January
1 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
Happy New Year!
I heard a diesel engine at idle very early this morning and wondered where it was and why. It was when I took Patches out for her potty walk that I got an answer to my question. It was a truck transporting the sheep to another field far away or perhaps to market. They were dove in to this alfalfa on the hoof but trucked away while still dark this morning.
My urge to clean the bathroom yesterday was not so much urge but dire necessity. It took repeated treatments of baking soda and vinegar to get the toilet bowl clean. The final shot at it was this morning after a long soak but I now claim triumph over 'ring around the bowl' once more.
I need to do some housecleaning/car cleaning of the living room and the drivers compartment also. That is not happening today however. I'm just saying..I need to. Then there are the windows that I have been needing some cleaning, but not today.
Nothing today but reading Daily blogs, the web News and some couch time with my long novel. I'm approaching the end of that at long last but probably not today, maybe tomorrow.
President Obama speaking of the Fiscal Cliff bill passed by the Senate after the ball dropped in Times Square: "This agreement will also grow the economy and shrink our deficits in a balanced way — by investing in our middle class, and by asking the wealthy to pay a little more."
What a bunch of meaningless words that statement contains. The ONLY thing that can be supported is 'the wealthy to pay a little more' – approximately $62 Billion/year over the next 10 years. However, even that is very doubtful because you, I and President Obama all know that the tax rate will change again within the next 10 years.
The 'shrink our deficits in a balance way' is campaign rhetoric and nothing more. In the first year, the bill increases revenue by $62, increases spending by $85 Billion and re-news $64 Billion in tax credits. So, compared to the 2012 deficit there will be a $23 Billion deficit increase for 2013. The 'grow the economy' and 'investing in our middle class' is simply political gobbledygook that has no factual basis.
I hope the House of Representatives does two things: 1) Does not vote on the bill until the new 113th Congress is sworn in on January 3rd. I believe it is the responsibility of the newly elected/re-elected Representatives to cast the vote not the Lame Ducks. 2) They vote NO on the bill and begin the debate for real Deficit and Debt reduction.
The quote of the day has to be from Fiscal cliff deal first day of Biden presidency by Jonah Goldberg for USA Today.
Perhaps the surest indication that Washington operates on the kooky side of the looking glass now is the sudden, even disturbing, revelation that the sanest, most grown-up and responsible person in the White House is … Joe Biden... To be delicate about it, Biden is not famous for having an ironclad grip on reality... But, for the third time now, Biden has proved more useful, realistic and constructive in a budget crisis than his boss – a president who used to brag about his ability to work with people who disagree with him.
2 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
I received an email from Boonie last night that provided the telephone number for a half lot on his street, near the foothills east of Yuma, that was for rent at $245 per month. Thinking that there was a very good chance that I would have to move today plus the great price – I gave the owner a call. He would not rent for just one month. I offered to move out IF he got a long term renter and he wouldn't go for that either. So, I was prepared to move out of Kofa Ko-op this morning and go looking for a new place to live.
As I was unhooking from electric the Maintenance Manager pulled up in his golf cart and said they had a space for me to move into. He read my meter and we went to my new space and I was set up again within 10 minutes of the time I started to leave. Then went to the Office and got some even better news. My 4th week is at 1/2 price. That makes the price of a month here to be $315 plus tax plus electric. Not as great a price as the Escapee Park in Pahrump but better than what I was expecting. The start of a good year!
I think Patches is pleased that we are staying here also. I felt well enough to take her out to the big field yesterday afternoon and she ran, ran, ran. She had a good time and I know that I should have her out as much as I can because she really does love the freedom.
I'm disappointed by the Fiscal Cliff surrender in the House of Representatives. However, was heartened by the 115 Republicans that did vote NO and the fact that it was not an unconditional surrender. I think this 'crisis' may have finally taught the Republicans that there is no way they can 'negotiate' with President Obama. To do so is like teaching a pig how to sing; your wasting your time and you irritate the pig.
The bill does none of the things that President Obama claims that it does. It is just one more kick of the can down the road until the United States government can no longer borrow more money. When that day comes is when the true Fiscal Cliff will become a Crisis Wall that can not be avoided. President Obama and the current members of Congress believe that they will be drawing nice comfortable retirement checks from the government coffer when that happens so they just keep kicking the can.
The Automatic Earth posting Quote Of The Year. And The Next is a long article based on this very idea and the quote: “we are going to evolve through crisis, not through proactive change.” This is explained in this excerpt from the article.
...perhaps this is all we have, and always, that it's a universal truth. That we can never solve our real big problems through proactive change. That we can only get to a next step by letting the main problems we face grow into full-blown crises, and that our only answer is to let that happen.
And then we come out on the other side, or we don't, but it's not because we find the answer to the problem itself, we simply adapt to what there is at the other side of the full-blown crisis we were once again unable to halt in its tracks. Adapt like rats do, and crocodiles, cockroaches, no more and no less.
This offers a nearly completely ignored insight into the way we deal with problems. We don’t change course in order to prevent ourselves from hitting boundaries. We hit the wall face first, and only then do we pick up the pieces and take it from there.
3 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
I finished the long novel last night and made an excellent trade today although I did trade for lesser pages. Picked up another novel by David Nevin, the first in his American Story Series Dream West. I read the third in that Series Eagle's Cry and found it to be my kind of book, historical fiction, and have looking for more by him.The book that I finished was the second in the A Song of Ice and Fire Series of epic fantasy novels by George R. R. Martin. The series was originally meant to be a trilogy but is now scheduled to be seven volumes. The second in the series A Clash of Kings was 969 pages long with an additional 28 page appendage of character notes. The 3rd and 5th volumes are longer yet – to read the series is a serious undertaking however after getting into this book I found it very enjoyable and will look of others.
My new space here at the Park does not provide nearly as nice a view as what I had before but there is less road traffic. I do get a lot of foot traffic that is closer to Desperado than before and Patches is a bit bothered by that. She had a visitor today that I met as I was coming back from trading books at the Club House. The woman saw Patches standing with her front feet on Desperado's dash peering at me and dancing as I approached and wanted to meet her.
Patches did her usual heart winning performance and the woman couldn't seem to get enough of her. She then said to me “I have always been very afraid of Pit Bulls but will you look at her, she is such a sweetheart.” Winning the hearts and minds of those that fear Pit Bulls is what Patches is ALL about. I do explain that she is an American Staffordshire, a cousin to the Pit, but she has the 'look' so everyone thinks she is a Pit. A wonderful one they all think after they have met her.
All the stock jockey pundits are attributing the 308 point increase in the Dow Average yesterday to the passage of the Fiscal Cliff bill. Higher taxes for the 'rich' and continued unemployment payments for those out of work in this 'new normal' economy makes for a higher Dow Average. That in turn increases Consumer Confidence and the 'animal spirit' which increases spending and GDP. WOW – What A Country – you can increase GDP through redistribution.
It is obvious, at least to me, that President Obama is still on the Campaign Trail and still using his class war rhetoric to garner votes for what I presume will be his third term (I am sure that steps are being taken to amend the 22nd Amendment.) He cut a video, distributed by his Reelection Committee, to reiterate his belief that the wealthiest Americans still aren’t paying their “fair share” of taxes and to outline a second-term agenda ranging from environmental policy to gun control.
Obama started by celebrating the tax increases — “making our tax code more progressive than it’s been in decades,” he said — that will take place because of the fiscal cliff deal. “Obviously, there is still more to do when it comes to reducing our debt,” Obama said in the video. “And I’m willing to do more, as long as we do it in a balanced way that doesn’t put all the burden on seniors or students or middle class families, but also asks the wealthiest Americans to contribute and pay their fair share.”
4 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: January 4, 1925It is cold. The low was 41° this morning but at 9:00 it had only warmed up to 45. That is not right, when the sun gets up it is supposed to get warm. I guess I need to get used to it because the forecast is for some days to be only in the upper 50s next week. We do have a cloudless blue sky which is more than a lot of places in the US of A can claim.
Made some progress on the February Will Rogers weekly articles. Not finished yet but I'm far and away ahead of where I was with getting January ready. Got in some couch time while beginning my latest book. Nothing that you would call productive or an adventure, simply living my daily routine. I did spend time reading the News which is also a pretty routine – yes, my reading of it as well as the News itself.
The Bureau of Labor has released their non-farm job numbers for December, an increase of 155,000. The media News is reporting this month as steady growth and emphasis is on the 7.8% Unemployment Rate not changing because the November rate was revised upward to 7.8% from the originally reported 7.7%.
Because the Bureau revises the monthly numbers for the year every December the monthly trend that I have shown becomes somewhat meaningless at this late date. What I want to report today is what happened from December 2011 to December 2012.
The number of Employed increased by 2,409,000 while the number of Unemployed decreased by 843,000. This decrease in the Unemployed would appear to be a very good thing but unfortunately many of them did not become Employed but quit looking for work and joined the Not in the Labor Force which increased 2,199,000.
It was this large increase in Not in the Labor Force that mostly caused of the Unemployment Rate to drop by 0.7% during the year.
The Participation Rate decreased by 0.4% to the lowest it has been since 1981. During an economic recession, many workers often get discouraged and stop looking for employment, as a result, the participation rate decreases. We have been out of recession since 2009 yet the Participation Rate is signaling its continuation. Convincing millions of Americans they don’t want a job or compelling desperate workers to settle for part time work has been the Obama administration’s most effective jobs program.
Charles Krauthammer speaking on the Bill O'Riley Show tells it like it is, this is the transformation that President Obama wants. He is making good progress, it seems that the only thing that will stop him will be when lenders stop buying our government debt.
“[President Obama] is a man that is so ideological,” Krauthammer said. “He is so committed, since the days as a community organizer, to undoing the injustices he sees in the country — what he calls social justice. He sees Europe [and] Scandinavia as a far more good and just society than ours. They have very high taxes and very strong sort of blanket entitlements, cradle to grave. That’s the ideal to which he wants to move the United States.”
5 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
It was even colder this morning but the weather guessers are predicting warmer mornings with the highs remaining in the mid-60s. It has warmed up a little faster today which is nice.Yesterday afternoon I had Patches running in the citrus groves again but this morning we did a very short potty walk and then took off for town. I tried La Fonda restaurant again with the same result – they were not open. I looked at their opening hours the last time I was there and thought they said they opened at 7:00. They do open at 7:00, Mon – Fri but at 9:00 on Sat and closed Sun. They aren't competing for the weekend breakfast market that is for sure.
Stopped at Coco's, a chain restaurant, near Fry's and had breakfast there. Then went to Fry's, the west side one, and stocked the larder for another week. This Fry's does not compare with the one on the east side of town, that one is so much better, but I wanted to have breakfast at La Fonda.
I also wanted to go to PetSmart which is not far from Penny's Diner and not that far from the west side Fry's. Went there to get a new chain collar for Patches, she lost her other one when running with Coffee Girl a couple of weeks ago. I can control her with her standard collar but not nearly as well. Can not train her to walk at Heel with the standard, there is just no way to correct her with that one (the trainer in Pahrump told me that when I put the first chain collar on her).
The President, Rep. Feinstein of California and the lame stream media are all trying to capitalize on the Newton shooting to pass more restrictive 'assault weapon' bans and registration. Of course, the ultimate goal is confiscation and the disarmament of the public which the leftist politicians and media fear greatly. Even with their own private security or the Secret Service they fear for their lives. However, they don't understand that 'assault weapons' are not as dangerous as hammers and clubs or hands and fists.
According to the FBI annual crime statistics, the number of murders committed annually with hammers and clubs far outnumbers the number of murders committed with a rifle. Those same annual statistics reveal that nearly twice as many people are killed by hands and fists each year than are killed by murderers who use rifles.
In 2005, the number of murders committed with a rifle was 445, while the number of murders committed with hammers and clubs was 605. In 2006, the number of murders committed with a rifle was 438, while the number of murders committed with hammers and clubs was 618. And so the list goes, with the actual numbers changing somewhat from year to year, yet the fact that more people are killed with blunt objects each year remains constant. For example, in 2011, there was 323 murders committed with a rifle but 496 murders committed with hammers and clubs.
It appears that President Obama is going to name former Senator Hagel as Secretary of Defense. Hagel has his critics on both sides of the aisle but as a RINO should make for a perfect fall guy in Defense during the President's second term.
A pro-lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender group issued a statement today urging President Barack Obama not to nominate him as Secretary of Defense. They believe that Hagel's recent apology for his insulting comments about the nomination of James Hormel as U.S. Ambassador to Luxemborg were hollow, politically expedient, and nakedly gratuitous (sound like a politician to me!). They want the President to nominate a new leader at the Pentagon who will fully and fairly implement the Military Readiness Enhancement Act – since he has a desire to return to government service I suggest Barney Frank.
6 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
The new chain collar for Patches is so much better for both of us. Yesterday afternoon when I had her walking at Heel went so much better. She was not pulling nearly as much and a slight tug on the leash was all I needed to do in the way of a correction. I'm happy, Patches is happy.A little bit warmer this morning but still colder than the weather guessers are predicting. They are guessing the high temperature rather well but I'm thinking they are using the historical average for the low predictions and were trending colder.
I picked up a family-pac size of frozen cod at the Fry's east over a week ago. Got about half of the pieces thawed out last night and cooked them up today as pescado a la veracruzana. This will give me 4 'linners' during this week and I have 3 pieces still frozen for next week. It was a very good buy.
Going to try and make some hot sauce today with the couple of dried habanero chile that I have left. Don't know how it is going to work out but will crush the chili and cook it in a tomato sauce with a little vinegar. I'll be commenting on my success or failure in the near future.
7 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
Frey's Hot Sauce is pretty good. Not as hot as I thought it would be but I think it will become hotter as it sits and matures. The dry habenero chili soaked up moisture from the air so they did not crush but remained whole. I brought the tomato sauce with vinegar and the whole chili to a boil for a few minutes and have left the chili in the bottled sauce. Will see what time does for it.Made up pot of pozole this morning. I'll have bowl of it this afternoon after it has been in the Cooker for about 5-6 hours. Using árbol chili to give it some bite and maybe add a little Frey's Hot Sauce depending on my guess of how many árbol to use.
The other big accomplishment of the day was to empty holding tanks and add fresh water. It didn't seem right that I should have to dump again this soon but my gray water tank has been signaling full for two days and my fresh water signaled empty yesterday. So I did it. I know the idiot lights are not correct but I'd rather empty too soon rather than be late.
I don't know why it is but the New Year has brought me to the point that I now think some of the doom-n-gloomers are on to something. I have not been very hopeful about the US culturally, economically or politically for quite some years but only now, in 2013, do I see some change possible (not for good or bad, simply change). Perhaps it is News like the following that has influenced my thinking?
Paul Robin Krugman is an American economist, Professor of Economics and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Centenary Professor at the London School of Economics, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times. He is also a Economics Pulitzer Prize winner and a hard core Keynesian.
In my opinion he is also educated WAY beyond his intelligence. He has latched onto the idea that the Treasury can mint $1 Trillion coins and deposit them with the Federal Reserve Bank as a means to avoid the Federal Debt Cap. He also made the following statement: “So even though right now that debt is just a claim by one more or less governmental agency on another governmental agency, it will eventually turn into debt held by the public.”
He is either totally ignorant of the Federal Reserve Bank organizational structure or he is intentionally telling a lie to support his 'free money' ideology. The Federal Reserve Bank is NOT a governmental agency and for a Economics Pulitzer Prize winner to make such a claim is a sign of desperation for whatever reason.
8 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
When Patches and I did our afternoon walk yesterday we just went out into the alfalfa fields where the sheep had been. While we we out there I saw a truck drop off a trailer loaded with ladders and port-a-potties at the groves south of us. We won't be walking there for the next few days if they are going to be picking.It is promising to be a better day today that the past couple. Perhaps a little warmer and maybe the wind has gone away. It hasn't been very strong but has been enough to make it feel colder.
I'm not sure what is going on with our sleeping patterns here in this household. Patches is always up well before daylight, wanting to get the day started. Yesterday morning she was still asleep when I got up at about 6:15. This morning she let ME sleep until almost 7:00 which has never happened before.
Then when we did get up and go for a short potty walk she was Antsy Nancy for the rest of the morning. Took her with me to drop off some garbage around noon and she has been napping on the couch since then. I think she just wanted out of the house again for another potty break, Crazy Dog!
Again, I will do what the media will not. I'll show you in the table below the deaths for each year and the President in office when they occurred. Please note that during former President Bush's complete first term there were 1,496 casualties whereas there have been 1,808 with President Obama as Commander in Chief.
If you can remember the election campaign of 2008 I think you will also remember that the causalities were a big issue. This past campaign of 2012 did not mention them except in passing with the death of Bin Laden being the one most talked about. I have not included the four deaths in Benghazi as part of President Obama's total however will be adding any deaths of our military deployed to Africa when (if) they are reported.
| Total US Casualties Iraq & Afghanistan | ||
|---|---|---|
| Bush | Obama | |
| 2001 | 12 | -0- |
| 2002 | 49 | -0- |
| 2003 | 534 | -0- |
| 2004 | 901 | -0- |
| 2005 | 945 | -0- |
| 2006 | 920 | -0- |
| 2007 | 1021 | -0- |
| 2008 | 469 | -0- |
| 2009 | -0- | 466 |
| 2010 | -0- | 559 |
| 2011 | -0- | 472 |
| 2012 | -0- | 311 |
I was neither for or against Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense and just assumed that President Obama wanted him as a Republican whipping boy when things go bad militarily during his second term.
That was before I read the excerpt shown below. If this is an accurate assessment of Hagel's character can you picture him 'working' with the President when some military crisis does develop? I am now all for him getting the appointment just to see the chaos that may ensue. I also read that the Iranian foreign ministry seems to be endorsing Hagel; if he good enough for them and Obama then he is certainly good enough for me.
Chuck Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, is "an aloof contrarian who doesn't suffer fools--a striving politician who considers himself above politics," according to National Journal's Ron Fournier. "Hagel's intellectual arrogance angers party colleagues, raising suspicions about what he really stands for, as well as doubts about whether he's a team player."
9 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
I was busy this morning before the sun was up. Took Patches for her short morning potty walk and then to the laundry room. Got the washer running and then went to the Club House and had some coffee while doing a little socializing.One of the questions I had for the small group was “How many people stay here in the Park during the summer?”. There are 154 spaces not counting Dry Camp and maybe a third of them have park model homes on them. I am assuming that it was park model owners that stayed through the summer and there were 14 of them and the Park Office closes down during the summer months.
It is a wonderful place in the winter but you need to be tough to stay here through the summer. Maybe not as tough as the people that stay at the Slabs in California but tough none the less.
One of those park models is my neighbor to the west. I had not noticed anyone there until yesterday and today I met the owners that had just come in. They plan on staying until the end of February so will be my neighbors until I leave this space.
Yahoo is 'fixing' Yahoo Mail again and Yahoo Finance remains screwed up from the 'fixes' they have been working on since back in November but I think Yahoo News is working. I had a lot of trouble with Yahoo Mail while at the Parker Strip location and thought it was Verizon related. Then when I got to Yuma the problems continued for about a week then went back to 'normal'. I'm now having problems again; very slow response and dodgy things happening.
I fixed Yahoo's 'fixes' by not using Yahoo Finance or News for the past few weeks. Switched over to Google and look to see if maybe Yahoo has got there act together about once a week. Can't get around what they are doing to Yahoo Mail without changing my email address and I'm not ready for that – YET.
A great posting, One Inch Below The Surface (America, You're Being Punked) January 8, 2012 on The Automatic Earth. These are the two opening paragraphs but the entire article is well worth reading.
We've sort of run out of ways to describe the skewed perceptions and/or skewed realities of the politico-financial world we inhabit. Metaphors like Bizarro World, Kabuki theater and Theater of the Absurd have come and long gone and are now used only by those who missed out first time around.
But that doesn't mean it's all become less weird; if anything, one gets the feeling the media in general are becoming more complacent if not complicit painting a picture for the general public that's at best make believe and in all other cases border on Orwell. There's a veneer an inch thick (and getting thicker fast) that makes things look sort of normal, just check the economy, and below that there's an increasingly nasty brew boiling and a-festering.
10 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
It was a warm 50° this morning at 6:30 with only a slight wind. Also had a broken overcast sky that provided a spectacular sunrise. Then the wind started to pick up and it felt colder at 9:00 than it did in the early morning hours.I finished another book late yesterday and went to the Club House this morning and traded it. This last one was entertainment and what I would call a 'Code” genre book. Dan Brown started it all with The Da Vinci Code which he has turned into a formula that other authors have picked up on. I have now read two others that have used that same genre but not as well done.
Yesterday afternoon I had Patches in the alfalfa fields again but that will be the last time. She got into a LOT of burrs, something like goat heads but with more spines and much sharper. I felt so sorry for her but there was no way I could pick her up and carry her the best I could do was to keep taking them out of her feet for her.
Then there is the News of the day: Bill Clinton named Father of the Year by the National Father's Day Council. I could not fathom, when I first read this, how any organization could pick Bill Clinton as Father of the Year. Then it struck me, the Council must be a Conservative group that is trying to make a satirical point. I became even more convinced of this when I found that this is not the first time that the Council has done so – the named John Edwards Father of the Year in 2007.
11 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: January 11, 1925We had a lot of blowing dirt in the air yesterday afternoon when we went for our walk. The winds became even stronger after the sun went down but then calmed during the night. This morning was clear again and very calm. I think that was the low pressure moving in which will give us our cold weather for the next few days.
We got up just a little earlier this morning, a quick potty walk, un-hook and go to meet up with Boonie, Occupation Of Independence, for breakfast. This time it was at the Foothills Eatery which offers up one of the largest cinnamon rolls that I have ever seen.
They had some problem with my original breakfast order, no diced potatoes. Changed my order and then they had no flour tortillas. The chorizo and eggs were good and they provided a goodly amount at a reasonable price.
We the took Coffee Girl and Patches to some State Trust Land off of 40th St near the Arizona Public Service Foothill Solar Power Station. This is a 400 acre site that will produce 35 megawatts when completed by this time next year. There will be a total of 178,000 solar panels in the complete station with about half of them to be up and generating by this March.
Patches was very excited about getting out and running with Coffee Girl. She was barking and carrying on like I have never seen her before. Then when she did get out she was a whirling dervish. Teasing Coffee Girl to chase her until finally Coffee Girl did and Patches was having a ball. The closest thing to play that I have seen Patches do with another dog. She might(?) be developing some dog sociability.
Stopped at Fry's on the way home and did my grocery shopping for the week. I was going to stop at Wal*Mart also but was shopped out. I can wait until next week or the week after for the things I need to get there – I've waited this long.
12 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
A little colder this morning than yesterday with both in the upper 30s. The next three days are forecast to be just above freezing. It sounded like the orchard to the west of the Park was running their wind machines this morning so I'm sure I'll hear more of them the next few mornings. The high for today is expected to be 55° then thee days of just over 50. Not up into the 60s until Thursday.I had the heater on for a couple of hours this morning. I also had the stove top burner on for about a half hour while I prepared a chicken stew concoction that I'll call Southwest Chicken Stew. Simple to make: slightly brown chicken breast in skillet then put in pot, add a can of chicken broth, a can of pinto beans, can of corn and chili to taste. Bring to a boil for about 10 minutes and then into the Thermal Cooker. I'll let it cook all day and then reheat a serving tomorrow after it has melded flavors overnight.
Picked up my forwarded mail from the Park Office this morning. They say in the Escapee Travel Guide that you need to use General Delivery when you are here but when I asked about that they said to have it mailed to my space number. Mostly junk but I did get my VA prescriptions refilled and forwarded which is what I was most concerned about.
Patches was a little slow getting up onto the couch last night. All the running that she did yesterday made her a little stiff and sore I think. This morning she was very happy to lay in front of the heater and stayed in the same spot even when I shut the heater off. A much calmer dog today than she was the prior two.
My east side neighbor left this morning around 9:30 and was replaced within less than a half hour. A Lazy Daze that I saw in the Dry Camp area the past few days got their chance. Moving On Up to the east side!
I got ambitious today and finished preparing the Will Rogers weekly articles for February. Then got less ambitious and stayed on the couch reading my new novel which has started off like it is going to be a good one. It is a court drama at one level with a sub plot of how the court participants lives were interconnected 25 years before the court trial.
13 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
We were only one degree colder than yesterday this morning and a couple degrees above what the weather guessers were predicting. They still think it will be near freezing Tuesday morning but then we start to warm up again. The lows are to be back in the upper 40s within a week with the highs in the mid-60s. Maybe winter in Yuma is over.The afternoons have not been too cold with no wind. The past couple of days I have taken Patches on a walk through the Park and there have been small groups sitting outside visiting and soaking up some sun. Then there have been others that are showing there dogs the sights of the Park which gives Patches some practice in NOT reacting to other dogs. She is better than she was - but still needs improvement.
The Southwest Chicken Stew that I cooked up yesterday is quite eatable. I thought it was a little thin, more like a soup, so when I reheated a serving of it today I added some rice which thickened it up.
While talking about food I need to mention that to the best of my recollection I ate my first mango last week. I don't know what came over me to buy a couple of them but I did and I liked them. Picked up a couple more this week. They are a little expensive but I'm worth it!
14 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
It was one degree warmer this morning than yesterday but only up to 38° by 9:30. That is the mixed news, the bad news is that today is going to be the coldest day of this cold period, the high to only be 52° with winds that are going to make it feel even colder. Starting tomorrow we will begin to warm up again.I had Patches out in the big sandy field to the east yesterday afternoon with the high at 55° and a slight wind. That was cold enough that I don't think I'll be doing it again today. Patches loved it, she likes the cold weather a lot more than hot. She also had another, maybe the same, jack rabbit to chase for over a quarter of a mile. Came back to me a laid down which indicated that she had about as much fun as she could take at that point.
Cooked the last three pieces of cod that I had in the freezer. This will give me three 'linners' over the next 5-6 days with Southwest Chicken Stew every other day. One of my pressing tasks for today will be to prepare a grocery list for next week, maybe something a little different.
In his press conference today President Obama repeated his mantra about not negotiating the Debt Limit with the Republicans. I can not help but think that he is talking to himself; I have not heard any Republicans offering to negotiate. The President then went on to threaten to stop paying Social Security, veterans benefits and the troops. I say bring it on, if that is what it takes to show the American people how the Federal government has spent the country into bankruptcy – bring it on.
15 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
It didn't freeze this morning, was one degree warmer than yesterday. I could hear the wind machines in the orchard to the west again this morning. Yesterday morning there was a slight wind blowing so I don't think they were running.That slight wind became stronger as the day progressed and by late afternoon was blowing pretty good and it was COLD. Only reached a high of 50° yesterday with not much of an increase projected for today; a windchill 38° at 10:30. Another cold morning tomorrow but warming up to the low 60s then warming slowly during the next week. Maybe our winter cold spell is over.
Because of the cold wind yesterday and what looks like a repeat today Patches and I did only some very short walks. She would have been happy to stay out in the cold but I sure was not. That doesn't mean that she doesn't enjoy hogging as much of the space in front of the heater as she can get – she does.
The weather has just provided a good excuse to not walk and spend more time on the couch. Making progress on my latest novel which is very good. That and reading the Internet News has been about all I have done. Maybe start my Monthly blog reads again before long so I don't get to far behind. Have been catching up to current on an interesting financial blog that focuses on Early Retirement but has some good ideas for us ol' retirees also.
16 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
Wahoo. This morning it was back up into the 40s and the weather guessers are predicting 7 days of high temperatures near 70 starting tomorrow. The lows will be in the mid to upper 40s. I think we have moved on from winter here in Yuma, at least I hope so.In our walks around the Park the past couple of days I went past the space that I was in when first arriving. The owner of that lot has come and gone after only two weeks. There is a fifth wheel trailer on it now rather than the Class A rig that the owner had. I don't know how much he uses the space but it appears to be not much and that has to be VERY expensive.
I also noticed that there were 2-3 spaces that were empty yesterday afternoon. Then today I see that the Dry Camp is almost empty so some of them got a space or have left. There were two trailers at the Office around noon that might have found a space because they did not go to Dry Camp. Then again they may have just left when they were told there was 'no room at the inn'.
Fred Reed of Fred On Everything wrote the following on January 5, 2012 which I think puts gun control in its proper perspective. The President may issue as many Executive Orders as he wants to control guns but he has a big problem. There are states that are taking lessons from him and have declared that they will not enforce his 'laws' as he has said he will not enforce the Immigration 'laws' passed by Congress.
Today I’m going to explain why gun-control is not only entirely reasonable but also certain to be effective. Only the ignorant can deny this.The NRA TV ad has got it right. The President today announced that he wants to spend more money by putting more counselors and "resource officers" in schools but not armed guards. The ad doesn't mention that the President signed into law a bill that provides him with Secret Service protection for life.
First, some orientation... When the government outlaws something that huge numbers of people very much want, the outlawed items immediately disappear from society. This has been shown countless times.
When Washington outlawed alcohol, booze vanished overnight and everyone stopped drinking. Can anyone deny this? When Washington banned the use of cannabis, all of those of us made insane by Reefer Madness quit smoking dope, and today there is probably not a town in America in which one might buy a joint. Similarly, Washington made illegal the downloading of copyrighted music—which also stopped immediately. No one now has illegal music.
So with guns. They are small, easily smuggled, of high value to criminals and will be of higher value when only criminals have them, so it is virtually certain that they will vanish when the government says so.
Mexico, where I live, has stringent laws against guns, which have proved at least a partial success. Criminals have AKs, RPGs, and grenades, while nobody else has anything. That’s a partial success, isn’t it?
The NRA, which says it has about 4 million members, took aim at Obama in a stinging TV and Internet spot, accusing him of being "just another elitist hypocrite" for accepting Secret Service protection for his two daughters but turning down the lobby group's proposal to put armed guards in all schools.I think the most important thing that the President's gun control proposal does is it gets the Debt issue off the front page for at least a week. I think the best thing Speaker Boehner could do is put off any discussion on gun control until the Debt Limit and Budget issues are taken care of. If that forces the President to issue some gun control Executive Orders to placate his liberal base so much the better.
17 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
I was all fired up for a Mexican breakfast at La Fonda this morning. It was Thursday, one of the weekday when they open at 7:00, so I am thinking. Got there at about 7:10 and it looked like they were still closed. Went to the door and found a Hour of Operation sign on the door that said New Hours, now opening at 7:30.Three strikes and your out, I will never get to eat breakfast at La Fonda. Went to Coco's again which has a rather limited menu and a little overpriced but they do have one big advantage – they were OPEN.
After eating it was just a couple block drive to Fry's on the west side where I picked up groceries. I wanted to get some more dried habenero chile for my homemade hot sauce but they did not have any. What they did have was some Bhut Jolokia (Ghost chile), the hottest chiles in the world. I'll give them a try.
Final stop was the west side Wal*Mart. There I picked up two pillows to replace the ones that I have had for so many years that I don't know how old there are, just know there are wore out. Also got three t-shirts to replace some of my old 'freebies' (two for cars I bought and one from Harrah's) that could now be described as rags rather than t-shirts.
This morning was much warmer and the high today will be in the upper 60s. We still have a wind blowing but that should not keep Patches and I from our afternoon walk. We did one yesterday in windy conditions and colder than today.
Talked to a fellow that was irrigating the alfalfa fields as we were coming back home. When I say talked it was somewhat limited, he did not speak much English and my Spanish was not any better. However, what I wanted to know was if the sheep that had been there were for eating or for their wool and he indicated that they were for wool. He added that he did not like to eat sheep but thought goat was pretty good.
18 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: January 18, 1925Yesterday was 70° for the high and 45 for the low. Perfect! The weather guessers have predicted the next 7 days will be nearly the same. Perfect!
Patches and I were out in the big field to the east again yesterday afternoon. She didn't get to chase a jackrabbit again but had a good run. The winds that we have had for the past few days have wiped out almost all the old tracks in the sand so we were trodding and running on a clean slate.
I stayed up a little past my bed time last night to finish the Laws of Our Fathers by Scott Turow. This was the latest novel that I have been reading that I described as being a court drama with a subplot about the characters lives and interrelations over a 25 year period. I was wrong about that initial description, it is the court drama that is the subplot. An excellent book and an author that I will be looking for when I make my trades.
Cooked up a batch of Frey's Hot Sauce today using 8 oz of tomato sauce, about half that of white vinegar and just one of the Ghost Chile. It needs to sit and cure for a few days before I know if this is the recipe or if it needs to be tweaked a little when I make the next batch.
Last week I bought a commercially prepared habenero hot sauce that I thought was rather mild and bland. What ever I come up with on my own can not be any worse than what that was.
19 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
I went to the Club House yesterday and was able to trade my novel by Scott Turow for another one of his. I can only hope that it is a good as the first one that I read.Patches and I did our two mile afternoon walk yesterday in fine weather once again. Nothing too unusual about that except for one thing, she did the entire walk on a very short leash at a Heel. She still pulls some but is getting better, maybe beginning to get the idea that walking by my side is where she should be.
My neighbor to the east left at about 10:00 this morning. There are two rigs in Dry Camp that do not appear to have any interest in moving. So, with at least two open spaces within sight of where I am at now I think I'm going to be in the Park for another couple of weeks even IF the owner of this lot comes in sometime next week.
Something has gone awry with the neo-Keynesian theory of what drives the economy. The theory is that if the Dow average goes up people experience the wealth effect (they feel richer) which raises their 'animal spirit' ie their Consumer Confidence goes up, they spend more and the economy grows. As of yesterday at the close the Dow Average was at a five year high yet the December Consumer Confidence Index was back at its July level. The media economic apologists were quick to point out that it was all because of the Fiscal Cliff, so we need to wait for the January Index.
I have a couple of things to say about President Obama's Gun Speech.
First, he has no problem using other peoples children as a backdrop, or some have said a human shield, when he made his speech. However, his sycophants have got themselves in a dither about the NRA TV ad that makes a point that his children are in a school protected by 11 armed guards (not all of the Secret Service).
Second, in his speech he used 'weapons designed for the theater of war' as a description for what every one else is calling an 'assault weapon' which he wants banned from private ownership. He also spoke of 'bullets often designed to inflict maximum damage', the very same bullets that Federal Agencies claim they must have for their armed agents to target shoot.
All of the police in this country also now carry 'weapons designed for the theater of war' loaded with 'bullets designed to inflict maximum damage'. Who are they prepared to war against, I thought their job was to Protect and Serve?
Then there is this factoid: Since becoming the president of the United States of America, Barack Obama has delivered 699 speeches using a Teleprompter, according to statistics compiled by CBS reporter Mark Knoller. That number includes campaign speeches, State of the Union addresses, and everything in between. All told, according to Knoller, President Obama has made 1,852 speeches, remarks and comments. That is more than one per day during his first term.
We had one President known as "Silent Cal”, Calvin Coolidge, but no one dare hang a nickname on President Obama for fear of being declared racist. I, your intrepid blog author, however will not let fear or good judgment keep me from offering up “Blatteroon Barack”.
20 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
Patches and I did an in the Park walk yesterday afternoon. I was not feeling up to our usual long walk and she seemed happy enough with the shorter walk also.I got a new neighbor on my east side a little before noon today. Was reading on the Internet and never heard them pull in. Patches let them get set up without saying a word either. Maybe she is getting past her idea that she is the Block Watch Commander. They must not have a dog, she would have let me know about that.
I had tacos and tamales for my 'linner' yesterday plus my usual salad. The tamales were pork from Fry's Deli and had been made by Amigo's in Deming. I wanted some more green chile and cheese but they didn't have any. Today I'm cooking up a big fillet of salmon that I've cut into 4 pieces which will give me 4 'linners' that I'll alternate with some more tamales and tacos.
Made up another small batch of Frey's Hot Sauce. This time I used a medium plus a small size Ghost Chile since the one large one I used last time did not create an overly hot sauce. It probably was as hot as most commercial hot sauces but I'm looking for a little bit more of a fiery bite.
I have seen Patches have REM dreams. She will have her legs twitching, eyes rolling around behind her eye lids and maybe snoring or yipping. This afternoon she went into REM but did so with her eyes partially open and her tongue slightly protruding. If I had not seen her in REM before I would have thought she was having a seizure.
21 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
A pretty quiet Monday Holiday. Everyone must be glued to their TVs watching the coronation in Washington D C. I read the Internet Summary of the President's speech and found it interesting that he spoke about homosexual rights, global warming and compromise but the biggest problem that the United States faces, government Debt, got short shift.I spent a LOT of time this morning looking at Google Maps and web searching various locations on same. Trying to decide where my summer travels may take me this year. I have a 'plan' that gets me into late May but unsure from there.
I thought I had a couple of possible stops pick out until I went to the weather history for them. Way, way to hot in June and July. So, it was back to the map again looking for some higher elevation that had RV Parks that were not outrageously expensive. I may have found a route but need to think on it for a while and then go back to the maps, weather history and re-check monthly rates. This fulltiming is not ALL just lounging around you know. HA HA
To prove that very point I dumped holding tanks and added fresh water. The gray water tank idiot light has been signaling full for the past couple of days with the fresh water tank showing ¾ full. I know that both can not be correct so based on when I last dumped I thought it best to do it again.
22 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
Just another beautiful day. The forecast is now for a high at or just over 80° for tomorrow and the next day. That will not last however with lower temperatures starting next week, back into the 60s.I was going to take Patches out into the big field to the east again yesterday but just did our long walk at a Heel. There was a van pulled up near the intersection of Ave 4 E & County 17th St and let out three big black dogs. The owner and dogs then went jogging right out into the part of the filed that I was going to let Patches run in. Thought it best to not let her go free and maybe mix it up with those three dogs.
I did some more summer travel planning but still don't have a 'plan'. Sent an email to a RV Park that could be a June stop. It will depend on what they have to say, maybe that will be on the route or maybe I go back to planning once again.
I like the proposed Debt Limit Bill that the House will vote on this Wednesday. I doubt seriously that the pay suspension for members of Congress will make it through the Senate. What that does is it give the House a 'throw away' when the Bill is bounced back to them; they can then declare that they 'compromised'. It also gives the current Republicans great campaign talking points during the 2014 elections. Most importantly it brings some pressure on the Senate and Democrats in both the House and Senate.
23 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
I had Patches out in the big field again yesterday afternoon. I didn't see when it happened but she must have chased another jackrabbit. When I finally did spot her she was a long ways from me in some scattered creosote brush. The next time I saw her she was about the same distance from me and still in the brush so I only caught a glimpse of her going in the opposite direction that she had been upon first sighting.She was lost. The next time I saw her she had come out of the brush onto the 'road' that I was walking and maybe 250-300 yards away. She stopped there and looked around for a minute until she saw me waving my arm overhead. I think she saw the motion rather than seeing me but when she did she made a bee line to me. Tongue dragging, puffing and panting and in need of 3-4 rests as we continued on toward home. She got a good run in that is for sure.
In reading my Monthly Blogs yesterday I discovered that a couple that I met in Huachuca City, AZ back in December, 2011 were in Yuma the last time they posted to 210 Liberty's Blog. I sent them an email not knowing if they were still in town or not asking if they wanted to meet me for breakfast at The Cracker Barrel.
I didn't have an email reply by the time that I went to bed so assumed that they would not make it. I did go to The Cracker Barrel and had just ordered when they walked in. It was great to see them again and talk about where we have been and where we are going to go. They cover a LOT more miles every year than I do and will probably do that again this year although their 'plans' are like almost all Fulltimers – unknown at this time.
Patches was happy to see me when I got back to Desperado but was overjoyed to have a couple of visitors. She was such a good girl when meeting them but very excited as she always is. She has come a long way from when they first saw her.
It looks like the Debt Ceiling Bill is going to kick that can down the road but it may force the Senate to pass a budget, something they have not done since 2009. The bill would suspend the debt ceiling until May 19 rather than increasing its level. It would then retroactively increase the borrowing limit to account for whatever debt the Treasury issues in the interim period to pay its bills. It was structured in this way to avoid House Republican lawmakers having to cast a vote for legislation that would increase the debt ceiling, even though, ultimately that is what will occur.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of California said the bill was a "gimmick unworthy of the fiscal challenges we face" as she and other Democratic leaders said they opposed the legislation. This is the same Minority Leader that was calling for the President to simply ignore the Debt Ceiling or use the $1 trillion coin 'gimmick' to allow for continued borrowing.
The lame stream media is prompt to report the 'fiscal scoring' of the GAO (Government Accountability Office), the nonpartisan investigative arm of Congress, when it is favorable for President Obama. But I saw no headlines when they released their annual audit of the U.S. government. The report covers the fiscal years 2011 and 2012 with the conclusion of the report stating: Absent policy changes, the federal government continues to face an unsustainable fiscal path. Or to say it in plain English: If the feds do not stop the wild spending and do not reform Medicare and Social Security. The U.S. dollar will collapse. That means that all of our savings, our investments, our homes and everything else will blow up.
24 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
Patches seemed a little lethargic yesterday afternoon, I know I was, so we went for an inside the Park at Heel walk. Within minutes after we got home she threw-up on the couch and carpeting – again, never on the wood floor where it is easier to clean up. No dinner for the girl but she had breakfast and appears to be fine.She probably found something on the ground to eat and did so. I catch her doing that sometimes but the times I don't catch her is probably greater. She will eat anything and is my four legged vacuum in the kitchen, if it hits the floor it is hers.
It was partly cloudy yesterday but we still reached 79°. Continued to cloud up during the night and I heard a slight rain this morning in the very early hours. It did not rain officially but there is a 20% chance today going up to a 70-80% chance tomorrow and Saturday. It will be cooler also, back down into the 60s maybe even upper 50s.
When planning my travels the first consideration is where will I be in the months of August and December, those being the months that I need to have my teeth cleaned (the third time each year is in April when I always plan on being back in Pahrump). Decided to go east and north this year and have almost decided that my August stop will be in the Black Hills.
It should be cool enough for me to tolerate a month there. That is the good news, the bad news is the RV Parks are very expensive (by my standards) and the area is overrun with motorcycles during the first part of the month that are attending the Sturgis Rally.
I have a recommendation, from a Part Timer that lives in Custer for about half the year, for three RV Parks in the area. Also have a dental clinic in Deadwood that was recommended by the same person. Have sent off emails to the RV Parks requesting quotes for a month stay. When/if I get those quotes and bite the bullet to stay I'll then contact the dental clinic.
My neighbor to the east left at about 9:30. I knew that would not last long, maybe an hour, because the Dry Camp was completely full and there was a No Vacancy sign up at the Park entrance a couple of days ago. I could still get 'bumped' by the owner of this lot but am hoping for the best.
I finished an entertainment book last night. Went to the Park library this morning and traded it for something I hope will be better. From my library I have selected a Michael Crichton novel. Not sure why it has taken me this long before I have read one of his but this will be a first. The one I have is not his last written but the next to last published before his death. So far it is starting slow.
25 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
Read Will Rogers column 88 years ago: January 25, 1925I wrote a few days ago that I was going to try something different for my 'linners'. When I went to Fry's on Wednesday I picked up some red potatoes, sauerkraut and bratwurst. That all went into my Thermal Cooker after it had come to a boil in some chicken broth and thinly sliced onion. I'll let you know how well it went with some black bread after my first serving today.
Patches got to go run in the citrus orchards again yesterday. She also came up to me with a rabbit leg in her mouth, the rabbit having been dead for a few days from the appearance of its leg.
This is the kind of stuff she finds and eats that makes her sick but she just keeps on finding and eating it. Threw the leg away after she readily gave it up to me but not before giving it a good crunch and breaking bones. I think that gave her a great deal of satisfaction.
After we got home she was licking her paws a lot and I saw that they were inflamed between the pads. Not sure what that was about but she seemed to be walking like they were sore this morning but not inflamed anymore. I'll do a short walk with her this afternoon to give her a rest.
My route planning efforts are moving along slowly. The RV Park where I want to stop in June answered my 2nd request for information by saying they were on a winter break and would get back to me soon(?). The July possible sent back a reply that said there is no room at the inn. I wanted to be near Cheyenne, WY and July is when the Cheyenne Frontier Days are held. Trying another location for July and possibly changing my first half of September stop to be the first half of August.
I did get a reply from two of the 3 RV Parks near Custer, SD. As I suspected they are out of my usual price range but I think I'll just suck it up, pay the price and try to make it up at some of my other stops.
26 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
The news from Yuma is all about rain. A lot of rain starting around sundown yesterday through the night and continuing into today. The official measurement was .12” yesterday but I think we got a little more than that here at the Park. Not raining as hard today but a very gloomy day with scattered showers throughout it.Patches loved going out for her short potty walk this morning in a slight rain, maybe heavy mist, that is her kind of weather. She has also been very happy to sleep the morning away on the couch, making her bed like it is night again.
Thinking of her I spent some time searching for places to buy her dog food during this summer and next winter. I'm now feeding her Canidae dog food that can not be found in the grocery stores where I buy my food and where I could get her some Purina. I need to plan ahead for her like I do for my dental cleanings. What I found today was my dental locations don't always match up with where I can get her Canidae.
The one pot 'linners' that I made up yesterday in my Cooker turned out great. I was a little worried that the potatoes would not be cooked enough because I only had it sitting for 5-6 hours but they were perfect. I did not add the sliced onion until just before placing the pot in the Cooker (forgot them) so they were just added on top. They also were cooked perfectly.
27 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
When I said the official measurement of rain was .12” that was for yesterday the majority of it fell during January 25 when we got .62” or a total of .74” for the storm. That is a lot of rain for Yuma and it should make for some beautiful spring flowers in the desert.Today we are back to just a few scattered clouds and lots of sunshine but more clouds are rolling in. The Canadians are rejoicing and are back outside trying to get a great tan so they have unspoken bragging rights when they get back home in March.
Continue to plan my future travel route. The Sturgis Bike Rally in early August has really thrown a wrench in what I would have liked to have done. It impacts RV Parks for more than 100 miles around Sturgis with all of them increasing their prices and many of them already full.
The United States involvement in Africa continues to accelerate. I posted a comment on December 24, 2012 about small Army teams being sent into as many as 35 African nations. Now we are helping the French there. Does anyone remember what happened the last time we 'helped' the French, it was the First Indochina War which ended in their defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu.
The United States will provide additional support to the French military in its war against Al Qaeda-linked militants in Mali by conducting aerial refueling missions, the Pentagon announced Saturday.
The announcement comes a day after the Obama administration announce it has requested an additional $32 million from Congress to train African troops to fight Islamic extremists in Mali. The U.S. has already been helping France by transporting French troops and equipment to the West African nation.
28 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
We got some more rain last night. This time it came down hard for a shorter time and resulted in an official .28”. Today is a lot cooler than it has been so the weather guessers got that correct. Have a wind blowing that makes it feel even colder.My neighbors to the east left at about 9:30 this morning and the owners of the lot came in around 11:00. They said they had been rained out of Quartzsite, AZ so decided to come to their lot here, although I would bet that it is nice a sunny there today also.
In talking to them I found out that they have a lot in Pahrump also. They will be up there about the time I get ready to leave. It would be funny if I end up on their lot when I go back up there in March.
Patches had a really good run in the big field yesterday afternoon. First, she went about a quarter of a mile from me and was searching the ground for something but was too far away to tell what. I signaled for her to come to me but she had here nose to ground most of the time. Finally saw me and came running.
Then soon after that she jumped another jackrabbit and had a good long chase. Came back to me with her tongue really dragging. She laid down and was huffing and puffing for about 5 minutes before she got up and was ready to go again.
I posted a couple of comments last year about the massive amount of ammunition that Federal Agencies were buying. It seems that is not all that they were buying. The DHS was also arming up with enough PDW to supply about 80 U S Army infantry companies of 5 platoons each or most likely more than enough to equip a division now serving in Afghanistan. Who are they going to war against?
The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to acquire 7,000 5.56x45mm NATO “personal defense weapons” (PDW) — also known as “assault weapons” when owned by civilians. The solicitation, originally posted on June 7, 2012, comes to light as the Obama administration is calling for a ban on semi-automatic rifles and high capacity magazines.
Citing a General Service Administration (GSA) request for proposal (RFP), Steve McGough of RadioViceOnline.com reports that DHS is asking for the 7,000 “select-fire” firearms because they are “suitable for personal defense use in close quarters.” The term select-fire means the weapon can be both semi-automatic and automatic. Civilians are prohibited from obtaining these kinds of weapons.
The RFP describes the firearm as “Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) –5.56x45 mm NATO, select-fire firearm suitable for personal defense use in close quarters and/or when maximum concealment is required.” Additionally, DHS is asking for 30 round magazines that “have a capacity to hold thirty (30) 5.56x45mm NATO rounds.”
29 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
Was cold again this morning. Back down below 40° which is my comfort level. The day time highs are still in the 60s which is fine IF the wind is not blowing as it was yesterday.Went to Mimi's restaurant this morning for breakfast. It is more of a fo-fo (they don't have waiters and waitresses, they have servers) kind of place than I usually go to but I had only been in one before a few years ago in Las Vegas. It is near Penny's Diner and the Cracker Barrel and on the way to Fry's so I stopped. A very good cup of coffee and the corned beef hash with poached eggs was quite good but you pay extra for the fo-fo.
My grocery list for Fry's today was mostly fresh produce although I did find a good price on some frozen cod. I'll be going to the Fry's on the east side this Friday and will pick up some more food to carry my into next week.
I then also stopped at Yuma Feed on the way home. That is one of the two places in Yuma that I found that carry Canidae dog food. Picked up a 30# bag that will last Patches for almost two months. That plus what I still have will get her back to Pahrump where I can buy more.
I will be going to Custer, SD for my August dental maintenance cleaning, have an appointment on August 21st. This is about a week after the Bike Rally is over and I was able to get a RV space for a month at the cheaper price (still way over what I usually pay). I also have an expensive month in Gunnison, CO. Even with those two higher months I'll still hold my average daily RV Park cost to about $15 plus tax and electric starting in mid-April through mid-September.
I have a town picked out for my December cleaning and a rough plan on how to get there from Custer but have not done all the research necessary yet. I'll probably start reserving places along the possible route in June or July.
The 'wealth effect' is just not working if the Consumer Confidence Index is any indication. The Neo-Keynesians believe that a rising Dow and rising home prices provide a 'wealth effect' which raises consumer confidence. The Dow is at an almost all time high, home prices are up the most for any year in the past six, the number of new unemployment claims are down - yet the Consumer Confidence Index is back to November 2011 levels. For some reason the consumer is just not buying into the Administration's, and the media's, claim that we are in a recovery and for some reason don't feel wealthier.
Then I see that the President is back on another Campaign trip to Las Vegas. This time he is flying in to give a speech on Immigration reform. Why he is doing so when the Senate, in a bipartisan way, seems to have agreed to a reform measure is not quite clear to me. Why fly anywhere to give a speech, least of all Las Vegas?
Maybe it is because a High School would have him? I think I have pointed out once before that during his 2008 Campaign he spoke at Collages but for 2012 he used High Schools. He knows that there the Teachers Union will force a teacher turnout and high school students make for a good crowd, they are also much easier to impress or sway than a collage crowd.
30 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
Alright! The low was back into the 40s this morning. If the weather guessers are correct we have some beautiful days coming; highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s for the next 9 days starting tomorrow.I finished State of Fear by Michael Crichton last night and went to the Park library this morning and traded for another one of his. I don't think State is his typical novel but will find out. It is a fictional story based on Crichton's anti Global Warming beliefs which he spells out in the Author's Message at the back of the book.
These three bullet points from that Message provide a good summary of the novels plot. I would definitely recommend that all Global Warming/Climate Change believers read the Author's Message and Appendix I if nothing else; Crichton has certainly documented his position against far better than Al Gore has his position for.
- We desperately need a nonpartisan, blinded funding mechanism to conduct research to determine appropriate policy. Scientists are only too aware whom they are working for. Those who fund research --- whether a drug company, a government agency, or an environmental organization --- always have a particular outcome in mind. Research funding is almost never open-ended or open-minded. Scientists know that continued funding depends on delivering the results the funders desire. As a result, environmental organization "studies" are every bit as biased and suspect as industry "studies." Government "studies" are similarly biased according to who is running the department or administration at the time. No faction should be given a free pass.
- I am certain there is too much certainty in the world.
- Everybody has an agenda. Except me.
Bad, bad economic news today. The fourth quarter GDP was reported as a negative number. This is the first announcement and usually it is revised downward in the two following reports. I think this time it will be revised upward. President Obama can not have another recession begin on his watch.
This decline in GDP will be blamed on former President Bush and the Republicans in the House (Note: I wrote this before Jay Carney spoke). If they had simply rolled over and passed all the economic stimulant bills that President Obama wanted these past four years the country would be booming again. The Federal Government simply needs to borrow more money and give it to those that don't have any, this will raise their confidence and they will go out and spend it and we will have Happy Times Again.
31 January
Kofa Ko-op Escapees Park
Yuma, AZ
We might see 70° for a high today but the weather guessers missed the mark when they said it would be over 50 this morning. It was a couple of degrees warmer than yesterday but still way shy of 50.I gave Patches an myself a day off yesterday. Only did short potty walks morning, mid-day and evening. She acts like it was something she was needing, been sleeping the day away here this morning. Hopefully resting up for a good run tomorrow.
Now that I have my summer stops reserved I have a better grasp of when I need to be in and out of Pahrump. Sent an email to me dentist there asking for a change in my appointment from the 16th of April to sometime closer to the 1st. I also called my Vet and made an appointment for patches on the 18th of March.
Went to the laundry room again early this morning. There was no one there when I started my wash but had two others come in while in the dry cycle. Getting there early and getting out is my game plan. Had coffee and some social time in the Club House with the 4-5 fellows that seem to always be there early in the morning.
Yahoo has been slow and dodgy for the past couple of weeks. I'm guessing they are still making 'improvements'. Then to make it even worse Verizon has been very slow for the past 3-4 days. This morning I could not get all the pictures in my Daily blogs to open and it took forever to get some of them to open at all. Not as bad at Parker Strip but not good and not as good as it has been here.