Have I ever mentioned how much I like The Economist as a publication? Back in my days on Wall Street, I used to think The Economist was too highfaluting for regular usefulness. It seemed to delve into the esoteric aspects of geopolitics and global economic issues that seemed less than fully connected to the practicum that mostly interested me. That has all changed dramatically for me in retirement. I now read the publication religiously, but…
I currently have sixteen benches on my property. Three of them are down in the play area for when we gather folks for a game of cornhole or croquet, three of them are around the upper driveway and are used for staging various activities (like building new benches!), two of them are in the Cecil Garden and are used for reflection while hand watering the garden, and the other eight are spread out strategically across…
I listened to a video that a friend made based on a letter of advice he had sent to his granddaughter on the occasion of her going off to college. He was giving her advice about how to make friends and specifically how to selectively establish relationships that will help you create the world you want to inhabit as you go forward. It was all perfectly good advice, but one thing struck me about his…
Tomorrow we are doing something I can’t remember doing for a long time…we are going bowling with a group of neighborhood friends. Growing up in Wisconsin in my elementary school days, bowling was a regular activity. I recall it was 35 cents per game, a dime to rent shoes and free to use any of the bowling balls you could find to fit your fingers. We would regularly roll three games and try like hell…
I cancelled any plans for a ride this week due to what looked like rainy weather all week. It so happens that its clear and sunny today even though it rained a lot the last day or so. I felt OK about cancelling anyway since next week I am heading out for a ride into Death Valley for a few days. I’ve been to Death Valley a number of times, but its been a while…
Have you noticed how many of the rich and powerful elite of the world are getting mowed down by the Epstein Files? This story is the gift the keeps on giving in almost every direction and in almost every language except one. Teflon Trump continues to evade accountability for what is certainly now proven to be the deepest and most enduring close relationship with the pedophile that exists. The prolific mentions of Trump in those…
Back in business school at Cornell, the most notable professor was a guy by the name of Hal Bierman. Hal taught finance. I had the unique experience of taking finance from Hal while his son was also taking finance. That’s a strange experience, but I’m sure it was more strange for both him and his son. Hal was a serious guy who tried hard to be pleasant and avuncular, but who always seemed more serious…
I was watching a movie last night about the exiled Kaiser Wilhelm during World War II. It was called The Exception and it starred Christopher Plummer as the Kaiser. At the time, he was in exile in Holland while Adolph Hitler was ravaging Europe. He had just invaded Holland in 1940 and the story tells the tale of the military and service people surrounding the Kaiser as Hitler tried to manipulate him to root out…
After a run of very nice warm winter weather out here on the hilltop, while much of the rest of the country has undergone a particularly cold and brutal winter, we have momentarily reverted to the cold and wet that winter is generally thought to be about. It’s 50 degrees out and pouring rain today, but the good news seems to be that the rain will end some time this morning and the temperature will…
Our nearby neighbors have five kids. You don’t see that much these days. I have no idea if that’s a religiously driven situation or just a family plan preference. They are lovely people and we have a good relationship all up and down the age range, having employed each and every child except the youngest in one household chore or another. They have even hired my son, Tom, to do some business videos for the…