Lake Be Gone

It's gone.  The lake is gone.  It really wasn't a very big lake to begin with, more of a glorified pond.  But now it is a series of intermittent puddles, tree stumps, and muddy earth exposed.

There were very heavy rains a couple weeks ago, and a small earthen dam protecting the lake partially broke, and the lake has slowly drained away.

We don't live right night to the lake.  It's within sight of our house, though.  Well, if you stand at the edge of the far right corner of our yard.  That's as close to luxurious lakeside living as we get.  Now, we don't even get that.

I'm not a reporter, just a musing blogger.  So I don't really know when it will be fixed.  Alison says she has read that it needs to be fixed by spring.  No kidding.  If not, it will become one of the world's largest incubators for mosquitoes.  That stuff is stagnant, and it's gonna get real nasty when it warms up.

I've changed my Christmas wish list to asking for mosquito netting.

UPDATE:  Daylight come, and the lake still be gone

My Rarest Feature: Tuesday Tidbits

Pixie and Ellie, in Mama's chair, contemplating the power of the unrelated photo, selected simply to boost blog views.

Here I am, with one of my rarest features, Tuesday Tidbits.  The name is relatively stupid, so maybe it's good that it's rare.

FAMILY

Doug visited last night.  He got a work assignment in Waycross and spent the evening with us.  It was good to see him.  He and Paige are heading to Montana for Christmas, so it's nice that we got a chance to see him now.  

BenJerMan's last day of school for the year is today.  Yeah, I know.  That sounds weird to say, being it's December 11th.  He has college courses that ended Monday, and he gets some credit for attendance or good grades or something - I couldn't understand all of it.  He tried to explain it to us, and we kept asking him to repeat it.  We had to stop because he was getting upset.  So, although it seems unlikely, it's for real.  He'll be home from December 12th to January 8th.  Might be a good time for him to get a job.

Alison has her Christmas party at work today.  That seems early, too, but Doug said his work's was last week.  Mine won't be until December 18th.  Tonight is the Writer's Guilds.  Party Party!

READING

I am reading City of Bones by Michael Connely, part of his series of novels featuring Los Angeles Detective Harry Bosch.  It's the same basic plot used on one of the seasons of Bosch, a TV series I have watched.  I don't usually read a book after I've seen it as a movie or TV show, but I'm going ahead anyway.  It's a book  I got from a library sale where you can get a bagful of books for $5.

I have a good number of books available to read.  I have a unique book selection system that involves random numbers that give the several dozen books I usually have waiting to select from an equal chance.  Some people find this OCD disturbing.  I find it fun and exciting.  

THEATRE

I got nothing.

I finished being the narrator for The Polar Express, which I loved doing, but I have nothing else scheduled until Valentine's and re-performing The Love Letters.

I did not try out for Beauty and the Beast, as Benjamin did not want to be in it.  Two more opportunities are coming up - A Midsummer's Night Dream, and the WACT spring murder mystery.  As it is Benjamin's Senior year, I will try out for whatever Benjamin tries out for.  He may not try out for anything.  We'll see.

TV BINGEING

We just finished Homecoming, a well-crafted suspense drama starring Julia Roberts.  We are now starting the second season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel - it's a fun show with snappy dialogue and many funny moments.  Its sense of period is excellent

I'm also seeing Nightflyers, a secondary effort based on a George R. R. Martin story.  Too many sequences where you're not sure what you're seeing is real, or a delusion.

WRITING

I'm having a tough time returning to fiction writing.  I am down and discouraged.  I can't get in the rhythm of it, and sales of my existing projects are devastatingly disappointing.  Yes, yes, yes.  I know I should do more to promote my books.  Many of the ways just involve tossing away more money, with little return to show for it.

I'm going to need to rethink all of my plans to earn money creatively and move more away from accounting.  I'll do something.  I'm just not sure what yet.

POLITICS

Amazingly, I don't have much to say right now.  Let's let Mueller finish up and see where we are.  Let's see how much power and influence the Progressive Democrats have in the House.

I cannot fathom people who are still sticking by Trump.  But that's been true for a long while now.  The attachment of the Trumpeteers just gets more amazing (and disgusting) every day.

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Well, that's enough tidbitting.  I see I used amazing twice within two paragraphs.  Sigh.  I'm not a first-tier writer.  Nevertheless, I persist.

Christmas's Opening Bell Monday Musings

One of my favorite events of the season, The Polar Express, was this last weet weekend at The Polar Express.  I get to do what I love best, reading aloud, particularly reading to a group of eager children.

I was assisted this year by both Julianna Lacefield, and Emily Beck, who is pictured above standing next to The Polar Express.  Both held up pictures of the book and brought in sound effects that enhanced the story.  I helped the children participate in the story by asking questions, and by answering theirs.  My favorite answer was when I asked for the names of some of the reindeer, and one little girl answered, "Elsa!" 

If I was smart enough to figure out how to make a living doing these kinds of reading events, I would.  I love them.

This year, we also had Santa with us!  Here he is with two of the very best young actresses of our area, Emily Beck and Marin Jeffords.

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The other big news of the weekend -

A national championship comes to Atlanta!  

2018 MLS Champions

Atlanta United!

Thank you so much

Greg and Doug Strait

for helping introduce us to this marvelous sport!

Today Is All About the Benjamin!

Happy 18th Birthday, Benjamin Sloan Strait!

Yes, now even my oldest boy is a MAN!

But have no fear!  Collectively, Doug & Greg & Benjamin & Me - we are still THE STRAIT BOYS!

You can take the 13-year-old off the driver's license ID, but you can't take him away from his comic books, movies, RPG games and carefully miscrafted puns!

18 years ago, Benjamin emerged, big (close to 9 pounds), but strangely reluctant to breathe.  He at first only did it when prodded.  He spent his first few days in Savannah at the Memorial neo-natal care unit.

But he soon was back with us.  And he's been pretty solid healthy.  A little asthma and a nut allergy, but otherwise very strong, with few down days.  He's missed remarkably little school, maybe a day or two every few years.

He's never been much of an athlete.  He played a season or two of teeball/baseball, and several of soccer.  He, unfortunately, inherited the Strait Gene of athletic success.  But never fear!  He has taken to martial arts and is doing moves that would hospitalize his father (if he was foolish enough to attempt them).

He is a cradle Episcopalian, a devoted attendee, and faithful believer.  When he was younger, he would also go to Blackshear Presbyterian for their Wednesday night activities.  He loves church summer camp at Honey Creek, having gone at least seven summers.

It has been one of the great joys of my life to be able to have performed community theatre with my son.  From Alice In Wonderland when he was just in early elementary, to last year's turn together in The Addams Family, I can't think of anything in theatre that I have enjoyed as much.  I hope he continues to have it as a hobby, and I look forward to attending his performances.

Another hobby that has been growing with him is Dungeons & Dragons.  He has become quite the dungeon master and has assembled a great group of friends that participate in his games.  That's another Strait gift - an outsized imagination!

Next year, he starts college.  He has already been accepted at Georgia Southern and Georgia College, with the University of Georgia still pending.

His major interest is psychology, blended with an interest in computer science and robotics.  This may change as he progresses, but I think it is an intriguing and imaginative place to start from. 

So, are Mama and Daddy ready for him to fly the coop and head off to college?

Doesn't matter.  It's going to happen, and we can't slow it down or stop it.  

He's a man now.

Receding Strait Lines

The waters recede.

Our flood, such as it was, is fading away.

The dam on the lake near us was damaged.  The lake looks slightly drained.  What waters escaped went in the opposite direction of where we live.  Even so, I have mostly heard of flooding on roads, not in homes.  That is a good thing.

Benjamin has gone back to school today, after two weather days.  There are still some closed roads, but not enough to deter school from opening.  They have runned out of free days to take - the rest will cause loss of other days previously scheduled off.  What with the changes due to global warming, they may need to rethink their days off policy.  They may need to move to an "act of God"  standard where some days may not need to be made up. Because I think this is going to happen more and more.

I have to rethink my non-accounting work strategy.

My books and eshorts are not selling well.  This is probably due in part to quality, but also due to incompetence in promotion.  I find it difficult to promote myself.  I am not good at it, and most of the strategies I've considered involve risking more money.  So, although I enjoy writing, it may never provide a way out of accounting.  This saddens me a great deal. 

Will I stop writing?  No, of course not.  Enumeration or not, it is a lifelong passion I cannot stop.

What I do with my writing time, a writing time I need to better structure, that may change.

I need to redesignate the time that I write, and the writing projects I work on, and how I market it what I have.

I spend a good chunk of my writing time preparing and writing pieces for this blog, The Strait Line.

But I have to ask - to what end?

I have well over 1,700 blog postings online.  I am adding three to five posts a week.

To what end?

I keep waiting for my blog traffic to increase, but my average traffic remains stubbornly the same - an average of about 3,000 views a month.  Sometimes it's a little more, sometimes it's a little less.

Most views are under 100.  Some are only around 30.  Sharing makes a huge difference, but people rarely share my stuff.  When they do, like my endorsement of Lisa Ring, or when I publish a friend's child's winning poem, I may get several hundred views.  But for the most part, no one likes, no one shares, no one comments.

I post a ridiculous meme, political or otherwise, the likes and comments skyrocket.  If I post a family picture, the numbers go through the roof.  I'm jealous of my own posts.

So, I don't know what to do.  The Strait Line is still a good engine for publicity (theoretically), but it is also a tremendous absorber of writing time.  I have to rethink things.

I'm not sure how it will come out.  Until I figure out how to make some money out of creative processes, I feel like a failure.  I'm not giving up.  But I have to rethink.

The Strait Line may recede.  Or it may not.

Can't tell yet.

New Ponds Monday Musings

The rains have come.

Deluge level at times, it has been a constant presence since Saturday morning. We now have a pond in our backyard, in a place we've never had one before.  There are other new ponds near us, too. The road to the side of us has water all the way across it.  There is also another new pond bordering our driveway.

The rains will continue today.

School has been canceled, for both students and staff, so Alison and Benjamin are home.  I am home, but that is due to my semi-retirement.  This month should be light for me.  Starting in January, though, I'll be closer to full-time than part-time.

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I am taking CPE courses this month, to keep up my CPA certification.  CPE is Continuing Professional Education, and CPA is Certified Public Accountant. 

I took one course last Thursday, an all-day Webinar on Federal Taxes for 2017 returns.  The decision was unanimous -  neither the instructor nor the class participants liked the tax code changes.  Nothing to do with liberal or conservative politics - it just fails to do what it set out to do.  It does not make things simpler.  They have once again made things more complicated instead.


For most people, the bottom line is - will my taxes be less?  The answer is - maybe.  Possibly.  The thing to note is, even if you are fortunate and pay slightly less, you may still have to pay in with your return if your wage withholdings were not accurate.  And the odds of them not being accurate are pretty high.  The IRS rushed out new tables for employers to adjust to, but they did not take all new factors into consideration.  So, you might find yourself under-withheld.  If you are used to getting a big refund each year, you may be in for a surprise.

If you are used to dependency exemptions for dependents over the age of 16, you'll also be in for a surprise.  The personal exemption amount for dependents has been eliminated.  You may not have planned for this, and you won't get a phat $2,000 child credit for those over 16.  Oops.

For those with businesses in their personal returns (Schedule C/E/F, Partnerships, S Corp), you could very well owe less, BUT the form to do this, 199A, is complicated beyond all measure.  You'll have to pay your tax preparer more because they'll have to spend a whale of a lot more time on it.

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Have I bored everyone yet?  Anyone still reading?

We saw A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas at the Ritz Friday night.  It's well worth seeing, with great performances, a heartwarming story of struggling to survive adversity, and a great set to boot.  And there are horses.  Really.  Horses. You'll need to check it out.

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In Trumpville....The cover is off the ball on Russian collusion.  Despite his pathetic denials, he was trying to complete a significant business deal with Russia during the campaign, and it clearly influenced his attitude and policy positions towards Russia.

The administration eliminated regulations that control noise pollution in the ocean, which will negatively affect wildlife populations, particularly whales. But who cares about that, eh?  Nothing should interfere with bidness!

Trump is sundowning his way through the G-20 summit, isolated and wandering past people he starts to talk to, then he just loses it and wanders offstage.

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Enough about our fearful leader.  How 'bout them sports teams?  Pierce County Bears lost in the semi-finals, but they had a great season.  The Lions and Falcons are in a heated competition to see which team is worse.  College football is over for me. I don't care about any of the teams in the National Championship, and the other bowl games are relatively meaningless to me, as they don't lead to anything.  I'm glad Michigan and Georgia are going to Bowl games, but they don't really lead to anything, and I guess I'm not enough of a football fan to stay motivated.

We still have the Atlanta United!  They will be playing for the MLS championship on December 8th at the Mercedes Benz Stadium.  I wish I could be there, but we will have our family representative there - Doug! 

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That's it for now.  I would tell you I'm going out to play in the ponds, but I'm too old, and I don't have the right kind of boots.

Until next time.

T. M. Strait

Start the Season with A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas!

Come see this first-rate cast perform A Laura Ingalls Wilder Christmas at the Ritz Theatre!

Seated at in the front row are the Wilder sisters.  Emma Barber plays the youngest, Carrie, with verve and humor  - she connects with the audience, and we can't help but smile when she takes the conversation.  Emma sister's, Allyssa Barber, has the central role of Laura Wilder, and sometimes narrates the action - this very talented young actress (who was outstanding last year in The Addams Family as Wednesday Addams)  pulls us into the show with an empathic performance that makes us really care about her and her family.  We feel her experiences, worries, and concerns, and we share in her dreams and hopes.  Hannah Hitt plays Mary Ingalls - Hannah was a faithful participant in the children's theatre, The Flying Dragon.  I have seen her perform and grow in talent for many years, and this is her finest performance yet. 

In the back row, Christopher Kuhbander plays Johnny Steadman, the slightly obnoxious boy next door - he is another Flying Dragon alum who keeps getting better and better.  Cole Hendley plays Pa Ingalls - he successfully reflects the quiet strength and dignity of his character, and it is easy to see why his daughters look up to him.  Cole was in The Addams Family - I was very impressed with his professionalism and dedication, and he was a great help to me, the Ancestors, and many others.  Playing Ma Ingalls is Julianna Lacefield, a good friend and frequent co-star of mine, and she continues to increase her outstanding resume with a stellar performance, brilliantly communicating the sadness of losing an infant child (something tragically common in that time), in both her verbal and non-verbal actions and reactions.  Stevie Howell effectively plays elderly neighbor Mrs. Starr, a woman who eases her loneliness by befriending the family, particularly Laura.  

A great play has to have all elements hitting on all cylinders.  The cast and crew of this excellent play achieve that.

Please making attending WACT's Christmas play a part of your seasonal traditions.  It's a relaxing and entertaining way to begin Christmas!