Government Shutdown??

Well, spring is here and the days are warming. The buttercups are gone, red buds are in full bloom, and leaves are popping out of the trees. Now, the sun just needs to stay out and the rain clouds need to stay away!! The University of Alabama men's basketball team did not make it into March Madness, but did qualify for the NIT. They made it to the finals and then seemed to fall apart during the championship game. Oh, well, I guess the fans are ready for the A Day spring football game coming up soon. We are doing well with the new decking material. It looks fabulous and is fairly easy to install. We thought the easy part would be making a run down each board and screwing in the clamps very fast. Unfortunately, that has turned into the most time consuming part because occasionally the screws strip. Once stripped, Tide Guy has to pull it out without removing the board. If we attempt to remove the good screws on a board, we run the risk of stripping those, too. We should have most of the top part done by the end of this weekend. Then, we have to remove the hot tub on the lower level, replace those boards, and do all the steps. In national news.... Gas prices are so high it is scary. Right now, our local Race Way is $3.59/gallon. There are predictions the prices may go to $5.00/gallon by summer or by summer's end. Prices of everything are soaring. I buy a 2 liter generic ginger ale for 79 cents. Today, the price had gone up to 89 cents. Now, a dime isn't much, but it has gone up over 10%...at once. If everything goes up 10%, everyone will have to cut back on everything. Japan is still having major problems with the nuclear reactors. It isn't know how much radiation, if any, is in the water system or food supply. Thousands have died from the earthquake and tsunami. A crew spent many days in a nuclear plant trying to cool the reactors. They still have lots of potential problems. It is scary. And, to make it worse.....our government hasn't funded anything in months so it seems Washington DC may shut down Friday. The military may not get paid....even those stationed and fighting overseas. The government hasn't released funds, extended contracts, and owes some companies for work already completed. If this resolution isn't addressed and a compromise happens soon, no one knows what to expect. It could get very interesting!! Tide Gal

Gas Prices are Soaring!!

Well, since the last post, gas prices have soared and will continue to go up. With all the upheaval in the Middle East and Moammar Gadhafi's craziness, the prices are out of control and no end is in sight. We paid just $3.38 on Saturday and the news stated the prices went up drastically last night.

We went to the University of Alabama's basketball game Saturday in Tuscaloosa. They played a great game against Georgia and won the game. The men won the SEC West division and will play Friday in the SEC tournament. Before the game, we had lunch with the people we sit beside during football season. It was so nice to see them again.

We have renamed the "industrial side" of our basement to "The Shop". The ceiling is done, the lighting is complete, and the floor is painted and textured. We have a shelving unit up, along with one work bench and a tool box. The sink and and cabinet is also done. Now, Tide Guy is installing baseboards and trim. It really looks great.

Spring is evident here. Trees and flowers are really blooming everywhere and things are starting to look green.

That's all for now.
Tide Gal