TRAIN TOWNS TEST YOUR PATIENCE

Do you live in a train town? You don’t have to wonder if you do. You’ll know it when your car trips are timed with the possibility of being stopped to wait for a train. Consequently, you may end up early for appointments, but at least you won’t be late. For decades, we had only one overpass running North on the West side of town. Finally, they built another running East– miles away– on the South side. The politicians who run the city apparently think the blocked train crossing problem has been solved. But it hasn’t. Because the inner city is surrounded by train crossings. An overpass doesn’t help if you’re trying to get to city hall, the University campus, the hospital, the library, or many of the businesses and homes that are located in the town’s inner core. Train towns test your patience.

CSX, a country wide rail service , has had a terminal here for over 100 years. Sadly, they decided to run their tracks right through the center of our town, and they aren’t about to move them. Fire trucks, ambulances, and other emergency vehicles are often hampered while waiting for a train. Frequently, if you’re running errands , you will be stopped not once, but twice, and sometimes maybe even three times while getting from point A to B to C.

Outwardly, our city seems like a desirable place to live, work, and raise a family. We have five colleges . One is a top rated engineering school. We’re blessed with numerous parks that are well maintained Housing is inexpensive compared to the rest of the country. Why, then, do people leave? Our population peaked out at 72,000 in 1960 . Now, it’s dwindled down to about 60,000, and it’s still falling. Looks like folks are eager to get out of this train town.

Many of the “natives”(people who’ve never lived anywhere else) are puzzled. With all that our city has to offer, why don’t people want to stay? Let’s say you’ve moved here from a train-free city. All of a sudden, your life has changed. Unless you live very close to downtown, you’re shocked to find that you will have to wait for a train to pass several times a week. Sometimes, you have a lucky streak. Not a single wait for a train all day. . But that’s an anomaly.

I can remember living in Florida, and driving 1500 miles without waiting for a single train until arriving in my hometown. If you’re a long termer, you’ve developed coping mechanisms to deal with the waits. A book or magazine. . Perhaps a few minutes of meditation. And there’s always the cell phone, unless your battery is getting low.

Every once in awhile someone announces that CSX will be fined it they make you wait more than five minutes at any given crossing. But the rules are seldom enforced. Sometimes, a train will come to a dead stop in the center of town at 5 p.m. Traffic backs up for miles. When the track finally clears, everyone rushes home to collapse.. CSX breathes a sigh of relief. They’ve gotten away with another traffic stall, because everyone is too tired to report it.

But here’s the bright side. Train towns test your patience and develop your frustration tolerance . Consequently, we must be one of the country’s most patient cities.

June 28, 2021June 28, 2021

WHIRLIGIGS SCARE AWAY SQUIRRELS

Everyone loves squirrels. They’re fluffy and sweet and it’s fun to watch them scamper up and down a tree. In fact, my husband used to buy bags of corn to feed them out on the deck. And then, one day, they weren’t cute anymore. They became a menace when they started eating our house. For years, we didn’t know how to stop them. But at last, I’ve found that whirligigs scare away squirrels.

Squirrels are rodents and may decide to eat your house. — Squirrels may look cute but they like to gnaw on your house.

If you’re new to my blog, you may not have read my post , Help! Squirrels are eating our house. Our side porch is supported by four wooden pillars. A few years ago, the base of those pillars suddenly attracted squirrels. Evidence mounted that they were gnawing and nibbling away, creating large, hollow holes. Consequently, If we didn’t act soon, our porch would crash. We tried peppermint spray. Didn’t work. In fact, the squirrels seemed to like the smell.

We upgraded to expensive jars of squirrel repellent. Sprinkled the granules all around the porch. It really stank, which was embarrassing when visitors approached. However, the squirrels didn’t mind it at all. They just kept coming. As a last resort, we duct taped the base of the pillars. An ugly solution which still didn’t keep the squirrels off the porch.

Whirligigs scare away squirrels, and they're inexpensive — WHIRLIGIGS SCARE AWAY SQUIRRELS. They’re an easy, inexpensive way to keep squirrels from eating your house.

However, this year, my 4^th of July decorations did the trick. While strolling through Walmart, I spotted some bright, shiny Mylar twisters. 98C apiece. Something went through my mind about using them to repel moles. since we also have moles. Yep, that’s the fun of living on the edge of town with a big yard. I invested in four whirligigs, intending to put them out on the mole mounds.

But when I got home, it occurred to me that the whirligigs might work like scarecrows, or scaresquirrels. Stuck them in the ground in front of the porch pillars. As a result, I haven’t seen a single squirrel anywhere near our house. When the wind blows, the silvery Mylar catches the light, whirling around with a velocity that apparently scares the squirrels away. Thank heaven for whirligigs. I’m stocking up on enough of them to get us through the winter.

June 25, 2021June 25, 2021

CHINA IS STILL AMERICA’S SEAMSTRESS

Remember when Trump was campaigning for the presidency back in 2016? He kept going on and on about how everything we buy is made in China. He bared his teeth when uttering the word CHII-NAH. So naturally, we assumed that things would change under his administration. But it didn’t. If we bought a new dress at the mall or ordered a coat from Amazon, it had a brand name that sounded American. But if you looked inside at the label, it usually said “made in China.” Still does. 90% of the clothes in my closet were made there. China is still America’s seamstress.

Politicians keep talking about the trade war, but I’m not sure what they’re doing about it. If they’ve imposed tariffs on clothing made in China, they aren’t high enough to make anyone want to open more garment factories in the USA.

Back in the forties and fifties, a lot of us sewed our own clothes. It was fun to look at patterns and go through stacks of materials, dreaming about the new outfit you were about to create. And you had the satisfaction of saving a lot of money. A homemade dress cost about 1/3 of what you would pay for a “store bought” outfit. Somewhere along the way, that began to change. Clothes were so cheap that it really didn’t pay to sew. Why? Because of China. They did– and still do– have the advantage of low labor costs. Obviously, there are no labor unions in China..

China is still America's seamstress. Grmet workers in China make very low wages. — China is still America’s seamstress. Workers in garment factories make very low wages.

Amazon won’t tell you if a dress is made in China in their product description. But there are small clues. Usually, there are strange, grammatical errors, for example:. “it fit like dream.” Instead of “It fits like a dream.” Little nuances that show there’s something lost in translation. Another thing they’ll do is suggest you order a size larger than usual. Apparently, this is because Asian women are so much smaller than Americans. But it also saves on material. If vanity compels you order your usual size, and it’s a little bit snug, you might blame yourself for weight gain. As a consequence, you keep the dress in the hopes of eventually losing five pounds or more. Just one tricky little way that Chinese clothing manufacturers fool us.

What would happen if our government really got serious about imposing tariffs on Chinese clothing imports? Prices would skyrocket. And maybe—just maybe—we would start sewing our own clothes again. Until that happens, China will continue as America’s seamstress.

June 23, 2021June 23, 2021

EATING OUT IS LOSING ITS LUSTER

One thing we sorely missed during the pandemic was having dinner at a fine restaurant. I always said I’d rather have one meal at a 5 star restaurant than five meals at a franchise operation. Consequently, we were excited when the governor dropped the mask mandate last month, and we could finally make a reservation at a popular local restaurant. We’ve been out twice now, and come away disappointed. Eating out is losing it’s luster. But why?

Slow service. Maybe it will change when the federal unemployment bonus comes to an end. But right now, there really aren’t enough cooks and wait staff to serve a good meal in a timely manner. Many were staying at home because they couldn’t afford to go back to work. As a result, cooks and servers who did come to work were stretched to the breaking point. Both times, we waited almost two hours to be served our meal. Meanwhile, we’re chomping away on bread to quell the hunger pangs, and drinking too much wine on an empty stomach. Resulting in a headache that made it difficult to get to sleep.

Prices. Yes, prices have gone up. Not just a little, but a lot. A bottle of wine could usually be purchased for thirty some dollars. Now, in that same restaurant, you can’t get a bottle for less than sixty dollars. Entrees are at least 30% more costly. When they bring the bill, you blink. Was the food really that good? Actually, it wasn’t as tasty as it used to be. The steak was a bit overdone, and not nearly as tender. Not sure if they’re buying lower grade meat, or an overworked cook didn’t have the time to take it off the grill at the right time.

Eating out is losing its luster. Wait staff is overworked and masked. — Eating out is losing its luster. Wait staff is overworked; prices are high, and masked servers are a downer.

Masks. Servers are still required to wear masks. Unless you have young ears, you have to ask them to repeat themselves and speak more slowly. And you can’t help but feel sorry for them, knowing how hot and sweaty masks can be when worn for a period of time. Masked servers are a downer, and detract from the overall ambiance.

Yes, eating out is losing its luster. But we’re not ready to give it up. Being optimistic, we hope that when they’re operating with a full staff, the service will improve. And we’ll be exploring other local restaurants who may not have such steep price increases. And maybe, one of these days, we won’t have masked servers.

June 21, 2021June 20, 2021

SHOULD WE ALL WEAR BODY ARMOR?

A year ago, if you’d talked about getting a bullet proof vest, people would have thought you needed to see a psychiatrist. But now, I’m beginning to wonder if that’s what the future holds for people who step outside their homes. We who live in small towns don’t see mass shootings as something that would happen to us. After all, everyone knows everyone else, one way or another. Six degrees of separation are more like two when the population is under 100,000. But the truth is, we aren’t as safe as we think. Should we all wear body armor at work, school, church, and when shopping? If domestic terrorism continues at this year’s pace, the idea doesn’t seem so far out.

Trouble is, bullet proof vests are expensive and uncomfortable. Going on the net, you find that one offering decent protection runs around $400. Say you’re a family of four. That’s fairly pricey. And do we really want to scare our kids by suggesting that they need to protect themselves from a knife or bullet?

There’s also the issue of inner wear and outer wear. Supposedly, it’s better if everyone can see that you’re wearing a protective vest. But I’m not so sure of that. If the perpetrator really wants to harm you, he’ll just aim for another place on your body that isn’t covered.

Contrary to popular belief, it is not illegal to purchase a bullet proof vest, unless you are a convicted felon. However, people might look at you oddly, and a police officer might view you with suspicion. On the other hand, if it became a common practice, you would fit right in with the crowd.

I’m seeing a business opportunity here for some enterprising entrepreneur. Come up with an inexpensive form of body armor. Mass produce bullet proof vests and sell them at Walmart in every size, even for kids. I’m betting they would sell out pretty fast.

If you think it’s been miserable being forced to wear masks during the pandemic, just wait until the government decides we all need to wear bullet proof vests.

June 19, 2021June 19, 2021

FREE MONEY IS NOT FREE

Back in the Hippie Days of the late sixties and early seventies, there was a saying: Free Love is not Free. This was in response to a society that had embraced the concept of free love. Living together without marriage, which had once been scandalous, was now accepted as the norm. But the older generation wagged their finger and warned against so much sexual freedom. They had a point, because unmarried women still kept getting pregnant, and there was an explosion of STDs. Today, we have a new type of freedom to worry about. A government that’s borrowing wildly to print money, writing stimulus checks every few months, and rewarding those who choose not to work with generous unemployment benefits. But it seems we’re about to learn our lesson: Free Money Is Not Free.

Have you been to the grocery store lately? Supposedly, prices have increased a mere 5%. I don’t know who’s pumping out those figures, but here’s an example: A month ago, I could buy a low calorie frozen dinner for $2.29 cents. Today, that same product was on the shelves with a price tag of $3.59. At the home improvement store, floor covering I bought last year has increased from 54 cents a square foot to 89 cents. To me, these and numerous other price increases are closer to 40%.. All this free money has pumped up demand, creating a scarcity for goods and services..

Free Money is not Free. The feds don't know what will happen with inflation — Free Money is not free. The feds are blowing smoke when they say high inflation will not last.

I don’t know where the fed is coming from. First, Secretary of the Treasury, Janet Yellen. says inflation is “good” for the country. Then, she’s comforts us by predicting that it’s only temporary and prices will soon go back down. I say this lady is blowing smoke , along with Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell. They are basing their predictions on events that occurred in previous administrations. None of them have ever been though a pandemic like COVID-19, and they have no more idea of what is going to happen to prices than you and me. .

As a matter of fact, I think the average, middle class consumer has a better handle on the future of our economy that they do, because we’re driving to appointments, going to grocery stores, and buying home improvement items on a day to day basis. We, the ordinary tax payers are paying more for everything because all this free money has created such a high demand. Eventually, taxes will go up to pay for the free money , and so will interest rates. Ordinary people will find they are struggling to pay their bills every month. Many businesses will fail and unemployment will increase.

According to Fortune Magazine, “The economic lockdown, and the gigantic new spending enacted to combat it, brings the day of reckoning far closer. By borrowing multiple trillions at a pace never before seen, the U.S. is endangering the sterling credit that makes Treasuries and the dollar the safest of havens for global investors. It is likely that within the next decade, the U.S. will need to impose monumental tax increases. What America’s leaders aren’t saying is that it’s the middle-class Americans working today, the autoworkers, nurses, and deli owners, and not just their future generations, who’’ll foot most of the bill.”

Free Money Isn’t Free.

June 16, 2021June 16, 2021

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO CHARISMA?

Decades ago, charisma was a popular word. The first time I ever saw a charismatic politician was when I lived in Chicago. President Dwight Eisenhower came to town in 1960, and over one million people stood in the streets to cheer him on. I happened to be in the front row when he drove by, sitting atop a convertible seat. Just for a moment, our eyes met. A shiver ran through my entire body. He was old and white haired. But with his brilliant blue eyes, robust coloring and warm smile, the man radiated charisma.

What is charisma? The dictionary describes it as a compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.

A lot of presidents haven’t had it. Nixon, Carter, Johnson and Bush were good speakers, but they didn’t have that spark. John Kennedy had it. He was young, handsome, and inspiring when he said: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

Ronald Reagan had it. When his enemies attacked him, he didn’t get mad. Just smiled and said, “there you go again.” I don’t remember him ever calling his opponents bad names. He was just the gipper. Smiling, confident, unflappable.

Barack Obama had it. All you had to do was read his book, “Dreams From My Father” to know he was sensitive, empathetic, inspiring, and yes, charismatic.

In 2008, they started holding workshops that could teach people how to be charismatic. But the truth is, charisma is hard to teach. I think it’s something a person is born with.

Fast forward to the present day. A lot of people compared Trump to Reagan. But Trump doesn’t have charisma. Trump is an entertainer. He’s funny and dynamic, but when he starts the name calling, it’s over. Charismatic people don’t run people down; they lift you up on eagle’s wings. Our current president Biden is affable and pleasant, but he doesn’t make your heart swell when he delivers a speech.

Our country is in desperate need of a presidential candidate who has charisma. There has to be someone out there who can charm and inspire us to loftier goals.

Whatever happened to charisma?