View From Here

The actual activity of moving for me is work and rest, work and rest. While at rest and with my blog copy up to date, I sit in my recliner to rest. While there, I either nap or watch documentaries on TV. I rarely watch the news these days. Just quick updates on the big stories and items of specific interest. This practice has been my routine for at least 2 years. News gathering remains important to me, however, I accomplish this by internet reading several news sources and their bonafide reference sites. I know who to trust and who will percolate differing opinions and facts. The move and rest cycle allows me plenty of time to think on current events. I have long been a student of American governance. This covers national government as well as local taxing agencies. It is the local units of government that tell the richer story; that is where the details of life and management reside. Moving up the ladder to larger regions of governance, we eventually reach the federal level. Ign...

The first day of moving began Monday. The keys were available after noon to give the crew time to thoroughly clean the apartment including carpet and kitchen and bathroom floors. All is in order. Cabinets and drawers are clean and ready for my stuff, so much stuff! I didn’t get as much done as I had hoped. Moving takes energy and tools. I think I have most of the tools, but I don’t have the energy of prior years, nor the physical agility and balance. Still, closet has shelving in place to handle a lot of flat clothes like sweaters and folded shirts and wash pants. Shoes, too. Plenty of hanging space for the rest of the do rags. The old storage closet/walk-in pantry is nearly empty and incorporated into the new floorplan. Living in a smaller space will be manageable. And the bedroom is roomier than my current one and should accommodate my computer desk and office supplies handily. I hope to place the computer desk in front of the bedroom triple wide window with a view to green lawn,...

Not accomplished yet. So far, a hell of lot of junk has been tossed out. More has been donated to local charities via a well-connected neighbor! The rest has been boxed or bagged for easy moving to the new apartment. Closets have been emptied or prepared for quick relocation to the new spaces. Kitchen cabinets have been similarly prepared. Drawers – endless numbers of them – are also either emptied or prepared for quick relocation. Meanwhile, things much thought of but lost, have been found. One such item were bags for the vacuum cleaner. As I recall, I never got around to buying new bags, so just kept the existing one in use. Now 11 years or more later, the current bag is fully stuffed. I mean, fully stuffed. When removed it was hard packed and looked like a bomb. It went down the trash chute like a bomb as well. A mighty thud was heard. I installed a new bag found in the storage closet. The vacuum works as new. Spiffy. Plus, I have three other new bags awaiting use, hopefully in le...

Inaugural : the nasty deed is done. Unremarkable and publicly challenged by other events more important to millions of people. The transformation hoped for by less than a majority of voters will unfold in spits mostly unsuccessful. History will tell the story accurately in time. I fear a very failed presidency but in the end, one that proves that democracy is not dead in America. We the People shall prevail. It’s in the Constitution! Moving Progress : a lot of things tossed out, in the trash. Quite a bunch of things donated to local charities like the local food pantry, churches, and such. Family and friends took some of these things, too. I discovered things I had stashed away that were better in the hands of my ex-wife; she took some of this while pointing out that she too, should be downsizing! The week before residency in the new apartment will be a whirlwind of activity as I transport many loads a day to the new apartment. The walker/rollator accommodates a good arm load of clot...

Mount Baldy. Mount Wilson. The Wilson Observatory. San Gabriel mountains. All in southern California, all just north of Altadena and Pasadena. And Azusa, Cucamonga, Glendora, Claremont, Pomona, and many other communities. This was my childhood region. We lived in Altadena and later in Glendora. Grandparents were in Claremont. We drove through this region constantly. All in the 40’s and then the early 50’s. This phase of my life ended in 1954 when we moved to Massachusetts. What a change! Snow. Four seasons. And a different history learned in school. California schools, of course, focused on Mexico, the Catholic missions built up and down the California Pacific coast. And Indians, but not a lot of details about them. My education about Indians is simply sparse. I’ve learned much more from traveling the western region of our nation, especially camping on deserts and in forested mountains. The California wildfires sparked (no pun intended) memories of growing up in the region. The gri...

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr was my hero. He stood up to change America's racism, improve its democracy, and empower generations of diverse people to be all they could be. He was assassinated in April 1968 for his beliefs and social activism. Some people were terrified of his message. Some felt threatened by his honesty. Entire regions of our nation became pitted against other regions, just because African Americans were different from them.  We honor the life and legend of Dr. King today, for what he accomplished and for what emerged after his death. 1968 was a year of change, fear and violence. Tinderbox conditions existed and created more violence. Bobby Kennedy was assassinated in June of 1968. The violent and disruptive Democratic National Convention occurred that year. National fear of police action grew that year. Violent change became a thing in America in 1968. We remember all of that on this day of remembrance for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  King's death was a seminal...

If all goes well, I will move into a new apartment by the end of January. The new digs is a roomy one bedroom, one bath condo/apartment with in-unit laundry, a terrace with surrounding lawn, HVAC, garage and ample storage. Rising rents forced me out of my 2 bed/2 bath unit. The roominess of the new space, however, will allow me to keep most of my stuff although I am doing my best to dump, donate or sell things to make life simpler and cheaper. Sounds easy, but not always possible. First to go were the CDs and DVDs. Amazing how that collection grew but no longer of much value. I did share my Harry Potter, and some music collections with the building. Others can have them or share them in our lending library. Second to go are papers, especially Rocky’s now that he is gone. Then some more books; may share them with our lending library in the building. Third is clothing. This will be shared with a local charity to benefit others. I can longer fit into these things, so they are taki...

A prized indicator of healthy economies is job creation . This thinking believes creating new jobs is a positive action of employers growing their businesses. This supports more economic growth among suppliers, shippers and retailers of the goods and services created by the new jobs. The unemployment rate is another indicator of economic health, especially if the number is low or declining. High unemployment is a drag on the economy, but low unemployment usually means a dynamic, growing economy that will boost economic output and increase incomes. Maintaining low unemployment or pushing the rate down comes mainly from job creation. The two measures fit together nicely. Yet, January 10 th both measures improved. Yet the stock market declined substantially. What gives? Well, investors still hope for a reduction in interest rates by the Federal Reserve Bank. Investors believe that lower interest rates will boost investments in business and their stocks. They believe that strong job ...

I have something to say, to tell. My brain is constantly in motion. Even asleep my mind is pushing forth ideas, stories, dreams and random thoughts. I find myself explaining things, to me! I sense others may be listening, so I include them in my explanation. These are random. I have no idea why the topics pop to mind and use my energy. Does your mind engage in this activity as well? I bet it does. The book I’m writing is something topical that often engages my mind. The topics appear random, but on examination, they are related. They often connect with the theme of the book. Organizing all of this is complicated. I’ve tried to do it before and quickly became lost. I’ve even asked a friend of mine who was a writer, published, edited often, and in need of bucks. I asked him if he thought my book could produce income; he said yes. So, I offered him half of everything it produced, and the same flow to his wife if he predeceased her. He said yes. We both fiddled with the material a bit,...

Wildfires I was born in Pasadena, California but lived in Altadena. We lived there a dozen years with the exception of 3 years on the Mojave Desert. Coming back to the same home in Altadena we had left 3 years earlier, my folks realized we needed a larger home. We built a new house in Glendora to the west of Altadena and at the base of Mount Baldy. Altadena and Glendora are on the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountain range. Forest fires were always a threat, but we rarely had one close to our home. Of course, rainy seasons in winter after a forest fire were chancy for floods and mudslides. We had plenty of the latter! We left California in 1954 and resettled in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Both locales were life changing; oh, so different! Now, looking back at previous homes in the 1940’s and 50’s, it is a shuddering experience to think of those homes endangered by a raging fire. The streets, sidewalks, trees, shrubs and flowers are stark memories growing up. Thinking them inciner...

Most of us have a savings account. Also, a checking account. Some savings accounts are of longer length, like certificates of deposit, IRAs, and money markets. Household budgets are a common feature, but not as common as they need to be. Basically, we know where we are financially: in debt a lot, or not; auto loans and mortgages are common debts for most families. Consumer debt for major appliances, repairs or remodels are another frequent type of loan. Of course, bank credit cards (VISA, Mastercard, for example) make up a great amount of debt. Calculating household income and including it in the budget is something we do often, primarily with an eye toward what we want to happen so we can buy a wanted thing, or travel to an exciting locale. Incomes are most often not in our control. To get more we work more, have a second job, or another family member gets a job and shares the dollars with the family budget. Once our households were fueled by one earner (dad); today both spouses m...

Three months ago, I resigned from SCORE.org. Instead, I focused on writing a book I’ve wanted to do for a few decades, now. There were other things that spurred the decision, but I have been out of the client loop now for a little over three months. Today, I return to participate in a SCORE webinar. This one is a panel design and addresses nonprofits in general. My piece is about key strategies that will bolster success of the organization. Webinars are primarily educational. Presenters do best if they focus on client needs and mindsets. If paired well, the message is absorbed and helps the student. My task is to know this well enough to pass meaningful knowledge bits onto the students. Being out of the loop for three months may be a barrier to this process. We shall see, but the risk of failure is worth it. Certainly, it is worth it to me because it is a critical tension that pulls the intellect into full action. If that is the case, the student gets an experience that truly teach...

Wonderful world with technology; new products, and routines that never quit. Well, most of the time, anyway. Now, technology is the larger issue for me. The cell phone has been a boon. Business travel by car was made much simpler with the cell phone. I could keep in touch with the office, my secretary, and my clients while driving miles and miles. I could call my client for last minute directions in their town to find their place of business. I could make reservations for hotels that way, too. I could call for help if the car failed me, but that never happened in the nearly 2 million miles of driving! I appreciated knowing the cell phone was at my side to use in any emergency. And my family members, too. I knew I could call them at any time and reassure myself they were safe and whole. But there is a huge 'but' with cell phones. As an early adaptor, I took to the phone very well. In later years, however, the cell phone does more and is more than I can keep up with. Change...

I won’t dignify the title with an exclamation point. That would be too hopeful given the circumstances. As wrong as many points of our past have been, we still retain a governance structure that is driven by the people. The simple fact is that the new White House administration was barely elected at all, let alone far below 50% of voters. Our system declares him the winner and thus has the authority to fulfill his role. It does not, however, give him the power to eliminate the system. He has authority to implement policy but not to implement major changes without the express authority, action and votes of the Congress. The US Constitution still rules. And the President must obey or face consequences. One of those consequences are lawsuits for failing to follow the constitution. After all, he has pledged to obey the Constitution during his inauguration. Those lawsuits will be paid for by the taxpayers. They will be dragged out in time and distractions as long as it takes to establis...