Take the economic crash of 2008 for instance. I was on top of that as early as 2005, and we ended up doing pretty good through that ordeal. Now take the economic crash of 2018, only, see, it's not quite here yet. It is coming, the rumblings have started. Check the Dow.
Annnd housing's starting to stack up, more listings on the market. So, you know, if you're looking to buy some real estate, wait.
I know, I know, everyone has an opinion, and most of them are wrong. So why am I right, then? Trust me. Wait! I don't opinionate that often, but when I do, I am mostly always right.
Put 10-20% of your portfolio into some physical precious metals, etfs and/or some mining stocks. Maybe toss a couple thousand into some cannibis penny stocks. I have what I think are a few "hot" ones. PM me if interested.
And most definitely put some stops in on your blue chip income producing stocks, maybe 5-10% under where they are today. Or 20% if you want to lose that much. And get out of bonds, get into cash. Yeah, I know, it pays nothing. Well, you'll thank me later when you have the money available to pick up stocks and real estate at a substantially reduced price from where they are today.
As I started saying, before I became so utterly distracted, I just, um, revisited this site, my site, after about a six month absence. Unbeknownst to me I have still been getting a couple hundred page views a month without any new material. It ain't huge, but it does mean I have an audience. And so I humbly apologize.
Who knew? Least of all me. So if you are a fan (thank you) you'll be happy to note I am back. At least once a month. Maybe more. I just don't want to get boring. I guess if I keep interjecting enough crazy it'll stay entertaining.
What else have I been doing?
The most recent seismic shift had to do with my father-in-law's passing a month or so ago. Besides being the main dude within our immediate family nucleus he was also the patriarch of a pretty large consortium of folks that I still do not know all the names of.
He was internationally renowned in industrial and business relations, one of the most ethical business men in Silicon Valley in the 1980-1990's according to the business editor of the San Jose Bee. Truly a great man. He will be sorely missed.
He had been suffering from Alheizmer's, but then he also got hit with one of Al's nasty cousins, Lewy Body. Ted Turner just brought national attention to Lewy Body Dementia, I think he was kind of making light of it, that it is not as bad as Alzheimer's.
Um, trust me Ted, it is no laughing matter as you will eventually not discover.
My in-laws had also theoretically taken care of their estate planning and final wishes. Only the place they chose-one of the most expensive retirement care places in the Bay Area-ended up failing them when they needed them the most.
And that put the immediate family in the cross hairs when the shit hit the fan in June. Mom, the 84 year old primary caretaker (who has had three hip replacements in almost as many years) of the rapidly diminishing 85 year old dementia patient essentially had a nervous breakdown when Dad went off the rails due to lack of proper psychotropic medication. Both ended up in the hospital.
And then it was three agonizing months of a front line all hands on deck crisis care giving family situation that didn't really subside until Dad passed away.
I would also like to give a shout out to a couple organizations, A Place for Mom and Hospice. When the firestorm started and we could not get Dad into the memory care unit of the facility they were residents of, we learned there were essentially no beds available in the Bay Area for memory care, or dementia patients.
So we thought maybe we could move him up to our location in the foothills, if only for a short period of time, until a facility opened up in the Bay Area. To that end I called A Place for Mom, the organization I used a decade or so ago when I was looking for a place for my Mom. After describing our situation with the very receptive and caring area representative, I received a phone call within thirty minutes from a place that had a bed.
I won't go into all the sordid details, but over the next couple months the family stayed in crisis and went back and forth as far as Dad's care was concerned. What ended up happening was he stayed in their two bedroom cottage with twenty-four hour professional care. As well as family members filtering in and out on a constant basis. Fortunately Mom was still recovering from her ordeal in the wellness unit of their facility, so she had a sheltered and safe environment with which to recover.
Let me tell you, Lewy Body brought on some very bizarre behavior from a generally conservative gentleman. At all hours of the day and night. Where Alzheimer's patients tend to be rather sedate while they slip away, Lewy Body patients can be very physically active while they slip away. We discovered Lewy Body can be a very formidable form of dementia.
Let me tell you, Lewy Body brought on some very bizarre behavior from a generally conservative gentleman. At all hours of the day and night. Where Alzheimer's patients tend to be rather sedate while they slip away, Lewy Body patients can be very physically active while they slip away. We discovered Lewy Body can be a very formidable form of dementia.
Fortunately, Dad was rushed to the hospital with an a-fib heart condition on September 3rd. That's what ultimately took him. He was sent home under hospice care on the 4th.
Under Hospice's direction, a hospital bed was set up in the cottage living room, which I thought was wonderful. Even though he was asleep 80% of the time his subconscious and spirit could still dance with familiar voices and sounds. Rather than a somber and subdued back bedroom location, he was still a part of a much more lively scene. And there he stayed until he left us all on the 12th.
My lovely wife and I went down on the 4th, planning on only staying four days. But after a consult with his physician on the day we were going to leave, in which he gave Dad 48-72 hours, we decided to stay.
And here I have to give a huge shout out to Amber, our Ace, of Pet, Plant and Home. She stepped it up and managed to care for all our plants and critters at a very hot and critical time of the year. A time of year where missing a plant for a day can mean certain death.
I got a lot of stuff going on here. There's a reason why we only travel fall through spring, it's cause the summer is hot and I got a lot of stuff going on. Even automatic drip systems have to be checked periodically, and I have eight or ten of them spread out all over this hill. And there's a lot of plants not on a drip. I left her instructions for four days, not ten.
We had a few phone consults, and she even brought up a couple of newly planted roses I had forgotten about. Without Amber, I could not have maintained my role, which was support and comic relief.
I don't know what folks do that don't have a large, loving family. There were anywhere from five to seven immediate family members on hand at all times, plus a 24 hour professional care giver. Everyone was busy. Constantly. For days.
His final departure was beautiful. He was surrounded by nothing but love, with his wife of 66 years at his bedside, holding his hand. Three of four daughters looking on adoringly. It was poignant. It was lovely. It was surreal.
There was grief. And relief. We had been watching this horrible disease slowly take him away these last couple years, and we were also witness to his valiant effort to retain some form of self. He was a great man, The Man, as his eldest grandson, our son, said in a tribute at his memorial service. He will be missed by many, yet his legacy will forever live on.
And here I have to give a huge shout out to Amber, our Ace, of Pet, Plant and Home. She stepped it up and managed to care for all our plants and critters at a very hot and critical time of the year. A time of year where missing a plant for a day can mean certain death.
I got a lot of stuff going on here. There's a reason why we only travel fall through spring, it's cause the summer is hot and I got a lot of stuff going on. Even automatic drip systems have to be checked periodically, and I have eight or ten of them spread out all over this hill. And there's a lot of plants not on a drip. I left her instructions for four days, not ten.
We had a few phone consults, and she even brought up a couple of newly planted roses I had forgotten about. Without Amber, I could not have maintained my role, which was support and comic relief.
I don't know what folks do that don't have a large, loving family. There were anywhere from five to seven immediate family members on hand at all times, plus a 24 hour professional care giver. Everyone was busy. Constantly. For days.
His final departure was beautiful. He was surrounded by nothing but love, with his wife of 66 years at his bedside, holding his hand. Three of four daughters looking on adoringly. It was poignant. It was lovely. It was surreal.
There was grief. And relief. We had been watching this horrible disease slowly take him away these last couple years, and we were also witness to his valiant effort to retain some form of self. He was a great man, The Man, as his eldest grandson, our son, said in a tribute at his memorial service. He will be missed by many, yet his legacy will forever live on.
A lot of folks, when they are faced with some sort of major problem or dilemma, or life catastrophe, they have to look out in the world for morals, guidance or advice. And they might ask,
"What would Jesus do?"
"What would Gandhi do?"
"What would Tony Robbins do?"
"What would Tony Danza do?"
"What would Jesus do?"
"What would Gandhi do?"
"What would Tony Robbins do?"
"What would Tony Danza do?"
All I have to ask is, "What would Dad do?"
By the way, Dad was king of corny jokes.
Our invention, The Deresinator, is still a live, working, tangible piece of something or other. The proto type seals and otters had a few issues, but our engineer is on top of them and we should have it active in time for the fall harvest coming up in a few weeks or so. More on that soon!
By the way, Dad was king of corny jokes.
Our invention, The Deresinator, is still a live, working, tangible piece of something or other. The proto type seals and otters had a few issues, but our engineer is on top of them and we should have it active in time for the fall harvest coming up in a few weeks or so. More on that soon!
One of the original goals I had when we first moved in to this house was to be able to walk around the entire place barefoot without looking and feeling like I was walking on hot coals. That action was completed this last May.
It all started with another brick planter. Now filled with lilies. Originally with four azalea's. Three of which fried when Mister Sun got up in the summer. It seemed shady enough. But a couple hours of direct sun in the late morning was too much.
And then there came some steps. And a little hedge.
Then some lawn. And a walk. That matches the patio. And wallah! It's amazing what brick planters can lead to.
Dad used to give his daughters rides in that bad boy. I've done a lot of preservation work on that puppy just to keep it in the perfect used condition it is currently in.
Besides the azaleas, I also fried at least two, if not three rhododendrons. I planted seven of them in the spring, when Mister Sun was lower on the horizon. Right along that black privacy fence in the back there and then along the wire towards the potting shed.
Unfortunately when Mister Sun got up there straight away in the summer he started crisping those shade loving perennials. I put up shade cloth, which kept some of them alive. But I can't be constantly dealing with certain aspects of ornamentals. Like frying. They've got to fit the spot or get moved.
Plus, it's only fair to the plant. And sometimes that happens when planting. I have learned one cannot underestimate Mister Sun.
So I have pulled up all the rhodys and repotted them. Four should make it. Three I think are toast. But I'm going to coax them along just a little bit more. Hopefully I can find a shady enough place. If not, I'll sell them.
It's been a rattlesnake year around here. One evening this last summer I found a two footer up in the chicken's companion cage. I'm pretty sure he was going after the eggs. He ended up getting a pellet or two in the brain.
And then, THEN, I was under the house two weeks ago trying to finagle a piece of plywood in there. My bare knee was down on the ground, and about four inches away there was some rustling in the leaves. I'll be go to hell if it wasn't a baby rattler, about eight inches long. That sure got my attention.
I snagged him with my litter grabber thing. And then that same evening my lovely wife espied two of our cats playing with something by the front steps. It was another baby rattler. They were also playing with a small snake a few days before out by the picket fence. Which now could have been another rattler.
I called a snake wrangler out the next day. He walked around the entire property but could not find a den. It's possible the larger snake I killed earlier could have been the mother, but it's also possible it was not. The good news is a snake litter is usually three to six, so I'm hopin it was on the short end and we're done with them all. One thing's for sure, I'm gonna be a bit more cautious in the future when venturing under the house.
I bought a big fake rock. It's nothing like the Pet Rock craze of the 1970's. And it definitely won't fit in anybody's pocket, I don't care how large of pant you wear, see?
Check out how I can make my pressure tank and well head disappear...
It was either that or I could have spent the same amount of money for lumber and then a few extra days I don't have to build a pump house. And since I'm not a finish carpenter and have enough projects to keep me busy until I'm 90 I chose the fake rock route.
Which was drop shipped from the manufacturer in Wisconsin. I bought it through a company called exteriorsolutions.com. Which is in Illinois. I'll give them two and a half stars. The price was good ($700) and they actually started the slow boat to China delivery process in a timely fashion.
What they did not do was send me the email with tracking number in a timely fashion. Which they said they would do. It took about three weeks to get that information from them. About the same time it took for the rock to get here.
And they had email.
I have to be on top of deliveries here cause we live on a hill with a steep drive. Most delivery trucks can't make it. I gotta make arrangements. Anyway, it all turned out fine. It just would have been better if they had followed through with the tracking number when they said they would.
I also just had a transfer switch installed on our well. What the heck is that and why bother? Well, the pump for our well, and most wells for that matter, is powered by electricity. When the power goes out so does your water. And water is kind of important, especially in a wildfire emergency.
Since we were supposed to be evacuated just about one year ago exactly due to a wildfire, I got the rare opportunity to go through a trial run without actually having to face the fire demon.
I'm on a county wide emergency alert notification list, so like when we have a wildfire approaching I get a call. And at about 3 AM last year in early October I got a call. It was on one of those red flag warning high wind - high fire danger kinda nights.
The call woke me up, and considering the time of night I figured it might be important. Of course, my phone was downstairs. No more land line.
I sleepily trundled down the stairs and noticed how eerily quiet it was.
Nice line, eh?
Nothing electric was humming. No little electric red or blue tiny fire fly space ship lights anywhere.
"The power was out," I ascertained.
I went to the front window and looked out across our little valley. There were no lights on, anywhere.
"It's not just us," I re-ascertained.
I felt comforted with that. It meant zombies or mercenaries hadn't just cut power to our house. They were after everyone.
Then I retrieved my message, stating that we were under mandatory evacuation orders because the McCourtney Fire was heading in our direction.
"McCourtney Fire?? McCourtney Fire?? What McCourtney Fire??"
"HONEY!!!!"
They made it sound like I should have known what the heck they were talking about. I had no idea. I went to bed and everything was fine. The wind was blowing a little, but not that bad.
What the hell?
I started bouncing around like a crazed ex-firefighter and tried to get my bearings. Both emergency flashlights were not where they were supposed to be.
Perfect. So far so good.
I found a lighter, then a flashlight. Somewhere.
Grandkids!
Make a note.
My lovely wife had been rousted with my rather shrill "honey". She was grabbing stuff. You know, socks. Underwear. Important things.
What the hell are you supposed to grab in the middle of the night when you can't see a damn thing and have no idea what's going on?
Our son called. He told me we were under evac orders. I said something I am sure. I have no idea what. He and his fiancé became en route to our locale.
Fortunately, the winds had died down in our neck of the county, but all hell was breaking loose a couple miles away in Rough and Ready. As well in Santa Rosa and many other locations here in Northern California. This was that awful autumn scenario in 2017 when high winds whipped utility caused flames into a frenzy. Which then tore through the countryside as well as residential neighborhoods. We were just on the fringe edge of that.
| October 2017 Northern California wildfires | |
|---|---|
Copernicus Sentinel-3A satellite picture, October 9
| |
| Location | Northern California |
| Statistics[1] | |
| Total fires | 250[1] |
| Total area | At least 245,000 acres (99,148 ha) |
| Cost | ~$14.5 billion (2017 USD)[2][3] |
| Date(s) | October 8, 2017 – October 31, 2017 |
| Buildings destroyed | 8,900 |
| Fatalities | 44 civilians[4] |
| Non-fatal injuries | 192[5][6] |
 |
| Location of Northern California wildfires |
The October 2017 Northern California wildfires, also known as the Northern California firestorm,[7] were a series of 250 wildfires that started burning across the state of California, United States, beginning in early October. Twenty-one became major fires that burned at least 245,000 acres
This was turning out to be a great plan.
I had, uh, apparently forgot about having an alternate power source.
Alternate reality? Yes. Always.
Alternate power? Apparently not. Oops.
Fortunately the wind had died down dramatically and the fire went in a different direction.
So we four sat in the candle lit living room, listening to reports of the two closest fires and evacuations that were occurring. We were in touch with a couple friends in that war zone.
We later discovered our niece and nephew's 90 year old paternal grandmother evac'd with flames at her door. She drove down her curvy dirt road through smoke so heavy she could barely see, running into a ditch once as the flames continued their heated pursuit.
In the meantime, we ran to Starbuck's for coffee.
You know, important stuff.
We discovered the fire had started right down at the end of our road, across from the fairgrounds, about two and a half miles away.
There were still burning embers of wood chips in the parking area we always use. Plus two residences across from the fairgrounds were still in the flaming charred ruin stage of the burning to shit process.
After caffeine we went to my nephew's to borrow a generator. Even though the wind had changed, our fire was still very active, having burned to within a mile of the house. The wind could change again. I was going to be prepared.
The generator enabled me to charge the pump, run the fridge and wifi for communication. At the very least I had two charged 3/4 inch lines. That could easily allow me to put out any advanced embers coming my way. I was set.
I have since implemented a few extra safety measures so that I will NOT be caught with my fire pants down again.
The first was flashlight re-placement. And now there's one on the nightstand along with the phone.
The next was purchase a generator. I may even get another one, dedicated to the well. We'll see.
The next was to put in a transfer switch at the well. Not a simple deal. Since the pump, when it kicks on, can run a high amperage, you need a 220 switch. Which is big deal and needs to be attached to something.
Sigh. Here we go. It's always something.
That's what makes living in the country so special.
I think.
The previous pump house, which the transfer switch could have been attached to, had been held together with bubblegum and glue. I put a new roof on it and painted it when we bought the place in 2010, but it was ready to go then. I did make it last another eight years, but it was time.
To be tossed. And then I added a 4x4 post, had the switch installed and covered it all with a big, beautiful boulder!
From Wisconsin. Via Illinois.
I also have installed a 360 degree sprinkler at the chicken coop and made two stands in a "V" shape so that they will sit on the peak of our roof. Each stand will accommodate a 360 degree rain bird that will cover the entire house.
And I think I will continue to retain the 2800 gallon water tank for fire prevention rather than irrigation. It's in front and can gravity feed to any tank on the road. Plus I can pump it anywhere on the property.
I just learned something new as I come to print. Our washing machine has been leaking a bit, fortunately into a drip pan and not on to the hardwood floor. Kara Hale, of Hale Appliance Services, was out. She fixed the leak and then educated me on detergent, since it sounded like the bearings were going out on our eight year old machine. And the main cause of the bearings going out is using too much detergent.
And so I said, somewhat defensively, that I only filled it to the lowest line, not the top. And then she said front loaders use so much less than that, like only one tablespoon per load. A bottle of detergent should last a year, not a couple months.
And I said, "Aha."
How about that?
Since the cost of replacing the bearings is about the same as a new machine, she suggested my lovely wife and I watch for sales. In the meantime, the rinse cycle in the utility room will continue to sound like a jet engine taking off. Until it simply ceases to roar.
Anyway, one tablespoon. Who knew? Least of all me, and maybe you. So if you want to extend the life of your energy efficient front loader, use less detergent.
And if your machine sounds like a jet engine when it's spinning, start looking for specials. You're flying on borrowed time.
I kinda wish I had learned this sooner, you know?
One tablespoon.
Thank you Kara. By the way, I highly recommend them. If you live in Nevada County that is. Doubt they're gonna travel to Alaska.
Cheers!
Yikes! I thought I had a bad year.....
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