April
1 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
We have a repeat in the weather. Another High Wind Warning but with gust only in the 40-50 mph range this time. It is also a lot cooler today than it was yesterday. Warms winds then and cold winds now.Patches and I did the out and back route to the south and east before those winds came up. She had two dog encounters and did really well with both of them. I have hope!
After finishing our walk I went to the Club House and had a couple of cups of coffee. Almost no one there on Sunday but a woman did sit and visit with me while she drank her cup of coffee after doing some exercises.
I should have gone back and taken care of dumping holding tanks and adding water but put it off until it got warmer. When the wind started to blow that did not happen so I got up and went out in the cold wind and got those chores taken care of.
My friend Boonie at Occupation Of Independence challenged me to a duel in his blog posting today. I have accepted his challenge but do not hold much belief that I'll come out the winner. He is a much better writer, far better read and will make a more convincing argument for his selection than I think I am capable of doing. What the challenge does require is that I finish reading all of Fred On Everything, then make my selection from the 513 essays and give it a go explaining why I think it is the best.
2 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
The daily weather is becoming very repetitious. Light wind in the morning that felt cold enough to merit my wool cap. Then increasing in strength to the 25-35 mph range with gusts up to 45 mph. I think it will be with us through tomorrow.It has stayed much colder also. I had the Wave heater on for part of the morning after I got back from having coffee. Patches enjoyed that a lot as always. The forecast is for it to reach the low 70s but it has been very slow in getting there.
Did a little more work on the May Will Rogers weekly article links. Nearing completion of reading the Fred Reed essays. Made a little more progress on Social Statics and my current long novel.
I took my last ibuprofen on March 30th and did not go onto acetaminophen for 10 days as I have in the past. My shoulders are still giving me some pain, the left one more, and today my index finger on the left hand is swollen, unable to bend and painful, the middle finder less so. I may have to go back on more pain relievers but am going to try and stay off of them until my VA appointment on April 13th.
I go to the VA Clinic tomorrow to offer up some blood samples. Maybe they will provide the answer to what is going on along with the x-rays and MRIs.
3 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
We finally got a break in the weather, no wind. It was below my magic 40° but not by too much and then warmed up rapidly.After we did a short walk around the Park this morning I went for coffee but only stayed for about half an hour. Unhooked electric and went to the VA for my blood letting. Got there an hour before my appointment time hoping that I could get in earlier but that did not happen. They were about 10 minutes late getting to me which is unusual, normally they are early.
Left there and stopped at Jefe's restaurant for breakfast. They do not open until 8:00 and I am usually in town looking for breakfast before that time of day. Had Enchiladas con Huevos which most Mexican restaurants in the USA do not offer, was very good.
Then did my weekly grocery shopping at Smith's before going to the shopping center where my UPS Store is located. In that same center is a Little Caesar's Pizza that does not open until 10:30 which is also much later than I am usually in town. Took advantage of my being at the right place at the right time and picked up my mail while waiting for my pizza.
When I got back to the Park and plugged into the electric I had the same problem that I have had since I got here. No power. I have managed to flip the circuit breaker back a forth a few times in the past and get the power to come on but not this time. Complained to the Park office and they put in a new breaker. I hope that fixes the problem.
There has been a lot of talk over the past couple of years about the American Dream. The term is usually used in a speech by some politician but is never defined, it is left to the listener to dream his Dream. Fred Reed to the rescue, he has defined what it is now in this third year of the economic recovery brought to us by President Obama and Ben Bernanke of the Federal Reserve. Fortunately, I woke up from that American Dream back in 1990 and have not had it since.
What the hell is the American Dream, I wondered? Seven credit cards maxed-out, living paycheck to paycheck, upside down on the mortgage in a boring house you don't really like, a job you hate but the retirement plan gotcha, your little boy buzzing on force-fed Ritalin, wife and daughter gobbling Prozac and everyone wondering, “Is this all there is?” Actually, yes. Well, maybe a week at Disneyland with that stupid mouse.
4 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
It was high overcast this morning and the winds had come back. Not very cold and the winds were light so it was comfortable. The wind then stayed with us all day but never gathered much strength.I finished reading all of Fred On Everything and now must select the essay that I think is best. That will be a difficult task but the harder one will be to explain why I think it is the best.
Continue to make progress on Karen Kwiatkowski archives also but she probably has more than the 513 essays that Fred Reed had so it will take me some time. Although I'll finish reading hers before I can finish Social Statics, it is slow difficult reading.
I made up a skillet stir fry today for my 'linner'. Saw a bag of Mini Sweet Bell Peppers at Smith's that I thought I would try. To just three of them quartered I added green onions, chopped garlic (lots), couple big stalks of bok choy and some small shrimp. Pretty good stuff although it involves more preparation time than I usually want to spend it is still a one pot meal.
President Obama, the former Constitutional Law professor, has been schooling the Supreme Court this week. I think he needs to go back to his books or break out his lecture notes to see what they say about the powers of the Supreme Court. If that does not clarify things for him I suggest that he study this excerpt from Social Statics.
“No human laws are of any validity if contrary to the law of nature; and such of them as are valid derive all their force and all their authority mediately or immediately from this original.” Thus writes Blackstone, to whom let all honour be given for having so far outseen the ideas of his time; and, indeed, we may say of our time. A good antidote, this, for those political superstitions which so widely prevail. A good check upon that sentiment of power-worship which still misleads us by magnifying the prerogatives of constitutional governments as it once did those of monarchs. Let men learn that a legislature is not “our God upon earth,” though, by the authority they ascribe to it, and the things they expect from it, they would seem to think it is. Let them learn rather that it is an institution serving a purely temporary purpose, whose power, when not stolen, is at the best borrowed.
5 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
It was high overcast again this morning and the winds had come up during the early hours. Not very cold but the winds were much stronger than yesterday.I just took Patches to the close by small Dog Park for her toilette and let her play with a tennis ball for a little while. I got very cold waiting for her to loose interest in the ball which she never seems to do.
Gathered up all my laundry and got that done, having and extended coffee hour while waiting for it. You can teach an 'ol dog new tricks. I learned from last time that you put your clothes and money in the same machine if you want them to get washed. HA
I have not add any casualties that occurred in Africa where President Obama has sent his assassination team to get the leaders of Lord’s Resistance Army because there has been very little News about what they are doing. I believe there are still troops in Iraq and will report any casualties there also although the President says we have withdrawn. The table below shows the deaths for the first quarter of each year and the President in office when they occurred.
| Total US Casualties Iraq & Afghanistan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bush | Obama | |
| 2001 | -0- | -0- |
| 2002 | 30 | -0- |
| 2003 | 88 | -0- |
| 2004 | 133 | -0- |
| 2005 | 209 | -0- |
| 2006 | 173 | -0- |
| 2007 | 264 | -0- |
| 2008 | 124 | -0- |
| 2009 | -0- | 85 |
| 2010 | -0- | 106 |
| 2011 | -0- | 87 |
| 2012 | -0- | 61 |
6 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: April 6, 1924It was at my magic 40° this morning but with a slight wind it felt colder. It has also remained cold for most of the day with the high expected to be down in the mid-60s.
I took Patches to the big Dog Park where she had a good time running with a tennis ball while I sat and froze. She continues to chew on them as she is running around but has not tried to completely destroy any more of them.
Fred added essay #514 to his archives today. I read it but doubt that it will be the one that I select as the 'best'. I do worry however that I will make a selection and then he will add #515-? and I will find that one of those is 'better'. If I have already explained why my selection was the best I'll probably lie and say that I didn't read them in time. HA
The Bureau of Labor has released their non-farm job numbers for March, an increase of 120,000, which the media has very quietly reported. They didn't even do any heralding trumpets announcing the decrease in the Unemployment Rate to 8.2%. This may be a result of the increase coming in WAY below the 205,000 that the 'experts' were forecasting. It will be interesting to see what happens to the Markets on Monday.
The monthly report is even worse when you look at the Bureau's historical data, by month, for Total Employed (which includes farm workers and has not been manipulated quite as much) the favorable trend has been broken: December ADDED 176,000, January ADDED 847,000, February ADDED 428,000 and March DECREASED by 31,000.
There was some good news that Unemployed went down by 131,000. But that decrease was not because they found jobs but rather that they dropped out of the labor force. The Not in the Labor Force increased by 333,000 to an all time high. This is what led to the slight reduction in the Unemployment Rate.
For the past four months the Not in the Labor Force numbers have been very favorable for President Obama's re-election, if he can maintain this trend to October 2012 he will be able to claim that he has brought the country back to Full Employment by Election Day. The key is to continue moving the Unemployed to Not In The Labor Force.
7 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
The official low was 33° this morning but two people at coffee reported lows of 27 and 29. I tend to agree with the non-official reporting, it was COLD.I took Patches to the closer and smaller Dog Park where she had a good time running with a tennis ball while I sat and froze again. The cold does not seem to dampen her enjoyment of this sport and I have a difficult time getting her to give up the ball and go home. Once there, she has no problem in becoming a heater hog however when I get the Wave fired up.
I have been hurting a lot again these past 3-4 days with only today being slightly better. The left shoulder has been giving me a lot of problems, it makes the right one seem almost normal in comparison and it hurts also. The index finger on my left hand is also swollen, hurts and I can bend it only about half way at the middle knuckle.
Every time I start feeling better I hold out hope that this will all go away but it doesn't happen. The right hip and knee was also bothering me again this morning so if it had not been so cold I would probably not have done a longer walk anyway. Some twinges of pain in the tendons behind the right knee again that were so painful back in January, I do NOT want any more of that!
The quotes below come from Social Statics written over 160 years ago about economic situations that have not changed much since that time. The 'thinking', or mind set if you will, has also not changed much either. In the first paragraph just substitute oil for corn, in the second think of 'green industry' as one of the interests and the Federal Reserves loose monetary policy as the issuance of bank notes.
Another mistake current alike amongst rich and poor is, that the speculations of corn-dealers are injurious to the public. So indignant are many well-meaning men at what they conceive to be a practice of intolerable cruelty, that it is scarcely possible to make them see how perfect freedom of trade is nationally advantageous in this, as in all other cases. Their anger blinds them to the fact that were not the price raised immediately after a deficient harvest by the purchases of these large factors, there would be nothing to prevent the people from consuming food at their ordinary rate; which would end in the inadequate supply being eaten up long before the ripening of the next crop. They do not perceive that this mercantile operation is analogous in its effect to putting the crew of a vessel on diminished rations when the stock of provisions is found insufficient to last out the voyage. A somewhat serious error this, for electors to labour under; especially as many of them would prevent the buying up of corn by legal penalties!
What crude theories prevail also respecting the power of a legislature to encourage different branches of industry—“agricultural interests” and other “interests.” ... To suppose that a state of general privation can be cured by the issue of bank notes, is to err with the projector of perpetual motion, who hopes to make power out of nothing.
8 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
It was not much warmer this morning with the official low at 35°. It did feel warmer however because it was very calm. It then warmed up quickly and was over 70 by noon, very calm and only some high wispy clouds. A pretty nice day.We did a double around the Park last night when I took Patches out for her evening potty and she did the first mile on a loose leash as nicely as I could ask for. Then there was a rabbit, a dog being walked and a dog loose that broke the spell. She did almost as well this morning with our one time around the Park with a detour through the big Dog Run for her potty break. No ball playing this morning, I kept her on leash.
I have given up on Karen Kwiatkowski Archives while I get current with my Monthly Blogs once again. I am also culling some of them as I go through them this time. If they have not posted in months they will get dropped as well as those that are on Blogger that I can not get to open without repeated tries. Blogger made some changes and IF the user did not also make some changes then I am unable to get their posting to open individually nor see the Comments.
Did a little more work on the Will Rogers weekly articles for May. Have not made my choice for 'best' of the Fred Reed essays yet, maybe next week then start writing my explanation of why it is the best. Lots of work to be done!
9 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
It was a lot warmer this morning at 44° than it has been. The forecast is for it to reach 86 for a high today and then 84 tomorrow. However, Wednesday is to be back below 70 with a chance of rain and for it to stay in the 60s for a couple days after that. This is a usual pattern for Nevada in the spring and it will then suddenly be summer.Have been doing shorter walks with Patches just around the Park. My legs are experiencing some tendon soreness again and I'm not pushing it. The hip and knee have not been bothering me that much but the tendon issue is troubling. Today is my 10th day without any pain medication, I'm tempted to go back on ibuprofen but think I'll wait until my VA visit and see what my PA has to say.
This Marmaduke comic was in the Sunday paper. Patches is not quite this vocal but she is just as insistent that I get up a little before the sun does. Then when I do get out of bed she goes into her Happy Dance: spins with tail flailing everything, bouncing up and down, run the length of the coach a few times and then sit in front of the door for less than a minute – repeat until I take her out.
10 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
WOW. It was 52° this morning. It missed the forecast high for yesterday by only one degree so I expect it to be about the same today since it was in the upper 70s by noon. With all the windows open and the slight breeze it was very pleasant.Patches and I went to the smaller nearby Dog Park where I did not mind sitting out and watching her run around with a tennis ball. We then got a visitor. A woman that lives not to far south of me and one row to the east has seen me walking Patches past her place so when she saw us in the Dog Run she stopped by. Patches was all excited to have someone other than myself fawning over her. The lady and I had a good visit also.
I had nothing planned for today and have managed to get it all done. Still catching up on my Monthly blog reading and some couch time, with a very nice breeze, reading my long novel.
Tomorrow will be a bit more active. I need groceries again. I could probably hold out until my Friday VA appointment but I'm going to go stock up tomorrow. The added trip will not add that much to my monthly expenses for fuel plus I'm craving some Biscuits and Gravy at Terrible's Lakeside.
11 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
No rain this morning but there have been threatening clouds building all day. Maybe tonight or tomorrow will bring some showers forecast as a chance today.Patches and I did one circuit of the Park for her morning walk and potty. It was then unhook from electric and assuage my craving for some Biscuits and Gravy at Terrible's Lakeside.
We went from there to Smith's were I contributed mightily to the local economy to fill my grocery list this week. For there not being any inflation I find it very surprising that it takes more money week by week to keep the larder stocked.
A final stop at the UPS Store where I bought a stamp and sent off my payment to the IRS for my electronically filed 2011 Income Taxes. Also picked up my appointment notice for VA this Friday; an auspicious date, Friday the 13th, for a medical appointment. Say What?
When I got home and plugged back into the electric I had no problems. So I think the breaker issue has been resolved. I just need to turn the refrigerator back on after I do get it plugged in. More than half the time I go for hours before I remember to do so, today was another one of those.
12 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
Much colder again this morning. Didn't want to stay out in it for very long so just took Patches to the nearby small Dog Run. There she wants to run around with a ball rather than get her morning potty taken care of. We finally got back to Desperado where I had the Wave heater on for about a half hour before going to coffee.The rain if it came at all last night was so little that I could not tell. However, Mt. Charleston and its shoulder ridges have a new dusting of snow this morning. It is still winter it seems.
I sent an email to a RV Park in Oregon last Saturday making inquiry about a possible month stay. No reply. Today I sent another email to a different town and Park, also in Oregon, with the hope that I can find a new home for May.
This is assuming that the VA is not going to spoil everything by requiring that I stick around for more testing. I have felt better for the past two days, the shoulders are much better than they were. The index finger on my left hand is still a problem as well as my right leg tendons.
13 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: April 13, 1924I had good intentions this morning, I was going to do a 2 mile route with Patches. By the time we reached the first half mile of the square I was convinced that was not to be. There was a cold wind blowing again so we turned around to complete only a little over one mile.
Went for coffee in the Club House then returned home to unhook from electric and go to town. Wanted to have breakfast at Jefe's again but they were closed for vacation. The Pahrump Dinner was closed for re-model when I first got back in Pahrump and I had not been by there for a couple of weeks. Gave them a try and found that they had reopened. Had their Egg Enchiladas that I remembered as being very good and was not disappointed.
I then went to the VA but sat in the parking lot for almost an hour reading my Daily blogs and web News. They were running late again this morning, it seems that the later your appointment is the more behind they become.
The good and bad news. I have only minor evidence of arthritis in my shoulders. However, the MRI shows a partial tear in one of the left shoulder tendons with a second suspected partial or full tear tear in another tendon. Recommendation, I go to an orthopedic doctor in Las Vegas for an evaluation and surgery fix. I have put that off until October when it is cooler than it will be here in May and June.
My 'normal' health is doing pretty good. Blood pressure was 121/63 which made everyone happy. Cholesterol is moderately high along with the LDL (Bad) which we have agreed to see it the Fish Oil will work since I was taken off Simvastatin. Uric acid level elevated but no need for medication, yet. Slightly anemic but this has been true for years now. Next regular VA checkup in one year.
Very overcast all day. Was able to see Mt. Charleston for a few minutes after coming out of the VA and there was fresh snow once more. We may get some rain also before the day is done. With the blowing wind it has stayed cold all day. More winter!
14 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
It started raining a little before Patches went out for her evening potty walk. We went to the close by small Dog Run where she enjoyed running in the rain with her tennis ball rather than attending to business. Finally got her back home and in front of the Wave heater to warm and dry her, she was just as happy as she could be.It rained until 9-10 last night then started again around 4 this morning. Light rain off and on until noon; it looks like we are now part of the Pacific Northwest. Patches did a repeat performance of her antics last night. Has now been in front of the Wave almost all day because it has not only been raining but has been cold also. The forecast is for it to reach 63° but I have my doubts, then back over 80 again by Tuesday.
I received a reply to my second email making inquiry about my next month long camp. I have not made a final decision yet but it will be somewhere in the northeastern part of Oregon. From there I'll probably move just across the state line and spend a couple of weeks in Hood Park near Pasco, WA before heading east into MT. Then start back south again to arrive back in Pahrump at the end of September.
I don't know how long the recovery will be if they then do a surgery fix on my shoulder. I hope it will not be long and I can continue south to Huachuca City again before it gets too cold. I want D&J RV Service to do a roof coating on Desperado before going to Ajo again for a couple of the winter months.
15 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
It was still cold this morning but no rain. Patches and I did a 2 mile walk for the first time in over a week in the southwest square but did an out and back to the one mile point.Only one dog confrontation along the way which Patches handled reasonably well. She can deal fairly well with dogs in their yards IF they don't bark at her. If they run up to the fence barking then she reacts and needs a couple of jerks on the collar to get her to sit. Once she is in a 'sit' she will usually not react even when the other dog is continuing to bark. Getting better?
Usually I am alone in the Club House for coffee on Sunday. This morning there was a crowd because there was a Pancake Breakfast being offered. I'm not a big fan of pancakes so I just had my couple of cups of coffee and got out of the way.
The Democrats need to get their story straight about taxes. This is what Senator Harry Reid said back in 2008 during an interview. I would like to hear what he might say in response to the Axelrod interview, Harry can be so entertaining when questioned.
Jan Helfeld: …if the government is in the business of forcefully taking money from some people in order to provide welfare benefits to others, how will the people whose money is being taken feel about the government?Senator Reid continued on with this convoluted voluntary tax logic for a long time but I think this gives you are good idea of his position on the subject. However, today Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday asks Obama campaign senior adviser David Axelrod about the amount of taxes the president paid last year and if he plans to donate some of his earnings to the U.S. Treasury. This was the conversation.
Harry Reid: Well, I don’t accept your phraseology. I don’t think we “force” people…
Helfeld: Taxation is not forceful?
Reid: Well, no.
Helfeld: It’s voluntary?
Reid: In fact, quite to the contrary. Our system of government is a voluntary tax system.
Helfeld: Oh… if you don’t want to pay your taxes, you don’t have to?
Reid: Of course you have to pay your taxes, but…
"If I may David, the question I have for you is, if the president feels so strongly about tax fairness is he going to contribute money to the Treasury -- and they have a special department for this -- to help with the deficit?" Wallace asked.
Axelrod dodged giving a direct answer to that question, leaving Wallace to try again.
"I take it then he is not going to contribute money to the Treasury to help with the deficit," Wallace observed.
"Listen, that's not the way we operate our tax system. We don't run bake sales, it's not about volunteerism. We all kick in according to the system and the system allows that -- look, the fact that Mitt Romney pays 14-percent on $20 million income is not the issue. The issue is that the system permits that and he would perpetuate that and he would enhance it," Axelrod said today.
16 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
Winter is over again. Today may be Spring in Pahrump this year and we will move on into Summer tomorrow. It is be near 90° during the weekend but forecast to cool down into the 70 next week so there may be some Spring yet.No excuse for not doing a longer walk this morning other than some right leg pain again. It is not too bad but did not want to press the issue and felt lazy. That may have been the primary reason. Patches got to play with her tennis ball and now she seems happily asleep on the couch.
Finished catching up on my Monthly blog reads which I seem to do every 6 weeks or 2 months rather than monthly. Also finished preparing the Will Rogers weekly article links for the month of May. Those were the notable accomplishments for the day, less notable was the selection of the best essay by Fred Reed. Now all I have to do is write up why I think it is the best.
Some more Tax News in celebration of the season, today being the end of the extended tax filing deadline. According to the White House, "Together, [the Bidens] reported adjusted gross income of $379,035. The Bidens paid $87,900 in total federal tax for 2011. They paid $13,843 in Delaware income tax and $3,614 in Virginia income tax. The Bidens contributed $5,540 to charity in 2011."
Biden’s tax records list rental income of $20,900 from a “cottage” on is property, which is reportedly being leased by the Secret Service and paid for at a rate that could earn him even more money next year. Biden took deductions for mortgage interest and taxes that allowed him to report only $12,653 of the amount on his federal tax return.
So, the Bidens contributed 1.5% of their adjusted gross income to charity. I would expect nothing less of a generous Liberal that prefers to give away the money of others rather than their own. However, it would have been remarkable if their donations had at least equaled the net proceeds from the Secret Service rental 'cottage'.
17 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
A very nice morning (43°) and one of the few spring days that we have had in the past couple of weeks. Almost perfectly calm winds, over 70 by noon and forecast to reach 84. The revised forecast has it staying in the 70s next week but still with a chance of rain.Yesterday evening Patches and I did two circuits of the Park. She also came in contact with dogs on 4 occasions; handled two of them fairly well and two not so well. Only one lap this morning and one dog contact. She was in the big Dog Run and proceeded to run along the fence and bark at the other dog, not very sociable.
The housecleaning had backed up once again and I felt good enough to tackle it today. I had to stop and rest the right shoulder (the scrubbing arm) a couple of times but I got it done.
There was a lot of mud and gravel tracked in by the two of us from the rain storm plus the accumulated hair that Patches sheds constantly. Then there was the toilet that really need cleaning once a week which I don't do nor do I get to the stove top as often as I should. Everything looking pretty good for the next couple of days!
You can tell by the amount of time that the lame stream media is devoting to 'Hookergate' that we are in a slow news cycle. That has even taken Martin-Zimmerman off the front page as News.
I'm very surprised that the Democrats have not tried to place the blame on former President Bush, although that will come soon I'm sure. They tried to divert the GSA scandal by using the Blame Bush excuse but it did not catch on with the media. I think the blame game may be worn out.
That does not keep David Axelrod, President Obama's top campaign strategist, from complaining that "Gallup is saddled with some methodological problems". This comes after Gallup has been reporting Obama leading Romney in all the polls taken during March but their most recent one shows him trailing. No methodological problems before but suddenly with a polling that show Obama trailing they appear. I can see that Axelrod is going to provide a lot of entertainment during Campaign 2012.
18 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
Another great morning and nice spring day like yesterday. I was up this morning before Patches was begging me to get up and we did one circuit of the Park with some ball playing time in the small Dog Park.Then unhooked from electric and went to Terrible's Town, to be re-named T Town if the rumors are correct, were I was meeting a fellow blogger and Pahrump resident. He, and his wife, now do some part time RV trips but is a local that blogs as Over The Hump! which is a colloquialism for going from Pahrump to Las Vegas.
The menu is the same as at Terrible's Lakeside, does not include Biscuits and Gravy, but I was able to get an order. Not as good as Lakeside. That did not distract from having a good visit and Patches was thrilled to have someone else fawn over her other than myself. She was such a Good Girl also that I could hardly believe she was my dog; but then again she isn't, I'm her person.
I have turned Don into another reader of Fred Reed with my mention of reading Fred On Everything here in my previous postings. It is always good to hear that someone has received a benefit from reading what I have written. Maybe Boonie's challenge to a duel will also bring in some Fred Reed readers. I'm working on that challenge, not quite there yet.
Went from there to Smith's to fill the pantry for another week. I'll do another grocery trip a week from now but will only buy 3-4 day of food rather than a full week and will probably select different 'stuff' that will travel better without refrigeration. Will also fill up with gas during that trip and will be ready to head north.
Stopped at my mail box again at the UPS Store. Nothing there that could not have waited another week. Then stopped at EZ Dental and made an appointment for the end of September to have my teeth cleaned. I'll be going to my regular Periodontist in Reno on my way north for a cleaning but will ask them to send my records her to Pahrump.
This is just a much more convenient place to have as both my medical and dental domicile. It also makes more sense considering that I'll be going to a Orthopedic Surgeon in Las Vegas with an unknown number of follow up visits required.
Some more Income Tax data courtesy of the Tax Foundation compiled from IRS data. It looks to me like the tax code is doing a fairly good job of spreading the wealth around. I'm not sure what President Obama has to complain about, perhaps he want to increase the non-payers to over 50% or maybe just increase the refunds to the existing 41%?
Out of the 143 million tax returns that were filed with the IRS in 2010, 58 million – or 41 percent – of those filers were non-payers. In other words, only 85 million actually paid taxes. The people who didn’t pay any income tax also received $105 billion in refundable tax credits from the IRS.
Those people making above $50,000 had an effective tax rate of 14.1 percent, and carried 93.3 percent of the total tax burden. Those making more than $250,000 had an effective tax rate of 23.4 percent and their total share of the tax burden was 45.7 percent.
The excerpt below is from Peggy Noonan's latest essay It's Over. What Have We Learned? where she comments on the Republican Presidential Candidate primary race. I think the lame stream media got the Presidential race that they were hoping for. They still want Obama to win a second term but if he looses to Romney they feel comfortable that the Status Quo will prevail so all is well.
I have learned that the election of a President in 2012 is going to not mean much. I say this assuming that President Obama will be elected to a second term and Congress will NOT be controlled by the Democrats. If the Democrats regain total control of Congress then there will truly be a transformation of America. However, the transformation will be cultural and social not economic, I think we are way to far down that dead end road for the next President to make any significant improvement in the next four years.
So what have we learned? The GOP presidential contest of 2012 is over. Mitt Romney will be the Republican nominee... We learned that primogeniture is still a force in the GOP. The next king is the firstborn son of the current king. In political terms, the guy who came in second in the last presidential cycle stands most likely to be crowned and anointed in the current one.
A major if largely unspoken Republican criticism of Mr. Romney is exactly like a major if largely unspoken Democratic criticism of President Obama: He'll meet with you, he's polite and appropriate, but he gives no sign afterward that he heard you, that he absorbed or pondered what you said. Nor is his campaign greatly improved. It gets the job done but it is stolid, unimaginative, small-bore.
19 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
Yesterday evening after Patches and I had returned from our walk we encountered the wind doldrums. I had to turn on the A/C fan, no A/C yet, to remain comfortable. Today we have a breeze blowing that has kept it very nice I just hope it stays with us this evening.The sun if coming up earlier so we are getting up and out earlier for our walks these past couple of days. I have been stopping at the small Dog Park on the way home and Patches gets her tennis ball play time. She seems to enjoy this a lot and stays settled for the rest of the day. Sprawled out on the couch right now with her belly up to the breeze that we are getting. I have a Happy Dog!
The items that I picked up at Smith's yesterday were all, well almost all, selected for their low cholesterol content as well as their ability to lower cholesterol. Since I have been taken off the statin drug the only thing that the VA has prescribed for me is fish oil supplements so I'm going to try and have my diet work for me also.
Got EggBeaters rather than eggs; kale, chard, okra and eggplant for my stir fry and more dark chocolate (which I started eating a month ago). Picked up some almonds and prunes this time although the walnuts and raisins that I have been eating for some time now are also good the almonds were cheaper and the prunes are higher in the same nutrients.
I also got a can of red salmon that I'll be adding to my morning EggBeater, potato, green onion and mini sweet pepper scramble. Very limited beef in my future although I did not eat much beef in the past, I'll now rely more on chicken and salmon, cod, tuna and maybe mackerel (have been eating more fish but the sardines are not good for my uric acid level). Have been eating a small amount of dark chocolate everyday which is also good for blood pressure and cholesterol but bad for uric acid.
Since my PA at the VA was not very concerned with my slightly elevated uric acid level I am also not too concerned. However, with that said, I did some web searches and found the following results of a study done on people having psoriasis and eating dark chocolate. I'll keep eating my small amount of dark chocolate, thank you very much.
In the people with psoriasis several antioxidants (tocopherol and bilirubin) were increased, but only slightly; but an antioxidant Uric Acid was increased by a whole 33% compared to the controls without psoriasis. High levels of Uric Acid may cause an extension of the lifespan of the people with psoriasis, compared to the people without psoriasis. Therefore the people with psoriasis may live longer than the people without psoriasis.
20 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: April 20, 1924We became becalmed again yesterday evening and had the A/C fan going once more. If the forecast is correct I will be running the A/C tomorrow, the high is to be 99°. Starting today the next 6 days are all to be in the 90s then back into the 70s until I leave.
I think Patches is looking forward to getting on the road north also. These warmer days have her panting much more to keep cool and she seems to have slowed down a little. Not quit the wild and crazy dog that the cool mornings encouraged.
Yesterday I completed 8 weeks here at this Park and paid for another one week plus one day. That will set a long term record for my staying in one place since I started this full time living in Desperado. I certainly did not plan on it but a Fulltimer usually does not formulate many plans and if they do most of the time they get changed.
The Democrats have taken offense when President Obama has been characterized as being the Food Stamp President. Perhaps they have just cause but this story seems to give credence to the moniker. I want you to notice that 'benefits are expected to fall after 2014'; sure, and I expect that I'm going to get younger and better looking after 2014!
This is some more of the spreading the wealth around that needs to be added to the $105 Billion in Tax Credit Refunds that were issued in 2010. That lower 41% is not doing too bad with the governmental wealth spreading that is going on. Another few percentages taken out of the 'rich' should just about make it 'fair”.
The Congressional Budget Office said Thursday that 45 million people in 2011 received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, a 70% increase from 2007. It said the number of people receiving the benefits, commonly known as food stamps, would continue growing until 2014.
Spending for the program, not including administrative costs, rose to $72 billion in 2011, up from $30 billion four years earlier. The CBO projected that one in seven U.S. residents received food stamps last year.
In a report, the CBO said roughly two-thirds of jump in spending was tied to an increase in the number of people participating in the program, which provides access to food for the poor, elderly, and disabled. It said another 20% “of the growth in spending can be attributed to temporarily higher benefit amounts enacted in the” 2009 stimulus law.
CBO said the number of people receiving benefits is expected to fall after 2014 because the economy will be improving.
“Nevertheless, the number of people receiving SNAP benefits will remain high by historical standards,” the agency said.
It estimated that 34 million people, or 1 in 10 U.S. residents, would receive SNAP benefits in 2022 “and SNAP expenditures, at about $73 billion, will be among the highest of all non-health-related federal support programs for low-income households.”
21 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
Yes, we have Summer. The high was 91° yesterday and I turned the A/C on around 3:00. The forecast for today is a revised 95 down from 99 but tomorrow was revised to be 100. It was already at 85 by noon today and I had the A/C on soon thereafter.I didn't do a long walk with Patches in the late afternoon heat yesterday and will not do that today or tomorrow either. Yesterday she was happy to just chew on a tennis ball, no running. In the cool of this morning she did some running around with it in her mouth, she loves it when I fake an attempt to catch her. However, that gets her even more excited and it is then difficult to make her stop the 'game' and go home.
They can't talk, but dogs say a lot about their owners' personalities, a new study has found. Per this survey my personality is kind of middling.
"People tend to report that their dog's personality is quite similar to their own, but we wanted to see if these stereotypes actually stand up to scrutiny," said study author Lance Workman, a psychologist at Bath Spa University in the U.K. Using an online survey, Workman and colleagues probed the personalities of 1,000 dog owners and found some surprising trends.
No personality traits stood out in the survey among people who owned terriers, like the Staffordshire bull..."Terrier owners were kind of middling," said Workman. "They weren't high or low on anything in particular." The Staffordshire bull mixes courage and tenacity with affection for friends, children in particular.
Nothing much happening here today other than trying to stay cool, I suspect that tomorrow will be similar. I did realize that I failed to include the Will Rogers weekly article link yesterday and have fix that today. CRS!
22 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
I will be running the A/C most of this afternoon just like I did yesterday but had to turn it on an hour earlier . The high yesterday was 96° with a forecast for today revised down to 97. Then slowly cooling during the week with rain possible on Thursday. Very pleasant temperatures in Reno and northeastern Oregon next week. I'm a week late in leaving. HAI have finished writing my explanation of why I have selected the Fred Reed essay that I did. I'll let is sit and cure for a day or two then give it to my 'factor'. My 'factor' will then release it to Boonie's 'factor' when he get his explanation prepared for the duel and they will both then be published on his blog, “The Dueling Field”.
I need to get this done before I leave here at the end of next week. I'll be on the road from April 28th until May 1st with unknown Internet access. I'll also be relying on my alternator to build up my battery bank each day enough that I can do my Internet postings and readings IF I do have access.
That was about all that I did accomplish today. That and trying to stay cool.
23 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
The high temperature yesterday was 98° with a forecast for today of 93. I think we are going to be closer to the high of yesterday rather than that of the forecast. However, it feels cooler today because there is a light wind blowing for the first time in 3-4 days. I'll have the A/C on again but it will be a little later than yesterday.Patches and I did one circuit around the Park with a little running time in the smaller Dog Park. All the tennis balls have been thrown away or are now in a bowl that I can keep her from getting into. I think the other Park residents that take their dogs to this Park during the weekdays were getting tired of finding that Patches had destroyed another tennis ball. HA, winning friends is what we are all about.
She was confronted by another dog wanting to use the Dog Park this morning before we left. She was off leash inside and reacted like a fool then continued to do so until I got her away and going home. Good Dog, NOT!
The main task for the day was to get laundry done, including the sheets off my bed. I can't believe I did the same thing in the laundry room again this morning. That's right I put my laundry in one machine and my money in another. Right after I pushed the coins in I saw my mistake but it was far too late.
There were three other people come in after I did that and I told them that I had put soap in the one machine that they would not have to. All three of them said that they had done the same thing before. I did not confess to having done it twice, I felt dumb enough as it was.
The struggle with my mattress was reduced somewhat because I only had to do so with the bottom fitted sheet. The top sheet and blanket I have left loose, I did not try to get them tucked in under the mattress, my shoulders were not up to the added abuse.
That was about it for the day. I did get started on the Will Rogers weekly article links for June but only a small beginning.
The quote shown below was taken from The Weekly Standard, a conservative publication, which I doubt will make its way into the News as reported by the lame stream media. Ted Nugent was quickly investigated by the Secret Service to see if he was a threat to President Obama because of what he said. Who is investigating these Tweeters that are calling for murder of Zimmerman and the judge that released him on bail?
Is this how our justice system is to work in the future? If it is then it is probably a good bet that it is not going to all be a one way street. There will also be like minded people that will want to impose vigilante justice on African-American/Black/Negro's. Not all the blame can be placed on President Obama nor the Justice Department but they have certainly not done anything to curtail these calls for vigilante action.
George Zimmerman, the accused murderer of Florida teen Trayvon Martin, has been released from jail on bail. Meeting Zimmerman's release are calls (on Twitter) for him to be killed. As Twitchy reports, "Twitter lynch mob: George Zimmerman is out on bail? Let’s kill him!"
But it's not just Zimmerman who is at risk. In fact, there's already been a call on Twitter for the murder of the judge, Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester, who agreed to release Zimmerman on bail.
Writing on a Twitter, someone named @Rick_Cobain writes, "Zimmerman released from jail someone kill the judge!!!!!"
Zimmerman released from jail someone kill the judge!!!! (@Rick_Cobain) April 23, 2012
Already 25 other people have retweeted @Rick_Cobain's call for murder.
24 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
I had the windows open all night last night and was running the fan until about 10:00 pm. It is much cooler today than it has been but calm winds so I have had the A/C on again in the afternoon. Forecast is for it to continue to cool until I leave.My right hip and knee were hurting me again this morning so we only went to the nearby Dog Park. There Patches did get in a few minutes of running. She does nothing but sniff and mark her territory unless I fake a run at her then she wants to play 'keep away'.
I went to the coffee hour at the Club House and then we went to town. I wanted to have breakfast at Jefe's again but they were not open at 8:00. That is their opening hour per the menu and I verified it with the waitress the one time that I have found them open. However, I think the owner is Mexican and all of the staff that I have seen are so the culture is from Mexico where time and punctuality are not held in much respect.
Went to the Pahrump Diner again which claims to open at 7:00. Since it was after 8:00 they were open and I had the Huevos Enchiladas one more time.
Last stop at the UPS Store where I picked up my VA prescriptions, all of them except the fish oil. I'll have to refill that on-line and then get it forwarded to me sometime in late May or June. Then my last stop at Smith's for groceries and fill up with gas. I'm almost ready to leave, need to dump tanks and add fresh water then it is pull the electric plug and head north for a cooler camp.
25 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
It is much cooler again today than it has been but continuing calm winds. Forecast is for it to rain and then cool even more tomorrow with a chance of rain. Then the revised forecast is for it to move back up into the mid-80s starting Friday.My right hip and knee were better today so Patches and I did circuit of the Park with a stop at the big Dog Run. She didn't do much running and seems a bit subdued today.
When I picked up groceries yesterday I got a can of mackerel rather than the red salmon that I had last week. I used some of it this morning with my EggBeaters, diced potatoes, green onions and mini sweet peppers to make my breakfast scramble. It was just as good and is so much cheaper than the red salmon. I may give the pink salmon a try also, it is cheaper than the red but a little more expensive than the mackerel.
I did some more nothing all day. There was a slight breeze in the afternoon that helped me do it while on the couch letting that slight breeze cool me.
Reuters TV reported the following as News today. Romney is aware that he can NOT fire Chairman Bernanke but would only replace him when his Chairmanship term runs out on January 31, 2014. He has said that in so many words during the campaign for the presidential nomination. You would then think that Reuters would have added that to this brief News flash; it is not so much what that did report but what they did NOT report. The bias, in favor of the Fed stimulus policies, is obscured by not telling the whole story a common lame stream media ploy.
The likely Republican nominee says, “I’d be looking for somebody new” to run the Federal Reserve if he’s elected president. Romney criticized Fed Chairman Bernanke for printing too much money in a bid to stimulate the economy.
26 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
The rain never made it here to the Pahrump Valley. Yesterday there were a few drops that fell, you could almost count them before they dried up. Then again last night a few drops were reported but nothing that could be called rain.This morning it was raining hard in the mountains all around the Valley but never made it to the valley floor. I thought it would by the way it looked when we got up so just went to the nearby Dog Park. Patches had some fun playing 'keep away' again in the much cooler weather this morning.
I have been reading my long novel more the last few days but will not finish it before leaving here. If my summer camps don't have as big a selection as what is here at this Park I'll just hold off exchanging until I return in September. I have 4-5 other books that I have not read that should last me through the summer.
I did some more work on the Will Rogers weekly article links for June but they will not be finished before I leave here either. I may get some more done tomorrow but nothing more after that until I am in my new camp up north.
Mitt Romney's victory speech in NH this week was long on 'gauzy American exceptionalism' but very short on policy. An Opinion essay titled The Romney Opportunity in The Wall street Journal had this to say in part. I don't think he will do what is suggested and President Obama will beat him by running against Bush as he did to beat McCain. He will also promise to give more free 'stuff' to more people than Romney, at the same time warning that Romney will take away all the free 'stuff' they now receive.
But he'll find it easier to defeat Mr. Obama's argument—even to transcend it—if he offers his own economic narrative that reaches back to the mistakes of the Bush Administration to explain how we got here and how he can get us out. Politically, this will help shield Mr. Romney from Mr. Obama's inevitable attempt to link the Republican to the Bush era. Such a critique also has the advantage of being true.
Before Mr. Obama's stimulus, Mr. Bush joined with Nancy Pelosi and Larry Summers on the blunder of "targeted, temporary" tax cuts. Mr. Bush began playing business favorites for ethanol and green energy fads. Republicans in Congress spent like Democrats and protected Fannie Mae and the housing lobby. And Mr. Bush and most Republicans embraced an easy-money Federal Reserve that favored Wall Street and asset bubbles at the expense of real middle-class incomes.
Coming from outside Washington and with his business background, Mr. Romney can make the case for an economic restoration that corrects the mistakes of both the Bush and Obama eras. He can join with the younger generation of GOP reformers—in the states and on Capitol Hill—to pursue an agenda that promises to fix our ailing public institutions, wean Wall Street from Washington, and create more opportunity for all Americans.
27 April
Pair-A-Dice Escapees
Pahrump, NV
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: April 27, 1924We have another day of spring, maybe. These days occasionally get inserted between the sudden juxtaposition from winter to summer then back again that is common in Nevada.
The nice cool morning was welcomed by Patches. We did a curcuit of the Park with a stop at the big Dog Run where she did some 'keep away' with probably the only tennis ball to be found there. She had a good time and is now a Happy Dog!
Went to the Club House for the last time this trip and had coffee with most of the regulars. Gave my goodbye and see ya in September speech. It is a congenial group that I will look forward to joining again when I do return.
The last thing that I needed to do today to be ready to leave in the morning was empty holding tanks and fill fresh water tank. I got that done not long after breakfast and before noon, didn't want to rush into it. Will be up earlier than usual tomorrow, pull the electric plug and be on the road again.
I am sooooo surprised that this story says 'the lowest level in 15 years' rather than “since President Clinton's” second term. But, I should not be that surprised because it is Politico where I found the story and they are going to spin it in as favorable a light as they can for the Democrat Party. They also make reference to '2002' rather that “during President Bush's” second term. It is not what is reported by the lame stream media it is also how it is reported.
Today, just one in three has a favorable view of the federal government — the lowest level in 15 years, according to a Pew survey. The majority of Americans remain satisfied with their local and state governments — 61 percent and 52 percent, respectively — but only 33 percent feel likewise about the federal government.
In 2002, nearly double that figure, 64 percent, viewed the federal government favorably, and Americans held their local and state governments in similar esteem, at 67 percent and 62 percent, respectively.
In the past the presidential race started after the two political parties selected their nominees at their respective conventions. We have moved away from that over the past couple of decades and this election cycle the party conventions have no meaning at all. Why have them? The presidential race is already on and has been on for President Obama since the beginning of the year.
Romney has had to divide his efforts but has also been running against Obama while winning the nomination at the Republican Convention that has not happened yet. Chris Stirewalt has written an essay for FoxNews.com titled Barack Obama: Candidate of a Dozen Campaigns that describes how those two campaign strategies are shaping up.
Obama is heaving up a series of topics – birth control, immigration, economic inequality, consumer abuses of military families, etc. – in a bid to keep the discussion off of Romney’s preferred subject: the president’s policies and their effect on the economy.Romney did a 'me too' on Obama's topic of student loans this week but I'm not sure that he scored a lot of points on the economy. I'm betting with Obama that he can keep Romney off topic because the lame stream media will always focus on whatever it is that the President wants to talk about.
Obama wants Romney chasing him through every bramble and thicket. Romney meanwhile must decide when to pursue the president and when to cede a topic to the incumbent in order to keep the focus where he wants it: the lousy economy. As owner of the bully pulpit and in possession of a sympathetic press corps, Obama is betting that he can keep Romney off topic.
28 April
El Capitan Casino
Hawthorne, NV
I was up a little after 5:00, even before Patches, when there was enough twilight to see what we were doing. Took Patches to the nearby Dog Park where she quickly found numerous places to mark her territory. She is much more particular where she does her second duty so we wandered around until she found that 'perfect' spot.I think that is going to be my next training challenge. The command: Do It. She then does it and we get on with our day.
The route was 272 miles and extremely simple NV160 & US95.
I stopped in Beatty, NV and had breakfast at a little Mom-n-Pop place on the south end of town. It had once been a Mexican restaurant then was closed last year when I went through. It is now just your normal small town restaurant with a pretty good breakfast and they had a good crowd.
Then stopped in Tonopah, NV for gas where I paid the most since a year ago when I came north and got gas in Hawthorne. It was still less than what I paid last year but over $4/gallon.
One more stop in Luning, NV for Patches to take a potty walk and me to stretch. The right hip was starting to bother me after sitting for more than about 1 ½ hours and then when I did get out to walk it took a few steps to get everything working like it should. The shoulders are a little sore but not as bad as I thought they might have been. I fought winds most of the day but they were moderate without many strong gusts so it was not a bad drive. However, I did get here at noon, the stronger winds are almost always later in the day.
I'll have a shorter day tomorrow when I continue on to Reno. Will stop in Dayton, NV to visit an old boss and friend along the way.
No problem getting a good Internet signal. My only concern is how well the battery bank will hold up. I'll get this posted first and then do some blog reading later so if I do run short of power it will not be that big of a deal.
President Obama got the support of Romney and a bipartisan bill passed by the House for his student loan interest rate proposal but that is not enough for him. It is almost a repeat of his actions on the debt limit deal with Boehner, he gets what he wants and then says that he wants more. What he really wants is to be able to Campaign on a platform that says the Republicans are blocking everything that he tries to do, all of his failures are their fault. All his problems are former President Bush's fault of course.
This statement of administration policy also shows where the President's priorities are. Women are more important than students. His other programs that were to be funded in his budget from the Prevention and Public Health Fund are now unfunded because his budget was unanimously defeated. All additional spending must be paid for by taxing the rich.
"The Administration strongly supports serious, bipartisan efforts to prevent interest rates from doubling for over 7 million college students in the coming year," Obama's Office of Management and Budget said in a "statement of administration policy," the formal mechanism for announcing where the president stands on legislation.
"Unfortunately, rather than finding common ground on a way to pay for this critical policy, H.R. 4628 includes an attempt to repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund, created to help prevent disease, detect it early, and manage conditions before they become severe," OMB said, warning that "women, in particular" would suffer. "This is a politically-motivated proposal and not the serious response that the problem facing America's college students deserves. If the President is presented with H.R. 4628, his senior advisors would recommend that he veto the bill," it said.
Republican House Speaker John Boehner's office pounced. "The president is so desperate to fake a fight that he's willing to veto a bill to help students over a slush fund that he advocated cutting in his own budget...Obama's budget, unveiled earlier this year, calls for tapping into the same fund to cover other programs. The Senate's Democratic majority, which will likely kill the Republican bill, has proposed covering the nearly $6 billion tab for the student loan proposal by raising taxes on wealthy Americans.
29 April
Pioneer Crossing Casino
Dayton, NV
Patches was not going to sleep in this morning and didn't want me to either so we were up at 5:30. Did a potty walk around the city block size parking lot which has been done before by those that do not pick up after their dogs. It was far to early for me to have breakfast and get on the road so I read some of my Daily blogs. Went for breakfast at 7:00 and then finished reading Daily blogs before leaving. The El Capitan Casino restaurant is nothing special with your regular small town menu but they charge big city prices for everything.
My route today was only 106 miles and just as simple as yesterday US95, US95 ALT & US50.
I did get off US95 ALT in Yerington, NV just to see some of the farms on the east side of town but that is not really part of the route.
Even with my later start I still arrived in Dayton, NV before 10:00 which was my intended arrival time. My former boss at Baldini's now works here and in Fernley, NV where they have another Pioneer Crossing Casino. He said that he would be here at 10:00 so I went in an got him to come out and see Desperado and meet Patches.
That meeting worked and didn't work. Patches behaved herself as well as I have seen her behave with visitors but a big part of that was because my former boss is allergic to dog and could not touch her. When I kept her away from him she lost interest and just laid by my side while we visited for a few minutes until all the floating dog hair started to bother him.
Patches is still not a very good traveler. These past two days she has been better; not as much wandering into the back of the motor home but still no interest in watching the scenery pass by. She now spends almost all her time in the open area between the passenger seat and me. Sometimes will lay down, sometimes sitting or sitting with her jaw on my leg and a lot of the time turning, turning, turning.
Had a long lunch with my former boss where we talked about our lives over the past year since we last saw each other. His son is at the university of Nevada – Reno and is sitting out this baseball season because of a torn rotator cuff. That is the same thing that I have just a more common term for it. His surgery and subsequent physical therapy went well but lasted much longer than I hope mine does.
I'll spend the night here in the Casino parking lot and get an early start for Reno in the morning. Maybe miss some of the heavy traffic, get into town in time for breakfast and then my 10:00 dental appointment. I'll then get out of town again as soon as I can, no staying over in Reno this trip. I do not consider Reno very RV friendly and will not stay there any longer than absolutely necessary, I learned my lesson last year.
I was far too generous yesterday when I said that President Obama had been campaigning since the beginning of the year. He has been in re-election campaign mode since the day he got sworn into office.
Barack Obama has already held more re-election fundraising events than every elected president since Richard Nixon combined, according to figures to be published in a new book.
The figures, contained a in a new book called The Rise of the President’s Permanent Campaign by Brendan J. Doherty, due to be published by University Press of Kansas in July, give statistical backing to the notion that Obama is more preoccupied with being re-elected than any other commander-in-chief of modern times.
Doherty, who has compiled statistics about presidential travel and fundraising going back to President Jimmy Carter in 1977, found that Obama had held 104 fundraisers by March 6th this year, compared to 94 held by Presidents Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush Snr, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush combined.
Since then, Obama has held another 20 fundraisers, bringing his total to 124. Carter held four re-election fundraisers in the 1980 campaign, Reagan zero in 1984, Bush Snr 19 in 1992, Clinton 14 in 1996 and Bush Jnr 57 in 2004.
30 April
Lake County Fairgrounds
Lakeview, OR
My route today was 281 miles but I fought a wind for many of those miles so it feels like I have done many, many more. Tomorrow I will do more so I didn't consider I had the option to stop early although I was tempted in Alturas, CA. US50, US395, S. Virginia St, N. Virginia St, US395 (@ Red Rock) & OR140 (N. 4th St).I did some driving around in Reno that is included in the miles but not part of the route, although that did not add very many miles.
We were up early again, it was Patches idea but I did want to get on the road by 6:00. There was a Wind Advisory in Washoe Valley where the winds can be fierce but RVs can usually make it until they prohibit RVs and trucks.
First stop was at the Smith's in South Reno that had fuel which GasBuddy said was among the cheapest. Then to my favorite Mexican restaurant for breakfast; they are open 24/7/365 so it has been my number one choice since they opened.
I then stopped for an hour and visited with my broker that I had only meet over the telephone and via email. It was good to see his assistant once again; I have probably known her for a longer period than any of the brokers that I have had.
The last stop was at my dental appointment, the reason for coming to Reno. I had them send copies of my records to a dentist in Pahrump and will not be stopping in Reno next April. Maybe in April 2014?
More strong winds all the way from Reno to Susanville, CA. From there I was in totally new country for me. I had never been up US395 to Alturas or Lakeview before. It is pretty country; buckaroo country like northern NV and southeastern OR. But it also has a couple of big valleys with running streams/rivers and the huge lake where Lakeview is sited.
I have shown that I'm camping here as a boondock camp on my map of camps which I am with no hookups at all just like in Hawthorne and Dayton but I had to pay $5 for the privilege here. I don't begrudge them the money and I have a nice gravel lot to park in overlooking a small piece of the lake and the mountains to the west.
Electric hookup is $15/$18 off season/season, $5 to dump and $3 to shower. For an overnight stop it is not too bad. The town, what little I saw of it as I drove in, looks like it would be interesting to poke around in but I will not do so. Only if I were to stay here long term which I may do at some point.
Patches is as tired as I am. She just can not relax while we are traveling. However, she has been asleep in the drivers chair almost since we got here. I think she is there to keep me from taking off again. HA