The Gift

Several years ago I had a conversation with an older customer of mine. He's in his late eighties, now. As we both love the written word our ramblings turned towards short stories and authors. I mentioned I liked both Hemingway's and O'Henry's collections of short stories. Then he left and I forgot the conversation.

An hour ago he walked in and said, "Stephen, please sir, will you walk outside and lend me assistance?" I agreed and walked out with the nice old gentleman and when we arrived at his car he reached inside and gave me two heavy books.

Shocked me. Then I remembered our talk. Back inside he told me his best days were behind him and he felt it time to dispose of 'clutter.' He continued, "And when I found this set I thought of you and knew you, of all people, would appreciate them."

I do indeed.

He'd given me the two volume set of the complete works of O'Henry, the pen name of William Sydney Porter. They are the 1958 clothe bond editions and, when you crack their pages, have that wonderful aged smell about them.

I hope his best days are not behind him. Good friends are worth their weight in gold.

I've much reading ahead.

I Want

A new car. Well, not new but pre-owned, as in used. It's time for me to face facts - my truck eats far too much gasoline. I drop close to eighty dollars a week between my drive to Little Bit's school and my business.

I want a Subaru like the one below.

A very practical wagon. Thing is, I know next to nothing about Subaru's, nada, zip. I did a bit of research yesterday. I understand they're the bee's knees on the road rally circuit in Europe, kick butt little cars. My son informed me their transmissions are bullet proof. They hold their value well. The 2.2 engine is one of the best. It's a 'flat-four,' whatever in the heck that means. I'm not a gearhead.  Weapons yes, motors and drive trains leave me cold.

I like the Subaru wagons - they have space for gear, rifles, and groceries. It's a full time four wheel drive vehicle that many use for off-road fun. They're tough. That, I like. It pares well with my survivalist mentality.

I came across an ad yesterday. There is this small 'fly-by-night' used car dealer here with one for sale. Trust me, not many of these cars are up for grabs. He said its a one owner 1999 Legacy L-wagon with only 124K miles. I've seen pictures of the car. Its beautiful. His price, though, scares the heck out of me. He's asking $3,759.00. Seems low to me. The blue book is over nine thousand. Even my son said they hold their price well, so why is his price so low, I wonder.

Seems I shall have it up on a rack for inspection before I consider a purchase. Looks never reveal the evil hidden within...

Now, I ask you, my fine friends - your opinions on Subaru. After all, there are a few Honda and Toyota wagons left out there somewhere. Oh, yes, I'll keep my truck.

Thanks,

Stephen

Bits & Pieces

Sunny and warm here. Should hit the mid-eighties today. Awful, awful weather. I want rain and thunderstorms with a bit of lightning thrown in for good measure. I like storms.

We had both grandchildren last evening. Their parents wanted a night out - movie and dinner. Five minutes after she arrived Little Bit wanted to play Monopoly. All of a sudden she's in love with the game. Its a wonderful game as it teaches children the value of money (like the valueless fiat currency we all know and hate and use each day) and taxes.

The first time she was hit with the luxury tax it was fun and just part of the game. The second time she didn't like it at all because she was saving money to out maneuver Papa for one of the four railroads. She catches on quickly. The third time she was hit with a tax she picked up her game piece and slung it across the room and yelled, "It isn't fair, Papa."

Ah, the birth of another capitalist.

Later, after she fell asleep, Sweet Wife said she wasn't sure it was good for me to mold this little girl in my image - or words to that affect. I asked why. Because, she said, our country has changed and she'll need to fit or blend in with all the other Socialist. (In jest, of course.) She's afraid Little Bit will be ostracized. Sweet Wife continued, think about it for a moment. How many other little girls own their own rifles, spend time searching the pavements for lost coins and then save them for later investment in gold and silver. How many other little girls understand the basic concepts of mortgages and property management and taxes at seven years of age. How many other little girls refer to none conservatives as 'democritters.'

Not many I replied, with a smile.

 
Little Bit was able to spend the night. After she fell asleep I gently picked her up and carried her to bed. Just as I laid her down she reached and touched my face and mumbled, "You're my best buddy, Papa."
I held her for the rest of the night. She's my best buddy, too.

Let's change the subject.

Gold is in a dip today. Hint, hint. Don't think of it as spending your fed notes. Think of it as exchanging worthless currency for real money, value. Gold and silver, my friends, will always be 'worth' something. Those pieces of fiat currency lose value daily.

Just a word to the wise.

Now, I've a novel to finish. See you later.

Stephen

Stagecoach Silver Rounds

These are way cool. An easily divisible one ounce silver round.

Check it out, here.

 
H/T, Commander Zero.

Stephen

FYI

Hate to beat a dead horse, but...

Morning Snapshot

by Peter A. Grant
May 01, AM
(from USAGOLD.com) --
Gold has been somewhat choppy again this morning; coming in higher initially on a weaker dollar and then selling off on the April ISM beat, only to recover into stable territory. The yellow metal remains firmly entrenched within the broad range defined by the 1920.50 high from September 2011 and the 1522.40 low from December. Yet as my colleagues and I discussed in the latest USAGOLD VideoRoundtable, there may be reason to believe that the protracted period of consolidation may not last through the summer.

Persistent expectations that the Fed will launch additional quantitative measures may ultimately prove to be the catalyst for such a breakout. These expectations have served to put a floor under the market, protecting the low end the range. With the number of double-dipping economies in Europe on the rise, it may be just a matter of time before the entire EU is back in recession. This risks pulling the US back into recession as well, and last week's US Q1 GDP miss may be a harbinger of just such a reality.

Japan remains a mess with their economy continuing to contract. The BoJ announced additional asset purchases late last week, because the past 20-years of ZIRP and QE have proven so successful (not!) that they may as well keep going to the same well. On top of that, concerns about a hard-landing in China linger, despite some indications to the contrary.

Even commodity based economies are starting to feel the pinch. Canadian GDP for February came in at a weaker than expected -0.2%, dashing hopes for an imminent BoC rate hike. The Reserve Bank of Australia cut interest rates a larger than expected 50 bps today on rising risks to growth.

More debt. More ZIRP. More QE. More currency printing. And I'm not just talking about here in the US. I'm talking a global reality check. Everything that has taken gold from just over $300 a decade ago to more than $1900 last September is still very much going on, and may be on the verge of accelerating dramatically in the coming months. There is every reason to believe that the present consolidation is simply a pause withing the long-term trend.

Stephen

Jazz In The Morning

I've jazz on the system this morning. It reminds me of the early 1960's. Nice.

I'm trying to type and answer a text from my friend, MDR. As a matter of fact I just typed, "He has a very shallow sense of humor," speaking of our Lord in relation to my recent illness. My friend, MDR, is funny and kind and generous and I respect him very much indeed.

Which brings me to the subject of this blog post. Friends. Friends I've met in this weird and wonderful medium we all call the internet. I haven't the time, presently, to link each and everyone of you. Then again I could just take a day to write this little post and do just that, link each of you. But, I've just flipped the shop sign to open and customers hate to wait. After all, I am a wicked capitalist.

Back on subject (to much coffee this morning) you. You, my good friends, never cease to astound me. I write a simple little vignette about my restlessness and my wife's emotions and you guys come back with such caring and understanding responses it leaves me at a loss for words, literally.

Thank you.

Stephen

Stuff to Read

A box from Amazon arrived today and inside were two books.

The novel pictured below was recommended. After I read it, and if I can remember, I'll let you know if it's worth the time and cost. Either way, I'm a happy man. Books do that to me.

Both can be purchased at Preppers.com.

Stephen