Global Swindlers

After Ukraine Resources

Rainy Day Rose

The IMF is poised to offer $27 billion dollars to help stabilize Ukraine’s economy. $18b over the next 2 years with the rest coming later. Of course there are some stipulations that will make it nearly impossible for them to ever manage to pay back all the money. This is how the World Bank, World Trade Organization, and the International Monetary Fund have been gobbling up the world, country by country, for over 40 years. (Read - Confessions Of An Economic Hit Man) I think it is still in print.

Stuck inside the bush

There is a followup book written by 12 more people involved in the manipulation and exploitation of other countries resources and economies; A Game As Old As Empire: The Secret World of Economic Hit Men and the Web of Global Corruption

Glowing in Dorothy’s garden

The people of Ukraine are going to find out first hand how the people of Greece and Spain feel since the IMF got those countries in it’s ever tightening grip. “...Ukrainian households will pay for the IMF’s $27 billion package with higher gas prices, elimination of gas subsidies, government job and wage cuts, and big pension payment reductions.”  From todays Common Dreams article by Jack Rasmus

Okay, got that lump of coal out of the old gizzard. On with the show.

Pie 27 meets French vanilla

It is pleasantly stormy here in Redding. The rain is welcome and the windy conditions Friday night added drama and sweeping crescendos to the soundtrack.

Happy hydrangea

Some of the cars I have seen for sale, have the word ‘Salvage’ on the title. Those cars are offered for a lot less than comparable cars with ‘Clear’ titles. They have been damaged in some way that caused an insurance company to determine the car was ‘totaled’. Salvage title cars are not considered to be a good investment, and dealers won’t accept them as trade-ins.

Bird of Paradise on Saturday

Friday, John and I rewrote one of my older songs to bring it into compliance with the other material that we have written. I wrote it about the 1993 flood in Carmel Valley, but with a few word changes, it can apply to any major rain event. We gave it a different lead up to the cadence, and it sounds fresh while keeping some traditional blues elements.

Today’s Video;

ECIRAVA from Daisuke Kaneko on Vimeo.

Respect Your Mother Nature

Rain Arrives On Tuesday

As Forecast(ed)

Raindrops add sparkle to flower pictures

One of the fun things about writing this blog is looking at words and wondering should it be this way or that way.

Today’s wet look

I do get the chance to look up some words to determine if I remember them correctly as representing one idea or another. It's very simple with the computer.

How they looked on Monday

Tonight, I have included photographs from Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. That sentence in itself is an example of what I mean by looking up to see how these things are supposed to go.  Put in the extra comma behind Monday or not?

Treehouse butterfly, Monday

Actually, whether to put the comma after Monday in, “Sunday, Monday and Tuesday”, is up to the person doing the writing. That's good to know.

Growing in a backyard outside the Treehouse grounds

The quest for a newer car continues. I have seen a couple of possibilities that upon a closer look were not in good shape. The search goes on.

A different mockingbird, (not Caruso)

I've been seeing a lot of new birds in our neighborhood. They've been sort of drifting in, over the last month or so. Some of them seem to enjoy my company. That's nice.

I have forgotten what these colorful flowers are called

There is an interesting sign posted out in front of Trader Joe's regarding the sidewalk solicitors outside the doors. I should've taken a picture. Maybe next time.

Iris family portrait

Basically it stated that Trader Joe's doesn't encourage or support the people that are petitioning or gathering signatures out in front.They advised that we should feel free to ignore them when entering and exiting the store.

Relatives living across the path

I think the sign worked. The people collecting signatures for petitions were gone.

Wet circus rose along the driveway

When I have examined some of the the petitions closely, they don’t seem to be about issues actually being legislated, but instead are designed to get people to write down their names, addresses, and phone numbers. The people collecting the signatures aren’t always from around here, either. Signers beware.

Today’s Video;

All Life Matters

All This

And Butterflies, Too

Proud Arrival

Sometimes, I can’t be certain of what constitutes making the best use of my time.

Like this day, Saturday. I was up for over an hour before I had breakfast, still in my bathrobe, reading the news, answering correspondence, and tidying up loose ends on my MacBook Pro. Was I beginning the day too slowly?

Cheerful iris in Dottie’s garden

Eventually I had a breakfast of fresh fruit and cereal, got dressed and got outside to check mail, take a few pictures, and run a few errands. Still, I didn’t feel like I was doing any earthshaking, or game changing activities.

Two pals at the fenceline

I got the mail. There was an invitation to Sammy Barber’s birthday party at Lulu’s, to honor her for all the years she put into the Shasta Blues Society. The invitation announced that 3 bands would be playing. I didn’t see my band on the list. I guess I’ll call and wish her a happy birthday.

Butterflies at the Arboretum

I took a ride to the Arboretum to see if the butterflies were out posing for pictures. They were, I took pix and video. You can see some more of the images on Flickr

Looking into spring at the Arboretum

It was a pleasant way to spend the hour or so that it takes for Trader Joe’s frozen pie crust to defrost. Many trees and plants were flowering, birds were singing and the sun was shining. Time well spent.

Watching me photograph butterflies

The dough was ready upon my return, so pie making was the on the agenda. I think it was the 21st item on my list, so if you hear talk about agenda 21, you now know it is all about making an apple pie.

Agenda 21 revealed

Speaking of simple explanations, I saw this video today in which a young woman uses a blanket, an apple, and a ping pong ball to very clearly explain gravitational waves.

Today’s Video;

Knowledge Is Power

When Things Work

As Advertized

I think it is safe to say that we all harbor some small doubt when seeking a satisfying outcome in our daily endeavors. At least, I know that I do.

Glowing in the sunlight

That possibility of an unfulfilled outcome is the very reason for contingency plans.

The experience that brought me great joy today?

Raley’s pharmacy refilled my prescription just like pharmacies are supposed to.

That was a good thing, and it was just the first of a series of fulfilled desires.

View from the Treehouse

My favorite vegetable lasagna, (Michael Angelo’s), that had been missing for 6 weeks, was once again on the shelf in the frozen food section. Elena, Raley’s most cheerful checker, saw me coming down the aisle and said, “Come this way Phil, my lane is open”. That was nice.

Colorful Treehouse Patio Rose

When I left the store, I drove around to the back and got a wonderful picture of Mount Shasta...the dinner was good, the night is young, and I am glad I can share a little happiness with you. Life is good.

Shasta from behind Raley’s

There was a petition guy out in front of the market who wanted signatures supporting the idea of stopping Southern California from getting ‘our’ water. I wasn’t aware that ‘we’ owned the water, so I didn’t sign the petition. At least not until I have a deed to the water in Shasta and Trinity lakes with my name on it.

Bee tongue

I like attempting pictures of tiny things, like the tongue of the bee in the image above. I like capturing the majesty of mountains, too. One of the subjects that give me satisfying results, are flowers. Like this royal iris, below.

Iris in Dottie’s garden

My Buick is back from having the transmission repaired. Once again, it works.

Today’s Video;

Be Nice To Your Mother Nature

Happy Birthday Albert

It’s Pi Day, Too

Pie 25 on Pi Day

Einstein’s birthday and 3.14 were on the same day this year. I was surprised that I didn’t see any other people celebrating this auspicious mathematical occurrence. I guess it slipped their minds.

Pi Day afternoon Lassen

It was a beautiful day in Redding. I went out looking for the elusive, perfect car at a price I could possibly afford. John Harrison drove us around to different cars and lots with cars. It was good to have him with me on this journey; He knows the lingo.

Leila’s new, purple, Pi Day flowers

I didn’t find any cars better than my Le Sabre, that were under $12,000 dollars. Anything under $6,000 had at least 190,000 miles on the odometer, and the interiors were nowhere near as nice as the Buick. I will keep looking.

Near sunset moon on Pi Day

When I Googled, (looked up), Albert Einstein to find a good link for you to go to for more information, I found THIS ONE which has one of the new domains, “.biz”. That’s the first one I have seen. There are a whole bunch, (1,000 or more), new dot somethings to choose from this year.

Rose with a heart

Yes, I know the heart is upside down, but I haven’t found a rose with a right side up heart, yet. I considered using one of the effect apps to flip the heart, but then it wouldn’t be authentic. If I were to manipulate a heart onto a rose, I would draw a prettier heart than this one. This rose with a heart is the real deal. No flim-flammery required.

Shadow play on Lassen

So, there you have it; Pi Day and Einstein’s birthday greetings to all. There is still a bit more than an hour left to celebrate, in case you are reading this at the time it arrives for email subscribers.

3.14 moon tonight

You might be glad to know that I had two pieces of today’s Pie on Pi Day. I ate the second piece after dinner, the first having been a test slice shortly after taking the pie out of the oven earlier. So, in case you don’t have an opportunity to eat a piece of this Pi Pie, please imagine that I ate the second triangle for you. I like to share.

Today’s Video;

Big History

Dilly Dallying Stops

Buick Provokes Action

Tiny Transmission Lines

Speaking of transmission; The one that delivers power from the engine to the front wheels of the Buick became the big decider in my search for a newer car.

Stumped

I admit that I was not aggressively pursuing a newer car while the Buick was running smoothly and starting with dependability, so the cosmic flow had to sweep me out into the sea of possibilities. The Buick began making a new noise.

Red beauty

I brought it into Mike Cary’s Tire and Auto Repair to find out what was making the new sound. I thought it might be a belt or something.

Juxtaposed

Not a belt, and just in case I wasn’t getting the message, the transmission stopped transmitting while I was there at the shop. “There’s your sign”

Picture of sunny day

The transmission place was notified and they sent a truck to tow the Le Sabre over to Hartnell Transmission, Inc., where they can diagnose the difficulty.

This leaves me afoot and ready to seek a newer vehicle with renewed vigor.

Snow on Lassen Volcanic Park

Just last week, John Harrison was telling me how much he enjoys haggling for the best deal when buying a car. I welcome his expertise in negotiating a fair price for my newer car.

Pie 24

So that’s the plan.

My Buick is at the transmission place, and I will know more tomorrow morning.

Stay tuned...

Today’s Video;

PFC 3 Songs Around The World Trailer | Playing For Change from Playing For Change on https://vimeo.com">Vimeo

.

Life Is Beautiful