Elser Family Blog

I just love when this happens.
I get an anonymous looking piece of mail, I open it, and its a check from Google.
It’s like money from the sky. I put some of their advertising on two of my webpages, and they get enough traffic that I get a hundred bucks every other month.
Click on the picture for a larger version.

I might have to add their advertising to more of my pages… Perhaps this page? 🙂

We have too many bicycles.
We have three tricycles and 10 bicycles, and one unicycle.
Only one of the bicycles is not fully functional.
Only two of them were purchased new (H’s this summer, and K’s in 199..5?)

People are constantly throwing out perfectly good bicycles. Its hard for me to pass them up.
I have been toting around a couple of these bicycles for many years.
The big tricycle? Purchased that in ~1996 in a forest park antique shop window for $25. I knew my future kids would like it.
Melinda has a very cool blue Schwinn Pixie with a banana seat. It is in mint condition (I do have to replace the innertubes, they don’t hold air for long anymore) I found it in the garbage in… Get this… 1988 when I lived in Palatine Ill. Its really a work of engineering. It weighs twice as much as the new bikes its size, (16 inch) but rides like a Cadillac. And is just as easy to pedal.

There are about 4 walmart specials in the mix, but still, they work perfectly fine, and the kids ride them all.

But alas, some of them are going to have to go. I think it will probably be the walmart specials.
Ill donate them to the local resale shop. Heck, they aught to be worth $5. (sigh)

Breaking news.. we should get our camera back soon.

M and I went to a birthday party for her classmate Cooper today. She had fun playing in the park where it was held.
Picture this: A shelter with a grill to cook the hotdogs we ate. Plenty of balloons and colorful tablecloths to celebrate. A playground with no swings, but a couple of slides and animals on auto springs. A hot fall day, ~95f degrees. A frog for a cake, but no candles because there was too much of a breeze.

It was a nice 4 year olds birthday.

In other news that I have neglected over the last couple of weeks: H was the first one in her school to finish her 100 book list. This would have been a accomplishment had she been competing and being pushed by her parents. However, I can honestly say that we did not push her one bit. She did it all on her own. K asked H the morning she was going to hand the list in “Are you going to be the first in your class to finish the 100 book list?” and H responded nonchalantly “I will probably be the first in the school to hand it in” And she was. Wow! Again, I’m so proud of you H. And M can write her name now.. Way to go M!

In related news, I heard on the motley fool radio show this morning that while national unemployment rates currently hover around 5%, unemployment rates for high school dropouts is ~8.5%, but unemployment rates for college grads is ~2.5%

Nothing like a little education to make for a more livable world.

Wow… I guess I fell off the face of the earth!
Actually, we have not had our camera, AND we have been without internet service. (we moved the computer desk, and the phone cord was not long enough to plug in.. 🙂

However, Arthur wanted me to help him test a public Wi-Fi link on his house. He purchased a “smart bridges” professional access point, with a 13dB gain omni whip antenna that is about 6 feet tall, and I mounted it on a mast on his chimney. I live about a half mile away, and it looks like it will work from here. sorta cool! I am using a smart bridges client receiver with a 13 db directional antenna. I can get his signal standing in front of my house, but in the back where it will actually be mounted, I must get higher to get over the church down the road from me. However, in the mean time, I am using someone’s wi-fi connection in the neighborhood to publish today.
heheh. Technology unsecured. Aint it grand?

As soon as I get my camera back, I should be back in business! Sorry for the lack of posts lately.