More test questions from Mr. Pettit...

Trying to ignore the thousands I pay in property taxes and how 48% of that goes to schools, plus federal dollars and bond dollars and lottery money....Trying to ignore free school lunch and breakfast and bussing and after school free care...my daughter brought home her quiz from an article they studied in 8th grade, "Tragedy of Freedom in a Commons".

1.) What, as rational human beings, do herdspersons decide to do to increase their individual welfare?
A) Herdsmen continue to buy more cows thinking this will increase their own individual welfare, when it is only hurting everyone.

2.) Each individual decision to increase individual welfare has two resulting components described in mathematical language, name both components.
A) +1 and -1.

3.) What one word describes the resulting impact on the commons that results from the individual herdspersons continuing to add more and more cattle?
A) Tragedy

So, increasing wealth is bad, and a tragedy, and comes at the expense of another. I guess the Democrat bumper stickers are right, and I really am stoopid...I just don't have the brains to understand that if I pull iron out of the ground and build a ship out of it and sell the ship, that profit came at the expense of others. I can't fathom why the overall national health, wealth, well being and life expectency have dramatically increased in the last 200 years and where that came from. I guess it came from the benevolent government?

Napa Valley

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~We ditched the kids, loaded up the tandem bike, and headed for Napa Valley. Annamarie has always wanted to go. This morning we got on the bike and rode from south Napa all the way to St. Helena and back (with a nasty headwind. Ugh.) 42 miles total. We really earned our salmon and arugula brick fired pizza. I wanted a cheeseburger but AM said no more cheeseburgers because she wants to keep my cholesterol down. Anyway Napa valley is beautiful and our legs are sore.

More reunion stuff

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is what Tina and Lee's kids looked like last time I saw them. I wonder if they've changed at all? I know the headcount's changed. We got a little preview when RBG's kids came. It was all too short a visit but they've promised to come back. Can't wait to see everyone again, only now with their families....Oh yeah---the first ones to cancel have to host the next one!

The new project

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is the view from the lot we bought across the street (the house to the left is our main residence) It was supposedly an unbuildable lot but the county relented and I can build on a 20x20 footprint, 2 story. I'm almost done with the plans than it's off to the planning department. Once I get going my schedule is 11 months to completion, though it'll be cash as I go like last time so I'll balance between building and overtime. Family obligations and DEH stuff will be important, and kind of depends on how much of the state burns down this year, too.

Reunion update

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Just three short months to go before reunion time. There are a few logistics to work out..... I got a really, really good rate on the condos, cabins, and RV spaces----email me so I can let you know what the damage is for you. (trust me---it's real cheap)
Lee ---I think I'll have you and yours stay in the condo next to Shoo instead of our guest cabin---that way if Keeka's clan needs the bathroom/shower they're right there. Also RBG will be arriving a few days early so they might as well stay for free, except for paying for your two nights at the condo, I suppose..
Ms. RBG----will you help with the 'project' we talked about?
Tina---we still have two cabins to fill. Any luck reaching Tersignis/Moores/WhoeverI'mforgetting?
Byron---If your varnishing muscles are still in shape I've got work for you
Mike---we need to reach Fr. Joe and see if he can come at least for Saturday Night
Thanks for everyone's help. We'll host the BBQ Saturday night. We'll have the trampoline and pool set up and we'll probably get a hike in, but mostly we'll sit around and trip out on how we all aged and marvel at each other's kids

Annamarie's happy place

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Here's a picture of Annamarie in her garden. She's ripping the California State Flower out of the ground to make room for more basil and tomato plants. This is what happens when you marry an Italian.