More Than Ordinary Lives

Scott Adams’ recent Dilbert cartoon featured always unscrupulous Dogbert being interviewed as a financial expert. Asked, “What’s the best way to make money in today’s market?” Dogbert replies, “Fraud. It’s the fastest and has the biggest upside.”

Sadly, fraud is rampant in our society. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that online scams more than doubled in 2021 over 2020. Most scams target older people whose mental dexterity has declined. My email inbox fills up with scams EVERY DAY. Some tell me that my order has shipped when I didn’t order anything. Bank impersonators tell me there’s a questionable withdrawal from my account. Many variations claim I’ve been selected for a prize or am due a cash settlement. Once I got a desperate plea from our grandson who had been unjustly arrested and needed bail money. Inasmuch as Kit and I don’t have a grandson, this one was easy to spot.

Creative new schemes are unending. The most insidious are those that collect information about you and then pose as an institution with whom you have an account. Scammers can be very artful at recreating the logos and style of known corporations. But an incident that disturbed me the most came from a provider from whom I bought services. They desperately warned of dire threats and I needed their enhanced coverage. Experts warn not to respond online but to phone the company. After finally getting a live representative, she confirmed the email then tried to sign me up for enhanced coverage. That would have doubled my bill. But when asked specifically what the enhanced coverage would do that my current service wouldn’t, the representative had no answer. I concluded this to be a scam perpetuated by a legitimate business. The provider’s warnings continue to come. I’m still tempted to pay extra just to be safe. I pray that I’ll retain enough ability to discern between a wolf cry to get our money and a genuine threat.

We are swimming in fraud and there are serious consequences. Kit and I once lost a huge sum of money on a publicly traded stock fraud. I had followed all the guidelines for responsible investing. The fundaments—PE, regular dividends, diversification—looked sound. Stock rating services gave the stock a unanimous “Strong Buy.” Then suddenly the stock plummeted 90%. Somebody had discovered—probably by an insider tip— questionable reporting of revenue. First, he short-sold millions of shares and then called the SEC. Federal agents had then raided the offices. Everybody pointed fingers at each other. Nobody went to jail. The entrepreneur made hundreds of millions. Lawyers got richer. We got back less than 1% in the ensuing lawsuit.

Besides wanting to rant a little, I also hope to convey a warning. God might intervene to protect you, but He usually won’t. Therefore, don’t deceive yourself. Everybody’s mental dexterity decreases as they age. Many people cope by increasing their trust in others. A heavy dose of suspicion is more warranted. Fear can sometimes protect us.

Drew

Kit just received a used iPhone 8 released as recently as 2017. So, she’s only five tech years behind. As many of you know, we didn’t even have a cellphone until fall of 2019.

I now have Kit’s Samsung phone without a sim card. But my used laptop has Windows 10. That’s nipping the heels of Windows 11. I’m also trying to become relevant as a writer to a younger generation. For that, I’ve been streaming recent movies and shows via Roku. Now I know why I have few readers between ages fifteen and fifty.

I wasn’t always so outdated. At one time, I was on the cutting edge. Then calculators started replacing slide rulers. I still have my slide ruler just in case they come back.

If you’re like me—and I know I am—staying current is an impossible task. Fortunately for Kit and me, springtime is budding out in Washington. We’ve started working in our garden. That mostly involves a shovel, wheelbarrow, and rake. I’m 100% up to date on those.

Drew

The air is filled with love in February. Heart shapes are everywhere, chocolates are prominently displayed in stores, and bundles of flowers await purchase. We all love the idea of love. There is great joy to be able to say to someone, spouse, parent, child, or friend, “I love you.”

My favorite thoughts about love come from a quote by Bishop JC Ryle framed in our bedroom. “Of all the things that will surprise us on that resurrection morning, this I believe will surprise us the most; that we did not love Christ more before we died.”

Those words cause me to think a little more broadly about love. I envision the moment when I will see Christ face to face. Then all that He has chosen to not reveal about Himself will be revealed and I will see Him in His glory. Much like Job I will say, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes see you.” Then I will add, “And how I wish I had loved you more.”

That quote causes me to think of greater love, God’s love for me. I’m reminded of expressions of love we often use, perhaps between a child and parent.

The child says, “I love you.”

And the parent knowingly replies, “I love you more.”

So, I say to Christ, “I love you.”

And He knowingly replies, “I love you more.”

EPSON MFP image

I recently read a remarkable book, Being Mortal, by medical Doctor Atul Gawande. The topic is end-of-life care. Along with the results of major research projects, Dr. Gawande shares distressing anecdotes of patients suffering needlessly due to misunderstanding of their needs. Although written primarily for health-care professionals, I learned important lessons of direct value. I’m using the ideas planning for Kit’s and my declining years, especially in the circumstance of having no children.

1. Dr. Gawande explains that most medical physicians are oriented toward cures. And many are reluctant to take away a terminal patient’s or their family’s hope. Physicians can thereby offer unlikely-to-work “lottery chance” treatments that may shorten a patient’s life or ruin their last best days. Dr. Gawande recommends early consultation with geriatric doctors.

2. Dr. Gawande makes a strong case that most “assisted living” services have devolved into being little better than nursing homes. He claims that overemphasis on facility safety has taken away a resident’s ability to make choices especially those that involve any risk. Some exceptional facilities are available. The factors to look for in the best arrangements are allowing residents a sense of having one’s own home and a sense of usefulness, perhaps by caring for a pet.

3. Dr. Gawande espouses use of hospice services. He urges those continuing cure-oriented treatments to use hospice concurrently.

Most who read this are nudging into older age or have parents who are. A decade ago, Kit and I recognized declines in our physical abilities and initiated a saying. Each day is our last best day. Make the most of it.

Drew

Three separate snowfalls homebound us for eight days starting Christmas. That’s unusual for our area of Washington but not as unusual as the low teens temperatures.

Before the deepfreeze, we brought freezable items into the garage including the hummingbird feeder. Although our local variety, Anna’s hummingbird, overwinters here, neither Kit nor myself had seen one since before Thanksgiving. Then as the initial snow deepened, I saw a hummingbird waiting at the feeder’s previous location. I quickly filled a feeder and rushed it out. The little male looked funny coming amidst heavy snowfall.

Because the sweetened water froze quickly, I alternated feeders, one available the other thawing. At one point, Kit reported the little bird had frozen onto the feeder. Completely motionless for minutes he did appear dead on the perch. But he darted away when I went out to investigate.

At nightfall, I brought in both feeders to prepare for the frigid next day. I had never seen any hummingbird active at night. Working late I heard the unmistakable buzz of hummingbird wings at my office window. Temperatures had fallen to the low teens. I imagined the difficulty of the tiny bird staying warm without food. Hummingbirds consume about half their body weight a day in normal weather. He must be starving, I realized. Immediately, we started alternating feeders all night.

Our hummingbird only comes occasionally now that temperatures have moderated and most of the snow has melted. I’m certain we saved him.

Kit and I had a wonderful Christmas. We made a list and for three weeks prior did every fun thing we could imagine. But now that it’s all over, the part that gives me the most joy is saving Anna’s hummingbird. Why? I asked myself. I believe because that involved kindness. Kindness is its own reward.

In Our Lord,

Drew

Kit and I always fall asleep on New Year’s Eve well before midnight. It isn’t because we’re old. We did the same in our thirties.

Even so, we’re not without New Year family traditions. Each year we jointly write a State of the Family declaration just for us. In four categories—Spiritual, Finance, Health, and Recreation—we evaluate the year ending and set goals for the year ahead. The exercise is generally a great encouragement for accomplishing goals and sometimes an admonition to do better in the coming year. The exercise closes out each year and begins another

But the exercise is primarily a form of intimate communication. We discuss priorities, values, and objectives. The declaration also serves as a record of our agreements. This mitigates later conflicts because during the year we can review what we had intended. Either of us can forget purely verbal plans. Try this to avoid misunderstanding each other .

Happy New Year !!!

In Our Lord,

Drew

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Port Defiance Zoo near where we live has a polar bear. During our big snow last winter, local media showed pictures of the bear reveling in the moment. His joy was evident to all.

But I don’t need to go to the zoo to see a creature happy in snow. My Minnesota-born wife Kit loves snow. Me? I rejoice in Christmas regardless of the weather. The Christmas season to me is much bigger than all the other holidays combined. Together Kit and I enjoy every red-and-green moment starting in October. A white Christmas can make the season perfect.

Now joy-upon-joy, our local weather forecasters are predicting a white Christmas and continuing snows the following week. Washington is especially beautiful in snow because of so many snow-holding evergreens.

From the deepest part of my heart, I pray a joyous Christmas for you. This is a time to lay aside the year’s struggles and thank God for the baby Jesus.

Oh, and I predict a snowy New Year for many of you. No, I’m not prescience. Washington’s weather usually sweeps across the country.

Drew

Kit and I are selling our novels in Washington. Each is entertaining and carries a wholesome message. Getting copies into circulation is a route to stimulate Internet sales. Christmas markets are one way to do so.

We fared poorly at one market. The booth next to us sold art created by a pig. The pig’s owners had put dabs of paint on canvases then covered the paint with a plastic sheet and put food on top. The pig smeared the paint with its snout while eating.  8.5 X 11 paintings by the pig sold for 50% more than our novels created by great effort and expense. Larger pig-created canvases sold for even more. People crowded to buy the pig’s art while we and our novels sat ignored. Like the prodigal son, I was jealous of a pig.

We hope you are experiencing a joyous Christmas season.

Drew

An amazing article written by Kit has been published worldwide by Cru. Click here for Kit’s article.  Sometimes Life Doesn’t Work Out as We Hope  This link remains on our guarded website and is safe. 

Time Magazine, Oct 25^th, 2021, published a remarkably relevant article “The Future of Money.” The article traced the history of American money. Prior to the Civil War banks printed their own paper money. Then the government placed a tax on self-printed money effectively giving themselves a monopoly on printing money. Gold backed certificates predominated from the 1870s until 1971. But there wasn’t enough gold to back all the currency needed. Now we have fiat-based dollars where the government doesn’t even need to print bills. They basically wave trillions of dollars into existence in their own accounts and spend them. The value of dollars is based solely on faith in the US government.

Faith in our government is wearing thin these days no matter what your political values. Both political parties fund their agendas by ever skyrocketing deficits. Eventually America’s debt, like the proverbial chickens, will come home to roost. I believe the biggest threat to America is not any external enemy, but failure of our monetary system. The ensuing chaos will cause unthinkable suffering. Waning faith in government has given rise to many internet-based cryptocurrencies. In the case of the largest, Bitcoin, money is “mined” by massive computers solving puzzles. I wonder, what real value that is to back currency other than speculative?  Jackson Palmer the co-creator of Dogecoin, the second largest  cryptocurrency, has called it a “scam.”

Let me pose an alternative. Create a currency based on something real and measurable. I suggest universally acknowledged electrical power. The new currency would be based on kilowatt hours. Power companies could issue as many kilowatt-hour certificates as they produce. But the nature of electricity generation is that you can’t generate more than are used. The certificates could be used to pay power bills or circulated as legal tender. Banks could run accounts and make loans in the kilowatt-hour tender. The government could borrow in the kilowatt-hour tender but not simply create fiat money out of thin air. Kilowatt-hour money would be worth the same thing in every country.

Time Magazine did not make firm predictions about the future of money but concluded that it would be very different than now.

Somebody, please tell me why this won’t work before I make a fool of myself by publishing the idea.