Saturday, September 3, 2011

Another Hot Day

This has been another one. I started it out in the usual way...the animals, breakfast with my brother-in-law, and then I actually got my trimming done and half of the weeding in the front flowerbed, before it got unbearable out there. Then I went out to visit Phyllis and Gerry. Phyllis was a little brighter today....not much though.

Then I came home and read my book. I had finished "The Help" yesterday and today I read "The Lincoln Lawyer". It was quite good. I haven't seen either movie. Usually the movies don't follow the book very well and I usually prefer the book. I really love my new Kindle the kids gave me for Christmas. If I want to read a book, I just download it from Amazon. I don't even have to leave the house. This fall, I'll be able to download books from the library and just borrow them.

It's almost 7:30 now. And it's still 95 degrees.

I got my water and electric bill today. Last August it was $125.00. This August it is $195.00. I will have to get into my savings to pay it.

Slinky was inside most of the day. He gets so hot.

More later...

Friday, September 2, 2011

Hot Friday

The part for the air conditioning at work will not be in until Tuesday and it will probably not be installed before I go to work at 8:00. So it will be another hot day at work.

I got everyone all caught up again today. No one came in to pay a fine so there was not as much to do. I did help the woman who takes the traffic fines write her envelopes and get them ready when people do come in to pay their fines. There are a lot of speeding tickets.

I called my brother-in-law when I got off work and picked him up to go to lunch. He too was tired of TV dinners and sandwiches. He was just ready to call me when his phone rang. We went to Sirloin Stockade and had a real meal again for a change. He had been to see my sister and she had done a lot of crying. That always upsets him. We will meet in the morning for breakfast. I will see her tomorrow morning at 10:00.

I will mow this evening after it cools down a bit. Then tomorrow, if possible, I will trim.

Slinky has been in the house all afternoon. I let him out a bit ago because he is tired of the house. He just came to the back door and barked...wanting back in.

More later...

I got the mowing done and tomorrow if possible, I will trim.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Hot Thursday

The air conditioning went out in our office this morning and it probably will not be fixed tomorrow. They had to order the part. When I left at 11:30, it was over 80 degrees in the office. They had set up fans but it was still plenty hot.

It's 102 right now and it's only 3:00 PM. It will get hotter before it cools down.

I worked hard this morning and got everyone caught up. Then I got off thirty minutes early for Ministerial Alliance. I'm the secretary treasurer so I need to be there a little early to get the minutes and the agenda distributed before everyone gets there. I had been going in 15 minutes early for some time for just such needs. Bonnie was not at all unhappy about letting me go a little early.

I came home after the alliance meeting and Slinky was miserable in this heat so I let him in the kitchen again. He hates to be in the house but he hates the heat more so he just goes out long enough to find that its still very hot then he wants back in.

I would like to make a bank deposit but I hate to put Slinky out to do that so I'll wait until tomorrow after I leave work.

This afternoon I finished the book, "The Help". It was very good. It took me awhile to get into it but it turned out interesting enough that I couldn't put it down.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Huntsman for President? Who's Left?

I was just reading today how Jon Huntsman's new jobs proposal (as well as most other Republican tax reform proposals) suggests, in the name of those mysterious "job creators," to eliminate all taxes on long-term capital gains (more than one year) and dividend income.

So here is the unspoken underlying context: If you have $1 million in investments or more (or even less), it is incredibly easy to set up a fairly-low-risk portfolio that delivers virtually ALL income in the form of long-term capital gains and dividends.

In addition, if you are an upper-level manager in most businesses, your employer will likely gladly set you up (especially if this passes) to receive most of your income in the form of deferrals and stock that pays out in the form of capital gains (many bonuses are already set up this way). You only need one-years' worth of cash to get you through to the point where most of THIS year's income is from capital gains from LAST year, and thus tax-free.

Let this sink in a minute: If you have reached the bottom tier of "wealthy," you can set yourself up so that you will, from this point onward, pay zero dollars in income taxes on the great majority of your income.

Will the voters see through this scam?

Also, get ready for another round of McCarthyism. Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, and Rick Santorum have all signed a pledge to form a commission to investigate the LGBT community if elected President.

This pledge was created by the National Organization For Marriage, and they have a history of extreme views against homosexuals and anyone who votes to extend marriage rights to them.

The pledge reads as follows.

I, [candidate name], pledge to the American people that if elected President, I will:

[...] establish a presidential commission on religious liberty to investigate and document reports of Americans who have been harassed or threatened for exercising key civil rights to organize, to speak, to donate or to vote for marriage and to propose new protections, if needed.

In other words, the extreme right wing is going to persecute homosexuals on a whole new level if they have power after the 2012 Election. Homosexuals and supporters of marriage equality will be intimidated, interrogated, and stripped of their right to speak freely.

The religious right wing has been allowed to push their un-American and unconstitutional agenda for far too long. Americans must push back. If we continue to do nothing, we could all be persecuted by this fanatical group.

First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Socialist.

Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Trade Unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --
Because I was not a Jew.

Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me.

Working Wednesday

Well, I work this morning and I will undoubtedly be busy. I leave in about thirty minutes.

I took Slinky out for his morning walk this morning and noticed that the humidity is really getting to him. Not only did he only want to walk four blocks but he panted hard all the way. I notice he creaks a lot getting up and down. I just wonder how long he will last. This winter I will have to put him in the garage while I am at work. Maybe he can hunker down back by the hot water tank and stay warm enough. There is a rug there he can lay on too. He tore up both his dog beds with his claws last winter. He tries to dig a "nest" with his rugs. I guess I could buy another dog bed though if that will keep him more comfortable.

Tomorrow is Ministerial Alliance and my supervisor has said I could leave early (11:30) so I can get the agenda and the minutes of May's meeting distributed. We have 16 coming if everyone shows up.

More later...

It's 105 this afternoon and Slinky has been in the kitchen all afternoon. I can't blame him. It's ungodly hot out there.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Better Tuesday

Today I feel like my old self again so it must have been that big Sunday that did me in yesterday.

I went out to church to run copies of the minutes for the last meeting of the CMA and the agenda and then came home and folded the clothes I had washed and dried and just now came in from trimming back my forsythia bush on the east side of the house. It had a tree growing in it so I cut that down too. It looks a lot better out there now. I still have another tree growing next to the fence on the east side of the house so maybe I can get that one another time. I should have done it yesterday.

I have a dental appointment at noon. It's just a cleaning and exam. Hopefully there is nothing else to be done. There was enough damage last time when I had to have my bridge removed and the abutment tooth taken out. It had had two root canals in it and finally failed. There went $2,000 down the drain plus the cost of the bridge and the extraction. So here I am missing the first molar and first and second bicuspid on the lower right side of my mouth. Drat!

Anyhow, I was getting sweaty out there working on that trimming and it was sprinkling so I stopped and came in the house.

More later....

My brother-in-law came over and borrowed a buffer pad that my Bob had for his drill. It stopped raining and after he left I got out there and cut that second tree down and chopped it up and bagged it. Now that side of my house looks so much better.

If I can just stay ahead of all this stuff that has to be done, that will help a bunch.

It's time to leave for the dentist now so I'd better get up there. I don't want to be late.

Later....

All I needed was a cleaning and exam. Whew!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Tired Monday

I'm tired today. Too much activity yesterday, I guess. I got the letters finished first thing this morning and dust mopped the floors and did a couple of loads of laundry. But other then that, I haven't done a lot.

I should get out there and weed that front flowerbed but I have no energy this morning. In about 45 minutes I will go back out to see Phyllis at Windsor.

More later...

Well, I went to see Phyllis. She wasn't too awfully alert but then she seldom is anymore. She did have several sentences she could say to me. She asked me if I could come over to her house tonight and then before I left she asked me to bring her a book.

I am just pooped today. I guess I won't do much more. I did clean my oven some but for some reason I'm just not up to much. I have been reading a new book I downloaded to my kindle. I believe it's called "Help".

I did go to the Dollar store this afternoon and to Braums. I got milk and bananas and half and half. I decided to make some soft serve with my ice cream maker. It just makes 2 quarts and I ate some of it and then put the rest in the freezer in Tupperware.

I simply have not had much energy this afternoon.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Very Busy Sunday

Today I have church school and church. I preside today. Afterward I assume the three or four of us (depending on whether John goes along too) will catch a bite of lunch somewhere before leaving for the campgrounds.

It will be a full day. I may be wrong but I am assuming they will bring up selling the campgrounds and then renting it for our camps, reunions (family camps) and retreats. That will be an interesting discussion.

I imagine I will have to do my letters in the morning since I will be gone all afternoon.

More later...

It was a good service though a small congregation.

Afterward we ate at Olive Garden in Joplin. We had soup and salad.

We attended the campground business meeting but we didn't have to deal with the question of selling the campgrounds since they just discussed the budget and acted on the budget. I nominated my daughter for the campgrounds board and she was elected. It sounded like she was interested and she didn't mind my nomination. She was elected.

After that we had homemade ice cream complete with lots of great toppings.

We got home a little after 6:00 and I fed the animals and came in here to finish the day's blog.

I'll do the letters tomorrow morning.