One of several blurps I was reading online that are coming out and saying some things that I have had in the back of my mind for some time now.

"""""Here's the problem for those who are buying gold and the safes to store it in along with guns -- in their nightmare scenario, what makes these folks think that they'll be able to get food and safety in exchange for bars of gold? You can't eat gold and it's hard to get change for a $50 gold coin if you want to buy a stick of gum.

It would probably be best for these people to learn how to hunt, fish, build campfires, and farm. I'm not sure the safes and the gold will do them much good. To be fair, the fear is real and I think the United States has an opportunity to help people deal with that fear in a more effective way."""""

Apparently, people are buying gold and safes by the droves. Stock prices in Smith & Wesson have allegedly gone WAY up. More and more talk of the D-word is surfacing everywhere on the internet. Circuit City is shutting it's doors for good this weekend and 34,000 more people are now jobless.

Fortunately for me - if it ever came to that - I already know how to hunt, I have a small game trap that can be used to simply capture rabbits and other small, edible game. I never did buy any vegetable seeds - I was going to do that but just forgot about it. My food stock continues to grow as I continue to purchase more long-shelf-life foods. I am also purchasing 50-pound bags of dog-food at least twice a week - though they ran out at Fry's, I was going to buy another one today which would put my dog food up into the 250 pounds worth range.

The question is, how far is this economy going to tank before it bottoms? What is going to happen to these people that have lost their jobs, lost their homes and sooner or later, lose their unemployment benefit? Where is all of this going to end? Do you have the answer - if you do, I would love to hear all about it. Now, they're talking two years from NOW before the economy recovers. I can't even imagine that. There is no question in my mind that my company is going to continue to shed itself of employees as the monthly numbers continue to tank lower and lower and lower.

I WISH I had money right now! There are homes all over Phoenix going for as low as $13,900.00. That particular home is a condo, the foreclosed upon owners apparently got mad and tore up the place, including TEARING THE CEILING OFF! I am hearing all of this because my new tenant just bought a home and she was presented with all of this stuff. People that are getting foreclosed upon are tearing out appliances, walls, toilets, fixtures, sinks - basically gutting the houses they are being forced out of. I don't think there is a huge market for used toilets and torn up drywall, so at least some of it is simply being done in anger and "paybacks" to the banks that are forcing these peole out.

What would the mortgage be on a 14 thousand dollar house? Lol. But something that torn up would cost a chunk of change to fix, even with used stuff. I've done it before, though. You can find good used fixtures, sinks, all of that stuff at a variety of second-hand type of stores at much less cost than new. In other words, a totally gutted house would probably be a couple of thousand dollars worth of stuff providing I had the time to search it all out, obtain it and install it.

I'm just dreaming. Even if my credit was good right now, banks are wanting large down payments - I've heard anyway - before letting people get into new mortgages.
Of more concern to me is this newly surfacing fear of not being able to get food. Fry's is having yet another 50 cent per can sale on vegetables, I intend on buying 60 cans of it tomorrow when I have to go back up there and put money on the card for power. I'm not bathing in money, but - this situation going on all over the U.S. is starting to get unnerving. People who are desperate will go to great extremes when it comes to eating.

I wasn't going to continue talking about this subject, but I have spent some time today reading more about this situation and now more dire views and forecasts are starting to surface. Much more dire than anything I've read up til' now. The unemployment rate is the highest it's been in 25 years - there's got to be a lot of desperate people out there and I really am thinking I want to get a shotgun in my house. You can call it knee-jerk reaction if you wish, but I have been thinking about doing this for some time now anyway. They aren't very expensive. I think you can pick up a decent one for around $250. I'm not into hurting or killing people, but I am definitely a firm believer in protecting my house/people living in it whatever it takes.

This is why I probably won't be driving to North Carolina for that family reunion - I have other priorities that, to me, are far greater than visiting with people. Who knows - I'm stashing away a little money here and there into my ING account, plus I have a regular, set amount being deducted every 15 days. I just think that saving money right now - even if it's just little bits here and there, is more important than vacations.

AS for today, I went to Home Depot and bought a gallon of paint and some more caulking. Stopped at Fry's and got some stuff there, did a few other things besides the dog walk this morning and that's about it. I'm feeling particularly lazy right now - think I'll just get away from the internet and reading all this horror/panic stuff and relax.
ben

Saturday

I have great relief that I have finally settled the issue with Capital One, have the account WAY back down and don't have to worry about that little gem anymore. Note that I didn't say I was dumping the card - I gave them a lump sum and they took off a bunch of fees. HIGH fees at that.

My great plans for the weekend: not much.
Buy a gallon of paint and some caulking - this is Mary's latest project, filling in the cracks in the bathroom and repainting the walls with semi-gloss.

I am going to finish that fencing project. The problem I have run into is simply that I don't have a good enough drill to drill 2 more holes in one of the posts. I'm going to figure out something else to deal with the problem, which is a gap between the pole and the wall of the house that is big enough for me Dane/Leopard dog mix to get through. I have a temp fix right now, I want a permanent solution.

My tree I bought at the auction is blooming full tilt at this point - it's covering itself with leaves and it's looking pretty darn good : ) Weeds are starting to infiltrate the front yard now - due to the neighbors who do nothing but let weeds grow and grow and grow, I'm hoping this week the city will come out and issue them a warning. Actually, I'd rather they issue them a citation - they let the weeds grow all the time.

Anyway, I'm sighing big relief that the weather has cooled back down to the point that AC should not be needed. If the forecast is correct, at least the next 7 days are looking cool enough for no AC use.

Just stopping in - I'm on my way out the door with the dogs for that hike I promised them yesterday and am forcing myself to do today (as in: I don't really feel like it, fortunately the dogs ALWAYS feel like it!).

Happy Saturday!
ben