Seldom in my life have I felt so squeezed I couldn’t find money in my resources for normal/expected increases in daily life. But I feel some economic walls moving inward the past couple of weeks. It’s like I’m watching them actually move and it’s totally unnerving.
Mostly it’s because of many things, property taxes are one. They went up this year, that was expected, but more than I thought. And this is the time of year that my health insurance opens enrollment. This year there are no new plans but the same as last year although I could change plans if I wanted. I don’t want to change but the cost isn’t staying the same, it’s gone up by $40-50 (?) a month. I expected some kind of increase but that seems a lot at once!
As soon as the health care act passed this summer, I received a letter from the state retiree’s plans that warned us all that this would only increase costs including our premiums. I wasn’t really surprised but seeing the costs going up is anxiety provoking. Of course, the co pays will go up as well.
Fortunately, I don’t have lots of meds to take but I have a chunk of stainless steel in my right hip joint that I can’t go with uninsured. As temporary as it was, that year or so with a hip deteriorating saw me going more and more disabled and that’s a frightening feeling. The replaced hip was like a miracle to me postponing aging and disability for a lot more years! (Knocking on wood!) My hip is good is good but it may required revision someday, and my other hip is wearing a little more all the time and maybe I’ll need that replaced someday.
And I’m a few years away from Medicare, and what form will that take by then or not???
And there’s some increase in my taxes coming in 2011 that I have to talk to my accountant about before the end of this 2010.
What I'm personally afraid of is having to do without way beyond what I know how to do! And then doing without even more and more and more down the line.
Doing without can be relative depending on what your normal economic levels are. I've done without at times in my life, but they are nothing compared with what others have had to do without, like really no money for anything but food.
I've always been able to have the right kind of food and enough of it. I cut other things out of the budget at times but never had to worry about food. Whatever I cut out was a matter of time before things got better and I could spend on those things again. And maybe now there will be no better times for a long time or not in my lifetime?
just some serious thoughts today,
shamba
Showing posts with label Doom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Doom. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Update march 1st
Monday
I have a list of preps and I just keep working on going down the list. However, it seems like the past month I feel an urgency to get more done but at the same time I feel like a deer looking at the oncoming headlights of some big thing! It kind of saps the energy,too. and makes my neck and shoulder muscles tighten up after reading about this stuff lately. Need to do my shoulder stretches more or stop reading so much stuff lately.
I think this: "Well, look, there is that big Thing/collapse/market crash/outcry against city budget and it's coming and omy, it's as big and terrifying as the doomer blogs said it would be!"
More people of my circles are willing to talk about things aren't really going to get better for a long time. I'm not sure that's good or not except it might be a sign that more people are recognizing it's not going to be recovery by spring.
There's a small nursery that advertises "Vegetable Tube" gardening. I'm going to stop by there later this week and find out what that's about. Anyone here know anything?
Sunday
A nice rainy day again! I like the idea of being inside on these cold wet days we’ve had but on the other hand, I’d like a week or so inbetween them so things could dry out a little more. My plants love the water from the sky though. My parsley has lost it’s mind (!) and has a couple of really thick tall stalks on it. After this clears out today, we should have a clear week at least so far.
Ran out of any kind of bread so to have some available I did a quick bread today, caught up with the turnips and roasted them and other root veggies. I realized I could use the oven for both at the same time. Used up the last of the dehydrated vegetable broth to drink while I was cooking. Last two pieces of pizza are for dinner. Plenty of green stuff for salads.
That’s all for now,
shamba
I have a list of preps and I just keep working on going down the list. However, it seems like the past month I feel an urgency to get more done but at the same time I feel like a deer looking at the oncoming headlights of some big thing! It kind of saps the energy,too. and makes my neck and shoulder muscles tighten up after reading about this stuff lately. Need to do my shoulder stretches more or stop reading so much stuff lately.
I think this: "Well, look, there is that big Thing/collapse/market crash/outcry against city budget and it's coming and omy, it's as big and terrifying as the doomer blogs said it would be!"
More people of my circles are willing to talk about things aren't really going to get better for a long time. I'm not sure that's good or not except it might be a sign that more people are recognizing it's not going to be recovery by spring.
There's a small nursery that advertises "Vegetable Tube" gardening. I'm going to stop by there later this week and find out what that's about. Anyone here know anything?
Sunday
A nice rainy day again! I like the idea of being inside on these cold wet days we’ve had but on the other hand, I’d like a week or so inbetween them so things could dry out a little more. My plants love the water from the sky though. My parsley has lost it’s mind (!) and has a couple of really thick tall stalks on it. After this clears out today, we should have a clear week at least so far.
Ran out of any kind of bread so to have some available I did a quick bread today, caught up with the turnips and roasted them and other root veggies. I realized I could use the oven for both at the same time. Used up the last of the dehydrated vegetable broth to drink while I was cooking. Last two pieces of pizza are for dinner. Plenty of green stuff for salads.
That’s all for now,
shamba
Monday, October 12, 2009
October 12
I’m putting the Roma tomatoes out to dry today.
A little later: Dehydrating tomatoes (Roma tomatoes, I wanted to start with smaller tomatoes): well, it seems that the October sun, which I do prefer to the July sun, has got a lot of clouds along with it today. I’m so used to having hot and constant sun! that I forget that the seasons I like the best might not cooperate with the same sun as in July! So, I put the tomatoes in the Tulsi with the electric back up on. We might have a front moving it, I don’t know. So far the weather says that we’ll have much warmer temps by the end of this week—around high 90s. We’ve had really good cooler weather the past 2 weeks.
Don't forget, we are now officially in the Oct 10 to 15 time period Clif has pointed to where signs may pop up for the event on the 25th. Keep your eyes open. I am referring to the webbot project trying to predict the future ….
http://www.halfpasthuman.com/ and http://www.peoplenomics.com/
I am a follower of George Ure's Urbansurvival. com site. The webbot project reading the future is something he's involved with and he writes about it often. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're not. This fall, the interpreters of the webbot data think that a great financial/economic turn for the worse is coming. It can also be interpreted a little differently depending on how you look at it--as all data predicting the future seems to be! :) You can LOL or not as you believe in the possibility of these things. I, obviously, believe in the possibilities.
We'll see this time how accurate it becomes. I still have some projects to do to the townhouse but I haven't made any plans to travel or do much after the past year of economic conditions happening that no one thought could happen anymore! But if really nothing happens to further the downslide of our world/economy/whatever I'm going to look into taking one of two trips I'd like to do in my lifetime. I'll be 59 in November (!) and have probably 15-20 good years left if my good DNA works for me that long. I feel like I'm waiting for the end of the world so I can get on with my life! Wierd feeling!
I would not abandon my present "prepping arrangements" or not do anymore but I'm getting tired of living for the complete apocalyse happening any day now. I'm sure things generally will get worse over the next few years due the economy, peak oil/energy and the climate changings. There's been plenty of "the worst" that could still happen to lots of people anyway so I shouldn't be looking forward to fulfillment of that! I won't like it much when it gets here, I know.
peace to all,
shamba
A little later: Dehydrating tomatoes (Roma tomatoes, I wanted to start with smaller tomatoes): well, it seems that the October sun, which I do prefer to the July sun, has got a lot of clouds along with it today. I’m so used to having hot and constant sun! that I forget that the seasons I like the best might not cooperate with the same sun as in July! So, I put the tomatoes in the Tulsi with the electric back up on. We might have a front moving it, I don’t know. So far the weather says that we’ll have much warmer temps by the end of this week—around high 90s. We’ve had really good cooler weather the past 2 weeks.
Don't forget, we are now officially in the Oct 10 to 15 time period Clif has pointed to where signs may pop up for the event on the 25th. Keep your eyes open. I am referring to the webbot project trying to predict the future ….
http://www.halfpasthuman.com/ and http://www.peoplenomics.com/
I am a follower of George Ure's Urbansurvival. com site. The webbot project reading the future is something he's involved with and he writes about it often. Sometimes they're right, sometimes they're not. This fall, the interpreters of the webbot data think that a great financial/economic turn for the worse is coming. It can also be interpreted a little differently depending on how you look at it--as all data predicting the future seems to be! :) You can LOL or not as you believe in the possibility of these things. I, obviously, believe in the possibilities.
We'll see this time how accurate it becomes. I still have some projects to do to the townhouse but I haven't made any plans to travel or do much after the past year of economic conditions happening that no one thought could happen anymore! But if really nothing happens to further the downslide of our world/economy/whatever I'm going to look into taking one of two trips I'd like to do in my lifetime. I'll be 59 in November (!) and have probably 15-20 good years left if my good DNA works for me that long. I feel like I'm waiting for the end of the world so I can get on with my life! Wierd feeling!
I would not abandon my present "prepping arrangements" or not do anymore but I'm getting tired of living for the complete apocalyse happening any day now. I'm sure things generally will get worse over the next few years due the economy, peak oil/energy and the climate changings. There's been plenty of "the worst" that could still happen to lots of people anyway so I shouldn't be looking forward to fulfillment of that! I won't like it much when it gets here, I know.
peace to all,
shamba
October 9-10th posted on October 12th
Very iffy sun today, temps are in the high 80s but sky is slightly over cast and the light peeks in and out of the bigger puffs of clouds. I put rice, yellow splitpeas, a can of diced tomatoes and some seasoning in the Tulsi oven. I plugged it in to use the electric backup on low to see how that will do today. I soaked the split peas for a couple of hours. These are the tail end of a group of split peas and I suspect they are a little harder with age so I soaked them.
I also have chicken to cook up tonight but that’s going in the inside oven later this afternoon.
My herb plants are doing very well. They are all growing and growing.
Next week one day , I’m trying drying tomatoes in the global oven. I haven't done it before so maybe I should say i'll try! No, this will be a very easy thing to do, I'm sure.
I‘ve inherited some containers with plants from a neighbor. There are several aloes and some other things growing among the various aloe plants. One of them looks like the leaves of a golden pothos or something just like that. I think some Irises are growing between the aloes in one of the pots. Anyway, I’ll have to look those up, blooming Iris would be great or the upright stems/leave plant look pretty good the way they are.
All thei ttime I'm doing anything, I'm watching events in the world--financial and other--about the "big" event that's been p[redicted by the webbots and seems to be happening based on reports of overthrowing the dollar as reserve currency and the grwing debt in the US, the dollar falling in value the past few months rather severely.
anyway, I'm watching
Peace for now, shamba
I also have chicken to cook up tonight but that’s going in the inside oven later this afternoon.
My herb plants are doing very well. They are all growing and growing.
Next week one day , I’m trying drying tomatoes in the global oven. I haven't done it before so maybe I should say i'll try! No, this will be a very easy thing to do, I'm sure.
I‘ve inherited some containers with plants from a neighbor. There are several aloes and some other things growing among the various aloe plants. One of them looks like the leaves of a golden pothos or something just like that. I think some Irises are growing between the aloes in one of the pots. Anyway, I’ll have to look those up, blooming Iris would be great or the upright stems/leave plant look pretty good the way they are.
All thei ttime I'm doing anything, I'm watching events in the world--financial and other--about the "big" event that's been p[redicted by the webbots and seems to be happening based on reports of overthrowing the dollar as reserve currency and the grwing debt in the US, the dollar falling in value the past few months rather severely.
anyway, I'm watching
Peace for now, shamba
Friday, September 4, 2009
September 4th
Sept. 4th, 2009:
Wahoo, September! The worst heat is behind us and the worst power bill probably, too. No, I can’t turn off the AC altogether—that’s too much to ask—but it’s definitely running less. And in a few weeks, the reason I live here will be evident and the good weather will continue until about mid-April. J J so, I have lots of good things to anticipate even though we’ll have some moderate heat for next 4-6 weeks.
I need to tell the tai chi teacher at my studio about my solar ovens he was very interested. I also got to visit with a couple of others at the yoga studio. The workshop I wanted to attend has been postponed another month or two. I have to go back to classes more regularly. I’m not doing well with that. But I’ve kept up with the cooking intention pretty well this summer although I broke down and ordered 4 pizzas for delivery over the past month or so. A great splurge they are but they do feed me for about 2 days with salad and other side dishes.
Today, I’m making the curried lentils with raisins, carrots, sweet pepper and some onion in the Tulsi oven. It’s a stovetop recipe but I’m doing it solar today.
The Global oven has a pot with ingredients to make vegetable stock. I used too much water the last time I tried to make this, on the stove top, so I’ll see how it comes out this time.
I have to coordinate solar cooking more everyday since the sun angles are moving fast these days. Less sun in morning and the late afternoon. That means in about a month (?) there won't be any sun at any time of day to cook with on the back patio. But of course, there will be plenty in the front of the house. That's closer to the kitchen, too.
Oh, and yes, the unemployement is up for Aug, 9.7% and the flatlined and maybe tipping over economy is still out there. but today it doesn't matter much. :)
Cheers,
shamba
Wahoo, September! The worst heat is behind us and the worst power bill probably, too. No, I can’t turn off the AC altogether—that’s too much to ask—but it’s definitely running less. And in a few weeks, the reason I live here will be evident and the good weather will continue until about mid-April. J J so, I have lots of good things to anticipate even though we’ll have some moderate heat for next 4-6 weeks.
I need to tell the tai chi teacher at my studio about my solar ovens he was very interested. I also got to visit with a couple of others at the yoga studio. The workshop I wanted to attend has been postponed another month or two. I have to go back to classes more regularly. I’m not doing well with that. But I’ve kept up with the cooking intention pretty well this summer although I broke down and ordered 4 pizzas for delivery over the past month or so. A great splurge they are but they do feed me for about 2 days with salad and other side dishes.
Today, I’m making the curried lentils with raisins, carrots, sweet pepper and some onion in the Tulsi oven. It’s a stovetop recipe but I’m doing it solar today.
The Global oven has a pot with ingredients to make vegetable stock. I used too much water the last time I tried to make this, on the stove top, so I’ll see how it comes out this time.
I have to coordinate solar cooking more everyday since the sun angles are moving fast these days. Less sun in morning and the late afternoon. That means in about a month (?) there won't be any sun at any time of day to cook with on the back patio. But of course, there will be plenty in the front of the house. That's closer to the kitchen, too.
Oh, and yes, the unemployement is up for Aug, 9.7% and the flatlined and maybe tipping over economy is still out there. but today it doesn't matter much. :)
Cheers,
shamba
Friday, August 21, 2009
August 19th and August 21
August 19th:
Had a great lunch with B. from yoga. We celebrated our 10th anniversary graduating as trained yoga teachers! J We talked about what we knew of the others who were in our class at Desert Song. She still teaches there and I still go there for classes.
We sat at the bar which was quite comfortable because people were waiting to be seated at tables. She found the seats and they worked out well. We had these wonderful veggie burgers, and a creamed corn with some kind of curry and cilantro. I want that recipe! The burgers and the corn as a side dish were delicious. Their Cole slaw was pretty good, too. I have leftovers for dinner or lunch tomorrow.
Then she remarked on how the restaurant, Houston’s, didn’t look like there was a recession but there were lots and lots of empty commercial spaces in that mall/complex. There used to be small retail shops and offices and businesses but so much of it is empty now. This is true for all kinds of commercial properties these days; the large fancy ones and the little neighborhood strip malls (even if the strip malls have been completely redone like one near me.) The two other restaurants in that complex seemed to have a good business going today at lunch.
Her law firm has had revenue coming in slow down a lot in the last year. I don’t think they’ve had any layoffs there though.
“Excessive heat “for today and Thursday. But the temps are supposed to be “only” 110 and not 115 or so!
Lows sweeping in this weekend to lower temps. Dark is here by 7:15 these days.
August 21:
Overcast day and getting more overcast as the day goes by due to low and moisture coming into the state from the south in Mexico. It is a good day to try the hotter solar oven to see how it does on a day like this. Global Sun oven gets a little hotter than the Tulsi especially on days like this, I bet.
So, I chopped up zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, an ear of corn split in two, celery and carrots and olive oil, salt and pepper and a little garlic. The pepper and zucchini needed to be used in the next few days anyway day or so. Anymore, letting produce go bad seems a terrible thing to do to me especially since I have the easy way of cooking solar. Also, I made a brown rice and split pea dish. These are both in the Global Sun oven, rice dish on the bottom and the veggie sin the sun oven roaster pan on top of it.
I figure I’ll just leave it all out there for longer than it would take with a bright sunny day. Since no meat dish is involved, I’m sure it will cook just fine left out there long enough.
Later in afternoon: sun came out in full force about an hour after I put the food out.
Notes on State budget situation, From PBS program, Horizon on August 20th current
State Treasurer is explaining Arizona budget situation.
-State is broke. General Fund borrowed 386 million dollars to keep the lights on as of August 19.
-need balanced budget signed by Gov. or next Tuesday, we’ll need to borrow again and more.
-State gov can get 5-6 million by interagency borrowing. State agencies can borrow from each other but still need to leave enough money in each agency to fund that agency.
-Banks don’t want to lend to us unless we can pay it back.
-Will be running out of money by the end of October without a budget.
-Takes 6-8 weeks to set up credit facility for State to borrow money.
-some banks may not want to participate.
-Our rating is on a watch of some kind because of budget problems. This causes higher interest if we borrow and our rating is downgraded.
-If no resolution in budget by end of October, we might end up like California with IOUs, delayed payments, etc. Gov will have to decide who gets paid etc.
-New budget doesn’t allow for vote on possibly raising the sales tax in Nov. Why don’t these fools, Republican fools! (is my bias showing here?) in the legislature want the people to vote on this?? They can blame us for voting higher taxes in then and they can avoid any blame! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
-we had last year in 2008 at this time 650 million dollars in the bank. State is spending at the same rate as last year.
all for now, Shamba
Had a great lunch with B. from yoga. We celebrated our 10th anniversary graduating as trained yoga teachers! J We talked about what we knew of the others who were in our class at Desert Song. She still teaches there and I still go there for classes.
We sat at the bar which was quite comfortable because people were waiting to be seated at tables. She found the seats and they worked out well. We had these wonderful veggie burgers, and a creamed corn with some kind of curry and cilantro. I want that recipe! The burgers and the corn as a side dish were delicious. Their Cole slaw was pretty good, too. I have leftovers for dinner or lunch tomorrow.
Then she remarked on how the restaurant, Houston’s, didn’t look like there was a recession but there were lots and lots of empty commercial spaces in that mall/complex. There used to be small retail shops and offices and businesses but so much of it is empty now. This is true for all kinds of commercial properties these days; the large fancy ones and the little neighborhood strip malls (even if the strip malls have been completely redone like one near me.) The two other restaurants in that complex seemed to have a good business going today at lunch.
Her law firm has had revenue coming in slow down a lot in the last year. I don’t think they’ve had any layoffs there though.
“Excessive heat “for today and Thursday. But the temps are supposed to be “only” 110 and not 115 or so!
Lows sweeping in this weekend to lower temps. Dark is here by 7:15 these days.
August 21:
Overcast day and getting more overcast as the day goes by due to low and moisture coming into the state from the south in Mexico. It is a good day to try the hotter solar oven to see how it does on a day like this. Global Sun oven gets a little hotter than the Tulsi especially on days like this, I bet.
So, I chopped up zucchini, red bell pepper, onion, an ear of corn split in two, celery and carrots and olive oil, salt and pepper and a little garlic. The pepper and zucchini needed to be used in the next few days anyway day or so. Anymore, letting produce go bad seems a terrible thing to do to me especially since I have the easy way of cooking solar. Also, I made a brown rice and split pea dish. These are both in the Global Sun oven, rice dish on the bottom and the veggie sin the sun oven roaster pan on top of it.
I figure I’ll just leave it all out there for longer than it would take with a bright sunny day. Since no meat dish is involved, I’m sure it will cook just fine left out there long enough.
Later in afternoon: sun came out in full force about an hour after I put the food out.
Notes on State budget situation, From PBS program, Horizon on August 20th current
State Treasurer is explaining Arizona budget situation.
-State is broke. General Fund borrowed 386 million dollars to keep the lights on as of August 19.
-need balanced budget signed by Gov. or next Tuesday, we’ll need to borrow again and more.
-State gov can get 5-6 million by interagency borrowing. State agencies can borrow from each other but still need to leave enough money in each agency to fund that agency.
-Banks don’t want to lend to us unless we can pay it back.
-Will be running out of money by the end of October without a budget.
-Takes 6-8 weeks to set up credit facility for State to borrow money.
-some banks may not want to participate.
-Our rating is on a watch of some kind because of budget problems. This causes higher interest if we borrow and our rating is downgraded.
-If no resolution in budget by end of October, we might end up like California with IOUs, delayed payments, etc. Gov will have to decide who gets paid etc.
-New budget doesn’t allow for vote on possibly raising the sales tax in Nov. Why don’t these fools, Republican fools! (is my bias showing here?) in the legislature want the people to vote on this?? They can blame us for voting higher taxes in then and they can avoid any blame! GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR
-we had last year in 2008 at this time 650 million dollars in the bank. State is spending at the same rate as last year.
all for now, Shamba
Saturday, June 27, 2009
June 27 Saturday
I felt like this June is some kind of turning point in our economic future because June’s unemployment rate will tell us how we’re going, along with other indiciators. The stock markets had a rally since it’s low point in march and a lot of all kinds of people see what they think are green shoots. But green shoots of what plants? Some others are seeing green shoots turning into yellow weeds. So if they were weeds, they weren’t what we’d like to see growing anyway, I guess they mean.
And people have felt more hopeful the last couple of months, April and May, some polls say anyway. Some people I know have felt that way. Some days I even felt that way, more days, I haven’t. I’m interested in how the general perception will get more pessimistic from here . If this sounds sick, I’m sorry! I hope it doesn’t go that way, but if reality goes that way more and more general perceptions will go that way , too.
I’d like to deal with one day at a time, REALLY, one day at a time instead of having to think ahead all the times about everything! This means whatever preparedness stuff I want to achieve but mostly it’s had to do with my mom’s estate money and my own money. It’s very intimidating knowing what to do about these things normally but the atmosphere of fear and uncertainly for money these last few months has been incredible.
I haven’t put things in mattresses or strong boxes under the bed. I moved some money out of the stock market last week. I have a couple thousand left in another def comp fund I want to move.
The estate has 3 stock amounts that have some last paperwork (I hope it’s the last) to do to transfer everything and get it sold.
I’m sooo weary of dealing with money and really feeling it has to get out of the market as soon as possible. I’ve felt it every hour of every day since last October and it’s now getting better. At least the greatest amount of it is done. I can understand why people have been overwhelmed with fear and’/or inertia or denial in trying to do anything something with their money whatever form it’s in—stocks, treasuries, savings, CDS or whatever. Then there’s always the fear that wherever you put it, it will fail! Even owning gold has been a worry since gold bugs are worried about the amount of “real gold” coins or bullion is really available, really exists (!) Or are the dealers just selling paper shares that will never be back by the real thing.
Got some clouds on the horizons all around and it’s almost the 4th of July. This always cheers me up because we begin to turn towards the part of the year I like the most even if it’s two months away.
Peace to myself,
Shamba
And people have felt more hopeful the last couple of months, April and May, some polls say anyway. Some people I know have felt that way. Some days I even felt that way, more days, I haven’t. I’m interested in how the general perception will get more pessimistic from here . If this sounds sick, I’m sorry! I hope it doesn’t go that way, but if reality goes that way more and more general perceptions will go that way , too.
I’d like to deal with one day at a time, REALLY, one day at a time instead of having to think ahead all the times about everything! This means whatever preparedness stuff I want to achieve but mostly it’s had to do with my mom’s estate money and my own money. It’s very intimidating knowing what to do about these things normally but the atmosphere of fear and uncertainly for money these last few months has been incredible.
I haven’t put things in mattresses or strong boxes under the bed. I moved some money out of the stock market last week. I have a couple thousand left in another def comp fund I want to move.
The estate has 3 stock amounts that have some last paperwork (I hope it’s the last) to do to transfer everything and get it sold.
I’m sooo weary of dealing with money and really feeling it has to get out of the market as soon as possible. I’ve felt it every hour of every day since last October and it’s now getting better. At least the greatest amount of it is done. I can understand why people have been overwhelmed with fear and’/or inertia or denial in trying to do anything something with their money whatever form it’s in—stocks, treasuries, savings, CDS or whatever. Then there’s always the fear that wherever you put it, it will fail! Even owning gold has been a worry since gold bugs are worried about the amount of “real gold” coins or bullion is really available, really exists (!) Or are the dealers just selling paper shares that will never be back by the real thing.
Got some clouds on the horizons all around and it’s almost the 4th of July. This always cheers me up because we begin to turn towards the part of the year I like the most even if it’s two months away.
Peace to myself,
Shamba
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Feb 26
where I used to work is going to go away due to the AZ state budget issues! :( :( :0 Eek! This makes the economic stuff really closer than it was. There's a retirement party for one of the staff there that I'm going to today. I expect it may feel like a wake as well as a party! :/
Starting an online class next week I'm really looking forward to. It centers on how to adapt yourself and place to the coming changes, not all good, that could be/probably will be coming in the next few years. I have some ideas from previous readings at various blogs and books but the people who take the class and teachers will have some, too and I hope this will all help me with my ideas. It's things that could be done and that helps with anxiety and fears.
Otherwise, not much new here. Weather is warming up and is lovely. I smell citrus blossoms out there beginning to come out ... : )
Workshop at yoga studio this saturday morning, too.
end of estate papers by May 30th, I have assets to collect before then though.
Postponing major decisions in life until after estate is settled and this class is done.
feeling pretty good today,
shamba
DJA is hanging around in the 7,100-7300 range the past week or so....
Starting an online class next week I'm really looking forward to. It centers on how to adapt yourself and place to the coming changes, not all good, that could be/probably will be coming in the next few years. I have some ideas from previous readings at various blogs and books but the people who take the class and teachers will have some, too and I hope this will all help me with my ideas. It's things that could be done and that helps with anxiety and fears.
Otherwise, not much new here. Weather is warming up and is lovely. I smell citrus blossoms out there beginning to come out ... : )
Workshop at yoga studio this saturday morning, too.
end of estate papers by May 30th, I have assets to collect before then though.
Postponing major decisions in life until after estate is settled and this class is done.
feeling pretty good today,
shamba
DJA is hanging around in the 7,100-7300 range the past week or so....
Friday, July 11, 2008
Monsoon! .... and some updates ..some good some not ...
Wonderful Monsoon storm last night--actually it was more like 2-4 storms rolling through our area. It soaked the whole Valley quite well. We'll have very cloudy days and good possibilities of more storms--i say bring it on! Not too fast and too much at one time since it might flood the patio if that happens; but more storms I'm for!
guess I won't be using solar oven by itself the next few days but I can use the electrical backup; it still uses less energy and makes less heat that the inside oven. I love this thing!
And B. referred me to a parttime job at her law firm ... I've called about it. I have mixed feelings about working again at this time; I've got two more projects I'd really like to have done before I turn attention to job stuff again.
Mary Alice is moving to NJ in the next week. I'll miss her but I know she wants to go back to her NJ.
Other news from the past few days:
7-2- 143.67 oil
7-3-08 Opened at 144.40; closed at 145.29 markets closed early today
7-4-08
New recipe: Sarah thought I should be able to cook a frittata in my solar oven after she saw it on Saturday. She’s intrigued with the whole idea of solar ovens. So. I cooked a Frittata – used a recipe I’d had.. 2 eggs, leftover frozen vegetables, olive oil, salt & p. Put in one of the larger solar oven pans about 11:00 we’ll see how this works out since I’m not cooking it like an omelet in the first stages like you’re supposed to.
Managed stores for the week: Cleaned out all the old cleaning stuff and supplies underneath the kitchen and bathroom sinks—had too many old toothbrushes! Need more vinegar and bleach and some ammonia …
Went Linens Plus on way to Trader Joe’s and they had a lot of stuff on clearance. Treated myself to stainless steel measuring cups and a one cup measure all by itself. I have used up more 1 cup measures over the years and always have the other cup measures left.
July 10th
Food stores: Added some rice and more lentils; will need in a week or two, more coffee and oats.
Got some more backup dry food for the cats, too this week.
New food cooked in solar oven: Roasted ears of corn in the solar oven.
7-11-08 News on financial and economic is pretty dismal.
--DJ is just above 11000 this morning;
--Oil has gone up back over 145.00, was down in the mid 130s for several days;
--Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are totally insolvent and about to be taken over by the Federal government—this has been Mainstream for at least the past 2-3 days.
Our gas hasn’t gone up for about 2-3 weeks; as a matter of fact the one expensive station went down 4 cents the other day.
Are we in for it now or what????? Oh yeah, some reports of Israeli’s in Iraq preparing to give it to Iran’s’ nuclear facilities.
cheers, shamba
guess I won't be using solar oven by itself the next few days but I can use the electrical backup; it still uses less energy and makes less heat that the inside oven. I love this thing!
And B. referred me to a parttime job at her law firm ... I've called about it. I have mixed feelings about working again at this time; I've got two more projects I'd really like to have done before I turn attention to job stuff again.
Mary Alice is moving to NJ in the next week. I'll miss her but I know she wants to go back to her NJ.
Other news from the past few days:
7-2- 143.67 oil
7-3-08 Opened at 144.40; closed at 145.29 markets closed early today
7-4-08
New recipe: Sarah thought I should be able to cook a frittata in my solar oven after she saw it on Saturday. She’s intrigued with the whole idea of solar ovens. So. I cooked a Frittata – used a recipe I’d had.. 2 eggs, leftover frozen vegetables, olive oil, salt & p. Put in one of the larger solar oven pans about 11:00 we’ll see how this works out since I’m not cooking it like an omelet in the first stages like you’re supposed to.
Managed stores for the week: Cleaned out all the old cleaning stuff and supplies underneath the kitchen and bathroom sinks—had too many old toothbrushes! Need more vinegar and bleach and some ammonia …
Went Linens Plus on way to Trader Joe’s and they had a lot of stuff on clearance. Treated myself to stainless steel measuring cups and a one cup measure all by itself. I have used up more 1 cup measures over the years and always have the other cup measures left.
July 10th
Food stores: Added some rice and more lentils; will need in a week or two, more coffee and oats.
Got some more backup dry food for the cats, too this week.
New food cooked in solar oven: Roasted ears of corn in the solar oven.
7-11-08 News on financial and economic is pretty dismal.
--DJ is just above 11000 this morning;
--Oil has gone up back over 145.00, was down in the mid 130s for several days;
--Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are totally insolvent and about to be taken over by the Federal government—this has been Mainstream for at least the past 2-3 days.
Our gas hasn’t gone up for about 2-3 weeks; as a matter of fact the one expensive station went down 4 cents the other day.
Are we in for it now or what????? Oh yeah, some reports of Israeli’s in Iraq preparing to give it to Iran’s’ nuclear facilities.
cheers, shamba
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
When will it happen? I think it's here NOW!
Regular gas: 3.97, 4.07, 4.17.
I have decided that all of the signs of the Big Day of Reckconing/downfall of fossifuel society/modern society/The Shit Hitting the Fan--is NOW! My readings in Doom have become main stream current events!
So, many things that I’ve been reading about for the past 3 ½ years were still “over the horizon.” Now, they are easily visible on the horizon and they’ve got us pretty well surrounded! Food prices, energy prices, gas prices, still bad drought in the US West, bees still in low supply this spring, no salmon fishing AT ALL on the west coast because of too small salmon populations—this is commercial fishing, too. Then there’s the daily business world in my state which probably applies to most other states these days: contracting economy, local governments budgets cut this year and facing more severe ones in the next year after that, property taxes revenue falling because of the shrinking housing market ….. which still shows no sign of bottoming out yet. Too much inventory and it’s growing because of foreclosures, new constructions finishing, etc.
In the NBC broadcast news this evening:
Airlines are cutting back severely on scheduled flights for the rest of the year; or after summer vacations. It’s just too expensive to keep flying the current schedules with the price of oil and their fuel needs. Major airports will have cutbacks in carriers and some smaller places will end up with very few carriers, even if they have been regional jets. Two years ago on The Oildrum.com I read some comment about an airline worker(?) at a conference remarking that in 10 years no planes will be flying at all, at least no commercial airlines.
GM is closing 4 plants that make SUV stuff; and they may discontinue the Hummer model! Hummers’ were quite the thing to have the past few years. Truck and SUV sales have not been good since the first of the year.
Quote from: Truck Sales Sink, Shaking Up Auto Market
Big Three Walloped By the Rush to Cars; Honda on the Rise
By JOSÉE VALCOURT and MATTHEW DOLANJune 4, 2008; Page B5 from WSJ
"Ford Motor Co.'s F-150 pickup truck has been the No. 1 seller almost every month over the past three decades. But in May, as consumers flocked to fuel-sipping models, two cars from Toyota and two from Honda Motor Co. outsold the F-150, pushing it down to the No. 5 spot in sales."
Electric cars are in the news again; or they seem to be more in the news to me.
There is some market in electricity prices—forward market?—that shows the fluctuations in electricity supply and prices. These fluctuations don’t appear on customer’s energy bills but it can predict the rise or fall of prices. There was a spike in this prices/supply in Mar/April and it showed a “75%” possible increase in electricity prices this summer. I don’t know if this applies to the whole US or what. It was in the WSJ on June 3 or 4th. I’ll try to find the link to it.
At least the **** Democratic primaries are over! Senator Obama looks like a definite for the Demo nominee; but I wouldn’t rule out senator Clinton trying something eve at the last minute to try again to get the position herself.
It seems quite a turnaround from the way things stood in public discourse and the national outlook and the economy just a year ago.
cheers,
shamba
I have decided that all of the signs of the Big Day of Reckconing/downfall of fossifuel society/modern society/The Shit Hitting the Fan--is NOW! My readings in Doom have become main stream current events!
So, many things that I’ve been reading about for the past 3 ½ years were still “over the horizon.” Now, they are easily visible on the horizon and they’ve got us pretty well surrounded! Food prices, energy prices, gas prices, still bad drought in the US West, bees still in low supply this spring, no salmon fishing AT ALL on the west coast because of too small salmon populations—this is commercial fishing, too. Then there’s the daily business world in my state which probably applies to most other states these days: contracting economy, local governments budgets cut this year and facing more severe ones in the next year after that, property taxes revenue falling because of the shrinking housing market ….. which still shows no sign of bottoming out yet. Too much inventory and it’s growing because of foreclosures, new constructions finishing, etc.
In the NBC broadcast news this evening:
Airlines are cutting back severely on scheduled flights for the rest of the year; or after summer vacations. It’s just too expensive to keep flying the current schedules with the price of oil and their fuel needs. Major airports will have cutbacks in carriers and some smaller places will end up with very few carriers, even if they have been regional jets. Two years ago on The Oildrum.com I read some comment about an airline worker(?) at a conference remarking that in 10 years no planes will be flying at all, at least no commercial airlines.
GM is closing 4 plants that make SUV stuff; and they may discontinue the Hummer model! Hummers’ were quite the thing to have the past few years. Truck and SUV sales have not been good since the first of the year.
Quote from: Truck Sales Sink, Shaking Up Auto Market
Big Three Walloped By the Rush to Cars; Honda on the Rise
By JOSÉE VALCOURT and MATTHEW DOLANJune 4, 2008; Page B5 from WSJ
"Ford Motor Co.'s F-150 pickup truck has been the No. 1 seller almost every month over the past three decades. But in May, as consumers flocked to fuel-sipping models, two cars from Toyota and two from Honda Motor Co. outsold the F-150, pushing it down to the No. 5 spot in sales."
Electric cars are in the news again; or they seem to be more in the news to me.
There is some market in electricity prices—forward market?—that shows the fluctuations in electricity supply and prices. These fluctuations don’t appear on customer’s energy bills but it can predict the rise or fall of prices. There was a spike in this prices/supply in Mar/April and it showed a “75%” possible increase in electricity prices this summer. I don’t know if this applies to the whole US or what. It was in the WSJ on June 3 or 4th. I’ll try to find the link to it.
At least the **** Democratic primaries are over! Senator Obama looks like a definite for the Demo nominee; but I wouldn’t rule out senator Clinton trying something eve at the last minute to try again to get the position herself.
It seems quite a turnaround from the way things stood in public discourse and the national outlook and the economy just a year ago.
cheers,
shamba
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