NOVEL IDEA

 

IYKYK it's that time of the cycle

 

ICE CREAM DIET

 

GERARD BAKER

My Dad was a good friend to Paige Baker, Gerard's father. Gerard and I were in the same grade at Mandaree School, Mandaree, North Dakota, for our elementary years. Bob Rindt, Galen Boutwell, Edith Veeder, Charlotte Hall, and of course, the one and only 5th Grade teacher we had, Mrs. Norma Chinn who was the 2nd best teacher I had in my life and was one of two black teachers I had in elementary.   Mrs. Norma Chinn was the daughter of Herman and Irene Wald Ewing and married in 1938 to Allen P. Chinn. She had been an elementary teacher for a total of 36 years. Twenty-three at the Brunswick B.K. Bruce School, where she retired as principal, and 13 years at the Mandaree Indian Reservation in Mandaree, N.D.  I remember well the pow-wow they had for Mr. and Mrs. Chinn for their retirement from Mandaree School. Gerard and I Indian danced all night long and about wore ourselves out.  We got after it! 

Our parents sent Gerard and I off to a private Catholic boarding school in New England, ND, in the fall of 1968, where we played football and basketball together and shared a bunk, Gerard on the bottom, Dean up top. Gerard and I had been altar boys at St. Anthony's in Mandaree, a Roman Catholic Church on the Fort Berthold Reservation in Mandaree, ND, serving the surrounding community. The church was located 4 miles east of Mandaree, ND. Gerard went on to a distinguished career with the National Park Service and I went into business for myself. Today, we both own ranches about 13 miles apart as the crow flies, Gerard's property up Graveyard Creek, ours on the Yellowstone River, here at Ghost Ranch.

BEAUTY

SCUMBAG ALERT

No, I'm not talking about a Biden or any Democrat.

Scumbags are found the world over.  Here is a professional scumbag.

The other day, a friend and I were making our way up the crowded steps of the Acropolis in Athens,  Greece.  I was leading the way.  He felt a tug in his back pocket and quickly turned around to see a guy holding his wallet.

My friend is trained in judo and could have knocked him to his death in an instant.  The thief knew he was in danger due to his precarious position on the steps up to the Parthenon.  He gave the wallet immediately back to my friend and continued up the stairs.   The stairs are all rock, dangerous, slippery, and not OSHA-approved. The stairs are full of people, all moving upward, jostling and often coming in contact with one another. I had moved up to the top and my pal walked up to tell me what had happened.  I pulled my phone out and started to photograph this dunce for all the world to see.

If you happen to go to Greece any time soon, watch for this bona fide scumbag.

He was with two others, a guy and gal.  They were working in unison.

Here he is trying to get into this guys back pocket.   The man in the hat doesn't realize he is being targeted for theft while standing there.    This next picture is of him flipping us the bird as he was trying to get the hell out of there.  He knew I was taking video of him.

IMAGINE, JUST IMAGINE

Trump is playing with Wall Street.

Trump is a real estate guy.   

Imagine the tentacles of Goldman Sachs working around the clock, in trading, government policy, Congress itself, the legions of lobbyists bought and paid for, all trying to game the system and own the companies that the Donald will pick as being winners.

The United States is now over $38,000,000,000,000.00 in debt. 

The interest on that amount is over $1 trillion per year. 

So, sit back and enjoy the show.   It might come faster than you think.

Compounding interest doesn't lie.

A million seconds ago was October 11th

A billion seconds ago was 1993 

A trillion seconds ago was 30,000 B.C. 

The US national debt is now rising by $1 trillion every ~180 days.

GREECE, CRETE, CRUISING,WEDDINGS

From Athens to the high seas, here we come.

I am ready for some rest and recreation for the year.  Being in an active trading mode has been a beautiful thing and coming off the deep dive we had last spring has been wondrous.   At 71, I wish I had it to do all over again; not much I would change, except the learning curve timeline, and I probably speak for all professionals in that regard.