Show-me Account Talk

[Birchtree]

alevin,

Perhaps your neighbor would allow you to till that lot on a loan if you offer some vegetable treats. One on my wife's supervisor's husband recently bought some Rhode Island reds and now we buy a dozen eggs every two weeks - nothing like a cold boiled egg first thing in the morning.

 

[Warrenlm]

alevin,

Perhaps your neighbor would allow you to till that lot on a loan if you offer some vegetable treats. One on my wife's supervisor's husband recently bought some Rhode Island reds and now we buy a dozen eggs every two weeks - nothing like a cold boiled egg first thing in the morning.

ONE of her supervisor's husbands?. Is there a story here?

 

[Birchtree]

My wife has three supervisors that work under her direction. And the eggs we buy are super - very tasty. The majority of her employees have a defined contribution plan for their retirements so the wife helps keep them on solid ground with advice from the home front. My way of helping the cause. No one has any capitulation fear at her agency. They all realize that dollar cost averaging is the redeemer of all portfolios.

 

[alevin]

alevin,

Perhaps your neighbor would allow you to till that lot on a loan if you offer some vegetable treats. One on my wife's supervisor's husband recently bought some Rhode Island reds and now we buy a dozen eggs every two weeks - nothing like a cold boiled egg first thing in the morning.

Believe me, I've considered that angle. The lot's a mess, has a brushpile half the size of a small house, moldering away, a scrap metal junkpile, a pile of aging chunk wood from trees cut in her front yard, etc. etc. not to mention full of noxious weeds. They burned a similar-sized brushpile after her husband died years ago. Took a week for the brushpile to smolder to ashes. Literally, not exaggerating.

I've expressed concern 1x/year for several years, offered assistance getting rid of the brushpile, she won't accept help, just throws her hands up in helplessness, gets mad at me for pushing and complains how dependent she is on her son who is minimal help. Anytime yardwork is done on her place, it gets tossed in the brushpile/wood pile by her son who lives in next town over. He has a pickup, could be hauling to local not faraway transfer station for $3/load but he won't take the time.

So I go over quietly 1-2 evenings per year, spend 2-4 hours clearing the noxious weeds before they go to seed, to defend my property and vet neighbor property and ag property adjacent (she can't see that from the house, but I have no way to get p/u in there to do more w/o her permission. I always wear out before I get it completely cleared. the noxious weeds also poison the soil for other plants so soil quality is deteriorating as well.

Long story short, she usually throws up a wall and I back off for another day. Did get her to pay to cut back big trees overhanging my garden/laundry line space this year tho, that was major progress.

I've got another neighbor in on the action now as of couple weeks ago, he didn't realize what's been going on, thinks he can talk her into accepting help from his external resources, they've been neighbors over 40 years now. If the lot gets cleared up by next year, then I'll start horsetrading for barter/lease or failing that, sale. I could do a lot with that lot.

 

[Steadygain]

Alevie,
Maybe you can arrange for a crew to arrive at her house to clean out everything for FREE. Like a Land Scaping Service stating they randomly picked a house and she was the winner.

If you have a Pay Pal account or something like that, I could help you pay for it.

Then she won't feel under any obligation to you; and her 'pride' won't keep them from doing all the work.

Trying to brain storm ........

 

[alevin]

Steady, we have 3 landscaping services in town. She'd figure out the "freebie" fastern you could say "scat". Think I'll let the other neighbor work on her for a bit, he's hopeful. LDS church. He said he's got some "people" looking for a service project (probably Eagle Scouts-that's a rung on their ladder up the LDS priesthood/godhood). His property would be as threatened by fire as the rest of us if the lot ever caught fire so he has definite interest in helping resolve now he's aware.

 

[Birchtree]

Steady has a good idea. However, I'd be tempted to just go ahead and start cleaning the lot. Give the wood away to someone that has a wood stove and mulch the rest. She would probably actually be appreciative of the work done on her behalf. Ask her for a glass of cold water if she wants to help. She might even want to help in a garden. I suspect she is depressed and could use an extra outlet for companionship. Don't ask, just do.

 

[Steadygain]

Steady, we have 3 landscaping services in town. She'd figure out the "freebie" fastern you could say "scat". Think I'll let the other neighbor work on her for a bit, he's hopeful. LDS church. He said he's got some "people" looking for a service project (probably Eagle Scouts-that's a rung on their ladder up the LDS priesthood/godhood). His property would be as threatened by fire as the rest of us if the lot ever caught fire so he has definite interest in helping resolve now he's aware.

Thanks Alevie - I feel a lot better about the whole thing with this post. Eagle Scout project is a GREAT IDEA !!

Steady has a good idea. However, I'd be tempted to just go ahead and start cleaning the lot. Give the wood away to someone that has a wood stove and mulch the rest. She would probably actually be appreciative of the work done on her behalf. Ask her for a glass of cold water if she wants to help. She might even want to help in a garden. I suspect she is depressed and could use an extra outlet for companionship. Don't ask, just do.

That was my first thought Birch - and if she were right up the road I'd have no problem with that. Would sneek out tonight and clear it all away. But she's further away than you - and FL is very far.

BTW ; Show-me, nice place ya got here. Thanks for letting us visit

 

[alevin]

Actually, Birch, I've been thinking of tackling the woodpile myself this summer. I would have to trundle 2-3 rounds at a time with wheelbarrow through a people gate into my back yard to load my pu for dump haul. The scrap metal-I might be able to manage some pieces, might need people+ power for others. Like I said, there is no vehicle access into her lot w/o her cooperation. And Birch, yes she is depressed. Been on antidepressants for about 2 years now, which is why she was actually amenable to getting the tree trimming done this year. Both of you, Steady and Birch, you know I appreciate the moral support, even if it is longdistance. thanks!

 

[2EASY]

Show me - I feel like crying. You got out yesterday, so I got out :embarrest: You still the man though!

 

[Show-me]

I know, me too. Sorry I led you out.

My reasoning was sound and earning season always broadsides me.

Show me - I feel like crying. You got out yesterday, so I got out :embarrest: You still the man though!

 

[WorkFE]

Don't feel bad, I got happy feet last friday. Good news is I've been catching up with people I have not seen in some time. As they go flying past me, upward.:nuts:

 

[wwwtractor]

A two wheel cart will serve you better.

http://www.northlineexpress.com/ite...art+vermont"&gclid=CMCbgp7H2ZsCFRMhnAod_G-h_w

 

[alevin]

A two wheel cart will serve you better.

Bot a 6 cubic ft contractor wheelbarrow this year to help with putting in big garden, it'll actually hold maybe 4-5 rounds at a crack, depending how big. Shouldn't take more than 10 trips for the wood pile. The brushpiles another story. There's one chunk in the brushpile that'd fill the wheelbarrow by itself, otherwise its mainly limbs, limbs and more limbs and yardwaste. wheelbarrow will suffice for the woodpile. If thought I'd use2wheel cart enough, more than just the woodpile removal, would definitely consider it, thanks w3.

 

[Show-me]

I need to get me a two wheeled wheel barrow. What a great invention.

 

[Show-me]

OK, I have way to many irons in the fire but I need to get back in the saddle.

http://stockcharts.com/h-sc/ui?s=$SPX&p=D&yr=0&mn=3&dy=0&id=p58959989869

We have gone to hard and high to fast, we are at the upper BB band and we need a rest. My plan is BGZ @ $32 on the ETF side of the house. TSP wise I am done due to the idiot FRTIB morons.

Notice on the chart above how we are testing the head but can not break above the closing high of 946. Now my plan is to play the 3X inverse ETF and if I can just get it down to the 20 dma I can scalp a nice 10% trade.

It is not that risky a play as the head is big resistance and we are overbought.

Let's play!

 

[Show-me]

Here is video in two parts of former House Speaker Newt Gingrich tonight talking with Greta Van Susteren about the abject failure of the Democrats' Stimulus policy. Gingrich explains with great clarity that President Obama and his team were so full of themselves (my way of saying it) that they thought they could do whatever they wanted. Gingrich believes the first stimulus was actually a huge Democrat payoff to state and local governments so they would not have to make hard decisions. So, in actuality, the $787 Billion Stimulus Package was no stimulus at all.

But now their approach is not working, and he feels they are dangerously close to trapping America in situation where we could face 8-11% unemployment for a decade. He also discusses Obama's huge list of Czars, and the controversy over whether or not the CIA misled members of Congress in briefings.

http://www.freedomslighthouse.com/2009/07/newt-gingrich-says-obama-in-danger-of.html

 

[Show-me]

Got some tza instead @$20.50, lets play!

 

[Show-me]

Reality Check: Companies see profits again despite recession, but revenue still missing

• <LI class=byline>By Stevenson Jacobs, AP Business Writer
• On Friday July 24, 2009, 5:35 pm EDT

NEW YORK (AP) -- Corporate America is turning a profit again, but only by spending less, not making more.

While recent bullish profit reports have fueled the stock market, a true economic revival will depend on consumers opening their wallets. So far, there's little evidence of that.

Big names such as Caterpillar, IBM, Whirlpool, Pfizer, 3M and Lowe's boosted profit forecasts for 2009 following a slew of second-quarter earning reports that blew past lackluster expectations. Yet the gains aren't coming from sales.

Rather, companies are slashing everything from jobs to officer perks to boost the bottom line and please investors who have responded by pushing the major stock indexes to their highest levels in months.

None of this is surprising coming out of a recession. But the increase in the major stock indexes is raising questions about whether investors are getting ahead of themselves. Companies can only cut costs so much, and the profits and the stock surge aren't likely to last without a sustained economic recovery that puts people in the mood to spend again.

"Cost saving is not going to be the source of future earnings," said Fred Fraenkel, vice chairman of the Beacon Trust Company, an investment management firm. "The source is going to be revenue, and that can't happen until the economy starts growing."

Many companies are taking steps that could lead to even better year-over-year earnings growth in the third and fourth quarters. Last year, companies were unprepared for the plunge in consumer spending that followed the credit crisis and stock market collapse in September and October. Revenue fell sharply, but there wasn't enough time to cut costs, so profits tumbled.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Profits-embolden-US-companies-apf-1911569365.html/print?x=0

 

[Show-me]

A Sobering Beige Book Report

Last Update: 29-Jul-09 14:46 ET

If the Beige Book is to be used as a guiding resource for policymakers at the FOMC meeting, it is clear from the latest Beige Book that the fed funds rate will remain at exceptionally low levels for an extended period.

Economic conditions, quite simply, aren't that great. Granted most Fed districts did say "...the pace of decline has moderated since the last report or that activity has begun to stabilize, albeit at a low level." That was the encouraging point in the report, even if it wasn't an original insight.

The underlying message in the Beige Book is that the market is getting ahead of itself with its recovery trade.

One of the most telling notes was that overall lending activity in most reporting districts was stable or weakened further for most loan growth categories. Also, it was indicated that banks tightened loan standards in 7 of the 12 Federal Reserve districts.

Separately, there was a good bit of concern expressed about the weakening state of the commercial real estate market.

It was reported that labor markets remain slack in all districts (no surprise there) and that upward wage pressures had been virtually eliminated because of that. In turn, it was said that wages and compensation are steady or falling in most districts.

The upside of the weak labor markets is that inflation is being held in check, yet deflation remains a risk.

Overall, we didn't find much in the Beige Book that would validate an 11% advance in two weeks for the stock market.

The worst may be over economically speaking, but the best still remains a long ways off according to the latest Beige Book.
--Patrick J. O'Hare, Briefing.com

http://www.briefing.com/GeneralCont...nvestor&ArticleId=NS20090729144646TakingStock