Come have a sit down with me around the Pot Bellied Stove and talk story.

[Carol]

Aloha,

Back in yesterday yore the farmers and local people would go to the local store, that often had a big pot bellied stove in the middle of the store, where they would often have a sit, a cup of joe and talk about the weather, planting, crops and just general gossip.

Since this is a global community it seemed it would be fun to talk story with one another and share what is going on in our real lives.

For example, today it’s overcast overhead and the weather is cooler. We’ve noticed that the entire summer was about 5 to 7 degrees cooler than last summer. We’re currently getting ready to take a course in aqua-hydroponic gardening. This system will grow fish where the water is then recycled and used to grow fruit and vegetables. I’m excited because anyone can become self-sustainable with a small area where they can set up one of these systems and not break their back in conditioning the earth.

I also read where Idaho had the earliest snow on record. Mom, who lives in Northeast Oregon, said they had snow Friday night and the drop in temperature froze her water pipes. Do you think we are really heading into the next ice age?

We also talked with some other close friends this morning who filed bankruptcy because their Radio Shack business was doing poorly with sales and they had to close up shop. I guess this news is a bit of the sign of the times. I'm seeing a number of the smaller businesses close in the towns here as well where they would be lucky to make $70 in sales for the entire day. And now our local surgeon is moving to Wyoming because he can make better money and not have to be on-call 24/7. We’re going to his going away party this afternoon. I feel somewhat sad at how these changes are affecting family and friends. I wonder how others are doing?

Please feel free to share your story of real life events as we continue to grow as an Internet global community and get to know one another.

Mahalo Nui Loa,

Carol