A Disturbance In The Force

The first of my age cohort, the Baby Boomers, turn 80 this year, 2026.  Born between 1946 and 1964 all 76.4 million of us are kicking-off the new year with our growing dominance of consumer spending.  Why is this important anyway?  The US economy is primarily service-driven; not manufacturing.  Consequently, consumer spending accounts for roughly 68-70% of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This means that consumer spending is the largest component of the U.S. economy, and a major driver of economic growth.  More old people and fewer young ones are reshaping jobs and spending in all kinds of ways.  There's nothing nefarious about any of this; it's pure demographics. For instance, nearly all of January's job growth came from the healthcare and social assistance sectors with healthcare employment as the largest contributor to labor market growth in 2025.  

For any of you reading this who happen to be a dues-paying boomer ask yourself what of any of the following applies to you and your own situation. 

Exhibit 1 - The collective wealth of the baby boomers - estimated at over $78 trillion - is fundamentally reordering the global economy.  Retired and no longer accumulating assets boomers are spending discretionary funds while prioritizing quality of life over material accumulation.  Consider this: While younger generations may be tightening their belts due to inflation; boomers are the principal drivers behind a $544 billion travel market in 2026.  

Exhibit 2 - Boomers are more proactive with regard to medical care and lifestyle choices.  Whether it is preventative medicine, diet, exercise, active recreation and smartwatches boomers are investing in their future.  While some may choose to downsize, many are investing in their current homes and choosing to age in place.  This includes high-end appliances, landscaping, home improvements and upgrades in accessibility and other services to simplify daily life. 

Exhibit 3 - Value-based frugality.  Despite their wealth, it took a lifetime of saving, sacrificing and investing for boomers to get to where they are.  Consequently, they remain incredibly value-conscious.  Boomers demonstrate consistent brand loyalty and are more likely to drive their vehicles for longer periods than most Americans. They'll invest in home improvements if they believe it will add value to a future sale.  They're also less likely to spend on themselves and more likely to spend on their family members. 

To be clear, everyone's personal situation is different.  Moreover, as a cancer survivor I am smart enough to understand that anyone's number can be up at any time. Consequently, one day at a time.  Nevertheless, there's no escaping the fact that boomers are growing as a share of the overall aging population.  This demographic, referred to as the pig moving thru the python, along with their financial muscle is going to influence all sorta new business startups and marketing trends.  It's a good time to be alive.

Sound like anybody you know?

Roto-Rooter

Again, I have had the unwelcome but necessary opportunity to drink of the substance that facilitates the Big Porcelain Fountain Flush.  

A cocktail taken straight-up with a chaser of several bottles of Gatorade.

You know; The Purge.

If you know; you know.

Give thanks I am not sharing the digital imagery from my Roto-Rooter experience.

See ya in five years! 

 

Cartoon Of The Day

When you know; you know...

  

In The News

Making the local paper can be a good thing or a bad thing - depending-upon the circumstances surrounding the coverage.  In this case it is a good thing; on a couple of levels.

First, promoting the idea of non-confrontational dialogue covering current events and difficult topics is a good thing.  Actually accomplishing it makes it a better thing.

For several years now I've been the class coordinator for a Learning In Retirement course titled: A Fine Kettle Of Fish.  It's a class covering current affairs held spring and fall semesters at the local community college.

I am also a participant most Friday mornings in the Third Avenue Discussion Group; Group for short.

Made a bunch of new friends of all political persuasions and of varied backgrounds.  Further evidence the peninsula is really a little-known giant brain trust. 

You can read all about it here.  

New Eyes

You're probably wondering why this guy is  smiling.

It's because after wearing vision-correcting eyeglasses since the fifth grade he's driving his Mustang while wearing a pair of uncorrected sunglasses that set him back a $1.50. 

Since I retired my annual visit to the eye doc has included monitoring the progression of cataracts that have conspired to degrade my vision.  Cataracts are a clouding of the natural lens of the eye, leading to blurred vision, glare, and eventual vision loss. This spring's routine visit resulted in sufficient advancement of the condition to do something about it.

I finally got my chance to get my eyes fixed.  Two visits, one week apart, to the Eye Clinic in Green Bay.   

Cataract surgery removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with a clear artificial intraocular lens (IOL).  And for me it opened up a world where everything is clearer, brighter and more colorful.  I didn't know what I was missing.

This is an outpatient procedure performed under local anesthesia with sedation (you’re awake but relaxed).  Most commonly it is performed with phacoemulsification (ultrasound to break up the lens), followed by IOL insertion.  Truthfully, the prep and recovery took up most of the time.  The procedure itself took all of ten minutes and required no eye drops in the follow-up care. 

By all outward appearances things were busy at the clinic.  Inquiring of the surgical staff I learned that there were four operating rooms and two surgeons performing, respectively, approximately 20 procedures each day of my visits.

Cataract surgery is the most commonly-performed procedure on the planet with over 3.7 million surgeries performed annually in the United States.  Over 20 million are performed globally each year and the number continues to rise due to aging populations.

Over 98% of surgeries result in improved vision and complications are rare and usually treatable. 95% of patients achieve 20/40 vision or better (good enough to drive without corrective lenses) and many achieve 20/20 with or without glasses depending on lens choice.

Best of all the procedure is covered by Medicare and my supplemental insurance policy.  Between you and me this is good government policy; trust me, you don't want millions of vision-impaired baby boomers on the road. 

At the present time both my eyes have been corrected to 20/20 vision so I went to the Dollar Store and splurged less than ten bucks for four pair of +1.75 reading glasses and a couple of plain sunglasses - one for each automobile.   My doc sez that I need to allow a month (give or take) before a final correction in vision can be confirmed. 

We are blessed to live in a Golden Age of replacement parts.

Don't Forecast The Election

Last week, and before I left for South Dakota for a vacation and escape from the election nonsense, an email from a neighbor showed-up asking for me to make sense of an October Market Recap he had received from his financial guy.  This was a lay-up for me and I notified my pal that I would be happy to oblige - after I had returned from my ringneck-chasing getaway.  

I emailed him last evening as my last task before going to bed bone-tired.  What follows is a distillation of what I shared:

Neighbor...

What you received from Mr. So And So, CFP® is a rather detailed recap of the investment market's out-performance for YTD 2024.  It is nicely summarized and annotated with supporting details.

Contrary to some of the political rhetoric we've been subjected-to in the run-up to the election is the fact that the US economy is on a tear in most all of the sectors that matter.  Inflation has returned to normal and I paid $2.77 last week at the Brussels BP for a tank of unleaded regular.  You needn't look any further beyond the same observations and additional stats your guy provided.  None of that data is imaginary and the markets reflect it.  You, myself and others similarly situated in the 'ownership class' (retired owners of stocks, bonds and real estate with little if any debt) benefit greatly from an economic cycle such as this.  Emancipated from raising and educating our children our focus turns-back to children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren - but without the demands of a day job.

Getting back to the markets, and pointing out something your financial guy did not address, is an interesting implication for tomorrow's election.  When the S&P 500 Index rises in the final three months before the election the incumbent party typically remains in office.  Conversely, a drop in the index has historically indicated that the opposition will claim victory.

In 12 out of the 15 presidential elections since 1926 the ruling party has benefited from a strong stock market performance in the three months leading up to the election and went on to win.  That is an 83% streak.  

While a streak such as this would signal a Harris win; a streak is nothing more than a streak.  Streaks can be broken and I happen to believe that this election is too close to call.  Even the betting markets are evenly divided tonite.

If I was still in the day job, and was communicating with my clients, I would be telling them something on this order:  'It is important to be mindful that the outcome of the election (whether it suits your personal politics or not) is not a reason to react emotionally.  That invites investment mistakes.  If you don't like the outcome of this election, there is a high probability you will be pleased with the mid-term elections in 2026.  This is because the party that loses the race for the presidency this year will likely win the House in two years putting a halt to the new President's legislative agenda.  That's just the way things happen to play-out most of the time. '

I went on the explain that polling suggests that neither party will hold a super-majority.  In other words there will be divided government much as the Founders intended.  This will require compromise.

So, as we watch the returns tonite we should remain mindful that our Constitution has survived 235 years.  This will not be the last election and if the people dislike the policies they get; they'll get around to changing them eventually.   Blah, blah, blah.

I closed with an admonition on a subject (I have blogged about many times) - that being the federal debt and deficit.  The budgets under both Trump and Biden have manifested unprecedented deficits.  Given the reality of record high employment and our country not being at war this aberration absolutely requires attention in the years ahead.

What I did not share is my skepticism over either candidate rising to this task.  So time will tell.

All I gotta say is it has been a terrific game to watch for the last 16 weeks.  Sudden Death Overtime?  Who knows?

Sometimes elections, investment markets and football, are a roll of the dice.

See you all on the flip side....

A Fine Kettle Of Fish

Of likely Scottish genesis the title of this post is said to have its origins when the fishing catch was cooked in a fish kettle and served as a picnic meal.  Sounds like a Door County fish boil; but I digress.   

After the feast all the leftover bones, heads and skin would be left in the kettle resembling a mess. 

It is also the name of the current affairs class I help coordinate for the Learning In Retirement program at the local community college.

There is also a gathering on most Friday mornings of locals who meet at the offices for the Door County Community Foundation.  

You're probably scratching your head wondering, where is he going with this brain fart?

I've learned a great deal.  Covering a lot of ground I've covered much new subject matter.  I've learned about things I did not know before and become a better listener.  I still hold opinions.  A few of my opinions have changed.  Most have not.  A few of my opinions have become stronger.  Through both of these venues I've learned much and made many new friends - most of whom share a differing point of view or political opinion. We also share a common trait.

Respect.

It is sad to lose a friendship over a differing point of view or opinion.  And it is joy to maintain friendships and make new friends because it is OK to have differing views and be okay with each other.

No echo chamber.

Lesson learned. 

Serious Thoughts About Serious Reforms

Baby boomers are that demographic born between 1946 and 1964.  I happen to be a member of that cohort.  We are referred-to as 'boomers' because it was during this period there was a statistical increase in the number of births.  Our parents were busy making babies which resulted in a boom or bulge in the broader, general population.  When I was advising individuals on financial matters I would counsel them to to think of this as the pig moving through the python.  

Why is this on my mind?  First, I'm a retired guy with time on his hands so I think about this from time to time.  Second, there is a minority caucus in congress that would lead you to believe (loudly) that our annual deficit and accumulated debt can be made to be magically solved by reducing discretionary spending in the federal budget.

Nonsense.  The real problem that nobody, Republican or Democrat, wants to talk about is this.

As recently as last year federal spending for Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare and other healthcare programs accounted for 46 percent of all federal spending.  Very likely this year it will tip over the halfway point of 50 percent and be larger than spending for all other priorities.

About 10,000 boomers attain 65 years of age every day.  In 2029 the youngest of the baby boomers will turn 65.  Stated differently, all of us boomers will be age 65 and older.  This has multiple implications.

The growing ranks of retiring boomers is having a direct impact on the number of available workers in the U.S. workforce.  This turnover in the labor force has resulted in a shortage of workers in some occupations and locations; but it also creates opportunities. 

Social Security is primarily funded by payroll taxes assessed on wages.  The share of workers paying taxes has been falling relative to the share of beneficiaries creating an imbalance. This introduces an element of risk.  We all know about this and we should make a plan over the next generation to address it.  Without a plan the problem can escalate to a crisis.  Delaying to plan simply increases the risk and the scale of possible crisis.

Complicating this is only 55% of my boomer cohort has some retirement savings.  Of those who have saved, 42 percent have less than $100,000 set-aside.  Consequently, roughly half of retired boomers will have to rely on Social Security as their principle source of retirement income.  That is scary. 

Furthermore, we are living longer than ever before.  Each generation is exceeding the average life expectancy of the previous. 

When Franklin Roosevelt signed Social Security into law in 1935, the age to qualify for Old-Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance was 65.  In those days the number of poor people was greater and lacked health insurance.  When benefits were first paid in 1940, 46 percent of adult males did not survive to age 65.  For those who did, the average life expectancy was less than 13 years.  For women it was only slightly better.

For a 65 year-old couple nowadays there is a high probability that at least one of them will survive to 90 years of age or beyond.  And while life expectancy has risen the minimum qualifying age for receiving a reduced Social Security benefit has fallen to 62.  The result is a significant percentage of beneficiaries will collect benefits for a third of their adult lives.

Declining birth rates and the absence of a comprehensive immigration policy have contributed to a decline in the ratio of workers to beneficiaries from 5.1 in 1965 to 2.7 today.

Where do we go from here?   

Doing nothing simply increases the probability of a greater crisis.  Continued borrowing to protect the growth of Social Security and Medicare is unsustainable.  Budget voodoo suggesting that cuts solely to the ever-shrinking discretionary portion of the federal budget is equally unsustainable.  Shoring-up the system on the backs of today's working families is unfair.  Threatening another government shutdown is dangerous to our credit rating and fixes nothing.  None of the foregoing is serious.

The last time policymakers took a serious run at this was 1983 when Reagan signed into law major Social Security reforms as a consequence of an urgent benefits crisis.  In the intervening years those reforms have generally held-up.  Nonetheless, any number of demographic and economic factors have contributed to a projected exhaustion of the trust fund in 2033.  

Today we're not facing a funding crisis and reduction of benefits in three short months.  There is a big difference between a few months and a couple of decades.  Yet 1983 does have lessons for us.  One is the importance of a bipartisan deal like the one forged by Speaker Tip O'Neill and President Ronald Reagan along with support by both parties.

An additional lesson is the importance of phasing in change over a generation.  The 1983 reforms included accelerating scheduled payroll tax increases and raising the full retirement age; none of which impacted beneficiaries already on the rolls.  This afforded future beneficiaries decades to plan for retirement.  And the politics of gradual change is more easily accepted than abrupt change.   

What defines middle age and old age continues to change as most Americans are living longer and better than ever before so we must revisit our retirement expectations and the government and private programs that support them.  

We need to revisit the wage cap on contributions as a means to increase revenue.  I am smart enough to know that it is the wealthiest who live the longest and stand to benefit from smart reforms.  We can reduce spending by adjusting the earliest retirement age from 62 and full retirement from 67.  Remember:  The last increase was 40 years ago.  I am mindful that our population demographics are imperfect but far better than countries like China, Russia, Germany and France.  Yet unless we start cranking out more babies there is a very good case for embracing comprehensive immigration reform. The sixth paragraph (above) suggests opportunities.

We should be looking for saving money on those who don't need it and spending money on those who need it the most.  Medicare needs to be reformed for those who choose to work longer and those who might have to retire earlier as a consequence of a job that has exacted a physical toll.

Beneficiaries should be induced to delay retirement by means of crediting higher benefits later in life for increasingly delaying their retirement.

Add to this the hodgepodge of state by state perks granted to us seniors as a consequence of living to age 65.  On balance young families with similar incomes pay a higher tax burden than their parents who are better-off.

Now get off of my damn lawn!

Charts: Heritage Foundation

Winter Fun

When I had a day job a significant number of my Wisconsin clients had beat it out of Dodge by this time of year.  If not, immediately following Christmas.  They lived here mostly on lakes and in northern Wisconsin three seasons out of the year and by the time winter rolled-around they had vamoosed for warmer latitudes.

Not this retired guy.

When you have overcast skies, fresh snow and 26 degrees Fahrenheit and can work with your dog in conditions like this who wants to be in Florida or Texas.  For gosh sakes, they have cockroaches as big as your hand, poisonous snakes, fire ants and termites in those places.  Yeech!

Life is good...

 

Sunday Morning Update - And An Insight

Good morning.

Another day has dawned and as of last evening it would appear that we have a debt ceiling agreement.  To be sure, the agreement to avert a default now heads to congress; where its passage is clearly uncertain.  Speaker McCarthy continues to be bedeviled by troublemakers who may revolt.  As a consequence the Kabuki Dance and its theatrical drama persists.

I'd like to share some insights from Peter Zeihan, geopolitical analyst and author.  I follow him closely in my retirement journey to better understand the impacts of financial, cultural, political and military events.  

Zeihan's observations on the debt ceiling generally jibe with my own.  Namely, after threatening a sufficient amount a unwarranted self-sabotage an agreement will materialize at the last moment.  Fingers-crossed that we've correctly predicted the outcome.

The US is one of the few nations that imposes a hard cap on public borrowing.  And this is not the first time a political party has sought to weaponize a threat of default as a means of extracting budget concessions that should belong in appropriations negotiations.  Unless the system changes it won't be the last.

For the present, the Democrats have accused their Republican colleagues of cynically using the mechanism to damage Biden going into the 2024 election cycle and to slash spending that they would likely struggle to pass into law.

Of course, when under recent Republican rule, total debt under Trump increased by $8 trillion.  That is a whopping one-fifth (20%) of the entire total.  In all fairness, there was a COVID response back then and $4 trillion was added by Biden so there is plenty of blame to go around.

This is all just political theater; but it has gone a bit further than usual.  What I wanted to share is that Zeihan has pulled the lamp cord on my light bulb casting more light and added clarity for independents, center-right individuals and conservatives who have found themselves wandering in exile for the last seven or so years.

Zeihan reminds his viewers that we're going thru a period of political transition - something that occurs every couple of decades.  And when that happens the factions that make up the parties move around.  They jump ship, maybe they become swing voters or they might switch sides.  The stage that we're at in the moment is one where the fiscal and business conservatives have been banished from the Republican coalition while at the same time the MAGA movement has attracted significant union and populist support from the Democrats.  It is messy.

Between the unions, fiscal and business conservatives all transitioning, when it comes to the debt ceiling there's no one around to knock some sense into other fringe groups more willing to play with matches.

So, there you have it.  When I tell you:  It isn't my daddy's Republican party anymore. It is because it isn't.  The GOP has been undergoing fundamental changes since the onset of the tea party movement.  Donald Trump's trouncing of the Republican establishment in 2016 and his continued popularity among his base exposes the weakness of the laissez-faire economic approach known as Reaganism.  Reagan Republicans and Neo-conservatives who believe in limited government, free trade, fiscal responsibility, a muscular foreign policy and staying out of the people's personal lives need not apply.  Cancel your Chamber of Commerce membership.  You are persona non grata.

Being an old guy and set in my ways my cohort of like-minded individuals has little tolerance for performative politics.  So if you want to have a meltdown over a rainbow windsock on sale at Target that's your business.  It isn't going to add to the prosperity of my country, security domestically or abroad, secure the border or fix the systemic problems of our shaky entitlement programs.  It's basically a bullshit party platform.

While it sucks periodically to reflect on having outgrown my usefulness I'm satisfied to watch from the sidelines until the wheels come off.  I may be obsolete, but this old guy isn't gonna die on Culture War Hill.  I'm gonna enjoy the show.

The gist of what I outline above starts just before the two minute mark.  But watch the entire thing.  It's a short four minutes.  Thanks, Peter for helping me navigate this.  And a Hat Tip to Braumeister for the initial recommendation many years ago.....

Weight Loss Program

If you see this skinny guy around the neighborhood that would be me.

When I retired from the day job two and a half years ago I tipped the scales at a robust 210+ pounds. When I saw my doc for my annual physical in October I weighed-in at 188 pounds – the lightest I’ve been in likely 20 years. And the doc told me that if reduce a wee bit more or hold my place, by the time I visit him next fall he’d consider taking me off my BP and cholesterol meds.

Thinking long term a couple of weeks ago I went to my favorite menswear store (Fleet Farm) and invested in two new pair of Lee trousers in a 36 waist.

I want to raise a toast to near daily walks with the dog and no access to an office kitchen and all of the inherent temptations that lurk within.

Woot! Woot!

 

Big Bird

I'm reminded of the tune composed, recorded and produced by John Fogerty fifty years ago.  However, there are no tambourines and elephants nor any wond'rous apparitions provided by magicians.  I've got wildlife.  And when you're retired - you always keep a binoculars handy and monitor your trap line of trail cameras to monitor whatever walks, runs, flies,  hops, crawls or slithers by.  

Meet Antigone canadensis - the Sandhill Crane.   

A very large, tall, stork-like bird characterized by a long neck, long legs, and very broad wings. The body tapers into short tail and is covered by drooping feathers that form a bustle.  The head is small and the bill is straight and longer than the head.   

Sandhills prefer to live in open habitats.  For years we’ve had a nesting pair that arrives in early spring while the snow is still on the ground and before ice-out. 

They hang-out in the grassland behind the house by the big pond a couple of hundred yards away.  If you are a lucky observer their courtship dance is a hoot to see.  They’ll raise one or two young - called colts - and by autumn to late fall they begin to congregate in very large flocks before flying-off to their wintering grounds in Texas, New Mexico, Florida and Mexico.  They raise a racket and their bugling calls can be heard from miles away.  

I've been observing them daily as now that I live here full-time.  It really is sort of cool to have cranes living in your own backyard.  I should add that we've also a pair of mallards that have taken-up residence in the same pond.

That's better than cool.  

We're going to be grandparents again.....

Hunt

The weather has been absolutely spectacular lately - warm enough to hunt in a long sleeve t-shirt.  

Today marked the second afternoon I spent in a tree stand stalking the wily whitetail.

 

Spied four deer today - with none of them even close to bow range.

 

Nevertheless, a slow day hunting is better than a good day at the day job.

Retirement has its compensations..... 

Don't Let Your Politics Affect Your Planning

One of the things about being an old, retired, former financial advisor is that I carry the scars from wounds long-ago healed as evidence of decades of turmoil and uncertainty. 

Sure, mistakes were made. Nevertheless, I survived the Darwinism of roll-up your sleeves capital markets to emerge on the other side not just a survivor - but a winner. Tell me what the rules are and I can play the game successfully.

I now belong to the ranks of grizzled, cantankerous, Silver Backs – with long hair – and who only occasionally wear socks. And I would like to share some wisdom that comes from experience that has to do with a topic everyone seems to be tiptoeing around nowadays – namely politics. Now that I'm retired I can speak freely about such things.  

When clients bring up politics it can be useful to be prepared to speak about it in a thoughtful, sensitive, and productive fashion. Let’s face it – it is pervasive – like an old-school miasma. And there are many very good reasons to discuss politics including connecting with a client to know what is on their mind – to ascertain what makes them anxious, to demonstrate empathy and be an active listener. The consummate financial professional knows to listen, to respond rationally, address uncertainties, sort fact from fiction and never allow irrational thinking to impact important planning decisions. 

The risk is that much of this is done with some measure of professional peril.  If it is sloppy and ill-conceived clients may feel embarrassed, disconnected, confused and lose confidence. The very best of advisors always make a point to leave personal politics at the day job door. They are masters of political agnosticism. They listen with the intent to understand and not to debate. And they know at all times to separate planning from politics. 

The takeaway? It’s OK to talk about what’s on your mind with your trusted financial advisor. The relationship will be all the more stronger as a consequence.  

Alas, when you see a financial services individual getting their undies in a snit with a bout of Feigned Face Book Outrage – that’s just unprofessional.   Social media outrage is for amateurs.  Introducing political bias to the planning process is done at great peril for both client and advisor.

The Mother of all Admonitions - never let politics cloud your planning judgement.  It is just fine to talk about it as long as it does not cloud sound, rational judgement.  The truth of the matter is that partisan politics does not impart one side with a winning strategy versus the flip side of the political card.  

It makes little - if any - difference.  

That is a fact. 

Smart people can profit readily under the rules advanced by inept and even unsavory political leaders.  Knowing what the rules are is the key to winning the game.  Policy should take precedence over personality.

And if you want to spout-off about politics - there is plenty of time for that in retirement.

Firearms Safety

Those who know me would tell you that it is not at all unusual for me to have a pistol on my hip while walking or working in the woods or just generally out-doors.  

And no I am not some sort of deranged wacko gun nut, someone making a political statement or attempting to intimidate a visitor.  I am simply living the Boy Scout Motto - Be Prepared.  This habit started about a dozen years ago when around Christmastime I received an email from a friend that included a trail camera photo of a gray wolf taken a couple of miles north of here.  Hunting dogs and wolves are not on generally good speaking terms.

Over the years I've spared my dogs a couple of bad encounters with skunks, killed a few raccoons stumbling-around during daylight hours and behaving rabid and dealt a measure of justice for the depredation of nesting songbirds by ditch tigers.  There is also the risk of dogs running at large and locking horns with my dog.  I've never had an encounter with other dogs that has risen to the level of deadly force - but I had a close call a year ago.  Being prepared is a good best practice in rural America.  

In September of 2016 I was issued a Wisconsin permit to carry a concealed weapon - a CCW License.  

I should hope that I would never have to use a firearm for any purpose other than hunting or target shooting - nevertheless it is an additional level of preparedness.

It also affords me the luxury of carrying a loaded handgun secreted in a vehicle, the glove box of a UTV, a backpack, briefcase or concealed beneath an article of clothing. 

Anyway, the Missus and I have been engaged in various adult education endeavors in our retirement including taking classes in person and online.  For instance I recently completed a course on Native Americans of Door and Kewaunee County and Beyond.  Also the very timely:  Electoral College Past and Present.  On tap are additional subjects including:  The History of Diesel Locomotives, Medicinal Herbs and much more.  Exercising your brain cells is a good best practice.

Last weekend I spent a Saturday completing a firearms safety course.  A prerequisite to obtaining a CCW License.  Even though I already am a legal license holder I figured it would be a good refresher.  And it was.

Facilitated by a USCCA and NRA Certified instructor it was a review of basic firearm safety, handling and storage.  Basic stuff. Included was legally permissible possession, transportation and use of firearms. Most important was a review of the use of deadly force and techniques for avoiding and controlling violent confrontations.

Some takeaways for those of you who are not licensed but might be interested in what responsible firearm use is all about include the following:

It is legal to 'open carry' a weapon in public.  Nevertheless, is is not recommended.  It can draw unwanted attention and appear provocative to the general public.  A best practice is to carry concealed.
 
In Wisconsin brandishing a weapon is against the law.

You can carry a concealed weapon into a tavern as long as you are not consuming alcohol on the premises. Furthermore, you cannot carry with detectable alcohol in your system. 

Wisconsin is not a 'Stand Your Ground' state. Wisconsin follows the 'Castle Doctrine'.  Deadly force is permissible only to defend life in your own home (automobile or business) if the aggressor is over the threshold.    

Corollary:  The best weapon for home defense is not an AR-15 or a handgun - but rather a pump-operated shotgun.  If you are defending your castle it is a best practice to not go looking for an intruder but to retreat with your loved ones to a 'safe room' with your shotgun and call 911.

Use of deadly force to defend property is criminal.  Dogs are property.
 
Use of deadly force is allowed only:  

• In the face of great bodily harm   

• You must be an innocent party     

• No lesser force is sufficient/available    

• There is no reasonable means of retreat/escape

If you discharge your weapon it is not unreasonable to expect jail and charges even if ultimately found to be in the right.

A CCW license does not absolve the holder of civil or criminal liability for negligent weapon use or storage. 

The single best thing to do is to avoid violent encounters in the first place.

Walking the Dog

From our walk this morning there was this.

We observed the six-month anniversary of the prescribed burn that was conducted earlier this spring.

The tall grass prairie planting is now three to seven feet in height and you cannot see the house from this location anymore.  Moreover, you cannot see the deer when they are sneaking thru or bedding-down in this native cover.  

It is spectacular!

Yet, someone needs to inform this late-blooming Black-eyed Susan that it is autumn.

Happy Labor Day

Since today is Labor Day it seems only fitting that I should publish some self-effacing imagery of a dusty, chaff-producing fall chore.  Namely completing the final brushing of the trails.  Not that I mind at all - I even took no small measure of delight in digging and hauling dirt on Saturday.  What sort of retired kid wouldn't?  It's one of the  last hurrahs of chores before bow season commences.  A good labor indeed.  And Sunday was a day of rest.

These were taken Friday and Saturday from a couple of the trail cameras - including this one....

And a two close calls with the video set-up..... 

    

Door By Air

Yesterday morning we met-up with my cousin at Cherryland Airport  who flew over from Shawano.  We had a nice tour of the peninsula by air followed by Sunday brunch at Hot Tamales in Sturgeon Bay.

Our ride - Cirrus SR20 - piston-engine, four- or five-seat composite monoplane built by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota

Approaching Death's Door

Washington Island Ferry

Cana Island - 1869 lighthouse remains in continuous use 

Ship Canal, Coast Guard Station (bottom), Range Lights, Sturgeon Bay (top)

Following the four lane to the farm 

House (left edge middle), the 'burned' acreage immediately adjacent, forested component extends thru the middle and ends at the corn field (middle-right).

Should have built a larger shed
 

Big pond (lower right) is surrounded by what we burned the first week of May.  North boundary is at the upper third of the photo

 Fincantieri S.p.A. is an Italian shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. Already the largest shipbuilder in Europe,

Tracing its history back to 1918, and located in Sturgeon Bay, WI, Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) is an industry leader in the construction and repair of large ships.

 

Sloppy Plant ID Corrected

Sunday I posted this:

Now that the trails are cleared for ease of passage our walk today was a bit longer than usual.
Three months-plus, post burn, the pollinator acreage is ablaze in flowers.  We observed the expected:  Ox-eye daisy, black-eyed Susan, nodding pink onion, compass plant, prairie blazing star, showy tick trefoil, gray-headed cone flower, along with blue vervain and cardinal flower along Silver Creek.  There was so much more. 
Including this surprise:  Cup Plant.

The truth of the matter is I was wrong. 

It is Rosin Weed - Silphium integrifolium.  It is the same species as Cup Plant, Compass Plant, Prairie Dock and related sunflowerlike natives.

Rosin Weed derives its name from its resinous sap.

The correct ID of this plant was decided by the stalkless paired  leaves that are not cup-like.
 
We did not plant this.  Seems it found its way here to take-up residence on its own.  

Fine by me it's another tall native sunflower the overwintering birds will chow-on.

The retirement goal was to take closer note of the natural world.  

I suppose it's OK to be wrong from time to time........

Selfie

Clearing some basic trails with the New Holland and the Rhino.

All the trails will be bushwhacked in a couple of weeks after the primary nesting season is concluded.  Followed by stormwater management and trail maintenance courtesy of the Gift of the Glacier.

First selfie of 2020.

Check out that long hair!