58F and wet.
Made it through Halloween. Now I hope to get the decor down before my trip. Can’t do it wet though.
I have to find a spot for my printer today, and get a bunch of stuff moved, and I’ve got one sick kid home with me. Glad I managed to vote yesterday.
Having voted, I kept waiting for poll results. I usually vote on the day so it feels weird not knowing yet who won.
Feels like it should be a weekend, but of course it isn’t. I better get the rest of the family moving.
n
We had a good turnout last night – after approximately 75 kids, we had to turn off the porch lights – no more candy.
I don’t feel too bad, as it’s mainly older kids that come later. We’ve been burned in the past by buying too much and having a ton of candy left over.
The turnout last night was much lighter than previous years. Mostly younger kids arriving pretty early. Maybe no teenagers at all this year. No one at all after 8pm. The weather was great, having a high temperature this afternoon in the mid-60s. The evening temperature was still in the high 50s.
And when I went out with our nine year old grandson at about 6:00pm, I noticed that fewer houses were participating in giving out treats. In fact, there were a number of houses that were lit up and some even having Halloween decorations out, that did not answer the door bell. In previous years, I estimated participation at about 90%, this year probably barely 75%.
We ran out of toys, but had candy left. I buy up baggies full of little toys over the year at yard sales, and thrift stores. We have a bowl of toys (little stuff- plastic animals, hot wheels, McDonald’s happy meal toys, etc) and a bowl of candy. I offer the toys to any kid who looks old enough to choose, and young enough to like the stuff in the bowl. This year about 1/4 to 1/3 (SWAG) took the toy option. I probably had about $10 in the toy bowl. We had more than that in the candy bowl for sure!
We’ll be “helping” the kids eat their candy, and our leftovers for some time…
n
They moved trick or treat to the 30th here in KY due to a forecast of high winds and rain for Wednesday evening. We had somewhere around 70 kids. I gave out almost all of the candy.
I remember my kids trick or treating in snowstorms more than once in Syracuse. I won’t say I disagree with the decision to move it to Tuesday evening, there was just too much chance of some child getting hurt by blowing debris.
It seems like it was always cold and rainy in chicongo during my childhood trick or treating. must not have been, but that’s what I remember.
Here in houston, we had mostly real nice weather, until last year and this year.
n
I’ve spent entirely too much time reading a blogger that is new to me, but has been at it a while in the last 2 days. Among other things, he’s foul mouthed and canadian.
This I’m quoting here so I don’t lose it.
n
Dilbert: “Exceeding Expectations”
http://dilbert.com/strip/2018-11-01
Sadly, I expect all of my employees to exceed expectations.
“13 Stories About Surviving a Nuclear War–At Least Briefly”
https://www.tor.com/2018/11/01/13-stories-about-surviving-a-nuclear-war-at-least-briefly/
I have read two of these, _Alas, Babylon_ and _A Canticle for Leibowitz_, both excellent books. The book picture for the John Varley short story is just wrong since that book is about a worldwide crude oil apocalypse.
Two books are missing from the list. One is incredibly important about surviving a nuclear bomb exchange. _The Road_ is a Pulitzer Prize winning horrible look at the next generation survival and what it takes for the current generation to make it so.
https://www.amazon.com/Road-Cormac-McCarthy/dp/0307387895/?tag=ttgnet-20
The other is a self published young adult series of a family who makes it into a nuclear bomb shelter built by the military to house a couple of battalions. No one else makes it.
https://www.amazon.com/Snow-Ash-Endless-Winter-Novel/dp/0988003023/?tag=ttgnet-20
We’ll be “helping” the kids eat their candy, and our leftovers for some time…
Sadly, I started eating the “leftovers” last Sunday night …
@lynn: In case you haven’t seen it, this was reviewed in today’s WSJ: Saudi America: The Truth About Fracking and How It’s Changing the World
The pull quote from the review: “The author claims that an entire industry is overloaded with debt and poised for collapse. The reality seems to be quite different.”
My understanding is the frackers are overloaded with debt, but when the Saudis started their game of chicken and drove down the price of oil, none of the banks wanted to own busted frackers… so they didn’t call the loans.
Eventually, the price came back up and frackers went back to work, while the Saudis had a coup, and had to cancel their IPO, and cut benefits for citizens….
n
Play stupid games, win stupid prizes….
More trouble in France, although the article finally admits it was less than before and not all that apocalyptic after all.
Youths again. Hmmm, just what kind of youths burn cars and riot from their bases in the ‘troubled’ suburbs??
Shh. The Emperor has no clothes.
Ann Coulter’s column today is on anchor babies. A good read.
On that subject, when people at work were asking if anyone was dressing up for Halloween and I said I was going to come as Clothing Optional Guy, I got nothing but resistance and disapproval. Haters gonna hate.
I used the line from addams family- “I’m dressed as a serial killer, we look like everyone else….”
didn’t get the laughs I was hoping for….
n
@SteveF: I just wish it were easier to tell someone who really needs help from a scammer. A couple of years ago, I bought a woman a pile of groceries – pretty sure she was legitimately in a hole, and needed the help.
On the other hand, I fell for a sob story from a guy who just needed a bit of money for a ticket home. He was dressed OK, and he had no problem when I suggested I buy the ticket instead of handing him money. Stupid me, next I knew he was heading to the manned ticket office, almost certainly to return the ticket for cash.
Makes one reluctant to help people, especially since there seem to be more scammers than people in real need.
Oh, well, I’m probably hard-hearted anyway, because I never help someone whom I suspect of being an illegal immigrant.
True. Based on my own experiences and observations, I never give money to panhandlers, people with a sob story, or charities. Instead, if I know someone who’s trying to get ahead but has a car problem, I’m willing to apply elbow grease and might help buy the parts, or buy groceries for someone who lost her job through no fault of her own, or feed kids whose parents can’t or don’t or won’t feed them. (More accurately, have them come over and feed them good, solid meals. I know a few kids whose parents will give them box of poptarts for supper — enough calories but hardly a proper meal.)
The Dumbos are really pushing door-to-door this week. We’ve got tons of Dumbo flyers, but hardly any Redumbo flyers. I hope the Redumbo’s aren’t rocking back on their heels.
Plus, the front of Drudge has Mad Maxine Waters cackling about being the Speaker. Bust out the Moxie and pretzels as the late great Mr. OFD would say.
but but but calories are calories! all you have to do to lose weight is control calories…..
n
/sarc
The Brazos River came up two feet last night after the five inches of rain. And it is coming up another three ft through the weekend from the rain upstream. No big deal at this time. Just a heck of a lot of water headed to the Gulf of Mexico.
https://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=HGX&gage=RMOT2
Why You Shouldn’t Store Random Stuff In Your Oven
A number of years back a local doctor forgot that he’d stored a plastic serving tray in his oven. Some time after turning it on he smelled smoke. When he opened the oven door to investigate, the sudden influx of oxygen caused the smoldering tray to explode into a fireball that engulfed his head and upper torso, killing him.
Yes, my financial planner works for a few small drillers and that’s what he told me a couple of years ago. The banks were rolling over the loans because if they started calling them, it would trigger all the badness from the post-2008 banking laws. They were getting some money on the loans, so they didn’t have to call them. The breakeven point was somewhere between $40 and $50 per barrel. It got over that last year.
No trick or treat at my house last night, which wasn’t a real surprise. You can hardly see my house, or those of most of the others on my street, over the debris field. And most of the county is a lot worse off than I am. I don’t know what the kids did, but I doubt they were dancing around the downed trees, power poles, lines, et cetera just to get to people’s door. And no one at work dressed up as a blue tarp. 🙁
My line is, “I’m dressed a a jackass but you probably can’t tell.” – well actually I prefer asshole but avoid that at work.
Had about a 100 last night – 1/10 of the candy left. Mostly the RPB cups I held back for moi.
Today marks 6 years since my little cardiac incident. I blamed that on eating about 50 RPB cups the day before. I moderate myself now but then I have a stent, meds and regular checkups.
Ok, my silly truck…. I added step rails. They look nice and are useful when I remember they are there.
One drizzly rainy day, while going slow down the mile o’ dirt and gravel to the house,, the truck was almost covered with mud. Even on the rear view mirrors. Tan mud on dark blue paint… yep.
I went to eBay and bought mudflaps. Not very flappy…. but effective. Somehow the convo got to “all I need are the stripper girls for the mud flaps”.
Guess what I got for my b’day? So, do they face each other or face away?
I don’t want to fo-paw (see, I kin say stuff in French!!!) this along the lines of various hanky colors in either back pocket meaning different things.
And in other news, the sticker on my windshield says I need to get the oil changed Nov 19. Er, not happening….. I’ll make 300 miles on the oil change tomorrow.
I haven’t gone anywhere other than to Marble Falls almost every week since the last oil change. So… maybe 40 miles a week, max.
“And in other news, the sticker on my windshield says I need to get the oil changed Nov 19.”
I allus add th’ yeer to mah sticker. Less kornfusion. (In a former life, I was gennuwine hillbilly, and proud of it :-))
Oooh, my last post reminded me of “Lil’ Abner.” I really enjoyed that strip as a kid. I will have to look it up. Also heard Al Capp speak in the sixties. Great fun!
On that subject, when people at work were asking if anyone was dressing up for Halloween and I said I was going to come as Clothing Optional Guy, I got nothing but resistance and disapproval. Haters gonna hate.
I saw Clothing Optional Guy at the big Halloween event in Portland a few years ago.
My wife said, “I thought this party required a costume.”
After looking as quickly as possible, I responded “He’s wearing a top hat.”
Usually facing each other, isn’t it? Not that I’ve made an organized survey, but that’s what I think I recall seeing.
When it comes up, I usually refer to myself as a hillbilly made good. Not literally true but close enough, and I still have the one drunken, snaggle-toothed uncle still living up the mountain and my dad specifically picked the site to build his current (and final, he says) house so that if he wanted to he could stand on the front porch and piss and there’d be no one to tell him No.
my dad specifically picked the site to build his current (and final, he says) house so that if he wanted to he could stand on the front porch and piss and there’d be no one to tell him No.
Sounds good to me.
Ok, my silly truck…. I added step rails. They look nice and are useful when I remember they are there.
Should you ever go to Mr. Car Wash, or its central Texas equivalent, make sure that they did not put Armor-All on your new step rails before you step on them. Armor-All and plastic / rubber / metal make for a coefficient of friction that is darn near approaching zero. Why yes, I have landed on my ass at the car wash when picking up my vehicle.
Peeing outside is the natural (or God given – take your pick) of every red blooded American male.
“…I usually refer to myself as a hillbilly made good.”
Good one. In addition, about half my family (the other half) is Irish, so little difference. Those were the days.
Y’all talking about oil companies, maybe you’ll have a suggestion…
I’ve inherited, from both sides of my family, oil rights in the Oklahoma panhandle. After a couple of generations, you can imagine how this looks: 1/64 of the rights to the SW quarter of section 123. But lots of those. Most of the oil was pumped out long ago – the total income is maybe $1000 / year for everything together. Frackers have apparently not started work in this area, but who knows, I’m too far away to keep on top of current events.
Fine, I understand this stuff well enough to have filed the quitclaim deeds when my mother passed away. And I don’t mind the few dollars income. But my kids won’t have any clue, so really I’d be happy to be rid of the stuff. You’d think some cousin somewhere would be interested in re-consolidating the rights, but apparently not. A general Facebook message to cousins revealed that everyone is just ignoring this stuff.
I can just ignore it – knowing that the rights will effectively “go lost” when my kids inherit. Somehow, that seems a shame. Anyone have a better idea?
Back to elections – Randall has an interesting interactive map this time around.
https://xkcd.com/2067/
Represents the challengers, with their chance of winning indicated by the size of the name.
Interestingly, two of my classmates from high school are on the ballot this year.Memories are funny things. One has a name similar to a classmate. The other was the year before me (but someone I talked to frequently). Checked my yearbook.
@JimL: What an amazing map! Especially if you think about the amount of work that went into it.
While I disagree with Randall’s leftie politics, he does some incredible work with xkcd.
@brad, there are people and companies that spend incredible amounts of time and effort to get all those rights back together. My neighbor spent literal years on one project. He’s got one foot in the grave and is still chasing different opportunities.
That said, I don’t actually know who you could talk to. I have a vague notion that there is a someone online…
Who knows what could happen in the future, surely almost no one had any idea fracking might make areas rich.
m
My MIL is sort of facing the same problem. Her deceased husband got royalties from some property somewhere. It was all in his name, about $700.00 a year. My MIL has been trying to get his name removed and her name put on the contract as she inherited everything. But the oil company is making it almost impossible. My MIL has sent in the forms, called them, written them and nothing has been done. Oil company says she needs to get an attorney to do the change. But no attorney will do the work for less than $5,000.00. That is over seven years of royalties wiped out and put in some attorney’s pocket. MIL at this point thinks it is not worth the effort and expense.
Brad, would it be possible to consolidate all those little slices and donate the whole package to some charity that you care about? Even a modest income stream can mean a lot, even something as simple as paying a year’s utility bills.
That’s a good idea….
@pcb_duffer, any more update about your recovery that you’d like to share? What happened to the woman you checked on, or your co-worker?
How are services?
n
@Ray: I’m not any sort of expert in this area, but I did have to handle the transfer from my mother to me. The oil companies get no say in the matter. They have to pay the legal owner of the royalties; they have no choice in the matter. If they are being recalcitrant (and everything else, see below, is already done), then maybe they need a letter from an attorney. Shouldn’t cost more than $100 or so…
The formalities: the royalties have to be in your MIL’s name. Dunno where your MIL has her properties, but in Oklahoma, all that is necessary to change ownership is to change the name at the county registry. I did this with Quitclaims that she had already filled out, except for one property that she forgot – that was more complicated. Once ownership was transferred, I sent in notice of the change (copies of the deeds, iirc) to the oil companies. In my case, I dealt with 3 or 4 different companies (don’t remember exactly, and it’s always changing). The transfers went without any sort of hitch, and certainly no fees.
What I find unsettling: there’s no way for small owners to check on the honesty of the companies. How do I know that I’m really getting my 1/64 share on those acres over there, my 1/32 share on these here, and my 1/72 of them over yonder? I don’t know of any possible way to find out.
@pcb_duffer: That’s not a bad idea. It would have to be a charity willing to deal with the stuff – i.e., someone on staff would have to know what a royalty is. It’s not totally without paperwork, and the oil companies…well, let’s just say that understandable, readable accounting statement are not their strength…
Anyhow, it’s worth looking into…
Thanks for the information. I am dealing with my MIL, stubborn, thinks she is always correct, won’t listen to advice, etc. I told her to pursue it hard, get the DA involved if necessary. But she refuses, wants to do it her way, found a lawyer, he/she quoted the price, and she just gave up. Not much more I can do.
Sounds like she was looking for a reason not to proceed, and found one. Who knows what sort of issues may be lurking.
n
I expect Ray’s MIL is not uncommon. People’s parents live into their 80’s – that means the “kids” are maybe retirement age. If they’ve never been involved in royalties, and their parents didn’t leave an “ABC” guide (thanks, mom!), they may well just throw up their hands and quit.
So…how many royalties are out there, where the proper owner is unknown, and royalties are therefore unpaid? I’m betting it’s a pretty big number. What happens to this money? At a guess, it goes into the individual state’s “unclaimed property” list, and ultimately gets taken by the state government.
—
Edit: I just checked the Texas unclaimed property site, and voila: I see an uncle of mine, who died a couple years back, is owed quite a lot of money for “mineral rights”. I’ll hunt down his kids (my cousins), and let them know…
Someone should check the site of every state where a family member has lived. I found money for my brothers, a couple of friends, and from my aunt and uncle (which I claimed).