We had a great Christmas day.  Gretchen’s family is here, so there were 11 of us around the tree this morning.
Christmas is about Jesus arriving on the scene, and since Jesus came with a purpose here’s what we read before eating breakfast and opening presents this morning:
Who believes what we’ve heard and seen? Who would […]

Here are the players in the drama:

Fast food chains (Taco Bell, McDonalds, Burger King, etc.) are America’s top buyer of tomatoes, largely from Florida.
Migrant workers (most of them illegal) pick the vast majority of Florida tomatoes.
The Florida Tomato Growers Exchange (hereinafter “Big Tomato”) represents and negotiates on behalf of 90% of Florida’s tomato growers.

Here’s how […]

Different bloggers have different philosophies about comments.
Some don’t allow comments at all, which I’ve always thought ruins the conversational potential of blogs.
Some allow comments but require approval of all comments, then only allow through the positive comments.  It turns the whole enterprise into not much more than a mutual admiration society (commenter 1: “that’s a […]

The kids did a great job today organizing materials and assembling giveaway kits.  Each kit fits inside a gallon Ziploc bag and includes a bottle of water, a pair of socks, a cup of fruit, a spoon, a pack of peanut butter crackers, a pack of cookies, a fruit bar, some wet wipes, and some […]

From Patrick.net via MyMoneyBlog:
Lawmakers in Washington are near final agreement on a proposed $400 billion bailout of SUV buyers. The massive amount of debt taken on by drivers in an attempt to ensure that their vehicles are significantly bigger than their neighbors’ vehicles has resulted in millions teetering on the brink of bankruptcy. “We need […]

I’m listening now to the perfect Christmas CD - Behold the Lamb of God by Andrew Peterson. It tells in 45 minutes a story that spans thousands of years, from Moses to Jesus. And many of the full song clips from the concert DVD are now available on YouTube (songs linked below).  The opening song […]

I’m doing an experiment with Google Ads (they’re on the right side of the page, under the Recent Comments).  They’re unobtrusive, contextual, and whenever someone clicks one I get a few pennnies, which will hopefully add up and help me pay for all the profligate spending we’ve been doing lately (new water heater, new heat […]