Hit the Ground Running

Vanity plate in Fairbanks- tell us how you really feel!

I spent most of the day today chasing my tail around. I went to several insurance places and discovered that I need to do more research on business liability insurance or I could end up paying too much or not getting the right stuff. Insurance businesses I'm checking (or checked) include State Farm (yes), Horace Mann (no), Baker & Associates (maybe), AlaskaUSA Insurance (too expensive) and NEA-Retired (no info yet).

Mentors and former mentors Lesa, Debbie, Cathe, Jessica and Lorrie and I all met on Pike's Deck for lunch and chat. It was hot and the yellow jackets were dive-bombing the hamburgers, but it's a perky group and we enjoyed catching up on all the news.

I went home and made a hornet trap by cutting off the top of a liter drink bottle, putting the cut funnel top upside down into the base, stapling the 2 parts together and baiting it with meat. So far I have trapped only ladybugs and my garish sweatshirts drying on the clothesline are attracting the yellowjackets. Go figure.

I dropped a friend off at Calypso Farm to work. Leah and John have a garden share there and have been receiving a generous portion of veggies all summer. I reaped the benefits of a zucchini handoff, so I'm happy, too. I've always wanted to join up, but I seem to always miss the short sign-up window and this year I wasn't around.

I'm assembling a winter clothes maildrop for Paul when he gets to NH at the end of the week and shopped around for his stuff. I never did find any Bag Balm, our secret weapon against foot problems. It's probably as much about the daily foot rub as it is the Bag Balm, but we swear by it. He's also getting dried mushrooms, Thai ginger noodles and some tasty protein bars as well as his warm sleeping bag, a fleece jacket, rainpants and vitamins. Now that he'll be hiking above treeline, the temperatures are more extreme and he might need his heavier gear.

Some local Sarah watchers have informed me that her parents, Todd, and son Trig were with her on the serving line yesterday. Also, she drove up in her motorhome from Wasilla, so might be enjoying the sights of Denali today now that she is not encumbered with work.

One of the most hopeful signs of change in the Middle East is the protests in Iran over a corrupt election. My brother says, and I agree with him this time, that the people of Iran, unlike many of their surrounding countries, have had a long tradition of sending their children to be educated outside of Iran. Like the Crusaders and Spice Trade, that brought admittedly some bad results, an international education brings in new ideas and the educated Iranians returned with ideas of what democracy might look like. It seems to me that focusing on education in Afghanistan might pay off big dividends in terms of ending endless war there.

FaceBook headlines: You don't have to be very techno-savvy to have a page. I've already been in contact with several people who I haven't spoken with in years, but miss. I'm also still figuring out who sees what since I see comments from people who are not identified as "friends". I also need to find a balance between profound and trite. In FB, the space is limited so the postings are more like sound bites.

Great deals around town- all bedding is 25% off at Fred Meyers (note: new pillows!) and every Monday, McDonald's has free iced mochas- no purchase necessary. Time to start a stock reinvestment plan.