Monthly Archives: April 2011

Life’s a Beach

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My folks have a cottage on the water and we try to get over there at least once each summer to most importantly spend a weekend with them and also take advantage of the boating and water sports while there.

Having grown up on and around the water, I know how hard the elements can be on wood products and even some metals. Salt water and wind are very corrosive to furniture, decks, boats, etc. and there’s a good reason why the good quality boats use teak on their decks and trim. Teak is a dense, durable wood that can hold up to the elements for years and years. Teak does not require much care or maintenance, compared to other hardwoods. And it looks great.

I thought it would be nice to get my folks something for the cottage for their anniversary and I’m thinking a pair of teak chairs for the deck would be appreciated. Let’s hope my folks don’t read my blog before I have a chance to get them ordered and delivered to the cottage for their anniversary gift. I love surprising them!

Reworking the Budget

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Next week I’m sitting down and going over the entire household budget. We need a better working plan for managing our household finances and we need to make a few more adjustments to offset the extra cost of gas, since that has gone up so much this spring and summer.

One thought that is worth exploring is to completely re-evaluate my insurance coverages and premiums. I think that there is a chance to save money by shopping around for a different homeowners policy and also possibly a new car insurance policy. My homeowners has been with the same company on automatic renewal for over 6 years. I think it is time to shop around and make sure I’m getting the best rates and the right coverage. I know I can do it all on the internet now which is easy and more convenient, and I’m sure I’ll save both time and money by getting new quotes and making some changes.

Attacking the Dropout Rate

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Our new mayor is getting serious about his campaign promise to attack the dropout rate in the county. But he might be a little too late. Evidently, the state has taken over the county schools and has their own plan of attack in mind. They fired most of the school principals and moved people around all over the county, giving some promotions and others just re-assigned to where they can do less damage.

I would love to see the schools get serious about making the school campus a safe and pleasant place for our children to spend the better part of their days. If you’ve not been inside a public school lately and seen the awful conditions, listened to the demeaning and humiliating way that the teachers and school staff talk to the students, and actually looked inside their current textbooks to see what they are supposed to be learning – you can’t begin to understand the ginormous problems we are facing in trying to improve or revamp our public education system here.