Mercy! Mercy! That Dang Nabed PERCY!

System is back Up.

System is back up

I apologize to my regular readers who follow my rants as I go from one wildly unrelated Blog to the next. My Internet has been on the fritz lately. Finally we upgraded to a new satellite dish and the technician stopped by and we are back in business. If I was a purist I would write my blog and store it on the Word Processor and post them when the system comes up. Alas, that is not human nature. If there is not internet I don’t write them… Does that sound immature or what?

Today at an antique shop I noticed another Morten Dog. I found another last week. It is a Boston Bulldog with googley eyes. These dogs have been jumping out at me and I have been ignoring them, until I saw the Boston Bull. I couldn’t resist and I love looking at it on my desk.

Oscar Morten had a design studio that specialized in animals. It operated from the 1930’s to the 1960s. He is well known for his dog figurines. If you keep your eyes peeled you can still find them in antique stores for well under $100. Originally they sold for $10 or less. They are a cool looking knick-Knack. The two I have mix well with all the rest of my clutter.

Linda and I are running (walking?) 4 miles a day. It is part of our weight reduction program. Losing weight is not easy. Actually it is a lot like quitting smoking. A serious weight reducer has to stay focused even on days when the scale is pointing in the wrong direction. This morning I got a positive reading, however today it has rained and we couldn’t go for our walk. I can feel it when my body goes into conversion. I get an edgy feeling and have to work hard at being a loving, caring human being. It might sound simple to you but for someone who is a bit of a jerk it can be challenging at times.

I took Linda to Princeton yesterday and we ate at the Blue Moon. We both had the French Dip. It sure was good. I told her that we need to start preparing for a worst case economic scenario. She says I’m paranoid. So does my Investment Counselor. How hard is it I recently asked him to find a fund that specializes in stocks that did well after the 1929 crash and on into the Great Depression. I know there were companies that prospered and somebody smart out there has surely set up some sort of a slow growth mutual fund that targets these types of stocks.

To me it makes sense to diversify a portfolio and includes stocks that might not be red-hot investments but have a long sustainable record of performance in good times as well as bad. Duh! I also told him to make sure we avoid investments that rely heavily on Municipal Bonds and Treasury Notes. If the dollar crashes something tells me Uncle Sam will repudiate these instruments.

I would guess that in such a case the Government would eventually get around to repaying in a new currency savings insured by FDIC for pennies on the dollar. It would also provide credit cards to families that would allow continuation of a minimum standard of living. (Like Catrina where they were used to buy porn). I am not sure what they would do about gold…. Probably make you sell it for pennies on the dollar. That would leave the average person with their investment portfolio, most of which would be wiped out. Then we’d start over with a currency based upon a precious metal standard. In the midst of all this would be some serious bad times for everyone, particularly those dwelling in urban areas.

I suggest you buy a gun, some ammunition, and get trained in how to use it. Keep a month of canned goods on the shelf and recycle it through the winter. If you can, have a garden, and learn to can and preserve meat and vegetables. Raising a few chickens is not a bad idea. My theory is that if you prepare for the worst it won’t happen.