had a good time. Yeah, it's work, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun!

Grace earned top hand status that day. Chuck & Kadie & Grace & I ran a rather efficient operation. Me - lost one head catch (that still bugs me) but overall I've still got a good record (3 misses out of 46 calves that came through the chute in the past 2 years).

Chuck has posted some pictures on Facebook - including one where Grace is applying a brand to #74 - "Jersey Boy" while Chuck and I look on. Check it out - look up Cwm Ceffyl Ranch" on FB to see the pics.

There is more cowboy in my blood that perhaps I even know.

Semper Fi

The last week in June, Senator Michael Bennet came to Happy Valley for a stop on a whirlwind tour for his campaign to remain a US Senator. The stop included a tour of low-income housing in GJ, a meet and greet with a discharged soldier who got into one of the Housing Authority's apartments with his 3 girls (mom said goodbye and hit the road as soon as he got back from Iraq), and a meet and greet and photo opp with an elderly retired Marine who also lives in a GJHA apartment.

Harold E. Thompson. He got about 90 seconds with the Senator. I think the Senator would have enjoyed more time with him, but his staffers had to stay on schedule. So for a bit, Harold just stood there with nobody paying attention to him. That was just not right.

So I went up and introduced myself, and thanked him for his service. Asked him when he served. He told me he was an "in-between Marine", meaning he served after WWII and before Korea. He was stationed on Okinawa, and his division was training to go back to Iwo Jima to capture or kill the last Japanese soldiers that were still holding their positions, refusing to believe that US forces had taken the island.

He fell in love with a Navy nurse, married her after they were both discharged, ans both went to school on the GI Bill and became teachers. She, of course, made $1,000 less per year than he did. And he made only $5,000 per year. Sweated through buying a house and wondering how they would make the $75 per month mortgage payment. Raised two boys, and both taught for 40 years before retiring, and he lost his bride to cancer.

I thoroughly enjoyed visiting with him. I took a picture of him and the Senator together. Cropped it nicely, printed a 5x7 and put it in a nice frame and had Jody's staff get it to him.

Yesterday I received a thank you note from Harold E. Thompson. He is 83 years old, doesn't know "how those damn computers work", but sent this email:

"I RECEIVED THE VERY NICE FRAMED PHOTO OF THE US SENATOR BENNET AND MYSELF.

THE FRAME WAS VERY LOVELY ALSO. THANK YOU.

HAROLD E. THOMPSON, 4TH DEGREE KNIGHT OF COLUMBUS COUNCIL 13621, MEMBER OF GJHA MEMBER ADVISORY BOARD, US MARINE CORPS VETERAN, HONORABLE DISCHARGE, FATHER OF TWO US MARINE SONS LOST SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THE IRAQ WAR.

THANK YOU AGAIN AND BEST WISHES.

HAROLD E. THOMPSON"

He had told me while we talked that he'd lost his sons in Iraq. I snapped to and bowed my head when I offered my condolences. And as I shook his hand, he locked my eyes with his and just said "Semper Fi".

One more veteran I will never forget.