Sawllows...can it be?

Yesterday, February 26th, I was sitting outside and all of a sudden several birds came swooping toward me, up and over the deck railing. One was heading right for my face and I flinched. As they veered off, I swear they were swallows! This is the earliest time of year I've ever witnessed them. These would be the early scouts who show up a few weeks before the hundreds yet to come. They're more than two weeks before I've ever seen them before. Indeed, there was a mild winter here with less cold and more rain than usual...but swallows in Februaary?!

Note to Jeff Besos

I was watching Youtube videos of 'Undercover Boss". Perhaps it would be a good idea for you to go undercover to understand why so many Amazon employees despise their jobs, the inane micro-management, the lack of respect, etc.etc. I have known many valuable people who hate the company and who have left...or want to.

Seattle Mariners! What a joke!

Fifteen to one! Twenty-two ten! These guys are all millionioanires! What a freeking joke! At least they never receive a penny from me.

Ackley

Ackley got a hit? today (a bunt!) ??!!! He's right down there with Chone Figgins!

Good Neighbors...update

So...there was a water main break next door. I drove over there in my tractor to investigate, The neighbor guy comes over and asks me if it would be okay if he cuts the TALL grass in front of my fence. I tell him I ran out of money a long time ago...my weed-eater doesn;t work, the lawnmower is broken, and the roto-tiller don't start...everything I have is broken and I can't afford to fix anything. (This is the same neighbor who helped me fix my wind-downed fence...Good Neighbors Make Good Fences. ) I tell him it would be fine if he wants to cut the tall grass in front of my house...

So...I wake up from my first nap of the day and go outside to have a look at the Sunday crossword puzzle. I hear a machine out front and go out to have a look. There's a ten-year-old boy operating a weed-eater in my front yard. I have a brief chat with him and he says, "I can cut around  your mailbox if you like." I tell him to come have a look...my lawn is completely is overgrown, the gardens are toast and everything is broken. The young neighbor boy goes back to work...on MY front yard.

I have no idea whatever may have created such wonderful people but...I am thankful and humbled. There really are some good people in the world.

Update...

Alas! The young boy didn't know. He had asked me if he should cut around my mailbox. "Sure", I say.

My mailbox is in the middle of a small, enclosed garden with six, wild rose plants of differing colored blooms. They flower all spring, summer and fall. They're beautiful! Well, not any more. They've all been cut down to ground level. I planted all those roses about fifteen years ago and, some years, that's the only area of my gardens that I take care of.

The lad didn't know. I didn't tell him.

The other, more traditional, rose bushes I have in various places around the property grow to fruition every year no matter how much (or when) I trim them back. I'm keeping my finger crossed that the beautiful flowers in the little garden where my mailbox stands awkwardly by the street will rebound and I can dry the tears of potential loss.

My Duplex

So...I own this duplex in Yakima, WA. After more than two years, yesterday, I finally gets an offer from a potential buyer. It was a VERY low offer but I submitted a counter offer. The realtor says they want to sleep on my counter and I tells her I'd rather sleep on a feather bed. So's along comes this morning and I sends another email to my realtor, "So I gets up this morning and goes in the kitchen to make coffee...and right there, plain as day, was an old guy sleeping on my counter! All's I could do was work around him and leave him be." Hopefully, he'll wake up and realize I have a great counter. Almost everything I have is broken...the car, holes in the front porch, lawnmower (grass is out of hand), weed-eater (grass is out of hand), roto-tiller, chairs, etc., etc. I'd be able to fix everything if this old guy comes to his senses and recognizes a great counter when he sleeps on it!

Follow-up...The prospective buyer comes back with a counter-counter that was nearly pennies above the initial offer. I tells my realtor if they expect me to counter-counter-counter, the price goes WAY up instead of finding a compromise. I laughs and says the prospective buyer should go back to robbing stagecoaches rather than trying to steal from me. They calls back later in the day. The buyer's realtor wants to know I'd settle at $4,000 less than my initial counter offer. I ignores the question so far.

This is a property with rents below market and provides an excellent return-on-investmental ready. (Why sell? It's too far away and I can't take proper care of the place. Also, I need the money!)

Ultra- BORING DAVE SIMS!

Dave Sims seems to be the most boring announcer I've ever heard. I'd really be extremely pleased to never hear him again. I'd much rather listen to Ken Levine (of Cheers)! Why in the world would ANYONE pay him for his completely boring radio delivery?! Listen to Dave Sims, Rick Rizzs, Aaron Goldsmith...Dave Niehaus. Dave Sims sounds like he should be sitting at a keyboard rather than a microphone. It's downright embarrassing. He's every bit as boring as Ron Fairly (obvious) was. Of course, there were people who were fun to listen to because they sounded completely foolish...like Ken Griffey senior and others. How can it be so difficult to find competent, interesting announcers???? Announcers who don't speak with strange accents from other parts of the country and with a near-soprano voice...people who sound like they actually care about the event?