Mixed Signals, Entertainment, and Opinion

Mixed Signals

So last night, Wachovia bites the dust. Today, the house is to vote on the bailout (as of this writing the house has already canned the plan).

But what is waiting in my E-mail inbox when I get to work?

A notice that Bank of America has increased the limit on our credit card.

I'm not sure what to think. Does this mean that Bank of America is a solid bet? Or rather, does Bank of America think that I am a solid bet?

Entertainment

On Saturday, our family started the day a bit unusually. Our normal Saturday routine is to head over to the Franklin Farmer's market. Well this weekend we had other plans.

I put gas in the mower. I then hitched up the dump-cart which Andrea got me for my birthday, threw the family in the back and then proceeded to drive around the front yard.

Now I'm fairly certain that this very scenario has been described in one of Jeff Foxworthy's routines through the years, but it was fun nonetheless and the kids enjoyed it.

Opinion

The house voted down the bailout. At least that is what they said when they voted. They might vote again on a similar bill Thursday. There might have been some hanging chads in today's vote or something.

Anyway...at the moment, I am proud that we at least have two more days to allow free markets -- as opposed to a central planner -- to decide where our money does and doesn't go. Call it a gamble, but I like my chances on the open market.

To hear people like Obama (and to some degree Bush and McCain as well) say that free markets have failed is short-hand for I like socialism more than capitalism. Ever heard of the business cycle? There are ups and downs in any economy. To say that free markets have failed because we're now in a down-swing is pretty short-sighted at best and downright stupid at worst. Yes, the stock market is down, today. It would have been down today anyway with the Wachovia news. And it might be up again tomorrow. Who knows? If anybody knew for sure they be in the game making money hand over fist one way or another. What about Wachovia, you say? Shouldn't we have more regulation to prevent bank collapses? Wachovia screwed up and now they're out of business. Looks like they just regulated themselves fairly efficiently if you ask me.

That's all the opinion I'll make you suffer through today.

Hail, Comrade!

Well the deed is all but done. And so now I present to you two things: our new title of "Comrade!" , always spoken deeply and with gusto, and also our new flag. Hail, Hail!

Also, Brooke, I've been doing some thinking about the house you are trying to buy. If the mortgage holder is indeed, IndyMac, you need not even worry about buying it. You already own it. We all own it.

Hail, Hail!

Bailout?

Ok. I am not a banker, nor an economist. I understand a little about how this works, but I would love to hear from the familial bankers and construction weenie (haha) what their thoughts are on this. My first take on this is that this is not a solid idea. Don't get me wrong, Heather and I are being greatly affected by this. It turns out that the house we put a contract on, the current mortgage holder of that house is Indymac, which is currently owned by the Federal government. Hence, the large amount of waiting we're having to do, since the mortgage process is now like an extended multi-month long trip to the DMV. The Feds at Indymac even told the seller's real estate agent: "It's taking 60 - 90 days to get around to the paperwork, so don't call us, we'll call you. But you can send in letters and faxes." (I guess they need things to burn?) Anyway, Heather and I are being affected by this like many others, and we're financially sound. What I want to know is, how would the government buying all these "troubled assets" be a good thing? Are we simply "passing the buck" (literally speaking) to the next generation? A report said that, "the aim is for the government to buy the securities at a discount, hold onto them and then sell them for a profit." Anyway, I am just not sold on this idea. I think I'd rather pay the heavy "finanical meltdown" pricetag now rather than wait a generation from now and have China effectively blackmail us with all of the treasury note debts we'll be owing them...talk about a meltdown. Enough of my unskilled rants- speak to us, Oh great bankers and weenie.

Go{a}t milk?

While supplies of other commodities appear to be running thin, our fridge is currently at near capacity levels of goat milk. Capacity being a function of how many quart mason jars we have on hand and how many we can safely fit into the fridge around any leftovers. This is currently about 6 gallons and some change. Between the two girls, we're getting about 1 gallon a day. That's 7 gallons a week for those who are counting. Considering we only consume about 2 to 3 gallons a milk per week as a family, and there is a limit to how much you can give away to friends before they start to look at you funny, we might need to enter the cheese business.

Cheers, everyone.

Have a Happy Weekend

Smiles.

Kiddley-boos

Pictures. These are a few days old, but its the best I can do, okay.


Nahum with Pops



Timnah having a bad day



Elias smirking



Nahum. Hyper.



Photo of the kids, with everyone at attention...kind of.

Enjoy.

5 Amazing Years

In keeping with the…uh, tradition, set by my brothers, I also have decided to write about my anniversary, 5 amazing years!  Heather and I treated ourselves to a fantastic Bed and Breakfast out in Lovettsville, VA (no, I have no real idea where it actually is, but it is about an hour away from DC).  It was a beautiful mansion on a quaint country road: http://www.mycountryretreat.com.  We also took a visit to the bustling metropolis of Harper’s Ferry West Virginia!  (Yes, it got its name from a time in ages past when some guy named Harper had a raft on ropes that would ferry horses across the incredibly dangerous 1-2 ft of water in the rivers.) Even the ice cream ‘parlors’ were closed by like 4pm on a Friday night!  But, at least the view was nice (it overlooked the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers).  It was a wonderful time though.  A great time for us to relax and reflect on our past 5 years of marriage, and then look forward to our future into the uncharted realm of parenthood!  Here’s to another 5 years and many more!     

Tennessee Happenings

Hello, peoples. The TN branch of the Roberts family has been doing very well. Last week-end was incrediblt. If I could vote for a three day weekend every week, I would. Work gets done, kids get attention, books get read, people get naps...its great.

This weekend we will be ridding the farm of the two remaining goat kids. This will diminish the chores a little bit, but will also mean milking twice a day as opposed to just once a day.

Timnah was a little sick earlier this week so we took her to the Doctor. Just a virus, so everything is okay, its just not like Timnah to be lethargic even when she is not feeling good. While at the doc, we had a weigh-in for all the kiddies. If I remember correctly the run-down was Timnah 38½, Elias 30, and Nahum 12lbs, 10oz.

For our anniversary, Andrea bought me a dump-cart to pull behind our mower. Sounds silly, but I thought about one everytime I had to lug things down to the garden. Over the three day weekend I was able to squeeze in enough time to put the mower back together (the steering wheel was falling off), and also make use of the new toy (to help with barn clean-up).

Other than that, everything is just peachy. I'll have to post up some updated pictures of Nahum...she's getting big, and fast.