Life

I haven't blogged in a LONG time. It seems life gets busy, and you don't always have time for a blog entry. Twitter is good for those times, I have a twitter account now. In the last week I have spent 3 days at the hospital. My dad is diabetic, and he developed cellulitus (spelling?) and went to the hospital ER on Sunday, then on Monday he had to go back for a follow up Thursday he started seeing things from the pain killers they gave him. I took Friday off so I could do Spring planting, and ended up spending the entire day and most of the evening at the hospital. He checked in to the ER on Friday, and ended up in the Geriatric Psych unit. I visited him twice yesterday, and will again today. They're evaluating all his medication, doing a full round of tests, and trying to see if they can get him back to normal. He is still seeing things, and having issues.

I did plant my Good Friday pole beans, but on Saturday along with some onion sets. I'll have to plant the rest of the garden vegetables here and there as I just don't have a lot of time. I've got to manage dad's bills and accounts as well as my own until they decide what needs to be done and that won't be anytime soon.

Economic Slinky

The economy continues to roll down stairs. Businesses continue to announce layoffs, and a friend of mine sent me a funny picture of a guy digging a hole and 10 or 12 guys around him. The guy in the whole was labeled "Andre", the rest were labeled with titles like Marketing Director, IT Management, Chief Executive, etc... The caption read: "The economy is in trouble, we may have to let Andre go". People like to joke about companies being management heavy, but something is only funny if there is a bit of truth to it.

Oil prices are supposed to hit $25.00 a barrel this summer. Wait, what? I mean, $200.00 a barrel last summer, and now $25.00. So will gas hit less than a buck?

Retailers are failing, faltering, etc... Makes me sad that Circuit City went under, I have fond and some not so fond memories of shopping there... Best Buy used to FRUSTRATE me, but their customer service has soared so high in the last five years or so I understand why they took the top spot. I myself went from hating to shop at Best Buy to enjoying the experience.

Dillards based in Little Rock topped the TOP 10 least liked/respected companies in the US today in an article I read. They ranked top on the worst in quality, customer service, etc. This doesn't bode well for Dillards. I hope they take notice, and work to fix that. In a bad economy like right now that could easily prove fatal.

I remember Montgomery Wards, Service Merchandise, Woolworths, Alco, tons of stores that existed when I was a kid to a teen that have gone under. I remember loving to go to Monkey Wards to look at the computers. The economy needs a shot in the arm. I hope recovery will come soon. I think it will, I saw tons of people looking at homes in Maumelle this weekend, if people are looking to buy homes here then maybe things might begin to look up.

Back to the drawing board

So much to do, so little time.

I have two Pelican Viper Kayaks for sale, their Sit-On-Top Kayaks. I will take $300 for them both (includes paddles, an extra skeg, and some extra parts), or $160 each. They're light blue, and lots of fun. I've gotten a canoe though to replace them, and need the space in the garage. :-) I'll also be listing them on craigslist btw.

I need to finish the garden, and will need to start my tomato plants soon. Likely going to plant my new dwarf trees this weekend and cover them with plastic.

I am back to drawing. I drew a bookmark for myself today with my new prismacolor markers. I had 13 from college, which dried out, and I had a few other art markers which suffered the same fate. So I replaced them with a 48 set that I would have died for in college. It didn't include ANY gray markers though, so I will have to get some of those, some vellum, and some other supplies (like a decent eraser). I also need to locate my sharpies, I have a big set of thick and fine line ones. While not as good as the prismacolors, they are versatile for some projects.

I'm planning to do some watercolor illustration as well, just have to do some preliminary sketches of what I have been thinking of.

My dad's health is continuing to decline, he needs prayers. I am very heartsick and worried about him. I am hoping for the best. But he said today he is having vision problems, and experiencing dizziness. He won't go to the doctor, and his next appointment is next month. I have to help him with his taxes this weekend. So I am going to talk to him about trying to move that up.

I also need to get serious about my diet again, and to begin exercising. My Achilles is healed and I am regaining strength in the leg, I just need to walk the dogs some and ride my bicycle to get it back up to par and shed all the weight I gained since last years back and Achilles injuries.

Oh, and my webhost fixed the issues. :-)

Augh

Still having issues uploading blog entries to my webhost.

Posting in the wind...

I haven't posted an entry in a while. This will be SHORT.

• Considering redoing the blog, new template, focusing on my art and perhaps selling drawings, paintings, etc... if I decide to.
• Am wanting to trade my kayaks for an aluminum alloy canoe
• Still working on getting the garden ready for spring
• Love the warm weather we've been having
• Watching gas prices stabilize as the economy tanks
• Depressed by all the layoffs in Arkansas by Target, Walmart, Alltel, Molex, etc... you name it, it's very sad to see jobs leaving the area so quickly and so many of my friends being out of work
• Deleted my MySpace profile, focusing on Facebook for Social and LinkedIn for professional
• Frankly got tired of the lame layouts on MySpace, and like the consistent interface on Facebook more
• Filed my taxes and got my refunds back already

That's about it. I'll try and post more often, these lulls seem to happen when I get super busy, and that's how things have been for the last few months.

Don't be a grouch

You ever encounter people who are in such a bad mood that they try to run you off the road in the morning? They just want everyone out of their way? They're the coffee drinkers who don't want to face their coworkers their boss, or their employees in the morning until they've had at least two cups of coffee. They expect others to live life by the rules, but don't think they necessarily apply in their case. You can't ask them a question without getting back some sort of response which is snarky, has some tinge of negativity, or something to bring you down.

They're grumps, grouches, road ragers, angry at life, angry at their families, angry at the people around them at work, in the line at the store, waiting in line for the redbox, for their combo meal at McDonald's, just angry and unhappy.

I have had some good mentors in life who have told me that you cannot be happy at work unless you're happy at home, and you can't be happy at home unless you're happy at work. I believe in the golden rule, treat others like you want to be treated. I treat others generously, I laugh a lot, I smile a lot, I try to be positive, to be happy, and to share that with others. I think it's wrong for someone in a funk, having a bad day at work, home, on the road, etc... to try and drag others down, be it intentionally... or letting their funk, their bad mood rub off on others or in how they treat others.

When someone cuts in front of me dangerously I might signal with a flash of my lights, or honking my horn to let them know they are behaving dangerously. If they then behave aggressively, rather than realizing they are putting themselves and others in danger of having a bad day at the least and at the least hurting themselves and others. The same goes with being in a bad mood, why lower the morale of your friends, family, coworkers just because your mood is down? Do you want to make them unhappy too, to ruin their day, drag down their mood, lower their productivity?

What if it turns into a chain reaction, and your mood affects how they interact with someone else. Their kids, their parents, their fiancee, their wife, their coworkers their boss, their employees? It can snowball and drag down more than just others. So if you're in a bad mood, having issues... talk to someone about it, get it off your chest, work through it, but don't take it out on others.

Don't be a grump, a grouch, or in a funk. Life is too short to go through it with a chip on your shoulder and trying to drag others down. Count your blessings, and be happy!

Also, don't be a killjoy. If someone is happy, loves life, and it drives you nuts, or you can't stand it... Go see a therapist, because there is something wrong with someone who can't stand to see others happy!

"Bah Humbug" said the consumer

I haven't written in a while. I've got to apologize for that.

I normally do not post too many opinions of mine on here, it's mostly internal reflection, things I am working on, etc... but the economy is on the mind of most people in the world as the US and the rest of the world are in recession. Job losses and layoffs are in the news daily, as companies decide rather than riding out the recession with the people they have, they'll let some of them go. Unfortunately as a lot of people are observing, this is happening in all industries. This causes those unemployed to lose their homes, tighten their belts, and to just try and survive. That means less spending on nonessentials like cable or satellite TV (some of my friends are cutting those out right now), keeping only Internet and telephone (either cell or land line People are cutting back on utilities, buying generic brands at stores, hitting discount and dollar stores more. It's not just those out of work that are cutting. Part of me wonders if this is natural, consumers are not consuming... and neither are companies. Companies in the news are cutting costs, tightening their budgets, and doing everything to control spending. While that is good to maintain a profitable business, it tightens things down the supply chain, which in turn makes other companies have to do the same... and the people working at companies doing this take these lessons home, and begin tightening their belts and stop spending where they can.

Someone told me this is a vicious cycle. That if consumers aren't confident they will have a job, that if their wages are frozen, that if they see cost cutting everywhere... that they will not spend and will cut those services they can do without. Less eating out, less laundry being done, less optional utilities, no cable or satellite TV, etc. We've already begun modifying our driving. Gasoline usage is DOWN. I paid $1.33 for gas in town yesterday. $1.33! Yet I still drive less, plan my trips, and do the same things I did when I had to pa $4.00 a gallon. Why? I got used to it. The same with cost cutting. If people see it being done by businesses, then they will do it themselves and businesses will have less revenue as people cut back.

They say that consumers need to keep spending to dig us out of this hole... Consumers can't be the only ones. I think we as consumers watch and follow businesses, and businesses need to keep spending, and to invest in growing and innovating just as a consumer needs to spend and plan for the future and the economy will recover. Consumers, people, they have no choice but to ride out a recession, and companies should try and do the same. Things are going to get better, but business has to do it's part to inspire the consumers to be confident. Consumers are employees somewhere, and just as one person touches the lives of many others... Businesses interact with one another in a similar manner. For the economy to be healthy, businesses, employees, and consumers all need to be confident.

That's just my opinion.

You know what, I worry. When I go to Target the day after Christmas, and the store is basically empty. Kohl's was the same. 80 to 90% off sales, and nobody is shopping. But I have hope, today, Academy Sports was packed with shoppers. Not people returning things, but actually shopping. We've gotta be brave and live, but so do those companies which employ people, and which provide services. They have to be brave, they have to live, because it's all related.

Again, just my opinion.

Have a happy New Year.

Blogging about the Garden

Time for an update. Winter has hit quicker than I thought. I've been scrambling to knock my holiday shopping out.

I still have work to do in the garden. Since I do not anticipate getting a greenhouse in the next couple of years I am going to un-tier the planting beds, and move one closer.. and take the top tiers to increase my planting area as separate beds. I still have to finish the beds on the side of the house. That means I need to take the trailer and load up another load of compost.

The wind blew one of my older rain barrels off it's pedestal and it was brittle from age so it cracked. I am going to have to get a new one in the spring. It and the section I saved off an older barrel though will be cut into four inch rings. Since the orchard has a few years to go before it's mature, I am going to put in six mounds between the trees and plant cantaloupe and watermelons in the spring.

I'm going to finish my dwarf orchard out with another Cherry Tree, a Bartlett pear, and a blue plum tree. I've also got a raspberry and a dewberry bush which will go in the garden. So if they all survive and do well I should have plenty of fruit someday. :-) These trees and shrubs are came in from Tennessee right before the cold freeze. So I potted them (they're twigs) and have them in the kitchen in the breakfast nook for nursing through the winter.

The holly tree I made cuttings from a week ago is still alive. The cuttings seem to be ok so far. There are some more plants I want from my grandma/dad's house but it'll be the spring before I'll do it now. There were freezing temps for three days, and my dogs water had ice for the last few days.

Long time no post...

I haven't posted a blog entry in quite a while it seems. There has been a lot going on.

• My ankle - I visited the doctor after injuring it almost two months ago, I've got a torn Achilles Partial, but still torn. For the last two months I have been limping around. My doctor said he was shocked I hadn't injured it even worse, or torn it completely. An x-ray showed no broken bones. Now I have a follow up with Ortho Arkansas to have an MRI. I borrowed a walking boot, and am wearing it as my doctor recommended it. I'll find out later how long this will take to heal I guess, if I am gonna need surgery, and I am sure I'll have to have rehab. Frankly I'm worried, I'm coming up on 35, and my back injury and then this, it makes me feel like I'm falling apart. I hope I don't have to have surgery, I have insurance, but still there is some cost involved.
• My motorcycle - My Vulcan 750 is still leaking from a seal at the rear drive shaft. I had to take it back to the dealer, and they're supposed to be working on it. I really hope the cost isn't expensive, this will be the second time I brought it in for the same problem and they said it was nothing last time. It's been leaking SLOWLY on the garage floor and soaking into the tire. So I had to put down oil dry to prevent it from doing that as it slipped in a curve slightly because of it. I love the bike, it's paid for and I can't afford to replace it with a new one just because a seal failed. So I hope they get it fixed, and they're supposed to re-moly the rear splines while they're at it.
• My dad - His health isn't much better, he has his good days and his bad days. He's starting to get very forgetful, he lost his winter coat the other day because he left it somewhere, and then he lost his wallet in the couch and couldn't find it. It's worrying me. I love him, and don't want to lose him. He justed turned 70.
• My grandma - I m starting to really miss her worse than normal, the holidays really make me miss her more. I was out today and looking at Hallmark ornaments, and there was a remembrance ornament which reminded me of her. It said something about those who are no longer with us. I'm sappy, yes, but I miss my grandma. As I seem to get older I seem to reflect a lot on the past. I'm starting to understand why my dad and other people do that.
• Gas prices and the economy - $1.89 in Maumelle at Kroger the other day for regular, ALMOST back to pre-Katrina prices. Never mind that the stock market is going to hell, unemployment is at record levels (6.5%), and people are tightening their belts. Companies are laying off like crazy, no wonder consumers are getting stingy, when you don't have a job Christmas gifts are the least of your worries. I've got friends who have lost their jobs, and are going through this stuff right now. It's actually quite ridiculous how many friends I have. In my circle of friends it's almost like 50% unemployment! I'm trying to control my spending, to rein in costs, but it's hard with the motorcycle repair hitting this month, and now medical bills for my injuries... Toss in trying to figure out how to afford Christmas gifts, and it's shaping up to be a bleak holiday season. It really seems like it needs to rain on Christmas day. I'm really wondering if the Black Friday sales will help retailers, or if they're all gonna still be in the red.
• Garden - I built a garden gate, and sectioned off part of my backyard for a formal garden finally. Dad was good enough to donate scrap wood, wire, etc... so I could build it. It turned out nice, I just need to fill the beds with more soil (free from Maumelle), and get another muscedine vine for the other side of the trellis gate (I've got to dig one up at Dad's house, I already planted one from there, black or dark red muscedine off the old family farm from 100+ years ago). I'm trying to do my garden on the cheap, free soil and using found materials. I'll still need to buy some more dwarf tree twigs, and seeds for watermelon, squash, tomatoes and other stuff for the garden... but I am hoping I can do that cheaply. If I could have fresh vegetables and fruit from my own garden, and maybe muscedine, pear, cherry, and nectarine preserves someday that would be nice.
• Netbook - Still using it, good little device. I have a cordless mouse for it now, and a nice case that wraps it. I installed GIMP instead of photoshop, since I don't really want Photoshop running on it and GIMP runs lighter than Photoshop. Should be fine for what I need, which is cropping photos for my blog.

That's it for now, I'm signing off. Keep me in your prayers, those of you who have been.

Gas Prices