Happy Thursday

Just a brief note, and I do promise to get things going again here, Real Soon Now.

Saw a report yesterday out of Knoxville, Tennessee.  Lovely area, lived there twice, miss it every day.  Wonderful people, largely.

Largely, but not all.  Some notable exceptions.  One stood out in the news yesterday.  Seems a fellow was running a company that has government contract for military boots.  Some of use remember the canvas-sided boot worn in Viet Nam era.  I find it to be comfortable, but mine all wore out long ago, which took some doing.  Anyway, it seems this guy was now operating the firm that makes the current equivalent.  There are some requirements in the contract, as anyone who has ever done business with government at any level, certainly the feds, knows.  One of which was,in this case, the products be made in America.  But they weren't.  Coming from our "good friends" in China.  So he's in A Lot Of Trouble, as are several of the officers of that company.
The news agency mentioned all of that. Oddly, I saw no mention of the potential risk to military personnel we are now wearing this sub-standard gear.   An army travels on its feet as well as its stomach, so this approximates sabotage.  Doubt that anyone will hang over it.  Too bad.

sticking my head in the door 31 December 2015

that will be about the last time to show 2015 as a current date.  I guess that will substitute for progress.

The intention is to get this site back on track in the coming year(s).  Sorry for the mess.

Happy New Year to all.

VERY brief update

some things have been going on, well behind the scenes here.  One by-product of that has been the virtual hiatus on this site for the last year and long delays before that.
I am hoping -- not swearing to but hoping --to get things back on a more even keel in the near future.
There is some change going on in the world, the terms "re-shoring" and "in-shoring" are now, occasionally being heard, something I would not have predicted back when I was trying to get this whole thing going.  So there is some change, positive change.  And some change that is less so.
Be back soon, I hope.

a new resource Saturday, 4 January 2014

just making a newly discovered resource more widely known, perhaps

check out Still Made in USA

A Brief Note -- Sunday, September 29th, 2013

Sorry that things have been so disarrayed recently.  Hopefully, that will be changing soon.  It is Sunday evening.  Lord willing, this is our last night in Lower Alabama.  Again, Lord willing, this time tomorrow we will be on the highway progressing towards the Greater Cleveland area.  This has been a very very rough month or two, as we make some substantial changes in our lives. Having been away from virtually our entire extended family for more than 20 years, it's like Going Home.  Sort of.  Not sure my real Home is on this earth anyway, but will be nice to see family again.
So come back soon, we hope to have things more in order as possible.

Brief word 1/1/13

been on hiatus.
back shortly

another one gone

Most people know the name Briggs & Stratton.  Among other things, they make small-horsepower gasoline engines for lawn mowers, portable generators, and such.  Good name, good brand, good reputation.
And pulling the rug out like so many others.
It was announced yesterday that they are reducing their involvement in the operation in Auburn, Alabama to the tune of some 250 jobs.
And moving the work to  China.
Some may regard this as progress.  I am not one of them.  Nor, I suspect, would be those directly affected, or their neighbors, families, and others.