I'm taking a bit more time off than usual, as some of you may have noticed. Thing is, I have a well-trained manager in place, who I'm paying I think a good wage, and to whom I made a commitment through the summer. I'm thinking he'll go to school in the fall. I'm not sure I can afford him at these rates forever, but....well, if he decided that's what he wanted to do. I'm not sure I would encourage him that way, though. He's young. He's smart. He probably ought to go to college.

Anyway, I'm paying him whether I'm there or not, so I figure I'll take advantage of the next six months or so and take some time off. So I'm a little slower getting there, a little faster leaving.

Meanwhile, after talking about writer's group last week, I didn't make it to the latest session myself. I guess Dave came, introduced himself as a 'blogger', so I wish I had gone. I hope he'll come back; selfishly, I'm writing a bit more nowadays, more or less without fanfare. I want to be a bit further along before I start reading, because no matter how well prepared I am for critique, even mild criticism can knock me off course. But if I'm far enough along, I can shake it off. I find that it really is a motivation to get something ready to read; it forces me to work a little harder knowing that someone is going to hear it, and once I get going, I like to keep it going.

Got a call from Lyle at Jake's telling me that my Dad was stranded. My and my wife usually take him to his coffee clatch twice a week, and my sister, Tina, usually picks him up. But Tina is visiting her daughter, Mattie, in Chicago this week and my Dad forgot to get a ride from one of the other Drs. Lyle even volunteered to drive him home, "I like your Dad," he said. That was really nice, but fortunately Linda was available and got him.

But we'll never hear to end of it. Every visit from now on will include an admonishment from Dad not to "forget."



Comments on News: The Bulletin seems to be moderating, just slightly, it's bonzo boosting of the news. Throw out the first and last paragraphs, and take all the quotes from the local real estate industry with a shaker of salt, and you get some news.

The Bulletin did what every other single news outlet I saw or heard yesterday did: take on face value that idea that downward prices had sold more houses last month. Whereas, I believe it was just a seasonal uptick; we're still down 29% from last year on the same month.

And about asking the businesses around Cooley Road to pitch in on the costs: you do realize, don't you, that you are going to enable the super Walmart to become your neighbor?

I read an article a couple of years ago where Walmart was talking about selling cars, or something like that, and they quoted an executive: "Why not?" he said, or something like that. "We can sell anything."

Just remember that.