There is no joy in Mudville

The last issue of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer landed on my doorstep today.

It's a sad day for those 170 journalists' comrades, for Seattle, for a free and diverse press. Hearst, long a symbol of American newspapering, chose to forget its legacy and treat its employees like dirt.

It is not a graceful departure.

But after the announcement earlier in the winter that the P-I would close "no earlier than March 18 and no later than April 1," after the shredders arrived in the newsroom, after the tours of the giant P-I globe, the staffers stuck it out.

They put out a newspaper every day.

Until today.

It would be a terrible thing for any city for the dominant paper to go under,
because that’s who does the bulk of the serious reporting. Places like us would
spring up but they wouldn’t be nearly as big. We can tweak the papers and
compete with them, but we can’t replace them.

-- Joel Kramer, former editor/publisher, Star Tribune,
now with MinnPost.com

Too good to be true!!

Ever have such a super day, you couldn't believe it?

For example:
1) Our accountant said last week we owed money to the IRS. It was a much smaller amount than last year, so we were relatively happy with that. The accountant told us today she found something else we can deduct, so we get a REFUND. What are the odds?

2) I got a ginormous bill from a laboratory for a blood test my doctor sent in. The insurance company was stumped. Turns out, the hospital billed the wrong insurance, which denied the claim. That's $300 I don't have to pay.

Makes me think I should buy a lottery ticket. (Or, be ready for something really terrible to happen to make all this cosmically "even.") I'm going with the lucky vibe.

Under construction

Matt and I worked outside today...as I worked on the weeds and the pruning, he announced he was building a community center and planting popcorn flowers "and other food plants." Now that's what I call sustainability.

It's great to be popular

Matt is usually the hands-down winner when it comes to mail...every holiday brings cards, letters and packages.
We passed the FedEx truck on the way back from the grocery store (do I live there? Yeesh) and he pointed out the truck and said, "Maybe we are getting a package at our house."
I asked, "Are you expecting something?"
He said, "Why yes, yes I am."