Welcoming Shanice, Going Solar, Living a False, Shallow, Degrading Existence

“There are moments when one has to choose between living one’s own life, fully, entirely, completely-or dragging out some false, shallow, degrading existence that the world in its hypocrisy demands.”
— Oscar Wilde

Tuesday 6:00 a.m. how are you? I’m fine, thank you for asking.  It’s hazy outside, not much of a sunrise, the wildfires are tinging the sky.  My pup is on the bean bag to my left; she likes to be by her dad.  I’ve got a lunch meeting down the hill today; I’ll use my time to run some errands; it will be a full day, I suspect a good day.

We worked here until 11:30, headed down the hill to Meyers Ranch, and took our pup for a walk. After that, we headed to JJ Madwells for lunch and then off to the hot tub store to replace Suzanne.  Shanice will be joining our family in a few weeks; we will invest a little money in our deck, and then a crane will bring our new lady to her resting spot.  The funeral for Suzanne was emotional, a reminder we all have an expiration date.

The sun just popped up; she’s pink this a.m., the smoke has a way of coloring the sun.  Speaking of the sun, the solar folks were here yesterday, droning our home, looking to see how many panels we could put on our roof.  The cost is nil; we will generate more energy than we use, the extra will be invested into the grid. Unfortunately, energy costs are on the uptick; if you live in a sunny area, you might want to check out what solar could do for you.

I got a call from my real estate partner; we bought a building years ago, it’s been a cash flow positive acquisition, but there is an offer on the table; we are looking to see an asset.  I’ll use the proceeds for Shanice and maybe some landscaping projects around our mountain home; my dream of a little Red Rocks might come to fruition this year.  Imagine a live music venue at home, sweet home.

I’m about 75% complete with my new training program.  I’ve learned so much about empathy for myself and others.  We had our group meeting yesterday, and our work is impacting our lives; we all had a story about how the training had made a difference in a current situation. 

This week we are diving into the idea that no one is wrong; when you hear a terrible idea, understand that 10% of the concept is good and be quick to compliment by using YES, AND build on the foundation of the idea.  Say something to the effect of “What I like about that idea…”  By using optimism, you can turn any situation into a gift or opportunity.

My wife just got up; she took a photo of Parker Van Halen; I’ll share it with you; she’s now one year old, a great little lady.   I’m guessing many who read my work got a COVID dog, an excellent addition to your family.  We are lucky and blessed to have found such a fantastic creature. Unfortunately, I have to vacuum a little more these days, but the trade-off is worth the other love we share.

In case you missed it, according to Biden official Dr. Michael Osterholm: “We know today that many of the face cloth coverings that people wear are not very effective in reducing any of the virus movement.”  Silly question, if we know the masks don’t work, why the new mask mandates?  Oh, that’s right, power and control from the top down.  Forget your freedoms, forget your ability to think for yourself, we are in power, and we will tell you what to do. 

Rules for thee, but not for me?  A couple of examples, the Mayor of D.C. imposed a mask mandate for her community and then the next day officiated a wedding not wearing a mask.  When the news broke, the response was not the hypocrisy but that the reporter that broke the story was not invited.  Are you paying attention?

In Chicago, maybe one of the greatest mayors in the history of mayordom, Lori Lightfoot, attended Lallapolza with thousands of unmasked screaming, spitting, and dancing fans.  I suspect now that the cash injection is over, she too will mandate a return to masks that, again, do not work.

If you are vaccinated and still wear a mask, I have a question, why?  Is it a virtue signal? Is it your way of saying I’m a rule follower?  If you don’t wear a mask, is it your way of saying, I will live my life as I see fit, rules be damned?  I’m asking for a friend.

My sister sent me a photo yesterday; her husband enjoyed the first day of his retirement sipping a beer at lunch.  I responded I’m so freaking proud of you both; they put their time in and now will spend the rest of their years doing as they see fit.  I think they are going to start a company making candles or some other creative venture.  I love when friends and family succeed.

Thankfully the eviction moratorium ended on Sunday, now owners of property can receive the money there were owed or begin evicting people that refuse to pay rent due to “COVID.”  Imagine owning an apartment building and being told you cannot collect rent, but the bank still expects you to pay your principal and interest payment.  As a landlord, we had zero issues, but some of my friends have had a tough go of it. 

I heard a story on NPR yesterday about a young lady that had quit her job, refused to pay rent, and was claiming “it was not fair.”  Life is not fair, but it is just.  If you choose to quit your job, blame your existence on others, I have little sympathy for you. COVID helped point out the difference between the doers and the lazy people.

Well, that’s all I have in my tank this morning.  Hopefully, I didn’t trigger you; your mental fortitude helped you navigate my words, the opinion of an old white guy that lives on a mountain enjoying every moment he is given.  I’m lucky, blessed, and will keep sharing my “little l” libertarian perspective and ideals.  If you agree, great; if you don’t, I still love you.

“There are moments when one has to choose between living one’s own life, fully, entirely, completely-or dragging out some false, shallow, degrading existence that the world in its hypocrisy demands.”
— Oscar Wilde