Signs of the Times

March 7th, 2010 by ken

Sign of the times in DeLand

“Mary, Mary, quite contrary

How does your garden grow

With silver bells, and cockle shells

And pretty maids all in a row”

This old English poem came to mind when I saw this sign in DeLand.  The rhyme has been related as to its meaning to Queen Mary, or “Bloody Mary”, as she was called for he torture and execution of Protestants during her reign.  Some have also said that the line,”How does your garden grow”, to be mocking her for her potential lack of fertility due to her never giving birth to an heir; that her soil, so to speak, was barren. 

So as I saw this sign, and after researching the meaning of this rhyme which came to mind, I wondered, “Survival Gardens”, wow, “be ready!”, huh?, what’s this all about?  At the very least, its a great sign and definitely a sign of the times.  Survival, you bet, we all are “just trying to survive” as goes the familiar refrain along with “hang in there”, the title of this blog. 

Yet, “survival food gardens” speaks to something deeper, like an invasion of aliens or the end of the world.  It speaks to defeat and discouragement and fading hope; it doesn’t speak of “victory”, as in “Victory Gardens”.  It makes me wonder, is our “soil” , meaning our economy here in Volusia County, barren and unable to nurture itself back to productivity?  If so, why?, and what can we do to make things better? 

I called the number on the sign to find out just what this was all about.  Steven Behncke of Eco-Zone Landscape was who answered and is the mind behind this sign and rather innovative service.  Steven has moved back to DeLand after spending several years in Costa Rica as a project manager with Kopali Communities.  He trained people in Costa Rica in the maintenance of the grounds for this community of Americans and European who moved to this peaceful Central American country to retire.  Except, instead of maintaining a homeowners’ association’s common area grounds filled with ornamental plantings and expanses of sod, Steven trained workers to plant and maintain food gardens whereby the residents could find fresh produce year round just outside their doors.  Just how cool of an idea is that – very cool indeed.  Yet all was not well.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Tough Times | No Comments »

HAPPY NEW YEAR, NOW LET’S GET REAL HEALTH CARE REFORM

December 31st, 2009 by ken

Folks, glad to be back posting after my extended hiatus.  I have been busy trying to make a living in the building business which is pretty tough these days.  Yet even tougher still, is the day to day struggles that many of us endure just to pay for our health insurance premiums or, worse yet, deal with your insurance carrier on the phone to get information or discuss a claim.  Even trying to find reasonably affordable health insurance or trying to understand the limited choices you have from an employer (unless you work for the Federal Government, non-Postal) is maddening.  Let’s face it, for the vast majority of us, health insurance and everything about is just sucks and we all feel like we are getting hosed big-time.

So what, right.  What are we all to do about it?  We’ve watched Congress and the President sell out.  Why? Why?, when we are all so angry about it; when we all need it so bad.  Why?, when so many other countries have single payer health care and their people don’t have to be burdened with the weight of worry and being ripped off.  When they are sick they just go to a doctor.  A doctor whose job is to fix people, not to run a business or be an entreprenuer.  Or if we go to the hospital we aren’t followed around by some person toting a computer cart whose job it is to find out how much you can pay and to get you to worry about how  you are going to pay for the visit even before you are being treated.

This next year, let’s focus on the elections coming up in November and make it a single issue campaign over real health care reform.  I think we all need a little motivation so I am going to post the link to the Federal Employee Health Care web site.

http://www.opm.gov/INSURE/HEALTH/INDEX.ASP

Please click on this link and prepare to see just what kind of goodies Federal employees get, including your Congressmen and Senators, the President, and all the staff.  Let me give you some facts to start you off with. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Structural Changes | No Comments »

Time to teach table service

August 3rd, 2009 by ken

Went to Norville Barnes the other night with a group of 12.  Overall not bad and the table was properly ready when we arrived for our reservation.  Everyone seemed to like the food and the menu specials looked interesting.  But, I ordered the slab of ribs and was not happy with the result.  The ribs were touted as St. Louis style ribs or dry-rubbed ribs.  I know ribs, I love ribs, but these were not St. Louis style ribs.  The rub lacked enough salt or garlic and was mostly chipolte it seemed.  The ribs didn’t have any smoke to them at all like they were baked in an oven.  At the very least, finish them off under a broiler.  But, I digress, Its the table service that I want to discuss.

With a large group, it is incumbent on the servers to work as a team and to identify who is the responsible party or if the checks are to be split right off the bat.  Our server worked hard running the food and didn’t get enough help from the rest of the staff.  If she had, all the plates would have been tabled in short order.  The restaurant wasn’t that busy so there was no excuse for the other staff not to jump in.  The bartender handled the wine and brought the wine to those of us at one end of the table who ordered the wine for the table but asked us if anyone else wanted wine and said that she would leave some extra glasses in case anyone else wanted some.  I’m sorry, but I didn’t go to a buffet.  Proper service would have been to place a wine glass in front of each setting when bringing the wine out and if any patron said they didn’t want any wine then quickly take the glass back.  She also should have asked each patron at the table if they would like some wine from the bottles that were ordered and not have left it up to us at one end to ask around.  Also, why was there no bread brought to the table to get the appetite going?

In any case, other than a few hickups, I would rate the experience a 3 out of 5 and I will be back but I won’t be ordering the ribs.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Not At Your Service, Possibilities Are Out There, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Still Hanging in There

July 6th, 2009 by ken

I am back after a hiatus spawned by all the stupid spam that keeps getting into my comments.  I really wish folks would just cut it out.  If you don’t have something to actually say about what I am writing about, don’t comment.  I just don’t get why these spammers do what they do.  Do they actually make money doing it?  If so, how much, and maybe I should become a spammer so I can make some more dough.  Anyway, good comments I’ll approve, the rest get deleted.

So, the economy still sucks and here in DeLand, FL, it sucks really bad.  The summer high pressure dome sits atop us with its oppressive heat, stores close down, people stay inside, the humm of air conditioners tell the tale of the here and now.  And yes, jobs keep disappearing; unless you work for our government, then the job cuts come slower and managers are advocating for those in jeopardy, trying to find them other positions and such.  Of course, in the private sector, no such help exists at this time for most people facing lay-offs.

Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Getting Through It | 4 Comments »

It Is Time To Call It Like It Is

May 10th, 2009 by ken

I will be getting back to the more development, growth, and politics soon but I decided to create another catagory and begin speaking my mind about the good and bad (mostly bad) of local eateries, bars, and coffee shops; it is time to call it like it is.  Its time because I am just tired of restaurantuers, and bar owners, and shop proprietors in our little community and its surrounds getting away with unbelievable crappy service, even if they serve good food.  So get ready people, its time to step up to the plate. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Not At Your Service | 2 Comments »

Forgive Them for They Don’t Know What They are Doing?

April 17th, 2009 by ken

I’m back and I am angry and thoroughly disappointed in our local and state elected officials.  As we all work harder than ever to try and survive this economic disaster we are in, our elected officials seemingly decide that it is time to put their feet up and get lazy.  On two fronts, affordable housing in Volusia County, and on SunRail, our central Florida commuter rail project, leadership has been absent, foolish, or simply lazy.

On the affordable housing front, the County Council was mandated by the State of Florida to create an advisory committee on affordable housing to find ways to add to the affordable housing stock in the County, an admirable idea.  Except, after assembling a very good advisory committee, seated with people who are hands-on day in and day out professionals who deal with housing as a career, the County Council, and staff, as expressed by County Manager Dineen, blew them off.  Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Now is the time for an income tax

March 16th, 2009 by ken

Hey all, the stock market seems to rallying and everything seems to be doing great, right?  Wrong!  Who knows what the stockmarket is going to do today or tomorrow or next week for that matter.  What is happening right here in our locale is more people getting laid off, a pittance for unemployment, lost health insurance, and our schools are collapsing.  We ain’t out of the woods yet folks and our state leadership is way too close to the forest to see those woods. 

The legislators are like a bunch of chickens scratching the ground looking for their next kernal of corn.  They are cowards for failing to look seriously at how we need to finance the states most basic needs.  I’ve heard it from people who say that a state income tax is impossible; it is never going to happen they say.  Mark my words, there will be a state income tax in Florida within 5 years from now.  If not, we will be living in a thrid world territory depending on the United Nations for help with funding our public school system and we will be turning to the World Bank to finance road construction and other infrastructure needs.  No wonder the Guv is trying his damdest to get the hell out of Dodge and plunk himself down in a cushy senate seat; not a forgone conclusion at all.  Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , ,
Posted in Uncategorized | 3 Comments »

Stop the educational abuse!

March 6th, 2009 by ken

Its been a tough week in my battles with the Volusia County School System.  I hate to admit it, but our children are facing outright educational abuse.  Educational abuse you say, yes, that is what I say.  So what is educational abuse?  Its when we send a constant barrage of messages to our children that we as a state, and as a community, don’t care much about their education at all.  Not every one is at fault, but we are all responsible and some serious changes need to be made – on all sides, teachers union, teachers, administration, parents, and the state as a whole. Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Structural Changes | 1 Comment »

More Than Hanging In

February 27th, 2009 by ken

I have written about some things that have been happening around West Volusia, none of them really good; people being laid off, businesses closing, tough times.  However, even though we are all “hanging in there”, many are doing more than that.  Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Getting Through It | No Comments »

Florida, meet common sense

February 24th, 2009 by ken

Sunday’s Meet the Press on NBC hosted by David Gregory had a couple of governors on it to talk about the stimulus plan.  Gov. Jindal of Louisiana and Gov. Crist of our sunny state of Florida.  Gov. Jindal was acting like a puppet of the tired old anti-tax right throwing out all kinds of reasons why he doesn’t want to accept any of the stimulus plan money for LA.  Gov. Crist was all tanned and smiley and only too happy to take all we could get, nearly $12 billion.  Why the divergence of method and style among two Republican Governors? Read the rest of this entry »

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Structural Changes | 3 Comments »

« Older Entries