Riding Bicycles in the Rain

Even though it's late October, I've got a powerful urge to be gardening -- to be out on the soil and to get my hands dirty. The Pacific maritime climate is fairly mild and there's plenty of things that can be done in the winter -- planting trees and clearing brush.

They have closeout sales at the nursery every fall. It drives the nurserymen nuts, because everybody wants to plant trees and shrubs in the springtime, but the fact is that late fall is the very best time for this.

But I'm smart -- in many ways I'm even smarter than New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman -- so I shop the closeouts.

This year I bought some sparkling pretty arbor vitae, small ones in gallon pots, for only $1 -- that's a steal. So I bought two dozen -- not that I have any place to actually put these little trees, but I just wanted to have them. It makes me feel rich. Buying and planting trees makes you part of the future.

I got tired of all that bad news from Wall Street -- so I'm investing in trees -- long-term growth. I told you I was smart.

Also, the snow geese have returned from Alaska where they spend the summer. Thousands of beautiful white birds, often very near to our farmhouse or flying overhead.

The goose hunters are also out -- in the fields, squatting in camo clothes near a spread of white goose decoys. I only hope the hunters can tell the difference between a goose and a house -- because I live in the house.

I enjoyed watching General Colin Powell give a comprehensive endorsement to Senator Obama on Meet the Press. I couldn't agree more, and Powell spoke very well. His motives were instantly challenged by conservative critics, and with some justice, I would say. Powell's motives are undoubtedly complex -- aren't we all like that?

Rergarding our serious financial problems,I feel that it's a matter of "Who do you Trust?" and which expert do you believe.

The predictions vary from bad, to very bad,to very,very bad. I choose to trust the prediction of Warren Buffet, who is betting on a serious but not disastrous recession, followed by a recovery and continued growth.

Warren Buffet is investing in stocks right now, I am investing in trees, and we're both going to win.

I have had some good patients at the hospital this past week -- some very old folks in their 90s who are going out laughing. Nothing bothers them at all. You meet people like this and it makes you proud to be a human being.