Tree Falling...

We finally finished taking the tree down that fell in our backyard. Kent did most of the grunt work, but with the chainsaw, things went a lot quicker than when we were using the bow saw and ax. Now all we have to do is split it up and it's ready to burn. I suppose we'll need a wood stove or something to burn it in. (Maybe Bush will buy it for us.)

The tree fell in the back yard near Rardin St. So we loaded up the truck to transport it around instead of carrying it up the hill. As Kent said, this is why it's nice to own a truck. We had two loads to bring up.



Vrooomm, vroomm!

This last picture was taken last night. The sun was setting and it peaked out from behind the clouds that have swamped us for a few days now. Kent couldn't pass up the golden light, illuminating the new wood pile.

Look at MEEEEE!

Okay. Here's a little more shameless promotion by me. But what the heck. Most of the cool things in life come by means of who you know and what they know.

Check out Get Out webzine for a picture of yours truly. Lori that is, Kent's mug hasn't graced the pages of Get Out yet. I didn't write the article, although I can attest to the subject matter. It's about training for a marathon, and includes some tips on accomplishing this huge endeavor. Of course a marathon seems huge to most, but it all starts with a walk around the block.

More about the site.

My friend Mary Reed has put together this webzine that focuses on the outdoor opportunities of the Ohio River Valley Region. She is based in Athens but the zine gets input from Pittsburgh to Kentucky. If you like to get out, this website if for you.

Sign up for monthly updates. It's free, of course.

Happy Easter!

I started the day off with my annual Easter Run.  Okay, I run almost everyday, so an easter run isn't that special.  I did sway from the usual bike path run, though.   With the roads being covered in ice, snow, and salt for the past 2 months, I usually run down hill to the bike path, where I do 90 percent of my miles, and then back up the hill to my house.  So minus the small hill down to the BP it's all flat.  Today, I took advantage of the low traffic roads of a Sunday morning and went up Second St to Columbia Ave with its gentle rolling hilliness of a ridge top. Felt good to do a few hills.  

It is sunny again today, so hopefully I can tackle a few outside projects.  Spring is coming fast, but the weather has still been cold and rainy, so motivation to hit the garden has been low.  I did visit White's Mill, my local garden store, on Friday and bought some cold hardy seeds.  Peas, spinach, lettuce.  I want to make a new garden bed too, which increases vegetable growing space and decreases lawn mowing space.  My dream is to have no lawn to cut, but a variety of food producing vegetation.  If only the leaves could rake themselves too.

Hillelapalooza

Last weekend, Hillel had their annual fundraiser, Hillelapalooza, down at the Fur Peace Ranch. It was a rockin' good time with a great musical lineup. Jorma Kaukonen and Barry Mitterhoff started the night with their awesome talents on guitar and mandolin. Rob McNurlin joined them on the stage for a few old time country songs. Then the Royales kicked it up a notch with rock-n-roll music that everyone could dance too.


Most of the pictures that Kent took are vertical, and as you may know or not, I have a hard time getting those to look right in this blog. So I chose the easy pics that were already horizontal. Here is Jorma tuning between songs.

Pat Brown, lead singer of The Royales. I first saw these guys play at Halloween many years ago. They frickin' rock.
I love this picture. It captures the energy of the music. Kent is so gooood!

FInancial Blog Plug

Here is a blog I recently found through planetgreen: simpe dollar.

I do pretty well with our finances, but it doesn't hurt to become more informed. This guy reviews books and other blogs. He also gives time to questions from the readers, and tips on living with less financial stress. Today he blogged with suggestions on how to fill out your NCAA Brackets. He is not a chance taker with suggesting you pick higher seeds to advance (and miss out on all those upsets?) and pick teams with more wins. I see the logic in that. I often pick an upset if a team has more wins than the higher seed. Even if Duke is seeded low they know how to win. (And the refs give them breaks, so remember that.)

In other basketball news, OU men beat Brown yesterday in some booty tournament that's below the NIT. But, whatever, now they can say they won 20 games in a season. Also, they may play Cincinnati if UC wins their game. OU hasn't played UC since Huggins left, so maybe they have a shot. Of course, once Thursday rolls around, I will likely forget OU exists. Bring on the madness.

How to stimulate the economy with your $600

Since I am on this financial kick, I'll keep it going. I came up with this list over the past month or so. Please put your two cents in the comment box.

Coming to a mailbox near you, $600 or more.

Sure it would be easy to take that money and go to Walmart/Target/any big box store, and spend, spend, spend, but what does that really do. Give money to big time CEO's that didn't get this incentive because they already make TOO MUCH MONEY. So keep it local. Spread it around. If you really want to help the economy, help your neighbors at the same time.

Make it last with these ideas. $600 divided by 12 is $50/month. You could spend that each month on:

1. Farmer's Market.
2. Dinner at a restaurant.
3. Massage!
4. Haircut, pedicure, manicure.
5. Prolo therapy for your busted knee/elbow/shoulder.
6. Local music concert. (buy their cd if you like 'em.)
7. Local theatre production.
8. Tea from Herbal Sage Tea. (shameless plug, I know.)
9. Attend a high school sporting event.
10. Participate in a 5K run/walk.
11. Go to an Art Museum. If it is free, put some cash in the donation jar.
12. Go bowling.
13. Take ballroom dance classes.
14. Join a gym or hire a trainer.
15. Shop at the thrift store for some great buys.

The Big Splurge (not that these all cost $600, in that case, add them together):

1. Spend the night or weekend at a Bed and Breakfast.
2. Buy a bike and ride it.
3. Panniers, fenders, and helmet for your bike if you have one.
4. Buy a kayak or canoe and float down a river.
5. Stay at a cabin in Hocking Hills for the weekend.
6. Donate to a local Non-profit.
7. Build a new deck or patio (That's what we did the last time bush gave us money).
8. Ride your bike across Ohio. ( I may do this, feel free to join me.)
9. Buy a share of Community Supported Agriculture or CSA (you purchase a share of the harvest in the beginning of the season and each week, you receive fresh food from the farm.)
10. Buy an Amtrak 15 or 30 day Rail Pass and see the country.

As you can see, your $600 can go along way if you think about it. Of course, paying off debt, investing it, or putting it away in savings are all smart things too.

Monday Night is Movie Night

I have a new habit for Monday nights.  While Kent is off at meetings making the world a better place.  I rent movies.  That I like.  Last week I watched Stardust because he didn't want to see it.  It was a clever tale and I enjoyed the acting and scenery. 

Today, I watched Maxed Out Hard times, Easy Credit and the Era of Predatory Lenders.  This was little less sweet than Stardust.  It basically said that America is in debt and we are going to fall as a civilization.  It didn't state that directly, but I can read between the lines.  

Kidding aside, bad credit, debt, and bankruptcy is serious business.  I have heard of at least three people in the last year or so who have committed suicide because of one or more of these issues.  These are friends of friends who had college degrees and lived a middle class lifestyle.  And it's happening all around us.  The movie presented all sides of the debate.  Those who signed loans they couldn't pay. Those who collect.  And the credit cards themselves.  They all put their spin on it and it's hard to decipher who is to blame.  I try not to place blame on anyone and recognize there is a problem.  I support taking personal responsibility, but I don't support creditors taking advantage of the disabled or those in duress.  (And being dishonest.)

One interviewee ran into a problem when she was trying to get a car loan at the dealership.  The dealer ran a report and the report said that she was dead.  (In fact, her daughter had died six years before.)  You would think that this would be an easy fix, but she went through 2 depositions of proving that she didn't falsely report this and that the credit bureau made the error.

If you, or someone you know, is in serious debt, and is looking for help, you can check out Americans for Fairness in Lending.