Haunting Averted Yet Again

Well, happy Memorial Day everyone.  And a right beauteous one here in Juneau - clear as a bell with highs predicted in the 70's.

As previously mentioned, my family is under strict orders from long-since departed Grandma Newman to put flowers on her grave on Memorial Day.  She indicated that if we failed in this simple task, she would come back and give us no end of grief.  So...once again...haunting has been averted.

It is also Dad's first Memorial Day as a resident of Evergreen Cemetery.  He seems to be doing fine...he's been fertilizing the family plot since last September.  Last week the City folks set his headstone.

The family plot's newest resident.  He's settled-in just fine.

Mom and Linda admire their handiwork. 

Dad is sharing a plot with his mom and step-dad as well as Linda's late husband, Russ, and Aunt Emilie's daughter Jan.  I suspect we'll all be planted here sooner or later...

In other news, took a walk on the Auke Lake trail with Joan and the hounds yesterday.  It was cool and misty; but the trail is very nice.  We identified a new (to me, at least) plant.

Caltha palustris subsp. asarifolia "Marsh Marigold"

The hounds were puzzled by my interest in the flora

Mom and I also completed the gravel drill and the place looks pretty good.  She's now reseeded part of the front lawn which looked pretty ratty.  The soil is very acid from constantly falling spruce needles and we have not been attentive to putting lime on it.  Also, there was a pretty hard freeze before we got any snow and I think that also took it's toll.

I also managed to mow Auntie's lawn this week and plant a few more bedding plants.  Her place looks pretty good, too, if I do say so myself.

Well, just about time to head for the airport.  I'm going to have company for a week - a friend from Portland who is hot to go salmon fishing.  If the weather holds I believe Eric is going to take us out tomorrow.

Finally, congratulations to Joan who is poised to become an ex-wage slave for the State of Alaska as of this Wednesday.  Sadly, (for me, not her) she will soon be headed south to Nampa, Idaho where she plans on taking up residence near her dad.

Later, gang!

Lindstrom & Lindstrom

A quick post.

The big remaining task in mom's yard of late has been the acquisition and disposition of a few tons of gravel around the trailer.  I stopped by our friends at AGGPRO today and ordered up a whoop-ass pile o' gravel.  'Bout 6 tons.

The aggregate was delivered around 3 PM.  Half of it was distributed around half of the perimeter of the trailer by 5 PM.  I was the shovel/wheelbarrow man and 84 year old mom was the raker/spreader person.  I was sweating like a lil' piggy.  Mom was cool and collected as usual.  Here we are with the job half-way done.

Lindstrom and Son - a Professional Corporation

We will be back at-it tomorrow morning...assuming we can get out of bed.  I love this kind of work...

Jesus, mom looks younger than I do!.....

Cheers!

Big Fat Sleeper Cats

Ah...almost another week since I posted.  It's not that I haven't been busy (I have) but just not all that much blogworthy on the personal front.

I have been cat sitting for John and Shelly the past week.  Actually, it's been a part-time job; Shelly's sister Terri checks-in with them in the evening and I've been there in mid-morning.  Works good.  I boot their lazy fat cat asses out in the morning and Terri lets them in at night.  These are BIG fat sleeper cats.  I am not a cat fancier by any means but as far as the species goes these two are quite congenial.  They are named (I think) Calvin and Hobbs or maybe it's Hiram and Walker - or something like that.  Calvin purrs like no cat I've ever known - kinda a Husqvarna sort of sound as opposed to a kitty sound.  They both like to be petted.

Purrs like a chainsaw

Eats like a longshoreman

Terri will be joining the rest of the family in Denver later this week for John's and Shelly's daughter's high school graduation.  Congratulations Genoa!  The kitties and I will manage just fine...

The second half of last week was reasonably nice weather-wise.  Got a lot of gardening done.  Mom's and Auntie's yards are in reasonably good shape at the moment. 

The weather went to hell in a handbasket this weekend, however, and it's still pretty drippy.  Shit!  This is supposed to be our DRY season - the period of time that makes living here almost worthwhile.  But what can you do?

So...in the absence of local fun...you get my observations about other stuff....

I'll make this one brief.  No, we sinners were not left to face an earth wracked by pestilence, earthquakes, and other hideous stuff (at least no more than usual); and no the blessed were not beamed-up to heaven by the Scottie in the Sky as predicted.  I will not dwell on those who actually believed this...I do not think it right to make fun of the mentally deficient. 

However I will cast aspersions on those clerics - a particularly unctuous Baptist Mullah from Texas who fouled CNN off-and-on all weekend comes to mind - who pooh-poohed the failed prophet for predicting the exact time of the rapture - but then proceeded to assure one and all that this silliness was indeed true, i.e., Scottie WOULD beam the holy to heaven at some future unspecified date.  My assumption being:  Prophet A has taken his profit up-front while Prophet B still has a sizable mortgage that requires longer-term financing...

Finally, an explanation for how shopping carts from Fred Meyers, Walmart, and Safeway manage to find their way to almost every neighborhood in town.  RAVENS!

 Devious bastards...

Later gang!

Gardening

A truly glorious three day weekend (us retirees can declare a three day weekend anytime we want) devoted to getting gardens and yards in shape.  Saturday and Sunday were clean-up days in auntie's yard.  Monday was the annual thatching day - auntie's yard as well as Alison's.  I also took mom plant shopping.  Big time fun.

Yesterday I was in recovery mode from three days of labor; and today was cloudy and cool - my one productive enterprise was taking Aunt Emilie to RuralCap to complete/submit her application for weatherization assistance.  She apparently qualifies which amazes me (take note for future suggestions for federal budget cuts).  The RuralCap guy was very congenial and I believe auntie enjoyed the encounter immensely.  Stay tuned...

This past week I have read several interesting articles that intrigued me.  The first was from The Economist (April 30th - May 6th) titled "America's transport infrastructure - Life in the slow lane."

America, despite its wealth and strength, often seems to be falling apart.  American cities have suffered a rash of recent infrastructure calamities, from the failure of the New Orleans levees to the collapse of a highway bridge in Minneapolis, to a fatal crash on Washington, DC's (generally impressive) metro system.  But just as striking are the common shortcomings America's civil engineers routinely give its transport structures poor marks, rating roads, rails and bridges as deficient or functionally obsolete.  And according to a World Economic Forum study America's infrastructure has got worse, by comparison with other countries, over the past decade.  In the WEF 2010 league tables America now ranks 23rd for overall infrastructure quality, between Spain and Chile.  Its roads, railways, ports and air-transport infrastructure are all judged mediocre against networks in northern Europe.
...
Total public spending on transport and water infrastructure has fallen steadily since the 1960's and now stands at 2.4% of GDP.  Europe, by contrast, invests 5% of GDP in its infrastructure, while China is racing into the future at 9%.  America's spending as a share of GDP has not come close to European levels for over 50 years.  Over that time funds for both capital investments and operations and maintenance have steadily dropped.

A second article in the same edition of The Economist also caught my attention.  "Decline of the working man."

The decline of the working American man has been most marked among the less educated and blacks.  If you adjust official data to include men in prison or the armed forces (who are left out of the raw numbers), almost 35% of the 25-54 year-old men with no high-school diploma have no job, up from around 10% in the 1960's.  Of those who finished high school but did not go to college, the fraction without work has climbed from below 5% in the 1960's to almost 25%.  Among blacks, more than 30% overall and almost 70% of high-school dropouts have no job.
...
Yet in the 1970's America was at the cutting edge of policies to get the hard-to-employ into work.  Jimmy Carter's administration experimented with wage subsidies, ran an array of training schemes and introduced a public employment programme which at its peak provided more than 700,00 jobs.  But these policies were tainted by association with "big government"; Ronald Reagan scrapped them, slashed funding and reoriented training towards the private sector.  American's government today spends 60% less, after adjusting for inflation, on "active" labour-market  policies than in 1980, and much less as a share of GDP than almost any other rich country."

A sad state of affairs.  But...30 years of trickle-down economics does have its consequences.  The question, of course, is what's next.  More of the same is the best bet.  I see that Big Oil prevailed today in the U.S. Senate...their tax freebies remain intact.  And I read the other day that the top 400 income earners in the U.S. had an effective tax rate of 18%.  Gee.  Mine was 22% and I ain't nowhere near the top 400!

Still...I guess we get the government we deserve...and if you can afford private security for your home and family, private education for your kids, have a bevy of attorneys and tax specialists at your beck and call and can work on your laptop and cellphone while you are chauffeured to work then perhaps all is well...

And Newt Gingrich is running for President. Life is grand!

Sitka by the Sea Part II

Still so sign of my post of yesterday which was dropped by Blogspot due to some maintenance issues.  Perhaps it will reappear or perhaps not.

In any event here are the rest of the Sitka Photos.

As previously noted, I apologize to anyone who doesn't appear in the slideshow who expected to...but as usual only about half of my pics were suitable for public display...no reflection on the subjects...just on the photographer.

If anyone else has some pics from the event feel free to email them to me and I will gladly add them to the album.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Howdy Cousin!

A pretty fun week.  I found myself standing at the bottom of the gangway of the Norwegian Pearl at 7 AM on Wednesday morning - holding a sign that said "Justin."  Justin is a cousin several times removed who lives in Tucson with his wife Christine.  I had never met them before but as always was delighted to spend the day being Juneau tour guide.

Justin and Christine disembarked and we went to pick-up Aunt Emilie - then off to mom's for coffee.

 Auntie and Justin look at pet pictures

Emilie tells a story...

Mom and Justin

After coffee it was off to the Glacier for sightseeing.  

The whole crew at the glacier

As we started walking to the visitor's center Justin spotted a black bear high in a tree just south of the parking lot.  Yogi was attracting lots of attention and was in a photogenic frame of mind.  Unfortunately I did not have my long lens with me but even so you can certainly get the drift...

Yogi was way up the tree...

...with little visible means of support

But he seemed totally unconcerned

After the glacier stop we were off to the Shrine which was beautiful as usual.  On the way back to town we stopped at Lena Point and lo and behold there was a large pod of killer whales...about a dozen.  Just wish I had my long lens...sigh...

 The orcas were trolling for salmon just like everyone else

Not a great pic...but it seems I never have the right tools at the right time

So...a very successful guiding trip.  I think the cousins were quite pleased.  I got them back to their ship and they were soon off for Glacier Bay.

Yesterday was kinda wet; but the forecast is now for a few days of great weather.  Yippee!

Sitka by the Sea

The best weekend in many a moon.  On Saturday morning I joined a number of my former legislative staff colleagues and good pals for a trip to Sitka for a party in honor of Ben Grussendorf, former Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives, and all-round good guy.  The weather gods were smiling on us - it was an absolutely drop-dead gorgeous day - a very rare commodity this spring.

The Right Honourable Ben Grussendort - Speaker of the House

Ben served as House Speaker during much of the 1980's - the only person to serve as Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives for three legislatures.  It was an exciting time - for much of his tenure we were rolling in dough.  This did not NECESSARILY make it easier to be Speaker.

During this era I worked for Al Adams, Chairman of the House Finance Committee.  Ben and Al pretty much ran the show - two very talented pols.  And they were aided and abetted by some pretty good staff - many of whom were able to attend this weekend's events.

A number of us arrived around 11 AM and checked-in at the hotel where we met up with others who had journeyed from near and far.  The first order of business for some was breakfast - bloody mary's and beer for the most part.

Former legislative staff assemble for breakfast at the Westmark

Other serious business was also conducted - a pool for the Kentucky Derby was hastily put together.  Then we headed out for a little sightseeing.

Doug, Alison and I made reservations for the Pioneer's Home - with a 2041 check-in date

 We returned to the Westmark in time for the running of the derby.  I had high hopes for my horse, Pants on Fire; but alas it was not to be...

And then it was time for the main event, supper at the Channel Club.  Ben had been kept in the dark about this little get together until earlier that morning.  Fortunately, in a moment of weakness, he decided to attend anyway despite what must have been some serious misgivings.

Ben greets his former Chief of Staff, Jerry Schilz

 Some quality meet and greet time during cocktail hour...

"Who invited that son-of-a-bitch?"

And, of course, there had to be a group picture...

   Thirty years ago we were all young!

After supper the Grussendorfs foolishly invited us all over to their beautiful home on the beach for further consultation. 

Not a bad view from your front window, eh?  Mt. Edgecumbe.

And what reunion could be complete without a community sing?

  Terry Tibbett and Kate Tesar lead us in a rousing chorus of "You are my Sunshine."

I left the party around 10 PM feeling mighty satisfied with the day's proceedings.  Rumor has it that several of our party were spotted at the Pioneer Bar around 2 AM.  However I can honestly and gratefully report that to the best of my knowledge none of my colleagues were admitted to either the community hospital or the local hoosegow as a result of the festivities.  Another legislative staff job well done...

Well, that's it for now, gang.  I have many, many, many more "action" shots of the Sitka proceedings which I hope to post on my Kodak Gallery site in the next couple of days.  I think I've got some good pics - notwithstanding the subject matter (or perhaps more accurately - the subjects of this matter); but given our advancing years they will require a fair amount of photoshop work as well as careful cropping to eliminate even a hint of any high crimes or misdemeanors.  

So...check back in a couple of days for a link to the gallery. 

Swan Island

I was searching my photo database for a pic the other day (I didn't find it) and is always the case got caught-up reminiscing about this and that.  In this instance, I stumbled across some pics from Swan Island I took when I was about 14 years of age.

Swan Island is in Seymour Canal south of Juneau and was the site of a hunting cabin that my dad, Uncle Bud and a bunch of their friends operated for years before they relocated to Buck Island some fifteen miles or so further south.  Indeed Uncle Bud, Cousin Sandra and I identified the site of the future Buck Island cabin during this trip.  We also spent time over at Pack Creek, currently the site of the Stan Price State Wildlife Sanctuary and formerly the home of Stan and Edna Price.

Stan Price became a legend in his own mind as well as the mind of others as the "bear man" of Admirality Island.  He and Edna raised one bear, Susie, and he was on friendly terms with a good number of them.  They also cared for deer including "Toots" featured in the pic below.

Edna was a truly delightful person and would stay at my aunt's and uncle's place when she was in town.  She developed a serious heart problem and ultimately was forced to move to the Pioneer's Home in Sitka where she died.  From the time that Edna was no longer able to live at Pack Creek she was shunned by her husband - it is my understanding that he never once contacted her while she was in Sitka.  Whatever Stan's merits as a wilderness icon, they are more than overshadowed in my mind by his shabby treatment of his spouse.

But I digress...and without further ado a few pics from Swan Island/Pack Creek circa 1968.

 Stan Price - the "Bear Man of Pack Creek"

 The Price's float house at Pack Creek

Toots the Deer       

Uncle Bud on the Beach at Swan Island

In other news, I was very appreciative of an opinion piece in the Washington Post this weekend:   Why do Americans still dislike atheists? 

A growing body of social science research reveals that atheists, and non-religious people in general, are far from the unsavory beings many assume them to be. On basic questions of morality and human decency — issues such as governmental use of torture, the death penalty, punitive hitting of children, racism, sexism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, environmental degradation or human rights — the irreligious tend to be more ethical than their religious peers, particularly compared with those who describe themselves as very religious.
 ...
As individuals, atheists tend to score high on measures of intelligence, especially verbal ability and scientific literacy. They tend to raise their children to solve problems rationally, to make up their own minds when it comes to existential questions and to obey the golden rule. They are more likely to practice safe sex than the strongly religious are, and are less likely to be nationalistic or ethnocentric. They value freedom of thought.

Well, time to mosey over to mom's for coffee.  And it looks like the sun is trying to shine...could be some gardening in my immediate future.

Back Pain

Well another largely uneventful weekend.  Had fun on Friday night - after work cocktails with Shelly, Dougie, and Alison.  It rained off-and-on all weekend...went for a walk on the Mendenhall River Trail - chased a few birdies around the bushes for awhile - but no pics that are blogworthy.

The big news, of course, is the demise of the man every American loved to hate - our nemesis Osama.  It appears that the Navy Seals were called on to deal with him and did so in their trademark fashion.  Excellent.

Of course there are many unanswered questions the most interesting centering around what the Pakistani government, military or intelligence service knew about Osama's whereabouts and when did they know it.  With friends like Pakistan, one cannot afford too many enemies...

Indeed I was contemplating this weighty matter last evening after President Obama's address when the phone rang.  Aunt Emilie calling...and in a quite chipper frame-of-mind...which is somewhat odd given the story she had to tell.

Like most of the denizens of Evergreen Avenue auntie had attended the memorial service for her neighbor, George Rogers, at Centennial Hall.  Auntie got all gussied-up sporting a brand new pantsuit, and in keeping with the nature of the festivities, she donned her somber black coat.  Off to Centennial Hall.

Upon taking her seat at the memorial auntie began to experience discomfort in her lower back which she naturally attributed to a tag or other encumbrance on her new pantsuit.  The discomfort eventually reached a point where she asked an Evergreen Avenue neighbor, Mary Ann, to accompany her to the powder room to see if the problem could be identified and rectified.

At this point the story takes a somewhat unexpected, no, make that bizarre, twist.  Mary Ann apparently had no difficulty identifying the problem - a large sewing needle sticking into auntie's back.  Like several inches into her back.  Easy to see why this would cause some measure of discomfort.  

Now Mary Ann is a very sensible and sober person - so not surprisingly she immediately identified a sensible and sober course of action.  She had noted the presence of a person she knew to be a nurse in the audience and went out to fetch her.  The nurse arrived.  Observed the needle.  And suggested they summon a retired doctor who happened to also be in the audience.  By this time there was apparently a fairly good sized crowd in the powder room offering consolation and advice.

The doc was duly summoned and after a quick examination concluded that the powder room at Centennial Hall was not the optimal location for removing a large sewing needle from auntie's back.  The hospital emergency room was suggested as an alternative.

So...Aunt Emilie and Mary Ann sortie to the hospital.  According to Emilie, the hospital staff - always on the lookout for novel and amusing injuries - were quite impressed with the now fully embedded needle.  A type of puncture wound apparently not previously known in these here parts.

The needle was removed, auntie bandaged, x-rayed, and given a prescription of antibiotics.  She was also  instructed to return immediately to the ER if she experienced any signs of discomfort - like the kind of discomfort one would associate with a punctured lung, for example.   Auntie agreed and Mary Ann took her home at which point she called me.

And now for the rest of the story...  It seems that several months ago auntie had been attempting to repair her black coat and was interrupted in mid-process.  She forgot about the whole repair thing.  Imagine that.  Upon close examination there was not ONE but THREE sewing needles embedded in the garment. 

Amazing!