blogsNH - Concord - Comments

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bnodland — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 21:55:23 -0400

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Thanks for the tip

Linda Odum — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 11:32:59 -0400

Thanks for the dentist info. I'm keeping both my health and dental insurance through my ex's employer, and it has always been pretty good. I'll look into Dr. Burdette's office.

One door closes, another door opens!

Jehardy — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 10:13:05 -0400

Hi Linda,

Good for you! The hardest is over and now you can move on to those new beginnings and opportunities.

If you're thinking of switching Dentists, I recommend Dr. Burdette (Cosmetic Dentistry of Concord) 6 Loudon Rd # 202, Concord, NH - (603) 228-1066. www.smilesnh.com Try them out.

He is pricey, but if you have good dental insurance that helps a lot... his work is amazing! They manage to keep my teeth in shape and it is no small feat! ha ha

Joan Fitzgerald is my dental hygenist and she is awesome! If they're going in your mouth, you want someone you can trust and feel comfortable with. I needed a root canal last year, not good - but I was able to watch a movie while it was being done.. They've got a great setup, very comfortable for the patient.

Pretty neat.

Take care,

Judy

kids in the yard

Linda Odum — Tue, 8 Jul 2008 09:14:51 -0400

Hi Elaine,

I always enjoyed hearing your grandchildren playing in the yard. They have such a grand time!

Is You're Fired a ceramics place? It sounds fun. I may have to pop in there sometime. Thanks for the tip.

Linda

New Beginnings

morsel81 — Mon, 7 Jul 2008 20:18:16 -0400

Crystle and Thor told me of your 'doings' the past several months....so I had to check out what you have been up to. I always enjoy your articles. I was sorry to hear what you have been going through. I too miss my gardens, but Crystle is actually showing signs of interest in it now. Guess she was waiting for the kids to get a litgtle bigger. They have a puppy now too. My sister and I go to You're Fired in the Lamplighter Plaza every Thursday evening from 5-9 for ladies night. If you're interested why don't you to join us. It's the best therapy ever. Take care - Elaine

Hey Neighbor

Linda Odum — Mon, 7 Jul 2008 09:22:13 -0400

Elaine,

It was great to hear from you. Thanks for all of the kind thoughts. Painting is not one of my talents, but it still may be fun to try. Keep in touch.

Linda

New beginnings

morsel81 — Thu, 3 Jul 2008 21:46:31 -0400

I was so sorry to hear of your 'doings' of the past several months. Hang in there, sounds like you have a great support system. Wayne and are living in Chichester and the kids in Hillsboro are having a grand time with the toys in the yard and having a house for my grandbabies. Crystle is actually showing interest in gardening. I miss all of my flowers and such too. You were looking for a good chinese restaurant - Fusion on Loudon Road isn't bad-they deliver. Also, give ManYee a try at McKee Square. They are yummy too. My sister and I paint at Your Fired at the Lamplighter Plaza every Thursday from 5-9pm (ladies night). Come join us, it's great therapy. Thinking of you. Elaine Emerson

Eclectic mix

Crawford — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 10:37:20 -0400

Yo Daniel:

Though the farmers' market downtown on Saturdays has excellent stuff, it's a bit pricey. For lower prices, great views, smaller crowds, you'll have to mosey on out to the surrounding foothills. Here's my list:

1. PYO Apples & awesome Peaches - Carter Hill Orchard, Concord. Side benefits: best view in Concord from their lookout platform, hiking/cross country trails, rope swing, some blueberries, other produce, and baked sweet stuff.

2. PYO awesome Strawberries & some blueberries - Rossview Farm, Concord. More a minimalist approach, they stick to their knitting: great tastin' strawberries.

3. PYO Blueberries - Blue Moon Berry Farm, Warner. A bit more of a hike, but worth every ignited hydrocarbon; they have more berries than man and beast (bear) can eat, and stay open till first frost on good years.

4. PYO:) Maple syrup - Hutchinson Sugar House, Canterbury. Also a hike (go to Canterbury village, and keep on going ...). Best if you stop by during Open Shack weekend when they serve all manner of things maple, and some not so maple.

No minimum

Ken Braiterman — Mon, 19 May 2008 19:37:05 -0400

I know of no legal minimum. That might vary with different funds. I think the practical minimum would be $5 or $10 thousand.

It's the joy that counts

Linda Odum — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:39:57 -0400

Yes, Terri, it is the small joys that help me through. As my marriage headed towards its end, I tried to find joy anyplace I could, and that has continued on. I hope it is something I will always do.

What is a little strange for me is being the recipient of other people's kindness. I was always the one who took care of everyone, who did all she could to help friend and stranger alike. It is hard for me to be on the receiving end of kindness. I had one friend these past few months who did so much for me, a lot of it simple things like making sure I had a can opener or giving me part of his stash of English tea. I didn't quite know how to react to his kindness, and often thought I might not have done a good job expressing my appreciation.

Hopefully I will continue to help others when I can, even if it is just making sure I listen to a friend talk about her problems instead of just dumping mine on her. Or helping a kid at the store who is short 10 cents for the candy he wants to buy. My real hope is to one day be in a position where I can help others in a more significant way.

Small joys

Terri Oberg — Mon, 19 May 2008 17:34:24 -0400

When I first left my husband with my daughter, our clothes and little else, it was the little pleasures that got me through the enormous pain, lonliness and fear. A kitten made us laugh and her purr helped ease the ache of lonliness. Warm cookies fresh out of the oven and the smell of bread baking filled me with a feeling of accomplishment. Dancing to my favorite music while cleaning expelled pent up frustration and fear. Standing over my child's crib, enhaling her scent as she slept, filled me with unspeakable love and devotion. Getting a new haircut made me feel pretty again.

Although I haven't experienced that kind of lonliness and fear in years, I still find joy in the smallest of things. When I put the bird bath in our side yard, visible from our kitchen window, I didn't realize how much joy it would bring just to see the birds lining up to splash around in my garden. The Cardinal pair who visit our yard are beautiful beyond words. Our kitten, now a 16 year old, still brings a feeling of contentment when she lays on my chest and purrs. The apple trees and lilacs fill me with hope of more beauty to come. My son covered in dirt and grease from attempting to fix his bicycle himself (I am quite proud of his accomplishments lately). A card from my daughter. And being able to give some of it back is wonderful too. I've been that person who has cleared the snow off someone else's car. I've been the person in line at the grocery store who came up with the extra couple of dollars someone in front of me needed. I've been the person who paid the toll for the car behind me on the highway. These acts bring even more satisfaction than when I've been the recipient.

tips

Linda Odum — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:51:01 -0400

Thanks for the tips, Ken. A big chunk of the money is going to pay off debt, which I know is a good thing to do. Then I want to put some aside as emergency savings. After that, there won't be much left, but perhaps enough to invest in something to give a little more security. Is there a minimum that can be invested in a bond fund? I wish I would have enough to make a house down payment--that is my favorite way to invest. But I guess that will have to wait a while.

Don't spend your settlement

Ken Braiterman — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:37:26 -0400

I don't know what kind of money your divorce settlement is, but if it's more than $10,000 in a lump sum, don't spend it.

If you can make a large enough downpayment on a house to live with a low enough monthly mortgage payment, this is an excellent time to buy. It won't appreciate in value right away, but if you know you're going to stay six years or more, you'll do very well. That's how I made my nestegg in the last real estate bust when the other Bush was president.

Another idea is to invest the money in a bond fund that generates the highest possible monthly income. Your principal will stay in tact forever and throw off that monthly income for you to live on. Mine is called Vanguard Hi Yield Corporate, but other mutural fund companies have high yield bond funds as well. For you, bonds are better than stocks because bond values stay much more stable, and so do their monthly yields.

If you try to live on money like this, it will be gone in a matter of months. That's why they call this money "keeping money."

The Funny Thing Is

Bill Bunker — Thu, 8 May 2008 11:50:50 -0400

The funny thing about the present fuel crisis is the following.

Clinton and McCain want to roll back the gas tax which would be about 45 cents on fuel for the three months of the Summer.

Opponents argue that this would save the "average" person about $75.

When fuel was $3.12, no one was complaining or calling it a crisis. Over the last two months, it has climbed in price to $3.55-$3.60, which is by all measures the same amount the roll back of the gas tax would be...45 cents.

Now if you do the math, that means that over two months the gas increase has cost the "average" person $50.

Over 8 weeks that is an increase of $6.25 in their weekly gasoline bill. Heavy commuters aside, it seems to me that is not alot of money. Anyone who is anxious about the increase should be able to find a way to shift the burden and save $6.25 elsewhere.

Long commuters are the ones that would be most affected.

The second half of that story is that some politicians are saying that we would ONLY save $75. That tells me that those same politicians can not care much that we have ONLY spent $50 more over the last two months if we were an "average" person.

Americans feel entitled to certain things and I am not sure why. Fuel and health care are front and center.

Terri is correct that we do not need to drive monster vehicles. The ones that give me the biggest anxiety are the four wheel drive Dodge RAM trucks that many of the contractors and their employees drive 100 miles an hour on the interstate. These guys drive like they are shielded like a tank and as if they are invincible. There sitting on the back is strapped a ladder and nothing else in the truck and most of the time no passengers.

The speed and offensive driving aside, they are flushing fuel down the toilet!

American way of life

Terri Oberg — Wed, 7 May 2008 09:07:09 -0400

....that is essentially what it boils down to. We are a country made up of spoiled children. We have become a nation of people who like the freedom of just hopping in our cars and driving where ever we wish to go, from around the block to the pizza joint to cross country to visit friends or explore some wondrous place.

I am as guilty as the next guy. Until gas prices started sky rocketing, I thought nothing of making more then one trip into Concord in one day (a 15 + mile round trip each time). Trains went the way of the dinosaurs because they weren't as convenient as hopping in the car. There are schedules to keep, one would have to plan their trip to Boston around the train schedule. How much more convenient is it to just come and go when you want and/or need? Who wants to share a ride with strangers when we can go in the solitude and comfort of our own cars? New Hampshire is growing by leaps and bounds from the influx of people wanting to experience that solitude and comfort.

This is the mentality of the country we live in. I mean, seriously, do we really need to drive a vehicle that is nearly the size of a small house? Until I start using a bicycle to get around, walk to the pizza joint to get dinner and sell my S.O.'s big truck and boat I won't be complaining about the rising gas prices.

I remember the gas shortages in the 70's. That's when car companies started producing smaller, "compact" cars. I remember my Dad getting a Vega and calling it "the bug" because it was so much smaller than any other car they'd ever owned. Now it would be considered a mid-size car by today's standards. We are a nation that waits until there is a crisis that effects our way of life before we demand changes be made. This spike in gas prices is no different.

Also, those countries that have been around for so much longer then us, have an infrastructure that won't accomodate our big, gas guzzling vehicles. There is more then one reason they drive minis and find other modes of transport. There are plenty of times I think simpler is better. There are even times I think some of God's other creatures are smater then we are because they aren't raping and mutilating Earth; they just take what they need and leave the rest alone.