The weather forecast tells me this may be the first week for a trip to the golf course.
If all goes well Tues?day, I plan to hit the links for men?s night. Forecast is for temperatures in the 80s.
And I?m hoping no one will laugh at my old golf clubs, especially my driver and three-wood, which are the total opposite of a big-bertha type of club. I get the willies just thinking about trying to go out there and hit the ball off the tee.
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The Butler Bulldogs are my new team to root for in the NCAA men?s basketball championship. Since all of my other teams have been ousted from the tournament, Butler has been the only reason I?ve kept watching. They had me on the edge of my seat Saturday against Michigan State.
Butler?s rise to the championship game is an amazing story, but when you watch them it is no wonder they?re still in it. They are the epitome of teamwork.
Since this was written before the championship game Monday, I hope they will have gotten it done for the whole world to see.
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I can?t remember who said it to me, but I was told a while back that my photo on my column should be more current since it didn?t even look like me. So this week it?s a brand-new photo, turkey neck and all.
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I have been thinking for some time that I would be more comfortable belonging to a third political party if there was one that could give the Democrats and Republicans a run for their money.
Since that doesn?t even seem remotely possible, and a third party splits the vote and yields unintended consequences, I plan to register as an independent so both main parties will have to convince me their plan is best.
Besides, when the pundits talk about the independent voters, I will know that they are talking about skeptical people like me.
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I survived my appraisal protest hearing last week. The process of placing a value on real estate is complicated. No blood was shed, and we came to an agreement where I accepted the value as issued.
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If you?ve ever bought or sold commercial real estate and a loan was involved, you may have learned that EPA regulations can be a huge stumbling block. I know of a recent example where the EPA requirements killed the deal.
First, there?s an assessment, which costs a lot of money. If the business is considered hazardous by EPA regulations, a further study, which costs tons more than the first one, would likely be required. So, if the seller isn?t willing to pay, or the buyer won?t or can?t pay, the deal is over.
I recently heard secondhand of a sale in a Seattle suburb business district that cost the buyer $85,000 to do core sample drilling down 20 feet multiple times because a paint store formerly occupied the buildings.
The buyer had been renting the buildings for years before the purchase with no ill effects.
If the buyer had not been able to fund the assessment, that deal surely would have been killed.
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It was a tough week. I saw a jar of pickles on the counter early in the week but was told they were for Easter Sunday dinner, and I was not to open them. I won?t even mention the jar of olives sitting right next to them that were off-limits, too.
