Ah--And So It Begins

It is grind my axe day today!

The headline in the paper says it all--"Obama proposes pay freeze for federal workers." And so now I am nothing more than a pawn in the budget battle.

Consider this--the article indicated that freezing federal pay for two years would save the government $60 billion over 10 years. Given that the debt for just 2010 was $1.3 trillion, it will only take an additional 216 years (plus or minus) to retire that debt and then there is the rest of the debt to deal with providing that Congress does not incur more debt!

Like that is going to happen.

Fundamentally in the realm of the budget and the deficit they are dealing with "chump change."

And, by freezing pay (which is a pay decrease since taxes and health insurance are increasing) they run the risk of stalling the economic recovery. The planned pay increase was only going to keep the standard of living at the same level, it isn't as if it was some fantastic amount like 5 percent.

The impact of this type of ill-advised budget process should already be seen on the retirees--who will not have seen an increase in two years, yet medicare and taxes continue to increase reducing disposable income.

Headlines like this make a big splash--since everyone, it seems, likes to take shots at the federal workforce--but who is going to administer the billions in programs that the government is responsible for? Those same federal workers. Do the taxpayers of the U.S. deserve a qualified workforce of professionals running programs including intelligence and defense, or should they sell out to the lowest bidder?

There is not a lot of ability in the federal workplace to earn extra money. And frankly, I have been beginning to receive offers from industry offering to double my salary should I leave federal service.

But I love what I do--and I am really good at it (so I am told).

I am not a federal worker to get rich. That is never going to happen. I work where I do, doing the job I love because I am a patriot. And yes--I will probably continue to work without the prospect of increasing my salary and retirement benefits for the next two years--but really, there ought to be some sense in the process. If the federal workforce is going to be competitive it needs to receive comparable pay.

I note that the bonuses to the employees of the Wall Street banking companies which were bailed out are back up in the ionosphere this year. Maybe that is the problem?

Which segment of society is next? After the retirees and the federal workforce, there aren't many places that can be hit--except for the military.

Enough axe grinding. It is bad everywhere and going to get worse. So much for Happy Holidays!

Monday Musings - November 29, 2010

1. The last Monday in November and only four Mondays before Christmas.  If is isn't planned by now--it probably isn't going to happen until next year.

2. We had a false security alarm at the house yesterday--one of the security devices had come lose and caused a false alarm. Although there were a few moments of angst, I am glad it was a false alarm and not an actual break-in.  The security company will be coming to inspect the devices during the week ahead.

3. Last night I was watching Ravens football as night fell with the Christmas tree lit, the mantle candles burning and a nice fire in the fireplace. It was only 5:55 pm. During the summer, evening activity would just be getting underway rather than settling down for the night.

4. 146 days until pool opening Saturday.

5. Hot bean soup, fresh corn bread, a nice glass of Merlot and candles--sounds like a great dinner on a cold almost winter's night.

6. I'm glad we had ham along with the turkey on Thanksgiving--I am really enjoying ham and cheese omelettes for breakfast.

7. I looked at the trees yesterday--they are ready for winter. Now my lawn is filled with the leaves that used to be on the trees and it has become too cold to want to work in the yard.

8. It was 27 degrees yesterday morning and the thermometer reads 23 degrees right now. I guess our mild weather has departed and the gathering clouds portend winter's arrival on the scene as autumn flees for warmer climates.

9. The last time we experienced temperatures in the 20's, with the exception of yesterday morning, was March 6th.  It was a good run. When are the 70's and 80's returning?

10. Anyone know where I left the ice scraper after last year?

The Christmas Season Arrives

I have created a new verb: Christmify. Simply it means the act of transforming something from its native state into a Christmas decorated or ready state. Usage: The house was Christmified yesterday. There is an adjective: Christmassy listed in dictionary.com, but not the verb: Christmify.

Christmas Tree 2010

And so after dragging seven more containers laden with Christmas decorations out of the attic and purchasing a new artificial tree--the process of Christmifying the house begins. Christmifying the house is an annual event and it comes with expectation, stress, tears, wine and lots of merriment.  The stress is related to the annual event of discovering where Bob hid Chris's first Christmas ornament in the boxes for safe keeping and being sure it had not survived to celebrate another Christmas--right up until it is found and hung on the tree accompanied by the memory of over five decades of Christmases past.

Seriously though, Christmifying is a process--the initial Christmas decorations were emplaced on Veteran's Day with the exterior decorations being put up--since it was warm. Then there was Snow Village Saturday, and there was last evening--when most of the rest of the house was decorated. There are dishes to swap out and decorations to place. The process of Christmifying the house is completed over time--it is truly a transformation--of both the house and our minds. This year we will again have two Christmas trees to celebrate the season and only one is yet erected--the second is a project for some night this week.

The process of Christmifying is similar to what we must go through to transform our minds and get ready for the season of Christmas. We cannot just flip a switch and be ready for Christmas. Preparation is involved--to prepare ourselves for the day. Some churches celebrate the season of Advent to prepare for the Christmas Day celebration--and this parallels the transformation of our minds that happens during the ramp up to Christmas Day. In olden times (one of my favorite phrases) Christmas was celebrated for 12 days--from Christmas Day until January 6th--Epiphany or Three Kings Day. So the preparation of nearly a month resulted in a festival of twelve days.  Sadly, we have lost much of the festive season and reduced Christmas to a day. That, it seems, is all of the time we can give to celebrate the birth of The King.

And so the house is nearly fully transformed into the Christmas spirit--and now begins the process of transforming my mind and heart to accept the joy of the season and not focus on the 27 degrees of cold it is currently holding at outside.

Merry Christmas and may you be fully Christmified in all you do this season.

Pair of Kees

Makayla and Ben Napping with a Wary Eye

Makayla and Ben resting after a morning of playing and activity. They have grown to be best buds.

Having two dogs is a bit of work. But they have a lot of fun together and keep each other company. And they get along really well.

Late-Autumn Blooms

There it was yesterday.

November Clematis

Late-November unexpected color along side the driveway. A clematis was blooming and offering its beauty to the graying world which daily displays more signs of the approaching winter.

I was surprised to see the blooms along the fence.

They were hanging on as the time for sleep approached.

And then I looked again down along the fence and I could tell how mild the season has been--Brown-eyed Susan's blooming along the fence to grace my late-November searching eye.

Susan's Along the Fence

The garden has been neglected for the past month or so and the leaves from the trees are blowing in along the fence--but the flowers are there blooming among the leaves.  They were very bright on the gloomy, rainy day I snapped the picture.

We have Christmas Lights illuminating the house at night and flowers reminding us of the summer past.

Now all I need is a warm sandy beach and a palm tree to complete the illusion.

Axis and Allies

Annual Axis and Allies Game

The annual recreation of WW2 is underway. We are playing the European Campaign this year. Round 1 is only about halfway done. At the rate we are playing: 2 hours per turn, we might be done at midnight.

Follow-up--after four rounds of heated conflict in Europe and with the U.S. managing to win the War of the Atlantic and to land troops in Vichy France--the Russians fell to the Germans and the game was over. The US and the UK were just barely unable to reinforce Moscow in advance of the German panzer armies push.

Learn German. Congrats to Patrick on a well played and hard fought victory.

Day After

The feast was fabulous.

Even the football was exciting. The anticipated blow-outs did not materialize and the games were close--well at least the first two.

The family was gathered around the table. The great-grandparents were seated. The five dogs (Jeff, Florence, Makayla, Ben and Chewie) were penned in the basement, Ethan and Jax were rested and involved, and the wine was perfect for the brine soaked turkey--which was moist and flavorful.

The prayer was given.

And as the eating began--the thanks though unspoken was evident. We were together again. Gathered around a table sharing a meal and thankful for family and the freedoms we had which include the ability to gather together without fear and with a table full of foods.

The pies were tasty--I sampled two--a pumpkin and an apple.

And then as we became bored with the NFL's Thanksgiving offerings, some of us slipped out for a movie--the latest Harry Potter offering.

Finally arriving home after 10pm--I knew it had been a great Thanksgiving once again. Not because of what I ate, or or what I did--but because of who I was with. And that was what I was most thankful for--the who's sitting around the table and the relationships we share.

Snowstorm in the Village

2010 Village Blizzard

So last Saturday was Snow Village day. Well, yesterday, the 5 year old grandson, Ethan, decided the scene was a bit too bucolic. So a snowstorm was needed to liven things up a bit.

Needless to say the designer initially was not amused. But in retrospect it demonstrated a creative genius. The snowstorm survived the night.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well--it arrived right on schedule.

The national day to give thanks.

I have said, on a couple of occasions, that Thanksgiving is the most religious of all of the national holidays (note: I wrote religious and not Christian). And I believe this to be true. While some may argue that Christmas is the most religious oriented--I maintain that Thanksgiving is the one one of the two which has remained closest its original purpose for a broader percent of the population--

I present the quick definition from Wikipedia:

Thanksgiving Day, known informally as "Turkey Day," is a harvest festival celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving was a holiday to express thankfulness, gratitude, and appreciation to God, family and friends for which all have been blessed of material possessions and relationships. Traditionally, it has been a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. This holiday has since moved away from its religious roots.

While the holiday has moved away from its religious roots--it still retains that sense of a holiday unspoiled by blatant commercialism and which is still designed to make us pause--and give thanks for all we have and the bountiful blessings bestowed upon us. Most of us, thank God. Because we know--it's not us!

And so this year, I am thankful for our military members on the front lines in far off places and the civilians who are there along beside them. I am thankful for family, for close friends who put up with my antics, my dog, and the blessings that God has poured out upon me. More than I can count or even appreciate.

May you and yours recognize the blessings you have and be thankful for them today, tomorrow, and into the future.

Left the Station

The train is a full throttle racing away from the station--only there is no track in front of it.


Sometimes life seems to be like this.

All speed and no vector.

The holidays seem like this sometimes more often than not.

There are so many schedules to juggle--so many things to do and not nearly enough time to get them all done.

Sanity--or preserving sanity during this season relies on finding balance. It also relies upon recognizing that choosing to participate in one thing may preclude doing another. For example--going shopping on a Saturday afternoon precludes raking the leaves. As long as I am good with that--life is OK. But if I become stressed because of both what I am doing and what I am not doing--nothing good will result.

It is a bit sad that a season of joy has become a season plagued by stress.

But--like the picture--even though it appears the tracks are not there--if we slow down, take a deep breath and smile, we can get through the drifts of the season which are competing for our time and attention. The tracks are there--but we must move at a reasonable pace not to get derailed.