Gouging
Filled up the tank of the Liberty at the Shell Station in Riner Tuesday at what then seemed like a bargain $2.69.9 a gallon. Gas in Floyd that day was running at $2.74.9.
Turned out to be more of a bargain than originally thought. On Wednesday, the prices in Floyd jumped 15 cents a gallon and then another 10 cents on Thursday.
In Riner Thursday, the price at the Shell station was $2.99.9. As we drove by the Kroger on 460 Business, noticed the price was $2.84.9. Decided to stop there on the way out of town.
Where Does The Time Go?
Lord these weeks just keep getting longer and longer. Today is my only night off and Amy, of course, has a growing to do list that needs attention.
I had hoped to launch the too-often delayed FloydCounty.Com on October 1 but a seemingly-endless succession of problems have occupied my time in a week that was to be devoted to getting that site online.
Sooner or later. Hopefully, sooner not later.
Busy Day
Gonna be a busy one. Got to get Fred and Fragments from Floyd back online before he goes into blog withdrawal. The Floyd County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s mess, which we thought the Supreme Court settled 10 days ago, is heating up again because Gordon Hannett is a sore loser and I have a backlog of print orders at the studio.
As Amy is prone to ask: Just when does this retirement and relaxation thing kick in?
Long Day
Day started early with an email from Fred First (Fragments From Floyd). He ran into trouble when trying to access his blog. Since I host the blog, his problem became mine.
Turned out a hacker got into Fred’s blog and deleted it late Sunday night. When a blog the size of Fragments goes down a lot of rebuilding is in order and I spent a good part of the day creating a new one so we can port information over to it later this week.
Needless to say, security will be beefed up as well.
The Fog of Bore
Fog hangs low over the hills surrounding Chateau Thompson as I let Chewy out into the damp for her morning constitutional. I lean against a tree as she hurtles headlong into the wet woods to explore and empty her bladder and bowels.
Rain is still falling and wind rustles through the trees on a morning that seems more like October. Unlike the dog, I mind getting wet and retreat to the back porch while she continues the morning adventure.
Good News for a Change
The early word from Hurricane Rita is far less disaster than feared. Lake Charles, LA, took a direct hit, as did the refineries in Port Arthur, TX, but the damage appears less than feared and no deaths from the storm itself (although the 25 senior citizens killed in a bus fire as they fled the storm is an indirect, and tragic, result). On the down side, flooding can still come and parts of New Orleans are under water again.
Of course, the gas prices that went up 30 cents a gallon in anticipation of massive damage won’t come down.
Very Impressive
Spent some time this morning at Apple Ridge Farm, the impressive youth retreat and conference center near Copper Hill. Peter Lewis, director of the farm, bought the land some 30 years ago and has spent the last 20 or so developing a camp for kids along with five miles of nature trails, environmental education and more.
Future plans call for a pool and expanded educational programs for the kids who get to experience nature first hand.
Invasion of the Property Snatchers
You see them almost every day, sitting in local resturants, hovered over the tables with real estate brochures in one hand and maps in the other, on a constant qwest for the dream of country living.
After eating, they fan out like locusts, devouring farmlands, hilltops and viewsheds. Yuppies on the prowl, ready to pillage and plunder the countryside.
Local and out-of-town developers, blinded by visions of quick bucks, feed this frenzy, carving up the land into tidy little plots, threatening to turn the countryside into just another vast vista of rooftops.
Oh Ye of Little Faith
Late into the game Monday night it looked like just another loss for The Washington Redskins against the Dallas Cowboys. Saddled with a lackluster offense and a tired defense, the Skins trailed Dallas 13-0 with just a few minutes to go.
So I turned off the tube and went to bed — only to wake up this morning and discover the Skins came back to win the game 14-13.
A Tale of Two Dougs
Learned long ago that “Doug Thompson†is a common name. Competed against another Doug Thompson in statewide forensics competition in high school. The St. Louis area phone book listed nine Doug Thompsons when I lived there.