Goodbye to a Wild Year

2011 certainly wasn't a quiet year. The world over, huge changes, natural disasters and economic malaise peppered the news and affected the lives of millions. Of course, 2011 also marked a very significant life change for me in that I retired from the "regular" work force.

Looking over the following list from the Associated Press, it seems clear that 2011 was quite a life-changing year for millions across the globe, in one way or another. I hope 2012's list of top news stories will be much less astounding.


OSAMA BIN LADEN'S DEATH: In May, the nearly 10-year manhunt ended with a nighttime assault by a helicopter-borne Navy SEAL squad on the terrorist leader's compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. Bin Laden was shot dead by one of the raiders.
JAPAN'S TRIPLE DISASTER: A 9.0-magnitude earthquake off Japan's northeast coast in March unleashed a tsunami that devastated scores of communities, leaving nearly 20,000 people dead or missing and wreaking an estimated $218 billion in damage. The tsunami triggered the worst nuclear crisis since Chernobyl in 1986 after waves knocked out the cooling system at a nuclear power plant.
ARAB SPRING: It began with demonstrations in Tunisia that rapidly toppled the longtime strongman in January. Spreading rapidly, the Arab Spring protests sparked a revolution in Egypt that ousted Hosni Mubarak in February, fueled a civil war in Libya that climaxed with Moammar Gadhafi's death in October, and fomented a bloody uprising in Syria against the Assad regime. Bahrain and Yemen also experienced major protests and unrest.
EU FISCAL CRISIS: The European Union was wracked by relentless fiscal turmoil. In Greece, austerity measures triggered strikes, protests and riots, while Italy's economic woes toppled Premier Silvio Berlusconi in November.
U.S. ECONOMY: Hiring picked up a bit, consumers were spending more, and the unemployment rate finally dipped below 9%. But millions of Americans remained buffeted by foreclosures, joblessness and benefit cutbacks.
PENN STATE SCANDAL: In November, former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky was accused of molesting 10 boys; two senior Penn State officials were charged with perjury; the longtime president and coaching legend Joe Paterno were ousted.
GADHAFI TOPPLED: After nearly 42 years of mercurial and often brutal rule, Moammar Gadhafi was toppled by his own people in August. Anti-government protests escalated into an eight-month rebellion that culminated in Gadhafi being and killed in the village where he was born.
CONGRESSIONAL SHOWDOWNS: Partisan divisions in Congress led to several showdowns on fiscal issues. A fight over the debt ceiling prompted Standard & Poor's to strip the U.S. of its AAA credit rating in August. In November, the so-called supercommittee failed to agree on a deficit-reduction package of at least $1.2 trillion -- potentially triggering automatic spending cuts of that amount starting in 2013.
OCCUPY WALL STREET PROTESTS: It began Sept. 17 with a protest at a New York City park near Wall Street, and within weeks spread to scores of communities across the U.S. and abroad. The movement depicted itself as leaderless and shied away from specific demands, but succeeded in airing its complaint that the richest of Americans benefit at the expense of the rest.
GABRIELLE GIFFORDS SHOT: The popular third-term Democratic congresswoman from Arizona suffered a severe brain injury when she and 18 other people were shot by a gunman as she met with constituents outside a Tucson supermarket in January. Six people died, and Giffords' painstaking recovery is still in progress.

To Dog or Not to Dog

I've owned a dog most of my adult life. There have been quite a few, the last being my old friend, Snoop, a fantastic golden retriever we lost a few years back. I love them. Their devotion and companionship is difficult to match.

This excerpt from O, The Oprah Magazine, by Martha Beck from August 2004 says it well:
     Dogs are my favorite role models. I want to work like a dog, doing what I was born to do with joy and purpose. I want to play like a dog, with total, jolly abandon. I want to love like a dog, with unabashed devotion and complete lack of concern about what people do for a living, how much money they have, or how much they weigh. The fact that we still live with dogs, even when we don't have to herd or hunt our dinner, gives me hope for humans and canines alike. 

(leave it alone; I'm not a regular reader of "O", the article happened to appear on one of the many reader apps on my iPad!)

Now that I'm retired with more free time available, I'm thinking more and more that it's time for another dog in the family. I'm thinking it would be wonderful to have a companion on neighborhood walks, during a drive to the store, and someone to talk with and have listen carefully to each word (while staring at you attentively and cocking their head slightly to one side—if you've ever had a dog, you know what I mean).

The jury is still in deliberation, but the first trial vote was 10 "for" and 2 "against".

Never Thought I'd See This

Imagine my surprise (and joy!) when I saw this story headline this morning:

Ron Paul Is Now the Republican Frontrunner

Of course, this only refers to the upcoming caucuses (cauci?)  in Iowa. See the full story here: http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2011/12/ron-paul-is-now-the-republican-frontrunner/

Remember 2008? The most exciting thing about the Republican campaign for the presidency was John McCain announcing his running mate, Sarah Palin, and we all remember how well that turned out. My how things have changed...or have they? 

I'm fed up with the Romney/Gingrich/Perry non-choice, same old-same old, fat cat, nice-haired, smooth-talking Republican presidential front-runners. Our country needs change—real, difficult, hard to swallow, affecting all of us change—to avoid catastrophic economic times. What's being shoved down our collective throats are career politicians who bend to the wishes of the highest-paying lobbyist. 

Oh, I won't kid myself into thinking Ron Paul will be the party's nominee. He doesn't have "good hair", first of all. He doesn't look polished in a suit. And, can you believe it, he wants to limit or totally abolish the Federal Reserve! Oh...my...God! The man is way off the deep end!

Or is he? 

I won't be blindly pulling the "R" straight ticket lever this time. Can't do it and won't do it. Tell me I'm wasting my vote or whatever, but the Libertarian Party may receive a new member into the fold. I know, too many of us doing that may throw the results in favor of that other guy, but I can't in good conscience blindly keep on keepin' on in the same disastrous direction. We need much more than a change of tune; we need a change of the entire orchestra. 

A Very Special Recipe

May I share an entry from the Grand Marais, Michigan Woman's Club Bicentennial Cook Book of 1976? I think you may like it.

IRISH STEW                        submitted by Kay O'Brien
Ingredients:
   1 lb stew meat
   1 lb potatoes
   2 carrots
   2 gal Irish whiskey
   1 qt beer
   1 pt gin

Cut up potatoes and carrots, add to meat. Pour the remaining ingredients over them and cook for three hours. Dump out first three items and drink the gravy.

Enjoy!

Of Mom and Memories

Oh, Christmas time, Christmas time.

My mother loved Christmas. She had many ways of making it so very special and memorable. Tonight, while eating dinner, we had Christmas favorites playing in the background and it just hit me. Choke time. From Oh Come All Ye Faithful to Silent Night, the songs took me back to those wonder- and joy-filled Christmases past that Mom made so very special.

She left us 28 years ago, but the music can bring her right back next to my side in an instant. She's smiling right now; Mom loved Christmas and everything about it.

Thank God for mothers, and thank God for His gift on that first Christmas.

Mom holding me in 1948. She's still making me smile.

Is The American Dream a Nightmare?

Are those Wall Streeters, bankers, movers and shakers really in charge of all that matters in these United States? Does our vote or that letter to your Representative really amount to a hill of beans? Is corporate profit some nasty plan to beat down the middle class?

Being a child of the sixties, I find the Occupy Wall Street movement somewhat interesting. Personally, I can dismiss the whining about college tuition debt and the inability to get a job...no one promised a job to the holder of a BS in (you name the course of study). On the other hand, does 1% of the population control all legislation coming at us from Washington? Did you see the 60 Minutes piece on lobbying and corruption at the federal level of government a couple weeks ago? It was both amazing and disgusting. 

How many elected officials are there because of some inner desire to serve their country? How many are there to line their pockets and insure their own financial security? 

On those angles, I side with the OWS crowd. Things need to change and they must change soon. Change how? There's the question folks. Honestly, it seems rather fruitless to think about or try to do anything about this lack of real patriot leaders. How will we turn this ship 180° after so many years of sailing in the wrong direction? I know, lots of questions and no real answers. 

Below, I'd like to share two videos presenting views that are somewhat different, yet similar. Take ten minutes, watch each of them and comment your agreement or disagreement below. It could be quite interesting and I promise I won't use one of my many pepper spray containers on you if I don't agree. 

> the following video is not suitable for minor children or those with tender ears! <

2011 Deer Camp

My two sons and I, along with our good friend, Rob, spent 10 glorious days in the woods of northwest Michigan's Benzie County again, searching for the elusive white-tailed deer. We had a terrific time together, as always, even without putting any venison in the freezer.

L-R: Glenn, me, Greg and Rob

We had a major change for the better this year. Rather than utilizing a travel trailer for our lodging, Greg pulled out all the stops and had an over-sized garage-style building erected as our new home away from home.

The builders just barely had the building "livable" when we arrived, but the extra space was a welcome change from what we'd used in previous years.

It was great not to be shoulder-to-shoulder when inside our new "digs". 

Our good friend, Mike, visited just before Opening Day.

Nothing was ever proven, but rumor had it that Mike may have been responsible for my blind being "flamingoed" sometime before we arrived at camp.

Nice work, Mikey, especially the unwanted reading material. 

One very special guest this year was my grandson, shown here with his dad on their way out for his first-ever hunt. Thankfully, a few squirrels gave Mitch something to watch while waiting for the buck that never appeared.

Another much appreciated addition this year was the half-barrel of PBR that kept us conveniently hydrated all week.

With the extra space available, our new and over-sized cots made sleeping arrangements quite comfortable.

As always, our time together was a fantastic getaway for each of us. Giving us time to relax, catch up on family news, tell a few lies and do our best to bring down a nice buck. Our annual trek is so appreciated by each of us; we are already looking forward to next year's time together.