Random observations about taxes, cycling, Lowe’s, and car names as my favorite month comes to an end. There is no unifying theme.
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Random Thoughts on April 30th
Posted in Biking, Business Beat, Cars, Government
A Lot of Dough for the Dough
Ever have an idea that bogs down when it gets to the implementation details? Like when some person or organization doesn’t do what you had expected or hoped? Last Saturday my friend R. B. and I thought of a great way for him to save time and effort while creating masterpiece pizzas at home. But our brillant plan was derailed by a real-world issue—cost.
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Posted in Friends & Family
I Shouldn’t Have Bothered
On Thursday I posted an entry about the strike against Waste Management in King and Snohomish counties. I had no inside information about the walkout. My knowledge of it was based on reports in the local media. Still that didn’t stop me from writing more than 500 words expressing my observations. Later that afternoon, after Waste Management agreed to return to the bargaining table, the union instructed its members to return to work on Friday. That doesn’t mean the two sides will reach an agreement, but it does get the strike off the front page. It also made me question the wisdom of commenting on fluid breaking-news stories.
Posted in Current Events
Waste Management Strike
Yesterday trash haulers walked off the job in King and Snohomish counties affecting about one million Waste Management customers. The union had been working without a contract since April 1st. The company made its final offer on April 2nd, and since then hasn’t offered any substantive changes to its proposal. The work stoppage is intended to force Waste Management back to the bargaining table. After reading a Seattle Times article about the strike, I have a few observations:
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Posted in Current Events
Another One for My Collection
Look at me
On the way home from Port Orchard last Sunday, I added the photo shown above to my collection of pictures of rooftop mascots used by local auto dealers. This one can be seen atop the dealer showroom at Peninsula Subaru in Gorst. I don’t quite get the connection between Subaru and a giant eagle (wasn’t the Eagle made by American Motors?). Perhaps Subaru has a new slogan: “Buy a Subaru, as American as an eagle.”
As colorful as this eagle is, I rank it only third in my collection. My favorite photo is of a giant anatomically correct bull used by Poulsbo’s Courtesy Auto Group when they have their annual auto sale-a-bration (or whatever it is called) at the Kitsap Mall. In second place is a giant gorilla. The eagle does beat out the oversize basketball used at the West Hills auto complex during this year’s March Madness sale. I asked my friend R. B., who used to sell used cars, for a quote about rooftop mascots. “Look at me” was all he said. I guess it’s that simple.
Posted in Business Beat, Cars
What Is the Plural of Clematis?
Grow baby grow
Today when I was in the nursery at McClendon’s Hardware in Belfair buying trellis plants, I was reminded of the old joke about the guy who wasn’t sure of the plural form of mongoose but needed two of them. Mongooses didn’t sound right and neither did mongeese. So he asked the pet-store owner to sell him one mongoose and while doing so to sell him another. Since I wasn’t sure if the plural of clematis is clematises, clemati, or possibly clematum, I played it safe and asked for two clematis plants (see photo). K will like them. The pink one is called Clematis montana (her mom is from the Treasure State), while the one with purple flowers goes by Clematis alpina.
Last summer I built a trellis at Treasure Island. The structure was supposed to add color to the front yard. A secondary purpose was to provide a bit of privacy. K bought three ornamental climbing plants for it: wisteria, honeysuckle, and jasmine. But we planted them during the hottest part of the summer, and despite abundant watering, so far they have acted like they need crampons and a rope team to reach the top of the trellis. So this spring they are getting a bit of help in the form of these two new recruits. That makes 5 plants in all for a 21-foot-long trellis. Overkill probably, but still cheaper than building a solid fence.
Posted in Home
Mud Bay House for Sale
Morning view
It’s always interesting when a house near yours is listed for sale. The usual questions become more relevant. Do you know the owners? Why are they selling? How much are they asking? And, because the outcome can affect your home’s value and property taxes, will they get it? In this case, the house (see photo) isn’t on the long driveway I share or even on nearby Rocky Point Road. It’s directly across Mud Bay from me, but it’s close enough that we could be in the same large cul de sac if we lived in a subdivision.
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Posted in Economy, Mud Bay & Rocky Point
Of Course It’s Unconstitutional
By “it” I’m referring to the recently enacted health care legislation that requires all Americans, with a few exceptions, to buy health insurance or face a fine. With astonishing “end justifies the means” reasoning, a majority in Congress and the president set aside the oath they took to “preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States of America.” Some of them argue that the general welfare or interstate commerce clause provides the legal cover they need. Get real. I think they just didn’t see any other way to enact universal health care legislation.
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Posted in Government
Getting Off with a Warning
Yesterday I got pulled over by a Bremerton black-and-white for making a “rolling stop.” At least that’s what the officer called it. Since I didn’t try hard to talk him out of a citation and don’t fit the stereotypes who sometimes escape with a warning, I was surprised when the officer abruptly let me go without even checking my insurance and registration. Bremerton is having budget problems like other cities in Washington, so you might think city policy would be for traffic officers to issue what could have been a $124 ticket whenever possible. Apparently not.
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Posted in Government
2010 Census Letter
By now tens of millions of households have gotten a letter from Mr. Robert Groves, the Director of the U.S. Census Bureau, stating that the 2010 census form will be arriving in the mail soon and requesting that it be filled in and returned promptly. Raise your hand if you didn’t know that. Raise your other hand if the census letter will have any effect on how you process the census form. After reading the letter, I had three thoughts about it.
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Posted in Government
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