And Now For the Drone….

Posted on by
Reply

I knew the odds were Hubby would eventually want a drone. I suppose we loosely categorized it as his present for his birthday/our anniversary since the two things are about a month apart. You probably can’t see it well in the photo, but I can’t find the shot he took of just it. So, as it turns out, not surprisingly, there are all sorts of different license categories. In his case, since he will use it at times in a commercial capacity, he fell into whatever category that is. It included him having to take a particular test that was administered at our small airport at the Executive Jet Center.

There are all sorts of restrictions – as there should be – about heights you can fly the drone and obviously places. Interestingly, they are prohibited in National Parks. Apparently, when they first became easily accessible, there was real or perceived  harassment of wildlife to bring about the rule. He studied up for his test and of course did well and his real card came in yesterday to take the place of his temporary. His first “commercial” use of it was for the December 5th, Holiday on Krome Ave Drive-thru Parade where he did get some great aerial shots.

Roughly speaking, he can shoot from I think it’s 400 feet and down. Because of our closeness to Homestead Air Reserve Base (HARB), large sections around here fall under extra restrictions, but as with so many things these days, there in an on-line form to fill out to receive permission to still fly within certain parts. Downtown Homestead falls into that sector. It is several miles from HARB, so permission is pretty routine. It really is too bad the kids aren’t coming this year for the holidays; I can just imagine how much drone flying would be going on. And no, I have no interest is messing with this thing.

Hubby with drone; Nov 2020

“What’s Old Is New Again”……

Posted on by
Reply

In yet another example of adaptation to trying to keep a small business going in the time of COVID, drive-in theaters are popping up in a lot of places. For those of us who grew up in the era, the idea was easy for families watching budgets. Pile everyone in the car, take your own snacks, ignore the kids asking for concessions and enjoy a movie together. I don’t recall all the movies we went to, but it was a fairly regular thing for us. And then there was the high school and college student part which included more than just watching the movie.

Anyway, there have been regular local festivals that featured a “movie in the park” element, but back in the summer, an entrepreneurial brother and sister were in town for college summer break. Their dad owns a large, empty lot and they decided to give the drive-in movie theater a try. As it turns out, when they calculated the cost of renting the screen and other equipment, they went on a search for used equipment instead. They found a pretty good price and figured they might be able to sell the set-up for a decent amount or not much loss. They were both due back at school in late August and so were doing this as both a way to offer entertainment that included social distancing and to see if it would work. I interviewed the brother and did a short piece for the paper. I even reached out to a couple of contacts to see if they might be interested in buying the equipment although their interest wasn’t enough to pursue it.

Someone else has recently started showing movies and I have an inquiry out to see if they either did buy the equipment or were simply inspired by the idea. I always enjoy that kind of connectivity.

Going Away To College Would Have Been Nice……

Posted on by
Reply

Serious content alert; not somber though. I have previously posted about my personal belief that we do not promote non-college paths to success enough in our culture. Aside from the fact the trades and other hands-on careers are vital to our communities and economy, many individuals are far more suited to those than an academic pursuit. Choosing a non-college job is something to celebrate, too. Added to that, college costs (as with medical and housing in lots of places) have been continuously artificially inflated for a variety of inappropriate reasons. For all the bad that has come with COVID, it’s possible expanded distance learning might help bring college costs down.

I have also mentioned in the past we lived in a small college town and the rule was simple in our middle class one-income family. Go to school there with either a scholarship or working part time. Yes, going away to college would have been nice, but it wasn’t financially feasible. There are multiple factors to consider of course if the decision is made to do so and a major one is out-of-state. Most states have a good-to-excellent university systems with significant cost difference for in and out-of-state tuition. Yes, there are some specific careers where your university can matter when it comes to hiring. It is not a factor for the most part. For example, if being a a whiz on Wall Street is the goal, attending a well-known East Coast university can be important. If being a nurse or teacher, there is no reason to pay out-of-state tuition. If the goal is to nurse/teach in another state, a separate  board certification might be required, but the degree itself should be adequate preparation. Another route is strongly consider attending a community-type college for the first two years (especially if getting an Associate Degree), then completing the Bachelors at a four-year college or university. With the ridiculous costs of college, these are viable options to keep potential debt low.

Excellent Coffee and More….

Posted on by
Reply

I am always cautious about recommending specific brands, especially when they are more expensive than other options. In cases like I have done for the Olive Morada, it is because they provide an excellent product and we are willing to pay more to support a small business. I don’t recall when I first started seeing promotions for Black Rifle Coffee, but that’s not important. I have never been a particular fan of Starbucks and only patronize them when someone else asks me to meet there or they happen to be the only easily accessible choice. I was curious about Black Rifle Coffee and went onto their website a few times. Initially, they did not offer whole bean and we do prefer to grind our own. I guess it was about three months ago when I saw they had whole bean. I talked to Hubby and we decided to give them a try. They do come in about the same price as Starbucks and shipping is involved.

They are a veteran-owned company, specifically former SOF (Special Operations Forces) veterans. In addition to coffee there is other merchandise and affiliations with groups that shouldn’t be surprising considering their background. I ordered two different types of coffee and both were excellent. They have a Monthly Coffee Club where you set up for regular delivery and that does come with free shipping. We selected that and although I did designate two bags per month, I think I will be able to cut back to one per month and augment with an extra bag as needed. Again, this is not the place to save money, but it is value for what you pay and support an interesting small business. Do check them out to see if it is something that might appeal to you. https://www.blackriflecoffee.com/pages/about-us

 

Income, Profit, and Making a Living……

Posted on by
Reply

During dinner last night with friends, the discussion entered the realm of the difficulty in making a living in the arts. There are multiple dimensions to this, but if one strips to the core, it’s relatively simple – all be it disconcerting. As much as people do enjoy the arts, for those who have money to spend, what they are willing to pay is a different story. Almost as important is the reality there are many, many talented artists/artisans (this includes writers), and as in any commodity, markets are often “flooded”. Oh, for the sake of this post, I’m referring to freelance. Yes, there are teaching positions, but that’s a different path.

Unlike numerous careers where you won’t become wealthy, but you can earn enough to achieve and sustain middle class, few in the arts are genuinely likely to achieve that. Certainly not if there’s a family to care for as well. The tiny percent in the arts who do “make the big time” help fuel the dream though of all who have such aspirations. (Yes, there are also those who create only for “art’s sake”; that though is yet another topic).  The desire to create, whether it’s acting, art, craft, dance, music, or writing is something that should never be discouraged as it is a profound aspect of being human. Balancing the drive with “real life” is the trick as I’ve posted about when we were faced with son’s intent to be a dancer. And of course I’ve written  plenty about my own experience which was part of last night’s discussion. In never having the commercial breakthrough, my writing has been a consistent tax write-off, but the IRS does get a bit touchy with year in and year out of that. Since I do primarily self-publish and I no longer publish at least one book a year, it  works out that I “make a profit” every few years. That is very much a relative term as it means yes, I have more income from writing than expenses. Let us say the ability to make a living with that income is not the same. On the other hand, I’ve refined the process to where my costs are no more than we spend on an average vacation and we do both take pleasure in my books.

It’s Frying Time Again…..

Posted on by
Reply

Ah, the many years of roasting the turkey – what a tradition with the regional elements I’ve encountered being assigned to different places. Being raised in the deep South, dressing was the given and quite frankly, stuffing was never considered. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but my maternal grandmother’s dressing – mostly cornbread of course – was terrific. Like so many family dishes though, she didn’t follow a precise recipe. One reason was because she used cornbread and leftover biscuits and the amount of moisture in them did vary based on the batch. Subsequently, the amount of eggs and broth needed to attain the correct consistency varied and how much spice to add was based on the volume of the dressing. It was very much a matter of her “sensing” what was required. My sister had the patience to observe and experiment enough to finally get really close with a written recipe. Stuffing was something I didn’t experience until traveling to the Northeast, and while I enjoy it, given the choice, I do prefer dressing.

The roast turkey of course was always the centerpiece and came with all the good and bad of managing the thawing, seasoning, timing, and carving. I never actually did a turkey on my own as I, then we, usually spent the holiday with family. Hubby and I started hosting what we referred to as “orphans” those times when we didn’t travel. In a military setting, there are almost always singles around who appreciate an invitation.

Smoking turkeys became a thing for a period of time even though we didn’t attempt it. We weren’t really on board with the frying technique initially until Hubby’s cousin by marriage did one and oh my, it was delicious. I may have previously posted about the Christmas when I bought him a turkey fryer. There are a couple of big parts and the box is fairly large. Fortunately, we had a three-quarters bath in the basement of the townhouse that we never used and it fit perfectly in that shower with the curtain drawn. Hubby doesn’t go with fried all the time as it is quite the process. This is going to be one of those years and the appropriate number of gallons – yes gallons – of peanut oil are on-hand ready to look positively medieval as it achieves the right temperature. It does have to be carefully controlled and safety is important.

Not That I Like Them…..

Posted on by
Reply

I have mentioned on numerous occasions about my “picky eating” in the sense of not caring for quite a few things considered “normal” by most people. I brought this up not long ago as I explained about our banana plant finally bearing fruit. As an update, these are the small sugar bananas. They still seem to take quite a while in ripening on the tree and we aren’t entirely certain what the optimum point for bringing them is. Hubby’s trying different times to experiment since we have quite a few. Some, he’s only been able to one or two bites from, but says they are delicious. In all fairness, at their size, four bites is about the max anyway.

On to the subject of eggs. I think I did once explain when Hubby and I were in our early stages of dating the first dinner he cooked for me was this wonderful stuffed game hen dish. He was disappointed to learn about me not eating eggs because he does make a great omelette. (He’s since converted to frittatas, but that’s not the point here). Although his normal breakfast continues to be leftover pizza, he does periodically take the time to make a real breakfast. There were some TV ads not long ago about the “Just Crack An Egg” product. It’s a microwavable round container where you crack and stir in one egg, recover the lid and zap for a nice hot dish. There are different flavors and rather than dehydrated items, they have them in packages inside the container. For example, a little packet of real sausage bits or diced peppers for the Denver Scramble. He’s gotten several of those and liked them. This week he discovered “Sausage, Cheese, and Egg Balls”. Similar concept in the pre-made balls are in a round microwavable container. He said they are good. For both products though, since they don’t use dehydrated items, you do have to check the use-by date.

Mentoring Women for Racing….

Posted on by
Reply

I’ve posted before about NASCAR, but also about how Homestead Speedway has lots of other activities that aren’t as well known. One of those is the FARA races that come I think twice a year. Hubby was at the track all yesterday afternoon. FARA is Formula and Automobile Racing Association and there are different classes of cars and types of racing. Some have the potential to go on to the higher level circuits of Indy, NASCAR, and so forth. In other cases, people have the resources to be part of racing at this level with no expectation of anything else.

Something special though has to do with a program called Shift Up Now. Hubby discovered it back in February and included this in his overall article: “Arguably the most well known racer to participate in the Miami 500 was Pippa Mann. She is an Indy Car Racer who competes regularly in the Indy Car Series and finished 16th in last year’s Indy 500. She now also works with Shift Up Now as a driver coach.

Mann was in Homestead to coach and co-drive with Kristina Esposito, a 17-year-old New York racer.

Shift Up Now Founder and CEO Lynn Kehoe was also on hand to support Kristina. Ms Kehoe summed up the mission of the organization as “We’re all about helping racers and non-racers by inspiring and instilling confidence in women and girls.”

With their partners such as TLM Racing, Shift Up Now will be supporting Kristina as she competes in the FARA series of races with her goal being a class championship.

Kristina also uses her racing to raise money to support the New York Fire Department’s Widow’s and Children’s Fund.”

Both women are here in Homestead this weekend, still doing well in their racing and promoting interest along the way. Hubby’s article will probably be in next week’s paper.

The Three Celebrities Pattern….

Posted on by
Reply

Sigh. We are all familiar with “three celebrity deaths in a row”, and this has been no exception. While Ken Spears, who helped create Scooby-Doo, wasn’t someone I knew anything about, there were many episodes of Scooby and the gang watched when son was at the cartoon age.

And to be fair, Sean Connery did make it to 90. Despite him having grown up in poverty, how could he have not achieved basically everything he wanted in life? Well, okay, he was a fierce proponent for Scotland’s independence from the United Kingdom, and that hasn’t come about. What wonderful movies from him though and what class over the decades. He was the quintessential James Bond, and others were from okay-to-good, but none could truly match him.

Which brings us to Alex Trebec. If you caught the Monday, Nov 9th intro to the episode, there was no way to not tear up as the studio VIP paid his tribute and explained all thirty-five of the final episodes with Alex would air. The fact he was able to do as well as he did during his battle with cancer was remarkable enough. That he taped his final show only two weeks before died was symbolic of why he was admired by so very many. I suspect no one will ever know the thousands of youngsters (and perhaps adults) he inspired in all those games of Jeopardy. RIP, gentlemen, and thank you for what you shared with us.

When Willing To Pay A Little More….

Posted on by
Reply

This is one of those fun things to hear. I may actually have previously posted about this  but if so, it’s been a while. As I have discussed before, I am not into spending money for the sake of doing so and those times when I have bought a “luxury car”, it has been a pre-owned, low-mileage one. The same goes for dining. Yes, we can afford the really high end places for special occasions, but quite frankly, we don’t care to special the extra money to encounter the attitude that too often comes with those.

On the other hand, there are times when spending extra is worth it, especially when it does support a small business. As we came back up from Islamorada this afternoon we heard an ad on the radio for a second location for Key Largo Chocolates.The couple that opened the store are hard working and have established a business that is pure, 100% discretionary. No one actually needs specialty chocolates.To succeed in such a business is impressive enough, but to be able to open a second store with everything going on right now – how great is that? Their secret isn’t really secret; it’s making this work the old fashioned way. They started with an excellent product of hand crafted chocolates. I won’t list the many types because you would start drooling. Yes, they cost extra, but they are fabulous. They added more kinds and create novelty shapes. Then they added an ice cream section. Apparently they also offer cakes now although it has been a while since I was in. They market well and attend many big public events as vendors.

A few years ago when my cousin brought her daughters down, she commented about wanting to get something special to take back for the lady who was looking after their dogs/checking on the house. I explained I knew just the thing. They were, of course, captivated and purchased a box as the present as well as some for themselves. Halfway back to our house my cousin remarked that perhaps she should have doubled up on what they bought.

It’s https://keylargochocolates.com and yes, they do ship.