Dog Days of Summer

Today is the way it is suppose to be in SE Texas. High of 95 degrees with a heat index of 111. Except for an occasional winter blizzard, it don't get cold down here. That's what I like about living on the Bayou. That, and the dress code, of course. (Does anyone ever wonder why Carrier's headquarters are in Syracuse). It's these hot, humid days of summer, that bring to mind the hottest days I can remember. Two particular ones come to mind. The first was in 1962. I was just out of high school and preparing to enter college in the fall. The only job I could land was with a construction company that built filling stations. (Uh, some may call them gas stations) Anyway the company was preparing to pour some concrete for an approach apron. In order to prepare the surface we had to remove about 6 inches of oyster shell base. When these shells are laid wet, they set up like concrete. Anyway, the boss had us busting up this stuff in order to be able to remove it. I was on the working end of a "grub hoe". It looks sorta like a big pick ax. It was on or about August 7th and the temperature reached 107. That was before heat index was known. To quote Robin Williams in "Good Morning, Vietnam" , it was "HOT, DAMN HOT!". That was the day I confirmed I wanted to go to college. Today when you pass a road crew in the USA, working on any project, make a note of how many 18 year old, college bound, white boys are working. 48 years ago there was one. By the way, I was making the minimum wage of $1.25.

The second day, was in late Septemeber right after Hurricane Rita. I had over 70 trees down and was on the working end of a chain saw. Electricity was out and no A/C in the house. But, that is worth another story.

Right now I am going to just enjoy this hot and humid, mostly sunny day and thank God it don't get cold on the Bayou

Spread the Wealth

I am just now realizing that I am one of the "Rich" and must spread the wealth. When I retired I continued to pay the premiums on my group life insurance. Well the government has decided that the value of any amount over $50,000 is taxable, or, "imputed income". In 2009 my imputed income was over $3000. The three previous years it was less than $400. Why the ten-fold increase? Therefore, my income taxes increased by $377 based on 14.5% rate.

Now here is the kicker. I have a little part time job. It is fun, easy and gives me a little extra spending money. Since I am drawing social security, I have a limit on my earnings, otherwise SS reduces that benefit $1 for every $2 I make. Fair enough, that has been well communicated over the years. Little did I know that the imputed income also counts against that ceiling. Now I find out that I earned too much in 2009 and must repay social security $455. Because I over earned and my wife is drawing SS, her benefit is reduced and she must repay $121. That is a total of $953 I must pay in 2009 vs each of the previous years.

Consider the fact that everyone must pay income taxes on 85% of their social security earnings.

Summary:

I am taxed on a benefit for which I pay $180/mo that my heirs will get and my annual earnings is reduced because I have chosen to look out for future generations. I thought Obama wasn't going to increase taxes on anyone making under $250,000. I guess the definition of "Rich" has changed. I feel better now knowing that I am Rich

The Effecient Should Not Be Punished By the Recalcitrant Few

It is tragic to see the marshes and wildlife damage along the Gulf Coast. I have seen that poor oil drenched pelican on TV about 100 times now. The same brown pelican species that was endangered several decades ago due to damage DDT caused on their eggs. This specie recovered nicely and can be seen soaring along the coast most every morning and evening along Bolivar Peninsula. They will survive again. The marshes will eventually recovery and in the time the fishing industry will be putting shrimp and oysters on plates in Baltimore and Kansas City.

But, how about BP? A company that has a track record of not being very good stewards of the environment and the community in which it operates. Two major incidents occurred in the last decade at a Texas City Refinery that caused multiple fatalities. Investigations revealed Process Safety Violations. These only occur when costs or production delays occur. From the early comments I am hearing about the explosion and subsequent leak in the Gulf, BP again short cut safety in order to speed up the process of delivering oil. Off shore drilling requires a drilling rig at a cost of about half million a day to locate the oil and then it is removed to move in a production platform that pumps the oil and delivers to the transportation system. It is my understanding that BP short cut the prep process for this transition in order to save a couple of days and dollars.

Now, every responsible company that operates in the Gulf will be punished by halting or eliminating off shore drilling. One rig has already been moved to the North Shore. So what, you say? Jobs! Jobs lost along the entire Gulf Coast. More oil purchases from Venezuela.

The government has put in place a lot of safety and environmental regulations, enforce them and get rid of the BP's and let the responsible producers operate.

A good leader will work to remove the obstacles that hinder the organization from accomplishing the objectives. Not meddle in the details. Our government has no clue of what is required to solve the bigger problem of Energy independence.

The efficient should not be punished by the recalcitrant few

Storm in the Gulf

Just saw on the news that there is a Tropical Depression expected to be a named storm in the Gulf. Projected path is upper Texas Gulf Coast. Could we have another hurricane on the Bayou? California has its fires and mud slides. The Midwest endures tornados, the Mississsippi Valley has to worry about floods and the Northeast has blizzards. We have hurricanes!

My first recollection of a hurricane was Audrey. I can remember watching the small trees through the front window as they were almost horizontal. Audrey's storm surge killed over 500 people on the SW Louisiana coast. I remember Carla as most of the coastal area was evacuated and our high school was set up as an evacuee shelter and many of us students worked there. Alicia hit west of Houston and we saw a lot of rain and the Bolivar Peninsula received damage. Numerous other "named" storms effected the area; Beulah, Bonnie, Carmen, Camille, Francis, Allison, etc..

The action really heated up in 2005 and hasn't shown much mercy since. Everyone has been inundated with Katrina news. Believe it or not Katrina impacted Texas. People left New Orleans and won't go back. The local arena was set up as a shelter and we volunteered to wmakiork. It was interesting to see the attitudes change as the waves of people moved out and new ones moved in. The first ones were those that left before the storm hit and appreciated any help they could get and moved on to get on with their lives. The latter group was more interested in getting their $50 Walmart card than finding employment or transportation back. Many of them are still here.

One month later folks along the Bayou were evacuating prior to Hurricane Rita making landfall. We left two days before Rita center punched us. (That trip is subject for another blog)

Returned home to find 70 trees down. Not a single one on the house or barn, but the fences were destroyed and the clean up was overwhelming. About one third of the houses along the Bayou had one or more trees on the roof. Some actually in the living room, den, kitchen, etc.

Although Hurricane Rita was a more powerful storm than Katrina, it was not recognized as such. I believe that their two main differences in these storms that were a month apart.

One, the levy broke and gave all the liberal news media and politicians a reason to blame the storm on George W. Bush. Two, Texans pulled up their boot straps and got to work to get their lives, homes, etc. back in order. On the other hand, the folks in New Orleans tried to blame someone for their misfortune and expected some one else to help them out. The leadership from their mayor exemplified the overall attitude permeating all of those still left in NO.

It's Nice to Be Outside

Living on the bayou has certain benefits if you enjoy nature. Deer grazing in the pasture as the new born fawns frolick about. Cardinals building a nest in the azalea bush outside your kitchen window. Pileated woodpeckers flying from tree to tree as red tail hawks soar overhead. The sudden swoop of a large owl at dusk. Evidence that armadillo were digging up grub worms. Occasionally, I very large snake will appear on the porch. Once you have smelled the stench from a cotton mouth water moccasion, you will never forget it. The damn deer will eat yourtomato plants and flowers. Fire ants will build mounds and sting for no particular reason. June bugs are everywhere. And the spiders!! Not to mention the neighborhood dogs that crap in your yard. AHHH!!

Oh, sorry. The trees are plentiful. We have several species of virgin oak and pine
There are hickory, sweetgum, dogwood and magnolia growing freely. During the fall you get to enjoy the breeze gently blowing through the trees

And during hurricane season, well that's another matter all together

A Blind Hog Finds an Acorn Every once in awhile

It was Christmas of 2006 when my daughter gave me a coupon to buy tickets to see the Houston Astros play during the 2007 season. Great present. We just had to select the date we wanted to attend.

Being a Lamar University College Baseball fan, I wanted to wait until their season was over. I then realized that this would be the year that Craig Biggio would reach 3000 hits. To determine the date I developed some complicated mathematical formulas and selected the date with the highest probability he would get 3000. (Actually, I figured he would hit .240, sit out day games and the Astros would hold him out of the line-up if he was likely to get that hit on the road). Anyway that date came and we were in the stands. Biggio was three hits short of 3000. A habit I learned from my parents, we arrived at Minute Maid Park early and had some time to take some pictures. One of my high school friends, Dr. Gene Coleman, is the strength and conditioning coach for the 'Stros. Before the game I decided to take a few pictures of Gene. That's when the luck really began. The above picture not only includes my old buddy, but #7 Biggio. Also, stretching is ladies heart throb, Brad Ausmus and current Astro Hunter Pence. I have no idea about #85's identity. As "real luck" would have it the DuPont stock ticker was scrolling by. I worked for DuPont for 38+ years.

In summary, Biggio got the three hits + two more to put him over the 3000 mark. Sure Hall of Fame numbers for someone that played the game the way it should be played. Oswalt started the game, pitched 7 innings and gave up one earned run. Berkman hit a homer in the late innings to get Houston back in the game. Carlos Lee hit a "walk-off" home run in the 11th inning to give Houston the win.

This was one of the Top Five Baseball games I have ever seen.

Bad Beat

All In with pocket jacks. Got one caller that has me covered. He turns over Ace/King. At this point I would be a slight favorite. Flop comes jack, five, four, Aw right, a set of jacks. River is a deuce. Only a three will beat me. Gotta be better than a 10:1 favorite to win at this point. River card is a "3" giving my opponent a straight. When I learned to play poker on Highland Ave. A straight beat three of a kind. And, it still does. If I was gonna get pissed, that would have been the time!