Monday, the 16th day of July, 2012

Strawberries & cream! What a match the Wimbledon gentlemen championship it was! Scotsman Andy Murray was the first Britton to get to the finals since 1938, against one of the most talented of champions of all times, Roger Federer… Federer prevailed, but Murray gave a good account of himself… Worth watching!

Independence Day came and went with all the BBQs, fireworks, red-white-&-blue ornaments and paraphernalia, pledges of allegiance, Hymns of the Republic and all those good things; pool parties were great!... Local elections are in about three weeks from now (August 2^nd, I believe)… If you are a registered voter here, get out and vote; I don’t care who or what you vote for… Vote! Jan and I already did!

Participated on the 5K race for Van Buren County Home Coming day on July 13^th. Of 36 entrants I was the oldest; so, it was incumbent upon me to look after the youngsters, and bring up the rear ensuring nobody was left behind (that’s another way of saying that I came in last!) And it was fun! Went back to the square later in the afternoon and enjoyed the company of friends/neighbors, some food, and music. Good time!

The rain finally came! It might have been a little too late for some crops, but it came anyway; gardens, lawns, creeks, ponds, fruit trees needed the rain! Hopefully now we won’t break any heat records as many other locations around the lower 48 are forecast to do…

Not too many things worth taking about regarding Hawks Bluff. We are seeing more houses being offered for sale in most phases as well as empty lots.  No sale has taken place that I know of… One more case of a water well going disable on a bluff lot in Phase I… Lots of deer around, does with fawns (many twins), and one especially handsome 8-pointer buck (still on velvet) that comes to our stump in the back almost every day…

Now, the recommended book: “The Appeal” by John Grisham. After a jury in a District Court finds a company guilty of polluting the area with deadly consequences, the case is appealed to the State Supreme Court. Plaintiff sets out to buy a favorable verdict…

Last, but not least, food for thought:

“A candle loses nothing by lighting another candle.”

 - Father James Keller

So, keep on sharing your light, my friends…

Tuesday, the 3rd day of July, 2012

There is no need for me to repeat what’s already been posted in our Hawks Bluff Friends group in Facebook; but I will acknowledge the fact that the clearing/cutting/bush hogging of some areas and road sides in Phases II, III & IV (Phase I has not been touched) has created an active and (mostly) positive discussion, and prompted the participation and opinions of many folks (some new, some old); and this is good… Let’s keep the conversation and exchange of ideas going, flush out some action items and, as one of the newer saying goes “let’s do this”, whatever ‘this’ may turn out to be… Armond D’Arcangelo proposed for us to meet as a group (home/property owners) and start asking questions about the benefits we in Hawks Bluff are getting from our County Property Tax dollars; I am ready to roll! Greg Gendusa shared an update on his actions addressing the proper authorities to look into our plight regarding roads, grid and drainage; much appreciated effort! (Need more detail on this to assess how the rest of us can support/help these initiatives). He also proposed the ‘resurrection’ of a newsletter and I think that is a great idea; I will support it as long as it keeps a positive approach, being practical and informative, and without editorializing that could give the impression of representing a crusade against anyone.

Went to Gainesville, FL this past week to help Alex with her move to Alpharetta, GA. Got there on Wednesday; loaded on Thursday; drove up on Friday; unloaded (with Jan, Alex & Leah) on Saturday and the morning of Sunday. The weather proved to be the challenge, as I anticipated, but it was not the wet part as I thought; it was the HEAT instead (up to 109 ̊̊F)! Without boring you with the details, I will share that I have met my quota for aerobic and power workout through, at least, the end of 2014!

A rare (but necessary) policy note. The Supreme Court Of The United States (SCOTUS) made a significant rulings this past week: the upholding of the part of the AZ Immigration law that allows a Law Enforcement Officer (LEO) to pass judgment on whether a person is legally or not in this country and, therefore, having the right to ask “show me your papers”. This loose/ambiguous  approach to Law Enforcement troubles me; consider this hypothetical yet plausible scenario: I’ve lived here - my country and my home - for 34 years now, seven years as a legal resident first - green card carrier - and subsequently 27 more years as an US Citizen; but, because on my appearance and my accent any LEO could use his/her judgment to ask me for my papers and, if I don’t produce them (I don’t carry either my Certificate of Naturalization or my passport with me all the time), he/she has the power to detain me, accuse me of breaking the law, and deprive me of some of my rights until I am allowed to clarify my status (guilty until proven innocent). And all this based on his/her judgment, not any of my actions. Next step maybe to require me to carry a yellow symbol on my outer garment??? Outrageous!

Now, the book of the week: “The Verdict” by John Grisham. After a set of rigged trials and appeals, a man accused of murder is to be executed in Texas. Another man, who claims to be the real killer, comes forward right before the execution. The system did not work. The fallout ensues…

Last, but not least, food for thought:

“Extremism, of any kind, is toxic and often lethal. And the pathetic part of it is that extremists never see themselves as such.”

 - Anonymous

So, stay reasonable, my friends…

Monday, the 25th day of June, 2012.

Happy (belated) Fathers Day to all fathers or fathers-to-be out there… I found out the day before Fathers Day from my son-in-law, a father-to-be himself, that my oldest daughter, Clarissa, is expecting a boy. My second daughter, Valentina, did a sonogram on her and they saw the ‘evidence’… Talking about Valentina, she turned 28 years old this past Friday, June 22^nd. Happy Birthday, Tini!

…and the Miami Heat did it! They practically dismantled the Oklahoma Thunder (p.k.a. Seattle Supersonics) in five games… Although I was skeptical (thought that LeBron might deflate like last year) they played with heart, they played smart, and they had good coaching… Congrats to Miami! Additionally, the Yankees have the best record in baseball, have gone 16-5 in June and managed last night to disassemble the Mets ace who had not allowed a run in about almost 50 innings! By the way, I heard that the Miami Marlins had been sent down to Double A league, where they rightfully belong!

There are some news about our Phase I here in Hawks Bluff… The first one is that new construction is going up on Horseshoe Drive, on lot 222 (or may be 223?) right across the street from the Fergusons… We saw Peter Talbot this past Thursday here in the development (we were looking after an hours-old fawn we found in the middle of the road) and he talked to us regarding the new construction going up; Peter and Rachelle used to own the Heritage Homes dealership in town and now own a Timber Block dealership after Heritage went belly up… Second news is that, of the four houses for sale in Phase I, there is a contract already on one of them (the one right across the street from the old Suarez house in Forest View Drive); however, there seems to be a snag – pay attention: the agent representing the seller (who is the person I got this information from) has been told by the agent representing the buyer that the FHA would not accept/approve the appraisal of the house because - are you ready for this? - there is no POA, or HOA, or anybody else responsible for the maintenance of the roads in the development! Now, this is third-hand information; I trust my source (the agent representing the seller), but I know nothing about the original source (the agent representing the buyer). I will editorialize no further; let you swallow slowly; and leave you to ponder. In further news, several of us were talking with the selling agent mentioned above and she was asked about the current situation with the Real Estate market; she said: for homes under $100K the market is showing signs of life; it is not great (it isn’t even good) but there is life; for homes over $100K, the market is pretty much still as slow as before; and as for land, forget it, you cannot even give it away!

Going to Gainesville, FL this coming Wednesday to help Alex with her move to Alpharetta, GA; the weather may be conspiring to make my life a little bit more challenging since Debby, as in Tropical Storm Debby, has stalled over the Florida Peninsula, moving with a slow drift, and threatening with dumping water all over the place for the foreseeable future…UGH!

Now, the book of the week: “A Nation of Wusses” by Ed Rendell, ex-Governor of Pennsylvania. Rendell addresses the political climate that has led to the demise of the original American Spirit that made this nation great: the spirit to take risks, the spirit to stand for what you believe. Be right or be wrong, but first and foremost, be genuine and real! Politicians, of all political persuasions, are letting polls – instead of their own conscience - dictate policy.

Last, but not least, food for thought:

“If you find an abandoned fawn (or any other wild animal), call me and I will come and get it; I then will take it to the appropriate re-habilitation and reintroduction center. Keeping it or taking it to any unlicensed/unauthorized place is illegal!

 - Kyle Walling – Regional Game Warden

So, stay playing by the rules, my friends…

Wednesday, the 13th day of June, 2012

My only sibling, my sister Ligia, turned sixty one this past Monday, June 11^th … She was the first born to my parents 16 months before I did, and has always been a good girl… She is the person I’ve known the longest, the human being with the closest DNA to mine, and my longest living friend. Happy Birthday!

And the Miami Heat did it to the Boston Celtics! I was somewhat less than confident about whether the Heat would prevail in this series or not… It took them seven games and dominated clearly in the last two games… Now they meet the Oklahoma Thunder in the NBA finals (Oklahoma? Are they sure? Since when do they have anything other than football in Sooner-land???) Although they already dropped game one, I will continue to root for the Heat with a healthy dose of skepticism…

Officially started the process of helping Alex move from Gainesville, FL to Alpharetta, GA… She came up this past week-end from FL to GA bringing some stuff and we met here at her apartment on Sunday. We hanged some shelving for her and also a ceiling fan; she assembled a shelving stand, a microwave oven cart and tested her new oven… We all had lunch and then hit the road in opposite directions…

I used to be an avid reader throughout all my life (in several occasions I read the dictionary – both Spanish and English - cover to cover). In recent years I developed Arterial Hypertension (a.k.a. high blood pressure) and the medication(s) to control it had drowsiness as one of their side effects; the drowsiness manifested at its worst when I would try to read – I could never again read more than two pages without falling asleep; so I gave it up. Several weeks ago, by chance I grabbed a book to review it and, after reading the prologue – much to my surprise – I was able to read on without falling asleep. So, books beware… I’m back! So, here is a new section: recommended book.

Recommended Book: “Trinity” by Leon Uris - Relates the story of several generations of Irish Catholics, their struggle to stay and survive in their homeland, the constant and fierce conflict with Irish Protestant, and their different views of the centuries-long British occupation of Ireland. Good entertainment and learning opportunity.

Now, food for thought:

“In the end, big government or small government is neither the question nor the answer. It is effective government that matters. And you can’t be effective if you are a wuss.”

 - Ed Rendell – Ex Governor of Pennsylvania

So, stay true to your principles, my friends…

Wednesday, the sixth day of the sixth month of 2012

To all my friends who inquired about my health, thank you for your concerns. Fortunately Jan, the girls and I are healthy and in no need of medical care. Last week’s commentary regarding Health Care was not a cry for help or a lament of wanting; it was only a dismal attempt to describe the characteristics of living where we live. The overall intent of my writings on the subject of living in ‘these here mountains’ is to point out the differences between this lifestyle and the urban/suburban lifestyle most of us were exposed to before moving here… This week I was going to write about transportation and decided against it… After writing a draft and reading it several times I realized that, except for the distances and the absence of taxi cabs, there are really no differences between here and any other place regarding one’s cars maintenance and repairs challenges. And no, I don’t need a car; I don’t need a mechanic. All my personal transportation needs are fulfilled (although the tires on the Jeep are getting close to the end of their usable life).

Twenty one years ago this past Sunday, June 3^rd, Leah came roaring into this world and the whole damn place has never been (and will never be) the same! She had planned on going out on Saturday night, wait until midnight, and then order drink, but her plans were changed a bit by a severe cold that kept her from most of her celebrations… Happy Birthday to the Pooh Bear!

The weather has stabilized a bit ‘round here, although this past Saturday morning it went down into the low forties; we had left some windows open before going to bed and I woke up in the middle of the night with certain discomfort, a discomfort that came from being freezing to death! Closed the windows, grabbed a blanket, and all was good again in Paradise…

Heat & Celtics series is going south, literally; the Celtics are up 3:2 after winning the last three games in a row in Boston… I somehow do not have the confidence in this heat team… At times they look less than competent and confident… In the fourth game (which they lost), they did a great job coming from behind (way behind) and tying the game and sending it to overtime… Ah, but those last 6 seconds of overtime were ugly…

Bunny rabbits! Up until last week our yard was teeming with rabbits; one evening I counted up to nine of them… They would come out at dawn and/or at dusk and will play and eat for a while; they ate a couple of our plants but not much else (I had said that if the rabbits attacked the garden, I would attack the rabbits). And then one morning Bella, our German shepherd, brought in a hind quarter of a rabbit. We searched and eventually found up to three rabbits dead in our yard some partially eaten and some not eaten at all; they seemed to have been killed during the night. I believe Mr. Wiley Coyote found our patch of plentiful rabbits and went on a killing rampage… Since then, we see in the yard only one ‘wabbit’ at a time…

Now, food for thought:

“Pull the string, and it will follow wherever you wish. Push it, and it will go nowhere at all.”

 - Dwight D. Eisenhower

So, pull and not push, my friends…

Wednesday, the 30th day of May, 2012

So, the Miami Heat took care of the Indiana Pacers in six games; not bad… Now they will meet the Boston Celtics in the East Finals… No pun intended, but that series is a different ball game… Don’t have any expectation of the Heat coming on top on this one; although they looked really competent in the first game spanking they gave the Celtics…

Recorded the first two parts, and will record the third and last part today, of the Hatfield & McCoy mini-series in the History Channel… Kevin Costner (Hatfield) and Bill Paxton (McCoy) play the main roles. I’ve often heard about that feud in the Northern Appalachians (somewhere in Kentucky and West Virginia), but I don’t know how it all started or ended. Looking forward to the whole thing…

Spent this past week-end in the North-West part of the Atlanta metropolitan area helping Alex look for, and secure, her new apartment. She found, and contracted for, one in Alpharetta; I am very happy with her choice. It is a 1/1, on a 3^rd floor, on an excellent location, well kept complex, very attractive floor plan, and 15 minutes door-to-door to/from work. She will be moving towards the end of June (expected at work in Alpharetta on Monday July 2^nd) and I will probably be playing a role on the loading, driving and unloading a moving truck sometime towards the end of June…

Keep an open eye (very open, I’d say) on the weather, folks… There is some weird stuff happening out there (have you seen the movie “The Day After Tomorrow”? Catch it one of these days, if you can…) It is only the middle of spring and already summer temperature records are being challenged, if not broken!  Before Memorial Day, there had been already three named storms (one Pacific and two Atlantic) with one of them getting very close to a Cat 1 hurricane; very, very weird. Those of us who think we can continue to send thousands of tons of fossil fuel residues into the atmosphere on a daily basis without having to worry about it, may find it may be time to worry about it! More drilling may not be, after all, the best way forward; more coal and hydrocarbons burning may not be the best ‘long term investment’ for our grandkids and their grandkids to enjoy life on this 3^rd rock from the Sun…

So, we’ve talked about several aspects of living in ‘these here mountains”… Today, we will talk about Health Care, and here we go… There are no private practice doctors available in Van Buren County; there are nurse practitioners who have open clinics in Spencer, but no doctors (although there may be a supervising physician visiting the clinic every so often; I don’t know…). For you to find and see a doctor you must go to Sparta, White County, 30 minutes to the North, or McMinnville, Warren County, 30 minutes to the South West. My new doctor, Dr. Baker, is in Sparta; my old doctor, Dr. Jamieson, used to be in McMinnville (she moved back to Saskatchewan, Canada). There are county hospitals in both Sparta & McMinnville with the latter one being bigger and looking much better than the former (visited a friend in McMinnville's Hospital last winter and I was positively impressed) . The closest bigger and better equipped hospital though is in Cookeville, Putnam County, about one hour to the North.  After that, you are looking at Nashville (two hrs. away) where you find 1^st tier Medical Care (Vanderbilt and St. Thomas to name a couple). Pharmacological logistics are easier to fulfill. There are the typical chain outlets (CVS, Rite-Aid, Walgreens, etc.) in both Sparta & McMinnville; and we have a pharmacy in Spencer, Spencer Drug Co., which opened last year. It is run by a local pharmacist who came back to town after school; she is a delight to deal with; prices are competitive and service is superb! The last aspect of Health Care is Emergency Services; I have not tried them yet (thank God) but, when Sammy had a heart attack this past year, and he lives about five miles east of us, a Med-evac chopper showed up – at 2:00 AM – ready to lift him to Cookeville; they would have done it had he not been so afraid to fly! Now, some of us are relatively healthy and get by with the typical yearly visit to the doctor (whether you need to or not) and that’s it; that works well. If, however, we need to see doctors and specialists all the time, either naturally or by other causes (Hypochondria), we will be spending quite a bit of time (and gas) on the road to Medical Centers yonder where those species are more commonly found! So, as we grow old(er) and our medical care needs change, there may be some challenges and opportunities we may need to face and conquer; but, for now, all is well in Paradise!

Now, food for thought…

“Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.”

- Peter T. McIntyre

So, stay confident, my friends…

Wednesday, the 23rd day of May, 2012

Ahhh…  And then there are the people who dwell in ‘these here mountains’… What a breath of fresh air! They are certainly different from what I got used to in South Florida… Ever since we started to build the house in the Summer of 2007, and thus started coming here often, I had kept my attention/guard up a notch to ensure that I did not walk into unwelcoming places or found myself in the middle of unwelcoming scenarios (in case you don’t know or haven’t noticed, I have a very discernible Spanish accent in my speech). As a visitor then, I never experienced anything but a welcoming and refreshingly warm response wherever I went. During that time, I gathered once the courage to ask a visiting neighbor, long-time resident of over 30 years, if I would be liable of running into unfriendly situations because of my accent and my distinct Hispanic appearance; he promptly, clearly and without a shade of doubt all but assured me that I should not expect anything but the treatment that any other person would receive… And he was right! I came here to stay for good in August 2009 and, ever since then I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with everybody, both locals (natives) and transplants (or ‘forners’ as we are familiarly known!). And then, there is the special case of my brother by another mother: Sammy!  He is a 48 years old kid, sharp as a tack, born and raised here, with the biggest (though delicate) heart and most open mind I’ve ever known! Now, make no mistake, even here in Paradise - and like everywhere else - you will find all kinds of people. I know folks who are very friendly to me and, nonetheless, hold a very open and well known antipathy for ‘forners’ moving here (I guess they think we are likely to, sooner or later, imperil their customary lifestyle). I also know people who are racist (several levels of severity), and they are open about it; you know where they stand, and although I may not agree/identify with that way of thinking, I welcome that openness any day of the week and twice on Sundays! They do not mask it like other more politically savvy folks do elsewhere. In conclusion, I’ll close like I opened: the people… What a breath of fresh air!

On a very personal note, this past Saturday my oldest daughter and first born, Clarissa Ane, called me to let me know that she and her husband, Damon, are expecting a child and that I will become a Grandpa this coming November! She’s been married two years and she is three months into the process!

On Saturday morning, I was having my third cup of coffee when I got a call from friends saying they had found a rabbit in their garden, and the rabbit had died (maybe heart failure after being caught doing the wrong thing at the wrong place, I don’t know…) I was asked if I wanted it and I said yes. It was a good doe of about 5 lbs… Came home and ‘processed’ my first rabbit (kept the back feet; they’re drying). After about 15 minutes I had over two pounds of prime rabbit meat ready to go on the freezer and to be consumed at the right time (Jan is in Gainesville with the girls this week and will be back on Wednesday the 23^rd).

The Basketball season (the true one!) continues… The Heat and Pacers are getting to the end of their series; it is 3:2 Heat.  They had a couple of sub-par games (2^nd and 3^rd) but then rebounded and, on game 5 last night, the really spanked the Pacers. Let’s hope next game is the last one of the series… On another conference, somewhere in the South and West I believe, lowly Oklahoma City sent the all-mighty LA Lakers packing!

My garden is struggling (and so am I with it)… The plants are not growing as expected and, instead, they are getting yellow and wilt… I’ve tried from watering every two days to watering twice a day and nothing has changed; I believe that the quality of the top soil we bought to start it up was less than optimal… Oh well; I will continue to work on it and I’ll get something out of it (even if it is only worms!)

And there is an investigation on the Facebook IPO… Apparently Morgan Stanley inflated the valuation of the stock and now, after a week of trade, the stock is threading waters and has lost almost 20% ‘at press time”… For those of you who bought, hold on to it; it may be a piece of memorabilia sometime in the future; for those of you who did not, well done; just, like with everything else, wait and observe behavior and, if merited, act…

Now, food for thought:

“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

- Albert Einstein

So, keep your minds open, my friends…