When daddy died a little over a year ago, food, plants and (believe it or not) ceramics started showing up at Mama's house. We ate the food (most of it, at least--I brought some of the good Southern pork shoulder that you can't get in Texas back home), and she put the ceramics up on a shelf in the living room. But the plants were taking over her living room. It looked like a florist shop.
When I left to come back home, she insisted that I take one of them with me. I told her I'd probably just kill it. I'm not real good with house plants. Still, she insisted.
I picked out a peace lily. She had another 3 or 4, so I figured she probably wouldn't miss the one I took.
I brought my plant back home, and it immediately started to die. It's not my forte, but I was determined to keep this one alive.
So I went to Lowe's and got some fertilizer stakes. The plant perked up real good. So good that I had to split it into two pieces and put them in different pots.
They languished at first, not getting enough light. The two did not look happy in any way. They were living in a poorly-lit dining room. So I decided to take them outside.
That worked for a while. As long as I kept them watered. They started growing and turning a shade of dark green that looked healthy instead of getting brown around the edges of their leaves.
Then we had a hurricane watch. The storm was tracking straight for us, so I cleared most of everything off the porch, including the plants that seemed to weigh so much more than they ever did before.
And I waited.
Turns out the best place to be in a hurricane is on the dry side. As Ike was barreling in, a strong cold front was coming in just as fast from the Rockies. The storm left most of Galveston in ruins and gave Houston the battering that we'd been expecting in Austin. (It took a sharp turn to the north-east, and Mama ended up getting more weather out of it in Tennessee than we did.)
Once it was clear that the hurricane was going to leave us breezy and dry, I put the plants back out on the front porch, again. It's well-shaded, so they get the diffused light they love. And it's been cool enough (not much over 90) that they haven't wilted.
So now, not only do they dress up our porch, they're thriving.
It's nice. Every time I walk out the front door or come in it, I see them. And they remind me of him. And of the continuity of life.
He's gone in one way, but he's still here in many, many others.
As I told my co-workers when thanking them for the flowers they sent, "I wish you all could have known him. And in a way, you do. He's responsible for the better parts of me."
And he's here in my plants.
Mama planted the crepe myrtle someone sent out in the front yard and put the potted bonsai on the front porch. All where she can see them just by walking outside.
And she gave 2 of the other lily's to my sisters. I don't know what they've done with them, but I wouldn't be surprised to find that they've done pretty much like me.
I know too many people who have too many bad things to say about their fathers, but I cannot join their chorus. Mine was good and honorable and hard-working.
That, by the way, is the measure of a man.
He's gone, but I have what he taught me, mostly by example, so he won't die until I do. And even then, he'll probably go on in my niece and oldest nephew (he raised them, too).
What I and my mother and sisters have left, other than the lessons on how to live life, are the plants.
The Daddy plants.
26 September 2008
25 September 2008
Moo, Moo
Chase is buying Washington Mutual, the country's largest saving and loan. Since WaMu's stock has been down-graded to below junk, it's worth almost nothing. The announcement came after close of business today, most likely because the Fed typically closes down banks and S&L's on Friday.
Since I wrote that a few minutes ago, I've learned that WaMu got shut down on a Thursday. There had been an un-reported run on the bank beginning September 15. When it's bad enough that a bank gets shut down other than on a Friday, going against regular Fed policy, it's really, really, really bad.
Either that, or they're playing politics and trying to press the issue of a bailout on their terms with Congress. First they had a deal, and now they may or may not.
Either way, it's not good news.
I have been predicting the failure of Washington Mutual for months now, as their stock has gone down and down and then down some more, finally settling at 5% of what it was worth 6 or 8 months ago before it got shut down. And like most of this financial fiasco, watching them bleed to death has been like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
I am afraid that today's monumental events are a harbinger of things to come: a cascading series of bank failures that could possibly overwhelm even the FDIC. Chase and Bank of America can't buy every failing bank and financial institution. Most of them are going to fail the old-fashioned way.
Flat on their faces.
My boss, who's been around for a long time (I won't reveal her age as a point of discretion and honor), says we're living in unusual times. She's been around for a while and seen pretty much everything. She stood in line to get company money from a failed S&L back when they all melted down.
She sees the world through the lens of history and experience. Her instincts are usually right.
She's nervous, so I'm scared.
Since I wrote that a few minutes ago, I've learned that WaMu got shut down on a Thursday. There had been an un-reported run on the bank beginning September 15. When it's bad enough that a bank gets shut down other than on a Friday, going against regular Fed policy, it's really, really, really bad.
Either that, or they're playing politics and trying to press the issue of a bailout on their terms with Congress. First they had a deal, and now they may or may not.
Either way, it's not good news.
I have been predicting the failure of Washington Mutual for months now, as their stock has gone down and down and then down some more, finally settling at 5% of what it was worth 6 or 8 months ago before it got shut down. And like most of this financial fiasco, watching them bleed to death has been like watching a train wreck in slow motion.
I am afraid that today's monumental events are a harbinger of things to come: a cascading series of bank failures that could possibly overwhelm even the FDIC. Chase and Bank of America can't buy every failing bank and financial institution. Most of them are going to fail the old-fashioned way.
Flat on their faces.
My boss, who's been around for a long time (I won't reveal her age as a point of discretion and honor), says we're living in unusual times. She's been around for a while and seen pretty much everything. She stood in line to get company money from a failed S&L back when they all melted down.
She sees the world through the lens of history and experience. Her instincts are usually right.
She's nervous, so I'm scared.
19 September 2008
Hippy, hippy shakes
This appeared in the NY Times on Friday:
Why Sergey Brin May Have Disclosed His Risk for Parkinson’s
By Miguel Helft
The Google co-founder Sergey Brin on Thursday disclosed that he carried a genetic mutation that gave him a higher-than-average risk of contracting Parkinson’s disease.
When I called medical experts and financial analysts for comment, the first question I got was: “Why would he disclose that?” They pointed out that since Mr. Brin is disease-free, may never get the disease, and even if he gets it, could likely function at a high level for many years, there was no need to inform shareholders or anyone else.
Mr. Brin declined to be interviewed. But my colleague Allen Salkin had some insights into one of Mr. Brin’s possible motives. Allen chatted with Mr. Brin at a New York party on Sept. 9 to promote 23andMe, the DNA-testing company of which Mr. Brin’s wife, Anne Wojcicki, is a co-founder. During their conversation, Mr. Brin said it could be useful to have one’s DNA code open to the public, where it could follow a sort of open-source model. If his data was public, he said, doctors — or anyone who was interested — could look at his results and make suggestions about how he should handle them, offering treatment suggestions if it showed he might be susceptible to a disease.
“I figure if I put it out there, people would look at it and I’d learn something I need to know sooner than if I hadn’t put it out there,” Mr. Brin told Allen. He also said he would soon start to blog about his DNA.
As of now, if Mr. Brin has received any advice, it is not widely known. The comments section of his blog remains empty.
This was the only response posted
Advice?
When I saw the mention of his disclosure, I figured it was just a way to publicize 23andme. For a zillionaire, who cares what you tell people - it won’t really impact your wealth in any significant way. For the average person, telling people publicly facts about yourself that suggest a health risk is a sure fire way to limit your economic future either by discouraging potential employers from hiring you or by leading insurers to charge you more for medical or life insurance. It really is never a good thing to publicly disclose medial records of any sort. Aside from being a bit of an odd thing to do in my book, it will never help you in any way and could well hurt you financially.
— G Stauffer
This was my response
There is more to Parkinson's than a career or financial viability. When one has to choose between life and stock options, the choice is obvious. So little is know about the disease that any gesture to increase awareness and/or open up new research avenues is a blessing.
Since Mr. Brin doesn't have to worry about things like health insurance or getting a job, he has the liberty to become an advocate. It's a rare opportunity that few of us will ever see: having the stature and visibility to spot light a disease that kills and debilitates too many people.
Watching someone deteriorate from it over time is like watching death in slow motion. Any effort to stop or reverse it deserves serious consideration.
September 19, 2008, 7:12 pm
Why Sergey Brin May Have Disclosed His Risk for Parkinson’s
By Miguel Helft
The Google co-founder Sergey Brin on Thursday disclosed that he carried a genetic mutation that gave him a higher-than-average risk of contracting Parkinson’s disease.
When I called medical experts and financial analysts for comment, the first question I got was: “Why would he disclose that?” They pointed out that since Mr. Brin is disease-free, may never get the disease, and even if he gets it, could likely function at a high level for many years, there was no need to inform shareholders or anyone else.
Mr. Brin declined to be interviewed. But my colleague Allen Salkin had some insights into one of Mr. Brin’s possible motives. Allen chatted with Mr. Brin at a New York party on Sept. 9 to promote 23andMe, the DNA-testing company of which Mr. Brin’s wife, Anne Wojcicki, is a co-founder. During their conversation, Mr. Brin said it could be useful to have one’s DNA code open to the public, where it could follow a sort of open-source model. If his data was public, he said, doctors — or anyone who was interested — could look at his results and make suggestions about how he should handle them, offering treatment suggestions if it showed he might be susceptible to a disease.
“I figure if I put it out there, people would look at it and I’d learn something I need to know sooner than if I hadn’t put it out there,” Mr. Brin told Allen. He also said he would soon start to blog about his DNA.
As of now, if Mr. Brin has received any advice, it is not widely known. The comments section of his blog remains empty.
This was the only response posted
Advice?
When I saw the mention of his disclosure, I figured it was just a way to publicize 23andme. For a zillionaire, who cares what you tell people - it won’t really impact your wealth in any significant way. For the average person, telling people publicly facts about yourself that suggest a health risk is a sure fire way to limit your economic future either by discouraging potential employers from hiring you or by leading insurers to charge you more for medical or life insurance. It really is never a good thing to publicly disclose medial records of any sort. Aside from being a bit of an odd thing to do in my book, it will never help you in any way and could well hurt you financially.
— G Stauffer
This was my response
There is more to Parkinson's than a career or financial viability. When one has to choose between life and stock options, the choice is obvious. So little is know about the disease that any gesture to increase awareness and/or open up new research avenues is a blessing.
Since Mr. Brin doesn't have to worry about things like health insurance or getting a job, he has the liberty to become an advocate. It's a rare opportunity that few of us will ever see: having the stature and visibility to spot light a disease that kills and debilitates too many people.
Watching someone deteriorate from it over time is like watching death in slow motion. Any effort to stop or reverse it deserves serious consideration.
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