Buying a Company…..

Posted on by
Reply

I’m closing in on completing the initial version of, “Idyllic Islands”, the latest in the Chris Green series. This brought to mind one of the intriguing things I learned during my first post-retirement career.

As I think I’ve posted before, when I retired in July 1995, Hubby agreed I should take some time off to write the novel as he checked into his Pentagon assignment. In the months that followed I learned the disappointing truth of an unpublished author with no contacts in the industry. However, like so very many retired military, there was no shortage of government contract work. Since we were financially in a position to do so I didn’t want to work for one of the Fortune 500s and therefore went with one of the mid-range small firms whose corporate culture aligned with my own. Originally established with husband and wife and either three or five other close friends, I was like the 150th employee when I was hired. (Their ultimate selling to a Fortune 500 is another subject). So, my direct boss and I used to have lunch together almost every day. As one of the first females (okay as the first female) who was a team leader, they had their eye to groom me to move up in the hierarchy. As I explained to my boss (and the others who asked me the same question), I wasn’t suited for what they had in mind for four reasons (not important here). On the other hand, I was happy to be a sounding board for my boss and learn how the company operated.

One day he mentioned the owners were planning to buy another company. Ah, not something I was familiar with. As it turns out, it’s a fascinating process and there are lots of variables depending on the companies involved. In short, if a company, like the one I was in, decides to move into a new area of expertise, it’s sometimes more cost-effective to buy an existing company with that expertise than to develop it in-house. The processes of acquisition and transition are also interesting, but topics for another post.

Another “Go” of Openings……

Posted on by
Reply

While there continues to be concerns in some quarters about a second round of virus, Florida has become fully open with restrictions. In living in the “hot zone county”, we will apparently also open as of this week; again with restrictions. Hubby was in at the local college campus as they have just opened the blended class option – part time in class, part on-line. A student he spoke with said he thinks a lot of the concern is because of so much contradictory information. There will always be some of that due to human nature. Sadly, in this case, there has been so much politicization injected, it muddies the waters even more than the usual professional differences of opinions.

Anyway, we shall have to see how this goes. There’s what will no doubt be a lengthy school board meeting tonight to determine which schools will phase in students being physically present. There were only one-third of parents who responded to the survey who wanted remote learning as the single option. For every child who can learn well that way and have a home conducive to the situatioin, it is a burden for many. Yes, tablets and other equipment were provided and the internet providers did help expand into parts of the community with connectivity issues. That, however, doesn’t resolve the situation where both parents have to work or perhaps are not good enough with computers to help if there is a problem, or where they live can’t accommodate having three children of different ages on line at the same time trying to take classes at three different levels.

From an entertainment perspective, bars and musicians have been hit hard and some haven’t qualified for much, if any, financial assistance. At this point, it’s difficult to know how well those sectors will recover.

Teaching The “Isms” and Other……

Posted on by
Reply

Another memory jogged by recent events. I’ve posted before about attending a small Louisiana university in the town where we lived. I think I also explained while I was a Prelaw major, that was dual listed as Political Science. One of the required courses for everyone, however, was a 101 course about the “Isms”, as in Capitalism, Communism, and Socialism. It was heavier on history and politics than economics since it was required for all students. An interesting aside was due to the small size of the departments, we had only three professors; one of whom was female, another was from Taiwan – back when it was Formosa. As you can imagine, the professor from Taiwan had a very personal view of how communism functions.

Anyway, the female professor was quite strict about everything. She was also a Marine Corps veteran which was highly unusual at that time. So many non-political science students tried to avoid her class if possible, the dean allegedly finally told her she could be as tough as she wanted with every class she taught except “Isms” because it was the only one required for all students. I was in fact the only female Prelaw/Political Science major at the time, so there was a connectivity. Once she heard I was taking ROTC and joining the Army, that did result in some more personal conversations that, in turn, gave some insight into her “fearsome reputation”. As so often happens, when you learn about someone’s past experiences, it impacts your perspective. She was indeed still quite demanding, but we got along well. A funny anecdote which will only be meaningful to those who are of certain age was the morning after the infamous Bobby Riggs and Billie Jean King, “Battle of the Sexes”, tennis match. The professor came in, settled her notes and looked around the room. “I think we’ll start today’s class talking about tennis,” was essentially what she said with a big smile. The guys did take it with appropriate good humor.

Trying Another Tech Thing……

Posted on by
Reply

In the closures due to COVID-19, the arts have been especially hard hit. Many “fell through the cracks” of eligibility/availability for financial assistance. There was a movement to virtual performances which has helped some. As anyone who follows this post knows, tech is not my thing. However, we were given limited grant funds for some events and we were becoming almost desperate as to how to get them done by the end of September. The Seminole Theatre did set up a Cyber Series and I reached out to their head tech guy who has his own production company. And so, we are trying something very unfamiliar for us.

A Facebook Live Event, “Highlighting Homestead Culture” will be on at 7:00 p.m. tonight, Sept 19th. That’s www.seminoletheatre.org/watchparty

This is in collaboration with Homestead Main Street and the Seminole Theatre. Part I is “The Spirit of Fiesta USA”. Part II includes the only true “live part” as a trio from the Mariachi Academy will perform, then be followed by video clips of the very popular Club Hipico horses and the Ballet Folklorico dancers. Part II will Homestead themed art images from a dozen of our artists scrolling set to music, then a segment with Dance Expressions.
In the closing remarks, everyone will be invited to come back at 7:00 p.m. Sat, Sept 26th for “MuSing On Art” which is dedicated only to music and art. That will also be through www.seminoletheatre.org/watchparty

“MuSing On Art” (Sept 26th) is a compilation of mostly classical pieces from previous MuSe events. Two images from each of our artists will scroll in a continuing loop during the music so art is displayed for most of the time music is playing (approximately 30 minutes). The images will then be displayed once more as the narrator speaks. Then there will be a short segment on Art For Good before closing. They are two wonderful women who do “Paint Parties” that they have also converted to virtual and  are very popular.

I’ll be at the Seminole Theatre from about 3:00-8:00 as I see if this will actually work.

The Benwood Wreck….

Posted on by
Reply

Some who follow the blog are familiar with the wreck of the Benwood as one of the artificial reefs in Key Largo. This is what is referred to as a “natural artificial” reef as opposed to a planned one. All shipwecks become artificial reefs since the coral polyps that move through the water don’t care what they affix to as long as the surface will support the beginning of the colony. The same is true for small fish seeking shelter – a shipwreck is no different to them than a series of rocks. The Benwood was a freighter during WW II and was running under blackout conditions as was required. Unfortunately when two vessels in close proximity are under blackout conditions, collisions can occur. They salvaged as much as possible, but couldn’t save the ship. As happens, with more than 70 years underwater, storms have also battered the wreckage and scattered it even more. However, there is a large section still together and lots of pieces, to include the anchor, spread around. It is a shallow wreck at only 30-42 feet deep. There is always plenty of marine life around, usually multiple schools of fish and you never know what else you’ll see.

In finally getting out to dive again, it didn’t disappoint the other day. Hubby didn’t want to jinx it, but apparently a few months ago a sea turtle took up residence. I haven’t seen a turtle in ages and sure enough he was on the wreck. He seems to be quite comfortable being around divers. He hung around for a while, surfaced for air, and then came back again. He passed right in front of us, not the least bit concerned. They are always fun to watch, especially when they linger. Another fish I hadn’t see in a long time was a puffer and they really do tend to dart off. This one though didn’t and I got a nice long look at it. A very pleasant dive on the Benwood.

This photo was taken some time ago, but they do rather all look alike.

Turtle in Key Largo. Photo by hubby, of course.

Ah, Now I See….

Posted on by
Reply

We were supposed to travel to the Washington, DC area in late March, but of course that was upended. We were holding off thinking the event might be rescheduled and that, too, is not going to happen. We decided, okay, we’ll go up toward the end of October for a short trip to celebrate son’s birthday. We hopefully still have our credit from the flight that was cancelled. Apparently I will have to do that with a human being so I went on-line to see what flights are available before trying to navigate the process. Was I in for a surprise. We generally fly in and out of National Airport although the kids live about the same distance from National and Dulles Airport. The difference in the past is the things we were doing with the kids while we there made it more practical to go in and out of National. This trip is the opposite and thus using Dulles makes more sense. Except I checked and there were no direct flights. Huh. Okay, that means adding in transport from National to Dulles or getting a rental car – hadn’t planned to, but that’s manageable.

Based on what I’ve heard from people who are flying, things are a bit crazy. I now understand. When I went on-line to check the flights to National I was shocked to see only two very early morning direct flights instead of the six per day there used to be. (If there are limited direct flights, that hour makes sense for when it gets someone to DC who is on business.) All other flights go through Charlotte or Dallas. Why one would leave Florida, fly to Dallas and turn around to go to Washington is a puzzler, but let’s leave for the moment. I don’t have the energy to deal with this today and so will tackle it next week. Sigh!

Well, What Have We Here….

Posted on by
Reply

It has been quite some time since we did the remodel on the house and re-landscaping of the back yard. We had the banana plant, which had never borne fruit, in this wonderful pot. The woman who did the design and work for the yard (same one we originally used) replanted it into a corner of the side yard. She told us it would bear fruit some day. Quite frankly, it’s been so long, we haven’t even thought about it. So, a couple of days ago when I was coming downstairs, I glanced out the window and therefore saw the banana plant at a different angle. I was startled at what I thought I saw and moved to the window for a closer look. Hubby is always outside, trimming, etc., as we (well, he) tries to keep things under under control with the rapid growth of plants common in this environment. I asked him to come look. He, too, was startled as he realized there was not only a batch of green bananas, but also at least one more “pod” that should soon reveal more.

They are all on a single side of the plant and were obscured by some of the larger leaves.  That and not expecting to see any such thing is why we hadn’t noticed them before. An element of irony though is of fruits I don’t care for, bananas are at the top of the list. I may have mentioned this before – I don’t even like the taste of banana. I have no idea when I came to know this as I must have eaten them as a baby/child – everyone feeds kids bananas. Hubby will enjoy them, but since we have no experience with this, we don’t know what the yield will be like. We may or may not become a banana supplier to some of the neighbors depending on how that works out.

Our first batch of bananas – Sept 2020

Fish Vera Cruz Style and Other…..

Posted on by
Reply

Hubby had a Camera Club gathering in the Everglades Sunday afternoon. While he expected to be back around 7:30, our regular dinner time, they do sometimes get caught up in post-gathering discussions. We’d already planned to do swordfish, but rather than grill as usual which meant waiting for him to get home to start, I mentioned we hadn’t done Vera Cruz style for a while and we did have a can of tomatoes with green chilies in the pantry. We agreed that was the way to go.

He had a good time with the Camera Club and called me with his estimated arrival which did happen to be close to 7:30. In putting the finishing touches on dinner – used some leftovers for sides and made the usual salad, I commented on the first time I had snapper Vera Cruz – snapper being the most common fish used in the dish. In a moment of digression, being raised in a small town in Northwest Louisiana in the 1950s-1970s, Mexican food was Tex-Mex and seafood was not in the mix so to speak. Our part of Louisiana is 230 or so miles north of the Gulf and local restaurants carried only freshwater fish and frozen, breaded shrimp. Someone would occasionally bring in a load of fresh shrimp, but it wasn’t common then. Anyway, when I was in California for a few months while on a special assignment in the Army, it didn’t occur to me there was a difference in Mexican food. Was I in for a surprise. A pleasant one of course and snapper Vera Cruz was one of those first dishes I tried. Shredded beef instead of ground was also different as was a heavier use of cumin and a couple of other spices. Being here in Homestead with lots of Mexican restaurants, I was happy to see they have a variety of regional choices depending on what mood we’re in.

Birthdays and Hurricanes…..

Posted on by
Reply

We generally don’t make a big deal out of birthdays anymore although they can be an excuse for something like Hubby wants a new piece of dive or camera equipment and it gets claimed as a birthday present. The big Australia trip coincided with our 60th birthdays and 25th anniversary all rolled in together. (Okay, we played a bit with the timing, but they did all occur in a three-month span.) My standard birthday celebration is to dive in the morning, then go next door to Shipwrecks (wonderfully funky place) for lunch and later have a nice dinner at home. As sometimes happens, diving wasn’t feasible yesterday, so we’ll go early next week. That led to having a nice dinner out and in this case we went to Snook’s in Key Largo. They have one of the best sunset views, the food is good and it’s priced no higher than similar places.( If I’d felt like us driving another 30 minutes south we’d have gone to Chef Micheal) Anyway, it was a delicious hogfish meal with a lobster tail added in (we shared that). We also shared a chocolate peanut butter pie.

A fair amount of the day had been spent checking Facebook and a text from one cousin about the status of family and friends in Louisiana as Hurricane Laura slammed in at a Cat 4. It did drop quickly to a 3, but still lots of damage. It was a Cat 2 as it moved north. So far, other than losing power and a lot of lost sleep, everyone seems to be in pretty good shape. Actual damage assessment can start today. We’ll wait for the reports and to see who need what help in recovery. My sister in Houston said it was far enough east not to affect them.

Time to Transplant Another Orchid….

Posted on by
Reply

In our on-going effort to manage orchids, the one we’ve had the most success with is in the front yard. From soon after Hubby tied it to the tree, it began to thrive and we’ve had to do literally nothing to it since. Of the ones we have in the back, he tied one to another palm and it bloomed successfully for quite a while. The leaves still seem healthy and we think we’ll have another round of blooms before long. Part of the problem is we keep losing the tags to tell us what kind we have and therefore we don’t know what their blooming cycle is.
Anyway, of the five in pots, one has started to literally shoot roots off from a stem. When I first noticed this, I erroneously thought these were buds. I made a comment about that to Hubby and he said he didn’t think so. In looking closer, I realized he was correct.

We checked with our orchid friends on Facebook and they all agreed it meant it was time to move the whole thing to a tree. I don’t understand the exact growing process, but since it seems to work well, we’re happy to accept the advice. With the tropical storm situation, Hubby will wait a couple of days. (We’re fine; manageable wind and rain as the system weakened.)

There is something special about living in a place where having orchids in your yard is “routine” – at least for those who can follow directions. Interestingly, a friend who has a fabulous collection bemoans not being able to grow roses. There are actually hot weather varieties and although one of the local women is an undisputed expert, my friend claims he’s had no luck with any he has attempted. That is certainly not anything we’re going to try.

Orchid in Our Front Yard