Last week I attended what I am sure will be the start of too many funerals this year. As I have mentioned in the past, my mother and father both turn 75 this year, which means my mom’s and dad’s aunts, uncles, cousins, bothers, sisters are at that age when a simple cold can turn into a life-and-death situation.
Lots of words have been written about mothers. One of my favorites is: “Only a mother would think her daughter has been a good girl when she returns from a date with a Gideon Bible in her purse.”
Bob Herbold became famous at Microsoft for noticing things others overlooked. He chronicled some of those observations two years ago in one of the better business books of the decade, “Seduced by Success” (McGraw-Hill) which regrettably was not required reading at General Motors and WaMu.
The hope of a short economic downturn was fading quickly as the days grew shorter and the damp, dark rains of October and November turned into a bitterly snowy and cold December. By the time winter began, we all knew that we were facing the worst economic crisis in a lifetime. As we collectively struggled for signs of hope, everyone knew that the path would be long and dark.
Legislators have just staggered away from the state Capitol having made cuts (actually, reductions from increases) nobody expected six short months ago. And there will be more. One-time federal grants and an inexcusable raid on the building budget to cover operating expenses makes another round of cutting all but inevitable. Some legislators are also talking up taxes, and a handful (mostly Democrats) tried pushing through an increase in the sales tax or the introduction of the income tax on wealthy earners. They didn’t make it – this time. But they jacked up college tuition and raised $100 million in other taxes.
A week or two ago, David Letterman would start each nightly monologue by asking his Late Show audience if they had any money. The crowd would always reply with a resounding “No!” Thereafter, he’d shrug and say he didn’t have any either. Then he’d wonder who does.
There is an offensive play in rugby called a “try.”
Spring is in the air and finally the bulb fields are blooming and sporting bright, yellow flowers which contrast against the backdrop of a vivid blue sky and Mount Rainier. I know I’m waxing poetic, but this time of year a lot of homeowners start making their annual treks to home and garden stores for supplies to spruce up their yards. I happen to be one of those homeowners.
Spring is in the air and finally the bulb fields are blooming and sporting bright, yellow flowers which contrast against the backdrop of a vivid blue sky and Mount Rainier. I know I’m waxing poetic, but this time of year a lot of homeowners start making their annual treks to home and garden stores for supplies to spruce up their yards. I happen to be one of those homeowners.
Legislators have just staggered away from the state Capitol having made cuts (actually, reductions from increases) nobody expected six short months ago. And there will be more.
Sitting under a pile of papers and photos at home is one of my prize possessions. It’s a vintage Admiral console TV from 1948 – with a whopping 9 1/2-inch picture. Even in 1948, only a mouse would have thought it of it as a big-screen TV. Yet, at more than 60 years old, the old black-and-white set still works – for now.
There is an offensive play in rugby called a “try.”
Surprises. You gotta’ love ‘em or hate ‘em. Right?
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