It's only been a few days since we lost Beebs, the youngest of the two felines making their home with us. Every so often I think I catch sight of him out of the corner of my eye. But when I look, he's not there.
Our other feline family member, Bagheera, has been wandering around looking for him. He knows something is wrong, but not what. He's also been rather 'clingy', not leaving our sides when we're home. That's unusual behavior for him.
Twice I've pulled out two dishes to feed “the boys” only to realize that we're presently a one-cat family. At night, before going to bed, I've checked at the back door to see if he wants to come in, then catch myself, knowing he will never be there again.
Damn, but it's hard.
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It was a rough day on Lake Winnipesaukee yesterday. The breezy conditions made for some rough water and the addition of wake-driven chop made it even worse. A small number of people trying to enjoy their time out on the lake were tossed out of their boats, including one woman who ended up with a broken arm.
It was not a nice day to be out on the lake. Unfortunately today was not much different from yesterday, so we did not venture out on to the lake today, either.
Of course, the weather will be far more amenable to boating once we get back to work on Monday.
It figures.
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The housing market has certainly cooled off in most of New Hampshire, with sales down 10% on average from last year. There are still a few hot areas in the state where housing demand and prices are still up, but for the most part it's now a buyers market. This is also appears to be the trend throughout the nation.
I've been seeing more and more For Sale signs appended with “Price Reduced” appearing in the Lakes Region. Also, the length of time houses are on the market is reported to be considerably longer than a year ago. A few reports say that the average time on market has increased by only 5 days, from 134 to 139 days, but that seems a little off to me. I seem to recall that over the previous two or three years it wasn't uncommon that houses would go on the market on a Saturday, be under contract by Monday, and closed on a couple of weeks later. But then, it's only an impression and probably not typical.
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Kathleen Parker opines about Joseph Lieberman's defeat by Ned Lamont and what it means for the Democratic Party.
Democrats aren't wrong when they say that the Lamont victory was a defining moment. It defined the Democratic Party as a vigorous, motivated, organized force that is ... completely out of touch with mainstream America.
No kidding.
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The new TV season approaches, with many shows starting at the end of this month, with the remainder starting over September and October. However, the kind of shows I'm really looking forward to are the 'reality' shows. In this case, I'm talking about the upcoming ad blitz and talking head shows that will fill the airwaves during the political silly season leading up to the elections in November. I think that everyone will have to admit that they will provide a wealth of blog fodder until just after Election Day.
This will also be an opportunity to reactivate the Paugus Diner Poll©.
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The question about whether Real ID will fly here in New Hampshire has yet to be answered. While the legislature killed a measure that would have made it illegal to implement Real ID, the fight isn't over. Both the governor and the Executive Council are against it, seeing it as a drive to some kind of national ID card, something that nobody really wants.
The federal Real ID Act got its beginning as a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission. Under the provisions of the act, all 50 states will have to verify birth certificates, Social Security numbers, passports and immigration status when people get driver's licenses. Licenses will have to be machine-readable and state databases with driver information and photographs would be shared with law enforcement in other states.
Critics have blasted Real ID, saying it is the first step toward a national ID card. Also, in this age of identity theft there is a fear personal information will be further compromised.
[...]
At the National Governor's Association meeting in Charleston, South Carolina last week, Real ID was a real hot topic of discussion — and disdain. Apparently the governors feel this is another unfunded mandate by the federal government.
Resistance to Real ID is broadly bipartisan and that should tell you something.
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John Stossel again takes aim at personal injury lawyers and how, in the end, they make things less safe for us.
While their argument may be that they keep dangerous products off the market, they also make manufacturers shy away from bringing life-saving products to the market for fear of being sued by these bottom feeders. Stossel gives plenty of examples how such lawsuits have done us great harm.
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I've really got to stop watching HGTV's I Want That! series. It gives me far too many ideas for making changes to our kitchen and bathrooms. That in itself isn't a bad thing. It's the paying-for-it part that's not so great.
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We made a quick trip to one of the local farm stands to get some fresh corn for tonight's repast.
Fresh vegetables is one of the reasons I love summer as I do and why I like living here in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. Fresh produce is usually only a short trip down the road.
The local farm stand is usually open until the end of the third week in October, with the last produce on sale usually being the pumpkins. We bought last year's Halloween pumpkins there on the last day they were open for the year. We're likely to that again this year.
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And that's the news from Lake Winnipesaukee, where sweet corn is now available, warm summer weather will return on Monday, and where I've got to go out and fire up the grill......
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