Sunday babble

 

Lena and Ron had a barn owl come by their Cardiff deck this week for an extended visit. Very cool.

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Somebody told me that Fallbrook Cafe has new owners. Is that true? If so, I can now go back there.

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Crazy morning, catfight with the neighbor cat and two of our cats stuck in trees. Hope tiger is okay.

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Big Dave sends a nice shot from Golden Gate Park last night.

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With friends and teammates like Joe Manchin, who needs enemies? Of course, his intransigence could backfire and hurt his constituents' black lung problem. West Virginians are actually number one in the whole nation at the federal feed trough.

While West Virginians picture themselves as flinty and self-reliant (the state motto is “mountaineers are always free”), they are by at least one significant measure more dependent on government than any other state. As I noted in an October column, statistics compiled by the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis show that about 32 percent of West Virginians’ personal income last year came in the form of transfer payments — that is, government checks that include retirement and disability benefits, medical benefits, welfare payments, veterans benefits, unemployment compensation, and education and training assistance. Mississippi comes in second at just under 30 percent.

I didn't have any money and needed to go to the bank. Or did I have money, I did have a debit card, didn't I? Am I the only person who feels broke without cash in his or her wallet, cards be damned?