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?
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).
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!
It’s about time to include a “just for fun” video from the female perspective, rather than YouTube clips from guys (1, 2, 3). Might be worth trying at a teen sleepover or birthday party?
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.
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.
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.
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!
I’m not a fan of snakes, but if I was, sleeping with a LARGE python doesn’t seem like the smartest thing to do … even if “the snake’s cold body is a natural air conditioner on a hot summer night.”
Thirteen-year-old Bingzhe from Dongguan, Guangdong Province, has been living and sleeping together with a gigantic python ever since he was a baby. His father said that the black python has been a family pet for 19 years, Yangcheng Evening News reported. After Bingzhe was born, the non-venomous constrictor became the boy’s nanny since both of his parents were busy working. Bingzhe was nine months old when the 20kg python started to sleep in the same bed with the boy. The unlikely pair has been best friends ever since. They play and have fun together. And during hot summer nights the snake’s cold body is a natural air conditioner for the boy who likes to use it as a pillow. The pet python is currently 4-meters long and weighs nearly 100 kilograms – big enough to swallow an adult human. But according to the boy’s father, the constrictor is very tame and has never hurt anyone. (G+ Sourced – Universe Explores)
Is a helium filled floating wind turbine practical? Alaeros has already tested theirs tethered at 500 feet and is attempting a world record 1000 foot where the winds are stronger and steadier. Hmm, perhaps instead of mounting a wind turbine atop a stainless steel pole on our sailboat I should rig a floating turbine in order to charge Encore’s battery bank?
According to a new post in Gizmag, the floating turbine is able to withstand rain and snow as well as winds up to 100 mph. It is hard to imagine every house floating a turbine, but once-upon-a-time television antennas were atop almost every rural house.
Wind turbines on the tops of towers have a few disadvantages and attract criticism on several fronts. They attract they take a long time to install, they make a bit of noise, they pose a threat to birds and some folks consider them a blight on the landscape, making them a bit of a “not in my backyard” proposition in certain areas.
More importantly, the towers aren’t high enough to take advantage of the strong, consistent wind you can get higher up. At 1,000 ft, for example, you can expect about five times more wind than you can at the top of a standard tower.
The Buoyant Air Turbine (BAT) from Altaeros is an inflatable helium shell with stabilizing fins and a turbine in the middle. Strong tethers anchor it to the ground and send the electricity down.
and it is much better finding the fully decayed bones rather than gagging while having to bury the dead carcass! 
Point to self: Imagine what I could have done with all the time I’ve wasted writing and posting photos here? 
