Needles

Here's another picture taken a few days ago near my house on the way to the post office. It's where Whatcom Creek lets out into the bay.

A day of another new and interesting thinking I've always wanted to do, and that's visit an acupuncturist. It felt like a cross between a sauna and meditation. And things change in my world (like the roommate moving out - more another time), and for some odd reason I felt a sense of clarity and refreshment after I left there. Considering my disdain for western medicine, placing my faith in a centuries old practice made me feel mush better than placing my care in an over-educated drugs rep (which is what I view many doctors as in today's crippled healthcare system).

Something is afoot in this little seaside town and many different people have told me about the odd energy stirring here. I don't know why I said that, maybe I have nothing more to say...

Because something is happening here

But you don’t know what it is

Do you, Mister Jones?

Death

I woke this morning to the mouse trap having proven effective. The poor little harmless mouse that was merely seeking out some vittles during a late night romp, and his efforts proved deadly. I wonder at whet level we deem life precious. A friend and I had a discussion toady about the heinous way that humans feel compelled to treat other beings, especially when the profit motive comes to mind.

This discussion was the spawn of my journey down to Sedro Woolley today to pick up some pullets. I chose two young hens - a spunky California White and a Wyandotte that I will add to the flock. I was primarily looking for variety, yet compatibility. It's always nice to meet to wonderful people inhabiting the Skagit Valley, and to go for a little drive through the fog-enshrouded foothills of the grand Cascades down SR9.

Some days I need to get away, even if it's just for a drive down the back roads of Skagit County.

The picture above is from the Taylor Street Dock, were I spent the past few sunsets. Tonight was definitely a night to stay in the house though, as the wind and rain moved through and made it much more conducive to lying on the couch reading with a dog at my feet.

Urban Gardens

A few times a year, I get the word out to conduct a bike tour of the different yards around Bellingham that are being turned from grass (our nation's largest agricultural product) to food and other fun things. Today, we concentrated in the York Neighborhood. We always luck out on the weather, and the participants seem to increase every year.

Belingham's urban gardening scene seems to be taking a pretty strong foothold, and I am glad to play a tiny part in this. Fortunately this year I have found balance and am tending to my own yard's needs too. There may come a day when we need to rely upon our own knowledge to produce food. Or not. But real gardening is more fun than pretending on Farmville.

So an afternoon of yard work (and some progress)followed by an evening of watching to boats rock to and fro on the bay in Fairhaven with waves and a steady breeze out of the southeast. A good day.

Birthday

So yesterday was my birthday. Maybe it's a sign of being in the second half of my life, as I once viewed them with disdain; now I am grateful that I still have my health, home and coterie of acquaintances in my life that seem to mysteriously appear in my life just when I need them.

When you are in business for yourself, it is not uncommon to experience a meltdown when you feel the world is crashing in on you. One such incident occurred last week when I pulled myself away from the computer and work that never seems to be complete, and did some work in the yard.

An old business associate - one fraught with wisdom and experience - was biking by with his son and stopped by to chat. His visiting and having a cup of tea changed my world entirely for the better for the day and beyond.

When things like this happen in my life, I realize that I am the luckiest person alive.

The picture above is Whatcom Creek as it flows past the Post Office on Prospect Street where I bike to every day. The nice weather has left us, and the Spring rains have returned. And that's refreshing.

Commie

Although I have not followed much of the health care debacle, I’ve heard pundits and other people refer to Obama as a socialist. I wish I could understand their rationale. And why does the average, educated person still buy into the right-left paradigm? I see virtually no difference in these two parties anymore – the sole purpose is to feed big business. Am I getting too soft and liberal out here in moist Bellingham? With the country’s (and world’s?) wealth controlled by the smallest percentage in the history of the world, and we continue to be scared of the notion socialism and the misuse and bastardization of its meaning? Though the economic theories are many, the basic premise of socialism is the redistribution of wealth. Obama a socialist? Hardly.

Where President Bush failed in creating a significant step towards fascism. President Obama succeeded. By this, I mean that – well I’ve heard, at least – that forcing the public to buy into any private industry by definition is fascism. Or something like that. At any rate, Bush failed with social Security; Obama succeeded with health care. Here is an interesting link. I do not know how true this is, but the second statement does not surprise me:

“This bill is almost identical to the plan written by the AHIP, the insurance company trade association, in 2009.”

Obama took the most financial contribution ever from the financial sector, and I would not be too surprised if big pharma, health insurance, etc. are far behind.

Maybe crony-capitalist? Corporatist? Fascist? But not a socialist. Meanwhile our healthcare system is the laughing stock of the industrialized world. At least we rank with South Africa as the only industrialized nation not offering universal health care. The health of this country does not have a bright future - in many ways.

Economy

(Click to enlarge)

I wonder who is buying stocks and keeping the U.S. equity markets buoyed? I've read numerous articles stating how the sentiment of most investors is keeping them on the sidelines. But this graph tells a different story from an investment standpoint. It seems to indicate that most investors are quite bullish on the market (Wall Street), while Main Street seems to feel differently. More information is on the Pragmatic Capitalist article.

I've said it many times before, but the fact that credit is virtually nonexistent, the housing industry is in the shitter, and the unemployment stubbornly hangs around ten per cent (one can only imagine the, ahem, underemployed and those that have given up search for any meaningful employment), I don't see from where this sentiment originates. How can these companies be meeting or exceeding earnings expectations when consumers are overspent, increasingly underpaid, and living in houses that they cannot afford. And if 70%+ of our GDP is driven by consumer spending, this paints an even more baffling picture.

I've been told it's the hedgies, private equity funds and other non-individual investors, but then again, I buy into all sorts of conspiracy theories. But do you really feel that an 18% gain last year reflected the true market performance?

Nothing

I wish I had something of substance to say today on this matutinal post. Heading down to Portland this afternoon to help a friend move a boat and acquire a futon in the process, so this morning has been busy and productive, and it's only 8:42. It looks like we won't need to lift the I-5 drawbridge after all, as the height of the bridge is seventy-one feet, and the mast is only sixty-five.

If I am lucky, I will leave my computer behind. But hopefully I can put some pictures up of us plying the Columbia River. We sat around last night telling sailing yarns, and the excitement is building for the offshore passage northward in May to Orcas Island.

But it is back to work on a beautiful spring morning with Mount Baker out my back window (well the top of it, at least - can't see the rest, as the ridge out around Deming hides a good chunk of it), and and an anticipated departure by 4pm.