It was certainly a much more endurable day today than yesterday, and definitely due to the fact the wind wasn’t blowing freezing air on us. Yes, we did have a light wind blowing from an east/southeasterly direction, but that was totally acceptable.
With having arrived at office a little earlier, I managed to get to my quiet little corner and complete my Sunday morning contemplative session. Of course they’ve been taking a little longer because I make sure to add all the suffering Ukrainians to my petitions.
I discovered several emails which were Easter greetings, which I later returned my own. In several of them I clipped and pasted a Youtube video of a version of an “Irish Blessing” which is one I’ve always liked, and judging by the many thousands of people who’ve listened to it, I’m certainly not alone. The words are touching and the melody is hauntingly beautiful. I’d say it was written in the now popular Celtic style, so if you’re ready for an “uplift” in music which I believe is appropriate for Easter, click on the link below and give it a good listening. I’m confident you’ll enjoy it.
While visiting with a colleague of mine several days ago, I couldn’t help bringing up the subject regarding a handful of investors/rental barons we have living here in North Iowa who’re very well off financially, yet seem possessed by their non-stop buying. Call them house-hoarders, money-grubbers, dollar-worshipers or anything else that comes to mind, but my take on it is more likely the core mindset of insatiable greed. Like they’ve said for years, “The more you get, the more you want.” Sounds like an addiction doesn’t it? Well, in more ways that one, that’s exactly what it is.
A very many years ago, one of them happened to darken the door of our office, and only arrived because he was inquiring on whether one of the apartment complexes we managed would be for sale. I told him he’d have to talk to the manager who at that time was Roger Holtz. The more that guy talked about his need to amass properties because he still had some years to go before retiring, along with not wanting to get back into the general workforce, I soon realized he was one of those slick-talking buyers who’d offer any excuse as to why he wanted to buy something, and certainly on the cheap. I’m sure he could sense I wasn’t swallowing his line, so he cut the conversation short and walked out. Yes, he’s still buying cheap and selling high while continuing to add to his pile of dough.
During that conversation with my colleague, I once again asked the question, “Don’t they realize they’re not going to be taking even a nickel with them, and when they do finally give up their ghosts, their children will be liquidating everything and living high off the hog for the rest of their lives. So much for the “legacies” everyone likes to talk about. Having dealt with many estates over the years, I’ve seen it happen over and over again. Their words, “Check please.”, still resonates in my mind.
A good long four hours of my day were spent outdoors which consisted of various forms of yard work. This past winter was definitely not kind to North Iowans with those high winds breaking branches off trees, along with all the garbage that gets blown into our yards. I think if I’d stayed out there any longer, I would’ve been all the more sorry come tomorrow morning with all my aches and pains.
Just to remind all of you how overly-tied we are to China, I’ve been on a burn to buy a new toaster, but unfortunately, there’s not one to be found in the stores or online that’s manufactured in the United States. To think we can’t even buy a “Made in America” toaster is not only sad, but very troubling. With the European Union working hard at becoming free of Russia’s oil and gas, the next thing we’ll be seeing, is China sticking its nose into Russia’s war in Ukraine, and then after we’ll be doing without all that crap we’ve allowed ourselves to be dependent upon because of sanctions also being placed on China. Please don’t think me a doomsday crier, but rather a realist. Whomever got this “globalization” started, needs to get taken out and given a good horse-whipping because whenever one country is overly dependent upon another, that’s when the manipulation starts.
It looks like those Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol aren’t going to surrender, so let’s see if Putin follows-thru with his promise to have them all killed. When now looking at the photos of that city containing upwards of four hundred thousand people before Russian’s invasion, you’d think an atomic bomb hit it. The blocks after blocks of high-rise apartments that’ve been ripped apart, is just another confirmation that Putin’s real agenda is satanically dark. Let’s continue to hope and pray the Ukrainians, with the help of all the weapons our world’s democracies have supplied them, will enable them to drive those murdering Russians back across their borders. Give what you can while continuing to pray deeply.
I’m hoping all of you had a pleasant Easter, along with good food and welcome visitors. With our weather not being treacherous this weekend, all the travelers to and from our area should be experiencing safe-driving roadways.
Let’s hope everyone had a pleasantly memorable 2022 Easter.
Tonight’s One-liner is: Excess of wealth is cause of covetousness.
