Flood relief efforts and teasing

The Johnson household is doing what it can to help the flood victims in the Fargo area by taking in this pathetic litte group:

Dad stayed in Fargo to sandbag, protect the house, and minister to his church flock, but Mom. the boys and Willie the dog came down for an unexpected but very welcome visit. So far their home in Fargo is dry. Keeping our fingers crossed for them and all those living near the Red River.

Our big question - who is going remove all those sandbags piled up by the hundreds of volunteers when this is over and what will they do with the sand? Inquiring minds want to know.

Like most families, ours has tradition. It's sort of fun to see this one go multi-generational. When Carrie was small, I teased her that they put signs like this out just for her.

And now Paul gets the same treatment. As you can tell his ego is taking a real bruising.

I suppose everyone knows about when it is OK to tease and when it is not, but it might be worth repeating. Fun, even affectionate, teasing is about something that the person  feels confident (in this case Paul and his mom's intelligence). Mean teasing is poking fun of something about which the other person feels insecure. Easy as that.

There are those who would like to see teasing abolished completely. Are there are enough other sources of humor that teasing wouldn't be missed?

Taxes, gratitude and financial advice

It's good to have income on which to pay taxes.
It's good to have income on which to pay taxes.
It's good to have income on which to pay taxes. - Blue Skunk

Don't tax you, don't tax me. Tax that fellow behind the tree. - Russell B. Long

Certainty? In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes. - Benjamin Franklin 

Once again it is tax prep weekend here. Thanks to the web, this job just gets easier every year. Last year I thought I would seek out some kind of iGoogle for my finances, but it was just one of those things I never got around to doing despite some good suggestions of sites to try. It's still a paper blizzard with receipts, 1099s, and other sundry proofs that money either came in or went out of the household.

Maybe it is just the wonderful weather this weekend, but I have been thinking of all the things for which I am economically grateful.

• that I have not only a job that pays a living wage, but one that brings me satisfaction.
• that I had the kind of upbringing that taught delayed gratification when I was younger - giving up parties for a college education.
• that I have avocations - writing and speaking - that are both remunerative and allow me to travel. I am especially excited about upcoming trips this spring to Cairo to do workshops for NESA and Bangkok to consult on facility design. (Yes, I am excited about Baltimore and New Hampshire, too.)
• that all our children seem to be financially emancipated. There is actually some money left in the checking account at the end of the month now and then.
• that despite the 403b being in the toilet, I am among this world's lucky ones who actually has savings, a retirement plan, and an affordable mortgage.
• that I can say that I've earned every nickel honestly.
• that I can pretty much afford to buy all the toys I want.

In some ways this is pretty incredible since have had three major financial rules:

1. You can't lose money in investments that you've already spent on other stuff.
2. Buy high. Sell low. Don't give up the day job.
3. Charitable giving is the best investment you can make. Spoiling your children and grandchildren a little is the second best.

There you are - all the financial wisdom I have. I may have missed my calling -  I might have been even better at losing money than those AIG execs. And I would have been happy with just a six rather than seven figure bonus.

Long tail message of the month!

A year and a half ago I wrote a post on The Seven Wonders of Grand Forks. I had a free day in town and spent it locating these wonders, including the water tower pictured below:

It was delightful to receive this comment about the post last week:

Grand Forks, North Dakota - Smiley Face Water Tower

My grandfather designed the paint scheme, and originally painted this smiley face water tower. On one side of the tower the smiley face is winking. When my grandfather, Oscar Osmundson, went to the city to get paid for his work they were hesitant about paying him. A few people on the city council thought that it wasn't finished yet -- that he only painted half of one of the eyes on that side of the tower.

My grandfather laughed and told them the tower was winking, and they decided to vote on keeping it. The wink won, and that's how it sits today. Thousands of people drive by the water tower every year, and they all have my grandfather to thank for the smile that the wink puts on their face. [Chad Osmundson]

I continue to be amazed at the number and variety of people who come to the Blue Skunk.

Oh, for those of you who would like to see the wink: