Happy Tax Day — April 15th! Where does the money go?
Posted By RichC on April 15, 2014
The winter that will not end adds another inch of snow
Posted By RichC on April 15, 2014
From weekend spring brush clearing to snow. It doesn’t look as if the 2013-1024 winter wants to leave?
I was out feeding Tootsie this Tuesday morning in just a sweatshirt, and although it wasn’t necessarily springtime warm, it wasn’t really “wintery cold” either. The fresh overnight snow was wet enough for packing so it gave me one more chance to make an “I’m BAAACK!” reminder. 
Spring is here along with paleontology and brush clearing
Posted By RichC on April 14, 2014
I found some dinosaur bones while clearing brush on Saturday … as I joked on Facebook (photo above left). Actually it is probably a raccoon or possum 
and it is much better finding the fully decayed bones rather than gagging while having to bury the dead carcass! 
It is amazing at just how invasive the Honeysuckles, Poison Ivy and wicked “rose-stem-like” vines are when they take over a woods or fence line. I could work every day and still have to start clearing all over again in another year. I’m feeling a real kinship with our “brush clearing” President George W. Bush. I do miss his integrity and down to earth personality. Maybe we’ll get a few of those attributes back with our next president?
A Volkswagen TDI concept based on the 2015 Golf Sportwagen
Posted By RichC on April 13, 2014
According to the folks at Autoguide, Volkswagen will be following the VW Jetta Sportwagen with Golf SportWagen in 2015 and is teasing us with a diesel variant. The new TDI concept proposes an all-wheel drive 2.0-liter powerplant called the EA288 diesel. This new diesel would offer 10 more horsepower over the current diesel and could come in both a six-speed manual or 6-speed DSG automatic. The 1.8-liter gasoline model is slated to hit dealer showrooms in early 2015 and will be available with LED daytime running lights, Xenon headlights, a panoramic sunroof and 12-way power driver’s seat. The larger than a Golf, but smaller Jetta SportWagen could be the ideal car for many Americans who love utility of smaller all-wheel drive SUVs, but want their next car to have improved fuel economy. Volkswagen has not published any MPG numbers for the new concept, but one would think they should be close to VW’s other TDIs (click image for larger chart).
Wow, already? Happy 1st Anniversary to Katelyn and Drew
Posted By RichC on April 13, 2014
Congratulations to Katelyn and Drew on the first anniversary of their wedding day. It is hard to believe a full year has passed since their wedding. The two of them are celebrating by looking for a place to live in Minneapolis and enjoying time together. Besides normal hotel accommodations (and an inside father-daughter chuckle about their SOUPper 8 stay — good memories!), they booked a night at a Stillwater, Minnesota bed and breakfast … what a great way to celebrate their first year as husband and wife.
The photo above (not Katelyn and Drew) is from a St. Paul, MN photographer called Pretty Geeky Photography … how fitting for the two of them!
Bullish money managers picking stocks on CNBC Squawk Box
Posted By RichC on April 11, 2014
Those who spend any time watching financial markets and attempt to analyze a mix of investments the future, understand that there are mix signals coming from economist, financial analysts and those hired to manage investments (or pick for TV). I follow both the bullish and the bearish thinkers, yet end up being more conflicted about what to do in our limp economy. 
There are convincing opinions for both points of view and thankfully “so far” those in charge have been able to prevent another catastrophe … although admittedly I have a slight bias toward a downward correction or worse – call me cautious.
CNBC has been hosting ten money managers this week and these respected advisors have agreed to give their best stock ideas in what the Squawk Box morning program is calling their “Platinum Portfolio.” There haven’t been any surprises in their picks this week, but I jotted down a few ticker symbols to track anyway. These top managers were all bulls and “in the market” last year so they racked up some pretty strong gains, unlike those who were cautious or bearish. To their credit, a lackluster economy just barely chugging along has been a positive for stock pickers since the Federal Reserve remains accommodative and inflation controlled without concern the economy is overheating. Those seeking employment or retirees seeing a conservative return on their savings on the other hand are still struggling.
Speaking of bullish guests on CNBC, one would be hard pressed to find one as optimistic as on Thursday morning (04/10/2014) – videos below.
Bill Miller (formerly of Legg Mason Capital Management) 
was even more of an positive than those picking stocks earlier in the week. He suggested that this cyclical bull market “could” even the beginning of a secular bull market (forces in place culd last for many years). His conclusion was that “we may be in the best bull market of our lifetime” and suggested that housing stocks are poised to rally since they have been laggards (video below). Like airline stocks, I find home builders a tough group to buy and hold. See LEN ($39.86), PHM ($19.18) and KBH ($17.19) … all trading up on 4/10/2014.
As I said, I’m conflicted as to the direction of our economy and our country. There is instability not only here, but in the world. Our leaders and those of us electing them show little desire to deal with current problems, let alone our nation’s rapidly growing debt, underfunded entitlements and move in the direction of socialism which is not a prescription for growth. As government grows in size and control, it oppresses both people and business … and in turn grows a more dependent citizenry.
Ohio approves straight-walled cartridge rifles for deer season
Posted By RichC on April 10, 2014
The 2014-2015 Ohio hunting season calendar and new straight-walled cartridge rifles option for deer gun season were announced on Thursday 4/10/2014.
Ohio Wildlife Council Approves 2014-2015 Hunting Regulations
COLUMBUS, OH – The Ohio Wildlife Council approved new white-tailed deer hunting regulations at its meeting on Wednesday, April 9, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). Among new regulations are decreased deer bag limits in many counties, and hunters may use straight-walled cartridge rifles during the 2014 deer-gun week.
Deer hunting seasons for 2014-2015:
Deer archery: Sept. 27, 2014 – Feb. 1, 2015.
Antlerless deer muzzleloader: Oct. 11-12, 2014.
Youth deer gun: Nov. 22-23, 2014.
Deer gun: Dec. 1-7, 2014.
Deer muzzleloader: Jan. 2-5, 2015.See more here
How long should we have to wait to renew a driver’s license?
Posted By RichC on April 10, 2014
AN HOUR! Who likes sitting 60 minutes at the DMV just to renew a driver’s license … there must be a better way?
Waiting aside, I must be recognizing I’m no longer young, because when the clerk asked me, “how many years have you lived in Ohio?” … I decided to answer with “my whole life,” rather than to announce my age.
Archive: 9 years, 4000 blog posts and 10,000 gallons of gas
Posted By RichC on April 9, 2014
I’ve hit a milestone on My Desultory Blog – 4000 posts since I started in April 2005. Amazing to have been blogging daily for that many posts; it doesn’t seem possible? Obviously those who regularly check in know there is very little of earthshattering significance (ok, nothing of significance), but since it is purely a personal endeavor, who really cares? 
Point to self: Imagine what I could have done with all the time I’ve wasted writing and posting photos here?
Since I’m looking at “numbers,” I just noticed that I’ve added over 400 fill ups to Fuelly.com for my 2006 Honda Pilot (only 2/3rds of the miles have been posted) … or in terms of dollars, I’ve spent nearly as much for the fuel the cost of the car! Ugh!
Desultory - des-uhl-tawr-ee, -tohr-ee
- lacking in consistency, constancy, or visible order, disconnected; fitful: desultory conversation.
- digressing from or unconnected with the main subject; random: a desultory remark.